The emperor completely forgot how low he had already lowered the standards for choosing marriage partners for the sake of his princes and princesses.

He always harbored a deep-seated fear of the Ji family, and naturally, he wouldn't like any of the Ji family's collateral branches.

So even after hearing Ye Jingchen's words, his expression was not good.

"If Father Emperor does not agree, then just pretend I didn't say anything. Anyway, I only have a slight liking for him, and it's not like I have to marry him," Ye Jingyan said.

Hearing her say that, the emperor suppressed his displeasure.

He suddenly realized that Ye Jingshu was already in this state, and Ye Jingchen liked men, so he really dared not have too high expectations for the marriages of other princes and princesses.

"Let me meet this family first."

"Then I will write a letter to inform them." Ye Jingyan agreed, her expression indifferent, showing no joy.

Judging from her expression and reaction alone, even Ye Jingchen couldn't tell whether such a person actually existed.

Afterwards, the emperor asked Ye Jinghe about the progress of the Prince's Mansion's renovation. Ye Jinghe was quite concerned about this matter. If Ye Jingchen had asked, he would have been happy to tell him, but since it was the emperor who asked, he put on a stern face and replied with just two words, "It's alright."

Don't make the perfunctory tone too obvious.

Anger flashed in the emperor's eyes.

“Father, there’s no need to worry. Jinghe has been urging the craftsmen to finish, and it should be completed by the end of the month. We can move into the palace next month on a suitable day.” Ye Jingchen answered for Ye Jinghe.

"Is that so? Then I will have the Imperial Observatory calculate the date tomorrow," the emperor said with a forced smile.

He promised that the first day of the fourth lunar month would be a 'good day'!

Finally, the emperor tested Ye Jing'an, Ye Jingyan, and Ye Jingning on their studies before dismissing everyone.

From that day on, the princes and princesses resumed the custom of paying their respects every three days, and the bond between the brothers and sisters was strengthened once again due to the frequent meetings.

Soon, it was time for Ye Jingyu to get married.

As the first princess to marry, Ye Jingyu's wedding was a grand affair.

On this day, presided over by the emperor himself, Ye Jingyu received the emperor's investiture at the main gate of the palace.

Ye Jingchen led all the princes and princesses, as well as the officials from the Ministry of Rites in charge of the wedding, to escort Ye Jingyu to her wedding.

Just like Ye Jingchen's wedding, the royal procession led the way. After the groom picked up the bride, the wedding car circled the imperial city. Red silks fluttered along the way, flowers cleared the path, and the golden boy and jade girl scattered gold and silver foil on both sides of the street. All the people of the imperial city witnessed this wedding.

Originally, a princess's wedding should be held at the princess's residence, but Ye Jingyu and Gu Beichen's wedding was held at the Gu family's residence, which undoubtedly gave the Gu family a lot of face.

Although Ye Jingyu was neither the eldest daughter nor the principal wife, and her mother was only a concubine, the grandeur of this wedding made the noble families dare not underestimate this princess with a very low profile. The Gu family's status also rose because of this marriage.

The Gu family also attached great importance to Ye Jingyu. On the wedding day, they invited almost all the guests in the capital. A three-day banquet was held outside the mansion, and porridge was distributed outside the city in Ye Jingyu's name for a month.

Xie Chang'an also attended the wedding. As the Crown Princess, she had always been with Ye Jingchen.

Although the main characters today are Ye Jingyu and Gu Beichen, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an are also the focus of attention for the people of the capital city when they accompany the wedding car through the streets.

Upon arriving at the Gu family residence, Ye Jingchen officially confirmed Xie Chang'an's status as Crown Princess in front of all the guests.

Although it may be difficult to get the emperor to acknowledge it in the short term, we can first get people other than the emperor to acknowledge it.

March 28th was an auspicious day for the coming-of-age ceremony, as calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory.

The sky was clear and blue that day; it was a beautiful day.

After bathing and burning incense at the Eastern Palace, Ye Jingchen and Ye Jingshu traveled together by carriage to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The emperor and his officials were already waiting in the square of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. After Ye Jingchen arrived, the emperor led him into the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices to the ancestors amidst the sound of bells and music, and personally performed the capping ceremony for him.

The Third Coming-of-Age Ceremony

The donning of the black cloth cap signifies a return to antiquity and simplicity, reminding us not to forget our original intentions. From this moment forward, it means Ye Jingchen will possess the power of human rule.

The addition of a leather cap symbolized the responsibility to defend the country. From then on, they participated in military affairs and possessed military power.

After being granted the imperial robes and crown three times, he was allowed to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple, attend court, and enjoy the right to perform sacrifices.

After his coming-of-age ceremony, the emperor bestowed upon him the name Mingyao, meaning the interplay of the sun and moon.

After the solemn coming-of-age ceremony, it meant that Ye Jingchen would officially enter the imperial court and assist the emperor in handling state affairs.

The day after the coming-of-age ceremony, the emperor appointed Ye Jingchen as the Grand Chancellor to assist the emperor in handling official documents, participating in the drafting of decrees, and making important decisions.

In Dayuan, only the Crown Prince could concurrently hold the position of Grand Secretary.

Its authority is both very large and very small.

The powers of the Grand Secretary are equal to those of the Chancellor.

However, because of his status as the crown prince, he has the right to participate in many things, but not the right to make decisions.

The emperor did not consult with Ye Jingchen before issuing this appointment.

When the emperor announced the appointment in court, Ye Jingchen felt as if the sky was about to fall.

This position involves all matters, large and small, in the court, so whether he is busy or not depends entirely on the emperor's mood.

If the emperor wanted to keep him busy, he could push all sorts of things onto him.

After the court session, Ye Jingchen immediately went to Chengqian Palace to bargain with the emperor.

“The powerful families are deeply entrenched and have complex relationships. If Your Majesty wants me to eliminate the threat posed by these families, you cannot allow me to be distracted by other matters.”

“If we cannot deal with powerful families in one blow, then we will suffer endless troubles like the Jiang family,” Ye Jingchen lamented to the emperor.

Ye Jingchen bothered the emperor for a full hour. Unable to bear it any longer, the emperor agreed that he would not be assigned any other tasks until Ye Jingchen had completely resolved the troubles caused by the aristocratic families.

The emperor also promised him that he would not interfere or ask questions, and would leave all the authority to him to handle the matter, with the emperor only concerned with the outcome.

In addition, the emperor also entrusted him with the command of a portion of the Imperial Guards who had been monitoring and investigating the affairs of aristocratic families.

Although Ye Jingchen acted pitifully in front of the emperor, in fact, his plans to target the aristocratic families had never stopped for more than a decade.

He and Xie Chang'an had already thoroughly investigated the information of the major families in Dayuan, except for the Ji family. With the combined efforts of the Imperial Guards over the years, the major families were now completely under his control.

Information is king in any era.

Ye Jingchen first targeted the Wang family. The evidence he obtained from the Northern Barbarians finally came in handy. He had tens of thousands of copies of those letters and evidence of the Wang family's oppression of the people over the years printed and distributed throughout the streets and alleys of the capital city overnight.

The storytellers and opera troupes in the capital city also put in a lot of effort, telling stories about the Wang family and staging plays about the Wang family.

The emperor was furious during the morning court session and ordered a thorough investigation, instantly making the Wang family the target of public criticism.