The side hall of Changkung Palace.

  The palace maid came and went, with a smooth and orderly manner, serving dishes like flowing water, then retreated.

  The emperor turned his head and looked at the crown prince, who was picking at the rice in his bowl with chopsticks but not eating, and asked him: "What's wrong, doesn't the food suit your taste?"

  The prince listened and started eating rice with his chopsticks, but he was picking up only a few grains at a time and didn't pick up any dishes.

  Lin Yan stood beside him, like a child who wanted to rebel against adults but didn't dare to fully resist.

  The emperor had not seen the crown prince for a long time, and he also pitied him for losing his mother. Although he was dissatisfied with his behavior, he did not want to scold him as soon as they met.

  He personally picked up a crystal prawn and put it in his bowl, saying: "Eat, this is what you love to eat."

  The prince picked out the crystal shrimp and put it on a plate, continuing to eat his plain rice.

  The emperor's eyebrows furrowed, and his face instantly turned cold.

  The crown prince was still a little afraid of the emperor, seeing his face turn cold, and he felt a bit uneasy in his heart. He put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, and said with a tone that still had a hint of reluctance: "Replying to Your Majesty, I no longer like eating crystal shrimp."

  The emperor took a deep breath, trying to calm his face and tone down his voice: "Then what dish do you want to eat? Let the palace maid serve it for you. If it's not available here, let the imperial kitchen make it for you."

  The prince glanced at the desktop and saw a four-joy meatball in Lin Xiao's bowl, saying: "Four-joy meatballs, I want to eat four-joy meatballs."

  The emperor gave a signal with his eyes to the serving maid in the palace, and the serving maid came forward and secretly put a four-joy dumpling into the crown prince's bowl.

  The Emperor asked again, "What have you been doing all this time? You're never seen anywhere. I asked your tutor about it, and he said that your studies haven't made any progress at all. Even the essays assigned by your tutor are done perfunctorily."

  The crown prince lowered his head, shoveling the rice in his bowl as he spoke: "That's something they wouldn't teach, instead pushing all the blame onto my humble head, a group of old men who only know how to tattle."

  The emperor's face turned cold upon hearing this, and the chopsticks in his hand slapped against the table with a loud "crack". His face was stern and furious: "Are you itching for a beating again?"

  At that time, people attached great importance to respecting teachers and the Tao. Even the crown prince couldn't be disrespectful to his respected teacher, let alone the crown prince's behavior today which made the emperor dissatisfied all day long, making the emperor increasingly disappointed in this son, as well as furious.

  The crown prince was startled and his body trembled slightly as he sat upright in the chair, but there was still a hint of grievance on his face.

  Lin He saw this and hastily turned around, saying: "Your Majesty, you are having a meal now. One should not speak while eating or sleeping. If Your Majesty wants to instruct the Crown Prince, it should be done in the Diligent Governance Hall, not here where it will affect your appetite."

  She said, putting another piece of venison into the emperor's bowl and smiling: "I see that Your Majesty hasn't eaten much, hurry up and eat. If you want to scold, wait until after dinner, anyway, the crown prince can't run away."

  The emperor glared at the crown prince, not wanting to scold him in the palace, thinking that tomorrow he should let the imperial tutor give him more homework to discipline his temper, and picked up his chopsticks again to eat.

  The crown prince sniffled, not daring to provoke the emperor further, and picked up his chopsticks to prepare for eating. However, he saw that the emperor had given Lin Yi a piece of food, and Lin Yi smiled warmly at the emperor with her eyebrows and eyes, also giving him a piece of food in return. The emperor's face was also filled with warmth, and the two were as harmonious as a loving couple. Then, the crown prince felt like he couldn't swallow anything.

  After dinner, the emperor had the crown prince sent back to the Palace of Prolonged Celebration.

  Lin Dai served the emperor and changed into a more comfortable casual attire. The emperor frowned and complained, "I see that the crown prince is becoming more and more unmanageable. Since his mother passed away, he has no one to discipline him. I am busy with state affairs and rarely have time to manage him. His temperament is becoming increasingly eccentric."

  "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is still young and has done something wrong. You should teach him slowly, don't always scold him. The more you scold him at this age, the more rebellious he will become."

  The Emperor said, "You're not young anymore, you're 14 years old." As he spoke, he reached out and tweaked Lin Fei's nose, then smiled and praised her, saying, "You're only one year older than him, but you can already help me manage such a large harem."

  It was he who, at the age of fourteen, could already think about how to navigate between several fiercely competitive brothers in order to protect himself, and without drawing his brothers' attention, curry favor with the emperor so that he would give him a decent fief.

  Lin Xiao also smiled, probably because she had taken care of the crown prince like a younger brother since childhood, so when looking at him, she always thought he was still a child, forgetting that she was only one year older than him.

  The emperor sat down on the couch, sipping tea and said: "I've been thinking about it for a couple of years, I should choose a crown princess to manage him. Once he's married, his temperament will settle down and he'll think carefully about the responsibilities on his shoulders."

  Lin Xiang put the clothes in her hand on the screen and walked to the emperor's side, sat down beside him, one hand holding his hand, the other hand grasping his palm, smiling and hooking his palm, asking: "Does the emperor have a candidate for the crown princess?"

  The emperor hooked her nose and smiled: "You're flirting with me again."

  Lin Yan's voice was half dissatisfied and half coquettish as she called out: "Your Majesty."

  The emperor held her in his arms, pressed down on the couch, kissed her forehead and mouth, and said: "Let me be happy first, I'll tell you later."

  Lin Xiao's fist gently tapped on his chest, saying "I hate it." Her voice was so soft that it seemed like it could drip water.

  She wrapped her arms around his waist, lifted her head and gently kissed his lips, so lightly that it was like a feather brushing past, making one's heart feel ticklish.

  The emperor smiled slightly and then pressed down.

  Outside the screen, Mu Qing saw the movement inside. The palace maid in the hall made a secret signal with her eyes and took the palace maid out, quietly closing the door of the hall.

  After eating to her heart's content, Lin Yu lazily lay on the emperor's body, resting her chin on her arms crossed over the emperor's chest, and looked up at him, still remembering to ask: "Your Majesty, tell your concubine, which family's daughter did you choose as the crown prince's consort?"

  The emperor stroked the black silk that had slipped down her back, his face equally languid, and said: "I've taken a liking to several families, but for the next two years, I'll have to take a closer look at your conduct, Miss. The selection of the crown prince's consort is no trivial matter."

  Lin Dai nodded and knew that asking the emperor again would not reveal more information, so she didn't ask any further questions.

  The emperor stared at her: "You're really not afraid of being tired." As he spoke, he reached out and passed his hand through hers, gently lifting her up.