The next afternoon, Ye Jingchen returned to the East Palace with Xie Chang'an, and Ye Jinghe also went to the East Palace with them.

When he went to pay his respects to the emperor, he indeed inquired about this matter.

"He's just a stranger who looks a bit like me," Ye Jinghe said casually.

The emperor clearly didn't believe it. "If it were just a stranger who looked somewhat similar, would you keep him at Prince Qian's residence? Do you seem like such a kind person?"

"I'm willing!" Ye Jinghe said, emphasizing each word.

The emperor's face instantly darkened.

"Jinghe, you mustn't be so disrespectful to your father! Apologize to him immediately!" Ye Jingchen said hastily.

Ye Jinghe was very obedient and immediately said, "I'm sorry."

The apology was quick, but perfunctory; anyone with eyes could see it was completely insincere.

"I cannot afford an apology from Prince Qian!" the emperor said with a cold laugh.

"Brother, I apologize." Ye Jinghe ignored the emperor and spoke to Ye Jingchen instead.

His meaning was clear: he apologized because Ye Jingchen made him apologize, and it had nothing to do with the emperor.

The emperor was so angry that his face turned black.

"Prince Qian has shown disrespect to his sovereign and father, and is disobedient to discipline. He is hereby dismissed from his position as deputy commander of the guard and demoted to a common soldier!"

He also wanted to take back the Prince Qian's Mansion, but he knew in his heart that if the Prince Qian's Mansion was taken back, Ye Jinghe would most likely stay in the East Palace and not leave. Wouldn't that be exactly what he wanted?

So he had to give up the idea.

Ye Jinghe snorted coldly, completely unconcerned.

Over the years, the emperor has only used this one method to punish him, and even the emperor is annoyed by it.

“Father, Jinghe has never had many friends over the years. It’s a good thing that he has finally met someone willing to befriend him, isn’t it?” Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

"How dare you laugh? He's been spoiled rotten by you. Don't you feel any shame?!" The emperor couldn't do anything to Ye Jinghe, so he vented his anger on Ye Jingchen.

Actually, he was helpless against Ye Jingchen. Ye Jingchen was like a stubborn mule; he couldn't bear to hit him, and scolding him was useless. However, scolding Ye Jingchen could provoke Ye Jinghe, and for this reason alone, he liked to scold Ye Jingchen in front of Ye Jinghe.

Ye Jinghe's expression changed as expected. Just as he was about to say something, Ye Jingchen interrupted him with a smile and said, "Father is right to reprimand me. It's all my fault. I spoiled Jinghe. It's only right that Father scolds me. Don't be angry with Jinghe."

The emperor was so angry at his shameless and proud attitude that he was speechless.

Looking at the other princes and princesses, they clearly knew he was angered by his rebellious son, yet not one of them said a word in his defense.

This truly chilled the old father's heart.

After paying their respects to the emperor, Ye Jingchen returned to the Eastern Palace, while Ye Jinghe returned to the Prince Qian's residence.

A few days later, upon hearing that Ye Jinghe was able to walk again, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an went to the Prince Qian's residence to see him.

Although he could walk, the other Ye Jinghe still looked very weak, with a pale face. Standing next to Ye Jinghe, it was noticeable that he was a little shorter and his cheeks were noticeably thinner.

The two people can look very similar even when they're not standing together. But when they're actually standing side by side, the difference is quite obvious.

Another Ye Jinghe settled down in the Prince Qian's mansion. He usually stayed in his room alone and rarely showed his face. None of his other brothers and sisters had ever seen this person who was said to look exactly like Ye Jinghe.

For a while after that, even Ye Jingchen didn't see him. Then one day, Ye Jinghe told Ye Jingchen that the person had left.

He left silently, just as quietly as he had appeared.

Ye Jingchen felt a little regretful when he heard the news.

Just as he told the emperor, Ye Jinghe had never had many friends. He finally met someone he was willing to confide in, and he saw that Ye Jinghe had become much more lively than before, but that person suddenly left.

Ye Jinghe remained indifferent to his departure.

"We were never from the same world to begin with, so we were bound to leave sooner or later."

Even so, Ye Jinghe visited Ye Jingchen at the palace more often.

He seemed to have reverted to his childhood self, clinging to Ye Jingchen without caring whether Xie Chang'an was nearby or how unpleasant Xie Chang'an's expression was.

"Have you noticed that Ye Jinghe seems to be clinging to you too much lately?" Xie Chang'an asked with a grim expression after seeing Ye Jinghe off once again.

Ye Jinghe's changes are obvious, but these changes are also very similar to those he had when he was a child, as if he lacks a sense of security.

So, even though he was overly clingy, Ye Jingchen still indulged him.

Although he said he didn't care about the other Ye Jinghe's departure, he probably cared a lot about it in his heart.

"Brother, I want to live in the East Palace."

"Why can't I live in the East Palace? You clearly said before that I could live wherever I wanted?"

"Is it because Xie Chang'an doesn't like me that my brother doesn't want me to continue living in the East Palace?"

After Ye Jinghe became very clingy again, he proposed to move back to the East Palace.

"What about Chunming?" Ye Jingchen asked him.

While Ye Jinghe could certainly return to the Eastern Palace, Chunming was not of royal blood. If he were to also move into the Eastern Palace, the Emperor would likely be furious.

"Let him stay in the Prince's mansion; there are people to take care of him anyway," Ye Jinghe said.

"How long has it been since you spent time with Chunming?" Ye Jingchen asked.

Recently, Ye Jing and Tian Tian have been going to the East Palace, and they usually don't return home until just before the palace gates are locked.

“He’s not a three-year-old child; he doesn’t need me to be with him every day.”

"You're not a three-year-old, so why do you come looking for your brother every day?" Xie Chang'an asked irritably upon hearing this.

"This is my brother. I can look for him whenever I want. Is it any of your business?" Ye Jinghe said defiantly to Xie Chang'an, holding Ye Jingchen's arm.

As he frequently visited the East Palace, his conflicts with Xie Chang'an increased, and Ye Jingchen was genuinely worried that they might start fighting one day.

“You’ve been the one coming to the East Palace lately. I haven’t been to Prince Qian’s residence for quite a while. You go back first today, and I’ll go to Prince Qian’s residence to see you and Chunming tomorrow,” Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jinghe after thinking for a moment.

If it were the Ye Jinghe of the past, he would have been very happy to hear Ye Jingchen say this, but the current Ye Jinghe's expression was somewhat unnatural.

“If I live in the East Palace, I can stay with my brother all the time. If my brother wants to see Chunming, Fangxi and Fangrui can bring him to the palace tomorrow. Why should my brother make the trip himself?”

Ye Jingchen had no doubts about Ye Jinghe in front of him, but Ye Jinghe's attitude toward the Prince Qian's Mansion and Chunming made Ye Jingchen feel that something was wrong.

Ye Jinghe certainly cared about him the most, but because he had said that the Prince Qian's Mansion was their second home and Chunming was also his family, Ye Jinghe liked him to go to the Prince Qian's Mansion.

The current Ye Jinghe seems very unwilling for him to go to Prince Qian's mansion. Why?