Ye Jingchen's eyes lit up when he heard Xie Chang'an's words.

"Then after I return to the capital from the northern frontier, won't I be able to see two miniature versions of you?" Ye Jingchen asked excitedly.

Although Xie Chang'an's second and third uncles are not currently in the capital, they will definitely return after the baby is born, because the old matriarch and the Duke and his wife reside there.

Those are two adorable little cubs who might look just like Xie Chang'an when he was a child!

It'll be a great deal!

Xie Chang'an looked at Ye Jingchen, who was obviously very excited, with a cold face. He almost forgot that Ye Jingchen's favorite thing was children.

If his younger siblings return to the capital, Ye Jingchen will probably be even more excited than he is.

Moreover, Xie Chang'an suddenly realized that Ye Jingchen had so many younger brothers and sisters, and Ye Jingchen would definitely like them very much when the princes and princesses had children in the future.

When Ye Jingchen is surrounded by a bunch of little brats, will he still pay attention to him?

He could already foresee the scene of his future 'falling out of favor'.

After breakfast, the supply train continued its journey.

The supply train's daily route was strictly regulated, rain or shine, to ensure it reached northern Xinjiang within the allotted time.

On their fourth day of travel, they encountered rain. As the saying goes, "One autumn rain brings one chill," and the further north they went, the lower the temperature became, and the less greenery they saw along the way.

Ye Jingchen had never thought that his body was particularly delicate before, but this trip made him realize it deeply.

The next day, the skin on his inner thighs was chafed raw from riding the horse for too long; on the third day, his back ached, his arms were sore, and his muscles were stiff; on the fourth day, he caught a cold because of the rain.

Fortunately, Xie Chang'an brought Mr. Li with him on this trip. Mr. Li was a highly skilled doctor. After drinking a bowl of medicine, the cold was cured, but the fatigue and weakness in his body would not disappear so quickly.

From the fourth day onwards, he no longer had the energy to outwit Xie Chang'an.

He was in a daze every day, and it was already difficult enough for him to stay awake during the day and not fall off his horse. After arriving at the post station, he would take a bath and then fall asleep almost immediately, until Xie Chang'an woke him up in the morning.

As for whether Xie Chang'an did anything while he was asleep at night, he couldn't be bothered to care.

In his current state, going to northern Xinjiang would only make him look foolish.

Ten years of pampered life, perhaps plus the original owner's eight years, eighteen years of spoiling him, ruined him completely.

Throughout the journey, Ye Jingyan was in better condition than him.

Seeing that he looked listless every day, Ye Jingyan kept urging him to ride in the carriage, but Ye Jingchen didn't dare to.

If I don't push myself now before there's any pressure, am I supposed to wait until I get to the northern frontier and go straight to the battlefield to push myself?

Ye Jingchen had been listless for several days on the road, unable to muster any energy. If Xie Chang'an hadn't been by his side, and he trusted that Xie Chang'an wouldn't have let anything happen to him, he really wouldn't have dared to continue riding in such a state.

The skin on my inner thigh broke and scabbed over, then broke and scabbed over again, repeating this several times until I finally got used to it.

It wasn't until they reached Yongzhou and were about to part ways with Ye Jingyan that Ye Jingchen finally felt a bit better.

"Brother, you really are not suited to go to the Northern Frontier. Why don't you return to the capital as soon as possible? Father loves you so much. If he saw you like this, he would be heartbroken and would definitely not blame you!" Ye Jingyan was still trying to persuade him when they parted.

But for Ye Jingchen, once he had decided to do something, there was absolutely no reason to turn back.

If he goes back now, wouldn't all the hardships he endured along the way have been for nothing?

Moreover, while the emperor would not blame him, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would be in a very bad situation.

Therefore, his trip was not only for himself, but also for Xie Chang'an.

Although this trip will be tough, once he returns to the capital from the northern frontier, he can begin the leisurely retirement life he has always dreamed of.

It's worth the hard work these next few years for the sake of happiness for the next few decades!

Winter has arrived in Yongzhou.

The cold in the north is completely different from the cold in the capital. When riding a horse, the wind feels like ice scalpels on your face.

When traveling, Ye Jingchen would wrap himself up tightly from head to toe, leaving only his eyes showing to see where he was going.

Even so, his face, hands, and feet were extremely dry, and he also developed frostbite.

We haven't even reached northern Xinjiang yet!

"We both lived a life of luxury for over a decade, so why are you alright?" Ye Jingchen questioned Xie Chang'an, unable to understand why, despite growing up in the same environment, his hands and feet were swollen and bleeding, and his face was a mess, while Xie Chang'an was completely unharmed.

At the inn, Xie Chang'an asked for hot water to apply to Ye Jingchen's body and massage his hands and feet to promote blood circulation.

He had lived in northern Xinjiang for many years, so he was very experienced in treating frostbite.

However, the way he got frostbite was different from how Ye Jingchen got frostbite.

He could endure his own suffering, but seeing Ye Jingchen suffer made him feel even more miserable than Ye Jingchen.

Moreover, Xie Chang'an knew very well that Ye Jingchen came to the Northern Frontier mainly for his sake and for the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion. Otherwise, he would not have come here to suffer.

“The men in our household don’t need hot water even on snowy days, so their bodies are already used to it,” Xie Chang’an said while massaging Ye Jingchen’s legs.

In fact, because of that incident in his previous life, he did not train like he does in this life, so he suffered a lot after going to the northern frontier.

At that time, he had no one to take care of him, and there was no Mr. Li. His chilblains kept recurring and tormented him for many years.

Imagining a snowy day and a bucket of ice water being poured over him, Ye Jingchen, huddled in his fox fur coat, instinctively shivered.

That's terrifying!

"Is it true that people who get frostbite will never fully recover and will relapse every winter?" Ye Jingchen asked, looking at his hands that were swollen like pig's trotters.

"With Mr. Li here, you don't need to worry." Xie Chang'an's lips twitched, perhaps wanting to laugh, but unable to.

Although he knew that the pain was temporary, that Ye Jingchen could endure it, and that Ye Jingchen's body was delicate but his heart was strong, Xie Chang'an still felt guilty.

He even considered sending Ye Jingchen back to the capital, because once they reached the northern frontier, their lives would be even more difficult than they were now.

But he knew Ye Jingchen wouldn't agree.

Ye Jingchen never does business at a loss.

Now that he's come this far, he's bound to achieve his goal!

After applying the hot compress, Xie Chang'an applied the ointment prepared by Mr. Li to Ye Jingchen's face, hands, and feet, and then covered him with a thick blanket.

"Go to sleep, I'll stay with you." Xie Chang'an tucked the blanket in for him, making sure every corner was secure.

Looking at Xie Chang'an like this, Ye Jingchen was filled with emotion. The last person to tuck him in while he slept was his mother.

But that was when he was very, very young.