The Daily Life of a Concubine

Chapter 102 - Overconfident

Zhao Jinrui was furious. "You little rascal! Usually so quiet and obedient, but I never expected you to come up with such mischief." As he spoke, he helped the eldest sit down and pulled up the second son, giving him two light smacks on the backside as a lesson.

"That's for your mischief, and that's for more mischief!"

Xiao Ze, who had been lightly hit, didn't cry. Instead, he kicked his feet in a playful manner, as if he thought his father was just playing with him. His cries of "Ah" grew louder and more pronounced with each shout.

In the end, the eldest was calling "Father," while the second and third were just shouting "Ah." It was impossible to tell what was going through their little heads.

Zhao Jinrui, now laughing out of both anger and amusement, said, "You rascals! I'll let your mother teach you. I refuse to believe this can't be fixed." With that, he put down his second son and walked over to their mother.

"My dear consort, how long do you think it will take for the children to learn to say 'Father Emperor'? Hmm?" The last "hmm" carried a note of playful threat.

Bai Jingxian wanted to call him shameless.

"Your Majesty, children take a long time to learn to talk. It'll take at least half a month," she said, thinking that by then, the children should have learned. She had no intention of teaching them just to have them repeat "Father Emperor" every time.

"Heh, I have great faith in your abilities, my consort. Half a month is too long—I think three days will do." As he spoke, he lightly pinched her cheek.

This woman was growing more and more charming, making it impossible for him to look away.

"Your Majesty, that hurts," Bai Jingxian, with her delicate skin, winced as a red mark appeared on her face from his pinch. She quickly grabbed his hand. "It's not like I took advantage of you, Your Majesty. Why are you making it hard for me?"

What did she do wrong? He was being far too mischievous.

"Heh, I think they've inherited your bad habits, my consort. They're this naughty because they learned it from you. After all..." Zhao Jinrui's eyes glinted with meaning, his gaze full of other emotions.

"Your Majesty!" Bai Jingxian interrupted, her voice tinged with a mixture of embarrassment and reproach.

This shameless man—truly incorrigible.

"If you keep this up, I won't speak to you anymore," she said, pushing his hand away and walking over to the children. "Come, let Mother teach you to say 'Father Emperor.'"

Fine, she would teach them! If she let him keep talking, he'd start spilling their bedroom secrets. Truly, he was without shame.

Seeing her blush so adorably, Zhao Jinrui couldn't help but laugh. "My dear consort, your skin is still so thin—this won't do. You're already the mother of three children."

Bai Jingxian was at a loss. Who said that once you became a mother, your skin couldn't still be thin? Not everyone was as thick-skinned as he was—hmph!

She snorted at him but didn't respond, instead focusing on teaching the children to say "Father Emperor."

Zhao Jinrui enjoyed these moments of familial bliss immensely. However, such moments never lasted long.

"Your Majesty, the chief maid from the Empress's quarters is here," De Fu, the head eunuch, announced with a troubled expression. If it weren't someone from the Empress's side, he wouldn't have disturbed this rare moment of relaxation for the Emperor.

Zhao Jinrui put down the book in his hand and immediately looked toward Bai Jingxian. However, her eyes held only mild surprise, no other emotion.

Zhao Jinrui composed himself, turning to De Fu. "What's the matter?" His voice was now cold and indifferent, a tone that hadn't appeared until now—and all because of the Empress.