"Okay, it's alright, we'll be done soon, won't we?" Guan Zhiyue said nonchalantly.

Lan Shanqi knew he couldn't stop her, so he could only continue following behind her and resignedly go with her to water the saplings.

----

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was already the tenth day of the ninth month.

It's already September, and the weather seems even hotter now. Perhaps the so-called "autumn tiger" is approaching!

"Your Majesty, today is your birthday. I have cooked you a bowl of seafood longevity noodles. Please have some first, and then we'll eat them at noon."

"I'll make you something delicious again, Your Highness." The head chef respectfully carried a bowl of noodles to Guan Zhiyue and excitedly told her.

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble the head chef."

"Hehe, it is my honor to serve Your Majesty."

"Your Highness, please eat first. I'll go and prepare lunch now." The head chef, with his chubby body, had his eyes narrowed into slits, looking very happy.

Guan Zhiyue reached out and picked up the chopsticks beside her, gently taking some noodles. The taste was very fresh, indicating that the seafood had just been caught that day. The head chef must have left very early again.

Today is Guan Zhiyue's birthday, and the entire military camp cheered, after all, the Emperor had said so before he left;

We should properly celebrate the Empress's birthday, after all, she's turning twenty this year, a young woman now, so we should have a good celebration.

Especially in this military camp, unlike in the capital, where all the princes and ministers could be summoned, she could only spend her time with the soldiers.

Guan Zhiyue wasn't used to eating noodles in the morning, so she only ate a few bites as a token gesture before walking out of the tent and seeing that the tent had been decorated in a festive red.

Each soldier had a red ribbon tied around their waist.

The cheerful scene made Guan Zhiyue feel comfortable; she liked the atmosphere.

"Happy birthday, Your Majesty!"

"Happy birthday, Your Majesty!"

"Happy birthday, Your Majesty!"

Everyone was excitedly talking, and one by one they bowed to Guan Zhiyue and said "Happy Birthday" to her.

But the smile that Guan Zhiyue had on when she went out never faded, making her look both beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

"Happy birthday, Your Majesty!"

When a soldier passes by, he will respectfully clasp his hands in salute.

"Thank you, I hope we all have a great time together!"

At this moment, Guan Zhiyue is like a butterfly fluttering among flowers, giving people a sense of leisure and carefree state, as well as a feeling of joy and positivity.

****

"Hurry up! Today is Her Majesty's birthday. We need to speed things up and try to get to Guantao County before noon," Bilian shouted anxiously, carrying Chang Le on her back.

They've been rushing for almost half a month now. If it weren't for carrying Xiao Chang Le on their backs, they probably would have arrived long ago!

"Oh dear, my little aunt, we've already quickened our pace, this is the fastest we can go." Ji Shang was speechless. How could there be such a wild girl?

Her mistress was not like that at all. This little girl was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins. She carried Princess Chang Le on her back and started galloping wildly.

"Lord Ji, we're on our way to celebrate Her Majesty's birthday today. The princess and I haven't seen Her Majesty for months, so we're naturally overjoyed," Bilian said as she ran.

Whether it's because of her strong physique or because she also wants to find her mother, Xiao Chang Le has been out for quite some time now.

We've never had any trouble with it. At just over six months old, it didn't cry or fuss during the long night run, which has piqued everyone's curiosity.

However, this also reduced a lot of trouble for their journey.

“Alright, then let’s speed up. We’ll reach Guantao County in two more hours,” Ji Shang replied.

When Bilian heard that there were still two hours left, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed. She could finally see her empress. She missed her empress terribly.

When she heard in the capital that her mistress had also gone to sea to kill the Japanese, she was afraid and nervous, and she worried day and night!

----

In the capital city.

The Su residence.

"Xuqing, has the Empress's birthday gift been delivered?" Su Xu looked up at the distant direction, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy.

Xu Qing quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, it was handed over to the Empress's personal maid, Bi Lian, half a month ago."

"oh!"

"If we ride at full speed, we should have arrived by now."

Su Xu didn't speak, but sighed inwardly, "It's a pity we can't get there today. They can't travel that fast with the child."

Inside the palace, Li Qishang also looked at Shang Yao beside him.

"Has Bilian already taken away the birthday gift prepared for the Empress Dowager?" Li Qishang asked Shang Yao beside him without looking up from the memorial in his hand.

Shang Yao quickly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, I have already told Bi Lian to make sure she takes it with her when she leaves."

Li Qishang nodded. He missed her. She was so heartless, not even bothering to come back to the capital to visit him. He had always been thinking of her and had wanted to take her away from the beginning.

However, inside the naval camp, Guan Zhiyue was completely unaware that such a big surprise was slowly approaching her.

"Sister Yue'er, this is a gift from your brother. This is for your eldest brother, this is for your father, and this is for the Emperor." Guan Chengheng brought over four large boxes, each containing something different.

"Tsk tsk tsk, second brother, did you prepare all of these things?" Guan Zhiyue said, looking at the colorful boxes.

Guan Chengheng pushed a pink box in front of Guan Zhiyue and said, "This is what your brother prepared for you; the others are not."

"This blue one was prepared by my elder brother, this yellow one by the Emperor, and this cyan one by my father," Guan Chengheng introduced them one by one.

Guan Zhiyue smiled upon hearing this, reached out and picked up her second brother's pink box, untied the bag, and opened the box. Inside was a very large, white, and round pearl necklace.

"Wow, second brother, this must have cost you a lot of money, right?"

Guan Chengheng adjusted his robes, sat down to the side, and then said, "Priceless treasure!"

"What do you mean?"

"This is a clam that your second brother personally searched for in the sea and found inside."

Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue immediately realized the weight of the pearl necklace. No wonder she hadn't seen her second brother for days; it turned out he had gone to sea.

She felt a warmth in her heart, reached out and hugged her second brother, and said in a soft, coquettish voice, "Thank you, second brother."

"Second brother, Yue'er is very happy with the gift you gave me."

"Second brother, you're not allowed to sneak off to sea anymore."

Guan Chengheng patted her on the shoulder, "Okay, whatever Yue'er says, brother will listen to."

The two siblings then disassembled the other items one by one, laughing so hard their eyes were practically closed in the tent.