Emperor Guangwu returned to the bedroom, and Empress Pei happened to come face to face.

  "Your Majesty, how are you? Are you still in a bad mood?" Pei Hou saw that the emperor's face was somewhat gloomy and guessed something.

  Alas, this thoughtless daughter.

  The emperor put his arm around her slender waist, supporting her as they walked in together. As they walked, he shook his head helplessly: "Alas, what can be done? The child won't listen to reason and is determined to make a scene. It's not just anyone, but Ah Chun!"

  Not to mention that Xie Yan is several years older than Yi An, and besides, Marquis Xie already has a wife and children who are about to be born. How can an emperor say such a thing!

  "Ke Yi is our only child after all. She has been stubborn since she was a child, whatever she insists on, what can be done about it?" Pei Hou tentatively sounded out the emperor's intentions, but seeing that the man in front of her still had a worried look on his face, she couldn't help but feel anxious for her daughter.

  "Your Majesty, everything has its own rules. Moreover, as the Emperor now, you are also the only legitimate princess in the imperial family. It seems that this Marquis of Xie should be grateful and virtuous, after all, such a royal marriage is something that others cannot ask for."

  Pei Hou's slender waist gently supported him as he sat down, and a pair of soft hands that had been well taken care of carefully massaged the emperor's slightly feverish temples. With each gentle press, the soothing force seemed to have a special magic power, making even the imperial physician's techniques seem less comfortable and pleasant in comparison.

  The emperor felt a kind of drowsy feeling, very comfortable.

  He narrowed his eyes and enjoyed his wife's tenderness: "What Ah Yan said also makes some sense. Let me think about it carefully."

  On this side, the emperor and empress were making arrangements for their daughter's heart, while the General's Mansion in Xunyang was very busy.

  Qin Miao stood in front of the wooden desk with a big belly, watching the people in the house busy coming and going, and couldn't help but furrow her brow.

  "Azhu, why are you leaving so suddenly? Is the battle situation ahead that critical?"

  Xie Xuan returned from Yu Zhang last night, bringing back a body of dust. Originally, he had promised to take three days off to accompany Qin Miao. But just one day later, an urgent military situation arose in the army. He could only apologize to Qin Miao and then let people start packing their luggage.

  "It happened suddenly, last night the north suddenly launched a night raid at several passes. It seems that a big war is about to break out." He helplessly hugged Qin Miao's slightly swollen body and kissed her bulging belly again and again.

  "I originally wanted to accompany you and have a good talk with the child. Now I'm going back on my word again... Ah Nuan..."

  He looked at Qin Miao with a face that was somewhat dark, his expression apologetic. "It's really not the right time..."

  Qin Miao pouted for half a day, but she also knew that she shouldn't be so petty with him at the moment of parting, after all, matters of state and military were more important than personal feelings, especially for a military marquis like Xie Lin.

  "Never mind, I and the child will just stay at home, waiting for good news of your return."

  As she said this, her eyes deepened and her throat tightened, dryly asking: "But, I don't know how long we'll be gone this time?"

  She is also about to give birth soon, if everything goes smoothly, it will be a matter of more than a month. I don't know if Xie Yan can make it back in time...

  "It'll probably take three or four months... Ah Nuan..."

  After saying this, Xie Yun didn't dare to look at his wife. He also knew that Ah Nuan was about to give birth and would be bedridden for three or four months.

  This time he's gone for a run and by the time he gets back, the child will have been born for a whole month. To say that I'm not regretful would be a lie.

  But what can be done, now that the north and south are at odds, the situation is precarious. As soon as spring begins, the dark emperor of the north will lead his army south, with the intention of crossing the river and destroying the new dynasty. Xie Zhen was ordered to conquer the southern shore, and it was necessary for him to guard this most important natural barrier for Emperor Guangwu.

  It's been three or four months!

  Qin Miao's heart sank, and she had wanted to let him rush back as much as possible, but the words were swallowed by herself.

  "Never mind, national affairs are important. Without a country, there is no home. This principle, I still understand." She reluctantly hid her own little daughter's thoughts away.

  Moved by her words, Xie Yun was even more touched, and he immediately hugged her, kissing and caressing her, until Qin Miao was flustered and breathless.

  "Thank you, kind lady!" He then gave her a big wet kiss on the face.

  Qin Miao's soft voice trembled, her small hands tightly grasping his collar, softly instructing: "You just remember, there's a whole family waiting for you at home. Be extremely careful, and make sure to come back to me completely unharmed! Otherwise... otherwise I'll never speak to you again!"

  "Don't be like that, I'm most afraid you'll ignore me." Xie Yan smiled and pinched her chubby little face, softly whispering: "I will definitely come back safely, don't worry."

  Xie Xuan left, and everyone in the family felt empty and uneasy. After all, this time he had to face half of the Northern Dynasty's military strength, which was not to be underestimated.

  The old lady prayed for her grandson's blessing in her small Buddhist temple every day, and Xie Wei also came over to chat with Qin Miao from time to time, fearing that she would have wild thoughts before giving birth.

