In the morning the physicians who are living in the village comes to visit. They are glad that the injured soldiers are healing there is nothing to do except to boil more medcine for them to drink to nourish their bodies. One of the physicians check on the Duke.
"Your highness, your wounds are healing very well! Obviously you have applied the correct medicine and .... this cloth.... might be too big but it works it works! haha."
"This cloth is provided by one of my assistant... is this..."
"Your highness... usually this cloth is used by woman... woman who given birth and woman who needs to bind their chest for convenience to work on the field. So i don't know why your man have it. Maybe he just take it along since it is a big cloth... without it, your wounds are not able to be cover properly. The healing will so fast."
Duke Yan now feels his assistant is laying through his teeth about his gender. Base on last night conversations, the Duke knows that he is a female. The more he thinks about it, the stranger the feelings is. He have never go near a female except his grandmother. However he is never close with Luo Ming to the extend that they touch each other but with Xie Yi Jin, they are close to the extend that he allow his assistant to wash his hair and walk about half naked in the same room. He somehow never feel awkward with Xie Yi Jin. Xie Yi Jin is a person he can talk about anything.
That afternoon he see Xie Yi Jin walking around the village and helping the folks there on their daily work. Just like a man, he carry those heavy sacks and help in the paddy fields. They talk and laugh under the sun. He watch his assistant who is masquerading as a male seems like used to this kind of lifestyle. While at night, this young person is not sleeping just like him. They stay up in the night while everyone around them are snoring. Both look at the vast night sky. Sometimes it looks like diamonds in the sky sometimes it is stormy. While they watch, they fall asleep as the sun begins to raise.
They left the village within a month and it is because the imperial guards have come to escort them into the capital. However this is not an honor but an arrestment without a fuss. The villagers thought that the imperial family have send the imperial guards to fetch the injured solider back to the capital. Thus they come out to see them all off. In reality, they are all lined up and walk back. Their horses and weapons are taken custody. The Duke is strip off his armour and all items related to the army are taken away. Everyone is only wearing their cotton clothes and boots. No chains and no one is talking on the long walk. By night falls, the men arrived outside the capital. They are all ordered to stay outside with the imperial guards guarding them. Only the Duke is ordered to walk into the palace with the eunuch who is waiting at the gate. Duke Yan turn around to look at his men, he smile slightly.
"If its too cold, think of the warm fire. I will talk to the emperor and hopefully you all will be bring into the city."
His men all bow to him. While he look at Xie Ji Yin. He reach out and touch the her hair bun. Er Yin who is surprise look up and smile.
"We will wait for your command and return."
He nod his head and bow to the group. He turn around and walk to the eunuch who is bowing lowly. Once Duke Yan stands before him, he put a clark over the duke's shoulder. Together they walk to the gate into the city. While the group outside stands and watch the gate close again. The barricades are place up again. The imperial soldiers order they to sit down. Without question, they sit down and waited. After two hours, they can hear some men have fallen asleep. The chilly wind blows and they are are sitting with the imperial soldiers watching them. The sun comes up and the gate is open, people are going in and out but not them. Congee and barley water is pass around to the soldiers of Duke Yan. For the next three days, the soldiers remain where they are. The citizens of the city who comes and goes see them and whisper among themselves. The soldiers who are discipline remain quiet and never move. Under the blazing sun they remains. Er Yin And Luo Ming sits at the front watch the gates for anyone from the imperial palace. Day and night they watch and even the imperial guards who is guarding feel sorry for these men who fight for the nation yet they are treated this way. A week of sitting outside, they saw general Peng ride pass and into the gates of the city. Behind him are his army and they are told to stay on the opposite side of the gate. Thus on the left and right side, both armies are starting at each other. The only difference, the soldiers are general Peng is walking around and chatting. They also have roasted meat to eat while waiting. Duke Yan's men already have a few bowls of congee this morning but the sight of meat is too much. Their stomach rumble and they each swallow the saliva in. Er Yin keep chanting the buddhist chant that she learn from the temple to empty out her thoughts. However the smell of roasted meat is too much. The uneasy men start to move their butts to take a look at the roast meat. Soon, the imperial guards tell the men to stop roasting the meat outside of the city gate. Thus they kill the fire and eat whatever they have while the other camp is settling down dinner with chicken shredded congee. They are grateful with it and ate all that was served to them.