Chu Qiao’s face turned bright red. Seeing the maidservants at the side laughing quietly to themselves, she pouted and exclaimed, “What are you saying?”

　　“Don’t laugh! Can’t you see that General Chu is shy?” Yan Xun turned around and pretended to chide the maidservants, but they laughed even louder instead. He turned around towards Chu Qiao and shrugged, reaching out his hands. “It’s over. They are not listening to me anymore.”

　　“Nonsense. I won’t talk to you anymore.” Chu Qiao turned around to walk back to her own room. Yan Xun laughed heartily and lifted her up from behind. “I said I’d send you back. You deserve to be beaten up, defying the military order!”

　　After Yan Xun left, the room quietened down. Chu Qiao stayed in her own room, no longer feeling tired. Thinking of the events that happened just now, she blushed. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She had no choice but to sit up, leaning against the table in a daze. After Yan Xun came back, things had seemingly become different. Their relationship had become more intimate, but other things had changed.

　　Thinking of what Yan Xun had said just now, Chu Qiao smiled. Perhaps, she had been overly paranoid. Men were all like that. They did not like their women to be on the battlefield, fighting at the frontline. Now that he was more powerful, he wished to protect her. She should have understood him and his intentions for her to live a peaceful life. Just like an ordinary lady, she would sip tea while admiring the flowers. She would wear silk and satin dresses while being attended to by her servants. She would live a luxurious life, in order to make amends for the hardships that she had suffered. Although this kind of life was not what she wanted, she felt obliged to grant his wish and understand his reasons. He did not deliberately intend to exclude her; he just wanted to protect her.

　　Chu Qiao felt better after thinking from this perspective. As she was about to drift to sleep, she heard footsteps outside her door. She pushed open her window, causing the cold air to drift in. Rows of lanterns drifted towards Yan Xun’s door swiftly; it was evident that the mood of the people was tense.

　　“Lü Liu!” Chu Qiao called out. The maidservant ran over, still looking sleepy. “Miss, what’s the matter?”

　　“What’s going on outside? It’s so late already. Why are there so many people?”

　　“Oh, Miss. You don’t know yet? Your Highness will be discussing military matters with the generals overnight. I think they are going to discuss the strategy for the war at the east. Those generals have waited outside the door for quite a while already.”

　　Chu Qiao was stunned upon hearing these words. The wind outside was strong, blowing on her clothes around her shoulder and messing up her long hair.

　　“Aiya, Miss! You just recovered! How can you be exposed to the wind?” the maidservant ran over and closed the window, calling out to her. “Miss? Miss?”

　　“Ah?” Chu Qiao snapped out of her trance and replied, “Oh, it’s nothing. You can take your leave.”

　　Lü Liu looked at her suspiciously and remarked, “Miss, are you really alright?”

　　“I’m alright. Go and sleep.”

　　“Oh.” Lü Liu obliged and added, “Miss, sleep early too.”

　　Yan Xun’s study was brightly lit. Chu Qiao looked there for a while, before snuggling into her blanket to sleep. Before she slept, she thought to herself: Did Yan Xun send me back to the room tonight so that he could discuss military matters? As she thought about it, she felt that being back in her own room was better. It would be noisy there, such that she could not sleep.

　　As she drifted in and out of sleep, an indescribable sense of panic and fear surged up her heart. Her heart felt unstable, like a floating boat being rocked about by the waves. However, after a while, the feeling slowly calmed down.

　　Chu Qiao woke up early the next day. She was troubled, and could not get back to sleep. In three days, Yan Xun would be leaving. She felt uneasy inside. Without even washing up, she ran to Yan Xun’s room the first thing in the morning. However, she was told that he had gone to Luori Camp last night, and had not been back since.

　　After she finished her meal, Yan Xun was still not back. Having nothing to do, she sat in front of her study table in a daze. Her mind subconsciously started to visualize the Xia Empire’s military distribution after the first northern conflict, as well as the comparisons between the intel, logistics, and weapons of both parties. An imaginary military map started to appear in her head.

　　As she was in deep thought, Lü Liu and Feng Zhi were laughing as they walked in. Lü Liu was holding a tablet in her hand. When she saw Chu Qiao, she chuckled and said, “Miss, what do you think this is?”

　　Chu Qiao looked up and was stunned. It was a longevity tablet with her name and military position carved on it. Below that, small words, of congratulatory nature, were engraved on it.

　　“My longevity tablet?” Chu Qiao laughed and continued, “Which of you did this? Is it to make me happy?”

　　Lü Liu remarked with joy, “What are you saying? Feng Zhi bought this.”

　　“Bought this? Why would anyone be selling this?”

　　“I bet you didn’t know this,” Feng Zhi said. He was a young man who Yan Xun had accepted as a page boy after Feng Mian had left him that year. With laughter, he continued, “Miss, you are Beishuo City’s benefactor. The civilians hold you in high regard and have your tablet in the altars of their homes. They worship you day and night. When the Loyalty Hall in the southern part of the city collapsed, a rich family offered to pay for the rebuilding costs. They erected a statue of Miss along with it, beside the statue of Old Lord Yan. It’s the first time that a living person has been inducted into the Loyalty Hall. The vendors and businessmen, seeing an opportunity for profit, started to produce Miss’s longevity tablets and jade pendants for peace. They are circulating widely outside now. Even some soldiers in the army bought the jade pendant to bring it around with them!”

　　Chu Qiao was stunned upon hearing Feng Zhi’s words. However, she was not as happy as Feng Zhi and Lü Liu had expected her to be. Instead, she started to frown. After a long while, she asked in a low voice, “Other than my tablet, are they selling anyone else’s?”

