Chapter 9 Journey

  As a guard, I had to accompany the emperor for a long time, but I soon discovered that this was not an easy task. Attending the emperor's side naturally meant facing inquiries about my background and origins from the old emperor himself. Unfortunately, this elderly gentleman, despite his advanced age, was a wise and experienced ruler who had seen it all, making it difficult to deceive him.

  Luckily, I still remembered some ancient place names, so I racked my brain to come up with a story about growing up in the Western Regions as part of a merchant caravan, studying under an unnamed old man, and only recently returning to the Central Plains. Thanks to my studies, I had some knowledge of the era's customs and manners, which helped me respond convincingly when questioned about my past.

  I also managed to recall some ancient events from the Western Regions, which I used to create a semi-true, semi-false narrative to deflect further questioning. As for my speech and behavior being different from theirs, I attributed it to growing up in a different environment, making it easier to explain away.

  As for my origins, I claimed that I had grown up under the tutelage of an unnamed old man who traveled with merchant caravans across the Western Regions, teaching me everything I knew. Only recently, after my mentor's passing, did I return to the Central Plains, where I was caught and conscripted into the army to guard Tong Pass, becoming a subordinate of General Geshu.

  I'm not sure how much the old emperor believed, but at least he didn't ask any more questions. During this time, I still had to learn many things while serving the emperor, including growing my hair long and tying it up like other young men, as well as various court rituals and official ranks. At the very least, this helped me avoid sticking out too much in this era and avoid unnecessary trouble.

  However, the bigger trouble is yet to come. Those officials and nobles who brought their families along, numbering in the thousands, are a huge burden. The old, weak, women, and children are all slowing us down, and we can only march less than 30 miles per day. When we encounter the enemy, it's not just a matter of fighting, but also of dealing with these people running around like headless chickens, affecting morale and hindering our own troops.

  But this emperor suddenly had a change of heart, became kind and loving to his officials, and ordered that not one person could be left behind. Those who can move cannot be abandoned, which means I have to fight off several waves of pursuing soldiers every day. Although the casualties are few, the cumulative burden is still considerable.

  Although food is not yet a problem, and those old masters have become more honest after the military coup, they are still causing trouble all day long. They complain about their age and illness, grumbling and making demands. It's frustrating to the point of no end, and sometimes I even sympathize with Chen Mianli, wishing I could launch another military coup and get rid of these troublesome people once and for all.

  Those soldiers who were hastily assembled from different systems are also a problem. As the external enemy threat subsides, they begin to cause friction. This means I have to go around mediating and establishing authority.

  And then there are the female attendants who didn't bring much luggage when they fled, and in this hot weather, their thin summer clothes can't hide their... ahem... charms. With the fatigue of traveling, their sweat makes their figures even more alluring, making it hard for people to resist the temptation to commit crimes. I have to take precautions to prevent some of these guys from harassing them.

  It's a never-ending stream of troubles (one reason the emperor often asks me to accompany him is that he can't forget the dishes I made that day, such as mutton soup and jade rice porridge, and orders me to cook for him. Later, when I taught my cooking skills to the eunuchs in charge of food, I was finally able to get out of this chore).

  Just in time, I had an excuse to reorganize the troops and assign tasks, so I pushed all these troublesome matters onto Wei Tuo's shoulders. Who made his father, Wei Jianzhi, just fill the vacancy left by Yang Guozhong? He himself is always visiting a certain family with a grown daughter, so let's give him an opportunity. After a few days, I saw that he was worried sick, but pretended not to know.

  When things really can't be settled, and I have to step in, I can still drag his father, Wei Yuanshuai, into the water. I believe there won't be any more problems. Therefore, it's often possible to see a stark contrast between the leisurely officials and their worried subordinates.

  However, I couldn't stay idle while accompanying the emperor, another small trouble came up. It's said that I'm accompanying him, but in fact, most of my time is being taken up by that little princess who has been clinging to me like glue. And then there's that pair of Yang siblings' kids who are always following me around like a tail, I don't know who taught them to do this. Although I don't know why this little princess has developed such a huge interest in me since I brought her back, she's stuck to me like chewing gum and won't leave no matter what. I know that bringing these kids along will definitely attract attention wherever we go, but that short and stout eunuch said it was to prevent someone from harming the Yang family's descendants, and that it was Yang Tai's intention. He even said with a straight face, "Do you need an imperial decree for this?" which shut me up. I don't have good feelings towards the treacherous Yang family, but I feel sorry for the kids who are innocent. I couldn't just ignore them. It wasn't that I didn't have the heart to get rid of them, but in the end, it was like I had gone too far and got defeated by their crying fit, and I ended up surrendering and taking on a part-time nanny role.