Every night, Er Yin and Duke Yan have things and places to go. There is a night, they take their horses and ride to the outside fields. He brings her to a place where lots of fire fly. While other nights they will be quietly in his tent either he is teaching her to read and write or play a game of chess. Er Yin who have never done all those things is learning how to live her own life. She always wanted to know more Chinese characters and meanings behind them. She did not have the chance to learn but now every night, she have this chance and she used it to learn intelligently. She did not know that chasing fire fly can be fun. For the first time she learn how to play and have fun. As a farmer and the eldest daughter, she work hard and give her time and health for the family.
After two months of returning to camp just when everything is back to normal. The eunuchs and imperial guards comes into the camp. Everyone is told to gather at the center regardless what they are doing thus Er Yin is waken up by Luo Ming. She put on her outer garments and boots. Walking out in a daze and stand in the center of the camp where they were told to sit down. The eunuch have walk into the main tent to look for the Duke. After a while, the physicians are told to go to the main tent as well. Er Yin finds it strange that the imperial guards are surrounding them just like the last time outside the city. She look at Luo Ming and he is using his finger to scribble word on the sand. She look and see the word 'trouble'. After that he rub it off quickly. The soldiers all sit quietly waiting for instructions. Finally the eunuch and Duke Yan walk out of the tent with the physicians walking all behind. Er Yin see physician Meng with a troubled face expression. He look at her with uncertainty then to the sky. Suddenly she understand that her disaster is here. She stare at the eunuch and her hands tremble. All the while the drums did not bother her but now they starting the beat and her fears starts to grow and her hands begin to shake. The Duke who is standing next to the eunuch look at his assistant. He see the fear in her eyes. He wants to help her but this time it is going to be difficult. He stands there with his head lower as he listens to the eunuch.
"I, Eunuch Hong, send by the emperor to the Black eagle camp. As it have bought a grave matter to our emperor's ears that females have been masquerading as males as military soldiers! This is a grave mistake and it angers the heaven! Therefore i am send here to bring back all the sinners! Stand up and admit you are the sinner! The sentences given to you will be swift and clean!"
For a while there is silence and the wind keep blowing into the hearts of the men. They are all looking around there is no one standing up. Er Yin is twisting her fingers and looking at the sand on the ground. She close her eyes and ask for protection. At least not to beheaded here. She breath in a few times.
"Sinners, you know who you are. Stand up and now before we search one by one."
Still no one more. The eunuch then ask one by one to stand up. Each is told to remove their top. The newly recruits, were found to have three girls in there. They are drag out and kneel in front of the Duke and eunuch Hong. When comes to the soldiers who have are experience in warfare, Er Yin is drag out. All the girls are wearing chest binders and the physicians have confirm that they are female. Er Yin with her head low is told to hold her arms up. A thick chains are place around her wrist.
"Because you are all not war criminals, we will not chain your legs. So you all better be grateful and don't think of running away! Men, drag them to the cage!"
The four girls stand up without emotion on their face. The imperial guards then push them to follow them outside the camp. The Duke feels like he is beaten and did not know what to do but to stand there. He watch her walk into the wooden cage carriage for prisoners. Luo Ming walk behind the imperial guards come running back to Duke Yan.
"Your highness! Please do something! That ... those are our ... people!"
He cry out loud and go down on his knees. Soon the other men go down on their knees. The Duke stand like a statue watching the carriage move away. Finally he say something softy.
"I need to go to the palace. Luo Ming, help me to get my full armour on."
Luo Ming stands up in a hurry and nearly slip. The Duke turn around and walk towards his tent. While Er Yin watch from the cage where she is in. She knows that this day will come but never did she think is this fast. She only only can hope that she will not complicate her family. She watch the gates gets smaller she she travel further away. She knows that she will not be allow to be back there again. It might be her last time as Xie Yi Jin.
That afternoon, she finds herself in the imperial prison. Usually the jail cells are for people who commit treasons or imperial family members who are sentence to be jail for life. However today, the prison cells will be holding up to fourteen girls who join the military as men. All fourteen girls are standing in the imperial prison courtyard looking the the head eunuch Keng.
"Do you all understand why you are standing here in chains?"
There is no answer nor emotion from the girls. He sigh and walk near them.
"The emperor is not happy. Why is he unhappy because we are losing cities and a few fortress. The astronomic bureau have read the stars. The Yin energy is destroying the chances of wining. Therefore, we are told to wipe clean the camps."
He look at each of them. He ask his eunuch to go around asking their names and where they are from. However they all remain silence. None of them talk abut standing straight and looking ahead.
"Hmm acting tough here! Never mind. Go to the camps that we pick them up get it from there."
Soon they are lead into the building and before going in the cells, they line up to have their chains remove. Each is push into a room to remove their uniform and left only their white undergarments. Even the boots are remove and a straw sandals are given to them. A single cell will hold three girls and they all remain inside quiet without a sound. Each female is alike a solider on standby. They sit on their wooden beds quietly. They each avoid looking at each other. They each fear the last face they see and if there is another life waiting for them, they did not want to remember this. Nothing of this at all. In the silence of the cells, the only thing now they hear is the sound of the drum beats along with the sweat that is rolling down their foreheads.