At this time, even the emperor understood that if they could find Ye Lang, everything would be resolved. But at the same time, he also knew that finding Ye Lang was almost impossible. If they could find him, the girl from the Ye family and his precious daughter would have stopped throwing tantrums.
This point puzzled him. Despite everyone knowing that Ye Lang was nearby and hadn't left, they still couldn't find him. This wasn't the first time, as each time he managed to hide in unexpected places.
This time, although Ye Lang didn't deliberately hide from them, the location where he was, was also unexpected!
"Hope he doesn't do something too extreme this time, just scaring people would suffice, don't really do those things," the emperor said somewhat helplessly.
This kid went to scare those people for what reason? Now, he's gone, leaving us to suffer!
"I think he won't..." Ye Chengtian said with little confidence.
The ministers fell silent, and those with daughters or granddaughters included among the talented women seemed to understand that they had to ensure the strongest protection for them, and couldn't rely on the royal family or the Ye family.
In their hearts, they wondered if the emperor, as a ruler and a parent, would punish them if Ye Lang really did those things? Perhaps, but not harshly.
"Hey, he is your son, how can you not know?" The emperor seemed not to notice the expressions and continued to chat with Ye Chengtian, or rather, engaged in a serious conversation. That's how he said it.
"How would I know? Aren't you aware of him? Hasn't he done many foolish things since he was young?" Ye Chengtian shook his head helplessly.
"True, let's not talk about that. We'll figure it out if he really does those things. There's one thing that puzzles me, who is Zhen Xiaoyan, and why did that kid go to such lengths to help her?" The emperor suddenly remembered this key person.
"Zhen Xiaoyan, I checked, is the granddaughter of Count Zhen Tianming," Ye Chengtian replied. He knew the emperor was asking about Zhen Xiaoyan's status, as he had already heard other things.
The reason the emperor had an impression of them was that the Zhen family had once been the royal chefs. For getting the favor of an emperor, they got hereditary titles.
This was the reason people always sought to get close to such royal figures, because if they were favored, they could rise to extraordinary heights at any time, although they might also bring disaster to their family, yet countless people were willing to take those risks.
"They are still doing business. The Zhen Wei Inn can be considered as a one-hundred-year-old traditional shop in our Xiangkong Empire." Ye Chengtian replied.
Zhen Yowei, it was said that this was the royal chef, named after him. His culinary skills were once the best in the world, so it flourished for a long time.
However, like some family businesses, the Zhen family's inn had fluctuated with the ability of the family managers. In recent decades, it had declined; of course, this was only relative to the past, as in the eyes of ordinary people, the Zhen family was still a big family, well, in the eyes of ordinary people!
"Let's not discuss it. I'm really curious. Does Zhen Xiaoyan have the same culinary skills as her ancestors? Otherwise, how would she get your son so interested? In these years, he wasn't enthusiastic about anything, not even about his own affairs, he wouldn't necessarily make such a big move," the emperor questioned.
"It is said that Zhen Xiaoyan's culinary skills are extraordinary, and that's the only thing," Ye Chengtian's answer was not very direct, but it was clear that other than Zhen Xiaoyan's culinary skills, nothing else could have attracted his son.
"Chengtian, do you think we should also place a small bet on Zhen Xiaoyan to win?" The emperor seemed more and more interested as they talked, forgetting that he was still in the court.
"You also think so, I've already wagered ten thousand gold coins!" Ye Chengtian said with a smile.
"...You are shameless!" the emperor sneered at Ye Chengtian with his eyes, after all, being in the court, he still had to maintain his image.
Ye Chengtian seemed to understand the emperor's meaning, and then replied with his eyes, "Same, same..."
"Your Majesty, why do you think Zhen Xiaoyan will win? With her conditions, how could she possibly win?" A minister spoke out indignantly, because he was also the elder of one of the talented women.
Similar to him, some ministers also expressed dissatisfaction with the emperor and Ye Chengtian's views, but of course, they wouldn't be too intense, as it was a matter of appropriate displeasure.
"With Zhen Xiaoyan's conditions, it's indeed unlikely that she will win. The problem is that there's that miraculous kid from the Ye family. It's hard to say what result that will lead to," the emperor shook his head and smiled.
"Your Majesty, you must not allow Ye Lang to act recklessly. If so, I can only withdraw my granddaughter from the competition!"
"Yes, if that happens, we might as well all withdraw. It's better than letting him harm our daughter."
...
"Don't worry, I won't let him break the rules. I will ensure that this competition remains as fair as always. If you are worried, I will allow you to serve as judges for this competition, so you don't have to worry about someone being bribed. I will send the most elite guards and city guards to protect your safety!" the emperor said immediately. At this time, he wanted to show that he didn't favor anyone, although he never intended to, it was just this misunderstanding by the ministers.
There's no point in protecting them. That kid still managed to slip away under such tight surveillance, if he really wanted to deal with you, I couldn't guarantee the outcome.
Ye Chengtian looked at the ministers who had calmed down, smiling inwardly, seeming proud of this matter, although on the surface, he would pretend to be serious and declare that he would do everything to protect these people.