The palace banquet concluded successfully.

After the event, Ye Jingchen, Ye Jingshu, and Ye Jinghe were summoned to Chengqian Palace.

Ye Jingchen knew why he and Ye Jingshu had been summoned, but Ye Jinghe—

"Jinghe, what did you do?" Ye Jingchen asked, somewhat exasperated.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, given the methods those noble ladies used, it's understandable that they might bully those girls a bit because of their status. It's unlikely that they could have kept those girls from showing up in Yong'an Palace.

"I encountered a few people I didn't like, so I knocked them out and locked them up," Ye Jinghe said in a nonchalant tone.

The emperor chuckled in exasperation, "Really? There are so many people in Yong'an Palace today, why is it that you happen to dislike only a few?"

"Because they are too weak, they don't dare to fight back when they are bullied!"

"The weak have little chance of survival in a cannibalistic palace!" Ye Jinghe said calmly, staring with his innocent-looking big eyes.

"Bang—What did you say?!" The emperor slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

Although the palace was not as magnificent as it appeared on the surface, this was the first time since he became emperor that someone had said to his face that the palace was cannibalistic.

Isn't this a slap in his face?

"Father, what Jinghe said is not wrong. I know you mean well, but those girls come from very ordinary families. If I choose them, I will be harming them and their families." Ye Jingchen stood in front of Ye Jinghe and said to the emperor.

"No noble families would stand idly by and watch a woman of ordinary background enter the Eastern Palace! Today those noble ladies dare to openly bully those girls in Yong'an Palace, tomorrow their families will make those girls' families disappear from the capital!"

This was also Ye Jingchen's main purpose in asking Ye Jingshu for help: to let the emperor see the situation clearly and not implicate innocent people.

After all, although there are many officials in the imperial court, very few are truly capable, and each one is important.

As for Ye Jinghe, he was a complete accident.

"You can't marry someone from a good family, and you can't marry someone from a bad family. What exactly do you want? As the crown prince, if you don't have any children, you might as well give up your position!" The emperor pointed at Ye Jingchen's nose and cursed.

"I'm making this clear: no matter how much I favor you, if you don't marry and have no children, you can forget about inheriting the throne!"

Ye Jingshu had never seen the emperor so angry before. She shrank back and instinctively hid behind Ye Jingchen.

But now that Ye Jingchen was blocking Ye Jinghe's way, she could only hide behind Ye Jinghe. However, she didn't want to hide behind Ye Jinghe, so she simply stared at the back of Ye Jingchen's head.

Although she was involved in this matter, she escaped unscathed because of Ye Jinghe's reckless behavior!

At this moment, she admitted that Ye Jinghe had indeed not let down her younger brother's favoritism all along!

Ye Jinghe's reaction was completely different from Ye Jingshu's.

In his view, no one in the world could threaten his brother, and no one could take away his brother's position as crown prince, not even the emperor!

Just as he was about to do something, Ye Jingchen noticed and quickly pressed his hand down.

Having a stubborn and fearless teammate can sometimes be a source of trouble.

"Father, I'm about to head to the Northern Frontier. My immediate priority is to reclaim military power from the Divine Might Army. As for my marriage, I will give you an explanation after I return from the Northern Frontier," Ye Jingchen said calmly to the emperor.

In this era, even for ordinary people, having offspring is of paramount importance, let alone for him, who is the crown prince.

Offspring represent not only the inheritance of bloodlines, but also the stability of the Great Abyss. A qualified crown prince must have offspring.

However, from the moment Ye Jingchen realized he had transmigrated into the book, he had no intention of leaving any descendants in this era.

His decision not to marry and have children had nothing to do with Xie Chang'an; it was a decision he made from the very beginning.

This decision has not wavered in the slightest, and he is confident that he can get the emperor to compromise.

Of course, not now; the time is not right yet.

"You've come back from the northern frontier by the time you've reached adulthood!" The emperor was already troubled and naturally wouldn't be persuaded by a few words.

Having been outmaneuvered by Ye Jingchen so many times in this matter, he found it hard to trust Ye Jingchen anymore.

"Even if you send a few girls to the Crown Prince's palace now, what difference does it make if I don't touch them?" Ye Jingchen asked somewhat shamelessly.

"Why don't you want to touch women? You're at the prime of your life—"

"Father!" Ye Jingchen quickly interrupted the emperor, "My elder sister is still here, and Jinghe is still young!"

"You've clearly figured it out!" The emperor looked Ye Jingchen up and down with a pained expression.

He remembered that when he was that age, he was really into this kind of thing!

Ye Jingchen matured so late and is still so averse to this kind of thing, could there be something wrong with his body?

Ye Jingchen knew what the emperor suspected, and he did indeed have such plans. However, the imperial physicians in the palace were not to be underestimated, and simply feigning illness would be meaningless.

"If Father really wants a grandson, why not place your hopes on Jingming first? He wants to settle down and start a family. Why don't you personally help him choose a gentle and virtuous princess?" Ye Jingchen suggested.

Even though he was a beneficiary of the emperor's favoritism, he still had to admit that the emperor was indeed biased.

The emperor personally handled matters concerning him, but when it came to Ye Jingming, he simply left it to Consort Chen and ignored it completely.

The emperor was extremely worried about him, even though Ye Jingming was only one year younger than him. The emperor didn't worry about Ye Jingming at all.

"Didn't Jingming have his mother choose for him? If your mother were still alive, she would have taken care of this for you. Why would I have to worry about it here?" The emperor said, suddenly missing the empress terribly.

If the Empress were still alive, she would have had countless ways to deal with this rebellious son and make him obedient, instead of him defying her in every way!

Nowadays, for aristocratic families, trying to establish kinship with the royal family is risky, and very risky at that.

Since they're going to take risks anyway, they naturally want to maximize their profits.

Before the Crown Prince had married, noble families with eligible women naturally wanted to compete for the position of Crown Princess.

As for the Second Prince, Consort Chen has completely fallen out of favor, and the Chen family has also fallen apart. Without the help of his maternal family, it would be difficult for the Second Prince to compete for that position, so it is naturally not a good choice.

Therefore, since Chen Pin regained her freedom, although she has found many candidates for Ye Jingming, none of them have given her a clear answer.

However, if the emperor intervenes, the outcome will be different. Those aristocratic families dare to refuse Consort Chen, but they dare not refuse the emperor.

Ye Jingming is almost eighteen years old, and it's time for him to get married. He himself has this wish, and Ye Jingchen naturally hopes that Ye Jingming can get married and have children soon.