　　Feng Zhi saw her stern expression and started to panic. He whispered, “Yes. However, they are selling clay figures of Lu Zhi, the general from the Second Army. The civilians took them home and either burnt it in their stoves or dumped it into their lavatory pits.”

　　“Miss, are you alright?” Lü Liu asked softly.

　　Chu Qiao shook her head. “I’m alright. Take your leave first. As for that thing, burn it or throw it away. Don’t put it in the house.”

　　“Mmm.” The two of them anxiously obliged, walking out of the door.

　　Chu Qiao felt uneasy inside. That battle, Yan Xun had flanked and surrounded the enemy by surprise, averting the crisis of Beishuo. No one knew of his intention to give Yan Bei up. By logical deduction, the civilians should have been thankful to him. Why did they not appreciate his efforts? There was something amiss which needed further investigation.

　　Chu Qiao frowned. Her reputation had soared to such heights. Yan Xun might not have been paranoid about this, but she could not say the same about other people. It looked like she needed to do more things for Yan Xun. It looked right for her not to intervene in military matters. As she thought further, she felt a chill. Did Yan Xun know about all these? If he knew, would he have second thoughts about distancing her from military matters? However, as her thoughts wandered, she banished this thought and shook her head, laughing at herself. It was impossible. This was such a crazy idea.

　　She opened her window, seeing that the snow had stopped. The tall, empty Qingyuan Palace sat atop the vast lotus pond. It was made up of high-grade Phoebe Zhennan wood. The water from all four directions was clear and pristine. The adjoining bamboo curtains were half open, appearing clean. There were no more lotus flowers in this season, but the capable palace maids used cut-outs with a bluish-green cloth to make replicas of the flowers. They then put it on the surface of the pond for it to drift. In the distance, the wind blew at the trees, causing them to shake. The replica lotus leaves appeared bluish-green, just like the real ones. The royal palace of Song was beautiful, even more than that of Tang’s Jinwu Palace.

　　As Qinyuan Palace was still under renovation, Nalan Hongye shifted the court over to Qingyuan Palace. After the morning court session, she opened the curtains and walked outside. Nalan Hongyu was leaning against his golden throne. He was sitting upright, but a trail of saliva was streaming down his chin. He was snoring; it was evident that he had been sleeping for a long time.

　　Thinking of the official’s looks as they left, the first princess started to frown. The little eunuch saw her expression and pushed Nalan Hongyu on the shoulder lightly, carefully calling out, “Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”

　　The young emperor woke up in a daze. He frowned and was about to react in anger, but suddenly saw his elder sister in front of him. His anger turned to fear as he stood up. He rubbed his eyes and whispered, “Sister.”

　　The people in the palace had left, leaving only Nalan Hongye, her young brother, and a personal eunuch which attended to them. Nalan Hongye frowned. She said calmly but firmly, “Did I tell you not to sleep in court before?”

　　The emperor lowered his head, like a kid who had been caught in his mischief. He mumbled, “Y-yes.”

　　“Why did you do it again?”

　　The young emperor lowered his head and admitted his mistake. “Sister, I was wrong.”

　　Nalan Hongye raised her eyebrows. “Didn’t I teach you how to address yourself?”

　　“Um?” Nalan Hongyu was stunned, not being able to comprehend his sister’s words.

　　The little eunuch whispered something in his ear. The emperor nodded and replied, “Sister, I…no…Your Majesty was wrong. Your Majesty was wrong.”

　　“Since you know your mistake, go back and copy ‘The Record of Morals’ ten times. No eating until you’re finished.”

　　“Ah?” The emperor’s face sagged. Nalan Hongye did not pay any further attention and walked out. It was empty in the palace. The sunlight was radiant; the winds blew from all directions onto the bamboo curtains. It swept over the golden bells, causing them to ring. Nalan Hongye was dressed in a dark blue uniform meant for court sessions. Her outfit dragged across the thick floorboards, revealing the patterns of various birds embroidered on it. They glowed a bright golden, showing off their exquisite design. It was befitting of a royal’s status and poise indeed.

　　“Princess.” Aunt Yun was waiting outside for her. Seeing that she had stepped outside, she dashed to her side and draped a soft cloak over her. It was in the 11th month of the year already. Despite the warm climate of Song, the winds were cold enough. “Princess, are you going back to the palace?”

　　Nalan Hongye shook her head. The kings of Changling and Pujiang were careful in their words, avoiding the topic on the disaster at the eastern seas. With a low voice, she replied, “Summon Xuan Mo into the palace. I have something important to discuss with him.”

　　“Yes,” Aunt Yun obliged and continued to ask, “Princess, do you want to meet him at Qingyuan Palace? Regarding this, the emperor is still…” Aunt Yun stopped speaking. Nalan Hongye turned around upon hearing her words. The big palace was silent and appeared desolate. The pitch-black wooden boards inside only added to that feeling.

　　The young emperor sat on the steps all alone, scratching his head. The pearls on his crown slanted to both sides, reflecting bright light. The sunlight shone on the pearls through the pearl curtains, adding to its majesty. Through the ray of light, the specks of dust could be seen floating in mid-air. His yellow robe only served to further illustrate his sorrow, like a child who had been ignored.

　　However, his sorrow was purely because he had to copy “The Record of Morals” ten times. It was not because of the floods at Qiubei, the bandits at the eastern seas, the complaints filed by the chief prosecutors, nor the internal conflicts in court. As long as he finished copying the book ten times, he would be free of any further burdens. He could then eat, sleep and play in peace, continuing to live his days in peace without any worries, even if he held the responsibility of his entire country on his shoulders.