"Who are Meixi, Daji, and Baosi?" Ye Jingshu asked in confusion.

Ye Jingchen: ...

"These three pitiful women who took the blame for the last dynasty all had one thing in common: they were all exceptionally beautiful. They were all the favorite concubines of the kings when the dynasties were falling. The term 'femme fatale' originated because of them," Ye Jingchen commented objectively.

"Blaming the fall of a nation on a woman? Who wrote this history book? Are they out of their minds?" Ye Jingshu asked incredulously.

"Why are beautiful women always chosen as scapegoats for the downfall of a country, instead of men? Your Majesty, you will find the answer to this question in history books and people's views on men and women."

"Look, even you, my royal sister, find such an absurd idea unreasonable, yet Consort Wen, an educated adult, firmly believes it and even uses it to scare Jingyan. Oh, and Jingyan actually believed it. This world is just that absurd," Ye Jingchen said sarcastically.

"Second Princess is a bit silly, I don't believe any of this."

When Ye Jingyu speaks, she's a bombshell.

Ye Jingyan was so angry by those words that she burst into tears.

She was sitting next to Ye Jingyu, but after Ye Jingyu finished speaking, she cried and moved her chair away from Ye Jingyu.

“What’s the use if you don’t believe it? Everyone else does!” Ye Jingyan said while crying.

"You're wrong. None of us believe you, only you do," Ye Jinghe added.

These words completely broke down Ye Jingyan's defenses, and she cried even harder.

"Waaaaah... You're all bullying me!" she cried out loudly, even louder than when she was speaking before.

"Fanglan, take the Second Princess to wash away her tears, then bring her back for dinner," Ye Jingshu said with a hint of helplessness.

"Second Princess, please—" Fanglan walked to Ye Jingyan's side and said respectfully.

Ye Jingyan cried for a while, and seeing that Ye Jingshu and the others were looking at her, she had no choice but to leave with Fanglan while still crying.

"How can she have so many tears? Now that her eyes are red from crying, it's probably going to confirm the rumors that I, the princess, bullied her!" Ye Jingshu sighed heavily.

"It's alright. As long as Father believes in you, it doesn't matter how wildly the rumors spread," Ye Jingchen comforted him.

"You make it sound so easy, but you're the one being rumored to be the one!" Ye Jingshu rolled her eyes at Ye Jingchen.

"We've gone this far, she should be moved by this, right?" Ye Jingshu said, somewhat troubled.

"It might have touched me, but it's not enough," Ye Jingchen said.

"Then let's wait until the Spring Banquet in a few days, show our faces to the noble ladies of the capital, and see how it goes!" Ye Jingshu continued with a sigh.

Just then, Ye Jingyan returned after washing her face, her eyes indeed red and swollen, looking like she had been badly bullied.

"Let's sit down and have a meal. Let's not talk about anything else," Ye Jingshu said.

No one spoke again, and dinner was finally finished smoothly.

"Fanglan, go and get the gifts I gave to the two princesses," Ye Jingshu said to Fanglan after the meal.

Fanglan hurriedly called the palace maids to go inside with her to retrieve the gifts that Ye Jingshu had prepared in advance. They were two sets of clothes made to fit Ye Jingyan and Ye Jingyu, with bright colors, novel styles, and lively and playful embroidered patterns.

In addition to clothing, there are also matching headdresses and accessories.

"Four days from now is the day of rest for the Wenhua Palace. I have already sent out invitations to noble ladies of similar age from the capital to attend the Spring Banquet. My two younger sisters must be present, and you must be poised and dignified, not disgracing Father and me. You have four days left, so go back and prepare yourselves well, especially Jingyan. If you dare to shed tears in front of the noble ladies from the capital—"

Ye Jingshu didn't say the rest, but everything was understood without being said.

Ye Jingyan felt like the sky was about to fall.

How many noble ladies are there in the capital? Why would she attend such a gathering? And why is she expected to be elegant and proper?

"Royal sister—" Ye Jingyan looked at Ye Jingshu pitifully, her eyes filled with tears, on the verge of crying.

"Fanglan, see the guests out!" At Ye Jingshu's command, Fanglan walked to Ye Jingyan's side and gestured for her to leave.

"You personally lead the people to escort the Second Princess back to the palace, and also tell Consort Wen what I just said, hoping she will make preparations as soon as possible!" Ye Jingshu thought for a moment and said to Fanglan.

Fanglan nodded and led Ye Jingyan away, while Fangzhu was responsible for seeing Ye Jingyu off.

After the two princesses left, Ye Jingchen and Ye Jinghe also left Chaoyang Palace.

"Brother, since Ye Jingyan doesn't want to study at Wenhua Hall, then she shouldn't go. Why do you have to make her go? She cries so much, even if she goes to Wenhua Hall, she'll just be a nuisance!" Ye Jinghe asked Ye Jingchen, puzzled, on the way.

"What Ye Jingyan? You should call her Second Imperial Sister. That's rude!" Ye Jingchen tapped Ye Jinghe on the head.

"Her tears come so easily, like they're made of water, it's terrifying!" Ye Jinghe shuddered involuntarily when he thought of Ye Jingyan's ability to cry so easily.

“We don’t necessarily want her to study at the Wenhua Hall. However, we need to let her know that she doesn’t need to be ashamed of her appearance, nor does she need to be timid and ashamed to see people because of it! Having a beautiful face is not her fault. On the contrary, it is a gift from heaven to her!” Ye Jingchen said.

"Is this what you call pretty? I think she's not as pretty as Ye Jingyu," Ye Jinghe commented after thinking for a moment.

"Even if Jingyu is only a year older than you, she's still your elder sister! Besides, you're just a four-year-old kid, you haven't even grown all your hair yet, do you know what beauty is?" Ye Jingchen said irritably.

Ye Jinghe pursed his lips and didn't say anything.

"My elder sister wants Ye Jingyan to study at the Wenhua Hall. Firstly, she doesn't want Ye Jingyan to be poisoned by Consort Wen's ignorant ideas and wants her to live more confidently. Secondly, what my elder sister wants to do is not easy. She needs allies, the more the better, and the more noble their status, the better!"

“I support what my elder sister is doing. As things stand, it does more harm than good in governing the Great Abyss. After all, it is too difficult to shake a deeply ingrained idea that has been established for thousands of years in one day. But this matter is beneficial in the present and for future generations!”

“Now that I’m here, and your elder sister has the same idea, of course I will support her, and I hope you will too,” Ye Jingchen explained earnestly to Ye Jinghe.

"Brother, what you're saying is too complicated, I don't understand." Ye Jinghe tried hard to digest Ye Jingchen's words, but at his age, he simply couldn't understand why, if the disadvantages outweighed the advantages, it was said that the benefits were immediate and lasting.

He felt very conflicted.

However, he thought very simply: if he couldn't understand something, he wouldn't think about it; he just needed to be like his brother.

"I will support what my brother supports, and I will also oppose what my brother opposes in the future."

Ye Jingchen patted his head and said with a smile, "Then Xiao Jinghe is my most unbreakable ally!"

Human thought is the most unpredictable thing.

However, some ideas, if instilled from a young age, will remain deeply ingrained and difficult to shake even after one grows up and experiences different things.

At least within the small space of the Wenhua Hall, he would do his best to teach these children with the ideas of freedom and equality.