Note: This story isn't historically accurate. The author made great use of historical license in writing it. The inaccuracy is designed to add to the dramatic aspects of the plot. The Huns' invasions and the first Japanese incursion into Chinese territory are at least two centuries apart. The military apparatuses used in the story are out of their respective Eras, as well. That being said, the cultural aspects of Chinese society were extensively studied and are, mostly, accurate, though. Enjoy the reading!

Flower of China

By Kath Klein

Translated by Yoruki Hiiragizawa

Chapter XIX

Sakura furrowed her brow as she tried to clean up a bleeding gash of one of the surviving soldiers' left eyebrow. It'd be a lot easier if the boy were to remain still.

'Where did you learn how to do that?' the boy inquired, looking at her in a daze. 'I've never seen a woman wield a bow like that,' he went on when it became clear that she wouldn't answer him.

Sakura rolled her eyes in exasperation. Captain Kinomoto had become one of the best archers of the Empire, so she was quite sure that the impressionable boy had probably never seen anyone wield a bow quite as she did. Period. 'Instead of wondering about my life, you should focus on becoming a better soldier,' she told him, holding the soldier's face in a tight grip and forcing him to look away so that she could better reach the cut to spread some ointment on it.

'Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!' he yelped, flinching away from her. 'That shit burns!'

'Stop the whining,' she grumbled, rolling her eyes again. 'This is just a scratch.' She covered the whole cut with the paste effectively stanching the blood flow all the while hearing him swear out loud. Sakura could but sigh at his exaggerated display. 'I can't believe the Army's allowing such wimps in their ranks now…'

He scowled petulantly, like a sulky kid, taking offence with her harsh words. 'I'll have you know that I've been chosen by General Xue himself to join Lord Qin's guardsmen.'

Sakura narrowed her eyes, saving that piece of information for later consideration. 'And if it weren't for General Li's interference, you would have failed your mission,' she replied, her voice scathing and matter-of-factly as she proceeded to return the medical supplies to their satchel.

Squinting his eyes, the soldier took hold of her wrist, stopping her movements.

Sakura had no qualms in looking up to face him directly, her experience as Captain taking over her and projecting an authoritative aura. She just gave him a cold stare and forcefully pulled her arm from his grasp.

There's a truth to be said about the eyes of a killer. Sakura didn't delude herself thinking she was anything else. As a soldier, she had killed her enemies and her attitude seemed to be enough to unnerve him. The boy instinctively bowed his head, looking away and mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "scary woman".

Satisfied with his contrition, Sakura smirked and continued stowing the medicine away not noticing the pair of amber eyes warily watching the exchange.

The General was talking to the nobleman and the senior surviving guardsman. Lord Qin was the Emperor's representative at the Southern part of China. Though Xiao Lang had never held a conversation with the man, he knew the elder to be one of Wei's most faithful supporters, which made the situation all the more unsettling.

Though thankful for the General's intervention, Lord Qin was rightfully furious and outraged at the earlier events, complaining about the incompetence of the new Honour Guard sent to him from The Forbidden City.

'In all the time I've served The Lord of Ten Thousand Years, I've never experienced something quite like this!' He complained, almost hysterically. 'I was very understanding when General Xue called back my experienced guardsmen to replace the palace guards who died at the Shāngu battle,' he went on. 'I expected their replacement to be inferior but never this unqualified!'

A yelp of pain from the other side of the road, followed by a string of curses, attracted the General's attention from the noble's bitter diatribe.

Xiao Lang frowned watching as Kinomoto, with her back turned to him, tended to the injuries of a younger soldier as he spewed out words that would make a proper lady blush. And yet she seemed unperturbed and maintained a stream of idle chatter as she worked.

Their position gave him a clear sight to the slack-jawed awe on the boy's face and he irritably gritted his teeth. He felt himself tense up, clenching his fist at his side and biting back a growl when the boy dared to take hold of the girl's arm. Before he could do anything, he took notice of the way she took on a more commanding stance with just the slightest of shifts and the boy's face paled with something akin to fear and shock as he let her go.

He watched as she swiftly stood up, brushing her clothes clean of the dirt and dust from the road before moving toward his horse with the medicine satchel in hands.

