scarlet heart | exo

Departure

"I'm going."

"Mm."

"I'll be back before you know it."

"Mm."

Xuefeng tried not to say much. She was afraid that she would burst into tears any moment.

She had allowed herself to shed tears that morning, when she helped Zitao put on his battle armour. Zitao did not call her out on it, but instead gave her shaking hands a small squeeze as she struggled to tie on his breastplate.

Alas, as much as she wanted to cry at Zitao's imminent departure, she was not going to do that now. Not in front of Zitao, who needed to have a razor sharp focus from her on out, without the final parting image of his crying wife. And certainly not in front of the seven concubines behind her.

Xuefeng was starting to understand why Zitao dreaded the company of the concubines, save for Wenyi. The whole lot of them, except Wenyi, were all over the ground, wailing so violently that Xuefeng was actually getting concerned that she would need to get a doctor to have a look at them.

"What will we do..."

"We can't live without you..."

Xuefeng felt a chill run down her spine and she resisted the urge to puke right there and then.

Zitao didn't spare them a glance, and signaled for Wenyi to come over. He took Wenyi's hands in his own, and layered them over Xuefeng's.

"Wenyi, you're the only one I trust... Take care of Xuefeng when I'm gone, okay? Make sure those seven women back there don't drive her crazy." He mustered a smile.

Wenyi bowed and assured Zitao, "I will."

He patted her affectionately on the head.

Meanwhile, Xuefeng turned her attentions to Rain, and she stroked the soft mane of the steed.

"Serve Zitao well. Protect him. Make sure he doesn't fall. I'm counting on you."

Turning back to Zitao, Xuefeng bid him a last farewell.

"Bye."

"Bye."

But neither of them moved.

Sighing, Zitao enveloped Xuefeng in a hug.

Xuefeng felt tears spring to her eyes but she quickly blinked them away.

Not now. She had to be strong. For herself, for Wenyi, for Zitao.

"I'll miss you..." Zitao broke the hug and cupped her chin to kiss her.

He hopped onto Rain and waved.

"Bye..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xuefeng watched solemnly as Zitao's horse disappeared into the distance, and the dust that it kicked up in its wake settled.

She felt a nagging emptiness inside her.

But it was not going to be for long though. She had to be strong for just a little while more, and then, it was all going to be fine.

She turned her attention to the concubines behind her. Some of them looked genuinely worried and were still sniffling even though Zitao was no longer watching; they were not all callous creatures, Xuefeng realised.

In the past few weeks, her interactions with the concubines had stirred up mixed feelings inside of her. Sure, they had a penchant for dramatics and would never pass up an opportunity to discredit the others or even herself in front of Zitao, but how much of it was really their own volition, and how much of it was what they felt that society expected them to do? 

She had looked up their backgrounds, and found that they were all from noble families, brought up in sheltered environments knowing little of what transpired beyond the walls of their family home. They were taught that their sole purpose and value in life was to marry well, and thus, Zitao was everything to them. Yet, he barely spared them a second glance. So, all they could do was to throw themselves at him-- it was what they had been taught to do to their future husbands from a young age.

"Ahem."

Of course, there was one individual unworthy of her sympathy.

Concubine Nian had picked herself off the floor and was striding over to Xuefeng, eyes dry, and with a smug expression on her face.

"You're quite something. You set a wonderful example of resilience and strength for all of us. You didn't shed a single tear when 4th Prince left. I am humbled. We must all learn from you," Concubine Nian purred, her eyes piercing and challenging.

Xuefeng smirked, a retort already forming on her lips. "But in the face of your incredible acting skills, I must say I have to admit defeat."

"Excuse you?"

"Qiaoying," Xuefeng called.

"Yes, Madame?" the maid replied from behind her.

"Concubine Nian appears to be a bit delirious from her little crying act. Please escort her back to her quarters and ensure she rests. The longer, the better. Concubine Nian, you won't need to be present during morning greetings. I'll arrange for the kitchen to make you salted vegetables with porridge, I heard that it helps one grow brain cells and helps children get mature faster. You can enjoy that every day until you're better."

Xuefeng might as well have ordered Concubine Nian into house arrest and insulted her for her childishness.

"Oh, and while Concubine Nian is 'resting', the most senior concubine will be Wenyi. Listen to her as you have been suppressed by Concubine Nian."

Xuefeng turned her back as Concubine Nian was 'escorted' away.

Xuefeng: 143648201657, Concubine Nian: 0. Game over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Xuefeng didn't turn up for the customary morning greetings, much to the puzzlement of the concubines.

Quietly, Qiaoying fetched Wenyi from the hall and brought her into Xuefeng's room, where a letter was waiting for her on the table.  Fingers flying, she opened the letter, gasping as she read the contents:

Dear Wenyi,

If I make it back alive, I'll have to make everything up to you.

I've decided to go to Xinjiang, and help Zitao.

As the daughter of a general, I have to go there. This war is tougher than any other that has been fought before, and Zitao needs all the knowledge and expertise that he can get. I've thought about it, and I think that I can help. I've grown up on battlefields, learnt martial arts and horse-riding since a young age, and I've read up on military tactics. I can help save lives, and help us win this war.

But more importantly, as Zitao's wife, I cannot remain in the comfort of the manor whilst he is out there, in the middle of danger. I cannot be at ease not knowing whether he is alive or dead. We both know that he can sometimes be too headstrong and stubborn, which bodes badly for both himself and his army. If I am there, I can help protect him, and prevent him from making stupid decisions.

Whilst I am gone, I trust that you will take care of the manor in my place. I am sorry for placing such a huge burden on you, but in any case, you know more than me about the day-to-day running of the manor. You can tell the other concubines that I have some infectious disease or something (spin a story so that they won't come looking for me), and I have left you my seal and a letter that names you to act in my stead.

I'm sorry that I left without saying goodbye, I had to keep it a secret. And whatever happens, I will bear the responsibility without implicating you, I promise.

Thanks,
Xuefeng

Meanwhile, a woman rode a black stallion, racing toward the Xinjiang border.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written by CrystallineSnow ^^ And so Xuefeng's adventure begins!