Now, Xi Chen usually prided himself for being quick-witted but it seemed like his mind was slightly fuddled because of their earlier encounter so he ended up blurting, "Which one?", which he regretted instantly.

Ye An stared at the lieutenant before collecting herself. "Yes, it's understandable that you're confused. All of them, I guess. Me being a woman and.. Lee Han."

Appalled by his mistake, Xi Chen tried to redeem himself. "My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty. I didn't mean it that way. Of course, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Ye An raised an eyebrow. "Not even your friend, Ah Lin?"

"Not even him. Like I said before, I don't have a habit of sharing a secret that isn't mine to share."

"Well, that's certainly good to hear." Ye An uttered as she ate her food silently.

Xi Chen quickly changed the subject. "Will you be seeing the governess later?"

"Why would I do that?" To others, Ye An might seem composed. But Xi Chen could see that she was startled by the sudden question.

"It might not be my place to ask but are you going to pretend to be strangers with Governess Hsu from now on?" Xi Chen asked gently.

Ye An turned to look away before she quietly replied. "Of course not."

"My apologies for saying this, Your Imperial Majesty. But it certainly looks like it." Even though Xi Chen's words were blunt, they didn't sound offensive to Ye An because he never lost that gentleness in his tone.

"Don't you think Governess Hsu is the one avoiding me? Asking you to change my bandage instead of doing it herself?" Both of them reddened at the sudden reminder of what had happened earlier. But with steel in her eyes, Ye An continued. "And the way she didn't even check up on me once after what had happened yesterday certainly makes it look like she is the one who's avoiding me. Not the other way around."

Xi Chen's gaze softened. "Are you sure you won't avoid her if she didn't do it first?"

Ye An sighed and avoided eye contact with Xi Chen. "I just.. I need some time to process."

Xi Chen nodded. "Understandable. But I don't think you should put it off for too long."

There was a pause in the air as Ye An debated about that. She finally said, "Let's talk about something else."

"Alright." Xi Chen answered, trusting that Ye An would do what needs to be done in due time. In the meantime, they had another matter to attend to. "The Northerners returned to the North last night, but I believe Prince Adlai is still here."

"Oh, yes. I nearly forgot about him. He's still at the inn?"

"I believe so."

"Alone?"

"I think Chieftain Burat would have left some of their guards to accompany him. I could go and check if you want?"

Ye An thought about it as she took a bite of her meal. "Why don't both of us go together after my morning reading session with Tutor Jiang?"

It was the custom for court meetings to be canceled not only on the day of the Annual Hunt but the day after as well so that the emperor and court officials could recuperate after the event. The day after the Annual Hunt also marked the start of autumn which was also a national public holiday. Ye An thought that it was the perfect time to make all the needed arrangements for Prince Adlai. They couldn't have him staying at the inn the entire time that he would be living in the capital.

"Grand eunuch." Ye An called to the grand eunuch who was at the periphery of the room while she was dining with Xi Chen.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty."

"Send a letter to Minister Wu. Ask him to enter the palace this afternoon to make arrangements for Prince Adlai's accommodation in the southern wing."

"Understood, Your Imperial Majesty." The grand eunuch immediately exited the room to make arrangements.

"You're having him move in here?" Xi Chen inquired after listening to the emperor's interaction with the grand eunuch.

"Yes. I figured that's the easiest way for him to be able to learn by my side."

"Have you figured out how closely you want him to follow you?"

"For now, he'll follow me everywhere except for court meetings. I don't think he would be well-received there. It would just be less stress for everyone."

Xi Chen nodded but suddenly thought of something. "Will he be joining us during meals as well?"

"Well, that depends on him. But most probably, yes."

Xi Chen's face fell slightly but he managed to school his facial expression so well that Ye An didn't notice a thing.

"Her Majesty the Empress Mother has arrived!" A servant announced from outside.

Ye An cursed. "Why does she always interrupt my meals?"

Xi Chen widened his eyes at the emperor. This was the first time he heard her cursing out loud in his presence.

"Your Imperial Majesty!" The Empress Mother exclaimed once she stepped into the room. Realizing that the lieutenant was also in the room, the Empress Mother cleared her throat to regain her composure.