Sakura sauntered toward the General's horse, tying the satchel back to the saddle. Absentmindedly stroking the animal's mane, she watched as another surviving soldier hurled insults at the captive bandits.

She could but sneer. It's easy to be all tough now that the bandits were tied and offered no danger but she still remembered how the surviving soldiers had cowered, pleading for their lives before she and the General swoop in and saved the day. "Idiot", she thought, looking away just to find the nobleman talking to his hysterical wife near their coach.

Talking to might actually be a bit of an understatement. Yelling at was more like it. Another idiot. Instead of acting like such a brute, if he were to hold her in his arms to reassure her, Sakura was sure that the woman would be a lot calmer by now. But showing kindness, even to one's spouse, in front of other men could be seen as a weakness so he obviously had to protect his frail male ego! Men! Ugh! Idiots, all of them!

She saw the General approach her from behind the nobles where he had been helping the survivor senior officer to hitch the horses back to the coach. 'Are you sure that the Buffon shouting at his wife is actually Lord Qin?' she inquired with a raised eyebrow when he stopped by her side. 'By the quality of his guardsmen, I would never imagine that he represents the Emperor at the South of the Celestial Empire.'

Xiao Lang looked back to the nobleman, trying hard not to smile at her remark. That woman was just too smart for her own good. 'I also had my doubts,' he said, pressing his lips together with a small frown. He shook his head. 'He is in possession of the Imperial Seal, though, so…' he merely shrugged.

The General turned back to look at her but took notice that the boy she had been tending to was watching them with a great deal of interest. The boy's face took an ashen hue at meeting the General's icy glare.

'Do you believe those three capable of getting His Lordship safely to the nearest village, at least?' she asked but didn't really wait for an answer. 'Because I don't think they are and, as an Imperial Officer, Lord Qin's safety befalls over you, doesn't it?'

'I don't need you to tell me of my duty,' he muttered under his breath.

'I'm just saying,' Sakura rolled her eyes and shrugged. 'After all, I know how much you love to play the keeper of nobility,' she dismissed his bad mood with a biting comment.

The General looked at her through narrowed eyes. 'Your petulance is unbecoming, girl.'

She grinned, her hands behind her back, her shoulders swinging from side to side in a pretence bashfulness as she looked at him through her eyelashes. 'Why, General,' she spoke in a whisper. 'Let's not argue in front of these poor men. As you can see through Lord Qin's example, it's demeaning for a man as powerful as yourself to lose your temper with a defenceless little woman such as me,' she motioned with her head to point at the noble couple.

Xiao Lang looked away to hide his smirk at her remark, knowing that she was far from defenceless, and watched as the nobleman spat insults at his wife's face.

'In front of the bandits, he was wailing and crying out for help like a coward,' she heaved a sigh in irritation. 'Now, to deal with his wife, he's suddenly all tough and manly. It's pathetic!'

He frowned, looking at her with a sidelong glance. 'You shouldn't speak like that about a representative of the Emperor,' he warned her.

She raised an eyebrow at him. 'You also think that; even if you don't dare to say it out loud.'

He turned her way lifting his eyebrow trying to convey scepticism at her presumptuous observation but knew it to be a lost battle. He'd been too honest and open with his pupil to be able to fool her now. 'Then I guess I'm fortunate enough to have you to put my thoughts into words for me,' he said at last.

She chuckled quietly, her shoulders shaking slightly with her suppressed laughter. 'I just know you very well, General.'

He shook his head with a tight-lipped smile and turned back to face the nobles. 'If you say so,' he looked to where the bandits were tied up and being kicked by another soldier and his smile vanished. 'They really are idiots. And green. I can't figure out how they were sent to protect such a high standing member of the court,' he commented, aggressively running his hand through his hair and ending up by stroking the nape of his neck.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself to deal with them. It was the last thing he wanted but his duty really demanded that he protected Lord Qin. At least until they reached the next village where he'd be able to call on better security. The sooner they resumed the journey, the sooner he'd be rid of the annoying courtier.

