Reborn to be replaced, remarried to the royal palace to raise children and train husband

Gu Qinlan turned around, bowed slightly, and responded calmly: "Mother, I did make some changes to the management of the kitchen, but I did not intend to disrupt the order of the palace. Please listen to my explanation."

Princess Duan's eyes flashed with displeasure, and she said, "Explain yourself. I want to hear how you defend yourself."

Gu Qinlan nodded slightly and said, "The kitchen is an important part of the palace's internal affairs. I believe that servants should perform their duties and fulfill their responsibilities. The chaos in the kitchen today is because the servants did not follow the rules, resulting in food waste and reduced quality of dishes. I punished them to make them realize their mistakes and prevent them from happening again."

Princess Duan's expression eased a little, but she still said seriously: "But you are too harsh in treating the servants. They are also human beings and have feelings. Aren't you afraid of chilling their hearts by treating them like this?"

Gu Qinlan said seriously, "Mother, the Prince Duan's Mansion provides a stable life for the servants, so that they have food, clothing and a place to stay. They should be grateful, not ask for more. If they don't do their best, wouldn't they be failing the Prince Duan's Mansion? As for feelings, I think that servants should focus on their duties, and personal feelings should not affect the order of the palace."

Princess Duan was silent for a moment, and a hint of approval flashed in her eyes as she looked at Gu Qinlan. She said slowly, "You are right. The Prince Duan's Mansion does provide a good living environment for the servants. However, people are all made of flesh and blood, and sometimes they need some tolerance."

Gu Qinlan smiled and said, "Mother taught me, and I have learned from it. But I think tolerance does not mean indulgence. If the servants in the kitchen do not follow the rules, the order of the entire palace will be affected. I will try my best to balance leniency and strictness, so that they can feel the warmth of the palace and understand their responsibilities."

Princess Duan nodded and said, "Okay, if that's the case, then I won't ask any more questions. But you also have to remember that servants are also human beings and sometimes need care. Don't let them think that Prince Duan's Mansion is just a cold place."

Gu Qinlan responded respectfully: "Don't worry, mother. I will remember it."

At this time, the cooks in the kitchen knelt down one after another and looked at Princess Duan with gratitude. Princess Duan smiled and said to them, "Get up, you have worked hard. As long as you do your best, Prince Duan's Mansion will not treat you unfairly."

The cooks all stood up, tears of gratitude glistening in their eyes.

Gu Qinlan bowed to Princess Chongduan and said seriously, "Mother, I should be grateful for the kindness of my master. This is only natural. But what happened today made me sigh that sometimes my master should also be grateful for the efforts of my servants."

Princess Duan smiled slightly, with a hint of admiration in her eyes, and said, "Qin Lan, you are too kind. It is my duty to do my best. However, what you said about Feng Yun surprised me a little."

Gu Qinlan nodded slightly and said, "That's right. Master Feng Yun, he actually wears ordinary people's clothes, he really doesn't look like the grandson of Prince Duan's mansion. I specially asked someone to investigate, and found that he consumes a lot of bird's nests, ginseng and other supplements every day, and the accounts are all recorded in his name."

Princess Duan's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "What's wrong with this? Feng Yun has been weak and sickly since he was a child, so it's only right for him to eat more tonic food."

Gu Qinlan frowned and said, "Mother, forgive me for being blunt, although ginseng bird's nest is precious, it is not suitable for a child of Master Feng Yun's age. Moreover, from my observation of Master Feng Yun, he seems to be somewhat malnourished."

Princess Duan's eyes flashed with doubt, and she said, "Qin Lan, what do you mean by this? Can't the food in my Prince Duan's Mansion take care of a child?"

Gu Qinlan smiled softly and said, "Mother has misunderstood. I am not questioning the diet of Prince Duan's Mansion, but I think there is something wrong with Master Fengyun's diet. The supplements he takes every day are all very nutritious, but for a growing child, they may have the opposite effect."

Gu Qinlan turned to look at Fu Yu behind her and ordered, "Fu Yu, go and bring the young master here. I want to see him in person."

Fu Yu bowed slightly and replied softly, "Yes, Crown Prince's Consort." Then she turned and left.

After a while, Fu Yu came in holding the thin Zheng Fengyun.

Young Master Feng Yun was wearing a light grey cloth robe, his brows showed intelligence, but his thin body made people feel distressed.

Princess Duan sat in the first seat, her eyes fell on the child's thin body, and she couldn't help but frowned.

Gu Qinlan gently stroked Zheng Fengyun's head and said in a calm tone: "Fengyun, look at you, you are shorter than other children of your age. You know, your parents are tall, so you should be much taller than them."

Zheng Fengyun raised his head, his eyes full of doubt. The wet nurse and maids knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

Gu Qinlan sneered, turned around and said to Princess Duan, "Mother, look at this child, he is so thin now, where did the ginseng and bird's nest in the mansion go?"

Princess Duan smiled slightly and said, "These are all matters of the palace. Qin Lan, you can check it out when you have time. However, this matter should not be made public, after all, it concerns the child's reputation."

Gu Qinlan nodded, turned to the kneeling nurse and maids, and said in a cold tone: "Do you admit your guilt?"

The nurse said tremblingly: "Please spare us, Princess. We did not embezzle the ginseng and bird's nest. Please investigate clearly."

The maids also begged for mercy: "Princess, we are innocent!"

Gu Qinlan sneered, "Are you wronged? Then what's wrong with this child's body?"

The wet nurse lowered her head, not daring to look at Qin Lan anymore. At this time, a maid couldn't help crying and complaining: "Princess, it's all our fault for not taking good care of the young master. But the ginseng and bird's nest were indeed not embezzled. Please investigate clearly."

Gu Qinlan's eyes swept over the crowd and he said firmly, "If that's the case, I will investigate the matter myself. If anyone is found to be corrupt, they will be severely punished and executed!"

The nurse was so frightened that her face turned pale. She immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Please spare my life, my slave was wrong. I will never dare to do it again!"

Gu Qinlan looked at her coldly, her tone firm: "You took more supplements without permission, but ignored Young Master Feng Yun. This is such a great sin!"

Princess Duan frowned, walked up to the wet nurse, and asked, "You said that you didn't feed the supplements you took to Feng Yun, so where did they go?"

The nurse trembled and replied, "Princess, I…I ate all the supplements."

Princess Duan's face darkened and she turned to Zheng Longyu: "You are the purchasing manager for the kitchen. Do you admit your guilt?"

Zheng Longyu knelt down hurriedly and said in a trembling voice: "Princess, spare my life. I only dared to do this for the benefit of Prince Duan's Mansion."

Gu Qinlan sneered: "Benefits? You took advantage of Princess Duan's trust and embezzled nearly a thousand taels of silver. Is this what you call benefits?"