The Yan family mansion in the capital.

"Master, I wonder where Wan'er is now. It's been almost a month. This child has been living in the Yan family since she was little. I don't know if Wan'er's body can withstand the environment in the Northwest." Madam Yan said with a worried face. Her heart was clenched with worry. She couldn't eat or sleep at the thought of her daughter suffering.

Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.

Father Yan stepped forward and patted Mother Yan's shoulder to comfort her. He said with some reluctance, "Today I heard at the morning court that the Mongol bandits have invaded the borders of our Yin Kingdom again, and the northwest is suffering from a severe drought. The people are suffering terribly, displaced, and beset by internal and external troubles! I don't know when this will end."

Mother Yan asked anxiously, "What? It's even worse than I imagined! Wan'er... Wan'er went there too! My Wan'er won't be in any danger, will she? Waaah, my Wan'er!" Tears streamed down Mother Yan's face. Her daughter!

Father Yan sighed and gently comforted her, "Madam, no news is good news. Wan'er is blessed with good fortune, and with Prince Han protecting her, she will surely be alright. Nowadays, there are more and more refugees outside the capital. I think starting tomorrow, we should send the servants in the mansion to set up soup kitchens to help the people."

Mother Yan raised her hand to wipe away her tears and nodded gently. The world is too chaotic, and it is the common people who suffer the most.

Even a woman like her could understand this, so how could that person not understand? He simply didn't want to. Since the appearance of refugees outside the capital, the city gates have been tightly closed. Only a few ministers, unable to bear the situation, secretly distribute porridge outside the city. Alas.

——

"Hey, why do you come here to eat hot pot every day? Don't you get tired of it?" Qin Si asked, watching Princess Chaoyang enjoying her meal.

"What do you know? I can eat whatever I want now, is it any of your business?" Chaoyang swallowed the food in her mouth and said defiantly.

"Ha, your Yin Kingdom is in dire straits now, the people are suffering, while you have wine and meat. As expected, the royal relatives and noble families don't care about the lives of the lower classes." Qin Si said sarcastically. Even though he was not from Yin Kingdom, he still couldn't stand these pampered people.

Chaoyang grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it in front of Qin Si. She raised her head, her eyes red, and said, "What right do you have to question me? What right do you have to lecture me? I am a princess, and you are just a lowly waiter. I can eat as much as I want and do whatever I want. You have no right to tell me what to do. Get out! Get out! I don't want to see you! Get out!"

Chaoyang's emotions suddenly flared up, and she screamed in anguish. Qin Si glanced at Chaoyang with disgust and said harshly, "So what if you're a princess? Does being a princess give you the right to scold others as you please? If you don't want to see me, then I'm not going to serve you anymore." Qin Si didn't even turn his head and walked away. Sure enough, no matter which country he was in, he always clashed with these arrogant, complacent, and foolish royals.

After Qin Si left, the wine bottle in Chaoyang's hand slipped and fell to the ground, wetting the hem of her skirt. She squatted down, hugged herself, and whispered, "Princess is amazing. Princess can do whatever she wants. Princess can also protect her people just like prince."

Chaoyang stood up and continued to eat the hot pot. This food was so delicious, she had to eat more of it. Why shouldn't she eat it? Every meal she ate was one less she could have, and she might not be able to eat it again in the future.

After slowly finishing her hotpot, she went outside and called her maid to come in and redo her makeup. When she opened the door again, she was once again the incomparably noble Princess Chaoyang, just like her name, like the newly risen, fiery sun, bringing light to the world.

As she was leaving, passing by Qin Si, Chaoyang stopped and looked at him earnestly, saying, "I am the eldest and only princess of the Yin Kingdom. My eldest brother has been stationed on the frontier since childhood and is a great hero. My second brother has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, caring deeply for the people and working tirelessly. As for my other brothers, the emperor, they have all made achievements in other areas. I am telling you all this to tell you that members of the royal family will not abandon the people. My brothers will not, and neither will I."

Afterwards, Chaoyang straightened her clothes and continued, "I am a princess, so I should serve you. I am respected by the people and I am fed by them, so I should protect them. As a princess, I will naturally fulfill my responsibilities."

After Chaoyang finished speaking, she turned and left. Such a person who didn't distinguish right from wrong was not worthy of her love as a princess. She was a princess, born to be pampered, and could not be humble and beg for others' pity. She had her self-respect and her pride.

Qin Si watched the sun slowly disappear into the distance, then nonchalantly turned around with the teapot in his hand to refill the tea for the other tables. This pampered little princess had been wronged, so she made some harsh words and ran home. In a few days, once she calmed down, she would come back to eat hot pot again.

"Was that Princess Chaoyang just now?" a guest at the next table asked uncertainly.

"Yes, that's Princess Chaoyang. I didn't expect the princess to like street food. I guess I share a hobby with the princess now," a customer next to him said happily.

"Hey, haven't you heard?" a customer at the next table leaned over and said.

"Know what?" the two guests asked in unison.

"Princess Chaoyang, she's going to be married off to a foreign ruler, didn't you know?"

*Thud!* The teapot fell to the ground and shattered, splashing scalding tea all over Qin Si. He strode over to the two tables of guests and asked in a rude tone, "Who do you say wants a marriage alliance? And with which country?"

Several people were frightened by his irritable appearance. One of them said tremblingly, "Princess Chaoyang, she's going to Mongolia for a political marriage."

Qin Si clenched his fist, looked out the door, and suddenly chased after the sun, but he could no longer see the sun's figure. He paused, then quickly chased after it towards the palace. He felt as if he had said or done something wrong.

When Qin Si chased after Chaoyang's entourage to the palace gate, he still couldn't catch up. She didn't want any entanglement with him; this way, it would be better for both of them.

Everyone says that princesses are pawns used by emperors to win over their ministers and quell wars. People always deliberately ignore the role of princesses. They don't know that princesses can also protect their people.

A princess's marriage to a foreign ruler can be worth a thousand armies. With the power of a single person, she can bring peace, allowing the country to recuperate and the people to live in peace and prosperity, free from the suffering of war.

Princesses are never appendages of the royal family, nor are they unreasonable, arrogant, or rude. Their good upbringing and etiquette make them understand the importance of protecting the country and its people, and make them remember their responsibilities. It is the prejudices of the world that are too deep. How could a princess who has been well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry, and etiquette since childhood be so despicable?