On the specific calendar days of each month, the entire Ye household was required to accompany the Old Great-Madam for a vegetarian feast. The moment the welcoming ceremony for the Third Prince concluded, Ye Mian rushed back home in a flurry.

Vice-Minister Ye arrived half an hour later than Ye Mian. Once he was back, Old Great-Madam Ye instructed the maids to layout the meal.

“Jing-ger hasn’t closed his eyes much these past few days. I forbade him from coming down, ordering him to rest properly in Bihua Pavilion instead.”

Vice-Minister Ye also felt immense heartache for his eldest son and quickly stood up. “Yes, Mother’s considerations are thorough.”

Without Ye Jing at the dining table tonight to keep him in check, Ye Mian’s mouth never stopped moving. He rambled and gestured vibrantly, regaling his grandmother and mother with the amusing antics from the Hanlin Academy.

Miraculously, Vice-Minister Ye didn’t reprimand his lack of table manners for once, merely watching him with a beaming, indulgent smile. Over the past month, the imperial palace had been in deep mourning, casting a suffocatingly somber shroud over the entire capital. Every official’s household had been run ragged, looking disheveled and thoroughly exhausted.

Their entire extended family held high enough ranks that, from the male heirs to the female kin, they had to head to the palace before dawn every morning to wail during the mourning rituals, and adhere to a strict vegetarian fast by night. The kitchen wasn’t even allowed a single drop of animal fat. Consequently, even Vice-Minister Ye himself had withered away by a couple of pounds, his face taking on a sallow hue, let alone the female members of the house.

In contrast, their Mian-ger had managed to escape the ordeal because he didn’t hold an official rank. He remained tucked away in the Hanlin Academy every day, copying and drafting texts, sheltered from both wind and rain. He was naturally delicate and beautiful, and with Zhuang Xu opening a private kitchen to feed him incredibly well day in and day out, his small face was flushed a healthy, radiant pink—resembling a tender peach blossom or apricot petal kissed by morning dew.

Vice-Minister Ye, who had always maintained the facade of a stern father before his youngest son, found a wave of paternal tenderness stirred within him. He placed food into Ye Mian’s bowl several times throughout the evening.

As Ye Mian was animatedly describing the grand spectacle of the Third Prince’s return to the capital this afternoon, Vice-Minister Ye suddenly cut him off: “Speaking of the Third Prince, I must warn you—from now on at the Hanlin Academy, you must absolutely never casually discuss him with anyone.”

“Ah, why?”

Seeing his father’s expression abruptly turn solemn, Ye Mian asked in bewilderment.

Vice-Minister Ye let out a heavy sigh and lowered his voice, “The Emperor has already issued an imperial edict, ordering the Third Prince to take residence in the Eastern Palace.”

“What?!” Ye Mian’s jaw dropped.

At this revelation, even Old Great-Madam Ye and Madam Qiu looked toward Vice-Minister Ye with expressions of utter shock.

The female kin of their household were not illiterate, secluded inner-court women; rather, they frequently needed to step out for social networking and diplomatic engagements. Thus, Vice-Minister Ye never hid political matters from them.

He laid down his chopsticks and said gravely, “The news was passed down by a reliable source inside the palace right before I left the ministry.”

Ye Mian looked thoroughly dazed. “But we at the Hanlin Academy haven’t received any drafted edict regarding the installation of a new Crown Prince…”

Furthermore, this defied all ritualistic protocols. The late Crown Prince’s body was still resting in state within the palace, and the grand funeral rituals hadn’t even concluded yet. Wasn’t this moving a bit too fast?

Vice-Minister Ye shook his head. “The formal edict to install the Crown Prince naturally won’t be issued so quickly. However, the Emperor commanded the Third Prince to pack up and move straight into the Eastern Palace the moment he stepped foot inside the royal grounds. The imperial intent is already starkly manifest…”

Ye Mian was exceptionally sharp; within a few breaths, he pieced together exactly what had transpired. “Good heavens! The Emperor was merely putting on a grand show for the civil and military officials these past few days.”

Vice-Minister Ye stroked his beard. “The bloodline of the primary consort concerns the safety of the empire and the state; it brooks not the slightest mishap.”

