The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

After watching the Crown Prince's carriage disappear into the distance, the Dowager Empress immediately ordered preparations to be made for his arrival at the palace the next day.

"Mother, do we really want to send Chang'an to the palace to be His Highness the Crown Prince's study companion? His health is so poor, what if he falls ill again?" the Duchess asked worriedly.

“His high fever came on suddenly and hasn’t gotten better. He was bedridden yesterday and couldn’t get up. How can we let him go to the palace tomorrow?”

"Given the status of our Duke Zhenguo's mansion in Dayuan, there's no need for Chang'an to become the Crown Prince's study companion. Although the Crown Prince is of noble status, our Chang'an is not—"

"Shut up!" The old lady snapped, interrupting the Duchess before she could finish speaking.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, the future monarch. No matter how noble Chang'an is, he is still his subject. There is a distinction between ruler and subject. How could you utter such treasonous words? I think you have really been fooled by your maternal family and have become quite arrogant!" The old lady slammed her dragon-headed cane down hard, making the ground tremble three times and silencing the Duchess.

"Chang'an's physical condition is a bit worse than that of other children, but he is still the eldest grandson of my Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, and he will be going to the battlefield to protect our country in the future! I didn't hold it against you for spoiling him too much when he was young, but from now on he needs to exercise every day like his grandfather, father and uncles to strengthen his body and prepare for going to the battlefield in the future!" The old lady said sternly, her stern gaze sweeping over the women one by one, and finally landing on Xie Chang'an.

"Chang'an, come with me." She led Xie Chang'an towards the ancestral hall.

"Mother, I knew you spoiled Chang'an too much. Now look what's happened, even the Old Madam can't stand it anymore. Chang'an's good days are coming to an end!" The Crown Princess complained to the Duchess of Zhenguo, her mother-in-law, while lamenting that her son's pampered life was about to end, her face revealing undisguised schadenfreude.

"As Chang'an's mother, you don't even feel sorry for him? How can you still be smiling now?!" The Duchess of Zhenguo looked at the smile on her face in disbelief, trembling with anger.

“Mother, you don’t understand. Children need to move around more to stay healthy! I’ve wanted Chang’an to take morning lessons with the tutors in the manor for a long time, but you’ve always been worried about his health and disagreed. Now that the Old Madam has spoken, you can’t stop me anymore!” The Crown Princess said with a beaming smile.

She was the daughter of a military general, and she grew up playing with spears and sticks. The children in her household were raised in a very rough manner, and they were all very tough. Unlike her son, who had rosy lips, white teeth, and delicate skin, he was so good that if she dressed him up and took him out in a dress, he would be mistaken for a girl. He was really too unbecoming!

"You're just a new bride, you have no idea how tough the training at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is! When Chang'an is tortured and covered in bruises, don't come crying to me with your heartache!" After saying this, the Duchess of Zhenguo turned and left.

"If we don't suffer in the manor, are we going to get injured or lose our lives on the battlefield later?" The Crown Princess muttered under her breath, then smiled and grabbed one of her sisters-in-law with each hand, "Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, let's go and prepare the clothes Chang'an will need to wear to the palace tomorrow, the writing materials he needs for school, and the equipment and medicine he will need for training in the future, shall we?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince truly lives up to his noble birth. At such a young age, he is already kind, polite, and eloquent. If we in Chang'an can learn even a fraction of his way of dealing with people and things from him in the future, I will be content!" she exclaimed as she walked.

The kind, polite, and eloquent Crown Prince's carriage had now arrived at the most bustling street in the imperial city.

On the wide streets that can accommodate four carriages abreast, there is a constant flow of vehicles and pedestrians, creating a prosperous scene that is dazzling to behold.

The shops lining both sides of the street are dazzling with a wide variety of goods, including jewelry, silks and satins, and stationery. Restaurants and taverns are also everywhere.

The scents of cosmetics, ink, food, and wine...

These aromas blend together to create a scene of everyday life in a peaceful and prosperous era.

"I need to go and observe the people's conditions. You all go back to the palace first, and come back here to pick me up an hour before the palace gates are locked," Ye Jingchen said to Fangfei.

“If Your Highness does not allow us to follow, I will kill myself by crashing into that stone pillar as soon as Your Highness leaves,” Fangfei said calmly, pointing to a stone pillar on the street outside.

In the past, Fangfei would not have dared to threaten His Highness the Crown Prince like this.

If it were the former Crown Prince, upon hearing her say this, he might have ordered her to run into the car right now and not rest until she was dead.

However, the former Crown Prince would never condescend to visit his subjects' residences, nor would he bother to understand the people's plight.

Whether it was genuine concern for the people's plight or simply a playful act, the former Crown Prince would never have uttered such high-sounding words.

Since His Highness the Crown Prince fell into the water, lost consciousness, and then woke up, he has really changed a lot. Fangfei likes this change, but occasionally, she is also troubled by it.

For example, right now.

It's so dangerous outside the palace, and His Highness the Crown Prince is carrying the Fifth Prince, a dangerous individual who could go mad at any moment, yet he doesn't even allow them to come along. How can that be allowed?

Knowing she was of lowly status and powerless to change the Crown Prince's mind, she resorted to threatening to kill herself.

The former Crown Prince wouldn't have cared about the lives of servants like them, but the current Crown Prince has changed. He no longer treats human life lightly, so she knows her threat will work.

She looked at Ye Jingchen calmly.

Ye Jingchen: ...

"Why would you want to die so easily over something so trivial?" he said with a hint of helplessness.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!