Luyi, who happened to be bringing in lotus syrup, came in and saw Yaotian's expression. She giggled, "As I said before there's no need to bring the lotus syrup in so soon. Princess has just seen the Prince Consort and is completely sweetened. What need is there for external sweetness?"

"Luyi, are you seriously brave enough to make a joke out of me?" Yaotian recovered her spirits and sat dignified. She scolded, "You must have learned that off the Prince Consort." However, she could not uphold her pose and began to laugh again.

That night, Yaotian arrived at the Prince Consort Residence. She got off her horse but did not see He Xia come out. Dongzhuo hurriedly came forward to greet her. "Princess, the Prince Consort has sent me to pass on a message. He has been dealing with national affairs today and will return a some time later. Dinner has been prepared. As the Prince Consort has instructed, they are all dishes that Princess likes to eat. Would you like to eat in the side room of the backyard?"

Hearing that He Xia had not yet returned, Yaotian couldn't help feel a little dismayed. She simply nodded, saying, "I'll leave it to you."

"Then I'll instruct them to take the dishes in the side room of the backyard."

As expected, the dishes were delicious. Yaotian often came to the Prince Consort Residence, so its chefs naturally knew what she liked. They spent a lot of effort in their dishes. The taste was even finer than the Royal Residence's.

However, He Xia was not there and Yaotian had no appetite. She idly moved her chopsticks a few times, raising her head several times to look at the sky as well as ordering Luyi to check things out.

Luyi replied, "I have already sent several people to ask around, even without Princess' order. Although the war is over, there is still things like pensions and rewards, so he remains busy."

Yaotian faintly sighed.

Waiting for a full half hour, Luyi who constantly looked outside finally shouted, "The Prince Consort has returned!"

Yaotian was delighted by this and stood up to gaze outside the window. As expected, she saw the familiar figure valiantly hurrying towards her way. He Xia wiped his sweat the moment he entered the room, smiling while he asked, "Has Princess had dinner yet?"

"Yes, has Prince Consort eaten yet?"

"No time to eat." He Xia handed the white towel he used to wipe sweat off back to the servants before sitting by the table. Yaotian hurriedly ordered the maids to bring over some warm rice and dishes. She personally handed over a pair of chopsticks. He Xia received it and beamed at her. While picking up the food, he explained, "I wanted to return earlier, but if I don't finish today's work, then tomorrow will be even worse. Sorry for making Princess wait; it's all my fault."

"Since military affairs are so busy, then why don't I transfer two officials so some of Prince Consort's load can be shared."

He Xia hurriedly swallowed two gulps of food. He shook his head, "Although we're suffering because there's only a few people working on it, adding two more will bring in additional problems, making us even busier." Seeing Yaotian's confused look, he patiently explained, "Sorting out pensions, rewards and ranking systems are not difficult, but the challenge is that money and grains must be deployed. I don't have any allocation of money or grain specifically as rewards for soldiers, so I must ask for every reward from the national treasury. For every reward, a huge number of officials have to give their approval, as well as huge number of letters to be written. I can wait, but can the soldiers in the army wait? I wasted more than half the day at the national treasury, yet they only approved enough money for five thousand soldiers. I have to go back tomorrow to bargain with them too."

Yaotian had been listening very carefully, her hands holding a pair of chopsticks. She helped He Xia pick up bits of food, while slowly saying, "This is no simple matter. If rewards and pensions are lagging behind, the soldiers will be very unhappy. How could it not shake the army's morale?"

He Xia was clearly tired. One bowl of rice quickly entered his stomach. He beckoned a maid to serve up another. He agreed, "Princess is right. I don't particularly care about this right now, at most it will just make me tired. However, if the army's rewards and pensions lag behind too much, and battle were to suddenly begin, then how would we possibly counter them promptly? Though this time against the Dong Lin army has made us much more familiar with the topography, perhaps we don't need as much time to prepare counters."

He Xia had always been a famous general. Yaotian had dabbled in the government for a while now, so she knew he was right. She did not hesitate and immediately said, "The army indeed needs to have its own treasury and granary. I will see to an Order in tomorrow's morning assembly so that a new one can be built, all of them under Prince Consort. Only by having money and grain can troops be controlled properly."

