Tianshi Xue had been busy the past few days making sure that she would blend in with all the men. This was how her conversation with the emperor happened a week earlier:
"It's Prince Qui's birthday soon," she informed him.
"Yes," said the emperor, nodding but looked like he did not know where she was heading with it.
"Is there a way that we can celebrate?"
"We'll celebrate when he gets back. It feels so wrong to celebrate without him here. It's like we're getting all the fun when he's out there risking his life for this empire."
Tianshi Xue smiled. "What if we bring the party to him?"
The emperor's eyes widened for a moment. "What do you mean to bring the party to him You want to bring people outside?"
"Yes," she said. She turned her eyes down. "This is Prince Qui's first birthday that he could get to celebrate with me. I don't want to waste it. It has to be memorable."
"Surely this can wait until the war is over."