The unexpected demise of the Crown Prince left the youngest legitimate prince as Noble Consort Jia’s sole obstacle. If she had been bold enough to stake everything on a single, desperate gamble, orchestrating an ambush to assassinate the Third Prince on his journey back to the capital—though incredibly risky—she could have settled the grand chessboard of the empire in a single stroke!

Vice-Minister Ye sighed deeply in his heart. He estimated that the Emperor had also been feeling a twinge of regret lately for spoiling his beloved consort so thoroughly that her ambitions grew bloated; now, he had to guard against his own family like guarding against thieves… Word had it that this afternoon, the very moment the Prince of Rong stepped out of the palace gates to welcome the Third Prince, the Emperor immediately issued an edict ordering the widowed Crown Princess to pack up the imperial grandson and vacate the Eastern Palace.

After the Third Prince galloped back into the palace and paid respects to his imperial father, he went straight to the Eastern Palace to wash off the dust of his journey, without stepping a single toe into his original residence.

Meanwhile, Noble Consort Jia was truly driven bedridden with rage by the Emperor’s sudden maneuver. The imperial physicians had rushed straight into the Lanfang Palace clutching medicine chests stocked with century-old wild ginseng.

Ye Mian found it both amusing and tragic. Emperor Kangwen could be considered perfectly balanced—he reserved the imperial succession exclusively for the Empress, while bestowing all his romantic affection upon Noble Consort Jia.

The family remained in the Shanyun Room to chat and drink tea with the Old Great-Madam after dinner. Just as a warm, harmonious atmosphere settled over them, the old steward from the outer courtyard suddenly burst in, panting heavily.

“Master, Madam! An eunuch has arrived from the palace, stating that he bears the mandate of His Highness the Third Prince. He demands to see our Fourth Young Master!”

Vice-Minister Ye stood up instantly.

Ye Mian nearly choked on his tea. “Who? Whose mandate?!”

“The Third Prince!”

Father and son exchanged a swift, unreadable glance. Unable to guess the reason, they quickly adjusted their attire and hurried to the front hall to receive the mandate.

In less than the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Vice-Minister Ye escorted Ye Mian back to the Shanyun Room with rapid strides. He commanded the maids in a low, urgent tone, “Quickly, serve the Fourth Young Master to wash his face and comb his hair anew. Hurry!”

The head maids of the Shanyun Room looked panicked, quickly ushering Ye Mian toward the adjoining washroom.

Old Great-Madam Ye also grew anxious, quickly asking, “What is the meaning of this?”

Vice-Minister Ye gently reassured his elderly mother, “Mother, do not fret. His Highness the Third Prince wishes to summon Mian-ger into the palace for a brief chat. I see that the sky outside has already darkened, and the palace gates will lock at the hour of Xushi (7-9 PM). Mian-ger will likely return to the estate in no time.”

Old Great-Madam Ye knit her brows tightly, nodding slowly.

Madam Qiu, however, was nowhere near as calm. If one were to ask who in the entire capital despised the Third Prince’s return the most, Madam Qiu could easily vie for the top spot alongside Noble Consort Jia. On this topic alone, the two women could probably chat all night.

Madam Qiu could barely form a coherent sentence: “He… my Mian-er… Jing-er.”

She turned her head to look at her youngest son, who had somehow blossomed to possess features even more breathtaking than her eldest son. Clutching her chest in a mix of panic and fury, her mind spun with restless, fearful speculations.

Inside the adjoining room, Ye Mian allowed his grandmother’s maids to comb his hair while cursing furiously under his breath.

Is this man completely unhinged? The palace is currently a chaotic mess—handling a funeral, moving palaces, and dealing with a stepmother trying to usurp the throne with her sons. At a time like this, instead of rushing to fawn over your imperial father, why are you summon me with such burning urgency?!

Seeing Madam Qiu’s face turned ashen with terror, Vice-Minister Ye guessed her dark train of thought. He quickly supported her to a seat and comforted, “There is no need for worry. The Prince of Rongnan and His Highness the Third Prince are maternal cousins…”

“Bah!”

Before Vice-Minister Ye could even finish, Madam Qiu spat back with deep resentment. “Not a single soul from that family is good!!”

Her perfectly fine youngest son, whom she had painstakingly nurtured into adolescence until he bloomed like a pristine flower, had been snatched away by that Prince of Rongnan in a single scoop. What part of them could be considered good?

