"Ally, I need your help now." After a high five to seal the alliance, Ye Jingchen leaned close to Xie Chang'an's ear and said mysteriously.

Xie Chang'an subconsciously took a step back.

He wasn't used to being in such close proximity to others.

Moreover, Ye Jingchen was speaking close to his ear, and his hot breath went straight into his ear, making it very itchy.

"What kind of help?" Xie Chang'an asked somewhat warily.

We've only just formed an alliance, and you're already asking for his help? Are you trying to set him up for failure?

"Why don't you get sick tomorrow?" Ye Jingchen whispered.

Is this an attempt to make him sick out of thin air?

Xie Chang'an became even more vigilant.

"Why would I get sick?" Xie Chang'an took another step back and asked.

"Your health was already poor, and after recovering from a serious illness, you've been working from dawn till dusk every day, and studying is exhausting. It's perfectly normal for you to get sick again," Ye Jingchen said seriously.

"It's perfectly normal, so why would I pretend to be sick?" Xie Chang'an continued to ask.

"Don't you think our schoolwork is too heavy right now? Don't you want to have more leisure time for yourself? If you pretend to be sick a few times, and I pretend to be sick a few times, we won't have to suffer like this!" Ye Jingchen said emotionally.

I don't think so!

"In no mood!"

"It's not bitter!" Xie Chang'an refused three times in a row.

"You're being really boring!" Ye Jingchen looked at Xie Chang'an with unfriendly eyes.

"We've only just formed an alliance, are you going to let our alliance fall apart so soon?" Ye Jingchen rebuked him.

“If we don’t cooperate with your feigned illness, the alliance will fall apart. In that case, it’s better not to form this alliance at all,” Xie Chang’an said calmly.

Ye Jingchen: ...

I'm so annoyed!

Xie Chang'an found Ye Jingchen's puffed-up expression quite amusing; he really did resemble an eight-year-old child.

"Now that we've formed an alliance, we should be honest with each other. What is your real purpose?" he asked.

Ye Jingchen rolled his eyes. "My goal is to avoid going to school. Believe it or not!"

Now it was Xie Chang'an's turn to be speechless.

Xie Chang'an was very puzzled. "Isn't studying good? There are beautiful women and riches in books. How can you learn good strategies for governing a country if you don't study? Besides, the emperor has provided you with the best teachers in Dayuan. What more could you want?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't study, I just don't want to study to death! A balance between work and rest is the key to achieving twice the results with half the effort!" Ye Jingchen corrected.

Of course he needs to read books. How else can he build relationships with his brothers and sisters? How else can he manipulate them?

"So how do you plan to balance work and rest?" Xie Chang'an asked calmly.

“We are still young and growing, so we need to get enough sleep. I think morning reading is unnecessary and should be canceled!”

"Also, only one day off a month is too cruel! We're still just kids, playing is in our nature. Shouldn't we at least get one day off every seven days?!"

Because Xie Chang'an's cooperation was needed, Ye Jingchen did not hide anything and told him his thoughts.

Xie Chang'an looked at Ye Jingchen with a complicated expression. After a long while, he asked, "You know you are the Crown Prince, right?"

"So what if I'm the crown prince? Does being the crown prince mean I have to study day and night? Why should I?" Ye Jingchen said indignantly.

"With all your brothers being troublemakers, and you being so lazy, you'll be killed by them sooner or later!" Xie Chang'an mocked.

"It's okay, I'm not the only one slacking off, I'm going to drag them all down with me," Ye Jingchen said nonchalantly.

Xie Chang'an scoffed and gave him two words: "Naive!"

"Isn't it better to sleep in and recharge instead of reading in the morning?"

"Isn't it better to have six days of classes and one day to handle personal matters?"

"You're not really planning to just study every day and do nothing else, are you?" Ye Jingchen asked Xie Chang'an with an exaggerated expression.

This question truly struck a chord with Xie Chang'an.

Since the Crown Prince visited the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the Old Madam ordered him to exercise with the mansion's tutors every day. However, because he had to go to the palace to study in the morning, the exercise time was moved to the evening. As a result, he spent his days either studying in the palace or exercising at home, and he really couldn't find any free time.

Within the imperial city and in the imperial court, Jiang He was not the only one harboring hostility towards the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Even Jiang He was just an insignificant pawn.

Moreover, my father is about to return to the capital.

His father, Xie Shaoling, in both his past and present lives, Xie Chang'an only had one impression of him: his back.

When he was still an infant, his father had already gone to the northern frontier, and only returned home once when he was three years old.

He didn't remember much when he was three years old. In his memory, his father's face was very blurry. But he remembered very clearly the image of his mother holding him as he saw his father off, and his father gracefully mounting his horse and galloping away with a smile.

Little did he know then that it would be the last time he saw his father in his previous life.

Although he had little memory of his father, he heard about him from many people over the years.

Although my father is not in the capital, legends about him are everywhere in the capital.

Many people like him, and many people hate him. Some describe him as the best in the world, while others despise him and find him utterly repulsive.

The father in everyone's mouth is different.

Therefore, he was particularly curious about his father.

Having been given a second chance at life, when he realized he needed an ally, the first person he thought of was his father.

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