"Chenxi, how old are you this year?" Ye Jingchen asked with a sigh.
“Twenty-two.” Dawn appeared behind him.
Ye Jingchen turned around and looked at Chenxi's face, which was exactly the same as it had been seven years ago, and sighed again.
Twenty-two years old is the age when one is most energetic and vigorous.
"Do you want to get married?" he asked.
"No," Chenxi answered without hesitation.
"You rejected me so decisively, you don't know what it means to get married, do you?" Ye Jingchen teased.
Chenxi's expression became very subtle; if one had to describe it in a single word, it would be "indescribable."
"What's with that expression?" Ye Jingchen asked, displeased.
"The bodyguards must stay by their master's side at all times." Chenxi couldn't help but roll her eyes.
What's the point of him getting a wife? Just for decoration?
Ye Jingchen: ......
“There’s no need to follow me so closely…” Ye Jingchen understood his unspoken meaning and said awkwardly.
Chenxi was his guardian angel, and of course he hoped that Chenxi could always be with him and protect him, so that he could feel at ease.
However, if Chenxi stays with him all the time, she will have no life of her own, which is very unfair to her.
Humans are contradictory in this way.
Thinking this, he sighed again.
Chenxi ignored him.
Having been by Ye Jingchen's side for so long, he had gotten used to Ye Jingchen occasionally going crazy and coming up with some meaningless ideas.
From the day he became Ye Jingchen's personal bodyguard, it meant that he would stay with Ye Jingchen until the day he died.
Whether it's getting married and having children, or anything else, it's none of his business.
"If one day you find someone you like, you can tell me, and I will let you go," Ye Jingchen said to Chenxi after sighing.
One shouldn't be too selfish. Just because Chenxi is so good to him, he should be good to Chenxi in return.
He said he was very reluctant to part with it, but afterwards he felt that something was off about what he said.
Chenxi didn't take those words seriously.
Regardless of whether he has a chance to meet someone he likes while following Ye Jingchen every day, even if Ye Jingchen lets him leave, he will not leave.
He became a bodyguard and came to Ye Jingchen's side to protect him.
Besides the loyalty expected of a bodyguard, there was also a bond of gratitude between him and Ye Jingchen.
Seeing that Ye Jingchen didn't seem to have any important instructions, Chenxi retreated into the shadows.
Ye Jingchen was still a little annoyed when he lay in bed.
Compared to choosing a crown princess, attending court is not a troublesome matter at all.
What reason could he possibly give to dissuade his father from his obvious idea of choosing a crown princess for him?
In Chengqian Palace, the two palace maids who had been dismissed by Ye Jingchen came to report to the emperor.
"The Crown Prince refused? He seems quite resistant?" The Emperor found it hard to understand.
What's there to object to? They didn't even let the person finish speaking before kicking them out?
When he was about the same age as the crown prince, he was curious about such things.
After the two palace maids left, he thought for a moment and then instructed Zhang Shunde to summon Imperial Physician Zhang.
The palace originally stipulated that a pulse should be taken once a month for a patient's well-being, but Ye Jingchen, valuing his life, changed the monthly period to seven days.
Physician Zhang was originally the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, and later became the personal physician of the Crown Prince's Palace. He knew the health conditions of the two young masters of the Crown Prince's Palace best.
After Physician Zhang arrived, the Emperor asked him about the Crown Prince's recent health and also subtly inquired about the Crown Prince's physical development.
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are known for their exceptional skills in observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. Without Ye Jingchen's knowledge, the old doctor had already revealed all about his physical condition.
When the emperor received the answer that "not a trace of his primordial yang had been released," his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
He remembered that his brothers were already sensible when they were twelve or thirteen years old, but the Crown Prince was already fifteen years old. Why was he still not enlightened?
Physician Zhang explained the intricacies of the matter to the emperor. The emperor listened, but was not reassured. He ordered Physician Zhang to take the crown prince's pulse first thing the next morning and to treat his body.
When Ye Jingchen woke up, Fangfei told him that Physician Zhang had been ordered to take his pulse.
Thinking of the two palace maids from yesterday, Ye Jingchen had a bad feeling.
"Is there anything wrong with my health, Physician Zhang?" Ye Jingchen asked after the old physician finished taking her pulse.
"His Highness is in good health and there is no problem," the old physician replied, though he was writing a prescription in his hand.
"Since there's no problem, why take the medicine?" Ye Jingchen asked cautiously. "Doctor Zhang's medical skills are superb; he should understand that all medicines have some degree of toxicity."
"Your Highness, rest assured, what I wrote is not a prescription, but a nourishing medicinal diet," the old physician said with a smile.
He doesn't want to eat medicinal food either, okay?
He's still so young, why would he need medicinal cuisine?
Moreover, he is quite satisfied with his current state; he wasn't interested in this kind of thing in his past life!
He has emotional fastidiousness!
"Since you're healthy, there's no need for the medicinal diet, right? It wouldn't be good if it caused any problems!" Ye Jingchen pressed down on the old doctor's hand.
"Your Highness, this old minister is merely following orders!" The old imperial physician said, looking troubled.
"Autumn weather is dry, so it's good to drink some soups that clear heat, moisturize dryness, and nourish the spleen and stomach," Ye Jingchen reminded him.
"But--"
"No buts. My father doesn't know anything about medicine. If you listen to him and make me drink medicinal food, and something really goes wrong, you'll be the one who has to take responsibility! Physician Zhang, you're getting on in years, you shouldn't want to ruin your reputation in your old age, right?" Ye Jingchen said, using a mix of persuasion and threat.
Physician Zhang insisted on finishing writing the prescription.
Ye Jingchen took the prescription written by the old doctor and smiled.
"Lotus root and yam pork rib soup, lotus seed and yam pigeon soup—these two medicinal dishes will be served alternately for breakfast this month." He read out the characters he recognized, which happened to be two soups suitable for autumn.
Fangfei took the prescription and left, and Physician Zhang also quickly took his leave.
After this little incident, Ye Jingchen pondered the possibility that he was 'incapable,' which was definitely a good way to eliminate future troubles.
However, using this method would damage his reputation.
However, he had never compromised in the previous thirty years, and his situation in this life was even more special, so he was even less willing to compromise.
This body's development does seem to be somewhat slow, and he can use this to give his father a heads-up.
As for what happens next, let's just take it one step at a time. At worst, he can simply leave the palace.
Having transmigrated into the book for so long, he has never been to a place farther than the Western Hill Palace!
The Great Abyss is so vast that he can easily go out and explore, thus avoiding the need to attend court.
After school, Ye Jingchen led the kids to pay their respects to the emperor, and even specially invited Ye Jingming along.
After entering the court, Ye Jingming's temperament became more calm and reserved, making him seem more like an older brother than Ye Jingchen.
He walked beside Ye Jingming, making sure the other children stayed away from them, and asked if the emperor had sent any palace maids to Yichun Palace.
After all, Ye Jingming is only one year younger than him.
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