Chapter Eight: Master of the Imperial Guard

After passing the medical examination without any issues, they were scattered into a large room to wait for lunch. Aimless, Kaiming surveyed the unfamiliar faces around her. There must have been about a hundred women who had signed up, all shapes and sizes, their hair coiled into buns at the back of their heads, dressed uniformly in plain blue cloth, every face as tense as if facing a mortal enemy.

Kaiming sprawled out on the ground, limbs akimbo. They must all be daughters of poor families; what wealthy lady would enlist as a soldier? Unlike people in modern times, who can’t wait to cram their children into the ranks.

Chunhua nudged her with a foot. “What are you doing? Get up!”

“What does it matter? No one cares if you sit or lie down!” Kaiming yawned extravagantly, squinting at her friend. With no tables or chairs in the big room, Chunhua’s massive frame was hunched up in a squat, like a tiger pretending to be a cat—an unintentionally comic sight.

“Listen,” Chunhua sidled closer, glancing warily at the others, and whispered mysteriously, “Judging by how Xuan acted this morning, you two seem to have a good relationship!”

“Of course,” Kaiming replied offhandedly. Chunhua’s face immediately changed, her words twisting as she spoke, “Well, you’re about to leave, it’s only right to put on a show.”

Chunhua gave a knowing smile. “No wonder. You two aren’t supposed to get along anyway.”

Honestly, not getting along is somehow better? What kind of logic is that?

“If women join the army, it’s just for logistics, right? Helping out, not fighting on the front lines?” Kaiming said, following the thread.

Chunhua stared at her, eyes wide. “Kaiming, are you dreaming? All the easy jobs go to the children of the wealthy. We’re here to be trained and sent to the battlefield!”

As expected, Kaiming sighed inwardly—so it was off to die after all.

A commotion at the door interrupted them. A group of men swarmed in. “New recruits, welcome to the army! Serving our great Emperor is your honor!” droned one man. His speech was long-winded, but the last line was music to their ears: “Now, it’s time to eat!”

Kaiming had already scrambled up at the mention of food. Her eyes darted toward the large and small barrels beside the man—filled with rice and vegetables. Each person received a big bowl, the food heaped directly atop the rice.

Staring at her bowl, Kaiming felt her appetite vanish. What a mess of food—fit only for pigs. She watched Chunhua eat with relish, her own stomach turning.

“Now I’ll announce the assignments. Those whose names I call are in Team One. The rest stay for Team Two.”

Kaiming listened absentmindedly to the parade of odd names, her attention drifting to the intricate patterns on the leader’s clothes and the movement of his lips. Suddenly, a loud call: “Kaiming!”

Automatically, she raised her hand as if answering in class and jumped to her feet.

Laughter erupted. The leader glared at her, and she realized she’d been daydreaming—it was only a team assignment.

Embarrassed, she lowered her hand. Chunhua gave her a hard punch to the back of her head and growled in a low voice, “What are you thinking about? Pay attention!” Rubbing her head, Kaiming kept silent.

After the meal, Team One to the left, Team Two to the right. Someone will come to lead you away—understood?

A thunderous chorus shook the building. The leader nodded in satisfaction and left.

Chunhua finished quickly, motioning to Kaiming. “Come on, over here!”

“Me?” Kaiming pointed at her own nose.

“Are you out of your mind? Didn’t you hear your name? You’re in my team!” Chunhua glared.

Head drooping, Kaiming shuffled over. Why did she always end up stuck with this tigress? How was she supposed to survive?

After collecting their bowls, two men entered. The previous leader bowed and scraped before them—clearly these two outranked him. Both men with square faces, expressionless, stood by the door like stiff planks, uttering no unnecessary words or gestures.

With a brisk wave, they herded the teams along like donkeys, forming them into a long line and setting off at a relentless pace.

Kaiming was utterly dismayed. She whispered, “Aren’t there any carts or wagons? Why are we walking?”

“Heavens!” Chunhua couldn’t help but exclaim, “Kaiming, are you truly foolish or just pretending? Soldiers march on foot! What, did you think you were still at home?”

Before she could finish, a whip cracked beside them and a thunderous voice roared, “No talking during the march!” Chunhua gasped and hurriedly replied, “Yes, sir!”

Kaiming cast a sidelong glance at the whip-wielding man—one of the square-faced pair—sitting comfortably atop his tall horse, riding up and down the line. Easy to talk when you’re not the one walking, she muttered to herself. Soon, unable to hold it in, she tried again, “Chunhua, Chunhua!”

Chunhua, marching ahead, ignored her. Every time she spoke, she got into trouble—better to feign deafness.

“Kaiming! Chunhua!” Kaiming’s voice grew louder, the final syllable drawn out.

“What!” Chunhua snapped, twisting around in annoyance. Would this woman ever stop?

“I want to ask you something.” Kaiming glanced around, lowering her voice. “Where are we going?”

“To the training camp. All the recruits from different regions are training together.”

“All women?”

“Men and women both!” Chunhua shot her a dark look.

“Mixed-gender training? Do we live together too?”

What a stupid question! Chunhua barked, “No! Of course not!”

A moment later, the whip landed hard on Chunhua’s back. She yelped in pain. Kaiming quickly shut her mouth, ignoring Chunhua’s resentful glare.

After two days of marching, exposed to the wind and dew, Kaiming felt half-dead. At the very edge of her endurance, the two square-faced men finally stopped. “We’ve arrived.”

