After a three-day rest, rewards will be given based on merit.

When Ye Jingchen saw Xie Shaoling and Xu Jingjing again, they looked very uncomfortable, and Ye Jingchen also felt extremely awkward.

Xie Chang'an, the culprit, remained completely calm.

Although he wasn't smiling, anyone could tell he was in a good mood.

The list of soldiers who sacrificed their lives on this mission has been compiled, and Ye Jingchen wrote a memorial yesterday and sent it to the capital, requesting the issuance of compensation for their deaths.

As before, his extra pension will be delivered together with the imperial pension.

After the soldiers paid tribute to their fallen comrades, the next step was to reward the survivors.

All the soldiers who went on the expedition were rewarded. According to their performance, the most ordinary soldiers would receive twenty taels of silver each, and those who performed outstandingly would receive more.

Ye Jingchen rewarded him with nearly 1.5 million taels of silver, all of which came from his own pocket, almost emptying his entire fortune.

However, Ye Jingchen was not too worried about money. The princesses were quite adept at making money, and he was benefiting from it as well.

If he runs out of money, he can ask the emperor for more gold coins.

After all, he had completed the task assigned to him by the emperor perfectly.

Next up was the victory celebration banquet that evening.

At the victory celebration banquet, the soldiers were allowed to drink alcohol.

Except for the soldiers on duty that day, everyone else could attend the victory banquet, eat meat and drink to their heart's content.

Jars of wine were brought up, and acquaintances gathered together to drink heartily.

As the two biggest contributors to this battle, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an were given a lot of alcohol.

Ye Jingchen was alright; given his status, most people wouldn't dare to offer him a toast. Only the Xie family members were more casual about it.

However, Xu Jingjing kept a close eye on them and didn't let them do anything reckless.

As for Xie Chang'an, no one helped him stop drinking; people kept pouring him drinks, and he became completely drunk and unconscious not long after the banquet began.

Xu Jingjing instructed two guards to send Xie Chang'an back, and Ye Jingchen also took the opportunity to leave.

Back in his room, Xie Chang'an, who had been unconscious from being drunk and had been placed on a wooden couch by his personal guards, sat up with a swift movement after they left. His eyes were clear, and he showed no signs of drunkenness.

Ye Jingchen was instructing the eunuch to bring some hot water over so that he could wash Xie Chang'an's face, hands, and feet. Now Xie Chang'an could wash himself without Ye Jingchen having to do it.

After the eunuch brought hot water, Xie Chang'an dismissed him and then locked the door.

Both of them washed their faces with hot water, and Xie Chang'an took out two jugs of wine from the cabinet.

Ye Jingchen found the wine somewhat familiar. He took a sip, and the spicy taste reminded him that it was the wine he had brought from Beiping County.

Drinking alcohol is not allowed in the army. Ye Jingchen was wondering why Xie Chang'an bought two jugs of wine before leaving. It turned out that he wanted to save them for the victory celebration banquet.

"The wine at the celebration banquet was diluted with water and didn't taste good. Let's drink this instead," Xie Chang'an said as he handed the wine to Ye Jingchen.

"You're not trying to get me drunk by drinking such strong liquor, are you? You're not planning to do something to me then, are you?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile after taking a sip.

"If I said yes, would you dare to drink it?" Xie Chang'an tightened his grip on the wine pot, but his expression remained calm.

Ye Jingchen looked at Xie Chang'an with a half-smile for a long time, making Xie Chang'an feel a little uncomfortable, before finally saying, "Why wouldn't I dare? Tonight we won't sleep until we're drunk!"

"I'll sleep with you when you're drunk!" Xie Chang'an thought to himself.

The two sat down at the table; there were no wine glasses, but there were teacups.

"I'll pour the wine, so you won't try anything funny." Ye Jingchen remembered the last time Xie Chang'an had forced him to drink, so this time, he held the wine pot in his hand.

"Then you pour it, we'll each have a cup." Xie Chang'an placed the two teacups together.

Ye Jingchen poured wine into the teacups, giving each cup the same amount.

After clinking glasses, Ye Jingchen slowly sipped the strong liquor in his glass.

This wine has a strong aftereffect; even if he didn't drink at the celebration banquet, one pot would definitely make him drunk.

Since Xie Chang'an was trying to get him drunk, his alcohol tolerance must be much better than his. Even if Xie Chang'an did something to him after he got drunk, he wouldn't feel anything since he was unconscious.

If Xie Chang'an can play by himself, then let him play as he pleases.

"Once the imperial decree of commendation arrives, we should return to the capital," Xie Chang'an said, a sense of loss creeping into his voice.

"Don't you want to go back?" Ye Jingchen asked as he drank.

"We'll be separated after we go back, and we won't be able to be this close for a long time." Xie Chang'an held a wine glass in one hand and played with Ye Jingchen's hand in the other, his voice filled with resentment.

"The grand show in the capital is waiting for us two main characters to return and perform! If we don't return to the capital, our relationship can't be announced to the world, and we can only continue to keep it secret like this!" Ye Jingchen spread his palms and intertwined his fingers with Xie Chang'an's.

"The ten fingers are connected to the heart. In our culture, this gesture represents hearts that are intertwined and will never be separated," Ye Jingchen said with a smile, holding Xie Chang'an's hand tightly.

Xie Chang'an's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly tightened his grip on Ye Jingchen's hand, which was clasped together.

He wanted to take advantage of Ye Jingchen's drunkenness to do something, but his plan was disrupted by Ye Jingchen's action and words just as it began.

Trying to flirt but ending up being flirted with instead!

It was always the same; Ye Jingchen's flirting techniques were so skillful that they made his heart flutter and feel a pang of sadness.

"Have you really never been married or had a crush on anyone before? Why are you so skilled at flirting with me?" Xie Chang'an asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time.

"Although I've never eaten pork, I've seen pigs run!" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

"I've finished my wine, you should finish yours quickly too," Ye Jingchen urged.

Xie Chang'an finished the wine in his glass in one gulp, put down the empty glass, and Ye Jingchen poured the same amount of wine into both glasses.

The teacups were much larger than the wine glasses; four cups were just enough to fill a whole pot of wine.

The analogy was vivid, and Xie Chang'an understood it, but his expression was somewhat displeased.

"How much pig running? If it's too explicit, you're not allowed to watch it anymore!"

Ye Jingchen chuckled, "Looks like I wasn't wrong to call you a lemon spirit, you can be jealous of anything!"

"Since you're so experienced, why don't you teach me?" Xie Chang'an didn't deny that he was jealous, but instead asked without hesitation.

"Cough, cough!" Ye Jingchen almost choked on his wine. He coughed a few times and turned his face away, not wanting to look at Xie Chang'an's humble and eager-to-learn expression.

"I've only ever watched pigs run, I've never even eaten pork, what can I teach you?" he said irritably.

Xie Chang'an, however, had a strong thirst for knowledge. "Since you don't know either, why don't we learn from each other and explore a few more times, then we'll know everything."

Ye Jingchen tried to pull his hand away, but Xie Chang'an held it tightly and he couldn't budge it.

He could only cover half of his face with one hand.

Why would he discuss such a question with Xie Chang'an?