Zhang Zhe's expression was somewhat subtle.
He was just being polite, but—
Is His Highness the Crown Prince showing off his deep brotherly bond to him?
The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for gain.
In ordinary families, even brothers born of the same father and mother will fight tooth and nail for a small plot of land. Do royal families, who have vast empires to inherit, really have deep brotherly affection?
However, during this meal, the dishes ordered by His Highness the Crown Prince were the ones that the Second Prince ate the most, and His Highness the Crown Prince clearly preferred the dishes ordered by the Second Prince.
He suddenly realized that the most important reason why he had believed the Crown Prince's lies seven years ago was that the relationship between the brothers was so good that he had never thought about their royal status.
After finishing the meal, Zhang Zhe was filled with doubts.
However, he later discovered that whenever His Highness the Crown Prince was on duty, he would have lunch with the Second Prince and return to the palace together after his shift. The two brothers seemed to have a better relationship than ordinary brothers!
That's a story for another time.
After lunch, Ye Jingchen took Ye Jingming back to his office.
Before going to lunch, he instructed the eunuch who came with him to set up a small partition in his office with a screen, and put two chaise lounges inside, covered with mattresses, pillows and quilts, so that he and Ye Jingming could take a nap after lunch.
Of course, screens were used to separate the different tatami mats.
The eunuchs were very efficient; by the time they returned to their offices, everything had already been arranged.
"I need to take a half-hour nap. You should also rest. Come find me here in half an hour," Ye Jingchen said to Zhang Zhe.
Zhang Zhe left with a subtle expression.
He sensed that His Highness the Crown Prince wasn't particularly interested in his first job after entering the court. There was a relaxed air about His Highness that he only saw in old people who had spent twenty or thirty years in government offices. Was it just his imagination?
"Brother, do we really need to rest for half an hour? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Ye Jingming stared blankly at the bed in front of him.
Several layers of mattresses were laid on the chaise longue. Although he hadn't lay down on it yet, he thought it would be very comfortable!
However, the government office has strict duty hours, and if they sleep for half an hour, they will definitely be late!
"What's wrong with that? Does anyone dare to criticize you?" Ye Jingchen asked dismissively.
"The teacher will," Ye Jingming replied.
Yan Xu didn't care whether he was a prince or not. In fact, even if he didn't like the crown prince, he would point it out bluntly.
Ye Jingchen: ......
"It's alright, let's go to sleep first. When we wake up, I'll go with you to find Lord Yan, and I'll make sure he doesn't blame you!"
"As the saying goes, sharpening your axe won't delay your work. You'll understand how beneficial a nap is for your afternoon work once you take one!" Ye Jingchen advised.
Since he had already said all that, Ye Jingming didn't say anything more. He chose a couch, took off his coat, and lay down in bed.
Sure enough, the quilt was as soft and comfortable as he had imagined.
The unfamiliar bed and unfamiliar environment made Ye Jingming think he wouldn't be able to sleep, but in fact, he felt sleepy not long after lying in bed, and his consciousness gradually became hazy.
Ye Jingchen fell asleep earlier than him.
After he lay down on the couch, he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
After all, a nap is only half an hour long, so every second counts!
When Ye Jingchen was awakened by the persistent calls of the eunuch, his face was grim and his eyes were sharp.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Ye Jingming asked in confusion.
Wasn't everything fine before my afternoon nap?
Ye Jingchen ignored him.
He slept so soundly that he didn't want to open his eyes or leave his bed!
Unfortunately, there's no choice but to take the ox or the horse!
This was the first time in his life that Ye Jingming had been rebuffed by Ye Jingchen. He felt uneasy, but he didn't show it on his face. He just looked at the eunuch beside him with a puzzled gaze.
The eunuch was in a dilemma. He couldn't just talk about his master's affairs, especially things like his morning grumpiness, as it could easily be exploited by someone with ulterior motives.
"Second Prince, our Highness is alright." Under Ye Jingming's questioning gaze, the eunuch said cautiously.
But the way my brother looks now doesn't seem like he's alright.
Ye Jingming's face was grim, and his gaze toward the eunuch was filled with oppressive force.
The eunuch lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze or approach Ye Jingchen, wishing he could stay far away from the two brothers.
"Royal brother?" Ye Jingming tentatively called out to Ye Jingchen again.
To be honest, his elder brother's stern face made him a little intimidated.
This time, Ye Jingchen reacted, looking at Ye Jingming with a scrutinizing gaze.
After a long while, he finally hummed in agreement.
"What's wrong?" Faced with Ye Jingchen like this, Ye Jingming subconsciously used polite language.
Ye Jingchen answered him quickly this time, "It's nothing."
He withdrew his gaze from the survey, reached out and rubbed his face hard, completely dispelling his sleepiness.
Ye Jingchen's expression softened, and a smile appeared in his eyes.
My familiar elder brother has returned, as if by magic.
Ye Jingming stared blankly, somewhat unable to react.
"Don't worry, I'm just a little grumpy when I wake up, I'll be fine once I calm down," Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jingming with a smile.
Grumpy when you wake up?
These are completely unfamiliar words.
He understands what 'getting up' means, but does 'qi' mean being angry?
Are you angry as soon as you wake up?
That's quite in line with my brother's state just now.
“If you ever see me like that again, stay away from me, just like him—” Ye Jingchen said, pointing to the eunuch who was about to leave the office, “so as not to get accidentally hurt by me!”
The eunuch returned to Ye Jingchen's side with an embarrassed smile.
"Your Highness, what are your orders?" he asked.
"Go and invite Zhang Zhe over. He's awake now; it's time to get down to business."
"Let's go, I'll take you back to the Ministry of Personnel first, and we can also find Lord Yan while we're at it," Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jingming.
"Is morning grumpiness a disease? Will it harm the body? Does the imperial physician know about it? How should it be treated?" Ye Jingming asked worriedly on the way to the Ministry of Personnel.
"It's okay, it's not an illness and doesn't need treatment. It doesn't harm me, but it's easy to accidentally hurt the people around me," Ye Jingchen patiently answered his question.
"Your Highness, where did you take the Second Prince? It's outrageous that you brought the Second Prince to your first day of work and were late!" Upon arriving at the Ministry of Personnel, Yan Xu indeed gave Ye Jingchen a stern lecture without any hesitation. He didn't even ask what happened before blaming Ye Jingchen for being late, which showed that he knew Ye Jingchen very well.
"Lord Yan, Mr. Yan! I just felt that Jingming was working too hard, so I let him rest for half an hour after lunch. It shouldn't be a big mistake, right?" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.
"Really just a short rest? Didn't you go do anything else naughty?" Yan Xu asked, somewhat disbelievingly.
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