Xiao Shan promised to return to the capital every year, but he broke that promise in the first year.

Yunnan was quite far from the capital. If they hurried, they could reach it quickly. However, at that time, Xie Zhui was pregnant, and considering Xie Zhui's health, they had to travel slowly.

Fortunately, Yunnan was Xiao Shan's fief, and they were not officials going to take up a post who would be punished for not arriving within a specified time. Moreover, they had the imperial physician, Shi Yan, accompanying them, who was of great help along the way.

Even more fortunately, Xie Zhui's health was good. Except for the days at the hunting grounds, when Xie Zhui suffered greatly due to the pregnancy, unable to eat and constantly vomiting, the journey was manageable.

Later, perhaps because Xiao Shan was injured, the child seemed to sense Xie Zhui's feelings and didn't cause much trouble. Throughout the journey, the child didn't make things too difficult for Xie Zhui, and Xiao Shan kept thinking of the child as a little angel.

However, this didn't mean Xie Zhui wasn't uncomfortable. On the contrary, anyone carrying a child would experience many discomforts; Xie Zhui was just relatively better off. Watching Xie Zhui, Xiao Shan had a moment of regret about leaving the capital. He thought that if he had known, he would have waited until the child was born and settled before moving the family to Yunnan.

Xie Zhui understood his thoughts and smiled, "Even if we stayed in the capital, the discomfort would still be there. It's something that can't be helped, so there's no point in worrying about it. Once we get to Yunnan, everything will be fine."

Xiao Shan knew these were words of comfort. He held Xie Zhui's hand and remained silent.

Xiao Shan was not someone who liked to trouble the people or waste resources, but during this journey, he rarely camped in the wild with Xie Zhui.

Even if they missed a post station or town, they would stay at a farmhouse.

Of course, to avoid excessively disturbing the locals, only the personal guards and close attendants like Ji An stayed with them, while the rest camped outside.

Despite these efforts, after they left, local officials still submitted memorials accusing Prince Li of disturbing the people.

By the time these memorials reached the Emperor's desk, Xiao Shan and his party had already left the area for several days. The Emperor, upon reading the memorials, made a sweeping comment, noting that Prince Li was now the Prince of Yunnan, and future memorials should use the correct title.

The words were not so blunt, but the meaning was clear.

Some people also gossiped to Xiao Jin about the matter. Xiao Jin was more direct, saying, "My third brother has never suffered since childhood, and now he's traveling with his pregnant consort. Isn't it perfectly normal that he doesn't want to camp in the wild? Who would want their consort and unborn child to suffer? Besides, did he not pay for his lodging or commit any wrongdoing? Is there really a need to make such a fuss?"

Seeing Xiao Jin's displeasure, people stopped bringing up the topic.

However, some more astute individuals took note of this situation and began to ponder.

With the Crown Princess deposed, the Eastern Palace had been without a mistress. Although Xiao Jin currently had no Crown Princess, it was only a matter of time.

Officials with ambitions in this regard had always been uncertain about Xiao Jin's intentions and found no opportunity to act.

Now, subtly, some officials began to think that frequently mentioning Xiao Shan and speaking well of him to the Crown Prince might give them a chance to be noticed and remembered by Xiao Jin. This could increase the likelihood of their daughters being considered for the position of Crown Princess in the future.

With this in mind, these officials quickly adjusted their attitudes. They not only mentioned Xiao Shan to Xiao Jin but did so with a sense of shared purpose and enthusiasm.

As a result, Xiao Jin suddenly noticed that more people were talking about Xiao Shan, and all of them were very enthusiastic, offering positive evaluations of him. On one hand, Xiao Jin was pleased, thinking that people were finally recognizing Xiao Shan's merits. On the other hand, he wondered if these people were eager to go to Yunnan to serve, hoping to gain Xiao Shan's favor.

If that were the case, he would need to consider it carefully. After all, it wasn't easy for Xiao Shan to cultivate a group of loyal officials, and he could send these people to support him.

Later, some officials were indeed sent south by Xiao Jin to take up posts, though not within Yunnan itself, but close enough.

This situation illustrated an old saying: understanding the thoughts of those in power was an art. Even if one succeeded in guessing correctly, actions must be measured; otherwise, the outcomes could be vastly different from what was intended.

Xiao Shan was unaware of all this. They meandered along the road for nearly two months before finally arriving in Yunnan.

Upon arrival, they sent official seals to the various prefectures, instructing them not to come out to greet them. Xiao Shan then directly led his people to the Prince of Yunnan's residence.

This residence once housed Emperor Taizong during his military campaigns. Subsequent emperors had not personally gone to war, so the estate had been sealed up. The current Emperor initially wanted to build a new residence for Xiao Shan, but Xiao Shan found it too troublesome and time-consuming. Thus, the Emperor had this estate renovated and gave it to Xiao Shan as his princely residence.

Xiao Shan was the only prince with a fief, and the Emperor personally ordered the Yunnan officials to renovate the residence. Every tree and blade of grass in the princely estate was exceptionally exquisite.

Xiao Shan had no time to admire the residence, knowing he would have plenty of time for that later.

After sitting in the carriage for so long, he and Xie Zhui could finally relax and rest. Xiao Shan had hot water prepared, and the two of them took a bath and then enjoyed a good night's sleep in bed.

As for the officials who came to visit, Ji An intercepted them, saying that Xiao Shan was not seeing anyone at the moment.

Once everything was settled, Xiao Shan would send invitations to the officials, inviting them to the residence to get acquainted.

The Yunnan officials naturally wanted to understand Xiao Shan's thoughts. They aimed to probe and learn about his preferences, so while waiting for the invitations, they diligently prepared gifts.

On the first day of Xiao Shan's arrival in Yunnan, the officials were enthusiastic. However, after two days with no movement from the princely residence, they began to feel uncertain, wondering if Xiao Shan was trying to assert his authority or test their patience.

Thus, they decided to wait patiently.

After waiting for seven or eight days with no activity from the princely residence, many officials began to feel disheartened, and their eagerness to curry favor with Xiao Shan waned significantly. Some even thought that having Xiao Shan as the Prince of Yunnan made no difference; they continued with their usual duties, and the common people noticed no changes.

Half a month later, just as everyone had returned to their usual routines, invitations from the princely residence suddenly arrived.

The officials felt that Xiao Shan was trying to assert his authority over them, making them even more cautious in their dealings with him.