"It feels like a windfall," the little girl whispered.

"It is indeed difficult to trust a stranger. You can think about it carefully. I will send someone here tomorrow, and you can make a decision then."

As Ye Jingchen spoke, he took out a small piece of silver and handed it to the little girl, saying, "Go buy some good food. Children won't grow tall if they go hungry."

"Let's go," Ye Jingchen said to Chenxi.

Under the watchful eyes of the children, Ye Jingchen gracefully led Chenxi away.

Once they were out of the children's sight, Ye Jingchen grabbed Chenxi's sleeve. "Quick, take me back to the palace! If we don't go back soon, we'll be exposed!"

Chen Xi was exasperated, but it was indeed almost time to have dinner at the palace, and it would be very troublesome if the palace servants found out that Ye Jingchen was not in his bedchamber.

He took Ye Jingchen and rushed towards the palace as quickly as possible.

After experiencing a roller coaster ride, when Ye Jingchen finally stood on solid ground again, he was already in his own palace.

Outside the door, Fangfei was calling his name again and again.

Inside the door, Ye Jingchen's face was pale, and he felt nauseous from being jostled around.

But he hadn't changed his clothes or removed the disguise from his face.

After another flurry of activity, it took quite a while before I was finally able to meet people.

"Come in!" he called out to the doorway.

The door to the sleeping quarters was pushed open, and the palace servants filed in.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Why is your face so red?" Fangfei asked worriedly when she saw Ye Jingchen's flushed face.

"It's nothing, I was just having a nightmare," Ye Jingchen replied casually.

"No wonder you're so late today. The Fifth Prince came looking for you a while ago. He was very worried when he saw that you weren't awake and almost came in to wake you!"

Ye Jingchen was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself how close he had come to disaster.

Ye Jinghe followed the palace maid into the bedchamber and overheard his brother saying he was having a nightmare. He walked over to his brother and took his hand.

If he could sleep with his brother, he would never let nightmares haunt his brother's dreams!

"I want to sleep with my brother and help him chase away his nightmares." He looked at his brother with bright, sparkling eyes.

He saw Ye Jingyu today and felt a strong sense of crisis.

He had a premonition that Ye Jingyu would definitely take away his brother's affection for him!

"Xiao Jinghe, don't you know I'm a restless sleeper and can hit people? Aren't you afraid I'll hit you?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile.

"Don't be afraid, it won't hurt," Ye Jinghe said without hesitation.

"That won't do. You may not be in pain, but I am. It will break my heart." Ye Jingchen said, pinching Ye Jinghe's cheek and taking his hand to have dinner with him.

After the meal, Ye Jingchen escorted Ye Jinghe back to his side hall, bringing with him the pastries he had specially bought for Ye Jinghe.

He called all the palace servants out and spoke with Ye Jinghe alone in the hall.

"Actually, I wasn't having a nightmare this afternoon; I went out of the palace," Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jinghe.

He believed Ye Jinghe would keep it a secret for him.

Moreover, Ye Jinghe is so clever; if he leaves the palace again in the future, he might be able to get Ye Jinghe to cover for him.

"Here, this is a gift your brother brought you from outside the palace." Ye Jingchen took out the pastries. The pastries were made with tea and had a faint tea aroma, mixed with the unique sweetness of the pastries. They should taste delicious.

For the first time, Xiao Ye Jinghe was unhappy with the gift her brother gave her.

"Why didn't my brother take me with him?" he asked, his face full of disappointment.

"My brother left the palace secretly, with only one person in his arms. He couldn't protect both of us," Ye Jingchen explained.

"Who did you bring, brother?" Ye Jinghe asked quickly.

Who else was around his brother that he didn't know, and who was able to take his brother out of the palace?

"My personal guard. When a prince turns six, he can choose his own personal guard. When you turn six, you can also choose your own personal guard. He will always be by your side, inseparable from you," Ye Jingchen said to him.

In the novel, Ye Jinghe was not valued by the emperor. When he was six years old, he was still being tortured in Changchun Palace. The emperor probably didn't even remember that he had such a son, so naturally he wouldn't assign him any secret guards.

He only acquired his secret guards after he came of age and established his own household.

But at that time, how could Ye Jinghe possibly trust his secret guards, let alone entrust his life to them? So, to him, his secret guards were nothing more than a sharp and obedient knife.

Ye Jinghe stood there, frozen in disbelief.

He had always thought that he and his brother were the closest, that no one could be closer to them. He never expected that his brother would have a bodyguard who was always by his side!

Who is that bodyguard?

Ye Jinghe thought of the middle-aged man who appeared in his brother's carriage when he left the palace with his brother last time. Could he be his brother's secret guard?

But—would my brother choose such an ordinary bodyguard?

"I don't want bodyguards, I just want my brother!" Ye Jinghe said unhappily, clinging tightly to Ye Jingchen's arm.

My brother is fine with just him, why do we need bodyguards?

"The bodyguards are very capable and will protect our safety at all times, isn't that good?" Ye Jingchen patted his back and asked with a smile.

"I can protect my brother too, all the time!" Ye Jinghe said stubbornly.

“That won’t do. You are also a prince. Securing the country, maintaining order, and bringing peace to the world—these are the things you should be doing!” Ye Jingchen said.

But none of these things were as important to Ye Jinghe as his brother.

After all, it was his brother who rescued him from the abyss. It was also his brother who responded to his expectations time and time again.

Ye Jinghe didn't speak, but he had already made up his mind that one day he would be more capable than the bodyguards around his brother, and he would let his brother know that he was more reliable than the bodyguards!

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!