"Wasn't it your strategy that drove out the northern barbarians? What does it have to do with the Duke of Zhenguo? He guarded the northern frontier for over thirty years, how come he didn't come up with such a brilliant plan? The Crown Prince himself came to visit him, does he deserve it?"
Although the emperor was very angry and didn't want to see Ye Jingchen, he still instinctively felt that his own child was the best.
Ye Jingchen didn't know how to respond.
He looked at the emperor with a helpless expression.
The emperor was just saying that, but he knew in his heart that if Ye Jingchen didn't go to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to make a formality, he would definitely be impeached by those censors.
"Go, go!" the emperor waved his hand dismissively.
"Then I will accompany Father Emperor for his meal first, and then we will go," Ye Jingchen suggested.
"Get out of here, I don't want to see you right now!" the emperor said impatiently.
He would probably find it hard to eat if he dined with his unfilial son.
Ye Jingchen then quickly left.
He placed the evidence of collusion between the aristocratic families and the northern barbarians directly on the emperor's desk.
The emperor was even more furious when he saw this action.
His ancestors told him that a crown prince without an heir would be detrimental to the stability of Dayuan. However, setting aside his own wishes, both Jingyu and Jing'an's mothers came from prominent families and could not be chosen as heirs.
Ye Jinghe is a wolf cub. If he really becomes emperor, he'll probably be even more ruthless than him. He'll kill people at the slightest disagreement. I wonder if his ministers are enough for him to kill!
Jingning spends all his time fiddling with a bunch of broken pieces of wood. Without the wood, he becomes just a piece of wood himself, utterly useless.
Only Ye Jingming and Ye Jingyu are barely capable of taking on such a major responsibility.
But putting aside the gap between them and Ye Jingchen, and whether Ye Jing and that wolf cub are convinced, just considering the two of them, although Jingming is more suitable than Jingyu, his maternal clan is ruined and he has no maternal clan to rely on.
Jingyu, however, has the backing of the Ministry of Rites, while the Wu family, in addition to having a minister, also has an extremely promising younger generation. Wu Zemin's political achievements during his tenure as the prefect of Beiping were quite outstanding. Once his term expires and he returns to the capital, he will surely become a rising star in the court.
In this way, the two are evenly matched. If one of them is chosen as the crown prince, the other will inevitably be dissatisfied, and a conflict will surely arise!
So after thinking it over, the only suitable candidate is the rebellious son!
Ye Jingchen left Chengqian Palace and hadn't walked far when he saw Xie Chang'an waiting for him.
"Why so fast today?" Xie Chang'an asked.
"My father was in a bad mood, so he didn't invite me to have breakfast," Ye Jingchen said, shrugging.
Xie Chang'an's lips curled up slightly, "Then let's have a meal at the East Palace."
Since Ye Jinghe wasn't there, there was no one vying for his favor.
"Let's go for a stroll in the Imperial Garden and go back later," Ye Jingchen said to Xie Chang'an.
The Crown Prince is in charge of breakfast and lunch at the Wenhua Hall. If they go back now, there will be three children dining with them.
He might as well stay in the Imperial Garden with Xie Chang'an for a while longer, and go back after the three children have finished eating. Then it would just be the two of them having a meal together.
The Imperial Garden was both deserted and bustling. It was deserted because there were no people there, but bustling because the flowers were in full bloom.
The plum blossoms are in full bloom this season. In the Imperial Garden, the white plum blossoms are as white as snow, the pink plum blossoms are delicate and charming, and the red plum blossoms are proud and majestic, each with its own unique characteristics.
Unlike the sweet and rich fragrance of peach blossoms, the scent of plum blossoms is delicate and ethereal, elusive and subtle. You may try to find it, but it won't appear; its fragrance is elusive, yet it constantly permeates the senses, leaving one utterly captivated.
Ye Jingchen admired the flowers, while Xie Chang'an looked at him. Although the two didn't talk much or make any intimate gestures, there was an intimate atmosphere between them.
"I want to pick a few bunches of flowers, can you help me choose?" Seeing that the plum blossoms were in full bloom, Ye Jingchen thought of picking a few bunches, one for his own bedroom, and the rest to give away.
"How many bouquets do you want?" Xie Chang'an asked.
“At least four bouquets. One for me, one for you, one for Jinghe, and one for my father,” Ye Jingchen said.
“Then I’ll just pick one bouquet for you,” Xie Chang’an said.
Ye Jingchen will definitely choose his own bouquet.
As for the gifts to Ye Jinghe and the emperor, if he had to choose, he would only pick the ugliest one.
"Okay, that's fine too." Ye Jingchen didn't insist.
The two walked and searched in the Imperial Garden. Unsure if there were any better views ahead, Ye Jingchen picked six bunches, while Xie Chang'an chose three.
Xie Chang'an gave Ye Jingchen the prettiest bouquet she had; it was pink.
Of the three colors, white, red, and pink, Ye Jingchen actually preferred red. However, this pink plum blossom was indeed the most beautiful of all the plum blossoms they had picked, delicate and vibrant, and simply irresistible.
Ye Jingchen presented Xie Chang'an with a red plum blossom, which was in full bloom, bright and beautiful.
"Which one are you planning to give to Jinghe?" Xie Chang'an asked.
Ye Jingchen: ......
Although he often called Ye Jinghe "Jinghe brother", it felt normal when he called him that. But why did it sound so awkward when Xie Chang'an called him that?
Not only does it feel awkward, but it also feels incredibly sarcastic.
"Could you please stop calling him Jinghe's younger brother?" Ye Jingchen said to him with a hint of helplessness.
If Ye Jinghe heard this "Jinghe's younger brother" address, he would go crazy again.
“Your brother is my brother too, why can’t I call him that?” Xie Chang’an whispered in Ye Jingchen’s ear.
He had already realized that this title was extremely damaging to Ye Jinghe.
So even though he felt disgusted when he shouted it out, he still had to suffer heavy losses himself to inflict a thousand damage on the enemy, because Xie Chang'an was very satisfied with Ye Jinghe's reaction after hearing it.
“If you’re going to shout, wait until later, and shout properly. Don’t use this provocative tone,” Ye Jingchen said.
"His Highness the Crown Prince really dotes on the Fifth Prince!" Xie Chang'an couldn't help but mock.
Ever since Ye Jingchen called him "Little Lemon Spirit," he's been letting loose. His expressions and tone of voice are like they've been pickled in lemons, making him incredibly sour.
"This is the one I gave to Jinghe." Ye Jingchen ignored his comment and handed Xie Chang'an a plum blossom that was all buds and about to bloom.
"So, in His Highness the Crown Prince's heart, the Fifth Prince is a budding flower, while I am just a withered flower," Xie Chang'an said sourly.
"Since you're not satisfied with this yesterday's flower, then give it back to me?" Ye Jingchen reached out to Xie Chang'an.
“Once something is given away, there’s no reason to take it back. You gave it to me, so it’s mine!” Xie Chang’an gripped the flower branch tightly in his hand.
After returning to the East Palace, Ye Jingchen selected three plum blossoms of different colors from the remaining ones and handed them to Fangfei, asking her to arrange for them to be delivered to Chengqian Hall.
"Why are there three for the emperor, but only one for me?" Xie Chang'an asked again, dissatisfied.
"Because he's my father! Are you satisfied now?"
"I've given you the prettiest ones. If you're not satisfied, you can exchange them!" Ye Jingchen said irritably.
Indeed, people shouldn't be spoiled!
"I still prefer the one you gave me." Xie Chang'an was rebuffed and dared not act up again.
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