Vice-Minister Ye: “…”

After patiently pacifying Madam Qiu, Vice-Minister Ye returned to the front hall and personally slipped a hefty red envelope filled with silver to the young eunuch.

Watching his youngest son board the carriage sent by the palace, Vice-Minister Ye’s expression hardened into a severe, icy mask. With a cold snort, he turned on his heel and strode toward the Bihua Pavilion.

Ye Mian wasn’t particularly nervous; his mind was simply plagued by a barrage of questions as he followed the young eunuch through the Xuanming Gate and into the Eastern Palace.

The young eunuch led Ye Mian into a side parlor of the main hall, speaking respectfully, “Young Master Ye, please rest here momentarily.”

Ye Mian replied politely, “Thank you for your trouble.”

Moments later, a palace servant brought in a pot of hot tea and a four-compartment platter of pastries.

Ye Mian had visited the Imperial Palace a few times, but this was his first time stepping inside the Eastern Palace, prompting him to subtly scan his surroundings.

The main hall, Chunhe Hall, though not as overwhelmingly colossal as the three grand halls of the outer court, was magnificent and towering. It was crafted with the pinnacle of architectural artistry, featuring intricately carved beams and painted rafters that perfectly manifested the majesty and prestige of an heir apparent.

Palace protocols were severe; Ye Mian merely cast a few sweeping glances before averting his gaze, not daring to look around aimlessly. He didn’t even dare touch the tea beside his hand; the young eunuch had only told him to rest here, without specifying when the Third Prince would grant an audience. He feared that if he drank too much tea, he would make a fool of himself later.

Furthermore, upon crossing the inner gates of the Eastern Palace earlier, Ye Mian had witnessed several eunuchs and palace maids being forcefully pinned by their arms and dragged outward. Some had their mouths stuffed with cloths, letting out muffled, weeping whimpers.

The young eunuch guiding him had hunched his shoulders and shrank his neck the second they stepped into the main hall, walking on tiptoe as if trying to erase his own existence—becoming several times more reverent than he had been outside the palace.

Such an ominous atmosphere naturally caused Ye Mian to stiffen in tension.

He sat rigidly in the side parlor for nearly three-quarters of an hour, entirely ignored.

In the main hall, the palace servants were still frantically wrapping up the palace relocation. Some were lifting heavy privacy screens, others were carrying exquisite lacquer boxes and book crates, and several trunks yet to be organized were piled haphazardly in the corners. Beads of sweat dotted the brows of the eunuchs and maids as their silhouettes shifted continuously, yet the vast hall remained eerily quiet, save for the occasional faint clinking of objects inside the crates.

Ye Mian felt a profound wave of helplessness. To summon him here with such burning haste before even finishing a house move… even an illicit affair wouldn’t require such urgency.

Fortunately, this Third Prince was Zhuang Xu’s legitimate, blood-related cousin. Otherwise, with Zhuang Xu’s petty, sesame-sized heart, wouldn’t he immediately assume his head had been painted bright green?

Outside, the colors of the sky darkened layer by layer, and the sharp contours of the swooping palace eaves gradually blurred into the night.

Ye Mian knit his brows, his patience rapidly evaporating as his fingers aimlessly tapped against the sandalwood flower table beside him.

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed from outside the hall. Unlike the cautious, shuffling steps of the palace servants, these footfalls were crisp, heavy, and hurried. Knowing the main protagonist had arrived, Ye Mian quickly rose to his feet.

The sound of heavy footsteps, accompanied by the metallic rustling of the guards’ armor plates, instantly shattered the dead silence of the main hall. The palace maids and eunuchs dropped to their knees in a massive wave.

Ye Mian smoothed his sleeves once more, expecting an inner official to summon him out to the main hall to pay his respects. However, when he lifted his gaze, he saw the Third Prince, flanked by a grand entourage, marching directly into the very side parlor where he stood.

Ye Mian was caught off guard and instinctively prepared to drop to one knee to offer his salutations. Yet, just as his knees bent halfway, the Third Prince swept right past him with hurried strides, leading his men straight into the inner warmth of the parlor’s side chamber.

Ye Mian: “???”

Did this man simply fail to see him, or what?

Since he was already halfway through a genuflection, it would be improper to just stand back up, so Ye Mian simply remained kneeling on the cold floor to await his summons.

“Your Highness, Administrator Wang has submitted the roster of the veteran staff from the Supervisorate of Imperial Households.”