Despite Lord Qin's indignation at being ordered around, even if by someone as infamous as General Li, they were set to move in no time at all. After some deliberation, they decided that the best option was for them to tread carefully since their unit had been severely compromised. The senior guardsman was to pull the small convoy, followed by the coach. The young man Sakura had tended took to the coachman's seat as the General kept close to the coach's rear. The last soldier was to escort the thugs and their horses. The next village wasn't too far, maybe an hour away at a normal trotting pace. On their current configuration, however, they'd take twice that time.

'How's your wound? Did you strain it while wielding the bow?' the General asked, reaching out to Sakura from his horse as he hoisted her, holding her tightly between his arms. She had tried to convince him to let her mount one of the many horses they had available but he wouldn't even hear about it.

'It's fine. It's healed enough that the fight didn't compromise me,' she said, waving her hand dismissively.

He grunted a reply and prompted his horse to start moving. 'We'll be spending the night at the village,' he informed her after a couple seconds of silence. 'Lord Qin has asked me to conduct the interrogation of the prisoners personally after turning them in at the Security House.'

'Do you think they'll turn up something from it?' She questioned, thoughtfully. 'And how long do you think we'll be required to stay there?'

'I plan to be done with the questioning by tonight and depart in the morning,' he asserted, grouchily. It was quite clear that he wasn't keen on complying with the courtier's wishes.

'We could go during the night if you rather proceed with our journey,' she proposed, looking at him over her shoulder. 'I'm well enough to keep moving. And I don't think it'll rain tonight.'

Xiao Lang shook his head. 'You're well-rested because you slept during the day –– I didn't,' he said as he raised an eyebrow. 'Plus, we'll need to buy more medicine and bandages before departing since you spent what we had on that boy,' he grumbled, nodding his head toward the soldier who was leading the coach.

'Should I have let the boy bleed to death, instead?' she inquired, rolling her eyes.

He let an exasperated sigh escape his lips. 'Could you, please, try to act like a normal woman and stop questioning me all the time?'

'It's a bit late for that, don't you think?' She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. 'Besides, what exactly do you mean by "a normal woman", General?'

Xiao Lang leaned into her, pressing his chest against her back and narrowing his eyes as he took in the look in her face. 'I'm certain that you must've learned how to conduct yourself in front of men while living in that orphanage,' he mentioned off-handedly, noticing the slight twitch of her eyes as she straightened her back, getting as much distance from him as the horse allowed.

Sakura considered answering his veiled jab but thought better of it. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. She didn't really need to question him the whole time. As much as she feared to lose her voice if she started silencing herself, she was better than this and had always prided herself of knowing how to chose her battles.

Plus, even though she had rested for a while before they ran into the bandits, she was unusually tired. She was clearly not as healed as she thought if such a brief encounter wore her out like that.

With too much idle time and little to do as they escorted Lord Qin's coach, Sakura felt her eyes landing on the carriage and then on the soldiers with them and back as she mulled over the events they stumbled upon. The words so carelessly blurted out by the boy she had fixed earlier causing a stir in her mind.

Her personal dislike of General Xue might have been tainting her perception. Nonetheless... Was it not odd that such unqualified soldiers had been selected to guard one of His Imperial Majesty's most loyal men? And that they had been handpicked by General Xue, whose bias towards Prince Yue's more radical ideas was well known amongst the Army's high echelon.

Unlike the General, that usually didn't pay attention to the Court's intrigue, she was well aware that there had been whispers about Wei's inability to remain in power due to his advanced years. Whispers that she suspected to be fomented by His Imperial Highness himself, as the Prince had always seemed overeager to take his father's place.

She shook her head. It'd be no good if she jumped to conclusions. She needed to think that whole situation through. Yet her intuition was telling her that something was brewing in The Forbidden City and there was more danger to be found ahead than just a bunch of road bandits.

They turned in the bandits to the village's Security House, leaving Lord Qin under their protection in spite of the nobleman's complaints. Xiao Lang being adamant that his security wasn't his responsibility anymore.

Xiao Lang decided to get a room for them before he started questioning their prisoners. Sakura walked behind him, watching as the General proudly marched through the village's narrow streets as he pulled his horse toward the inn.

