"Jinghe can actually speak? And speaks so fluently?" the emperor asked in surprise.

"Father, my brother Jinghe was able to speak all along, but no one was willing to teach him before, so he couldn't speak. I taught my brother Jinghe to speak, shouldn't Father reward me?" Ye Jingchen asked with his head held high and a smug look on his face.

"Indeed deserving of the reward!" The Emperor was overjoyed. "Tell me, what reward does Chen'er desire?"

"My child wants Jinghe and his younger brother to attend class with me."

The emperor's smile vanished; he hadn't forgotten that his purpose in coming to the Eastern Palace was to take Ye Jinghe away.

The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and he is crucial to the foundation of the country. Ye Jinghe is too dangerous and cannot remain in the Eastern Palace.

He had originally planned to strike first, but he lost the initiative without realizing it. He didn't know if it was a coincidence or Ye Jingchen's doing.

"There is no precedent in our dynasty for princes and crown princes to study together. This is against the rules of our ancestors!" the emperor said in a deep voice.

“Your subject can set this precedent,” Ye Jingchen replied calmly.

The emperor was amused by his casual tone, as if he were saying, "What a nice day!" He asked him with a stern face, "You want to set a precedent? Do you know why our ancestors established such a rule?"

"I know, it's to prevent the princes from becoming too successful and threatening the crown prince's position, thus causing unnecessary disputes," Ye Jingchen continued calmly.

He remained calm, but the emperor could not.

"You really dare to say anything!"

"Your Majesty and I are father and son, what can't we say?" Ye Jingchen smiled ingratiatingly at the emperor.

"Since you know the reason, why do you still want Jinghe to study with you? Aren't you worried that Jinghe will be more outstanding than you and surpass you?" the emperor asked wearily.

"There are many people in this world who are smarter and more outstanding than me. Do I have to worry about them all? If I don't even have to worry about outsiders, then why should I worry about my own brothers?" Ye Jingchen asked righteously.

The emperor sneered, "Ha! Are you truly magnanimous or just pretending to be confused? Outsiders cannot affect your status and power!"

“The Tao Te Ching says that good talents should be put to good use and the capable should be given positions. If Jinghe is more outstanding than me in the same learning environment, it can only mean that he is more suitable to inherit the throne than me, right?” Ye Jingchen asked.

"You are simply—" The emperor pointed at Ye Jingchen's forehead, too angry to speak.

"However, please rest assured, Father, I am confident that I will surpass all my brothers, not just Jinghe. I will also teach them well and there will be no brothers fighting each other!" Ye Jingchen said firmly.

The emperor stared at Ye Jingchen with a complicated expression.

He's still just a child, no matter how smart he is, he's still so innocent.

The emperor recalled that when he was Ye Jingchen's age, he had also had such thoughts. Unfortunately, the allure of the throne was too great, and even the deepest brotherly affection could not withstand the temptation of the throne.

"Father, please grant my request. My brother Jinghe is four years younger than me. If I still can't compare to him, then I don't need to be the Crown Prince. Father, you can't protect me forever, can you?" Ye Jingchen pleaded, shaking the Emperor's sleeve.

"If he hadn't been poisoned, I might have considered your suggestion, but his current condition is too unstable. It's too dangerous to leave him in the Eastern Palace. I've come here today to take him away." Looking at the affection and longing in Ye Jingchen's eyes, the emperor hardened his heart and said.

"Father, have you found a suitable concubine to adopt Jinghe's younger brother? Is she willing?" Ye Jingchen asked hurriedly.

"He's not an infant anymore, so he doesn't necessarily need to be cared for by the concubines. Wouldn't it be the same if I provided him with enough servants?" the emperor said, frowning.

If a suitable candidate had been found, would he have bothered to make this trip in person? He could have simply sent Zhang Shunde to deliver the imperial decree and fetch the person.

"If only servants take care of him, what if they don't do their best? My brother Jinghe is already pitiful enough. Father, please have pity on him and let him stay in the East Palace to attend classes with me!" Ye Jingchen pleaded.

The emperor held up a finger and pressed it against Ye Jingchen's forehead, pushing him away. He said irritably, "You heartless brat, I did all this because I love you!"

"I know that Father Emperor did all this for my own good, but I have found a way to suppress Jinghe's poison. He will no longer be completely out of control!" Ye Jingchen said to the Emperor.

"Even the Imperial Medical Academy was helpless, how did you find a solution?" the emperor asked in surprise.

“Just yesterday in the Imperial Garden, didn’t Jinghe suddenly go crazy? Someone rushed out and calmed him down. Afterwards, Jinghe said that he calmed down because of the fragrance on her body. So I took some people to her and got some perfume that can emit fragrance. Now, even if Jinghe suddenly goes crazy, he can calm down quickly and there will be no more danger,” Ye Jingchen said.

He didn't even mention Fangzhi's name from beginning to end.

The emperor naturally knew where Ye Jingchen had gone and who he had met.

Ye Jingchen led a large group of people to find Fangzhi without any attempt to conceal their presence, and many people saw them.

It's rare for the royal palace to keep secrets, let alone such explosive news.

I'm afraid that before Ye Jingchen and his group even reach Fangzhi, everyone in the palace will already know that he took Ye Jinghe to see Fangzhi.

Many people are speculating whether Ye Jingchen has finally given up on Ye Jinghe's madness and is going to return him to Fangzhi. Even the emperor has a secret expectation.

If Ye Jingchen were to give up on Ye Jinghe, he wouldn't have to be the villain.

Unfortunately, when he saw Ye Jingchen carrying Ye Jinghe back, he knew his hopes had been dashed.

Moreover, Ye Jingchen made even more outrageous demands.

The emperor certainly didn't think Ye Jinghe posed any threat to Ye Jingchen's position as crown prince. He had no maternal family to rely on and was poisoned beyond cure. No matter how outstanding he became in the future, he was not qualified to compete for that position. Even if he attended classes with Ye Jingchen, it wouldn't matter. Perhaps he could even provide Ye Jingchen with an extra ally in the future. However, if Ye Jinghe broke the rule that "princes cannot attend classes with the crown prince," the maternal families of the other princes would definitely not let this opportunity pass and would certainly demand to enjoy the same treatment as Ye Jinghe.

The maternal families of the other princes are all formidable forces. If this incident fuels their ambitions, Ye Jingchen's path to becoming crown prince will be fraught with twists and turns and crises.

This is something the emperor absolutely does not want to see.

Looking at Ye Jingchen, who was full of expectation, he suddenly felt a little irritated.

If Ye Jingchen hadn't grown up and was still a clueless little kid, he wouldn't need to have his own thoughts. He would just need to listen to him, follow his arrangements, and walk the broad road to the throne.

But he extinguished the thought after it only crossed his mind for a moment.

Ye Jingchen is his child, not his puppet.

As children grow up, they will always have many whimsical ideas, and the responsibility of parents is to guide them to give up those unrealistic ideas.