  On this day, Xie Wei was in Qin Miao's house with her embroidering belly bands and small clothes for the unborn child when she heard someone rushing to the door. It was Luo Guan Jia from the mansion.

  Lu Guan usually doesn't come to the back house, unless there's something going on at home and he needs to report it. In that case, Qin Miao would arrange for them to meet in the flower hall. But today, Lu Guan broke with convention and ran over himself, bypassing the senior maid Zi Xuan.

  Qin Miaozheng furrowed her brow in thought, and Luo Guan's family hurriedly ran to the door.

  "What's the hurry, don't scare Sister-in-law." Xie Wei stood up first, casting an unhappy glance at the housekeeper who was sweating on his forehead.

  "Milady, young lady, someone has come from the palace! They've already reached the front courtyard's shadow wall!"

  What? The palace?

  Qin Miao and Xie Wei looked at each other simultaneously, then quickly put down the needles and threads in their hands.

  "Go, let's take a look first. You can tell me more about it on the way."

  Her first reaction was that she couldn't let the people in the palace wait.

  In the past, before the new dynasty was established, people from the Yu Zhang Wang Fu had not been sent over in small numbers. At least the long history of the Wang Fu had seen her several times. But now it's different, the new dynasty has been established, and it's no longer a king's mansion, but an imperial palace.

  Xie Wei saw her walking quickly and hurriedly went forward to support her, fearing that Qin Miao's feet were unstable.

  At this time, behind the screen, there was only a small eunuch wearing palace attire, with a very tender face. He looked around nervously behind the screen, his heart still murmuring that the general's mansion seemed to have a somewhat small layout.

  Just as I was thinking, a group of people came walking from the front hall, in a grand and majestic manner. The one leading them was a petite girl with a round face. However, this girl's belly looked somewhat big, which didn't quite match her figure. And behind her followed a large entourage of maidservants, at least seven or eight of them.

  The little eunuch's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "This must be the Madame Hou that Master has been talking about." Just look at this entourage, it's not much smaller than when Master goes out.

  Qin Miao walked out of the main gate and immediately spotted the small eunuch standing by the shadow wall. She quickly wiped away the hint of doubt and anxiety on her face, replacing it with a harmless smile, and spoke to the little eunuch in a gentle and affectionate manner.

  "This old man is polite!"

  Her voice was soft and pleasant to hear, yet crisp and powerful, not like the strength that should be at this age. The little eunuch couldn't help but clench his hand on the dustpan, calm down, and then opened his mouth: "I suppose this is the wife of Weiyuan Hou."

  The eunuch's words sounded somewhat unreasonable and arrogant. Even Xie Wei, who was standing beside her, noticed it, let alone Qin Miao, a sharp-witted person. However, since she was in the palace, she didn't know what his intentions were yet, so she didn't dare to make any rash moves. She could only continue the conversation smoothly.

  "That's right. The young master is currently fighting on the front lines, and the old lady is advanced in age. I'm the only one managing the household affairs now. What instructions do you have for me, sir?"

  The little eunuch's eyebrows twitched, what a sharp-tongued and quick-witted one. He looked small in stature, but his words were quite like those of someone from the palace, with three parts courtesy mixed with seven parts venom.

  "A humble servant rushes to and fro, merely to deliver a message from the princess. It is said that the people of Xunyang are elegant and refined, with exceptional scenery, and the princess has long been yearning to visit. When the princess travels, it is customary to build a temporary palace to welcome her, but considering the military situation in the front lines is tense, the princess does not wish to trouble the people. Therefore, she has decided to choose the residence of the Duke of Weiyuan as the place for this trip's stay, and hopes that the Duke of Weiyuan will make proper arrangements."

  Got it, this morning there was only one princess, even if she didn't say her name, Qin Miao already knew who she would be serving next.

  Just as the eunuch said, this is the only son of His Majesty the Emperor going out, and no matter what, a separate palace should be set up. How could he choose the general's mansion with its poor location and small house?

  Although countless doubts surged in her mind, Qin Miao suppressed each and every one of them. She merely responded obediently: "The Wei Yuan Marquis's estate will follow your orders, and we will make proper arrangements to welcome the princess into the estate."

  Before leaving, Luo Guan's family followed Qin Miao's instructions and prepared a generous reward for the little eunuch. The little eunuch was finally satisfied and took people away.

  After returning to the flower hall, Qin Miao immediately let Luo Guan Jia put this matter as the first-class big thing of the Hou Mansion, and asked him to give a program as soon as possible. She took Xie Wei to find the old lady and reported the matter of the princess's upcoming stay in the Hou Mansion to the old lady one by one.

  Old Lady Xie was naturally surprised, and she wondered how they were suddenly going to welcome the princess. She immediately instructed Qin Miao to handle things carefully and not make any mistakes. That night, she also prayed to Buddha Amitabha, adding another thing to her prayers.