She couldn't suppress a smirk at noticing the way people all around them stopped to see him parade along the way as if he owned the place. She didn't doubt that their presence there was one of the most exciting things they've seen in a long time.

Her smile vanished, though, when she saw a group of young girls admiring him quite openly and giggling like fools from behind their fans. She frowned frankly put out by their shameless ogling.

"The nerve of some people! ", she bitterly thought. What was she, after all? Invisible? For what those girls knew, she and the General might've been a couple and, yet, they dared to lust over a supposedly married man in front of his "wife".

It was with a sadistic satisfaction that she took in the sickly and apologetic looks in their faces as they noticed her and their eyes met. She had no doubt that she looked absolutely terrifying right then.

Xiao Lang gave her the horse's reins and asked her to wait for a moment as he went to call on a stable boy.

Sakura nodded and ran her hand over the horse's mane, distractedly, making him neigh satisfied by the affection. It was a beautiful animal. She was reminded of Yin and regretted, not for the first time, having lost her.

She thought of how strange it was that their ride, their travelling companion, didn't have a name and decided to fix that. Everyone should have a name, right?

'You must be tired, huh, boy,' she cooed, petting him lovingly. 'I promise to ask the General for some nice and juicy carrots for you, how about that?' She asked, laughing at his animated neighing as if he actually understood her.

Xiao Lang approached her, a lanky boy keeping up with him. 'Come on. I got us a room,' he motioned for her to follow him once the stable boy stood by her side, grabbing the reins. 'I have to get back to the Security House, you'll stay in the room. Get the chance to rest as much as you can,' he directed, looking over his shoulders as they walked through a corridor toward their room. 'Tomorrow we'll resume our journey and will not stop at an inn again. I've also asked the innkeeper to gather some medicine, bandages and food for us.' They stopped in front of a door and the General opened it, motioning for her to get in.

'Can you ask for some carrots to Yan as well?' Sakura requested, standing in front of him and looking him in the eyes.

Xiao Lang furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head. 'Yan?'

'I named your horse,' she clarified, shrugging bashfully. 'He deserves a little treat, don't you think? After carrying both of us for such a long time.'

'You really are a peculiar woman, aren't you?' He shook his head, trying hard to contain a smile.

Sakura shrugged again. 'Will you ask for it?' she insisted. 'For the carrots.'

He could only gaze at her in admiration for a couple seconds. 'I'll ask. Now get in. I've requested that they draw a bath for you. Get some rest, okay?'

Sakura just nodded, satisfied at the prospect of taking a bath after spending the previous night in the rain.

Xiao Lang hesitated just minutely before handing her the key to the room. 'I'll be back as soon as I'm done questioning those three,' he sighed, turning on his heels and marching out.

Sakura watched him walk away. The hint of a smile on her lips. He was acting differently towards her, she noticed. And though things might never get to how they were before, who was to say that that needed to be a bad thing?

Sakura was leaning against the windowsill of their room lost in thought as she watched the moon on the cloudless sky. She frowned, sighing over their unscheduled stop as it was a perfect night to spend in the open air. They would've made a great deal of progress if they hadn't had to rescue Lord Qin.

That is, they would've made progress if the General decided to proceed through the main road instead of following the river path like he was insisting on doing before they ran into the bandits.

She knew that man well enough to grasp his hesitation in reaching The Forbidden City, though she couldn't figure the reason why. After all, as he'd said before they left Yuhan, no matter the reason, she had broken the law and he knew his duty.

Knowing him, she would've expected the General to press forward to deliver her to justice as soon as possible. It's not like he's never done it before. He usually planned his marches to have as few stops as possible, only accommodating the horses, never worrying about tiring the men.

She shook her head, looking over her shoulder to the curtain that separated the bedroom from the washroom hearing the sounds of splashing water as the General took a bath. That was the first time since the General found her at the Yang's courtyard that he washed while she was awake. It was a great sign of trust, even if unconscious, that he put himself in such a vulnerable position around her.

It always amused her that, whether or not the General despised life in Court and their habits, at least in regards to cleanliness he was very much like any other courtier. Where most soldiers would go days, and sometimes weeks, without taking a bath, he would only postpone bathing when absolutely necessary.

