In the past, the emperor would often summon Ye Jingchen to Chengqian Palace for breakfast after court sessions, and he always readily agreed.

But this time he was less willing, because Xie Chang'an was still waiting for him outside the Taiji Hall!

Xie Chang'an had been waiting for him outside the Taiji Hall for the entire morning court session. He entered the palace so early that he probably hadn't even had breakfast yet!

If it were another companion waiting outside the palace, he could shamelessly invite them to join him for a meal at Chengqian Palace, but he dared not call Xie Chang'an.

The emperor already had a complicated attitude towards the people of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, not to mention his unusual relationship with Xie Chang'an!

Besides not wanting Xie Chang'an to wait in vain, Ye Jingchen also didn't want to dine with the emperor.

The imperial cuisine was delicious, but the emperor would most likely urge him to get married, and he was afraid he would suffer from indigestion by then.

Fortunately, Ye Jingyu and the other two hadn't left yet.

"Jingyu, Jingyu, Jingming, how about your royal brother takes you to Chengqian Palace for a free meal?" Ye Jingchen asked the three of them with a smile.

"Really?" Ye Jingyu asked excitedly.

"Of course! The imperial meal is so lavish, let alone four more of us, even fourteen more people wouldn't be a problem!" Ye Jingchen said confidently.

"Then let's go together!" The naive Ye Jingyu agreed without even thinking.

Ye Jingming and Ye Jingyu exchanged a glance and nodded helplessly.

"Eunuch Zhang, could you please send a eunuch to the Taiji Hall to deliver a message that I'm going to Chengqian Palace for breakfast, and tell them to hurry back to the East Palace for their own meal as well!" Ye Jingchen said to Eunuch Zhang.

Zhang Gonggong was puzzled. In the past, after court, His Highness the Crown Prince would often be taken to Chengqian Palace for breakfast by His Majesty. His Highness had never specifically instructed the eunuchs and guards waiting outside Taiji Hall to inform them. What was going on today?

Eunuch Zhang dared not delay and immediately sent one of his eunuchs out to deliver the message.

"Let's go!" Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jingyu and the other two, then calmly walked up the high platform and into the imperial road, which, according to the rules, could only be used by the emperor and his attendants.

"Crown Prince!" Ye Jingyu called out to Ye Jingchen.

Ye Jingchen turned around and realized that they hadn't followed.

"Come on up!" he waved to the three of them.

“Brother, according to the rules, we cannot take this road,” Ye Jingming reminded him.

He entered the court early and knew that Ye Jingchen used to visit often, but that was all with the emperor's permission.

Although they were all princes, they were still far behind their elder brother, the crown prince whom their father favored the most!

The path that my elder brother can take, they may not be able to take.

"This road leads directly to Chengqian Palace. It's convenient to go this way, no problem!" Ye Jingchen said nonchalantly.

Zhang Gonggong stood aside, awkwardly laughing until his face was stiff.

But besides laughing, he didn't know what else he could do.

After all, he was just a eunuch serving His Majesty and had no right to decide whether the princes could walk on this imperial road.

"This is just a shortcut that saves time and effort. What does it mean? Let's go. If Father really blames us, I will bear the consequences!" Ye Jingchen urged.

"We can't keep Father Emperor waiting!"

“Your Highness is right, this is just a shortcut!” Ye Jingyu was the first to respond and stepped onto the platform.

"Second Prince, Fourth Prince, please!" Seeing this, Eunuch Zhang had no choice but to force a smile and invite the other two princes.

Anyway, His Highness the Crown Prince said he would take full responsibility for the consequences.

Moreover, the Third Prince was the first to respond to him, so even if the Emperor wanted to blame someone, he couldn't blame them.

Ye Jingming and Ye Jingyu walked up to the platform with solemn expressions.

Standing on the high platform, Ye Jingming and Ye Jingyu subconsciously looked back. Sure enough, from this vantage point, everything below was clearly visible.

However, they only dared to glance at it before quickly following Ye Jingchen and Ye Jingyu, who had already entered the imperial road.

The imperial road was narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, but it was very long and seemed to have no end in sight.

Every few steps there is a wall lamp, illuminating the path brightly, yet it is also very quiet.

"Have you grown too big for your britches now? I just want you to have a meal, and I have to wait for you for ages?" The emperor had already come out of the imperial road, but Ye Jingchen didn't follow, so he waited outside.

He waited for a while before hearing footsteps, and then he cursed.

Then he saw Ye Jingchen walk out of the imperial road with Ye Jingyu, followed by Ye Jingyu and Ye Jingming, with Zhang Shunde walking at the very back.

The emperor's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

"Your Majesty, I just felt that dining alone wouldn't be lively enough, so I took the liberty of inviting my three younger brothers to join you. Are you surprised or not?" Ye Jingchen took a few quick steps and stood right in front of Ye Jingyu, winking and making funny faces at the emperor.

The emperor was indeed very unhappy when he saw the three princes walk out of the imperial road, but before he could get angry, Ye Jingchen made him laugh out of exasperation.

"Are you sure you summoned them here to keep me company, and not to use them as a shield?" the emperor asked with a cold laugh.

"Your subject absolutely did not mean that. Your subject just felt that it would be more lively to eat with more people! Moreover, the three imperial brothers also hope to spend more time with Father Emperor to fulfill their filial duties! Isn't that right, Jingyu?" Ye Jingchen said, looking at Ye Jingyu and asking.

What could Ye Jingyu say? He could only give the emperor a docile smile and say sincerely, "Your Majesty is right. Your son especially hopes to be able to fulfill his filial duties to Father!"

"That's what I think too!" Ye Jingyu quickly followed up, expressing his sentiments.

Ye Jingchen glanced at the emperor with a smug look, and the emperor returned his gaze with a look that was hard to describe. Suddenly, Ye Jingchen felt a pang of sympathy for these princes who had been used by their rebellious son.

During breakfast, the emperor did not bring up any topics related to urging marriage, but instead asked them for their opinions on the retirement of veterans.

They have reached a consensus on this matter.

While the northern frontier doesn't currently need as many soldiers stationed there, infrastructure development desperately needs soldiers who are physically fit, hardworking, and obedient.

Ye Jingyu was in the Ministry of Revenue, and his duties were directly related to this matter, so he was the one who cared about it the most.

Now that the emperor had asked for his opinion, he naturally took the initiative to speak up and told the emperor about the retirement age, the expected number of retirees, the compensation for retired soldiers, and the plans for their subsequent resettlement.

The emperor was very satisfied after hearing this, and his anger completely subsided. He then ordered the emperor to write down a detailed plan as soon as possible.

Ye Jingyu was overjoyed to receive the emperor's approval and even ate a few extra bites at breakfast.

After finishing breakfast, Ye Jingchen was about to make a quick getaway with his brothers when he heard the emperor say leisurely, "I have something to ask the Crown Prince alone. Jingming, Jingyu, and Jingyu, you should go to the government office first!"

Since the emperor had spoken, the three dared not delay. They could only give Ye Jingchen a helpless look and leave.

Originally, Ye Jingchen thought that the emperor had been suspicious of him and had misunderstood the emperor because he hadn't mentioned marriage before. Now he realized that the emperor just wanted to wait until the helper he had found left before bringing it up.