After being celebrated grandly in Chang’an for three days, Yun Ye finally returned home. Compared to enjoying boundless glory among tens of thousands of people, he preferred Yun Mu’s sweet call of “Father.”

Minister of the Ministry of War, Acting Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, participating in court deliberations—this was Yun Ye’s new position. Apart from this, there was nothing else…

Yun Ye didn’t care. Xinyue and Grandmother didn’t care either. They only hoped that from now on Yun Ye would never leave home again—even quietly farming at home would be fine. As for glory and wealth, the Yun Family didn’t lack such things.

What difference was there between being a marquis and a duke? How much greater could one be than the imperial family?

The moon hung high in the sky. The cold night air seemed to diffuse the scent of spring passion. Xinyue’s dark hair lay scattered messily across her full bosom. She sprawled on Yun Ye’s bare chest, murmuring like a kitten. The lingering intoxication after their lovemaking made her even more entwined with the man before her.

“Can you get up for a moment? You’re crushing me to death.” Yun Ye slapped Xinyue’s bottom and said in a mood-killing manner.

Xinyue twisted her body and climbed up a bit more, pressing her forehead against Yun Ye’s chin and saying resentfully: “You’re always unwilling to treat me well. At such a beautiful time, you insist on saying heartbreaking things.”

Yun Ye chuckled and reached out to embrace Xinyue, his hand gliding gently across her smooth back. Although husband and wife shouldn’t distinguish between yours and mine, mutual comfort between them couldn’t be lacking.

If he couldn’t catch his breath, then he couldn’t catch his breath. Although Xinyue’s waist had gradually become somewhat thick from bearing two children, and her figure had also become fuller, Yun Ye didn’t care—he was still full of infatuation with this body…

Time could rob a beauty of her fair complexion but couldn’t eliminate beautiful memories. On their wedding night, this body hadn’t been like this—slender waist, full hips, ample bosom—it lacked nothing, just like a blooming flower.

Now this flower had already borne abundant fruit. The beautiful scenery of autumn was equally intoxicatingly beautiful.

“I’ve thought about it—you’d better die before me. I owe you too much, so I should suffer more.” Yun Ye lowered his head, bit a lock of Xinyue’s hair, and said softly.

“Dying before you would certainly be good. Having you handle the funeral arrangements couldn’t be better. But I must live longer than those four—otherwise, as soon as I die, you’ll immediately forget me.”

“Other people have hearts that connect. Our hearts bite each other—how could I possibly forget? In this world, you are me, and I am you. Forgetting you is no different from forgetting myself.”

“My lord, can you tell me that story again? Before, I always heard you say that marriage is the grave of love. Every time you told stories, when it came to getting married, you wouldn’t elaborate. Now I really want to hear what happens after the hero saves the beauty and they marry. Your concubine really wants to know—I wonder if that princess who loved eating poisonous fruit lived as well as we do.”

“She didn’t live as well as we do. She wasn’t as strong as you, wasn’t as capable as you, and didn’t know how to manage the household at all. So her ending was miserable—in any case, she ended up selling matches on a snowy day and freezing to death.”

Xinyue laughed lightly, buried her head in Yun Ye’s armpit, draped one leg across his waist, and said drowsily: “She sold the wrong thing. On a snowy day, she should have sold mutton buns.”

“It was a snowy day, bitterly cold. Snow White wore a tattered red cloak. The pocket on her chest was full of matches. The scoundrel who had kissed her awake was at home shivering like a mouse, constantly shouting that he was hungry. So Snow White put on his large shoes, preparing to sell the matches…”

Xinyue’s breathing gradually became long and even. Yun Ye’s voice also gradually lowered. Xinyue had already fallen asleep, the corners of her mouth containing a faint smile. Yun Ye discovered that when he stopped telling the story, Xinyue’s breathing became rapid, as if she was about to wake from her dream. So he decided to continue developing this story.

“After the first match was lit, she seemed to return to her carefree girlhood. The beautiful palace was hung everywhere with roasted geese. She ate one after another…”

During breakfast early in the morning, Yun Ye’s mouth opened like a hippopotamus. With one yawn, tears flowed down. Na Rimu and Lingdang covered their mouths and secretly laughed. Xinyue’s face was flushed red. Xiao Miao looked left and right proudly, her heart full of pride—she now had the qualification to sit at this table and no longer needed to squeeze with Yun Mu and the others at another table.

Yun Ye drank the household’s millet porridge endlessly. After three or four bowls went down his belly, he wiped his mouth and was about to go directly to the study. There was a very comfortable large kang in the study—the cold weather was most suitable for catching up on sleep.

Yun Shou and Yun Huan threw down their rice bowls and followed Father to the study. Yun Mu also put down her bowl, didn’t even wipe her mouth, pounced on Father’s back from behind, randomly wiped her mouth on Father’s back a few times, then with a long string of triumphant laughter wanted to climb up to sit on Father’s neck.

Xinyue coughed once, and Yun Mu obediently slid down from her father’s back, lowering her head and picking at her fingers. Yun Ye laughed heartily, hoisted the wildly running Yun Lu onto his neck, and clamped his eldest daughter under one arm. Amid Xinyue’s scolding, he left the flower hall. Today, this old man’s time all belonged to the children—he wouldn’t pay attention to anyone who came.

Actually, the children didn’t need Yun Ye’s care at all. Upon reaching the study, Yun Shou found a book and began reading. Yun Huan also very consciously began practicing calligraphy. Only Yun Mu and Yun Lu jumped onto the kang, pestering Father to tell them about Western Region affairs.