She would often envy the way Xiao Lang just showed up all freshened up in the mornings while she had to spend days concealing the worst of her smell with oils and other tricks, too afraid of taking a bath and risk being seen. That was why befriending Tomoyo was such a relief. At the safety of Tomoyo's walls, she could just relax and scrub all the grime from her skin without fear of being found out.

Sakura turned back to the window, watching the moon. Thinking about her friend brought a bittersweet smile to her face. The concubine certainly must be worried about her. She was probably feeling guilty, as well. Sakura didn't doubt that Tomoyo had had the best of intentions when she disclosed her past to the General. She didn't know how much was revealed but it had been enough for the General to find her at her childhood home.

Knowing what a great storyteller Tomoyo was, she had no doubt that her friend must've spun a great tale about all of her misfortunes. The concubine also knew Xiao Lang wasn't as tough and cold-hearted as he pretended to be. It was no wonder that the General looked at her with such pitying eyes at the sight of Mrs Yang scornful glare. She had hated it. And if she hadn't been so weak at the time, she would undoubtedly have provoked the General enough to force his hand. Her pride would have demanded that he killed her before feeling sorry for her.

Maybe it was a blessing that she'd been sick, after all.

For a brief moment, as she listened to the man on the other room moving around in the tub, she allowed herself to conjure the memory of his unclad chest as she's seen many times while they trained together.

Closing her eyes, she heaved a sigh as the tip of her fingers touched her lips. It didn't take her much to perfectly recall the feeling of Xiao Lang's body against hers as he pinned her against the wall at Tomoyo's place. She wondered if he really meant it when he said that he liked her boldness. Would he enjoy it the same if she took the initiative and kissed him again?

Sakura shook her head, taking a deep breath. As much as she might enjoy losing herself in that man's arms, she couldn't relinquish herself as long as he could claim to own her.

She focused her eyes on the moon once more. Plus, it was not the time to give into daydreams. She suspected they –– or rather, General Li would be needed at The Forbidden City soon.

Xiao Lang walked out of the washroom, his eyes immediately finding the girl outlined by the light coming in through the window. She was wearing the hanfu he'd bought for her earlier when heading to the Security House. The pink of the peony flowers embroidered over the viridian fabric had caught his eye and he felt a sudden desire of seeing her enveloped in such a delicate get-up. She looked exquisite. And in spite of her hair still being shorter than that of most women, there was no way he could see anything else. Thinking about how obvious that seemed now, he couldn't get over ever believing her to be a boy. He hated that he could only blame himself for his blindness for, if he hadn't seen it before, was because he hadn't wanted to see. There was no other explanation.

'I think we should try and reach The Forbidden City as soon as possible,' she said, startling him out of his thoughts.

He took a deep breath, crossing the room until he reached the window and stopped by her side. 'Why? Are you in such a hurry to meet your destiny?'

She closed her eyes, leaning her head on the windowsill. 'I'm merely concerned about The Lord of Ten Thousand Years' safety.'

He felt himself freeze on his place and looked at her with wide eyes. Whatever answer he expected out of her, that wasn't it. 'What are you talking about?'

'I don't believe that the assault on Lord Qin was an accident,' she turned his way to look him straight in the eyes. 'His Lordship's security was sloppy and untrained, yet the boy I patched up was boasting about how they were handpicked by General Xue himself to protect him. Those weaklings were selected to protect Lord Qin. Lord Qin! One of the Emperor's most vocal supporters.'

The General raised an eyebrow, curiously. 'And did he just volunteered that information?'

Sakura shrugged. 'The kid had a loose tongue so I took the opportunity to shed some light on a couple suspicions.'

He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at her through narrowed eyes. 'And what have you gathered?'

'It seems General Xue has made several changes to The Forbidden City's guard's roster. He's called out to more experienced soldiers who were on guard duty all around the Empire and exchanged them with men of his choosing –– and we've seen the quality of his selection. Supposedly it's to replace the men who died at the Chifeng Passage Battle, but…' Sakura shook her head, heaving a weary sigh. 'I think it's possible that the Emperor's most trusty men might be purposefully being put in a vulnerable position,' She bit her lip, her eyes unfocused as she leaned back against the wall. 'Either to be eliminated or to raise questions about the Emperor's ability to rule.'

