Ye Jingchen looked at the specially marked information.

On the day of the drowning, the original owner went to the Imperial Garden and was near the water because Fangcao, a first-class palace maid, told her that someone had seen a very beautiful koi in the pond of the Imperial Garden.

Children are naturally curious, so they take people to see it.

As for the "someone" Fangcao mentioned, it was Bizhu, a second-class palace maid in the Eastern Palace, who was planted by Consort De.

In the Eastern Palace, Consort De had the most palace servants. Besides Bi Zhu, there was a eunuch named Xiao Li, who was one of the eunuchs who accompanied the original owner to the Imperial Garden that day, and he was by the original owner's side before the original owner drowned.

The Imperial Concubine's affection for the Third Prince was common knowledge throughout the palace. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for her to allow a young child like the Third Prince to appear alone by the water, which was highly suspicious.

However, this was an internal matter for Weiyang Palace, and Ye Jingchen could not interfere.

From his own perspective, the two palace servants in the Eastern Palace were indeed very suspicious, with reasonable motives and opportunities to create accidents and coincidences.

Yesterday, he made up a bunch of nonsense, originally just wanting to get information about the palace servants in the Eastern Palace through Chenxi, but unexpectedly, he got such a good result by accident.

"Go and interrogate these two people secretly," Ye Jingchen said to Chenxi, circling the two names with a pen.

Interrogation should be something these secret guards excel at.

Chenxi glanced at the two names and then disappeared.

Ye Jingchen only felt a blur before his eyes, and then the person disappeared.

Chenxi's other skills are still unclear, but his lightness skill has definitely been mastered to an unparalleled level!

Every man has a martial arts dream in his heart, and Ye Jingchen is no exception.

He particularly envied Chenxi's elusive skills. Ye Jingchen had been paying close attention to Chenxi's appearances and disappearances these past few times, but he couldn't find a single trace of her.

He also longed to have such superb skills. If he asked Chenxi to teach him, he wondered if Chenxi would be willing.

After Chenxi left, Ye Jingchen continued to read the messages, making a firm note of the names of several people who might frequently appear in front of him.

After watching for a while, the door to the bedchamber was gently pushed open a crack, and the sound of a palace maid calling his name came from the doorway.

The sound was so faint that it would have been completely inaudible if his desk hadn't been so close to the palace gate.

Ye Jingchen put away the stack of papers and called out a name.

"Fangfei!"

This is the head of the first-class palace maids in the Eastern Palace, an old woman left to the original owner by the late Empress, who is absolutely loyal to the original owner.

Soon, a young palace maid pushed open the palace door and walked in. She was a familiar face; the dignified-looking girl who had knelt closest to him and persistently shook him awake when he had just passed through.

Seeing Ye Jingchen sitting at his desk, Fangfei was somewhat surprised. "Now that Your Highness is awake, shall we serve you a meal?"

After burning the fire all night without eating a single grain of rice, Ye Jingchen drank a lot of water and drained the water, and he was indeed a little hungry.

Faced with delicious food, Ye Jingchen restrained himself this time and dared not eat too much.

If you overeat every time, it's not only bad for your health, but it will also stretch your stomach. The food in the palace is so nourishing that it's easy to become a big fat person.

There are also requirements for a prince's physique and appearance.

When the palace maid combed his hair, he saw his body reflected in the bronze mirror and realized he was already a chubby little boy.

The original owner's appearance was average, not bad-looking, but not particularly cute either. However, one's appearance reflects one's heart, and the fact that she was wicked at a young age made her face look rather unpleasant.

Ye Jingchen ate only three bites of each dish from the table full of food. If he found something particularly delicious, he would eat a few more bites. Even so, by the time he had tasted every dish, he was already seven or eight tenths full.

After finishing his meal, he continued exploring the East Palace. Yesterday, he had only strolled around the garden near the sleeping quarters, but today he walked around the small palace complex inside the East Palace, leaving him breathless.

Having not been a child for many years, he couldn't determine whether children's bodies were inherently weak or the original owner's body was exceptionally weak.

The emperor had originally granted him a three-day leave because of his fall into the water, but because he suddenly developed a high fever last night, the leave was extended indefinitely. The emperor's intention was to wait until he had fully recovered before he could return to class.

Fangfei told him this when he moved to the vicinity of Wenhua Hall.

The emperor sent word after he had driven all the palace servants out of his bedchamber and was left alone.

He probed and learned that the original owner of this body studied separately from the other princes in the Wenhua Hall, and the emperor had provided him with the most top-notch and luxurious teaching staff.

The Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, Grand Protector, Junior Tutor, Junior Preceptor, and Junior Protector—all three dukes and three grandees—were present, along with six attendants and several lecturers.

Not counting the non-regular lecturers, he had a total of twelve teachers, both in name and in practice.

The Grand Tutor is the current prime minister, the Grand Preceptor is the male protagonist's grandfather, the Duke of Zhenguo, the Grand Protector is the commander of the Imperial Guard, the Junior Tutor is the Minister of Rites, the Junior Preceptor is the Minister of War, and the Junior Protector is the Marquis of Wu'an.

As for the six attendants, they were all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) or Jinshi graduates after the emperor ascended the throne.

The palace maids excitedly told him all this, trying to show him how much the emperor valued him as the crown prince. But Ye Jingchen felt only darkness over his eyes and a hopeless future.

Just thinking about having so many big shots watching him learn from him is suffocating!

No, he can't bear this pain all by himself!

Since they all have to study anyway, what difference does it make where his younger brothers study? And what teacher could possibly be as learned and powerful as his own?

If he studies with his younger brothers, the teacher's attention will inevitably be diverted, and less attention will be paid to him. Even a few less points of attention would be good!

Besides his younger brother, he could find several more tutors. There were plenty of noble families willing to send their children to the palace to study with the crown prince and other princes. The more people there were, the more lively and fun it would be!

Ye Jingchen, who has over a decade of experience raising children, said he's starting to look forward to it.

After their walk, Ye Jingchen returned to his bedchamber and began to shoo people away again.

A hardcore otaku said he really couldn't stand being in a room with too many people. One Chenxi was the limit he could accept, and that was even when he couldn't even perceive Chenxi's presence.

"Your Highness, your status is so noble that it is not safe for you to be alone. Why don't we accompany you?" Fangfei suggested softly.

"If I am not safe even in my own palace, is there any safe place in this world?" Ye Jingchen retorted with a stern face.

Knowing the little tyrant's temper well, Fangfei didn't dare to say much, and instead offered a compromise: "Then we servants will guard outside the palace."

Ye Jingchen waved his hand impatiently.

The palace servants filed out and gently closed the palace doors.

Ye Jingchen sat down on the bed. It was far from the palace gates; even if palace servants stood at the door, they wouldn't hear the conversation inside. "Chenxi, did you find out anything?"

The elusive dawn appeared before him and said succinctly, "I confess, I was indeed acting under the orders of Consort De."