A small incident occurred before dinner.

Among all those present, Ye Jingchen held the most prestigious position, so he should sit in the head seat at the table.

However, before he could even sit down, Ye Jingyu and Ye Jinghe quickly took the two seats on either side of the main seat.

Ye Jingchen glanced at the two of them with amusement, then at Xie Chang'an, whose expression wasn't very good, and waved to Chunming.

“Chunming, come, sit next to your brother,” he said to Chunming.

Chunming didn't want to talk to him, but Ye Jingchen said to let him sit next to his brother, so Chunming hesitated for a moment before walking over and sitting down next to Ye Jinghe.

Ye Jingchen then sat down next to Chunming and pointed to the empty seat on the other side, saying to Xie Chang'an, "Princess Consort, please come and take a seat."

Xie Chang'an glanced down at Ye Jinghe and Ye Jingyu before leisurely sitting down next to Ye Jingchen with the air of a victor.

Ye Jinghe was somewhat unwilling, and pointed to the main seat between him and Ye Jingyu, saying, "Brother, you should sit in the main seat."

"It's just a family dinner, why bother with formalities?" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

Both Ye Jinghe and Ye Jingyu had rather unpleasant expressions on their faces. Ye Jingyu thought for a moment, then pretended to be nonchalant and got up to sit on the other side of Xie Chang'an.

He was afraid that Ye Jinghe wouldn't be able to eat if he sat next to him.

The two were also competing during the meal, creating a turbulent atmosphere at the table.

Ye Jingchen strongly suspected that if it weren't for him keeping things in check, the two of them might not have even been able to eat this meal; they probably would have overturned the table long ago.

After finishing his meal, Ye Jingyu showed no intention of returning home; instead, he seemed ready to have a casual chat.

He knew how to attract Ye Jingchen's attention, so he directly brought up Ye Jingyu and Lin Ruochu's matter.

"Your Majesty, the young lady from the Duke of Anguo's mansion seems to have a lot of luck with you lately. You often bump into her in various places. Perhaps it won't be long before you have a happy occasion?"

"Yun Shu also said that Miss Lin and the Third Prince are destined to be together."

Ye Jingchen already knew about these things from Ye Jingyan, but he also knew Lin Ruochu's attitude, so he wasn't very optimistic about the matter.

"Whether it's fate or not, the key is whether Jingyu likes that girl or not," Ye Jingchen said.

Whether this marriage will go through depends mainly on Ji Wushuang's attitude, and the only one who can change Ji Wushuang's attitude is Ye Jingyu.

But Ye Jingyu probably hasn't figured it out yet.

He treats his siblings very well, even Ye Jinghe, who has always been indifferent to him, with warmth.

Over the years, apart from Ye Jingchen, Ye Jinghe has only been less perfunctory when facing Ye Jingyu.

Ever since he learned that Lin Ruochu was Ye Jingchen's cousin, he has extended his affection to her and is very enthusiastic whenever he sees her.

"Sister Lin always says that he and the Third Prince are not suitable for each other, but when she says this, she is becoming more and more insincere."

"Well, who could resist a handsome young man as warm, generous, and magnanimous as my third brother?" This is what Ye Jingyan said to Ye Jingchen.

Ye Jingyan has recently started inviting Lin Ruochu to visit the palace. While others may not know her intentions, Ye Jingchen is fully aware of them.

However, before she could introduce Ji Wushuang to Lin Ruochu, Ye Jingyu's mother, Consort Xian, did.

Consort Xian seems to have a good impression of Lin Ruochu.

Of course, it's also possible that she has a good impression of the Duke of Anguo's mansion behind Lin Ruochu, after all, Ye Jingyu will soon turn eighteen, and it's time to choose a princess for him.

Ji Wushuang had been searching for a suitable match for Ye Jingyu for several years without success. Consort Xian had been secretly watching the movements of Weiyang Palace. Ji Wushuang didn't like any of them, and she felt that they were not good enough for Ye Jingyu. However, this meant that there weren't many people among the noble families to choose from, and the Duke of Anguo's mansion was definitely the best choice.

"Jingyu, what kind of girl do you like?" Ye Jingchen asked Ye Jingyu with a smile.

"I like women who are well-educated, gentle, and virtuous," Ye Jingyu replied without hesitation.

Ye Jingchen's eyes lit up, and he became interested. "Do you have someone you like? If so, and their family background and character are not problematic, you can ask the Emperor to grant you a marriage."

"Not yet," Ye Jingyu said.

He simply has a very clear plan for his future.

Given Ye Jingyu's preferences, Lin Ruochu, who is as lively as Ye Jingyan, clearly does not meet his criteria for choosing a consort.

"Have you mentioned your requirements for the future princess consort to your mother?" Ye Jingchen asked.

"My mother has already asked me, and she thinks the same way I do," Ye Jingyu said with a smile.

Ye Jingchen wanted to remind Ye Jingyu that Consort Xian might want to choose someone for him who doesn't meet his requirements, but nothing is certain yet. It's not too late to talk about it when that day comes.

As night deepened, Ye Jingyu left satisfied, but Ye Jinghe's expression was far from pleasant.

My brother finally managed to stay overnight at the Prince's mansion, but Ye Jingyu took up most of his time.

"Jinghe, you're almost eighteen. You should try paying more attention to the girls around you. Maybe you'll find the right one," Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jinghe after Ye Jingyu left.

“I have my brother and this kid, that’s enough,” Ye Jinghe said to Ye Jingchen, pulling Chunming over.

"It's getting late. Children need plenty of sleep to grow taller. Take him to wash up and go to bed," Ye Jingchen said to Chunming, who looked listless.

Ye Jinghe called Fang Xi and Fang Rui in and told them to take the child away.

Although Chunming looked reluctant, he obediently followed Fangxi and Fangrui.

"Brother, don't you ever consider having a child with your own flesh and blood?" Ye Jinghe asked Ye Jingchen after thinking for a moment.

If my brother had a child, he would definitely be very cute, even cuter than Chunming!

Xie Chang'an, who was standing to the side, turned pale upon hearing this.

“Jinghe, my brother, I am still here as the Crown Princess. It’s not appropriate for you to ask me that,” he said through gritted teeth.

"So what if you're the Crown Princess? What good is it if you can't have children?" Ye Jinghe glanced at Xie Chang'an and said disdainfully.

"If brother doesn't have his own children, who will inherit the throne in the future?" This question was asked while looking at Ye Jingchen.

"I will not have any children of my own," Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jinghe, patting Xie Chang'an's hand reassuringly.

"Although I have no children, you do. As for the throne, as long as it is a bloodline of the Emperor, it doesn't matter who sits on it. In the future, just choose a suitable successor from among your children, isn't that enough?" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

He has only told Ye Jinghe about this idea, apart from the emperor.

“I’m not interested in that position,” Ye Jinghe said listlessly.

Even if he has children in the future, he will not let his children touch that position.

but--

“It doesn’t matter if my brother doesn’t have children in the future. I’m younger than him, and I will try my best to live longer than him so that I can take care of him in his old age and see him off when he passes away,” Ye Jinghe said to Ye Jingchen.

Xie Chang'an felt his fist harden. Did Ye Jinghe think he was dead?