“Xiao Mu, Xiao Luzhu, you mustn’t disturb Father’s rest. Father has campaigned abroad year-round and his body is too exhausted—he needs to sleep. Come with me to read books instead.”

Yun Shou already faintly had the bearing of an eldest brother.

Yun Ye smiled and lifted his quilt to let little Luzhu crawl in. Holding his little daughter, he planned to sleep until noon before doing anything else.

Yun Ye yawned hugely again. Yun Shou felt as if he himself was also very sleepy. He also wanted to learn from Yun Mu’s example and lie beside Father, but as the eldest brother, he also felt this was inappropriate.

Yun Huan’s choice was even more straightforward than Yun Shou’s. Kicking off his shoes, he also got onto the kang. No matter how Xiao Luzhu pushed him outward, he resolutely refused to leave the quilt.

Father’s slight snoring quickly came over. Not only had he fallen asleep, but even Yun Mu, Yun Huan, and Yun Lu had also fallen asleep. Yesterday when Father returned from the imperial palace, the children were too excited and hadn’t slept well.

Yun Shou finally threw down the book in his hand. Looking outside the study, he also climbed onto the large kang. The quilt wasn’t enough to cover everyone—most of his bottom was exposed outside. But he didn’t care—he himself was too sleepy.

The sun shone warmly through the window lattice onto the large kang. The Yun father and sons slept until the sky was dark and the earth dim. Every time Xinyue glanced at the room, she shed tears. Lingdang’s eyes had already cried into peaches. Xiao Miao looked curiously at Xinyue, then at the several people sleeping on the large kang, completely unable to understand—what was there to cry about when Father was sleeping with the children?

Na Rimu had just loudly called for the wet nurse to take her daughter away when she saw Xinyue’s rabbit-red eyes. She quickly shrank her neck and returned to her own courtyard.

Yun Ye woke up. Actually, he still wanted to sleep. Last night wasn’t as simple as just telling stories. But his little daughter had poor sleeping habits—her little hands always grabbed here and there. Finally, she grabbed Yun Ye’s ear and held on tightly, refusing to let go. Xinyue sat at the edge of the kang like Guanyin Bodhisattva, helping the father and sons shoo away flies.

“Stop it. Where would flies come from in the dead of winter? If you like being nearby, just stay. What’s with this act of shooing flies? I was gone for over three years. Xiao Ya got married. Xiao Nan, Xiao Xi, and Xiao Bei also got married. The house feels empty and lacks human warmth. You’ve worked hard managing the livelihoods of over ten thousand people inside and outside the household. If you’re envious of us sleeping in early in the morning, just come up.”

Xinyue was about to speak when she discovered Yun Shou’s eyelids moving back and forth. She smiled and patted her son’s cheek, saying to Yun Ye: “You originally loved sleeping anyway. When you sleep, everyone says it’s because the great general suffered hardship campaigning abroad. Without you releasing horses and fighting bloody battles in the Western Regions, there wouldn’t be the Great Tang’s peace today. So whatever you do is justified.”

“Can I forcibly abduct commoner girls?” Yun Ye replied disdainfully, then slapped his plump son’s bottom and said: “Since you’re awake, there’s no reason to pretend to sleep. Get up. Take Father to get acquainted with the household. After three years away, everything looks unfamiliar. Your mother has turned the house into Jiangnan. Hmph, the northern lands should have the northern lands’ grandeur and magnificence. Setting up a few stagnant water pools and hanging a few animal heads—does she think this makes it Jiangnan? Be careful of mosquitoes and flies breeding in summer.”

Yun Shou climbed up with a red face. The fifteen-year-old youth seemed somewhat shy. The down on his mouth had already turned black, yet he was still very immature. Who knew if the sixteen-year-old Li Rong would be any better?

“Why say such things in front of the children? Since those little ones are asleep, let’s go out for a walk. It’s not good for you to always stay cooped up in the room.” Seeing her son embarrassed, Xinyue quickly came to his rescue. This was exactly how indulgent mothers spoiled their sons.

As soon as Yun Ye got up, the remaining three also got up with a flurry. Yun Xiang, who lived with her mother, hadn’t caught this wave of sleeping and was now leaning at the study doorway, secretly peeking inside. These were all bad habits Lingdang had instilled in her daughter. What did it mean to be a concubine’s daughter? In this regard, Na Rimu was much stronger than Lingdang. Yun Mu’s heart was far broader than Yun Xiang’s.

In the back courtyard, the family talked and laughed together boisterously. Yun Xiang’s little hand was grasped in Father’s hand and he wouldn’t let go. He could feel her palm was full of sweat. The more this was the case, the more Yun Ye refused to let go. His own daughter not being affectionate with him wouldn’t do. Such a daughter could easily turn into Lin Daiyu—feeling hurt by wind and saddened by autumn wasn’t good for the body.

The Yun Family’s daughters should be like Yun Mu—valiant and fierce was the spirit daughters of military families should have. Since the old man was a famous general who killed without batting an eye, his daughters should have unyielding characters. Only military officers like Lin Ruhai would be foolish enough to raise their daughters into consumptives who loved a man but couldn’t have him, then died miserably in the end.

With Lingdang, as long as you forced her a little, she would obediently comply, then climb up the pole. Yun Xiang was truly Lingdang’s daughter—being dragged by Father’s little hand, before even finishing walking through the small flower garden, she already knew to embrace Father’s arm with both hands and act coquettishly.