"Ha!" Xie Chang'an couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

A little fox deliberately playing tricks on people!

"Your Majesty, you are too cunning. No wonder Father has been wearing a cold face whenever he sees you lately. Your trick is indeed brilliant," Ye Jingshu praised.

"But only you can use this trick!" she said with a hint of regret.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Let Father choose first. If he really chooses a consort for you, I'm sure I can dig up all the dirt on his ancestors before the engagement ceremony. I bet I can find a few stains on his record, and then Father will naturally not agree to your marriage!"

"What if we can't find any stains?" Ye Jingshu asked, still somewhat uneasy.

"If there really is such a perfect person, and you, my royal sister, don't dislike him, then just marry him. Anyway, even if you get married, you'll still live in the princess's residence. The prince consort will just be your subordinate. There will be no mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship, no family conflicts. Apart from having another man to serve you, it won't be much different from now!"

"Moreover, if you really don't like the marriage after it's over, you can get a divorce and find someone who suits your taste better!" Ye Jingchen said.

Ye Jingshu was somewhat tempted, "Now that you've said that, getting married isn't scary at all!"

After all, if she doesn't get married, not only will her father urge her, but the court officials and even the people of Da Yuan will be watching her closely.

"It's not scary at all. You are a princess, the most noble woman in the world. Do you think your father and I would let you suffer in marriage? No one can make you suffer!" Ye Jingchen said firmly.

"Since that's the case, then I'll make my selection!" Ye Jingshu was persuaded and actually observed the young talents and noblemen in the banquet hall through the curtain.

“Second Imperial Sister, you are the same!” Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jingyan, who was standing beside him.

Ye Jingyan, who had initially felt a little envious, suddenly had tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Go and choose a suitable husband for yourself. Even if you make a mistake at first, you can change him anytime, whether before or after marriage!" Ye Jingchen encouraged.

"Second Imperial Sister, come quickly!" Ye Jingshu beckoned to Ye Jingyan.

Ye Jingyan walked to Ye Jingshu's side, and the two of them began to observe the people in the banquet hall together.

"Getting married is terrifying!" Yun Shu whispered, shrinking back slightly.

“Not marrying a princess isn’t so scary!” Gu Beichen replied.

In this world, women are actually bound by far more restrictions than men. It's just that princesses are of noble status, and there are also fiercely protective siblings like the Crown Prince, which makes Princess Shang seem especially terrifying.

However, Gu Beichen thought it was a good idea.

He also wanted to protect the women in his clan in this way, so that even if they got married, they wouldn't be bullied!

"Xie Chang'an, do you still want to marry the princess?" Yun Shu leaned closer to Xie Chang'an and asked furtively.

"As long as you keep 'the princess' happy, you won't be divorced!" Xie Chang'an said to Ye Jingchen with a meaningful look.

"You are a true hero! I admire you!" Yun Shu patted Xie Chang'an on the shoulder and said.

Xie Chang'an thought to himself, "There are even more things you'll admire in the future!"

After all, he didn't want to marry a princess, but the crown prince!

This is absolutely outrageous!

He really liked Ye Jingchen's protectiveness, but unfortunately, Ye Jingchen wasn't protecting him now.

However, if something were to really happen to him, would Ye Jingchen still protect him like this?

After all, he was Ye Jingchen's most useful pawn!

Ye Jingchen can't live without him!

For this flower-viewing banquet, the Duke of Anguo's mansion chose the garden as the venue.

The garden of the Duke of Anguo's mansion was vast, with a very open space where male and female guests sat on opposite sides. However, the female guests' side was covered by a screen made of thin gauze, allowing them to clearly see the male guests opposite them. But the male guests could only vaguely see the female guests.

There is an empty space in the middle, which is used for performances.

The Duke of Anguo's residence has not arranged any programs. Guests who wish to perform can volunteer.

Everyone knows the purpose of this flower-viewing banquet. The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, the Eldest Princess, and the Second Princess are all sitting on the high platform. There are so many people here, all of whom come from extraordinary families. If you want to stand out among them, you naturally need to show yourself to the noble people on the high platform.

So, from the start of the banquet, the central area was never empty, with young men and women from various families vying to show off their talents, creating quite a lively scene.

On the high platform, besides Ye Jingchen and his group, there were also the Imperial Concubine, the Virtuous Concubine, the Consort Wen, and the Lady of the Duke of Anguo, with the Crown Prince's wife personally attending to them.

This time, the three imperial concubines felt a great responsibility and dared not be careless.

They originally thought that the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the two princesses would be very resistant to this matter, but to their surprise, they not only did not have any dissatisfaction, but also actively expressed their opinions.

As the flower-viewing banquet came to an end, the Second Prince, the Eldest Princess, and the Second Princess all had several preferred candidates. Only His Highness the Crown Prince participated the most actively, but was also the most picky, dissatisfied with no one.

However, today's harvest is enough for the three concubines to report to the emperor.

The flower-viewing banquet concluded successfully, and while the emperor received a list, Ye Jingchen also received a list.

That evening, when paying his respects to the emperor, Ye Jingchen repeatedly reminded the emperor to thoroughly investigate the people on the list, since this matter concerned the happiness of Ye Jingming and the other two.

The next day, when Ye Jingchen went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for class, he also handed a list to Xie Chang'an.

The list he gave Xie Chang'an contained several fewer people than the list he gave the emperor, because some of them had already been investigated beforehand and were known to be excluded.

"Does Your Highness really want me to choose a Crown Princess for you?" Xie Chang'an took the list, glanced at it, and asked with a cold smile.

The list contains the names of several noble ladies.

"Not the Crown Princess, but the Prince's Consort," Ye Jingchen corrected.

Xie Chang'an's expression softened considerably at those words. "There were so many noble ladies present yesterday, didn't His Highness the Crown Prince take a fancy to a single one?"

"I have high standards," Ye Jingchen said casually.

The truth is that although he looks only fifteen years old, his soul is already weathered. He feels nothing when he sees those vibrant young girls; his heart is as still as water.

Although he has come to his senses, he feels that he will probably never meet someone who can move his heart in his lifetime.

“The noble ladies who are worthy of His Highness the Crown Prince all went yesterday. If His Highness the Crown Prince doesn’t even like them, does he want to marry a fairy?” Xie Chang’an refused to give up.

He wouldn't feel at ease until he heard a definite answer.

"Liking someone shouldn't have anything to do with her status or position, right? My position as crown prince is very secure, so I don't need to increase my bargaining power through marriage. Therefore, my choices aren't limited to those noble ladies. Maybe one day I'll meet someone I like, and then I'll definitely give her the highest honor and marry her in a grand and glorious way!" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

Although the possibility is small, people should still have dreams.

Xie Chang'an's face immediately turned as cold as ice.