Okay, okay!

Didn't you see any filial piety?

Then he's about to start his performance!

Ye Jingchen lowered his head, leaving only the back of the emperor's head in front of him.

"If Father doesn't like us coming to Chengqian Palace to pay our respects, then we simply won't come anymore! Anyway, we're still young, we can't share your burdens, and we're just wasting your precious time. It's perfectly normal that you don't want to see us! So we won't come to you anymore and get in your way!"

He spoke in a low voice, rubbing his eyes as he spoke.

Even if he couldn't rub out any tears, he would still rub his eyes until they were red.

Today, he was determined to make the emperor understand one thing: those who dared not disobey him in the slightest were his subjects, while his children, who were like debts from a past life, would only make him angry and helpless!

The emperor's lips twitched upon hearing this.

How could he, the ruler of a nation, be manipulated by a mere brat?

However, there won't be just one little rascal.

"Brother, are we really never coming again?" Ye Jinghe asked excitedly, a stark contrast to Ye Jingchen's dejected tone.

His jubilant demeanor completely shattered the emperor's fragile heart.

He pointed at Ye Jingchen's forehead and launched into a tirade: "Look at your supposedly well-mannered younger brother! He doesn't understand the slightest bit of filial piety! How exactly have you been teaching him?! You're punished to copy the Classic of Filial Piety ten times!"

He had long seen that Ye Jingchen was Ye Jinghe's Achilles' heel.

If this punishment were directed at Ye Jinghe, he probably wouldn't care at all, but if it were Ye Jingchen, it would probably be even more painful for him than killing Ye Jinghe.

Sure enough, Ye Jinghe's expression changed as soon as he finished speaking.

"If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault! I don't cry—but you don't cry, ...

Having anticipated this, Ye Jingchen quickly covered Ye Jinghe's mouth.

This time they really put in their effort, fearing that Ye Jinghe might have a chance to say the rest of his words.

Even though his mouth was covered and no one could understand what he was saying, Ye Jinghe still stubbornly finished cursing what he wanted to say!

At times like these, he would be willing to acknowledge the emperor as his father.

"Don't cover his mouth, let him speak. I want to hear what treasonous things he'll say!" the emperor said to Ye Jingchen with displeasure.

Ye Jingchen dared not let go. He covered Ye Jinghe's mouth while comforting the emperor, "Father, it's all my fault for not teaching my brother properly. I will copy the Classic of Filial Piety. Please don't be angry, anger is bad for your health!"

Ye Jinghe's words are too damaging; it's best to avoid using his mouth as much as possible in the future.

"Hmph!" The emperor snorted coldly, turned away with a flick of his sleeve, and looked at the other children sitting in a row instead of the two brothers who gave him trouble.

At times like these, he finds it easier to look at the children who don't make him angry.

"If there's anything you'd like to eat, just tell Zhang Shunde and he'll instruct the imperial chefs to prepare it. As for the Crown Prince and that little brat, they won't be getting any today!" he said to Ye Jingshu and the others.

Everyone else looked at Ye Jingchen and Ye Jinghe with complicated expressions.

Now that the emperor had spoken, Zhang Shunde brought out the imperial menu, and starting with Ye Jingshu, each person named one dish.

"Father, may I order a few more dishes?" Ye Jingshu asked the emperor after reciting the names of the dishes.

As the eldest princess who was favored by the emperor, she was much more at ease when facing the emperor than the other princes and princesses, but she did not dare to be as bold as Ye Jingchen and Ye Jinghe.

After all, from childhood, the people around her instilled in her the idea that the emperor was first and foremost a majestic and unyielding ruler, and only then her father.

When the emperor spoke to Ye Jingshu, his expression softened considerably, and even his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels. "Of course, you can order as much as you like."

So Ye Jingshu didn't stand on ceremony and rattled off several dish names in one go.

"My elder sister is so good to me. She knows what I like to eat. Thank you, elder sister!" Ye Jingchen released his hand from Ye Jinghe's mouth and said to Ye Jingshu with a big smile.

"Hmph! So you think I'm the bad guy?!" The emperor couldn't bear to lose his temper with Ye Jingshu, who looked just like the empress, so he cursed at Ye Jingchen instead.

Because of the emperor's completely different attitude, Ye Jingshu became much bolder and said, "Father, please don't be angry. Actually, my younger brother is the most filial to you. Whenever there is something delicious or beautiful, he thinks of you first."

These words pleased the emperor greatly.

If he hadn't known the Crown Prince's filial piety, would he have allowed the Crown Prince to be so presumptuous in front of him?

But even though the prince was filial, he couldn't compare to his daughter's thoughtfulness; her sweet words touched his heart.

"You should learn more from your elder sister, and never learn the Crown Prince's shameless and scoundrel-like skills!" The Emperor was all smiles when he spoke to Ye Jingshu, but when he looked at Ye Jingchen, his disdain was palpable.

"Father, rest assured, we will all study hard with our elder sister!" Ye Jingchen said firmly.

"You've been talking too much. Shut up for a bit!" the emperor said irritably.

Ye Jingchen led Ye Jinghe back to their seats and raised his hand to make a shushing gesture.

Next, the emperor stopped mentioning the noodle-cooking incident and began testing their studies.

For these little brats, testing their homework is much easier than sharing their thoughts on cooking noodles. After all, homework usually has standard answers and optimal solutions, and thoughts are too broad. Moreover, with Ye Jingchen's brilliant example, it's hard for them to come up with any insights that will impress their father.

Even Ye Jingyu, who usually paid the least attention to his studies, was lucky enough to be asked a question by the emperor about a sentence whose meaning he happened to know, and managed to get away with it.

Under Ye Jingchen's intentional or unintentional guidance, these youngsters are actually quite good at thinking, and their thoughts are not as limited as those of people in this era. In addition, they are all very hardworking, and when faced with the emperor's tests, their answers always satisfy the emperor.

The emperor's expression softened without him even realizing it, and his imposing aura diminished considerably, creating a harmonious atmosphere in the hall.

The scene of loving fathers and filial sons, surrounded by children and grandchildren, is something that countless emperors dream of. The emperor looked at his many excellent young children and felt particularly proud.

Next time he worships his ancestors, he will definitely bring all his children and show them off in front of the ancestors.

Who knows, maybe in ten or twenty years, after he finishes school or his job, his children will come together again, just like they do now, to keep him company and have a meal.

Pshaw! He's not some lonely loner at all!

He is unlike any of his ancestors!

He has a good prince, and all his children gather around him because of the prince, so he is not lonely at all!