Throughout history, princesses have mostly had only two fates: either to establish peace on the borders through marriage with foreign tribes, or to marry the son of a high-ranking official to stabilize the court.
Regardless of the type, they are merely pawns used by rulers to maintain peace and stability in the country.
Although Ye Jingshu was only ten years old, she already knew her destiny.
So when she heard Ye Jingchen say that, she immediately became excited.
"Father is still alive, and you actually want to sacrifice my marriage to help you consolidate your position as crown prince? How can you be so vicious at such a young age?!" Ye Jingshu said angrily.
"Is marriage the only way you can use to realize your value?" Ye Jingchen couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"What else? What value do women have besides marriage and childbirth?" Ye Jingshu retorted.
“I can understand if an ordinary woman thinks like this, but you are a princess, how can your thinking be so narrow?” Ye Jingchen looked at Ye Jingshu in surprise.
"What do you mean I'm narrow-minded? Haven't we women lived like this for thousands of years?" Ye Jingshu asked indignantly.
"Then let me ask you, besides the difference in gender, what other major differences are there between women and men? Is there anything that men can do but women cannot? No! On the contrary, there are some things that only women can do but men cannot! So, why does Your Highness limit yourself to the framework of gender?" Ye Jingchen asked, his voice piercing the soul.
"This..." Ye Jingshu didn't know what to say.
Ye Jingchen's remarks were explosive, at least in this day and age, they are quite unique.
Ye Jingshu felt that he was talking nonsense, but she also felt that there was some truth to it. For a moment, her preconceived ideas began to suffer a strong impact.
"Elder sister, think about it. If your own talents could contribute far more to the Great Yuan than a marriage alliance, would Father still consider sending you to a marriage alliance?"
"If you are strong enough, why should you be afraid of not being able to control your own marriage?"
Ye Jingshu arrived in a huff and left in a daze.
Ye Jingchen's words had a huge impact on her, and she needed time to process them.
Guidance needs to be given gradually, step by step. Ye Jingchen is just planting a seed in her heart first. As for what choices she will make in the future, it is up to Ye Jingshu to figure it out herself.
But Ye Jingchen knew she wouldn't accept her fate. Otherwise, after learning that she might be sent to the Northern Barbarians for a political marriage, her choice wouldn't have been to resist, but to accept it.
Ye Jingshu arrived at the worst possible time. Ye Jingchen had only fed Ye Jinghe a small bowl of porridge, and he hadn't even started eating himself yet. Because of Ye Jingshu's delay, he was starving.
After Ye Jingshu left, the palace servants hurriedly came in to prepare the meal again and clean up the mess.
Half an hour later, the steaming hot meal was served again, and Ye Jinghe also received a new bowl of vegetable porridge.
Although Ye Jingchen was hungry, he still chose to feed Ye Jinghe first, since Ye Jinghe had been staring at the porridge on the ground for a long time.
After breakfast, Ye Jingchen took Ye Jinghe for a stroll in the garden, helping him digest his food while also teaching him to speak.
Choosing a study companion for the crown prince is a major event, and it takes three to five days to make a selection. Before the study companion is chosen, the prince does not need to go to school.
The garden was ablaze with color, and Ye Jingchen took the opportunity to teach Ye Jinghe to recognize the flowers and their colors.
During this teaching session, Ye Jingchen discovered that Ye Jinghe was exceptionally intelligent; no matter what he taught, Ye Jinghe could learn it in one go.
So Ye Jingchen took Ye Jinghe around the East Palace for a morning, teaching Ye Jinghe while also familiarizing himself with the layout of the East Palace.
After lunch, Ye Jingchen escorted Ye Jinghe to a side hall for a nap.
Ye Jinghe didn't want to sleep because sleeping meant he would have to leave his brother and be alone. But his brother said that children should take a nap, otherwise they would not grow tall.
Ye Jinghe always remembered that his older brother would have an attack when he fell asleep and turn back into the bad brother. He didn't want to see the bad brother, so even though he didn't want to, he obediently lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
Ye Jingchen returned to his bedchamber, dismissed the palace servants, and first summoned Chenxi.
"Go and investigate Fangzhi, especially what happened after she gave birth to Ye Jinghe."
Fangzhi is Ye Jinghe's biological mother. If she truly loves her child and there are no issues, Ye Jingchen wouldn't mind letting her meet Ye Jinghe.
After all, what child wouldn't love their mother?
Fangzhi was all alone in the palace, with neither a powerful maternal family behind her nor the emperor's favor. Even if she met Ye Jinghe, she would not pose a threat to the Eastern Palace.
In this situation, Ye Jingchen was naturally happy to do a good deed and make up for Ye Jinghe's regrets in life.
When Ye Jingchen woke up, it was already dark, and the palace lanterns in the East Palace had already been hung up.
He went to the side hall to find Ye Jinghe, but he was still sleeping.
The sleeping child's face was pink and rosy, with long eyelashes, just like a porcelain doll.
Ye Jingchen stood guard by his bedside, staring at him like a lovesick fool for a long time. Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because even the sleeping Ye Jinghe sensed it and shakily opened his eyes.
Seeing him looking dazed and confused, as if he had just fallen asleep, Ye Jingchen couldn't resist any longer. He pulled him out of bed, held him in his arms, and kissed him several times on the face, successfully waking Ye Jinghe up.
Ye Jinghe was overjoyed to see his brother as soon as he woke up, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
After playing with Ye Jinghe for a while, it was time for dinner.
The weather was nice today; the moon and stars came out early, and the sky twinkled, making it beautiful and lively.
After dinner, Ye Jingchen found a high platform and took Ye Jinghe to admire the moon and stars.
The skies in modern big cities are gray and gloomy, the moon looks like it's covered in fuzz, and you can't see a single star. Unlike the skies of ancient times, which were pure and unpolluted, with countless stars reflecting the bright moon, they were incredibly beautiful.
Ye Jingchen took the opportunity to teach Ye Jinghe to recognize stars, and also instilled in him the concepts of universe and world.
He would instill these concepts in every prince, and if the opportunity arose, he would also instill them in the princesses.
If their vision and worldview are broad enough, they won't just focus on their own little corner of Da Yuan and engage in fratricidal infighting.
After a day of instruction from Ye Jingchen, Ye Jinghe can speak fluently, can say short sentences, and has accurate pronunciation and clear articulation.
It is clear that he did not speak before simply because no one taught him to speak, and no one was willing to talk to him.
"My brother will be going to school in a few days. Jing and my little brother, can you come to school with me? I can learn a lot of knowledge at school, and I can stay with my brother all the time."
Four-year-old Ye Jinghe doesn't have a concrete concept of learning, nor is he interested in it, but for him, the reason of 'being able to be with his brother' is enough, and he nods eagerly.
"If Father doesn't agree to you going to school with me, you must find a way to make him agree, okay?"
Ye Jinghe nodded vigorously.
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