Ye Jingming failed to keep the Drunken Immortal Wine that Ye Jingchen had given him.

Throughout his life, he has always acted with impeccable manners and never done anything out of line, let alone something like hiding wine in his sleeve.

On his way back to the government office, Yan Xu discovered the wine he had hidden in his sleeve and confiscated it.

"What are you doing drinking alcohol, kid? You'll stunt your growth!" Yan Xu said sternly, forcefully confiscating the student's alcohol.

However, as he turned around, Ye Jingming saw the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

Although the wine was taken away, Ye Jingming showed no reaction and remained calm.

He never liked drinking.

It should be said that he dislikes anything that might cloud his judgment.

After leaving his post, he returned to Yichun Palace. Before he could even have dinner, a palace servant told him that Consort Chen wanted to see him.

Since his mother was confined to her quarters, she rarely left her palace and never came to see him. If she needed anything, she would have someone summon him.

The confinement period for her mother was for life, which meant that she would never be able to leave Yichun Palace and would have to spend the rest of her life in the palace.

Logically speaking, he did not sympathize with his mother, because she had only herself to blame for this outcome.

If it weren't for the fact that the elder brother wanted to show brotherly affection, and the emperor gave him face, the mother would have been banished to the cold palace or given death for the things she had done.

It's not bad to be able to be served in this Yichun Palace and live a leisurely life.

But she was, after all, his biological mother, and he still felt uncomfortable whenever he saw her face, which looked more haggard than the last time they met.

"I heard that woman's son went to court today?" In the dimly lit bedchamber, with only two palace lanterns placed at the entrance, Consort Chen sat in the shadows where the light did not reach and asked softly.

"Yes," Ye Jingming replied.

He stood under the palace lantern, with a seemingly insurmountable distance between him and Consort Chen.

"I heard that although His Majesty allowed him to attend court, he did not appoint him to any official position?" Consort Chen asked again.

Ye Jingming was not at all surprised that his mother, a person under house arrest, would be so clear about the affairs of the court.

Although she could not step out of Yichun Palace, the palace servants here could go out, and the palace servants outside could come in.

"Yes," he continued in his reply.

"Haha! So what if he's the Empress's legitimate son and the Crown Prince? His Majesty still doesn't value him. Ming'er, do you see? Your father clearly values ​​you more now!" Consort Chen laughed loudly, her laughter and voice both sinister and chilling.

Ye Jingming wouldn't normally smile when facing Consort Chen, but at this moment, he was amused by her words.

"Hahaha...hahaha!" He genuinely found his mother ridiculous, and the more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed, and the louder he laughed.

"What are you laughing at?!" Consort Chen asked.

"Didn't I tell you that a ruler must learn to control his emotions and not show his joy or anger on his face?" she questioned.

"Don't laugh!" Consort Chen shouted sternly.

"Your Majesty, I didn't want to laugh, but what you said was so ridiculous that I couldn't help but laugh. Please forgive me, Mother." He stopped laughing and said calmly.

"What I'm saying is ridiculous! You're a year younger than Ye Jingchen, yet you entered the court before him! His Majesty didn't assign him any position when he entered the court, but you were able to go to the Ministry of Personnel, the head of the Six Ministries, and even became a student of the renowned Confucian scholar, Master Guzhu. Doesn't all of this show that your father values ​​you more?!" Consort Chen became more and more agitated as she spoke.

"Who visited Mother Consort today? Was it Yongchun Palace? Or Lanyue Palace?" Ye Jingming asked indifferently.

"You've already been confined to Yichun Palace by the Emperor and are not allowed to leave until you die, yet you still haven't given up your ambition to seize power?"

"You unfilial son!" Consort Chen stood up abruptly and took a step forward, but still kept herself in the shadows.

"You know I'm confined to Yichun Palace and can't leave until I die? Then why don't you go and fight for that position! You should know that only if you succeed can I regain my freedom!" Consort Chen shouted, her voice hoarse.

The more agitated Consort Chen became, the calmer Ye Jingming remained.

"I'm sorry to disappoint my mother, but I don't have that ability!" he said bluntly.

"How do you know it won't work if you don't try? How did I give birth to such a useless son? Are you just going to watch me be trapped in this cage for the rest of my life?!"

"It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death." Faced with Consort Chen's hysteria, Ye Jingming simply said quietly.

What can he use to compete with his elder brother, the emperor?

The fact that his father favored him so much made him see no hope at all!

Moreover, the Emperor himself is an extremely intelligent person, almost supernatural. Every action he takes and every step he takes has a profound meaning that I cannot fathom. It often takes me a long time to understand the mystery behind it.

Even he himself was just a pawn on his elder brother's chessboard. All his choices seemed to be his own, but weren't they all just walking on the path that his elder brother had arranged for him?

Besides his father's favoritism, his elder brother also has the support of the Duke of Anguo's mansion and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Even his teacher, although he is his teacher, is clearly on his elder brother's side!

Although he entered the Ministry of Personnel and has been there for so long, when it comes to understanding the Ministry of Personnel, he is not as knowledgeable as his elder brother, the Emperor!

Although my elder brother never attends court, he knows everything about everyone and everything in the court! Even a casual remark he makes can hit the nail on the head!

A single sentence can stir up a storm!

With such an elder brother, what can he use to compete with the other party?

“Look, Consort Xian and Consort Wang clearly share the same thoughts as you, but they can endure it and remain calm. They are even thinking of using our lives to fight for them. Do you really want to let them have their way?” Ye Jingming asked.

He didn't believe his mother couldn't see this.

Consort Chen remained silent for a few moments, then spoke again, her emotions suddenly calming down. She said softly, "How could I not know their vicious intentions? But in this palace, if we don't fight, only death awaits my son and me! Fighting, on the contrary, offers a glimmer of hope! Now that you've entered the court, you possess advantages that no other prince has. Why not fight for it!"

"Ming'er, you have many brothers, but there is only one position. Now that you have the upper hand, seize the time to win over the court officials, develop your own power, and boldly compete for it!"

"His Majesty himself ascended the throne by stepping over the corpses of all his brothers. If he could do it, so can you!"

She spoke very gently when she said that last sentence.

Ye Jingming realized with a deep sense that his mother was beyond saving.

After leaving the suffocating bedchamber, he summoned all the palace staff and issued an order: from this day forward, Yichun Palace will be closed and no visitors will be allowed!

The palace servants of Yichun Palace are not allowed to leave without a valid reason!

Originally, after entering the court, he was qualified to establish his own residence outside the palace. He could have asked his father for an imperial decree to do so, just like his elder sister.

As long as he brings it up, Father will definitely agree!

But he dared not leave the palace.

He feared that he would lose his mother forever after leaving the palace.

It's not that I'm afraid someone will frame my mother, but I'm worried that she'll bring about her own downfall!