Cheng Ying led his men to the cave where Yun Xi lived.

Upon seeing the two skeletons on the ground and the bed, he realized that something terrible had happened and immediately returned to the palace.

But Yan Zhixiao didn't wake up for long before falling back into a deep sleep, and no matter how Cheng Ying tried to call him, it was to no avail.

None of the imperial physicians could discern anything amiss.

The pulse diagnosis indicates that Yan Zhixiao's current physical condition is no different from that of an ordinary person.

Another undercurrent has been stirred up in the Yan Kingdom.

——

On their way back to the capital, Yan An and Yue Xiyuan saw all the beautiful landscapes of the Yue Kingdom.

"That was so comfortable," Yan An said as he stepped out of the tent and stretched. "If only I had a camera, such a beautiful view would be worth remembering."

Yue Xiyuan gently pulled her into his arms. "Silly girl, we can come here often in the future. Such beautiful scenery must have a different flavor in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Wouldn't it be better to see it with our own eyes?"

Yan An thought that made sense. "We've been playing for quite a while now, and they're probably getting impatient waiting in the palace."

"Unfortunately, I said on the day I married you that you have always been the same person. If you say anything about it later, I will say that I want to enjoy our time together and do not want to come back."

It is often said that the quality of the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law depends entirely on what the man says and does.

It seems she made the right choice.

News of Yan An and his companion's imminent arrival in the capital quickly reached the palace.

"These two kids, they finally know to come back. They've been having so much fun they don't even miss us," Bai Luo complained, but there was no blame in her words.

“An’an married Xiao Si as soon as she came of age, and she has never been out to play since she was a child. Now that she has finally gone out, of course she should have a good time.” The Empress Dowager grabbed Bai Luo’s hand and instructed, “Let me tell you, if you dare to say a word to them when they come back, I will be angry.”

Seeing the Empress Dowager acting like a child made everyone around them burst into laughter.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager was like an elder waiting for her child to return home; she no longer possessed any royal dignity.

After arriving in the capital, Yan An and Yue Xiyuan went straight to the palace. Outside the palace, they encountered a group of people who had been waiting for them for a long time.

Bai Luo quickly stepped forward and gave Yan An a hug, "You're finally back."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Alright, alright, go in quickly. You must be tired after your long journey."

Upon entering the palace, everyone took their seats. Yue Xiyuan recounted their experiences outside to the Empress Dowager and Bai Luo, but he did not see Yue Yufeng and Gu Yanan.

"Where are my brother and sister Ya Nan?" Yan An looked around but couldn't see them. A bad feeling arose in his heart.

"They..." The Empress Dowager hesitated, then nudged Bai Luo, "An'an is asking you."

Bai Luo glared at her; this girl still always pinned everything on her. "It's like this, the Yan Kingdom is currently leaderless, and I believe it won't be long before..."

At this moment, Yan An looked unconvinced and said, "Mother, go ahead and make things up. Let's see what you can come up with."

"They were envious and jealous of you two traveling and having fun, so they ran away." Su Zhan stepped forward and told the truth directly.

Anyway, as a wandering doctor who had no connection with the royal family, he loved watching the excitement the most.

She treated Gu Yanan like her own sister, yet she betrayed them both like this.

We won't let this go! We won't let this go!

"Um... I just remembered that the matter in the Southern Border hasn't been resolved yet, let's go there again." With that, Yan An grabbed Yue Xiyuan's hand and tried to run away.

"Hey! Hey!" The crowd stopped them in unison. "News came from the Southern Territory early this morning that Yan Zhixiao has not woken up for three days. The court is in chaos. You two can't escape."

Back then, Yue Yufeng and Gu Yanan ran away in such a sneaky way. If these two run away too, are we supposed to have an empress dowager who's half-buried sitting in the court?

You can't afford to be reckless at fifty or sixty!

Yan An and Yue Xiyuan looked at each other, their faces full of worry, as if the sky was about to fall.

All the concern and greetings were drowned out by sighs.

After dinner, Yue Xiyuan looked at the mountain of memorials piled on the table and cursed Yue Yufeng a thousand times in his heart.

Back then, he didn't want to be emperor. Was it because he was unwilling?

The answer is definitely yes!

Yan An rested her chin on her hand and sat down next to Yue Xiyuan, her gaze fixed on him as she quietly watched him.

Men are definitely most handsome when they're working!

Yue Xiyuan focused on his work, occasionally glancing up at Yan An and giving her a sweet kiss, saying, "I've worked so hard, and the Princess doesn't even know to reward her father."

This statement was made with a sense of grievance.

Narrow waist and broad back, perfectly proportioned muscles, paired with that incredibly handsome face, and then uttering a voice as sweet as a puppy's, it was enough to make her heart flutter.

How come she never noticed before that Yue Xiyuan had this potential?

"Pop~" Looking at her irresistible little husband, how could she possibly hold back?

Yan An's sudden kiss made Yue Xiyuan's face turn bright red, and his heartbeat could be clearly heard.

His body responded involuntarily to Yan An's passion, his hands tightly embracing her waist and pulling her even closer.

Yue Xiyuan said softly, "An'an, you should go back and rest first. I'll come and keep you company after I finish dealing with these memorials."

Yan An nodded and left the palace.

Yue Xiyuan watched her departing figure, his heart filled with love. She was avenging him. Although he didn't know what had happened to Yan Zhixiao, he could tell from the letter from the secret guard that Yan Zhixiao had been tortured to the point of having no dignity.

How can this not be touching? It feels so good to have someone protecting you!

He has already sent people to the Yan Kingdom. Yan Shaoheng's father had a brother who was banished from the capital and made a prince simply because his mother was a palace maid.

Under his rule, the once desolate Jingzhou gradually became prosperous, and he was a prince who cared for the people.

His identity was known throughout the Yan state, and his succession was perfectly reasonable.

The only condition is that there will be no war between the four countries from now on.

Whether the four kingdoms are unified or not is not important to him. He leads his army to fight only for the peace and stability of the people. Yue Xiyuan believes that the four kingdoms can eventually live in harmony.

What's more, he already has someone he loves.

He continued to bury himself in handling government affairs, and before he knew it, a long time had passed.

Finally, he finished the last memorial, and it was already late at night.

He quietly approached Yan An's bedroom, pushed open the door, and saw her sleeping soundly in bed.

He walked gently to the bedside, sat down, and quietly looked at her sleeping face, his heart filled with happiness.

He reached out and gently stroked her cheek, feeling her warmth.

Just then, Yan An woke up and saw Yue Xiyuan sitting by the bed. She smiled sweetly and asked, "Is everything taken care of?"