He Xia chuckled as he advised, "Princess shouldn't so hurriedly give an order. This should be discussed with Senior Official first. If the Senior Official doesn't know in advance, then we'll both get scolded."

"Rest assured, Prince Consort. To things that benefit Yun Chang, Senior Official won't disagree."

After this serious discussion, He Xia finished eating. He comfortably stretched out before squinting at Yaotian. He laughed evilly, "Now that national affairs are all over, it's time to discuss the things between husband and wife. Whatever sweet words Princess would like to here, please give an Order."

Yaotian mocked him, "Now where did the serious Prince Consort go to? There's no way I would give an Order; you already have far too many sweet words, so much it's hard to eat."

He Xia readily replied, "Fine, then I will never say them again. Princess, don't be hurt by it. Hm, let me think, since I can't say such nice words, then what shall I get to make my beloved wife happy?"

Yaotian saw his brooding look in the flickering candlelight. His eyebrows reached into his temples, and his looks were extraordinary as a delightful evil. Only her confidants, no outsiders, were nearby so she no longer cared about the reserved etiquette of a master of a country. She smiled, her fingertips poking his shoulder, and giggled, "Prince Consort, quit pretending. Judging by your expression, I know you've hidden something nice so I wouldn't know. Hurry up and pass it up, or be aware of my punishment."

He Xia saw her reveal a girly expression and grabbed her wrist. He used his strength, causing Yaotian to shout "Kyaa" as she was helplessly pulled towards him. He Xia held her by the waist, letting her sit on his lap. He stroked her cheeks, "Is the dance pretty?"

"What dance?"

He Xia's shiny obsidian eyes studied Yaotian. He suddenly lowered his head, gently nibbling on Yaotian's necks, earning another "Kyaa". Before she could speak up and criticise him, He Xia teased, "Princess is delighting me again. The Prince Consort Residence recently welcomed a group of Bei Mo dance maids, and each were very pretty. Did no one report such an important matter to Princess? I'm sure there are waves of sournesss rolling in someone's stomach...Ow, that hurts..."

Yaotian had fiercely pinched He Xia. She wriggled free of his grasp, twisting her head to say, "Prince Consort is wrong. I am not a woman who feels unjustified jealousy."

He Xia stroked his arm that had been pinched. "Why, if it wasn't jealousy, did you pinch so hard?" He came forwards again, whispering in Yaotian's ear, "Report to Princess, I've been so busy with work that I didn't even see those dance maids. Why not take advantage of tonight and ask them to dance, while we drink to celebrate. That way, you won't endure your jealousy alone."

When Yaotian heard he hadn't seen those women, the joy in her heart was uncontrollable. She turned around, "How interesting. I also want to see how different Bei Mo dancers are." She then massaged He Xia's arm, her face flushed as she asked, "Does it really hurt?"

Perhaps it would've been better if she hadn't asked. The moment she did, He Xia immediately creased his eyebrows, forming a bitter expression. "It hurts, it hurts even more than a wound from swords."

Yaotian couldn't help punch him playfully. She softly scorned, "What famous general, so famous that fills the earth below the skies? Why do I always see a wicked person?"

"You're not my soldier, so why must I be so serious?" He Xia ceased causing trouble and freely laughed, his voice full of pride.

The servants brought the dancers of Bei Mo forwards. They were to dance on a small stone platform in the rear courtyard, while the couple drank and had fun on the pavilion.

That night, the skies decided to be pretty too. The moon hung in the sky, gray and bright, as it shone on the never-melting snow.

The dance maids were all wearing the dance dresses of Bei Mo. They were vividly coloured and had a drum attached to their waist which their dexterous hands hit. Yaotian had never seen such freshness and was very fascinated by them.

He Xia had been depleted of his energy through the day, yet he seemed even better than Yaotian. After the dance had finished, he loudly applauded, praising, "This song was danced well. In dedication to this dance, we must drink three cups."

Yaotian also drank, reflecting him. She brought the cup to her mouth before shaking her head, "Prince Consort, my alcohol tolerance is not as good as yours. Rather than three, just one will do."

He Xia was delighted with his own drinking but didn't force her to do the same. He nodded, "Do as you wish, Princess. However, this dance is much too graceful and deeply clutches a person's soul, therefore I must have three cups to add to the fun."

He consecutively drank two cups before unsheathing his sword.