"Chenxi, stop." Ye Jingchen said as he passed by the three guards who were still fighting.

Dawn: ?

Xie Jia, Xie Yi: ?

Xie Chang'an, finally snapping out of his daze, gave the two guards a look.

Xie Jia and Xie Yi parted ways with Chen Xi, walked to the door, and opened the courtyard gate.

Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an walked out of Chang'an Residence together. The three guards exchanged glances and then disappeared.

Once they reached a place with people, Ye Jingchen released Xie Chang'an and kept a step's distance between them.

Dissatisfied with the distance, Xie Chang'an stepped closer and, mimicking Ye Jingchen's earlier gesture, put his arm around Ye Jingchen's shoulder.

Ye Jingchen shifted uncomfortably, trying to break free of the hand on his shoulder, but Xie Chang'an's grip was too tight, and he couldn't get away.

"It's inconvenient to walk like this!" he whispered.

"Why can His Highness the Crown Prince take it, but I can't?" Xie Chang'an asked with a sneer.

Ye Jingchen thought to himself, wasn't he doing that to lure Xie Chang'an out of Chang'an Residence?

Once he leaves Chang'an Residence, people may pass by at any time, and he can no longer act recklessly!

This was inspired by what I just saw.

Although Xie Chang'an put on a very imposing and aggressive demeanor, he was actually so innocent that he would only kiss his own family members. He reacted so strongly to just being licked on the lips, acting like a complete greenhorn.

This made Ye Jingchen very suspicious. Although he was an emperor in his previous life, he was probably a lonely man until his death. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so awkward!

"Your body is too stiff, your bones are poking me," Ye Jingchen said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Xie Chang'an changed his arm from around Ye Jingchen's shoulder to around his neck, gritting his teeth as he said, "I really want to strangle you!"

"Killing a king is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Why don't you try it?" Ye Jingchen teased nonchalantly.

"You don't resist my closeness at all, so you actually like me, right?" Xie Chang'an asked Ye Jingchen, leaning close to his ear.

With all that licking and hugging, if Ye Jingchen really disliked him, he would have kept his distance long ago, instead of still being so clingy with him.

"Who told you that not being resistant means you like someone? It's perfectly normal for friends to put their arms around each other, okay?" Ye Jingchen said irritably.

"You're usually pretty bold, so why are you so timid and hesitant when it comes to matters of the heart?" Xie Chang'an mocked.

"Your attempt to provoke me won't work!" Ye Jingchen said dismissively.

He is the crown prince of Dayuan, and Xie Chang'an is the only son of the Duke of Zhenguo's family. If the two of them get together, there will be endless trouble.

What he fears most is trouble.

He wasn't against Xie Chang'an. If they were just ordinary people, given the tacit understanding between him and Xie Chang'an, he might actually be willing to give it a try.

Unfortunately, they are not ordinary people. If he were to be with Xie Chang'an, it would go against his original intention.

He won't do anything that doesn't benefit his plan to lie low!

Ye Jingchen looked Xie Chang'an up and down. "In my world, everyone under eighteen is a minor, and minors can't fall in love. You're only fourteen, still a child. I'm not a pedophile!"

Xie Chang'an unconsciously clenched his teeth. "Fourteen is just the age of this body, not my actual age. And you're not actually fifteen either. Don't try to fool me with such an excuse!"

"Then take this as my excuse for rejecting you! Since I've rejected you, let's maintain our previous relationship!" Ye Jingchen said impatiently.

Xie Chang'an snorted coldly, released Ye Jingchen, and took a few quick steps to distance himself from him.

He was afraid that if he stayed too close to Ye Jingchen, he would really be unable to resist strangling him!

"What's done is done, there's no going back!" Xie Chang'an said with a cold laugh as he walked away.

“In that case, let’s make a deal. When you turn eighteen, if you still feel you like me, I’ll consider you!” Ye Jingchen caught up with Xie Chang’an and whispered to him.

From fourteen to eighteen years old, there are four years, and in those four years, there are just too many variables that can happen.

Xie Chang'an scoffed, "By the time I turn eighteen, you'll be twenty. By then, you'll already have a Crown Princess, and your kids might even be running around. What chance will I have then?"

Could it be that he's going to become a secret lover?

Even if Ye Jingchen agrees to be with him now, their relationship is still something that can't be shown to others!

"As a sign of sincerity, I assure you that I will never marry! If I break my promise, you can ruin my marriage at any time. I believe you have the ability to do so, right?" Ye Jingchen smiled at Xie Chang'an.

Seeing Ye Jingchen's smile, Xie Chang'an became somewhat wary.

Ye Jingchen likes to smile like this when he's scheming against people.

Even if it's a trap, he'll still agree to the agreement.

He could wait four years. Since Ye Jingchen wanted to play along, he would play along.

There are many things he can do in four years.

He could use his power to weave a large net, trapping Ye Jingchen so that he would never be able to escape!

"Don't worry, I will absolutely not give you the chance to marry the Crown Princess!" Xie Chang'an said.

Unless he is the Crown Princess!

With the agreement reached, Xie Chang'an became even more determined to succeed.

As for Ye Jingchen, he was naturally very happy as well.

He was just wondering how to get Xie Chang'an to help him ruin his wedding!

Soon, Ye Jingchen discovered that the surprises brought to him by the four-year agreement were not limited to Xie Chang'an helping him ruin his wedding.

He clearly sensed that Xie Chang'an was making many more underhanded moves, and that the foundation of the aristocratic families was being gradually eroded and eroded by an unseen force.

Besides, Xie Chang'an actually learned to restrain himself and maintained a distance from him that was neither too close nor too distant.

Ye Jingchen was delighted with this.

After investigating the people chosen at the matchmaking banquet, the emperor didn't find any of them satisfactory.

No one is without flaws, and the families behind those noble sons and daughters are even less likely to withstand scrutiny.

After the investigation was completed and a number of people were punished, the emperor belatedly realized that he might have been outmaneuvered by his rebellious son once again.

He's looking for a daughter-in-law and son-in-law who are suitable; they don't have to be perfect, because there's no such thing as a perfect person in this world.

After wasting a month or two, the Duke of Anguo's mansion held another flower-viewing banquet.

This time, there weren't as many people attending the flower viewing party as last time.

After all, those families who had stood out at the flower-viewing banquet last time had all run into trouble in the past two months. It was hard for them not to suspect that His Majesty was using the pretext of selecting consorts for the princes and finding husbands for the princesses to settle scores with them. For a time, all the noble families and officials were in a state of fear.

After the second list was presented to the emperor, he originally intended to relax the requirements a bit, but the first batch was better than the second batch in terms of family background, character, and appearance. He didn't even like the first batch, so it was really hard for him to accept the second batch.

But if I had to choose again, things might be even worse.

If the emperor chooses, he himself will be unwilling to accept it; if he doesn't choose, he fears that the next choice will be even worse.

The emperor was caught in a dilemma.