After returning from the guard camp, Ye Jinghe worked through the night to draw up the design plans for the Prince's Palace.
When Ye Jingchen woke up the next day, Ye Jinghe brought the blueprints to him to look at.
The landscape design of the Prince's Mansion is similar to that of the East Palace Garden. The layout of the main courtyard is similar to that of Ye Jingchen's bedroom, while the side courtyard closest to the main courtyard is similar to the side hall where Ye Jinghe currently resides.
"Jinghe, are you planning to leave this main courtyard for me to live in?" Ye Jingchen asked.
Seeing through his little scheme, Ye Jinghe looked at Ye Jingchen expectantly and asked, "Brother, are you willing?"
Although that palace couldn't compare to the Eastern Palace, since his brother said it was home, he naturally hoped that his brother's room would also be in the house.
His home is wherever his brother is.
"Of course I'd like to! But this mansion is yours, and I can't overstep my bounds. How about we switch the styles of the main courtyard and the side courtyard?" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.
"The Prince's Mansion is no match for the Crown Prince's Palace. Even the main courtyard is not worthy of my brother, let alone the side courtyard!" Ye Jinghe said reluctantly, pouting.
“Since it’s a home, there’s no question of whether it deserves this title or not! I actually prefer the scenery in the side courtyard, and we can install a side gate there for easy access,” Ye Jingchen said.
"Alright then!" Hearing Ye Jingchen say that, Ye Jinghe didn't insist anymore and went back to redraw the blueprints.
In the afternoon, Ye Jingchen said he wanted to take a nap and not be disturbed, but after closing the door, he had Chenxi change his face and leave the palace to see Chaolu.
The Crown Prince's identity is complicated. If those with ulterior motives find out about the relationship between him, Chenxi, and Chaolu, it will not benefit them.
So he didn't go to Chaoyunfang, but instead arranged to meet Chaolu in a private room at Youjian Teahouse.
When he and Chenxi arrived, a young woman, who did not have a baby face, was already sitting in the private room, but whose features resembled Chenxi's.
She was dressed very simply, with her hair styled in a woman's bun, adorned only with a silver hairpin.
The hairpin was of a very ordinary style, but Ye Jingchen could tell at a glance that it was Chenxi's work; it was a hairpin, but also a hidden weapon.
"This humble woman pays her respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Upon seeing them enter, Chaolu quickly stood up and was about to kneel before Ye Jingchen.
Ye Jingchen quickly stepped forward to help her up, preventing her from kneeling down.
"Sister Chaolu, you're too kind!" he said with a smile.
Although he was disguised, the clothes he was wearing were the birthday gift that Chaolu had given him, so Chaolu recognized him as soon as she saw him.
Chaolu seemed startled by his address of "sister," and after a moment of hesitation, she said, "Your Highness is too kind to this humble woman. I am of lowly status and do not deserve to be called 'sister' by Your Highness!"
"Sister Chaolu, Chenxi has been by my side since I was very young. He has saved me many times. I have always regarded him as my elder brother. His elder sister is naturally my elder sister too!" Ye Jingchen said with great sincerity.
"What's more, Sister Chaolu has given my elder sister and me birthday gifts for over ten years, and we both love them very much!" Ye Jingchen said, turning around to show off the silver-white casual clothes he was wearing today.
"I'm glad Your Highness likes it!" Chaolu was a little reserved at first, but after seeing Ye Jingchen turn around, she couldn't help but laugh.
This was a double affirmation for her, both for her craftsmanship and for the gift she gave.
Seeing her sister's smile, Chenxi glanced at Ye Jingchen without making a sound.
No wonder everyone likes Ye Jingchen; he's just too good at charming people!
"Sister Chaolu, this is a return gift for you!" Ye Jingchen said, taking out a sachet from his sleeve and handing it to Chaolu.
This sachet looks very familiar to Chenxi. Before leaving the palace, Ye Jingchen seemed to have filled the sachet with several handfuls of gold beans.
Chenxi's lips twitched, and she subconsciously wanted to refuse, but then she thought, "My sister's kindness over the years, isn't it worth this return gift?"
Moreover, this is exactly what my sister needs right now.
The sachet was quite heavy, a bulging package. Chaolu opened it, glanced at it, and then quickly closed it again, intending to return it to Ye Jingchen.
“Your Highness, this return gift is too precious, I cannot accept it! Moreover, Her Majesty the Empress saved my life and Chenxi's life, and I am merely repaying that kindness. How could I possibly accept Your Highness's return gift?”
"Sister Chaolu gave me a birthday gift, which is her way of showing her love. I'm giving her a gift in return, which is my way of showing my love. I've accepted her gift, so shouldn't she accept mine?" Ye Jingchen didn't accept the gift, but asked with a smile.
"Cough cough!" Chenxi couldn't help but cough twice. This guy was good at sweet talk, so her older sister mustn't be fooled by his words!
Ye Jingchen glanced at Chenxi with a half-smile, and continued to say to Chaolu, "Sister Chaolu, you don't need to be so polite. With my status, these gold beans are not a very valuable return gift. They are nothing compared to your feelings for me and my elder sister!"
Chaolu felt herself gradually losing herself in the Crown Prince's repeated calls of "sister," and even had the thought that "it would be great if the Crown Prince were her younger brother."
Chenxi has always been a quiet person and doesn't like to talk, so naturally she wouldn't call her "sister" like that.
Thinking of this, Chaolu glanced at Chenxi, who was standing there blankly, with a slightly disgusted look.
Chenxi had excellent eyesight and knew his older sister well, so he clearly sensed her disdain for him at that moment.
Dawn: ?
What did he do wrong?
"Whether it was the Empress's life-saving grace back then, or the favor of the Golden Branch and Jade Leaf now, it was all because of His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Princess. If His Highness ever needs our help in the future, we will go through fire and water for you!" Chaolu finally accepted the bulging sachet and solemnly promised Ye Jingchen.
Ye Jingchen gave out this bag of gold beans because he heard from Chenxi that Chaoyunfang had been helping people who came from orphanages. He didn't know this before, but now that he did, he wanted to do his part.
The siblings Chaolu and Chenxi rarely had time to meet, so Ye Jingchen ordered two pots of tea and spent half an afternoon with them at the teahouse, stealing a moment of leisure from his busy life.
There was a storyteller downstairs, a young woman with a little boy. The woman looked somewhat familiar.
Ye Jingchen is a bit face-blind; he usually can't remember the faces of people he's only met a few times. However, once the woman started singing a little tune, Ye Jingchen remembered who she was because of her unique voice.
It was in this very teahouse that he helped a grandfather and granddaughter; the woman was the granddaughter who had been forcibly taken by the playboy.
More than a decade has passed, and the little girl has now married and her children are old enough to run errands.
Ye Jingchen glanced at her and the child's clothes. They were dressed in silk, the child had a silver lock around his neck and thick silver bracelets on his wrists, and the woman had several headdresses and accessories, so she must be living a comfortable life.
In recent years, because he and Xie Chang'an liked to wage a war of words, the storytellers in the capital have been doing quite well. Storytelling is no longer a low-class profession that people have to do out of necessity to make a living, which can be considered a good thing.
(Please give me some support at this late hour! Wishing all you babies a happy holiday!)
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