During a trip to Chengqian Palace, Ye Jingchen happily read the Classic of Filial Piety ten times.
Copying books was nothing unusual; he practiced calligraphy regularly anyway, and the emperor hadn't stipulated when he had to finish copying them.
However, people in this era valued filial piety, and if word got out that the emperor had punished him by making him copy the "Classic of Filial Piety," it would likely cause controversy!
In Chengqian Palace, after all the children had left, the emperor thought about the matter of punishing Ye Jingchen by making him copy the "Classic of Filial Piety" and realized that it was inappropriate.
"Zhang Shunde, give the order that today's punishment of the Crown Prince to copy the Classic of Filial Piety must not be spread outside the palace. Anyone who dares to gossip about it will be beaten to death with sticks!" the Emperor said in a deep voice.
However, secrets don't stay hidden forever. A few days later, during the morning court session, an official impeached the crown prince for this matter, saying that he disrespected his parents and elders and was unworthy of his position.
That's how officials in the censorate are. Often, they're like a wild dog that's been starving for a long time. When they smell a bit of meat, they fiercely rush in and bite down hard, refusing to let go.
Historically, the highest honor for a censor was to offer a death sentence to the emperor.
The angrier the emperor became, the more excited they became, rushing forward one after another, fearless of death, all for the sake of leaving their mark on history.
However, this is also because there was an unwritten rule in every dynasty that the emperor could not kill officials who spoke out against the emperor.
An emperor who executes an official for any reason will leave an indelible stain on his record in history.
This regulation was originally intended to allow censors to constantly monitor the emperor's actions and to promptly correct any wrong decisions the emperor made.
But nowadays, many officials who speak out have long forgotten their original intentions. They only want to use this get-out-of-jail-free card to experience the thrill of criticizing the emperor who is above all others, and at the same time, to gain a good reputation for themselves before and after their death.
But Emperor Shengping was a ruthless man who could kill even his own brothers. He was not afraid of being branded as cruel and bloodthirsty, so why would he care about the lives of the officials who spoke out against him?
"Do you think I don't know whether the Crown Prince has disrespected his parents? Do I need you to remind me?" The emperor was furious and immediately dismissed the censor.
I didn't kill him because I wanted to find out where he got the information from.
The emperor ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.
However, no matter whether they started with the censors or the palace servants of Chengqian Palace, they could not find a single clue.
After learning about this, Ye Jingchen went to see the emperor alone.
At that time, in Chengqian Palace, besides the palace servants, there were also many princes and princesses. They were all still young, and it was very likely that they would casually tell their mothers about it after returning home.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that they deliberately informed them.
Whether they did it intentionally or unintentionally, the fact that they were able to do it so flawlessly shows that the mastermind behind it was definitely deliberate, and that they hid themselves very well.
One instance of slander is no big deal. Since it's difficult to investigate for now, let's not investigate for the time being. As long as something has been done, it will always leave traces, and the truth will come out eventually. Ye Jingchen has plenty of time and patience.
He brought with him a copy of the Classic of Filial Piety, two copies of the Classic of Filial Piety with completely different handwriting.
He copied it ten times, and Ye Jinghe copied it ten times.
Ye Jinghe originally intended to copy it for him, but people's handwriting is different. Even if Ye Jinghe imitated his handwriting, how much could a four-year-old who had just learned to write imitate? There was always a risk of being exposed. It was not worth offending the emperor over such a small matter.
Moreover, the Classic of Filial Piety held such a special position in ancient times, and Ye Jingchen planned to copy it after bathing and burning incense every day, so that the emperor would know of his filial piety, wouldn't he?
Although he couldn't suffer in place of his brother, Ye Jinghe still copied the Classic of Filial Piety ten times.
Of course, he didn't copy it for the emperor; he copied it for his brother.
The emperor was delighted to see the two copies of the Classic of Filial Piety and immediately rewarded Ye Jingchen with many gifts.
He certainly wouldn't presume to think that Ye Jinghe's copy of the Classic of Filial Piety was made for him, but he was still very happy that the little wolf cub could go to such lengths for Ye Jingchen.
After all, wolf cubs are fierce and protective of their masters. If used properly, they can become a handy and sharp weapon in the future.
"Father, when I bring my elder sister, younger brother, and younger sister to pay their respects to you in the future, could you please not always treat me with such a disrespectful attitude? You see, you don't scare me at all, but you scare them away from getting close to you. Why do you do this?" Taking advantage of the emperor's good mood after being coaxed, Ye Jingchen made his request.
The biggest problem with bringing his children to pay their respects to the emperor these past few times was that they were too reserved in front of him, and even his personal demonstrations didn't have much effect.
If we don't take advantage of their young age, their lack of class consciousness, and the fact that the emperor isn't yet wary of them, and change their mindset so that they first see the emperor as their father and then as their monarch, it will likely be much more difficult in the future!
Of course, their mindset needed to change, and the emperor's attitude was also important, so Ye Jingchen decided to take a two-pronged approach.
The emperor, who was still moved, suddenly felt a lump in his throat upon hearing these words.
He was upset that Ye Jingchen and Ye Jinghe weren't afraid of him at all, and he was also upset that the other children were too afraid of him.
"How dare you say that I am the Son of Heaven? It is said that when the Son of Heaven is angry, millions will die. Why are you not afraid of me?" the emperor asked with a stern face.
"Why should a son be afraid of his father? We share the same blood and are the closest people in the world. Even if I do something to anger you, do you really have the heart to hurt me?" Ye Jingchen asked without changing his expression, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Of course, with my filial piety, how could I possibly anger Father Emperor!" he added with a smile.
"Arrogant because of your favor!" The emperor only said four words to him.
But there's nothing he can do about it; that's what he cherishes.
In the entire Great Abyss, there was only one child who did not regard him as a king, but as a father. How could he possibly bear to be truly angry with him?
“Father, if you were a little more affectionate towards your younger brothers and sisters, they wouldn’t be so reserved in your presence. Take Yun Shu, for example—the young heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion. His interactions with his father are always lively and fun, like a chicken and a dog fighting every day!” Ye Jingchen gave an example.
Actually, the relationship between Xie Shaoling and Xie Chang'an is more interesting than that between Yun Shu and his father. However, he hasn't found an opportunity to resolve the misunderstanding between the emperor and Xie Shaoling yet, so it's best not to mention Xie Shaoling in front of the emperor, lest the emperor have another heart attack.
The emperor certainly knew how the father and son of the Marquis of Zhongyong got along on a daily basis. After all, they were Ye Jingchen’s personal companions, so the emperor naturally had to investigate the Marquis’s affairs thoroughly.
At first, the emperor thought Ye Jingchen chose Yun Shu because she was pretty.
After all, whether in terms of family background or talent and ability, Yun Shu was very ordinary. Apart from the deceptive portrait that the Marquis of Zhongyong sent to the palace, he really couldn't understand why Ye Jingchen chose Yun Shu as his study companion.
If it were simply a matter of looks, then Ye Jingchen probably wouldn't have gotten close to Yun Shu again after seeing the real her.
But in fact, according to his understanding, among the four companions, Ye Jingchen liked Yun Shu the most.
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