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

The carriage continued forward, and as it approached the city gate, it slowed down, queuing up to be checked by the guards.

However, most of those people at this time were noble ladies and their children who were going to the flower-viewing banquet today, so the guards were observant and only glanced at them symbolically before letting them pass. This was much faster than when ordinary people entered and exited the city gates.

Unexpectedly, just as the carriage was about to reach the Prince An's residence, Uncle Ma was about to urge the horse forward when a horse suddenly rushed ahead. Fortunately, Uncle Ma had kept a distance from the horse in front for safety, and the horse hadn't had time to move, otherwise it would have caused a disaster.

"Hurry up, or we'll be late!"

The young man on horseback called out to those behind him, his tone quite impatient.

"what happened?"

Yu Tan lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and leaned out halfway to ask a question.

Uncle Ma replied helplessly, "Those were the carriages of the Marquis of Xuanping's residence. They were in a hurry and beat us to it."

Hearing this, another maid in the carriage said indignantly, "They're also going to Princess Yong'an's banquet, so why are they in such a hurry compared to us?"

Princess An shook her head, gave the maid a cautious look, and said, "Stop talking. Let them go if they want. Right now, there are carriages and horses of noble families all around. Be careful, walls may have ears."

The maid was just grumbling, and after being reminded like that, she fell silent.

In the carriage behind Qin Suiyou and the others, driven by Chen Xiaodong, he craned his neck and saw Yang Song cutting in line from the side, muttering, "What a small world."

Hearing this, He Dabao poked his head out and asked, "What's this, that we've run into each other on such a small road?"

Chen Xiaodong was embarrassed that his inner thoughts had been overheard. Later, Lu Xi, who had already heard the whole story from Luo Sen, explained it to He Dabao.

After hearing this, He Dabao frowned and was about to say something when Beitang Yan said, "You, go and teach him a lesson, but don't let anyone else know. You can do that, right?"

Hearing the questions asked behind him, He Dabao felt that his abilities were being questioned, so he replied with a serious face, "Of course I can do it. What level do you need?"

Beitang Yan hesitated for a moment, glanced at Qin Suiyou, and said, "You decide what to do. At the very least, you should give him a taste of his own medicine."

He Dabao: "...Yes."

The journey continued without incident. Upon arriving near the estate, the carriages and horses were parked, and servants carrying small gifts led the group into the estate, guided by the maids. Along the way, they encountered several familiar noble ladies who, seeing that Qin Suiyou was unfamiliar, exchanged introductions and greetings. They did not forget to walk, and by the time they reached a place to rest, almost half of the people recognized Qin Suiyou as the Crown Prince.

During the process, Beitang Yan, as a servant, was temporarily separated from the group of ladies, young ladies and young masters who had gathered around him, and he almost got angry, but luckily Lu Xi pulled him back.

Because the journey was a bit long today, Princess Yong'an arranged a small banquet first. The group was led by the maids directly to the banquet area and sat down. Because Princess Yong'an said that it should be lively, in addition to the ladies of noble families, the guests were unmarried young masters and ladies from various families. They were divided into seats. Qin Suiyou was about to go to the men's seats when Princess Yong'an, who came in after him, called him back.

"This must be Yan'er's husband. Come sit down next to me, I want to take a good look at him."

Thus, Qin Suiyou rose to a position even closer to Princess Yong'an than several of the princesses.

When Princess Yong'an entered, everyone stood up and bowed.

"Please, no need for formalities. I invited you all here today because I wanted to make it lively in the spring. Please don't stand on ceremony. You've all come all this way from the city, so please have a seat."

As everyone responded "Yes" and took their seats, several ladies said one after another, "We are overjoyed that Your Highness invited us, how could we possibly feel troubled?"

"Indeed, since the beginning of spring, apart from a few restless young men and women in the manor, we haven't really gone this far from the manor. Looking at the scenery along the way has improved our mood considerably."

"In this spring season, it's important to get out and about more, to stretch your muscles and bones. Otherwise, staying cooped up in the mansion all day isn't good for your health. It's thanks to Your Highness for organizing this flower-viewing banquet that so many people can put aside some of the tedious and boring affairs in the mansion and come out to enjoy the scenery."

Since it wasn't a very formal banquet, everyone was quite relaxed. After the first three ladies finished speaking, another lady who knew them well started to joke around.

"The three of you are the best at talking. His Highness hasn't even said anything yet, and you've already said all the nice things."

Just as the teased lady was about to retort, Princess Yong'an said, "I'm not good with words. If you all say more, it will save me the trouble and make this flower-viewing banquet more interesting."

Princess Yong'an then gave her personal maid a look and raised her voice slightly to the crowd, saying, "In case you are all tired from admiring the flowers later, I have prepared some food in advance. Please make do with it."

At this moment, a lady sitting near the front spoke up: "Your Highness, if I may be so bold as to ask, is the chef in charge of this small banquet the one personally appointed by His Majesty?"

Princess Yong'an nodded: "That's right, it's him."

"Then we dare not say we'll make do. To receive His Majesty's favor and bestow this upon you, your craftsmanship must be extraordinary. We are truly fortunate to have such a delicious meal, and we must thank His Highness for his grace."

Upon hearing this, everyone tactfully stood up, bowed, and expressed their gratitude.

Princess Yong'an gracefully raised her hand and pressed it down.

"No need for formalities, you can all come here to eat the same old things."

As they were talking, all the dishes were served, and Yong'an said, "Let's begin the meal, everyone, please don't stand on ceremony."

The banquet appeared to have started, but few people were actually eating properly. At both the men's and women's tables, people who knew each other were chatting tacitly, as if exchanging riddles.

Why make him sit there?

"Pity him. It's said that the other one is dying. He's his nephew, and the most powerful one at that."

"He is a man after all, and his current situation is truly tragic."

The girl at the same table, who seemed to be of higher status, couldn't help but say after hearing these words, "How is it so bad? The outcome is still uncertain!"

The girl next to her, who had also spoken earlier, put down her chopsticks upon hearing this.

"I know you have feelings for that person, but now you still need to put your mind to it."

With a slight pout, the girl who had retorted seemed deflated. She gestured towards Qin Suiyou and said to the others beside her, "Don't mention him either, it'll ruin your mood."

"Yes, yes, I won't say anymore. Here, try this..."

Unlike the reserved demeanor of the young ladies, the men spoke much more boldly.

"Hey, do you think he's only fit to sit there? He's only fit to be like a woman..."

He nudged his outspoken friend and said to the young man beside him, "Those are all princesses and noble ladies there, watch your skin."

"But I wasn't wrong, you all saw it, his figure is really... better than a woman's..."

"enough!"

The arrogant man was stunned for a moment by the low growl, then asked, "Young Master, what is this...?"

Yang Song rolled her eyes at the man, then raised her hand and drank the fruit wine in her small glass.

The man seemed to understand something, looked at Yang Song with a mocking gaze, and then said, "I won't say anymore, young master, please don't be angry."

After saying that, he toasted Yang Song with a cup of wine.

The man tasted the wine, sipped it a few times, and muttered disdainfully, "This wine really has no flavor."

Then, the man fawned over Yang Song, saying, "Young Master, I have some fine wine with amazing effects. Would you like some..."

Yang Song was still in a bad mood, but she became somewhat interested in what the man was saying.

"Take it to the Tibetan Incense Pavilion in a couple of days."