After having lunch with the emperor, Ye Jingchen did not stay long in Chengqian Palace and soon left with Ye Jinghe.

Upon returning to the East Palace, he told Ye Jinghe about his intention to leave the palace.

Ye Jinghe's face immediately fell.

He couldn't understand. Was it really that fun outside the palace? Why did his brother like sneaking out of the palace so much?

Of course, his biggest complaint about his brother leaving the palace was that his brother didn't take him with him!

"When you turn six, I will definitely take you with me when I leave the palace. It's really not safe now!" Ye Jingchen reassured him.

"I'll bring you something delicious when I come back!" He rubbed Ye Jinghe's little face, forcing it into a smile.

Ye Jinghe was very unhappy, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't just cling to his brother's leg and stop him from going out to play, could he?

He could only maintain the forced smile his brother had contrived, watching helplessly as his brother left the side hall with cheerful steps.

Back in his own bedchamber, Ye Jingchen used the same trick again, using the excuse of needing to take a nap to send all the palace servants out and ordering them not to enter unless summoned.

After experiencing this so many times, the palace servants had gotten used to it.

They were used to the Crown Prince's preference for solitude and his fondness for sleeping.

Actually, it's quite good that their masters love to sleep, because it gives them a lot more free time to do whatever they want.

Inside the bedchamber, Ye Jingchen called out Chenxi and asked him to paint his face as he had done last time.

Having been recognized by Xie Chang'an three times in a row, Ye Jingchen gave up and decided he didn't want to play hide-and-seek with Xie Chang'an anymore.

The capital city is so big, he doesn't believe he'll run into Xie Chang'an again today when he leaves the palace!

"Go to those children's place," Ye Jingchen said to Chenxi after leaving the palace.

Last time, due to the rush, he only made a simple agreement with the girl, and Chenxi sent people to do everything according to his instructions.

So this time when he left the palace, he wanted to see how well the people he had sent were taking care of those children.

He thought highly of the girl; she was resilient, intelligent, and most importantly, kind-hearted. If he could take her under his wing and teach her well, she would surely become a great asset to him in the future.

The house was in a very remote location, and the houses nearby were all similar in layout. Without Chenxi leading the way, Ye Jingchen would never have been able to find it on his own.

He didn't go empty-handed. There were food vendors along the way, and he bought some of everything that tasted good. By the time he arrived at the gate of the house, his hands were full of things.

Yes, he carried the things himself; Chenxi was empty-handed.

Originally, it should have been Chenxi who took it, but after thinking about it, Ye Jingchen took the item himself.

It's fine for him to carry a little something, since it's not very heavy. But if Chenxi carries it, what if they encounter an assassination attempt? If Chenxi is slow to react because she's carrying something, wouldn't he be the one to suffer?

Ye Jingchen felt that he was quite safety-conscious.

Especially in this insecure era.

Chenxi didn't insist on Ye Jingchen offering to carry things, but he looked at Ye Jingchen with the same gaze he'd given a fool the whole way.

However, due to the height difference and the fact that Chenxi's vision was obscure, coupled with Ye Jingchen's attention being focused elsewhere, he did not notice this.

More than half a month later, the dilapidated house in Ye Jingchen's memory has been completely transformed into a high-walled compound.

The house where those children used to live didn't actually belong to them. It was just that it was remote and dilapidated, which is why the original owner had left it vacant.

Ye Jingchen had considered this from the beginning, so he specially sent someone to buy the house from the government first, and then went to find the young girl with the house deed.

This property deed is a testament to his sincerity.

After the young girl agreed to the deal, he immediately sent people to repair the house, and it looks quite nice now.

The gate to the house was tightly shut, so Chenxi went up and knocked on the door.

After a while, the gate was opened a crack, and a head peeked out.

He was one of the children who had stolen Ye Jingchen's things on the street before. He was wearing clean and well-fitting clothes, his face was clean, and his hair was neatly combed.

The little boy recognized them immediately, grinned at them, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, and opened the door completely.

"Big sister, our little benefactors are here!" he shouted excitedly as he opened the door.

Ye Jingchen was a little annoyed. The word "benefactor" was already awkward enough, but he actually added the word "little" in front of it. Was he really that little?

Ye Jingchen carried his things and walked into the courtyard with Chenxi. Before he could take in the changes in the courtyard and the children, he saw two familiar faces, one big and one small.

Xie Shaoling and Xie Chang'an sat steadily in the courtyard, proving the old saying that "you never know where you might meet someone in life!"

"Little Ye, it really is you!" Upon seeing Ye Jingchen, Xie Shaoling remained seated leisurely, drawing out his greeting in a rather unserious manner.

Small leaves!

Upon hearing this address, Ye Jingchen's lips twitched.

However, he did not intend to reveal his identity to these children. Xiao Yezi was fine with him; it was better than Xie Shaoling calling him "Your Highness the Crown Prince" directly.

"Uncle Xie," Ye Jingchen greeted politely.

"Brother Chang'an," Ye Jingchen called out to Xie Chang'an affectionately again.

Why did Xie Shaoling call him "Little Yezi"?

Xie Chang'an just glared at him with utter disgust and ignored him.

"You're so rude! Call me brother!" Xie Shaoling slapped Xie Chang'an hard on the back and scolded him.

Xie Chang'an pursed his lips and glared fiercely at Xie Shaoling.

Dream on!

Ye Jingchen was secretly overjoyed.

Although he has many younger brothers, he would still look forward to it if Xie Chang'an could call him "brother".

"Brother Chang'an?" He forgot for a moment to ask Xie Shaoling and Xie Chang'an why they were here. Instead, he walked up to Xie Chang'an, called him affectionately again, and looked at him with a smile.

"I'm not worthy of your status!" Xie Chang'an said with a sneer, then turned around and faced away from Ye Jingchen.

"My little benefactor, you actually know Brother Xie! What a coincidence!" When the girl saw Ye Jingchen again, her attitude towards him was completely different from her previous wariness, and her words were full of warmth.

"I bought some food on the way here, for you guys as snacks." Ye Jingchen handed her a large pile of things.

"Thank you, little benefactor, please have a seat!" The little girl took the pile of things, and a little boy brought over a stool, wiped it vigorously with his sleeve, and then placed it in front of Ye Jingchen. Chenxi received the same treatment.

"Uncle Xie, what are you and Chang'an doing here?" After sitting down, Ye Jingchen finally had the chance to ask the question that had been bothering him.