"Prepare the meal!"

"Prepare an extra bowl of plain porridge, nothing else!"

"Go and fetch the imperial physician!"

After a morning of fussing, Ye Jingchen was exhausted and hungry, but looking at Ye Jinghe, whom he had brought back to the East Palace, he felt extremely satisfied.

After giving his instructions in an orderly manner, Ye Jingchen helped Ye Jinghe wash up. He personally washed the child's face and hands, and Ye Jinghe cooperated obediently throughout the process, but he didn't say a word, and his blank little face showed no extra expression.

After they finished washing up, the meal was already on the table.

Ye Jingchen didn't let the palace servants serve the food, nor did he eat first. Instead, he picked up the bowl of white porridge that he had specially ordered and personally fed Ye Jinghe.

Ye Jinghe cooperated readily, opening his mouth when told to and swallowing when told to.

Ye Jingchen fed him with great satisfaction, and Ye Jinghe ate very attentively, but the palace servants serving him all had strange expressions.

A table full of delicacies was laid out there, yet the Crown Prince was only allowed to eat plain porridge. What did His Highness mean by this?

Has she truly changed her ways, or has she come up with some other way to torment the Fifth Prince?

In Chengqian Palace, Consort Shu finally met the Emperor after the morning court session and immediately launched into a tearful complaint.

"Your Majesty, you must do justice for me!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince broke into Changchun Palace early this morning and took Jinghe away. I wonder how he's going to torture Jinghe."

"Although Jinghe is not my biological child, I have always treated him as my own, taking good care of him and not wanting him to suffer in the slightest. I beg Your Majesty to allow His Highness the Crown Prince to return Jinghe to me!"

The emperor was completely confused and had no idea what was going on.

Zhang Shunde quickly leaned close to his ear and told him that Ye Jingchen had taken Ye Jinghe away from Changchun Palace.

Zhang Shunde accompanied the emperor to court. After court, the eunuchs below him informed him of the matter immediately, but the explanation was very brief, and they knew nothing about the cause and effect.

The emperor frowned, looking at Consort Shu wiping away her tears with disgust in his eyes.

One by one, they were all trying to sow discord between the Crown Prince and his brothers right in front of him!

"Consort Shu, why are you so certain that the Crown Prince took Jinghe away to torture him? Slandering the Crown Prince is a serious crime!"

Consort Shu trembled and gritted her teeth, saying, "Your Majesty, it is common knowledge that His Highness the Crown Prince dislikes Jinghe. What else could he have done by taking Jinghe away if not to torture him? Your Majesty, Jinghe is also your child. You must save him!"

"Shut up! Do you know what you're saying?!" the emperor roared in fury.

"Your Majesty, I know I misspoke, but at this moment I am just an ordinary mother worried about my child's safety. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

"What an ordinary mother, worried about her child's safety!" the emperor sneered. "Do you really think I'm blind and ignorant, unaware of how you treated Jinghe?!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Shu trembled, but her heart remained unusually calm.

She did not do anything to harm Ye Jinghe; she merely ignored him and allowed the palace servants to bully him. Even if the emperor wanted to punish her for this, he could only punish her for failing to properly manage her subordinates.

But if the emperor knew about Ye Jinghe's ordeal at Changchun Palace, yet still remained silent and indifferent—

As expected of a lowly palace maid's bastard, she holds no place in the emperor's heart and is of no value to him whatsoever!

But even if it has no value, she raised it for so long, she can't let it go to waste!

She simply couldn't believe that Ye Jingchen, who used to despise Ye Jinghe, would now treat him with genuine affection.

"Your Majesty, I have never mistreated Jinghe. As for the Crown Prince, we do not know how he will treat Jinghe. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may go to the Eastern Palace and see for yourself!"

The emperor also wanted to know why Ye Jingchen had brought Ye Jinghe from Changchun Palace to the East Palace. He would go to the East Palace, but not now, and it was impossible for him to take Consort Shu with him.

"Go back to your Changchun Palace. I will investigate this matter myself!" The emperor turned and left.

Consort Shu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, rose gracefully, flicked her sleeves, and turned to leave.

She lowered her head, a meaningful smile on her face.

The Eastern Palace.

After feeding Ye Jinghe most of a bowl of white porridge, Ye Jingchen stopped letting him drink any more.

Ye Jinghe stared longingly at the porridge.

After being hungry for so long, how could a few mouthfuls of plain porridge possibly fill my stomach?

Ye Jingchen felt a pang of pity, but considering that the child's stomach and spleen must have been damaged by hunger, and that he should not eat too much or take any supplements, he had no choice but to harden his heart and order the white porridge to be taken away.

Immediately, the palace servants looked at Ye Jingchen with even stranger expressions.

However, their vision was very obscure, and Ye Jingchen was so hungry that he was only focused on consuming his internal organs and did not notice this at all.

After the meal, the palace servants brought teacups for rinsing the mouth, and Ye Jinghe also had a cup.

The cup was handed to him, and he took it blankly, at a loss, and could only look at Ye Jingchen.

Ye Jingchen drank water, and he followed suit, but he didn't know that the tea was for rinsing the mouth. He wasn't full to begin with, and the tea soup was not only emerald green but also fragrant, so he swallowed it directly.

"Your Highness—" Fangcao hurriedly tried to snatch the teacup from his hand, "This is for rinsing your mouth, you can't drink it."

However, Ye Jinghe did not let go, holding the teacup tightly.

Although he was small and weak, he was of noble status, so Fangcao dared not exert any force, and the two were locked in a stalemate.

This child is actually quite possessive of his food!

"Jinghe, little brother—" Ye Jingchen called to him, trying to make him let go, but Ye Jingchen fell silent the moment Ye Jinghe looked at him upon hearing the voice.

Because Ye Jinghe's gaze was no longer blank and silly, but rather fierce, like a wolf cub guarding its food, and his face gradually became ferocious.

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