Arriving in the North West

Since we were in the capital, it took us roughly 2 months, even on fast travel to reach the Northwest. Lu Qing Yu's entourage was so tightly guarded and he was so surrounded that I doubted the rest of the relief troops coming with us knew I was even here at all. We would travel most of the day, with only a brief rest stop to eat and relieve ourselves, and would sleep 4 hours a day.

Because Lu Qing Yu lead by example, he naturally rode on a horse. He offered to prepare a carriage for me but I declined. Carriages would slow us down and be harder to protect. We only had carriages for our supplies. I was dying, honestly, since I wasn't used to riding a horse, let alone for 20 hours a day. Occasionally, I would go and sit at the back of the supplies carriage. Thankfully because it was spring, there wasn't too much trouble with travel. If there were any skirmishes, his guards settled them before we knew about it and soldiers scouted ahead.

Finally, we reached the Northwest. Lu Qing Yu gave me a hooded robe to cover myself as well as a facial veil that covered half my face. "What's this?" I asked in surprise. "For protection." he said. I soon found out why. We soon came upon an extremely vast plain of barren land, and I could even see sand dunes in the distance. Unfortunately, our destination was inside the sand dunes. As we approached, hot, dry wind swept all around us. I squeezed my eyes shut to block the sand going into my eyes. The hood and veil was a very good idea indeed.

After making several turns (everything looked the same to me in any direction – all sand), we finally reached the camp. The camp was a series of elaborate, wide, white-yellow tents tightly guarded by a fence. Fierce looking soldiers peered over the wall and watchtowers. Everything was yellow. The camp blended in with the dessert and was easy to miss. The tribes typically flourished on the grass plains further from here. I was guessing since the desert was so dangerous and misleading, it would be difficult for them to find our camp. For some reason, the trackers of Yuan An were able to find the camp.

The entourage quietly entered the camp, but our appearance was not unnoticed. Faces lit up as they recognised the tight retinue surrounding 2 figures. "It's the Emperor!" "The Emperor has come for us!" Cheers echoed in the camp and soldiers rushed to see the side, lining the road to the main tent and prostrating on the ground. Lu Qing Yu gave a few small waves. He nodded to his main guard, Gu Yin. "Noble Concubine Ling is accompanying the Emperor today! No funny business will be tolerated! Be on your best behaviour!" he shouted. Good thing no one could see my face under the veil. It was so embarrassing.

We made our way to the main tent, one of the biggest tents in the compound. Surprisingly, the outside looked completely normal. There were several large tents the same size all over the place, probably to disguise it. However, every soldier seemed to know what this tent was. Lu Qing Yu helped me down from my horse and deposited me in the tent first. The tent was spacious, and let in natural light. It was lavishly decorated, with basic furniture, a large bed in the middle, supplies, a folding screen and lamps set around the room. "We're sharing this tent." he said. "Huh?" I asked. Didn't he never share a bed with other women?

"It's for your safety and for easier protection. This camp is full of men. And if the enemies invade, I can grab you and run." he said, reading my mind, as if telling me not to think too much. "Well, alright." I said. "Be good and sit here. I need to attend a meeting now. I'll be back soon. Don't wander outside the tent until I say so." he said, and left. The flap closed, and a guard outside locked the flap securely. Whatever.

I was happy to be left alone after 2 months of 0 privacy. My thighs were aching very badly still. I took off my hooded robe and tossed it on a chair, noticing my things had already been set up in the room. Looks like they rode ahead to get it done before we arrived. Presumably, no one would dare to enter this tent randomly, so I dusted off my robes and prepared to flop on the bed. Wait... the bed was so clean. Where would we get water to wash bedsheets in the desert? It probably wouldn't be changed often, right? I really didn't want to lie on sandy sheets. I took off my outer robes and socks and shoes, put them in a corner, and put on the room slippers. Then I shuffled over to the bed and wrapped myself in the blanket.

I woke up to some sounds in the room. I grabbed the dagger I placed under my pillow suspiciously as I tried to wake myself up. As I sat up, I met with a gaze. Oh. Lu Qing Yu was going about his business in the room, and eyed me. "You've finally woken up." he said. My stomach growled. "You've missed dinner." he said. "It's that late?" I asked.

He nodded. "Don't worry. It's normal to be tired after travelling so long, especially when you're not used to it. Rest for a couple days. Then I need you to make an announcement in the square with me and then you can visit the trading route." he said. I eyed the table with dishes. "I'll ask them to send in new dishes." he said. I sighed and flopped back down. Having someone to take care of you felt nice. I definitely didn't think my aching thighs could take more zigzagging through the desert to go to the trading route at the moment.