"Overwork has led to illness." Ye Jingchen silently repeated these four words to himself.

He said it was a lie that he died from exhaustion in his past life, but unexpectedly, Xie Chang'an really did die from exhaustion.

He, who was pretending to be exhausted to death, still only wanted to be a lazy bum for the rest of his life, while Xie Chang'an, who was truly exhausted to death, still had to rack his brains for the precarious future of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

It's kind of pathetic to think about!

They didn't really need to fight amongst themselves.

Open your hearts, cooperate, and everyone will feel much more at ease!

"Xie Chang'an, if I promise you right now that the Xie Family Army will definitely be yours in the future, would you believe me?" Ye Jingchen asked abruptly.

He was unusually sentimental, and he originally thought that even if Xie Chang'an wasn't moved, his attitude towards him would soften somewhat.

To everyone's surprise, Xie Chang'an's expression changed instantly, and he asked him in a cold voice, "What do you mean by this, Your Highness? Does your grandfather displease you?"

"I'm very satisfied, but the Duke of Zhenguo is getting on in years, so the Xie family army will still need you to take charge in the future," Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

Although he was smiling, he was thinking to himself that with Xie Chang'an's attitude, he would make him work like a slave for the rest of his life and exhaust him to death!

"Your Highness trusts my abilities so much...?" Xie Chang'an asked inquiringly.

Why doesn't he believe it at all?

"Let the right people do the right things, that's how you get twice the results with half the effort, isn't it? I don't really like using my brain, especially after I've worked myself to death in my dreams, I like it even less!" Ye Jingchen said meaningfully.

If someone who doesn't like to use their brain is so cunning, what must it be like if they do like to use their brain—

Xie Chang'an neither agreed nor disagreed with his words.

His wariness of Ye Jingchen wasn't because he harbored any ill will towards Ye Jingchen; it was merely a subconscious reaction when facing an unpredictable opponent.

Even if Ye Jingchen was willing to gamble his loyalty on the safety of Dayuan, he wouldn't dare gamble Ye Jingchen's original intentions on the lives of his family.

After all, the rise and fall of Dayuan may not have much to do with Ye Jingchen, an outsider, but the safety of his family is his only obsession after his rebirth.

So he can cooperate with Ye Jingchen, but he can't completely open his heart to him; he always needs to leave himself a way out.

As the morning exercise was nearing its end, Ye Jinghe finally recovered thanks to Ye Jingyu's dragging and pulling.

With his strength restored, he quickened his pace slightly and finally ran ahead of Ye Jingyu.

Ye Jingyu was both happy that Ye Jinghe was finally not holding him back, and dissatisfied that Ye Jinghe had gotten ahead of him. He never wanted to fall behind anyone.

With that mindset, the two of them chased each other and ran out of time.

During this time, they overtook Yun Shu, as well as Ye Jingshu and Ye Jingyu, and finally stopped falling behind.

Even at the very end, Ye Jingyu was still somewhat reluctant to leave.

He even felt that if Ye Jinghe hadn't deliberately held him back at the beginning, with their speed in the last period, they would have had no problem surpassing their second brother and cousin.

It's all Ye Jinghe's fault!

After the morning class ended, Ye Jinghe immediately let go of Ye Jingyu's hand and moved three zhang away from him.

Ye Jingyu glared at him fiercely.

But Ye Jinghe ignored him and quickened his pace to find Ye Jingchen.

Before Ye Jinghe found Ye Jingchen, a member of the Eastern Palace Guard had already found Ye Jingchen and reported to him on the two young princes' running situation, especially the final sprint.

So when Ye Jingchen saw the two little ones, he felt particularly gratified.

"Jingyu, Jinghe, have you experienced the benefits of working together towards a common goal?"

Both of them wanted to run faster and didn't want to be slower than the other. Isn't that another way of putting their efforts in the same direction?

Upon hearing this, Ye Jingyu and Ye Jinghe glared at each other again, but neither of them refuted Ye Jingchen's words.

After the day's classes were over, Ye Jingchen led all the princes and princesses to pay their respects to the emperor.

"Have you dealt with the rumors yet?" Ye Jingshu asked on the way to Chengqian Palace.

Actually, she had wanted to ask this for a long time, and had been holding it in all day.

Seeing Ye Jingchen's leisurely demeanor, she was getting increasingly anxious.

"It should be resolved by now. We'll just ask Father when we pay our respects," Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

"You asked your father for help?" Ye Jingshu's spirits lifted.

"I handed over the source of the rumors to my father," Ye Jingchen said casually.

The speaker meant it, and the listener took it to heart.

Ye Jingming felt a chill run down his spine.

The road leading to Chengqian Palace used to be the one he longed for most, but now, he wished that the road would never end.

He didn't want to hear his father pronounce his sentence on his mother.

But even the longest road has an end.

Upon learning that Ye Jingchen had once again brought all the princes and princesses to pay their respects in Chengqian Palace, the emperor was both amused and exasperated.

Knowing full well that the mastermind behind spreading rumors was Consort De, she still brought Ye Jingming to pay her respects, which suggests that her true intentions were not what they seemed!

The emperor had always known that Ye Jingchen's reputation was not good, but he himself was not good either. For those in power, sometimes bad reputations can actually instill fear, so as long as no one said it to his face, he did not care.

Moreover, no one knows a son better than his father. Ye Jingchen was indeed a bit arrogant and domineering in the past, so it's normal for bad rumors to circulate about him.

But this time, Consort De spread rumors of all sorts, including that Jing Chen was abusing his brothers. And it wasn't just rumors flying around in the harem; even officials from the court impeached Jing Chen for abusing his siblings right in front of him!

If he can't see through the trickery involved, then he might as well not be emperor at all!

Doesn't Jingchen, as a father, know whether he has abused his siblings?

He had been basking in the glory of his harmonious relationship with his siblings, fantasizing that they would live happily together when they grew up. But then the censors impeached Jing Chen for harming his brothers. Wasn't that a slap in the face?

Consorts colluding with court officials and interfering in state affairs is an unforgivable crime!

Moreover, Consort De was spreading rumors about the Crown Prince and defaming his reputation. Her sinister intentions were obvious, and the Emperor could easily convict her of a serious crime of plotting to harm the Crown Prince!

If Consort De had not had a prince, she would have been poisoned or given a white silk noose to die long ago after the emperor found out what she had done. Why would it have taken until now?

Even though she had a prince by her side, she could escape the death penalty but not the punishment. The emperor still planned to send her to the cold palace.

But Ye Jingchen brought Ye Jingming to pay his respects at this time, which might be to plead for Consort De!

Therefore, when the emperor saw Ye Jingchen, he did not give him the slightest bit of a friendly look.

Seeing the emperor's stern and unsmiling face, the others were somewhat intimidated and dared not get too close.

Ye Jingchen, however, acted as if he didn't see that the emperor was in a bad mood, and continued to linger in front of the emperor as always.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty boundless happiness and good health!"