Yi Hua sighed: "Hong Hui has been intelligent since childhood and thrives in the palace. However, he always forgets that the Emperor is the Son of Heaven. The Emperor can see through his shallow thoughts at a glance. He is just taking advantage of the Emperor's genuine affection for him. But if this happens a few more times, how much of the Emperor's sincerity will remain?"

"A fall from grace is a fall from grace, and he'll have to endure countless scornful looks and humiliations. If I don't pull him back and continue to let him squander his relationship with the Emperor, that would be the real harm to him."

Granny Chen agreed in her heart: "You should explain the reasoning to the eldest prince in detail. If you start arguing like this, won't it damage the relationship between you and your son?"

"If I beat him up, he'll disown me as his mother, and that would really hurt our relationship," Yi Hua said defiantly.

When Yinzhen arrived after receiving the news, the ten strokes of the cane had already been completed. Yihua ordered people to carry Honghui back, have the royal physician apply medicine, and eat a light diet. She hardened her heart and did not go with him.

Honghui kept his head down, and Yihua didn't see his eyes, but she knew the child was sad.

Yi Hua sat on the tatami mat, her hands covering her face with a handkerchief, and tears streamed down her face instantly, soaking the handkerchief within minutes.

Yinzhen stood there for a while, and when Yihua finally looked up, they laughed out loud when they met eyes. She looked too much like a rabbit.

"Your Majesty, you were quite imposing today. Why are you so angry?" Yinzhen wiped the water off her face and asked softly.

"Honghui acted this way because it was all my fault. I wasn't strong enough, which made him feel the need to protect me," Yihua concluded after recounting Honghui's actions.

Yinzhen only then realized that his son had so easily caused unrest in the Eighth Prince's household: "Do you think Honghui did something wrong?"

“Yinzhen, I think he’ll be an upright man his whole life. If he can use intrigue and scheming to control the women in the inner quarters, how can he become an official? These are all petty and inferior methods. He’s tasted success this time, and next time he faces a difficulty, he’ll subconsciously choose intrigue instead of overcoming it,” Yihua said. “I don’t believe there’s any problem in this world that must be solved with intrigue. I want Honghui to always walk in the sunlight. Do you understand?”

Yinzhen stopped smiling. He pursed his lips, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.

The princess was kind and compassionate, giving the child the best wishes and doing everything she could to make it a reality.

Someone like him is no longer qualified to say such things. Perhaps Honghui really is?