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

The third day of the third lunar month is the Shangsi Festival, and many places have customs such as purification rituals, floating wine cups on winding streams, spring outings to the countryside, boiling eggs, and appreciating peach blossoms.

The Shangsi Festival is also known as the Girls' Festival. On this day, unmarried girls will wear beautiful spring clothes to go on outings and enjoy the spring scenery. They will also pick orchids by the water. Some will bring them home, while others will give them to their sweethearts and arrange their marriages on this day.

Qin Suiyou was preparing for his return to his parents' home, while Beitang Xinyue was also busy, but not for a trip; she was going to attend the coming-of-age ceremony of a close friend.

At this time, families of girls born in spring would usually hold their coming-of-age ceremony on the Girls' Day instead of the usual date, as a way of expressing their best wishes.

Beitang Xinyue's friend's real birthday is next month. Her family dotes on her, so they've moved her coming-of-age ceremony to today. However, according to Beitang Xinyue, the girl's family is also planning to hold a small banquet to celebrate her actual birthday.

"Take a look at the gift list. While there's still time, if there's anything inappropriate, I'll have someone replace it immediately."

Princess An watched as the gifts for returning to her parents' home were loaded onto the carriage, while giving Qin Suiyou some instructions.

Qin Suiyou did not disappoint Princess An's kindness. After taking a symbolic look, he said, "These are all fine, but they are a bit too lavish. Uncle and Aunt might be overwhelmed when they see them."

"Since you and Yan'er are getting married, he can't even accompany you on your homecoming. We've really wronged you. That's why we've put some effort into this homecoming gift, so that outsiders won't look down on you."

Princess An looked tenderly at the beautiful yet gentle person in front of her and continued, "Besides, we are very grateful to you for giving Yan'er and Rui'er a glimmer of hope."

Qin Suiyou smiled slightly, cupped his hands and bowed, "I will never forget the kindness of my mother and father. I would also like to express my gratitude to my mother for her generous gifts on behalf of my uncle and aunt."

"Good boy, get ready to get on the carriage."

The Qin residence was located on North Zheng Street, an area mostly occupied by the mansions of aristocratic and official families. It was situated near the imperial palace for the convenience of attending court.

While the location of Prince An's residence on West Main Street may seem unremarkable, the vastness of Ye City meant that the official roads of North Main Street and West Main Street were quite far apart, resulting in a considerable distance between Prince An's residence and the Qin residence.

Qin Suiyou was traveling in the carriage of the Prince of An's mansion. He couldn't go too fast in the streets, and unlike on the day of the wedding, pedestrians didn't spontaneously make way for him. As a result, the whole journey took almost half an hour.

When the carriage stopped in front of the Qin residence, Qin Yong, his wife Yun, their youngest son, and a group of servants had been waiting at the main gate for quite some time.

Lu Xi jumped down from the carriage and then moved a stool under the carriage frame.

Qin Suiyou stepped off the cart steadily, and the onlookers were all astonished.

"Wow, this person is really good-looking, I don't even know how to describe it."

"Yes, yes, she's prettier than a woman. I think even the daughter of the Grand Secretary who entered the Prince An's mansion with her can't compare to her looks."

"The Emperor is such a handsome man, and the concubine is a beautiful and talented woman who is famous throughout Yejing. Prince An is quite lucky with women."

"Even the greatest fortune in love needs an opportunity to be enjoyed..."

The onlookers chatted enthusiastically, but the person in question seemed oblivious.

According to rank, Qin Suiyou is higher than Qin Yong, so Qin Yong took the lead in having his family pay their respects.

"Your subject, along with his family, pays his respects to the Crown Prince."

"Uncle, Aunt, there's no need for such formalities."

Qin Suiyou helped each person up. After exchanging a few perfunctory greetings at the door, they went inside and closed the door, blocking out the unclear comments.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Qin Suiyou disregarded his status and allowed Qin Yong to sit in the main seat, while he himself sat in the first seat on the left. Opposite him was Qin Yong's youngest son, Qin Siheng. His eldest son, Qin Sizhe, had passed the imperial examination two years ago and was a second-class Jinshi. He worked as an editor in the Hanlin Academy, a leisurely official position. Except for his days off, he had to report for duty every morning, but he could go home after lunch.

After settling down and dismissing the servants, Qin Yong spoke first: "You haven't suffered any grievances these past two days, have you?"

After spending some time with his nephew who had suddenly come to seek refuge, Qin Yong grew quite fond of him. Moreover, given the bond of blood ties and the fact that his nephew had shielded his youngest son from disaster, he would not turn a blind eye to him. If Prince An and the others were truly dissatisfied with this marriage, he was determined to find a way to resolve the situation.

