A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

The day after Shang Wanqing returned to the capital, she woke up very late.

When she opened her eyes, it was already broad daylight, past Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Outside the carved wooden window of the side hall, the soft sounds of palace servants sweeping the courtyard drifted out, mingling with the faint chirping of birds in the distance, creating a quiet that made her feel somewhat uneasy.

In Quanzhou, at this hour, the shipyard would already be filled with the deafening sound of hammers and the bustling noise of people.

She sat on the bed in a daze for a while, the rhythm of the waves and the pungent smell of burning kerosene still lingering in her mind.

That naval battle, which lasted for months, was like a long and intense dream. Now that the dream is over, everything around me has become slow and unreal.

She got dressed, pushed open the door, and went out.

The morning air carried the chill of late autumn, rushing towards us.

She walked slowly along the covered walkway, and at the corner leading to the east wing, she met Liu Jingshuang.

Liu Jingshuang returned two days earlier than her and was holding Wei Heng in her arms, basking in the sun under the eaves.

The little guy, who is just over five months old, has grown quite a bit. He doesn't cry or fuss; instead, he opens his big, dark eyes and looks curiously at this unfamiliar world.

Upon seeing Shang Wanqing, Liu Jingshuang was taken aback for a moment. Then, a faint smile appeared on her usually aloof face.

"You arrived last night?"

"Mmm." Shang Wanqing nodded, her gaze falling on Wei Heng's chubby little face. The little guy was also looking at her, and even reached out his little hand to grab at the air.

Liu Jingshuang took a few steps closer, carrying the child, her voice tinged with knowing teasing: "I thought you would come to me first."

Shang Wanqing shifted her gaze from the child to meet Liu Jingshuang's eyes, and replied succinctly, "I'm going to the Imperial Study first."

Liu Jingshuang smiled knowingly and didn't ask any further questions.

Two women who fought side by side on the southeastern battlefield, leaving mountains of corpses and seas of blood, now stood in the morning light of the inner palace. Some things didn't need to be said aloud; they both understood.

In the morning, Shang Wanqing thought about it and went to Tuoba Yue's courtyard.

When she arrived, Wei Xuan was like an energetic little leopard, chasing a fat rabbit that had somehow wandered into the palace in the courtyard.

The little guy ran around stumbling and swaying, making "hehe haha" sounds to himself.

Tuoba Yue followed behind, holding a small cloak, calling out with a mix of exasperation and amusement, "Wei Xuan! Slow down! Don't go too far!"

Shang Wanqing stood at the courtyard gate, watching this scene full of life, for a long time.

She wasn't used to this kind of scene and even felt somewhat out of place.

In her world, there is only cold steel, precise blueprints, and deafening roar.

"Fourth Sister-in-law," she finally called out.

Tuoba Yue turned around, saw that it was her, and immediately a big smile appeared on her face. She walked over quickly, grabbed her hand, and felt the warmth and realness of her palm.

"When did you get back? You didn't even send someone to let me know beforehand so I could have the kitchen prepare some food for you."

"Last night. It was too late, so I didn't want to disturb you," Shang Wanqing replied somewhat awkwardly as she let her hold her hand.

"Come on in, come on in and sit down."

Tuoba Yue pulled her into the house, turning back as they went, calling out to her son, who was still struggling with the rabbit in the yard, "Wei Xuan! Stop chasing! Come back and see us!"

Hearing his mother's call, Wei Xuan finally abandoned the rabbit, grabbed his fluffy ears, and ran back in a flash. He ran up to Shang Wanqing, looked her up with a curious little face, carefully examined her for a while, and then asked in a clear voice, "Are you Fifth Sister?"

Looking at the small face that resembled Wei Zhao so much, Shang Wanqing felt a slight tremor in her heart.

She crouched down so that she and the child were at eye level, and nodded.

"Um."

Wei Xuan blinked his big eyes and asked the question he was most concerned about: "Did you bring any good food?"

This question left Shang Wanqing, who was used to facing swords and shadows, somewhat at a loss.

She paused for a moment before remembering that when she returned from Quanzhou, she had casually slipped a few pieces of the famous local malt candy into her sleeve pocket, intending to use them to stay alert on the road.

She took out a piece of candy wrapped in oil paper from her sleeve and handed it to Wei Xuan.

Wei Xuan cheered, took the candy, quickly unwrapped it, and stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks immediately puffing out.

With a candy in his mouth, he mumbled a thank you, then ran off like a gust of wind.

Tuoba Yue watched her son's retreating figure, shook her head helplessly, pulled Shang Wanqing to sit down in the room, and poured her a cup of hot tea.

In the afternoon, Shang Wanqing left Tuoba Yue's courtyard and, as if possessed, ended up in Su Qingyun's courtyard.

Su Qingyun was dealing with a mountain of account books. When she saw her enter, she merely glanced up before putting down her abacus and asking directly, "Have all the military expenses in the Southeast been settled?"

"It's settled."

Shang Wanqing sat down opposite her and answered just as decisively: "General Liu will decide on the resettlement expenses for Ke Zhenchuan's group of surrendered troops. The expenses will be paid directly from Quanzhou's commercial tax this year, without going through the Ministry of Revenue in the capital."

"Yes, that's for the best."

Su Qingyun nodded; this was indeed the most efficient method.

She lowered her head, turned to another page of the ledger, and lightly traced her finger across a line of numbers, as if calculating something.

The room fell silent, save for the rustling sound of papers turning.

How are you feeling?

Shang Wanqing was stunned. She hadn't expected Su Qingyun to ask that.

Looking at her face, which was roughened by long hours of exposure to wind and sun, yet still couldn't hide her fatigue, Su Qingyun added:

"You don't look well, and your lips are terribly chapped. Should we go see Ninth Sister?"

Shang Wanqing did not answer. She just sat silently for a while before standing up and leaving without saying a word.

She wasn't used to such direct concern from others, especially this kind of delicate understanding that comes between women.

This made her feel extremely uncomfortable, like a weapon that hadn't been properly fixed, with every part making awkward noises.

As evening fell, Shang Wanqing finally stood at the entrance of Xie Daoning's medicine hut.

She didn't know how she got through it. Perhaps Su Qingyun's words had taken root in her heart, or perhaps it was the inexplicable weariness deep in her body that was urging her on.

Xie Daoning was drying freshly picked herbs in the courtyard. When he saw her arrive, he showed no surprise.

"Come in."

Without asking any unnecessary questions, she directly asked Shang Wanqing to sit down at the table, and extended her hand, indicating that she should place her wrist on her wrist.

Shang Wanqing did as she was told.

Xie Daoning's slender, slightly cool fingers gently rested on her pulse.

The medicine hut was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of the wind coming from outside the window.

Looking at Xie Daoning's focused and serene profile, Shang Wanqing felt inexplicably nervous.

A moment later, Xie Daoning withdrew his hand.

She glanced at Shang Wanqing, her gaze calm yet seemingly able to see through people's hearts.

She didn't say anything, but turned around and walked to the row of floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinets at the back, opened one of the drawers, took out a medicine packet wrapped in brown paper, and handed it to her.

"Take one dose each morning and evening, for three days initially."

Shang Wanqing silently took the medicine packet and put it into her sleeve.

She stood up, preparing to leave, when Xie Daoning's calm voice came from behind her.

"Don't rush back to Quanzhou."

Shang Wanqing stopped in her tracks.

She heard Xie Daoning add unhurriedly behind her, "Have the people below keep an eye on the dockworkers for now. You need to take good care of your health."

Shang Wanqing didn't turn around, but simply responded softly.