She barely registered where she was, following the herd of thirsty, hungry women through the open gates, which seemed to lead to a vast drill ground.

“Rest where you are!” At the order, Kaiming collapsed like a boneless shrimp. This was not a life fit for humans! She gasped for breath, unable even to roll over. All around, women lay sprawled in the dirt, dust-covered and disheveled—a truly impressive sight.

In the distance, the two square-faced men saluted someone at the far end. After a brief exchange, the figure approached. As he drew closer, Kaiming could make out a lean jaw and ramrod-straight posture. Weren’t all military men supposed to have square faces? How had an odd one slipped in?

“Everyone, stand up!” The command made Kaiming want to laugh and cry at once. It was funny, reminding her of school assemblies and flag-raising ceremonies, but now, utterly exhausted, she was supposed to stand?

“Is this all it takes to bring you down?” The calm, contemptuous voice was oddly familiar.

Curious, Kaiming propped herself up, peering toward the front of the lines.

How strange—though he wore a military uniform, his face seemed oddly familiar.

“You are far from worthy of being soldiers of His Majesty the Emperor! That is why you must train twice as hard!” The speech droned on. Kaiming’s curiosity grew as she studied his face—a long face, long eyes, pointed chin—young but extremely proper.

“Chunhua…”

“Shut up! Don’t talk to me!” Chunhua, still rubbing her whip welt, was jittery.

“Chunhua.”

“…”

“Chunhua.”

“Out with it!” Chunhua’s tone was sharp.

“Don’t you think this instructor looks like someone?” Kaiming stroked her own chin, pondering.

“Instructor?”

“Well, a leader anyway. Doesn’t he look like someone we know?”

“Now that you mention it, he does look familiar…”

“I don’t know many people here.” Kaiming mentally filtered through the faces she knew, then suddenly slapped her thigh. “I know who it is!” Chunhua grimaced—Kaiming had slapped her leg instead, and it hurt.

“Remember that time we fought?” Kaiming said excitedly.

“We’ve fought a hundred times. Which time?”

“The one when you came to my house and called Xuan a cesspit…”

“You’re the cesspit! When did I ever call Brother Xuan that?” Chunhua’s glare returned.

“Anyway, do you remember we ended up fighting in the street, blocking someone’s sedan chair? The attendant with the pointed chin—do you remember?”

Chunhua’s eyes widened as the memory returned. “That guy! The one with the sharp chin!”

“Haha, yes, him!”

“He’s actually the Commander of the Imperial Forces!” Chunhua’s tongue nearly tripped over itself.

“Commander? Is that a high rank?” Kaiming asked curiously.

“He leads the Emperor’s soldiers—he’s from the Purple Palace Dai household.”

“The Dai household?”

“Never mind that—just hope he doesn’t recognize us or we’ll be in deep trouble!” Chunhua pressed her palms together in silent prayer.

“What for?”

“Are you really so clueless? Did you forget what you did back then?” Chunhua ground her teeth. “You knocked the esteemed Commander of the Imperial Forces flat on his backside!”

Kaiming’s mind flashed back to that moment—indeed, the Commander had been toppled, his furious, humiliated face vivid in her memory. What rotten luck, to end up under his command now.

Whatever else the Commander said from the front, Kaiming heard none of it. Her mind buzzed, the noise around her a blur, until she heard Chunhua muttering, “Here comes another batch.”

Another batch? Kaiming turned, dazed, and saw another long line marching through the open gates—this time, a unit of male soldiers. Their formation was impeccable, every face impassive, their marching footsteps thundering in perfect unison.

But leading them was a woman, strikingly beautiful and dressed in vibrant red—a stark contrast to the black uniforms of the other female soldiers.

Smiling, she led her team to the Commander, saluted smartly, and announced, “Commander Ji, Xiaoqiao reporting for duty!”

Xiaoqiao? Kaiming sized her up. She certainly lived up to her name—petite and nimble.

To Kaiming’s surprise, the Commander waved his hands frantically and said, “Miss Xiaoqiao, please, I don’t deserve such respect!”

Kaiming scoffed inwardly. Really? He loses his composure in front of a pretty woman.

“Has Young Master Dai arrived yet?” the Commander asked in a lowered voice, eyes darting toward the gate.

Xiaoqiao replied briskly, “My cousin is right behind me—he said he wanted to make sure I was all right.”

“Of course, it’s Miss Xiaoqiao’s first time enlisting!”

Chunhua whispered to Kaiming, “She must be the daughter of some noble house, just here for a lark. The palace will say she served in the army, let her ‘gain experience,’ then she’ll go home to an easy, well-paid position.”

Kaiming nodded—much the same as back home. Chunhua added, “Whichever team gets a pampered young miss like that is in for trouble.”

As if on cue, Commander Ji told Xiaoqiao’s team to rest in place, then turned and pointed directly at Chunhua. “The big one!”

Chunhua looked around—everyone was staring at her. She pointed to herself uncertainly.

“Yes, you! From today, you are deputy leader of Team Two. You’ll assist the captain in managing the soldiers—understood?”

Suddenly promoted, Chunhua replied awkwardly, “Yes, sir!”

Commander Ji then turned to Xiaoqiao and said, “Miss Xiaoqiao, from today, you are the captain of Team Two!”

Kaiming could barely contain her laughter, while Chunhua was left dumbfounded.