The Prefect of Jingzhao arrived very quickly.

The car stopped outside the teahouse, and before it had even come to a complete stop, he had already scrambled and crawled inside.

He did not bring any government officials with him; he was only followed by two attendants.

"Your humble servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!" The Prefect of Jingzhao rushed to Ye Jingchen and bowed deeply.

Upon hearing his address to Ye Jingchen, everyone in the teahouse changed their expressions and immediately knelt down to kowtow.

Among them, the old storyteller was the most anxious.

The child in front of them was actually His Highness the Crown Prince. He said he would protect them, so they would most likely survive.

But when he thought about what he had just said to His Highness the Crown Prince, he wanted to slap himself.

He actually said in front of His Highness the Crown Prince that Consort De would be made Empress and the Second Prince would become Crown Prince. No wonder that Miss Fangfei scolded him, saying that what he said was disobedient and treasonous!

Saying these things in front of His Highness the Crown Prince is surely disobedience and treason. Would His Highness really chop off his head for this?

"Everyone, please rise. There's no need for formalities. Eat and drink as you please. Don't feel constrained because of my status," Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

This is His Highness the Crown Prince! How could he not be reserved?!

Everyone stood up stiffly, sat down stiffly, and looked at Ye Jingchen stiffly. As for the tea and snacks on the table, no one dared to touch them.

The only two people who did not get up in the hall were the Prefect of the Capital and the old storyteller.

"Old man, please get up. Don't be afraid. I won't punish you for what you just said," Ye Jingchen said to the trembling old man.

"It was my fault for speaking out of turn, thank you Your Highness!" The old man bowed deeply to Ye Jingchen before gratefully getting up from the ground.

"I should thank you. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known there were such rumors in the capital!" Ye Jingchen said, glancing at the kneeling Prefect of the Capital with a half-smile.

The Prefect of Jingzhao felt a sudden jolt in his heart. What rumor? Could it be the one he knew about?

He felt a chill run down his spine.

Even if the rumors in the capital are outrageous and ordinary people don't know, how could these officials in the court not know?

Although the Empress died young, the Emperor had no intention of appointing another Empress, and Consort De would always remain Consort De.

As for the Crown Prince—

The man before us is deeply favored by the emperor. As long as the emperor's favor remains, even without the support of his maternal family, he can still secure his position as the crown prince.

If these rumors in the capital were to reach the ears of this person, and then fall into the hands of His Majesty, the consequences would be—

The Prefect of Jingzhao dared not think any further.

"My son has been unruly and has offended Your Highness the Crown Prince. Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will certainly teach him a lesson when we return to the palace!" the Prefect of Jingzhao said with trepidation.

"Your son did offend me, but he has learned his lesson, so I will not hold it against him," Ye Jingchen said magnanimously.

The Prefect of Jingzhao was stunned, unable to believe that things had gone so smoothly.

If it were that simple, the Crown Prince wouldn't have sent someone to summon him here!

He went straight to Ye Jingchen and knelt down after entering the teahouse, without even having time to see where his son was. Upon hearing what His Highness the Crown Prince said, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

He glanced around, first seeing his servants lying scattered on the ground, their lives uncertain, and then his son, who was furthest away.

He was lying on the ground, his face swollen like a pig's head, his mouth and body covered in blood, but thankfully his eyes were open.

He looked over with terrified eyes, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't utter a sound.

How could such a healthy child be beaten like this?!

The Prefect of Jingzhao was both shocked and furious, but dared not show it. Rumors were circulating in the palace that this little tyrant, though young, was domineering and arrogant, and could take someone's life if he was displeased!

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy in sparing my son's life." The Prefect of Jingzhao kowtowed to Ye Jingchen.

"Ahem! My guards were a bit too heavy-handed, but if the insults they hurled at me were to reach Father Emperor's ears, beheading them would be the least of their worries," Ye Jingchen said somewhat guiltily.

Chenxi's two slaps knocked out several of the other person's teeth, and he'll probably have a lisp from now on.

But perhaps he never had a future at all.

The Prefect of Jingzhao wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely take my son to apologize to His Majesty!"

"You failed to raise your son properly and allowed him to do evil. Of course you should go and apologize!" Ye Jingchen sneered.

“Your Highness is right! My son is seriously injured, so I will take him back to his residence for treatment. Once he has recovered, I will certainly take him to the palace to apologize to His Majesty and His Highness!” After saying this, the Prefect of Jingzhao signaled his attendants to help the child.

"Wait—" Ye Jingchen slowly interrupted them.

"I only said I wouldn't pursue his crime of offending me, but I didn't say I wouldn't pursue his crime of forcibly taking a woman!" Ye Jingchen said with a stern face.

The Prefect of Jingzhao knew this matter was not so simple!

But the son is useless, and the other party has given him leverage. This time, he'll probably suffer a lot and it won't end well.

"So, how exactly does Your Highness intend to deal with my son?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Ye Jingchen looked at him in surprise, "As the Prefect of Jingzhao, how could you ask such a ridiculous question? What do you mean by 'how I want to handle this'? Shouldn't it be handled according to the laws of Dayuan?"

"You can't even solve a case, can you?"

Do you understand the laws of the Great Abyss?

"I'm very curious how you obtained the position of Prefect?"

"It can't be just because you're the son-in-law of the Minister of Personnel, can it?"

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