Ye An turned to the lieutenant. "Leave us. Wait outside in the courtyard. Bring all the servants out too. I would like to have a private conversation with the Empress Mother."

Xi Chen left promptly before closing the doors behind him.

The Empress Mother took no time to make herself comfortable and sat at the seat that was occupied by Xi Chen earlier. "I see that you've been having your meals with Lieutenant Yun quite often these days."

"Yes, and?" Ye An raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"Nothing.." The Empress Mother answered, deciding to change the subject. "I heard that you were hurt."

"What a surprise that you didn't hear about this as soon as I was back from the hunt yesterday. So, are you here to chastise me?"

"Whatever do you mean? I'm just worried. I told you it wasn't a good idea to invite the Northerners here. Now they've taken their chance to aim their arrows at you!" The Empress Mother waved her hand animatedly to prove her point.

Ye An rolled her eyes inwardly. "I have good reason to deduce that the archer who shot at me was not a Northerner."

"Oh, nonsense! Of course it's one of the Northerners! Who else would it be? Certainly not our people! And don't let me know that you've signed the agreement with them after this incident."

"I did, actually." Ye An replied calmly as she sipped on her tea.

This brought out an emotional response from the Empress Mother. "What?! You should have declined!"

"Your Majesty, if you've been listening closely to me, you'll remember that I said I have good reason to believe that they're not responsible. Are you implying your doubts at my judgment?"

Ignoring Ye An's prickly question, the Empress Mother had an outburst. "Hah! Why are you so naïve?!"

"Your Majesty." Ye An warned in a dangerous tone, the corners of her eyes sharpening. "I suggest that you be clear of your place. Even if I needed guidance, I probably wouldn't ask for it from someone like you."

The Empress Mother narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me, Your Majesty. Have you heard of Lee Han?" Ye An asked, pacing her breath steadily.

The Empress Mother's eyes widened, her nostrils flared. "Where did you hear of this name?"

"I believe it was you who said to me before that I'll have my own ways when I'm in this long enough. So never you mind where I heard the name from." Ye An answered coolly.

The Empress Mother was uncharacteristically quiet.

Ye An continued. "Are you not going to tell me about him yourself? Never mind then. I have enough information on him. I know how desperately you want our 'family legacy' to continue. Imagine if people caught wind of this. Of how you lied to the entire nation and made one of your sons live in the shadows. If you don't want to see me put out every single dirty laundry that our family possesses to the public then don't meddle. Your regency ended when I ascended to the throne. Don't forget that and don't forget that it is not in your power to control what happens to this country anymore."

The Empress Mother only gave Ye An a defiant look.

"Do you understand, Your Majesty?" Ye An's eyes hardened as she waited for the Empress Mother's answer.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty." The Empress Mother answered as she lowered her eyes. It was the first time Ye An received such a meek response from the Empress Mother.

"While we're at it, are there any other secrets that I don't know of?" Ye An asked and shook her head a second afterward. "Doesn't matter, I don't want to know. Just bring them to your grave. Please leave. I hope I don't see you meddling again. Just retire and rest at your residence. Do some embroidery, drink some tea. I hope I don't have any more encounters such as this with you in the future."

The Empress Mother pursed her lips. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Then I'll leave you to your meal."

"Please ask Lieutenant Yun to come in when you see them in the courtyard." Ye An ordered the Empress Mother.

The proud Empress Mother gritted her teeth. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty."

After a few minutes, Xi Chen entered the room. He couldn't help but notice that Ye An was calmer than before her meeting with the Empress Mother.

"Lieutenant Yun, please sit. Where were we earlier?"

"Prince Adlai."

"Ah, yes. You should prepare before we go. I'll head to the Mental Cultivation Hall with the servants."

"But.. I don't really have anything to prepare?" Xi Chen replied incredulously.

"Just do it. If not, just use that time to have your morning training or whatnot." Truth be told, their encounter early this morning still rattled Ye An. And all she wanted to do was to stay away from the lieutenant whenever possible until the strong urge to crawl into a deep hole and bury herself in embarrassment whenever the lieutenant was present subsided.

