Dawn forayed into the bamboo hut in the form of a soft beam of the early sun. Everything was quiet in the room except for the gentle breathing coming from Ye An and Xi Chen as they remained entangled in the bedsheets. Outside, the sun rose gradually until their marital bed was flooded with daylight. 

Ye An slowly opened her eyes and couldn't stop the smile on her face when she watched at how peaceful Xi Chen looked as he slept. She pulled a hand out of the blankets and brushed a strand of hair that fell across his face, reveling in the silkiness of his hair. Ye An scooted in for a closer look at Xi Chen. At her husband. And Xi Chen instinctively reached out to tuck her into him. Ye An let out a little startled gasp which was followed by a widened smile. She placed a soft kiss on Xi Chen's chest and stayed there for a little while. When she was ready, Ye An gingerly removed the arm around her and left the bed to get dressed in silence. A few strides and she was at the door. Turning around to cast another glance at the room, at the decorations, the red canopy, and Xi Chen's silhouette underneath it, Ye An took everything in before blowing out a deep breath. It was time for her to return to being Emperor Ye An.

After a quick wash up, Ye An headed straight to the temple to look for the head monk. She hadn't had the chance to learn of both Sze Chang's and Prince Adlai's temporary residence here and figured that the head monk would have the answers. Ye An had to meet her cousin and the foreign prince to discuss their strategy before they make their move towards the capital. After asking around, Ye An found the head monk with his back to her, crouching over something on the ground in the garden behind the temple.

"I didn't know that there was a garden here." Based on how Ye An's boots were sinking into the soil, it seemed as if spring had made its appearance overnight.

"Ah, Miss An." The head monk stood up and bowed at Ye An in greeting. "This humble garden is no match to the exquisitely designed gardens in the capital. It is simply called a garden because plants grow here." The head monk waved a hand across the small area. "And since we're deep in the icy gales of winter most of the time, not many religiously tend to this garden." A serene smile curved over the head monk's weathered face as he turned towards the object that he was earlier engrossed in before Ye An's arrival. "Even I, only came because I heard that this little thing sprouted overnight."

Ye An took a few steps so that she was now viewing the small plant with the head monk. It was a small green bud. The damp patch of soil around it already thawed and showing their deep mahogany color. 

The head monk turned towards Ye An. "Miss An, do you know what plant is this?"

"Um.. No..?" Ye An couldn't help but feel incredulous at the question. Not only was she no botanist, all she could see of the plant was only a green nub. 

Some of the thoughts running through Ye An's head must have shown on her face because the head monk guffawed. "That was merely a rhetorical question, Miss An. This one right here is a jade plant that I had planted two years ago. It missed the sprouting season last year. I wasn't sure that they would sprout this year. But alas! It sprouted!" The head monk couldn't help the satisfied smile across his face.

Ye An smiled at the head monk's obvious enthusiasm. "Well, even though I do not know many things about plants, I do know that each of them has their own meaning. So what is the meaning of a jade plant?"

The head monk's eyes sparkled as he told Ye An. "They mean luck and good fortune. It's certainly a great omen before you head off to the capital, isn't it?"

Ye An took a moment before answering, "It certainly is." Her eyes then strayed to the small plant on the ground, her subsequent statement only a mutter, "I certainly hope it is."

*******

"I hope that both of our troops will work well together. How are they even going to communicate?" Ye An asked Prince Adlai as she strapped her gloves in. They had left the mountains a couple of hours ago and were currently in the makeshift tent at the edge of the camp. When she first stepped into the camp site, it was jarring for Ye An to see the tents from Middle Kingdom and the North mingling with each other without a clear boundary to separate them. Not only that, the men at the camp, both the Middle Kingdom soldiers and the Northern warriors, walked in stride with each other and went about the day like any other army troops who had been fighting alongside each other for years. Ye An had to admit that it might take her some time to get used to the sight, but still, she supposed that it's a good sign that the men got along. It certainly wouldn't do any good for them if there were internal conflicts in the coming battle. Perhaps the men, despite their differing heritage, understood that as well.

Beside Xi Chen who was sheathing his sword after checking the blade, Prince Adlai adjusted his own armor as he spoke in his accent, "Every Northerner understands and is able to speak your common tongue albeit our accent. It is a requirement in our education system. So, my men will have no trouble communicating with your men."

"Huh." Ye An cocked her head. "I didn't know that. So every single one of you understood everything that we say?"

Prince Adlai paused to raise an eyebrow. "Is that such a surprise if our education system includes a foreign language?"

Ye An shook her head. "No, of course not. I just wonder why we've never explored that."

