The princess regretted it.

Chapter 375 Jinan's Concerns

"The envoys from the State of Yu have come to the capital? The ones who came to negotiate peace were Prince Dun and the third princess?" Jin An was very surprised when he heard the news brought by Han Shuang, and doubts immediately arose in his heart.

You know, in her previous life, there was no such thing as the State of Yu sending envoys to Beijing to negotiate peace. She clearly remembered that her uncle led the Zhenbei Army in a bloody battle, and ultimately won a narrow victory, but at a terrible cost.

However, my uncle was seriously injured on the battlefield and was no longer able to support the subsequent negotiations. When the battle report was transmitted back to the Golden Palace in the capital, the entire court, civil and military officials, heard the victory news from the front line and cheered at first. But then, when they heard that the commander was seriously injured and that they urgently needed to send someone to the northern border for negotiations, the hall fell into a dead silence.

No one was willing to take on the important task of negotiation. After all, the battlefield situation was changing rapidly, and no one could guarantee whether they could reach terms favorable to the State of Jin by going to the northern border for negotiations. If they were not careful, they might become a sinner for all eternity and the target of criticism from the court.

Later, it was Grand Tutor Zhang who, donning his court robes, resolutely volunteered to go to the border, ultimately securing a truce. This further elevated the Zhang family's prestige within the court. For a time, Grand Tutor Zhang's heroic deeds were widely circulated throughout the court, both within and beyond the capital.

Everyone was moved by the fact that Grand Tutor Zhang, despite his advanced age and the fact that he should have been enjoying his retirement at home, resolutely traveled to the distant frontier for the safety of the Jin State. Thanks to his strategic planning and extraordinary wisdom, a truce was eventually signed, safeguarding the stability and peace of the Jin Dynasty's borders.

Meanwhile, the Zhenbei Army had fought bloody battles against the Yu State for years, enduring countless brutal clashes. On the battlefield, they braved the enemy with reckless abandon, leaving countless brave men dead in pools of blood, with casualties exceeding half the total. The generals, even those who led the charge, also suffered heavy casualties. His uncle, the commander-in-chief of the Zhenbei Army, was severely wounded and nearly lost his life.

Yet, at that time, everyone in the court and the streets seemed captivated by Grand Tutor Zhang's journey to the border to sign a truce. Their voices resonated with his achievements and prestige. Meanwhile, the Zhenbei Army's years of hard work, their bloody battles, and the immense sacrifices they made defending the Jin border were gradually forgotten, rarely mentioned.

After his uncle returned to Beijing, seriously injured, he spent his days recuperating, yet he received neither the recognition nor the praise he deserved. It was as if the thrilling battles and the devastation had never happened. Jin An felt a chilling chill when he thought about it now. He suspected his uncle's untimely death was inextricably linked to all of this.

However, Jin'an still had some memories of Prince Dun. A few years after the truce, she heard that civil unrest had broken out in the Yu Kingdom, and Prince Dun had taken the throne, becoming the new ruler of the Yu Kingdom. As for whether it was Prince Dun who had started the civil unrest, Jin'an didn't know. At the time, she wasn't thinking about that at all.

But Jin'an racked her brains, unable to find a single memory of the Third Princess of the Yu Kingdom. She frowned slightly, her dark brows knitted into the shape of a Chinese character "川," and fell into deep thought.

Regardless of whether Prince Dun would instigate civil unrest in the future, his ability to rise to power amidst such a volatile situation clearly showed him to be no ordinary man. His recent visit to negotiate peace might have hidden agendas. Jin An's brow furrowed at this thought, knowing she had to make some preparations and couldn't sit idly by while this unpredictable situation unfolded. After a moment's deliberation, she decided to meet with her father and warn him of the dangers.

Jin An stood up and was about to ask Han Shuang to accompany him to visit his father, but then he thought of something. He turned around and went to the desk, picked up the brush, thought for a moment, and then wrote a few words on the paper.

After she finished writing, she carefully dried the ink and folded the paper. Then she raised her hand and called Han Shuang over to her. She handed the paper to her and said solemnly, "You must go to my grandfather's house now and make sure to deliver this to my grandfather."

Han Shuang took the note, nodded vigorously, turned around and left quickly. After watching Han Shuang leave, Jin An took his cloak and the stove in his hand, and walked out of the inner room, calling out at the door: "Ziyun!"

Ziyun was busy in the yard, instructing the palace maids and eunuchs to help clean the snow in the yard. When she heard Jin'an's call, she immediately stopped what she was doing, turned around and walked quickly towards Jin'an.

"Princess," Ziyun walked over quickly, her eyes glancing at the thick cloak on Jin'an. She instantly understood that the princess was going out. She quickly bowed and saluted, "Are you going out?"

"Well, come with me to see the Emperor," Jin An replied softly. Though her tone was gentle, it carried a certain undeniable resolve. She fastened the hood of her cloak and, taking the lead, headed towards the courtyard gate. Ziyun didn't even have a chance to try and persuade her.

Seeing this, Ziyun didn't dare to delay. She quickly rushed to the side, grabbed the oil umbrella, and opened it with a "swish". She held it steadily over Jinan's head, trying hard to shield her from the falling snow. She leaned slightly to the side and carefully followed Jinan's pace as they walked out of the courtyard.

----

Inside the post station outside the palace, the atmosphere was tense. Prince Ji Boyi of Yu State, hands on his hips, his massive figure like a towering mountain, blocked the post station chief in the corridor.

His eyes widened in anger as he stared at the postmaster, his gaze like two sharp blades, pointed directly at him. "What do you mean by this?" He roared at the top of his lungs, his voice like a bell, shaking the very air inside the inn. "Our princess of Yu is ill, and you invite a country doctor like this to treat her?"

As he spoke, his thick beard trembled. Prince Dun, nearly ten years younger than the King of Yu, was deeply favored by him. He was often surrounded by attendants and lived a life of luxury. His gesture now made it seem as if he felt his group was being slighted.

Prince Dun, upon hearing that the postmaster had brought a doctor to see the princess, decided to come over to see him. But then he saw the doctor, dressed in a simple blue medical robe, who looked like a resident doctor at a pharmacy. The moment he saw him, he was secretly delighted, and a plan quickly formed in his mind. He immediately stepped forward, reaching out to stop the postmaster and the doctor, and then he began to question them with his previous furious expression.

The postmaster, under orders from Yao Yongjian, had sent for the most renowned physician, Doctor Qian, from the largest pharmacy in the capital. Accompanying Doctor Qian, he hurried to the princess's residence, intent on treating her quickly and reporting back to the court. Who could have foreseen that he would be suddenly stopped by Prince Dun and inexplicably berated, leaving him feeling deeply frustrated.