Xi Chen blinked in confusion but agreed. "Alright."

They continued their meals in silence after that before going their separate ways.

Once back at his chambers, Xi Chen let out a breath. Their entire meal was the most uncomfortable they had been with each other since their first meeting and Xi Chen didn't know how to diffuse that atmosphere.

Suddenly his door opened and a head popped in. "Xi Chen!"

The tightly wounded tension in Xi Chen made him pull his sword out at the sudden movement and point its sharp edge towards the person at his door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm sorry." Ah Lin quickly held both hands up in surrender.

Realizing that it was Ah Lin, Xi Chen quickly sheathed his sword. "Ah Lin!"

"Why are you so tensed, brother?" Seeing that Xi Chen's sword was safely sheathed, Ah Lin stepped into the room and grabbed Xi Chen into a headlock.

Xi Chen choked and coughed in Ah Lin's tight grip over his neck.

"Oh, oh. My bad, my bad." Ah Lin let go of Xi Chen and thumped at Xi Chen's back as hard as he could, thinking that it would help him bring more air into his lungs.

Xi Chen coughed even harder at the pounding on his back. Through watery eyes, Xi Chen asked, "Why are you here? Didn't you travel back with the Northerners last night?"

"Prince Adlai's staying, isn't he? There has to be someone from the northern border to escort his convoy back later. So naturally, being the sweetheart that I am, I volunteered. I know, I know. It's a great sacrifice on my side." Ah Lin nodded and held a hand over his heart solemnly.

"Great sacrifice? Don't think I don't know that you just volunteered so that you'll have a chance to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival." Xi Chen shook his head as he smiled at Ah Lin's antics.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was famous for being the most decadent and extravagant festival that was traditionally held in the southern plains, second only to the Lunar New Year celebrations in the capital. It was a tradition for the royal family to travel to the southern plains during Mid-Autumn to offer prayers at the Temple of the Full Moon that was located in the middle of the country's agriculture hub. Many people from out of town would travel south if they could afford it just to attend the festival. However, those in the military were rarely allowed to leave their posts. So Ah Lin's thought process was glaringly obvious to Xi Chen. If he stayed at the capital, Ah Lin might have a higher chance of joining in on the Mid-Autumn festivities than if he was stationed back at the northern border.

"What about the troop that had returned? Who's responsible for them now that you're here?" Xi Chen passed the role of leadership to Ah Lin when he left the northern border. So he was wondering who would be shouldering the mantle when they were both here at the capital.

"Don't you worry your handsome little head about it, I've arranged for one of my subordinates to take over temporarily. I've trained him myself for the past few months." Ah Lin reassured Xi Chen confidently as he waved his hand nonchalantly.

Xi Chen nodded in acknowledgment. "Anyhow, it's a good thing that you're still here. I realized that I've forgotten to ask you about the recent invasion at the northern border."

"Oh, don't beat yourself up about your faulty memory. I understand that you were agonizing over your relationship problems when we last had a proper conversation." Ah Lin nodded and patted Xi Chen's shoulder in mock earnestness which earned him Xi Chen's narrowed eyes. "So, what about it?"

Even though Xi Chen had a sudden strong urge to hit Ah Lin really hard, there was more important business to attend to. "Did more people get dispatched to the wall during the day of the invasion?"

"Hmm, yes." Ah Lin's jolly facial expression suddenly turned serious. He scooted closer to Xi Chen and whispered carefully into his ears, cautious of the ears on the palace walls, "One of the soldiers who were working at the messenger office received the pigeon that was sent by General Shao. The scroll warned us about the invasion and demanded that more soldiers should be stationed at the wall. We only received it a few hours before the incident. But how did he even know about it when he was miles away at the capital? Even those of us who were at the border didn't know about it."

"But I heard there were rumors of the invasion weeks before the incident." Xi Chen whispered back.

"What rumors? You were there during the weeks leading up to the invasion; did you hear anything out of the ordinary?"

Xi Chen shook his head wordlessly.

"See. Me neither. If there were rumors circulating, it was definitely not our men who did the circulating."

"So, you're suspecting that General Shao had a part in this?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure. But it certainly seems like it, doesn't it?"

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