Puffs of white smoke escaped from Wei Mudan's lips. Once more, it was a chilly dawn; condensation had covered the majority of everything she owned.
Ignoring the numbness in her fingers, she slipped out from the tent. Jiang Cheng was already awake, and had started the fire roaring once more.
"There is no need for a fire. We are leaving soon," she said stiffly, teeth chattering from the bitter cold.
Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow and looked at her shivering figure. "Your state right now is proof enough. You are a lady." He held out a bowl of warm congee made by the cooks.
Wei Mudan snorted, but accepted the bowl and shifted closer to the small but warm fire. Her fingertips finally regained their feeling.
"The army?" she asked after a momentary peaceful silence.
"Almost ready. We should be able to leave before the sun fully rises."
Wei Mudan nodded, content with the state of her army. She handed the empty bowl to Jiang Cheng and set off to meet with the rest of her Lieutenant Generals. After exchanging a few brief pleasantries and orders, the rest of the army was ready to leave. Tents had been put away, the several supply wagons filled once more.
Wei Mudan smiled at her Lieutenant Generals and left the circle, going back to her white stallion. As soon as she turned her back on the Lieutenant Generals, her smiling face turned cold.
Out of her four Lieutenant Generals, Jiang Cheng was the only one she trusted fully. One of the four was definitely a spy, and the other two were on the fence after witnessing her battle. Wei Mudan could not be bothered outing the spy - there was no point. This army, in the end, was not truly hers. There were spies littered everywhere.
The army of Biantian Empire finally set off back to the Imperial City, right before the sun rose fully.
The journey back was uneventful; three days on horseback was enough to cover the distance from the border to the Imperial city. They had passed by Wuhan, a city known for its silks. Riding through the city brought great fanfare; even the City Lord had come out and invited her for dinner as celebration. Wei Mudan refused.
Cheering crowds greeted them in Wuhan; their arrival had been long anticipated. Pieces of silks were thrown by charming ladies onto the horde of soldiers, who had smiled bashfully back at the ladies. Wei Mudan was particularly surprised when one had reached her; a piece of bright red silk, embroidered with peony flowers.
She looked towards the owner, a young girl, of obvious nobility. The girl's eyes shone with admiration and naive innocence. Upon locking eyes, the girl turned bright red and hid her face behind her pink dress sleeve.
An elegant smile graced Wei Mudan's face as she continued riding. Behind, Jiang Cheng's face had a slight smirk as he stared at Wei Mudan's back.
Wuhan was the only major city the army rode through. Riding through all the major cities took time, and Wei Mudan's objective was to head back to the Imperial City as soon as possible. The stop to Wuhan was only to fill up on dwindling stocks. Never let a soldier go hungry!
On the afternoon of the third day, the imposing walls of the Imperial City came into view. Black stone walls reaching around eighty metres in height, with guards stationed every five metres on top and at the bottom.
There were four gates, each corresponding to a compass point. The one they were in front of was the West Gate. Upon seeing the banner of Biantian Empire, the guards in front of the massive doors greeted them with a smile.
However, Wei Mudan noticed the guards acted much colder towards her, preferring to talk to her Lieutenant Generals instead. A few even went as far to throw her out-right glares. The Lieutenant Generals led the army back to their military stronghold, situated outside the city. Only Jiang Cheng was left, following Wei Mudan back.
Inside her mind, Wei Mudan chuckled coldly. The Emperor's game had started. She grimaced. The game truly started from the moment she asked for a chance to prove herself.
What a sly old man.
The treatment in Imperial City was a stark contrast to Wuhan. There was less fanfare, and a lot more of the same glares and harsh whispers; Wei Mudan did not need to look to guess where and whom those glares and whispers were directed to.
She headed directly for her mansion, located in a small but influential district of Imperial City. Hua'er, her maid, was waiting outside the wooden doors.
"Hua'er," Wei Mudan called out softly.
Instead of a large smile on her face, Hua'er had a frown. She rushed up to Wei Mudan, who dismounted off her stallion.
Hua'er gripped Wei Mudan tightly, pulling her into a hug.
"Miss. You must be careful. There are many schemes ongoing; we have not heard much but rumours coming out of the Imperial Palaces."
Wei Mudan smiled softly. "I know. I prepared for this."
At the most perfect timing, a messenger from the Imperial Palaces arrived, slightly out-of-breath.
In his hand, was an invite.
"Princess Mudan, the Emperor has invited you to tonight's victory feast in honour of your contributions," he announced in a loud voice. Once done, he passed the invite to Jiang Cheng and ran off.
"The Emperor seems to be spying on me," Wei Mudan remarked lightly. To know exactly when she arrived back...was it a coincidence, or something more? In the Imperial Court, nothing was a coincidence.
Hua'er looked at Wei Mudan with a worried look on her face. "Miss," she said in a low, warning tone.
"Flowers wilt when it is time. This is expected. We can only go greet my Emperor Father tonight," Wei Mudan said, a determined look spreading through her face.
Time to see what kind of scheme that old fox managed to cook up this time.