Ye Jingchen's smile froze on his face.

We're doomed.

He was so preoccupied with feeling sorry for Ye Jinghe that he forgot that, given the original owner's personality, it was impossible for him to like Ye Jinghe.

The novel does describe the original owner's relationship with Ye Jinghe as extremely hostile, with mutual dislike, but it doesn't explain why.

Why would the original owner dislike a palace maid's child the most?

It seems there's some story he doesn't know about.

Ye Jingchen quickly composed himself, let out a long sigh, and then spoke in a heavy tone: "Your subject did not like the Fifth Prince before, but he is so pitiful! As a fellow child of the Emperor, it's one thing for me to bully him, but how can others bully him?!"

The emperor chuckled at his words, "As the elder brother, you think you can bully your younger brother?"

Ye Jingchen sighed again, "Maybe it's because I bullied him that others think he's easy to bully?"

"What you say—" The emperor's expression became somewhat subtle, "is not wrong."

This statement may seem naive, but it is very true.

Isn't it because others saw the emperor's indifference and the crown prince's humiliation that they dared to bully Ye Jinghe, this prince?

"So I won't bully Jinghe anymore! I'll protect him, and let's see who dares to bully him then?!" Ye Jingchen clenched his fist.

The emperor smiled; he was naturally pleased to see his children and brothers living in harmony, even if it was only temporary.

"It's good that you think that way."

"The water's getting cold, I need to hurry up and give Jinghe a bath, otherwise he'll catch a cold!" Ye Jingchen said, and started scrubbing Ye Jinghe's back.

I don't know how long it had been since he took a bath. He was extremely dirty, and in no time, he turned the bathwater black.

Ye Jingchen had someone change the water and continue scrubbing, making the water murky again.

Then they changed to another bucket.

After scrubbing three times in a row, Ye Jingchen finally got the child clean, and he was covered in sweat from exhaustion.

I took some clean, well-fitting clothes and dressed Ye Jinghe in them. Perhaps because he had been soaking in hot water for so long, his little face finally regained some color, becoming rosy and making him look especially adorable.

"MU-a!" Ye Jingchen couldn't resist and kissed his little face. "So cute!"

Ye Jinghe stared at him blankly, his face turning even redder.

"Jinghe, little brother, you play by yourself for a while. I need to take a bath too!" Ye Jingchen said, placing the boy on a chair and ordering someone to move the bathtub behind the screen.

"Why bathe behind a screen?" the emperor asked.

"Father, I am old enough to bathe in public," Ye Jingchen said solemnly.

"Then why not have palace servants to serve you?"

"Men and women should not touch each other; I would be ashamed!"

"You haven't even grown your hair yet, how could you know anything about the separation of men and women?" the emperor mocked mercilessly.

"If Father Emperor is bored, he can go back to the main hall. Why make fun of your son?" Ye Jingchen bantered with the emperor while taking a bath.

After taking a quick shower, Ye Jingchen dressed and came out from behind the screen.

Ye Jinghe, who had been sitting blankly in the chair, suddenly brightened up when he saw him and reached out his hand to him.

Ye Jingchen quickly went over and picked him up. The fragrant, soft little cub was just so cute!

"Isn't he being a little too clingy?" the emperor asked, frowning as he watched the brothers' affectionate scene.

Moreover, why does Jinghe reject everyone else but be close to Chen'er? That's so strange!

"Perhaps it's because I'm just a child, not a threat to him, and I won't bully him?" Ye Jingchen hypothesized.

"Ha—now you realize you're a child?" the emperor mocked him.

"I'm still a child, a child who's growing up," Ye Jingchen muttered.

The group went to the main hall, where Consort Shu had already arrived. In addition to her personal maid, she also brought two maids and two eunuchs.

As soon as Ye Jingchen entered, her gaze fell on him and Ye Jinghe in his arms, and she looked surprised.

Based on her understanding of Ye Jingchen, it was impossible for her to be genuinely kind to Ye Jinghe. If Ye Jinghe suddenly went berserk at this moment, it would be good enough if Ye Jingchen didn't take the opportunity to kill him. How could they possibly get along so well?

Putting aside Ye Jingchen's past dislike for Ye Jinghe, wasn't Ye Jinghe, this little madman, supposed to resist everyone getting close? How come he was obediently being held by Ye Jingchen?

Consort Shu was disappointed that she did not witness the scene of brothers killing each other and fighting amongst themselves, but now was not the time to think about such things.

"I wonder why Your Majesty summoned me here? Is it because Jinghe's epilepsy has flared up again?" After bowing, she asked, feigning curiosity.

"Jinghe has epilepsy, why didn't you report it, Consort Shu?" the Emperor asked in a deep voice after taking his seat in the main seat.

Faced with the emperor's questioning, Consort Shu remained calm and composed, saying, "Your Majesty, I did this for Jinghe's own good. Epilepsy is a mental illness, and if it is reported and publicized, it will not be good for either Jinghe or the reputation of the royal family."

"So you locked him up?" the emperor asked.

"I had no choice. When Jinghe has an epileptic seizure, he becomes extremely violent, hurting himself and others. I had no choice but to lock him in the empty palace."

The emperor sneered, "If you put it that way, should I still praise you for being thoughtful?"

"Your Majesty would not dare; Your Majesty was merely trying to maintain the dignity of the royal family!"

The emperor slammed his fist on the table and rose to his feet, angrily demanding, "The face of the royal family? What are you trying to preserve—the face of the royal family, or the face of your Changchun Palace?!"

"Your Majesty, I am also very saddened that Jinghe has been diagnosed with epilepsy, but there is no cure for this disease. What can I do? He goes crazy from time to time, and Jingning is still so young. What if he hurts Jingning when he goes crazy?" Consort Shu asked with red eyes.

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