A crown princess who doesn't do infrastructure construction isn't a good doctor.

As the banquet ended and everyone prepared to leave with their own thoughts, Huang Ming stood beside Beitang Yan.

"Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty summons you both to the Imperial Study."

After exchanging a glance, Prince An nodded and instructed Princess An and Qin Suiyou before leaving: "If it's not anything urgent, we will return as soon as possible. You and Suiyou can take a walk around here. If it takes too long, you should return to the manor first."

Princess An smiled gently.

"Don't worry, we know what we're doing. You guys go ahead."

After the father and son followed Huang Ming, Princess An and Qin Suiyou went to the pavilion where Qin Suiyou and Beitang Yan had been sitting earlier.

"You haven't gone back yet?"

The two had barely sat down when Princess Yong'an walked over from not far away.

"Your Highness and Yan'er have been summoned to the Imperial Study. We'll wait here. Please have a seat."

Princess Yong'an sat down opposite Princess An and said, "I suppose we should ask about Yan'er's condition."

After saying that, Princess Yong'an looked at Qin Suiyou and said, "Do you know why Helian Qianli picked a fight with you today?"

Qin Suiyou raised his eyes, shook his head, and said gently, "I don't know."

Princess Yong'an smiled, unsure whether she believed Qin Suiyou's words.

"The way she looks at Yan'er isn't innocent; I think you should be able to tell."

Qin Suiyou remained noncommittal. Seeing this, Princess Yong'an continued, "To be honest, according to the information I have received, the result of Father Emperor's conversation with several trusted ministers is that Tuoba Yue can be enfeoffed as a vassal king, while Helian Qianli will be made a princess. In order to make the relationship between the two sides closer, Tuoba Yue can be left aside for the time being, but Helian Qianli will most likely be married into a prominent family in Yejing."

Tuoba Yue hadn't mentioned the marriage proposal to Helian Qianli to Qin Suiyou earlier. It was unclear whether he deliberately omitted it or felt it wouldn't affect him.

"Miss Helian's interest is in Ayan, right?"

Princess Yong'an nodded.

"That's right, but you don't need to worry, our Emperor will not agree to this marriage."

Helian Qianli represents a part of the forces in the Northern Region. Beitang Zhen's original intention is to weaken Beitang Yan. Even though he hasn't shown it yet, the Anwang Mansion now gathers the meritorious Beitang Yan, the Zhenbei Army behind the Anwang Princess, and Chu Yuning from the Chu family who produced a new top scholar. It's unknown when Beitang Zhen will take the opportunity to launch an attack and wipe out this group of people to put his mind at ease. If the Northern Region is involved now, it will be difficult to carry out this plan.

Qin Suiyou nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I understand."

Princess An had more on her mind. She frowned and said, "A few days ago, when the Prince and I went to the Hua residence, my father said that the Emperor seemed to be secretly sending people to nibble away at the Zhenbei Army. Isn't promoting Tuoba Yue now like inviting a wolf into the house?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Yong'an shook her head.

"There are still many things I don't understand yet. These are turbulent times, and my father is surrounded by slanderers, making his actions increasingly unpredictable. We have limited information, but we know that if things continue like this, Beiqian will be in extreme danger among the various countries. But there's nothing we can do about it."

Princess Yong'an sighed and said, "There's no point in thinking about it now. We can only take it one step at a time. I hope he can still be somewhat rational."

After sighing, Princess Yong'an suddenly remembered something and asked Princess An, "By the way, your place is closest to the refugees who are currently gathered there. What's the situation there now?"

Princess An replied, "Recently, a good medicine has been developed, and many people are recovering. The situation is quite good, but I don't know how to settle them down afterward."

"That's still good. As long as they can survive, they can always find a way out."

Princess An nodded in agreement.

"Yes."

The group chatted in the pavilion for a while, but the father and son had not yet returned, so Princess Yong'an took her leave.

Her palace in the palace was always kept in good condition, but she didn't like living there. Her estate outside was quite far away, so she had to go back earlier.

Princess Yong'an left for quite a while. Seeing that the father and son had not returned, and knowing that it was safer to move around less in the palace, the two of them sat quietly. However, they were somewhat bored. After Lu Xi walked around the area and returned, he looked dejected.

Seeing Lu Xi looking at him with a pitiful expression, Qin Suiyou moved his hand and a small fruit appeared.

"Na."

Lu Xi smiled and took it. The people around her assumed that Qin Suiyou had put it in his sleeve pocket at some point, so they didn't find it strange. They just thought that hiding food on his person seemed rather out of character for Qin Suiyou.

After giving it to Lu Xi, Qin Suiyou took out a piece of paper filled with squares and handed it to Princess An with a short pencil, saying, "Mother, we don't have anything to do right now, let's play tic-tac-toe."

After the circles and crosses on the paper were erased twice, Prince An and Beitang Yan finally found their way here.

Back at the Prince's residence, after sitting down in the front courtyard's living room, Princess An asked, "What did you discuss in the Imperial Study?"

Prince An said, "I asked about Yan'er's recent situation and his views on the Northern Regions, and finally asked Yan'er to hand over military power."

In short, it was the emperor's cold-heartedness.

"He gave the order directly, and Yan'er had no chance to object."

When his father brought up something that would be a sad thing for others, Beitang Yan himself wasn't so sad. He was quietly tugging at his clothes and collar. The elaborate formal attire didn't pay much attention to comfort, and it was getting uncomfortable after wearing it for a while.

"It seems my father's place isn't too far away."

Prince An nodded helplessly.

"Very likely. The Emperor mentioned it, saying that my father-in-law is getting old and it's about time he could rest."

Princess An looked slightly worried. Her family did not covet any power, but she feared that if the Emperor were to take away their military power and other resources without any regard for their own interests, not only would they be in danger, but those who obtained those things and harbored ill intentions would also be able to stir up trouble without restraint.

Prince An comforted Princess An by stroking her hand and said, "Don't think too much. We will definitely find the best way."

As the couple were talking, they noticed that Beitang Yan was quietly telling Qin Suiyou that his clothes were uncomfortable to wear, and the two exchanged a smile.

If the whole family could be safe and sound, they wouldn't think so much about power and influence, but reality doesn't allow them to live peacefully in a secluded corner.

"Yan'er".

Hearing that he was indeed being called, and not just by name, Beitang Yan looked up, his eyes asking, "What is it?"

Princess An felt both helpless and amused. Looking at her son's eyes, which were much clearer than when he was a child, she said, "It's nothing. You can continue whispering to Suiyou."

Upon hearing this, Beitang Yan was puzzled for a moment before turning around and talking to Qin Suiyou.