"I... I..."
Nurse Zhang was so stunned by the powerful aura Yun Feiwan projected that she was momentarily speechless. Three slaps for three offenses—the evidence was undeniable. She had assumed the woman was a pushover, especially after hearing that the Third Prince had sent her to a brothel on their wedding night with barely a word of protest. After observing her for a few days and concluding that the new mistress was a weakling, she had decided to come and assert her dominance.
She had never imagined that this supposedly frail daughter of a concubine would be so sharp and difficult to handle. For a moment, Nurse Zhang panicked. Her greatest pillar of support was the Third Prince; without his presence, she dared not truly cross the Princess. Minor squabbles were one thing—punishing a maid or skimming from the meal budget were trivial matters that the Prince would likely overlook, given her status as his wet nurse and their shared history. But now, she had been struck and forced to swallow the insult; unless she wanted to face punishment from the Emperor himself, she had no choice but to accept it.
"The mistress is right to discipline me. This old servant accepts the punishment," Nurse Zhang said, weighing the situation and ultimately bowing her head in forced compromise. "It was my lack of consideration. I hope the mistress will not hold a grudge."
Chapter 30