After crossing, I was forced to hold on to my thighs and build a kingdom

Over the next two days, because the Crown Prince Su Cheng'an was unwell, the Dingbei Palace, which was supposed to have opened its doors to welcome guests from all directions, was closed to visitors, contrary to its usual practice.

The people sent by the Third Prince guarded the Dingbei Palace day and night, reporting the news of the Dingbei Palace to their master at any time.

When the Third Prince learned that Su Cheng'an was still weak in his limbs, could only eat porridge, and had been resting in bed, he finally put his worries at ease.

He is so weak now, and I think he doesn't have the energy to plot against me with his two good brothers.

So he let go of this and started to get busy with his enthronement ceremony the day after.

The Du Mansion in the west of the city, no, to be more precise, it should be considered the Du Residence now. After the retirement of the old Minister Du, the highest-ranking official in the family was the fourth-rank official, the then-Minister of the Dali Temple, Mr. Du.

Now that the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince have been defeated, the Du Mansion, which was previously supervised by three families, is now only guarded by the Third Prince's family.

With Su Cheng'an's return, the third prince simply called back all the people guarding the Du family.

The reason he had previously sent people to monitor the Du family was to contain the Dingbei Palace far away in the northern border. Now that the real owner has returned to the capital, there is no need for the Du family to monitor them anymore.

Moreover, the old lady of the Du family has been bedridden for several months. The doctor has to go in and out several times a day. Judging from her condition, she probably won't live long. Just take care of the men living in the mansion, and let the women and children go as she pleases.

Because of his guilty conscience and fear of retaliation from his other two brothers, the Third Prince relocated all the men he had withdrawn from the Du family to the residences of the Second and Fourth Princes, and began to monitor the movements of the two brothers day and night.

Everyone in the Third Prince's Mansion was busy and having fun for a while.

In contrast, the Du residence was as deserted as ever.

The Du family's house was dark at night, with only the Shou'an Hall where Old Mrs. Du lived, still lit with a faint candlelight.

Old Master Du was sitting beside the bed of his first wife, Old Madam Du. The eldest master, the second master, the first wife Qin, the second wife Wei, and even the two young masters were all standing in the room in an orderly manner, all with their brows lowered in thought.

Although Old Madam Du was frail, she was alert and lucid. She had a worried look on her face as she murmured, "There's talk outside that An'er was poisoned by the Third Prince. Although he's awake now, he's weak. I wonder if he's seriously injured."

"Don't worry, mother. Now that Yizhi has woken up, he should be fine. This is all for the better. The Third Prince harmed him once, so he must be wary of public opinion. Before the grand ceremony, Yizhi's life should be safe!"

Master Du comforted his old mother in a gentle voice, but he was also nervous in his heart.

Since the Third Prince has found a way to summon Yizhi to the capital, he will definitely not be able to let him escape easily.

If they didn't come this time and just raised the flag to start a rebellion, the Dingbei Palace would be charged with the crime of disobeying the imperial order and treason. Even if they were lucky enough to seize the world in the future, it would be illegitimate and they would be accused of usurping the throne.

Therefore, even though he knew that the capital had already arranged everything and was waiting for him to fall into the trap, Su Cheng'an could only risk his life and do such a thing as knowing there was a tiger in the mountain and still going there.

He did this just to seize the reputation of justice in this desperate situation of life and death, and to seize the vast territory and change the world in an open and aboveboard manner as an army of justice!

Because of their relationship with Princess Du, the Du family has been unable to gain the trust of the court even though they have worked hard and been loyal for decades.

As the northern border grew stronger and the capital became more wary of it, the Du family became a weak point for the capital to control the Dingbei Palace.

"I've had enough of living in constant fear! We have reached a point where we can no longer retreat. Any further retreat will mean death!"

The usually elegant Second Master was actually aroused, which shows how uncomfortable the Du family has been under surveillance like in prison in recent years.

The former Minister Du, now Old Master Du, slowly spoke.

"Now that An'er has returned to Beijing, it's only been two or three days. According to his arrangements a few days ago, shouldn't some of the children have already returned to their hometowns?"

He looked at the two young men opposite him, guilt in his dim old eyes. "As for Ne'er and Min'er, they are your two brothers' eldest sons. If they are released, it will be too conspicuous. Don't blame grandfather for being cruel. In this life-and-death moment, you must stay and cover for your brothers and sisters."

"I, your grandson, understand your grandfather's thoughts. We are both the eldest brothers in the family. We should shoulder the responsibilities of the eldest son, care for our younger siblings, and share the worries of our elders."

Du Yune and Du Yumin came forward together and comforted Old Master Du softly.

Both of them were over eighteen years old, handsome, tall, and gentle in manners, but they had never gotten married. The reason was obvious.

Because of the relationship with the Dingbei Palace, the powerful families in the capital did not dare to marry their daughters here before the situation was settled. If they chose an ordinary small family, the Du family would be worried about losing their carefully raised son.

After some discussion, the old Minister Du issued an order that the younger generation in the family should study hard, establish a career before starting a family, and it would not be too late to discuss marriage after two years.

Although the first and second wives understood, they couldn't help but feel sad when they saw their son alone.

"When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?"

Old Master Du's eyes swept over his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in turn. "If An Ge'er can make further progress in the future, A Rui, as his aunt, will definitely not mistreat our children. By then, the Du family will still be able to support itself again one day."

"If An Ge'er fails this time, as the princess's mother's family, we can still have a few children alive. It will be a blessing from heaven! I also want all the children to be together, but the situation is like this. We are powerless and can only let Ne Ge'er and Min Ge'er down!"

After saying that, he let out a long sigh, and the room suddenly became quiet.

The two wives looked at their children, their faces full of heartache and tears in their eyelashes.

The master coughed lightly and was about to speak when footsteps suddenly sounded in the yard, followed by Qiu Nong's surprised voice from outside the door.

"Doctor Li, why are you here?"

"Yesterday, I noticed the old lady's cough was getting worse, so I changed some of her herbs. She's old, so I couldn't neglect her. So, I came to check on her."

Doctor Li's voice was neither hurried nor slow, revealing a sense of leisure and peace.

The few people who heard the sound were startled. They looked at each other, their solemn expressions adding a bit of uneasiness.

This Doctor Li was arranged by An Ge'er. Normally, he would come only after an appointment was made in advance and someone was sent by the mansion to invite him. Why did he suddenly come tonight?

Could it be that something happened to Ang'er?

Thinking of this possibility, the faces of several people in the room turned ugly again.

Old Master Du calmed down and told Qiu Nong, "Please invite Doctor Li in."

A middle-aged doctor in his forties walked in first, followed by a tall and unfamiliar medicine boy. The boy hunched his chest slightly, lowered his eyes, and walked forward in an orderly manner with his medicine box on his back.

Why did Doctor Li change his apprentice today?

Everyone in the room was stunned when they saw this scene. Doctor Li had already turned around and closed the door. He whispered to the medicine boy, "Master, please hurry up. I will guard the door."

The medicine boy nodded and strode into the house. When he saw the frail old lady on the bed and the white-haired old man, the young man's eyes suddenly turned red.

"Grandma, Grandpa, Yizi is here to see you!" The young man knelt on his knees and called in a low voice.

Several people in the room were shocked, and then showed ecstasy. Old Master Du reached out his trembling hand to grab the young man in front of him: "Are you, An Ge'er?"