“Leave the roster. I will not see the men,” the Third Prince’s voice cut through the air, sharp and chillingly aloof.

“Understood!”

“Your Highness, we have received a transmission stating that General Lu and his forces will arrive in the capital within eight days at the earliest.”

The moment the Third Prince and his entourage entered, they threw themselves into a heated, rapid discussion of military and administrative affairs.

Ye Mian was left entirely stranded, kneeling out in the open. During this time, the Third Prince stepped out of the inner chamber several times, passing right before Ye Mian’s eyes on multiple occasions, yet he never once uttered a command to let him rise.

After a few repetitions, Ye Mian completely caught on. It wasn’t that the prince hadn’t seen him; this was a deliberate show of authority meant to break him…

Fury flared hot in Ye Mian’s chest. He racked his brains but couldn’t fathom the reason behind the Third Prince’s hostility. Could it be that the prince harbored an unrequited affection for his older brother, yet couldn’t bear to take it out on Ye Jing, so he hauled him here to serve as a punching bag instead?

What kind of miserable luck was he cursed with! Ye Mian knelt there as his mind spun wild, untethered theories, howling in grievance within his heart.

“Zhaoye, once you leave the palace tonight, there is no need to return tomorrow. Take a swift mount and retrace our steps back to the Northern border immediately to personally escort the heavy supply division back to the capital.”

“Understood! There’s no need to wait for tomorrow; I shall set out this very night!”

Pei Zhaoye. Ye Mian pricked up his ears. He knew this name; not long ago, he and Ruan Yunsheng had indulged in plenty of gossip regarding this man.

The legitimate grandson of Minister Pei of the Ministry of War, Pei Zhaoye was a maternal cousin to the Third Prince and had served as his childhood study companion. Years ago, when the Third Prince had severely thrashed Noble Consort Jia’s nephew, the two fierce whip lashes delivered to the nephew’s face had been dealt by Pei Zhaoye himself. He was considered a notorious figure of the capital back then—the ultimate “hellion” in the mouths of the elder officials.

When the Third Prince had been banished to the Northern border years prior, Pei Zhaoye had attempted to sneak away after him multiple times. He was caught by the old Minister each time and beaten until not a single patch of unmarred flesh remained on his body, rendering him unable to even crawl out of bed. Ultimately, he still managed to seize an opportunity, limping and covered in wounds as he successfully slipped away to the North. The old Minister had been so choked with fury that his eyes rolled back, nearly passing away on the spot; Emperor Kangwen and the Empress had hurriedly bestowed wild ginseng and red lingzhi mushrooms just to keep the old man tethered to his final breath.

“My old man is currently waiting for me with a heavy whip in hand. The moment I set foot in the estate, he’ll bar the gates to beat the dog. It suits me perfectly to hide away for a few more days.”

Pei Zhaoye’s voice was booming, unbridled, and robust. In this entire hall, he was the only one who didn’t speak to the Third Prince with fearful reverence, maintaining a casual, grinning demeanor.

“I have commanded the guard commander to allocate sixty iron cavalrymen to you. Do not delay on the road; go and return swiftly.”

The Third Prince paced forward, coming to a halt directly in front of Ye Mian. His fingers callously came to rest on the back of Ye Mian’s head, unhurriedly delivering his orders.

“Understood!” Pei Zhaoye accepted the command.

“Your Highness…”

Several others stepped forward in succession to deliver their reports. As the Third Prince listened to their accounts, his fingers idly and mindlessly stroked and ruffled the hair at the crown of Ye Mian’s head.

Ye Mian’s vision turned black with sheer rage. Are you petting a dog?!

Moments later, the Third Prince led his entourage back to the main hall, still leaving him without a command to rise.

Black smoke was practically billowing from Ye Mian’s head. He wobbled slightly from side to side, nearly unable to maintain his kneeling posture.

“Who is this?”

Pei Zhaoye, who was just about to leave the palace for the North, suddenly caught sight of Ye Mian. He retraced his steps, moving back a few paces, and without the slightest shred of courtesy, reached out his hand, clamped it around Ye Mian’s chin, and forced his face upward.

Neither Ye Mian nor the palace servants had anticipated this.

“Oh ho! Where did you guys unearth such a breathtakingly beautiful little creature?”

