Even the two maidservants, including Su Xin, were shocked by the sudden turn of events.

The old maid was visibly alarmed, instinctively looking around. Seeing no one else nearby, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with a face full of panic, she advised urgently, "Your Highness, you mustn't say such things."

In this world, women were subject to numerous constraints, as if they were born to be gentle and nurturing, focusing on raising children and supporting their husbands, pouring their entire life's efforts into their families to be considered even remotely adequate.

The old maid, now in her forties, had been exposed to such teachings since birth. Over time, she had come to believe that this was the correct way of things.

And she was not alone in this belief.

Despite knowing that Empress Rong had been pampered and indulged since childhood, the old maid still felt she was being too willful.

"Now that you're a mother, you can't afford to be as willful as before." It was only because the words came from Wei Lao Tai's wife that the old maid dared to speak so boldly.

Moreover, with the noble bloodline of the Emperor, any hint of misbehavior could lead to trouble if someone with ill intentions heard of it. Or worse, when the little prince grew up, if someone were to say such things to him, it could easily damage the mother-son relationship.

On the sidelines, Gu Shao "..."

Sorry, I've already heard it.

But he didn't share the old maid's dissatisfaction. In his opinion, a woman who had endured countless hardships and suffered for ten months would surely love her child dearly. That was the real problem.

Before she could be a mother, she had to be herself first.

That was what Gu Shao's mother had taught him when he was four years old. She even admitted that she hadn't particularly liked him when he was born, but later found him so adorable that she gradually poured her affection onto him.

This lesson had stuck with Gu Shao for over twenty years.

And this time, he was confident that he could make his mother love him again.

He knew exactly what kind of children people liked. Through many experiments, not a single elder could resist his charm when he was young.

The elders all praised him.

But his peers weren't as happy because every time he visited their homes, their parents would inexplicably favor him.

After the term "green tea" appeared, his peers automatically associated it with Gu Shao's face.

This guy was like a walking, green tea essence with long eyelashes since he was young.

Gu Shao had always been shameless. After a brief moment of grievance, he perked up and continued to look at Empress Rong with watery eyes, begging for her affection.

Empress Rong, after hearing the old maid's words, felt a momentary hesitation.

She felt that maybe it was really her fault.

To think that someone could hate their own child born from their own womb.

Empress Rong felt a sense of guilt overwhelming her, drowning her pride and arrogance.

"Bring the child to me."

Note that Empress Rong didn't even use the term "I."

Su Xin was overjoyed and quickly placed the little prince by Empress Rong's side.

As she had such close contact with him for the first time, Empress Rong frowned and suddenly muttered, "Ugly thing."

She couldn't believe that something so ugly could come out of her own belly.

"Looks like a little monkey."

"Could it be that he was switched at birth?"

Gu Shao was momentarily stiff, but quickly regained his vigor.

Don't worry, Mom, everything will be fine, Mom.

I'll become more handsome soon, Mom.

The old maid couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Empress Rong finally showing affection to the little prince. "Nonsense, all children look like this when they're born. The little prince is already very handsome. Ordinary children, when they're born, are not even one-tenth as good-looking as him."

Although exaggerated, it was the truth.

Empress Rong was somewhat doubtful.

Gu Shao soon couldn't resist his drowsiness and fell asleep.

As he closed his eyes, he made sure to press his cheek against his mother's, unwilling to miss any chance to act cute.

Empress Rong couldn't resist the feeling of vulnerability and tenderness when she felt the softness of his cheek against hers. She subconsciously held her breath, feeling conflicted and remorseful.

"Oh right, where is Su Yue?" After resting for a while and having the little troublemaker by her side, Empress Rong finally realized that her maid wasn't around.

As soon as she said this, everyone fell silent.

Although they knew that the Empress had just given birth and shouldn't worry about such matters, the issue concerned someone's life, and Su Xin and Su Qiu couldn't ignore it anymore. They both kneeled down in unison.

"Begging Your Highness, please save Su Yue."

Empress Rong only now realized that something had happened to Su Yue.

Being beaten with ten bamboo sticks from the Ministry of Internal Affairs wasn't a trivial matter, especially since it was ordered by the Crown Prince. Even if Su Yue survived, she would be severely injured. If luck wasn't on her side, she might end up disabled for life.

Although the Crown Prince punished Su Yue, he also saved her life.

Empress Rong was at a loss for words at this moment. She simply instructed the eunuch by her side to tell the servants from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to go easy on Su Yue, considering her background. She believed that they would agree given her status and recent childbirth.

"But what if the Crown Prince is unhappy about it?" Su Xin felt anxious.

Empress Rong didn't care about that. She had to protect the people she cared about.

"When Su Yue comes out, give her the lowest-level gem hairpin from my jewelry box, give her a month's leave, and give her ten taels of silver to give to her family outside the palace." Empress Rong never mistreated those around her.

Upon hearing the arrangements, Su Xin and Su Qiu couldn't help but regret not running out themselves.

After everything was settled, Empress Rong couldn't wait to ask, "Where is the Emperor? Why hasn't the Emperor been seen?"

The Empress Dowager had come before and left after seeing that the Empress was resting and not seriously injured. But the Emperor, from beginning to end, never showed up.

According to reports, the court session should have ended long ago.

It seemed that the Emperor deliberately avoided coming.

The old maid and the maidservants looked at each other, unsure whether to tell the truth or not, fearing that the Empress would be saddened by it.

At this moment, the little prince, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly stirred.

Gu Shao was awakened by hunger. He found that babies couldn't tolerate hunger, needing to be fed every one or two hours.

At this moment, the tiny baby seemed very uncomfortable, like a weak mouse on the verge of suffocation. Empress Rong panicked. "What's wrong with him?"

At this moment, Empress Rong couldn't care less about

whether the Emperor was acting like an Emperor or not.

Even though she loved the Emperor to the