Qin Suiyou shook his head, "Prince An and Princess An are kind people and have never made things difficult for me."

Qin Yong's tense body relaxed slightly. "That's good."

At this moment, Qin Siheng, who was opposite Qin Suiyou, spoke up, "Cousin, have you seen Princess Xinyue? That girl is quite unruly, you weren't bullied by her, were you?"

Qin Suiyou was surprised by Qin Siheng's words and asked, "What makes you say that?"

“During the New Year’s Eve palace banquet, I saw her pinning the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue to the ground and beating her. She even threatened her not to file a complaint. I don’t know what happened. Didn’t the Vice Minister of Revenue and his wife know that their daughter was injured? I clearly saw that Beitang Xinyue hit her very hard.”

Having roughly guessed why Beitang Xinyue hit someone, Qin Suiyou couldn't help but praise her in his heart and resolved to teach her some ways to deal with people without leaving a trace.

So Qin Suiyou smiled and said to Qin Siheng, "Siheng, when looking at things, you can't just look at the surface. Sometimes what you see isn't necessarily the truth. Besides, as a boy, you should speak to girls more gently. What if she provokes you first? That wouldn't be considered being unreasonable, right?"

At this point, Qin Suiyou looked at Qin Yong and asked, "Uncle, what do you think?"

"Yes."

Then, Qin Yong glared helplessly at his son.

"Heng'er, from now on, you must never speak nonsense when you don't know the truth, otherwise how are you any different from those who gossip behind people's backs?"

Having at least reached the rank of Vice Minister, Qin Yong understood the true colors of those aristocratic families and wouldn't take the matter of Beitang Xinyue hitting someone too lightly.

Qin Siheng felt embarrassed after being scolded by his father. At the age of sixteen, he was at the age when his self-esteem was strong, but he dared not say anything because of his father's authority and could only listen to the scolding weakly.

"Yes, son understands, and won't do it again."

At this moment, Yun, who had arranged for people to carry the return gifts, entered.

"What happened? Did your dad scold you again?"

Qin Suiyou called out "Aunt," and Madam Yun responded with a smile, adding, "Good child, the Prince An's residence is far from here, and you must be tired from traveling by carriage. Chat with your uncle first. I have already instructed the kitchen to prepare lunch. When Zhe'er comes back from his duty in a little while, you uncles, nephews, and brothers can eat and chat together."

Qin Yong's lineage is almost extinct, so he values ​​his family more. His daily interactions with his wife and children are not much different from those of ordinary families, and he even enjoys a more affluent lifestyle than most. Needless to say, there are no rules about not speaking while eating or sleeping.

Qin Suiyou nodded, but Qin Siheng was somewhat displeased.

"Mom~ As soon as you see my cousin, you don't even care about me, your son. I just got scolded by Dad, and you don't even comfort me."

Before Yun could say anything, Qin Yong scolded, "You talk nonsense all day long and still have the nerve to come to your mother? Reflect on yourself first, lest you bring trouble upon yourself in the future. Don't learn from your mistakes..."

"Learn from your cousin—he's not much older than you—not only is his medical skill superb, but he's also mature and steady in his dealings with others."

Before Qin Yong could finish speaking, Qin Siheng interrupted him, saying, "Father, I'm tired of hearing you say these things. If you want to praise my cousin, you should upgrade your words. You keep repeating the same few sentences. My cousin himself is getting tired of hearing them too."

After saying that, he winked his right eye at Qin Suiyou.

Qin Suiyou also replied from an angle that Qin Yong couldn't see.

Seeing the two brothers exchanging glances right under her husband's nose, clearly teasing him, Madam Yun didn't expose them. She simply took a sip of tea and smiled faintly without saying a word.

Qin Sizhe returned just before lunchtime.

The young man in official robes had an outstanding demeanor. He inherited his father's tall stature, and his eyebrows and eyes also had the soft features characteristic of people from the Yun family in the south. He also often had a suitable smile on his lips. He was the kind of handsome young man that the women of Beiqian loved the most at the moment.

When he saw his family, Qin Sizhe's smile became more genuine.

After greeting everyone, the group went to the dining hall together.

The lunch was very enjoyable. During the meal, the group shared their experiences from the past few days. Every few words, they would tease each other in a harmless way, revealing each other's shortcomings. The atmosphere was harmonious and warm.

However, unbeknownst to them, this warmth contrasted sharply with the oppressive atmosphere just a wall away, attracting a small, unnoticed pry.