Sze Chang cleared his throat. "Well, you could explore that when we've defeated General Shao and Leader Wakhia." Ye An shifted her focus to him. Sze Chang was already dressed and strapped from head to toe when Ye An found him earlier. Despite his calm demeanor, she sensed the nervous roaring river behind his eyes but decided not to comment about it because she would be lying if she said that she didn't feel the same way.

Prince Adlai nodded in agreement as he stood up tall and faced Ye An. "Now, I think it's time for a battle speech, don't you think so, Emperor Ye An?"

Ye An's eyes found Xi Chen's steady gaze on instinct. He gave her a small nod and a slight smile. And with that, the crashing waves in her heart calmed. "Well, there certainly is no better time than this, Prince Adlai."

Ye An squared her shoulders and lifted the flap of the tent's entryway. She spearheaded their small group towards the stage in the middle of the campsite. Most of the tents from earlier were all packed away with only a straggle few soldiers and warriors dismantling the remaining tents. As the four of them passed by, they stopped in their tracks to bow to them. The rest of the troop was already at the stage waiting for them. 

Ye An's boots thudded on the wooden steps going up the stage. Only Prince Adlai followed her. Xi Chen and Sze Chang remained at the base of the stage, watching them.

Prince Adlai was the first to speak, he spoke in the common tongue of the Middle Kingdom. "Northern warriors and Middle Kingdom soldiers! You are here because you have made a choice! A choice to end this war once and for all! A choice of peace!" The men below the stage hollered loudly. Ye An surveyed the rowdy scene and couldn't help but think that Chieftain Burat would have been proud of his grandson. The foreign prince had grown into a charismatic leader during the time that they were apart. Prince Adlai continued, "With Emperor Ye An back with us, we will now claim victory!" By the end of the declaration, he grabbed Ye An by her shoulders and nudged her to the center of the stage before releasing her.

Ye An took this as her cue to speak. Before she could utter a single word, Ye An couldn't help but hear murmurs running through the crowd, mostly from the soldiers of the Middle Kingdom, if not all. Except for the quiet murmurings, silence hung in the air like an uncomfortable wet rag. Ye An clenched her jaw as words traveled to her ears.

"Do you think it's true that she's a woman?"

"It must be true if she fled when they pressed her about it."

"A woman emperor? That is pure blasphemy."

Ye An cleared her throat and the whispers halted. Her eyes landed on each and everyone of the soldiers, especially those who had said those words, as far away as her eyes could reach. "Yes, I am a woman."

The air was instantly filled with what sounded like a busy beehive as the soldiers talked over each other.

"You heard that??"

"He- She admitted that she's a woman!"

"What in the world- So it's true!"

Ye An trudged on. "I believe that all of you here must have mothers, sisters, cousins who are women themselves. And I'd like you to imagine them having the same education and opportunities as you do. Do you honestly think that there is zero chance that they could best you just by sheer will and tenacity?" Ye An watched the soldiers as they contemplated and the way some of their eyes landed on the ground after while the rest glowered in indignation. She pushed on. "I would like to take this chance to remind all of you here that I have been trained to be an emperor since birth. I have ridden on horses, practiced my swordsmanship, honed my archery skills, pored over books on philosophy, studied the intricacies of politics and all of the country's issues and tribulations. Since I could remember, my schedule had been packed with all of these activities from dawn to late night for every single day of my life until my coronation. All in preparation of being an emperor one day. Just based on that alone, based on the dedication for the role, do any of you really think that you would be a better fit to be the emperor just because you're a man?" She watched the soldiers with rapt attention. No one spoke. No one seemed to even breathe. Some of them even managed to look ashamed. So Ye An continued, "I guess that answers my question."

Wood creaked as Sze Chang stepped onto the stage. Ye An turned her attention to him. "I would also like to add that she is currently still your emperor. She's the only member of the imperial family who had an emperor's coronation. So, does any of you still have any objection in regards of her being the emperor just because of her biological construct? Or are we going to save Middle Kingdom?"

This time, the murmurs running through the crowd were murmurs of agreement. Of course men would only listen to another man. Despite that, Ye An was grateful and tersely nodded her thanks to Sze Chang before turning to face the crowd again.

"So, let's not waste any more time." Ye An announced, her voice bellowed. "To the warriors of the North, we thank you for your courageous assistance in this battle and I, Ye An, will never forget this gesture as long as I shall live! To the soldiers of Middle Kingdom, it's time to get our capital back!"

Prince Adlai and the Northern warriors howled the Northern war cry while the Middle Kingdom soldiers roared.

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Writer's note:  I just wanna write about Ye An and Xi Chen but there's a war T_T