The General narrowed his eyes as he watched her explain her thoughts. 'And you're sure about that?'

He hadn't told her, but he'd found out by interrogating the road thieves that the ambush on Lord Qin had been ordered by someone unrelated to the gang. He had suspected a political rival, but if what she said was true, then the situation was even direr than he'd imagined.

'As I said, the boy had a loose tongue. He won't go far in the Army if he can't help bragging at the sight of a woman,' she could but roll her eyes.

Xiao Lang raised an eyebrow, gritting his teeth. 'Were you flirting with him?'

'I wasn't flirting! Why are you–?' She spluttered, her nostrils flaring as she glared at him. 'Is that all you took from what I just said? Pay attention, General!' She breathed out an exasperated sigh. 'There might be something brewing in The Forbidden City!'

He raised his hands, arms out with his palms forward. 'And what are you suspecting?'

'Insurrection.' she said. The word causing a shiver down his spine. 'Our Emperor is advanced in years. His Counsellors and some Generals, like Xue Lian, have often implied about it being time for him to abdicate. Except that His Imperial Highness is far too self-centred to be a good ruler. We both know that His Majesty is against Prince Yue's intemperance. They often quarrelled in front of the Councillors and Officers when the Prince was particularly insolent. Prince Yue is unscrupulous and unwise and our Sovereign knows it.'

The General twisted his mouth and creased his brow. 'Do you really believe Prince Yue would be capable of trying to overthrow the Emperor –– his own father? The Son of Heaven himself?'

'I believe him capable of anything as long as it gets him what he wants,' she said grimly with a sneer. 'You know Prince Yue and General Xue are two of a mind. It also worries me now that His Highness has spent months over months travelling all over the place taking care of mysterious "Imperial matters" while we were busy training the troops. And then, suddenly, there are people endangering the Celestial Empire representatives...' She shook her head, her eyes narrowed and jaw tensing up. 'It's not a good sign and it seems like too much of a coincidence...'

They remained in silence for a couple moments and then Sakura looked him in the eyes. 'You, Sir, are the only General I believe to be completely incorruptible by the Prince. You need to be near the Emperor to be able to protect him.'

Xiao Lang looked away from her, knocking lightly onto the windowsill with a closed fist. He wasn't keen on going back to The Forbidden City yet. Despite knowing what was expected of him, he wasn't sure whether or not it would be the right thing to do. He was trying to buy some time to think it over and come up with a solution.

He couldn't deny, though, that her suspicions were solid, especially with what he'd learnt from the thugs. Those circumstances were the direst possible. 'Aren't you afraid of what's going to happen to you once we're back into The Forbidden City?'

'My duty to the Emperor has always come before my own safety, General,' she replied, her shoulders straightened back.

On that very moment, he could see his pupil's determination reflected in her eyes as clear as day. He could but wonder how would he give that woman up when more than never all he wanted was to have her by his side.

A heavy silence fell over them as Sakura turned her eyes back to the moon and saw it hiding behind a faint patch of clouds. 'My destiny isn't going to change, General,' she let out a sigh of resignation. 'The safety of The Son of Heaven lies on your presence, though…'

The General just nodded. 'We should go to sleep, then. Let's head out tomorrow at dawn. We can get the main road to The Forbidden City from here and it'll cut down our travel time in half.'

Looking at him from the corner of her eyes, her lips pursed. 'Why were we taking the longer path, to begin with?'

'I was trying to think things over,' he explained, running his hand through his hair.

'What was there to think about? It would always come to this, General,' she replied, having come to terms with her fate.

'Yeah… I guess you're right about that,' he said, taking a deep breath and facing her once more. 'Let me check your wound and so go we can to bed. Starting tomorrow… We'll have a long and tiresome journey ahead of us.'

Sakura merely nodded, getting away from the window not noticing that the moon was once more shining bright on the night sky.

To be continued...

The different name to the "Police department" was intentional.
Shanghai, as a major city had a City Guard Office. The village they stopped by now was a small place, and therefore only has a Security House.
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Minor editing on Jan. 11th, 2020.Minor editing on January 11th, 2020.