Upon seeing this, the emperor was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed, and he abruptly rose from his throne.

Upon seeing this, the court officials all knew that the emperor was angry.

Although they didn't know why the emperor suddenly got angry, his temper was always like that, making him unpredictable.

In a situation like this, even a fool would know to leave quickly to avoid becoming an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

"We take our leave!" After bowing, the court officials left quickly.

Ye Jingming had already witnessed the emperor's unpredictable temper after attending court, and he left very quickly.

"Your subject—" Ye Jingchen also bowed, wanting to make a quick getaway.

"Come with me!" the emperor said in a deep voice.

He was so angry that he even forgot to use the self-reference "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I, the Emperor").

Ye Jingchen's smile froze, and he had a bad feeling.

Did his dad see him dozing off just now?

He glanced up at the expression on his father's face and at where his father was, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, died.

Great, it looks like this, I've seen it 100%!

Moreover, his father was sitting so high up that he could see clearly, and he was standing at the very front with no obstructions in front of him. How could his father not see him dozing off?

He instinctively wanted to follow, but as soon as he lifted his foot, he realized that he couldn't walk on the path above.

Both the throne and the imperial road are exclusively for the emperor; no one else is allowed to touch them!

"Father, please return to Chengqian Palace and wait for me for a while. I will be there soon." He said, turning and leaving.

He should go and walk up the ninety-nine steps in front of the Taiji Hall. If he walks slowly, it will be a good opportunity for his father to calm down.

"return!"

"Keep up!" the emperor said irritably.

If he dared to doze off in front of him and the court officials on his first day of court, what else wouldn't this rebellious son dare to do?

"Father, isn't it inappropriate for me to leave from that position?" Ye Jingchen said cautiously with a forced smile.

"Will you leave on your own initiative, or will I have someone force you to leave?" the emperor asked impatiently.

"Your subject chooses to go on his own! Father, wait for your subject!" Ye Jingchen said hurriedly, darting forward to follow the emperor.

Taiji Hall and Chengqian Palace are next to each other. It's just a short walk from the Imperial Road to Chengqian Palace.

Ye Jingchen followed behind the emperor, trembling with fear, not daring to utter a sound.

The emperor remained silent until he returned to Chengqian Palace.

In the bedchamber, he dismissed the palace servants, leaving only Ye Jingchen and his son.

"Your Highness, do you know your crime?!" he asked, his face grim and his gaze condescending.

Ye Jingchen quickly chose to confess and receive leniency over making excuses or playing dumb.

"Father, I know my crime!" He knelt down with remarkable decisiveness.

Of all the years he's been transmigrated into books, the one that has changed the most is the speed at which he slides on his knees.

But once he regards the emperor as his father, he will kneel without any hesitation or awkwardness.

Although they were not biological father and son, and their souls were about the same age, the emperor treated him very well, just like a father. Humans are not plants or trees, how can they be without feelings?

He was kneeling, but the next moment, he grabbed the emperor's sleeve, looked up at the emperor pitifully, and said, "Father, I didn't mean to doze off in the Golden Palace. It's just that I've never gotten up this early before. I was so sleepy that I fell asleep without realizing it! Please forgive me this time!"

When he was a child, he would always hug someone's leg, as he felt that hugging someone's leg was more effective. But now that he's grown up, hugging someone's leg seems very unseemly, so he has to settle for pulling on someone's sleeve instead.

"So you're still blaming me?" The emperor tugged at his sleeve, but couldn't pull it out, and laughed in anger.

Fortunately, he was well aware of Ye Jingchen's tricks and had the palace servants leave in advance. Otherwise, this scoundrel would feel ashamed, not just himself!

"Father, you have wronged me! I respect you the most, how could I blame you? I just haven't been able to adjust yet. Perhaps I'll adjust in a few days!" Ye Jingchen gripped the emperor's sleeve tightly, lowered his head and blinked hard, his eyes becoming slightly wet, before looking up at the emperor again.

Looking at those teary eyes, with reddened corners, the emperor felt no pity at all; instead, he became even angrier.

He forcefully pulled out his sleeve, then lightly kicked Ye Jingchen. "Kneel properly!"

"From childhood to adulthood, all you've ever done is use these tricks! Do you think you're still eight or nine years old? You're already fifteen! Do you think I'll still fall for your act?" The emperor pointed at Ye Jingchen's forehead and scolded.

Ye Jingchen looked dejected. Why wasn't it working anymore?

Didn't he soften the emperor's heart in the same way he angered him a while ago? It hasn't been that long, why doesn't it work anymore?

Is it just because he turned fifteen?!

Can time be turned back?

"If anyone else dared to doze off during court, I would have had their head chopped off long ago. Crown Prince, don't take your favor for granted!" The emperor angrily pointed at Ye Jingchen's forehead and scolded.

"Father, please calm down. It's not good for your health to get upset over such a small matter!" Ye Jingchen knelt down and comforted him.

One sentence doubled the emperor's anger.

"Is this a trivial matter? This concerns the dignity of me as the emperor and you as the crown prince. What kind of decorum would it be if our ministers saw this!" The emperor was so angry that he raised his hand to slap the emperor.

"Father, didn't you agree before that I could hide my talents? Wouldn't it be better to let them see them?" Ye Jingchen said, then covered his face.

Don't hit someone in the face; everything else is fine.

The emperor slapped him on the back, making him stagger and almost hit his head on the ground. The emperor then supported his forehead, saving him from the fall.

Ye Jingchen pressed down on the emperor's hand that was supporting his forehead, his face full of emotion. "I know that Father Emperor is worried about me and that he is angry because he is afraid that I will leave a bad impression on the court officials. But I am the emperor and they are the subjects. If they look down on me just because I dozed off, then it means that they do not take me, the crown prince, seriously at all!"

By the end, he was filled with righteous indignation and looked extremely angry.

Ye Jingchen's argument was completely absurd, but it struck a chord with the emperor.

In his heart, his child was perfect in every way. Anyone who dared to mock his son was guilty of the serious crime of disrespecting the crown prince, and no punishment was too severe!

He believed that a ruler should have this understanding: the ruler is the ruler, and the subject is the subject; at no time should a subject disobey the ruler.

Ye Jingchen's twisted logic calmed him down considerably.

What he had always worried about was that Ye Jingchen was too good-natured and wouldn't be able to control his group of cunning and shrewd subordinates. But since Ye Jingchen had this understanding, he didn't need to worry.

Of course, the anger only subsided by more than half, not completely.

In any case, it is improper to doze off during the court assembly. If he is not punished, he will become even more unscrupulous in the future!

If such a bad trend is encouraged, where will the monarch's dignity be?

(This is the second time the timer has failed! This is the third update today, please give me some support to soothe my wounded heart!)