"If the Fifth Prince isn't here, then where is he? I want to see him right now!" Ye Jingchen said coldly.

"Children are sleepy, and Jinghe hasn't woken up yet. Your Highness, why don't you come with me to the main hall for some pastries? I'll send someone to wake him up," Consort Shu coaxed softly.

"In that case, I, as the elder brother, will personally go and wake Jinghe up," Ye Jingchen said forcefully.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is truly a good elder brother! This way, Your Highness." Consort Shu hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile and leading Ye Jingchen in another direction.

Ye Jingchen took a few steps, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Fang Rong, "Take a few men and guard this place. Do not leave without my order!"

Consort Shu's smile froze on her face.

"What does Your Highness mean by this?" she asked with a stern face.

"Just now, the palace servants in your palace told me that Jinghe was locked up here. Of course, I don't believe that Consort Shu would dare to lock up a prince. So, for the sake of Consort Shu's reputation, I will have someone guard this place until Jinghe appears. That way, once Jinghe appears, the rumors will naturally be dispelled." Ye Jingchen had an expression that said, "I'm doing this for your own good."

Consort Shu did not expect that a child of only a few years old would be so difficult to deal with, but Ye Jinghe was locked inside by her. If the people of the East Palace stayed here and did not leave, where would she conjure up another Ye Jinghe?

"Your Highness, to be honest, Jinghe was indeed locked in the palace by me, but I had no choice but to do so. I hope Your Highness will understand!" Consort Shu said with a sorrowful expression.

"What 'helplessness' made you lock up the prince?" Ye Jingchen mocked.

"Yesterday, Jinghe was frightened in the Imperial Garden, and his emotions have been very unstable since he returned. We called the Imperial Physician, who said he has epilepsy. Last night, Jinghe had an epileptic seizure and was very agitated. I had no choice but to lock him in the palace. Jinghe is my child, and I am heartbroken to see him like this. I couldn't sleep all night!" Consort Shu said, wiping her eyes.

She deliberately made her eyes red, but Ye Jingchen didn't see a single tear.

"Your Highness, once an epileptic seizure occurs, the person becomes completely unrecognizable and extremely destructive. For your safety, it would be best if you did not see Jinghe at this time."

Consort Shu looked so sincere, but Ye Jingchen couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't care about epilepsy or anything like that. I've brought so many people with me, do you think I'm afraid of being hurt by a little kid like Jinghe? I want to see Jinghe right now and make sure he's safe!" Ye Jingchen said forcefully.

"Your Highness, this is my Changchun Palace, not your Eastern Palace. I am, after all, your elder. Is it inappropriate for you to be so rude and disrespectful? What if His Majesty finds out—"

Ye Jingchen scoffed, "Are you trying to use the Emperor to pressure me?"

"Your Highness, are you joking?"

Despite being only one meter tall, Ye Jingchen managed to project an aura of someone three meters tall.

Consort Shu was furious and shouted, "Your Highness, don't go too far!"

"I came to see my own younger brother, but Consort Shu made all sorts of excuses and refused to let me see him. Who is really going too far?!"

"Since Consort Shu won't unlock the door, guards, break down the door for me!"

At Ye Jingchen's command, a eunuch immediately stepped forward to bang on the door.

"Stop them!" Consort Shu hurriedly ordered the palace servants of Changchun Palace.

The palace servants hesitated for a moment before reluctantly stepping forward, but were quickly subdued by the eunuchs brought by Ye Jingchen.

If it weren't for the fact that bringing guards into the concubines' palaces would lead to impeachment by court officials, Ye Jingchen would definitely have brought the Eastern Palace Guards with him this time.

Although he couldn't bring any guards, the eunuchs Ye Jingchen brought were all skilled in martial arts, and there were many of them, so the palace servants in Changchun Palace simply couldn't stop them.

Before long, the palace gate was smashed open.

Ye Jinghe naturally heard the commotion outside the door from inside the hall, but not knowing what had happened, he cautiously approached the door to eavesdrop. When the eunuch broke down the door, he was nearly knocked down.

He was imprisoned for most of the day in a dark hall. When the door broke, the sunlight shone in and stung his eyes.

He covered his eyes, and through the gaps between his fingers, he saw someone walking towards him in the light.

"Jinghe, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you!" Ye Jingchen stepped into the hall first and hugged the child who seemed to be stunned by fear.

This time, the child neither backed down nor struggled.

When Ye Jingchen picked up Ye Jinghe, he felt how light the child was. The child was all bones, and some parts were even a little rough to the touch.

"Is this what you call epilepsy? Consort Shu, I'm taking Jinghe with me. I will also report the truth to my father. You'd better watch yourself!" With that, Ye Jingchen carried Ye Jinghe and left Changchun Palace with a group of people.

Consort Shu staggered and almost fainted from anger.

But she dared not faint now; she had to go to the emperor to plead her case before the crown prince's men could report to him.

Ye Jinghe was very light, with almost no flesh on his body. Ye Jingchen felt okay when he first held him, but after holding him for a long time, he felt a little tired.

Fangfei was very perceptive; she understood his meaning with just a glance. She opened her arms to Ye Jinghe and said, "Fifth Prince, may I carry you?"

Ye Jinghe had been in a daze ever since Ye Jingchen picked him up, remaining silent and only holding Ye Jingchen's neck with his small hands. Upon hearing Fangfei's words, his body trembled, his hands tightened around Ye Jingchen's neck, and he shook his head slightly.

Seeing Ye Jinghe's resistance, Ye Jingchen couldn't bear it and compromised, saying, "It's alright, I'll carry you!"

After walking for a while, Ye Jingchen felt his hands getting more and more sore, and the child in his arms getting heavier and heavier. But this was not the most painful thing. What made Ye Jingchen feel suffocated was that Ye Jinghe's hands, which were wrapped around his neck, were unconsciously tightening the whole way. The child's hands were not very strong, but the neck area was fragile and sensitive, which still made Ye Jingchen feel suffocated.

Ye Jingchen had no choice but to stop and put Ye Jinghe down.

Seemingly afraid of being abandoned, Ye Jinghe kept tightly gripping Ye Jingchen's sleeve.

"Jinghe, don't be afraid. I'm not going to abandon you. I'm just too tired and need to rest," Ye Jingchen comforted him.

But Ye Jinghe still held tightly to his sleeve, his small body pressed close to his.

"Your Highness, why don't you let me carry the Fifth Prince instead?" Fangfei asked again.

Ye Jinghe seemed to understand, and with a 'whoosh,' he hid behind Ye Jingchen, his hands clenching even tighter.

Holding a child is indeed tiring, but the feeling of being relied upon by this child is also very good.

Now is the perfect time to build goodwill, so Ye Jingchen gritted his teeth and decided to do it himself.

And so, Ye Jingchen walked and rested along the way, taking a long time to carry Ye Jinghe back to the East Palace.

The moment he put the child down, he felt like his hands were going to break.

Ye Jinghe wasn't much better off.

Later, Ye Jingchen was too weak to hold on to Ye Jinghe. He had no time to worry about whether Ye Jinghe was uncomfortable. When he was put down, his face was deathly pale and his clothes were all wrinkled. He looked like a little puppy that had been abused.