Taking advantage of the opportunity, the emperor picked Ye Jingchen up again.
The kids are growing up, if we don't get to have a go now, we won't have the chance again!
"Who's playing tricks there? Guards, pull the person out of the flower bushes!" The emperor, who didn't believe in ghosts and spirits, gave the order.
Two eunuchs rushed forward and disappeared into the flower bushes. After a moment, they pulled out a small child.
The child was short and thin, dressed in thin clothes, with messy hair and a dirty face, but his eyes were exceptionally dark and bright.
He had a bright red flower petal between his teeth, and his lips were also covered in a striking red.
"This—" Ye Jingchen looked at the child, quite shocked.
How could such a young child be hiding alone and in such a disheveled state in the flower bushes of the Imperial Garden?
The emperor also frowned as he looked at the child.
After the Crown Prince, the women in the inner palace gave birth to many children for him over the years, including more than a dozen princes and princesses, but he didn't care much about them.
But it's one thing for him not to care, but others can't afford to be indifferent. His child is, after all, a prince, a member of the imperial family. How come he's acting like a little beggar now?
"You are—Jinghe?" It took the emperor a long time to recall the child's name.
Ye Jingchen suddenly looked at the child who was as thin as a monkey.
Ye Jinghe, the fifth prince, was born to a lowly palace maid who was favored by the emperor by chance. Even though she gave birth to a prince, the emperor only gave him the title of concubine.
The fifth prince's birth mother was of lowly status and naturally unfit to raise the prince. Coincidentally, Consort Shu, one of the four consorts, had no children of her own, so she asked the emperor to raise the fifth prince under her name.
Although the title of Consort Shu contained the word "Shu" (淑), she only looked like a lady; her personality was completely unrelated to the word "Shu".
She raised the fifth prince only hoping to gain favor through him, but the emperor didn't care about the prince at all. Her plan failed, so she simply left the fifth prince to be cared for by palace servants and ignored him completely.
Later, Consort Shu gave birth to the Seventh Prince. Everyone in Changchun Palace revolved around the Seventh Prince, and no one cared about the life or death of the Fifth Prince.
The fifth prince then suffered all kinds of humiliation from the palace servants in a corner of Consort Shu's Changchun Palace, where he was often hungry and poorly clothed, and grew up in hardship.
Later, he found a way to get the emperor's attention, left Changchun Palace, established his own residence outside the palace, and gradually built up his own power.
In the novel, Ye Jinghe is the only prince without the support of his maternal clan, yet he is able to hold his own against the other princes. This is not only because he has secretly cooperated with the male protagonist Xie Chang'an, but also because he is a shrewd and resourceful person.
The struggle for survival in Changchun Palace for more than a decade forged a resilient soul, but at the same time, it also made Ye Jinghe aloof and ruthless, a very terrifying person.
But the cold-blooded and ruthless prince in the novel is currently just a skinny little boy who looks extremely pitiful.
"Is he the fifth prince's brother? He looks so pitiful. Doesn't anyone serve and take care of him?" Ye Jingchen asked, feigning curiosity.
The emperor's already unpleasant expression darkened further because of Ye Jingchen's words.
After Ye Jinghe was pulled out of the flower bushes, he remained silent, only staring at the emperor and his entourage with wary and fearful eyes.
"Father, let me go see my fifth brother." Ye Jingchen patted the emperor's hand.
The emperor hesitated for a moment, but still put Ye Jingchen on the ground.
Ye Jingchen walked towards Ye Jinghe, but the child was very wary; for every step Ye Jingchen took forward, he took a step back, always maintaining a distance from Ye Jingchen.
"Jinghe, don't be afraid. I'm your older brother. I won't hurt you." Ye Jingchen stopped and gave Ye Jinghe a kind smile.
Ye Jinghe looked up at him, his dark eyes unmoving, which looked quite eerie.
Even though Ye Jingchen was a thirty-year-old adult at heart, he was startled. If it were the original owner of this body, he would probably have been frightened to tears by that look.
Ye Jingchen calmed his racing heart and was about to speak gently when he heard two voices coming from behind the flowers.
The Imperial Garden was filled with flowers and plants. Due to the angle, the two people talking did not notice the large group of people behind the flowers, so they spoke very casually.
"Where did that little rascal run off to again? He's such a worry!"
"Quickly search! I heard the imperial carriage is also near the Imperial Garden. If we run into it, we'll be in big trouble!"
"I heard that His Majesty was taking His Highness the Crown Prince to admire the flowers in the Imperial Garden. It's true that people have different fates. They are both sons of the Emperor, but His Highness the Crown Prince lives in the Eastern Palace, living a life of luxury. Even the Seventh Prince, born to Consort Shu, is the center of attention. Only the Fifth Prince, born to this palace maid, has a lowly mother and a lowly life. The Emperor doesn't care about him, and the Consort doesn't care either. He leaves us palace maids to take care of him. We don't even get the allowances that princes are entitled to. We can't get a single bit of benefit. Who has the time to care about his life or death?"
The complaints stopped abruptly.
When the two palace maids saw the bright yellow figure and a group of people behind the flower bushes, they were so frightened that they immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Majesty, spare our lives! Your Majesty, spare our lives!"
"Those who have humiliated and abused the princes, drag them away and beat them to death!" the emperor said coldly.
Four guards from the Dragon Scale Guards, who were at the very back, came forward and dragged away two palace maids in pairs.
Ye Jingchen pursed his lips as he watched the two palace maids being dragged away, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
These two palace maids were not innocent. It's just that in the era before him, only the law could judge people's guilt, unlike here, where the emperor could easily decide anyone's life or death with just a word.
At that moment, he realized with absolute certainty that he had truly arrived in a feudal dynasty where human life was worthless.
"Zhang Shunde, send someone to escort the Fifth Prince back to Changchun Palace, and also convey a message to Consort Shu: if she cannot raise the Fifth Prince properly, there are plenty of others willing to do so!" the Emperor said to Zhang Shunde.
After saying that, he glanced at Ye Jinghe, walked to Ye Jingchen's side, pulled Ye Jingchen into his arms and hugged him, then turned and left.
"Father, are we not going to abandon our fifth brother?" Ye Jingchen nestled in the emperor's arms, resting his chin on the emperor's shoulder, watching the little boy getting further and further away from him.
The child remained silent and still, watching them walk away with his dark eyes.
"After this experience, Consort Shu will treat him better," the Emperor said, but in his heart he was thinking that he needed to give Consort Shu a good talking-to.
From then on, the emperor held Ye Jingchen tightly the whole way.
Actually, at Ye Jingchen's current age, he is probably 1.12 meters tall and weighs 60-70 kilograms, which is no longer suitable for being carried. However, the emperor seems to be in good physical condition. He was carried for so long today, and his face was not red or out of breath. He was like nothing had happened.
The two palace maids were right. People have different fates. The emperor wouldn't even let him walk a few steps, afraid that he would get tired. But with Ye Jinghe, the emperor wouldn't even ask him a question.
The emperor also bears responsibility for Ye Jinghe's unfortunate childhood, and a great deal of responsibility at that!
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