Pei Zhaoye’s eyes were brimming with pure captivation and delight.

This sent Ye Mian’s fury past the boiling point. He swung his hand up with a sharp smack, violently slapping the man’s paw away, his large eyes wide with a wrath that practically spat sparks.

“Whoa! Why so ferocious?!”

Ye Mian had channeled ten tenths of his strength into that slap. After the impact, both of them were violently shaking their hands, hissing in pain.

Ye Mian glared at him, his mind on the verge of exploding from rage. He was perfectly willing to endure the suffocating pressure given by his older brother and Zhuang Xu; he was even wholeheartedly willing to endure the Third Prince’s bullying to shield his brother from disaster.

But what kind of entity did Pei Zhaoye think he was! A mere military brute! If every random soul could pinch his face and utter a few mocking jests, he might as well stop showing his face in the capital altogether!

The young eunuch who had escorted Ye Mian into the palace came crawling and rolling over in a panic. “Young Master Pei, you mustn’t, you absolutely mustn’t! This is the young master of Vice-Minister Ye of the Ministry of Revenue…”

Pei Zhaoye didn’t have the patience to listen to a servant’s ramblings. He dropped into a squat directly in front of Ye Mian, tilting his chin up as he coaxed him to speak like one would amuse a puppy, “Hey, what’s your name? How did you grow to look this enchanting?”

A wicked desperation bloomed from Ye Mian’s fury. Gritting his molars, he shoved the man with all his might!

He didn’t budge an inch…

Pei Zhaoye was built as solid as a towering black fortress; squatting before him, he remained entirely immobile.

“Heh! Look at this little temper…” Pei Zhaoye chuckled, reaching out his hand once more to pinch his cheek.

“Fuck your ancestors!”

Unable to hold back a second longer, Ye Mian unleashed a furious roar and lunged directly at him…

If he couldn’t match him in physical strength, it didn’t matter—he could still resort to tearing his hair out!

“Oh, holy shit!” Pei Zhaoye was caught completely off guard.

Ye Mian violently yanked his hair, scratched at his face, and delivered a vicious, snapping bite right into his neck, tearing and clawing like a feral beast.

At this, the palace servants scrambled over in absolute terror to placate the brawl, slamming their foreheads against the ground in frantic kowtows, yet none dared to physically intervene.

With such a massive commotion erupting inside, the sounds naturally traveled over to the main hall. The grand hall fell deathly still for a few heartbeats. The Third Prince, holding an official document, turned his head to glance over twice, before turning back around to command his subordinates to continue their reports—clearly possessing no intention of settling the dispute unfolding across the parlor.

The Third Prince remained consumed by administrative discussions throughout the evening. By the time Ye Mian had completely concluded a full physical brawl inside the Eastern Palace, he still hadn’t been granted an official audience, yet he wasn’t permitted to leave either.

It wasn’t until Pei Zhaoye had long departed the palace and Ye Mian had spent several more quarters of an hour sitting in icy silence that the palace gates neared their locking hour. Only then did the Third Prince finally command an inner official to escort him out.

The moment Ye Mian stepped past the palace gates, his eyes fell upon the carriage from the Bihua Pavilion waiting outside.

“Brother!”

Having swallowed a massive bellyful of grievances tonight, the sight of his older brother made Ye Mian instinctively purse his lips in a pout. However, remembering that his brother disliked him acting spoiled now that he was grown, he forcefully suppressed the urge.

Ye Jing stepped forward a few paces to meet him, only to discover that Ye Mian’s hair was a disheveled mess and his robes were thoroughly rumpled. For a moment, his mind went completely blank with terror as he demanded urgently, “Did you suffer a loss?!”

“I did not suffer a single loss!”

Ye Mian lifted his chin high and slapped his chest proudly. He couldn’t quite explain to Ye Jing that because the Third Prince was using him to vent frustration aimed at his brother, he had chosen to vent his own rage right back onto the Third Prince’s trusted confidant—scratching and clawing the man’s face into a colorful mess!

If the Third Prince wanted to beat the dog to warn its master, then he was his brother’s fierce, legitimate alpha-hound. It was absolutely impossible for him to lose against the prince’s hound!

Not even a military hound would suffice!

Ye Mian puffed his chest out with immense pride, looking toward his brother with a gaze filled with absolute glory!

Ye Jing: “???”