"Brother, what are we going to do this afternoon? Shall we go learn how to make clothes?" Ye Jingshu asked eagerly.

After all, last month they went to the small kitchen first, and then to the Shangyi Bureau.

She was more interested in how beautiful clothes were made than how to cook noodles.

"Let's not learn how to make clothes yet; today we'll learn how to cook noodles," Ye Jingchen said.

Not only do they have to learn today, but they also have to learn on this day next month, since the emperor's birthday is the month after next, and they don't have much time left.

"Don't we already know how to cook noodles?" Ye Jingshu asked, puzzled.

They don't need to be cooks; they just need to know how to cook noodles. There's no need for them to be experts, right?

"Doesn't Your Highness want to cook a bowl of noodles that won't break? Jingyan can cook it, so can we!" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

Ye Jingshu: ......

Looking at the familiar smile on her younger brother's face, Ye Jingshu felt that he must have ulterior motives, and it was definitely not as simple as just cooking a bowl of noodles that wouldn't break.

"Alright then, let's cook noodles then."

Ye Jingyan only managed to win by luck in the morning; it won't be so easy for her to win again in the afternoon!

"Losers, after this failure, do you have any lessons to learn?" Ye Jingchen asked them with a smile.

The word 'loser' silences everyone who hears it.

From childhood to the present, they have always considered themselves to be outstanding, and the number of times they have failed can be counted on one hand. They never imagined that one day someone would use the word 'loser' to describe them.

But it was Ye Jingchen who described them this way, and they did indeed fail, so they couldn't refute it!

"One shouldn't be too greedy," Ye Jingyu said first, then gave Ye Jinghe a meaningful look.

After all, everyone saw it at the time: Ye Jinghe failed because of his insatiable greed.

"People should learn to know when to stop; everything in excess is as bad as deficiency," Wu Zemin said.

They failed because they focused too much on the length of the noodles.

"Knowing when to stop leads to stability; stability leads to tranquility; tranquility leads to peace; peace leads to contemplation; and contemplation leads to attainment," said Gu Beichen.

This quote comes from the Doctrine of the Mean, meaning that only by knowing when to stop and calm down can one make wiser choices.

Actually, all three of them were expressing the same idea: if you know the length that the noodles can withstand, and stop before they break, the noodles won't break.

"A tall building starts from the ground up, and the foundation is very important. The process of kneading dough is like the foundation of noodles," said Ye Jingming.

This is considering the problem from another perspective.

Kneading dough is like laying the foundation for a house; the stability of the foundation determines the height and stability of the house.

"Why does it have to be noodles? Why can't it be dough chunks or lumps? I don't think the shape of noodles matters!" Yun Shu asked sincerely. "Since it's for eating, as long as it tastes good, isn't that enough?"

"What Yun Pangpang said makes a lot of sense! When it comes to food, the most important thing is that it tastes good!" Ye Jingyu loudly echoed him.

Ye Jingchen: ......

Two foodies ruined the second half of this reflection session.

"Besides whether it tastes good or not, do you have any other thoughts? This afternoon, we'll continue learning how to make noodles. Can you guarantee that your noodles won't fall apart after they're cooked?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile.

There's a murderous aura about him!

Yun Shu and Ye Jingyu keenly sensed that something was amiss, but faced with the smiling Crown Prince/Crown Prince Brother, they couldn't quite pinpoint the source of the danger.

"If you knead the dough a little longer and roll it out a little less, the noodles shouldn't break, right?" Yun Shu said hesitantly.

"It's not about rolling it for less time, it's about not rolling it so long," Ye Jingyu corrected him.

"Mixing, kneading, proofing, and rolling the dough all increase its toughness and elasticity, making the noodles less likely to break, so you can't be lazy at any step," Ye Jingyu said.

"Therefore, we must be serious about everything we do, even if it's just cooking a bowl of noodles. We can only reap what we sow; there are no shortcuts," Ye Jingshu concluded.

"What my elder sister said is absolutely right. The simpler something seems, the less likely there are any shortcuts. So we must take everything seriously," Ye Jingchen told them.

"Young Master Xie, what insights have you gained?" Ye Jingchen asked Xie Chang'an after speaking.

"Do ordinary people consider so much before cooking noodles to fill their stomachs, just like Your Highness? Whether the noodles break or not, it doesn't affect their ability to eat, does it?" Xie Chang'an asked instead of answering.

"Then, Young Master Xie, do you think it's better for them to consider this carefully or not? Is it better to have an impact or not?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile.

"Does Your Highness think they have time to consider this? Do they have the right to be influenced?" Xie Chang'an asked sarcastically.

"Just because they don't have the time or the qualifications now doesn't mean they won't in the future! If they don't have them in the future either, then we should all reflect on ourselves. Young Master Xie, don't you agree?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile.

Those who understood the exchange between them looked at Ye Jingchen in surprise.

Those who didn't understand looked at Ye Jingchen with confusion.

no--

What does this have to do with them? Why should they reflect on themselves?

Did they do something wrong?

"Then let's hope that His Highness the Crown Prince will never forget his original aspirations!" Xie Chang'an said cryptically.

"I will never forget my original intention, but Young Master Xie, you must not forget the responsibilities you bear!" Ye Jingchen put a hand on Xie Chang'an's shoulder and whispered in Xie Chang'an's ear, "From now on, I will take care of internal affairs, and you will take care of external affairs—ah, I mean! I will be responsible for internal stability, and you will be responsible for external defense. If we are united, how can we not have peace and prosperity in Dayuan?"

Ye Jingchen finished speaking with a hint of pride; his words even rhymed quite well!

Xie Chang'an brushed the hand off his shoulder, took a quick step, and kept his distance from Ye Jingchen.

It is indeed a beautiful vision, but—

Human hearts are fickle!

Who knows what the future holds?

After lunch and a half-hour rest, Ye Jingchen led them to the kitchen to continue their studies.

Having had the experience once makes it much easier to get started again.

This time, after rolling the dough to a sufficient length, Ye Jingchen also tried to roll the noodles longer by hand, and then let the rolled noodles rest a second time.

Ye Jingyu and his two little brats, Ye Jinghe, started competing again, kneading dough, resting dough, and rolling dough, neither willing to admit defeat.

In the end, Ye Jingyu, who had previously said that people shouldn't be too greedy, ended up breaking his own noodles because of his own greed.

Ye Jingchen's noodles were undergoing their second proofing at the time, so he watched the whole process.

"Little Jingyu, you said yourself that people shouldn't be too greedy. Look at you now, aren't you just like Jinghe?" Ye Jingchen teased him.

"Brother, my noodles aren't broken yet!" Ye Jinghe said unhappily.

"Go ahead and roll it again if you dare, see if it breaks!" Ye Jingyu said angrily, his face flushed.

"I'm not greedy, this length is enough," Ye Jinghe said leisurely in a tone that was infuriatingly infuriating.

Ye Jingyu: !

If his gaze could turn into knives, he would definitely tear Ye Jinghe's noodles to pieces!