Becoming the Emperor’s Greatest Woe - Chapter 56
Chapter 56
The fierce wind dimmed the daylight as sand flew through the air.
The horses stomped nervously, refusing to follow commands.
Seeing the sandstorm grow stronger, all the emissaries, including Jiang Yuxun, got out of the carriages. Together with the soldiers, they managed to pull the frightened horses into a large circle formed by the carriages. Only then did they climb back into the vehicles to escape the raging sand.
Sand and gravel scattered across the ground, and by the time everyone boarded, they were all somewhat battered and bruised.
Jiang Yuxun had just stepped into the carriage and was about to sit down when a soldier next to him shouted, “Lord Jiang, please roll up your sleeve and check your arm for injuries!”
“Alright.” Jiang Yuxun adjusted his breathing while rolling up his sleeve to inspect his arm.
Earlier, when the fierce wind swept up gravel, it struck directly at him. Jiang Yuxun instinctively raised his arm to shield himself.
The thin spring garments had been torn by the sharp stones, leaving a hand-span-long wound on his arm.
“Hiss…” Tang Yimeng, who was in the same carriage, couldn’t help but gasp when he saw the wound. “How could it be this bad?”
He himself had fallen after being dragged by a horse, leaving a prominent bruise on his face.
“It’s just a flesh wound. Nothing serious,” Jiang Yuxun said, glancing at the injury before rolling his sleeve back down.
A soldier handed him a water flask. “Lord Jiang, to be safe, you should rinse the wound with water.”
Though the wound wasn’t deep, it was covered in dirt.
“Forget it. Let’s conserve the water,” Jiang Yuxun said, shaking his head lightly.
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud “bang!” suddenly erupted.
The entire carriage trembled violently and began to sway.
Everyone inside froze in place, instinctively pressing their hands against the walls for stability.
The surroundings fell eerily silent. The sound of the wooden walls cracking became particularly sharp and jarring in that moment.
Tang Yimeng’s face turned pale as he struggled to take deep breaths. “O-Outside… why has the wind suddenly become so strong?”
The soldier was equally startled. “At least it didn’t hit the horses…”
When horses are startled, they can neigh, panic, or worse—run amok, which could have devastating consequences.
The strong wind poured through the cracks in the carriage walls.
Through the gaps, they could see a massive tornado moving toward their location.
The wind grew so powerful that it lifted large stones from the Gobi Desert and hurled them in all directions.
Luckily, another carriage blocked the back of theirs, preventing it from overturning.
Inside the cramped carriage, four people were squeezed together.
In one corner, the emissary who had earlier insisted on pressing forward fell completely silent.
…If they had continued earlier, they might already have been overturned, with both people and horses in chaos.
No one spoke another word in the carriage. The soldier gripped the water flask tightly and quietly used a small tray to block the cracks in the wall.
Jiang Yuxun pressed his lips together, his heart pounding with unease.
But seeing the expressions of the others, he couldn’t help but speak up. “Don’t worry too much. We’re in the middle of a sandstorm. The storm will dissipate the tornado and greatly weaken its force. The wind should calm down soon.”
He smiled gently and added in a reassuring tone, “In that case, our luck isn’t all bad.”
Jiang Yuxun had never experienced such extreme weather before.
What he said was based on bits of information he had read in news articles in his previous life.
But to ease everyone’s nerves, his voice carried a sense of absolute confidence.
Sure enough, with Jiang Yuxun’s words, the others’ tense expressions relaxed slightly.
“That… that’s good then…” Tang Yimeng exhaled deeply.
The soldier let out a long sigh and put the water flask aside.
They sat quietly in the carriage, saying no more.
Through the corner of their eyes, they noticed fine sand seeping through the gaps between the table and the carriage walls, gradually piling up until a thick layer covered their feet.
—
The Northern Frontier Army’s camp was engulfed by sand.
The land was shrouded in a sandy haze, with wind carrying stones across the ground.
At dawn, a group of riders left the camp, braving the storm and galloping northward.
After about an hour, they reached the edge of the desert.
“Strange,” a captain in the Northern Frontier Army muttered, “the wheel tracks are gone. Normally, even in strong winds, they wouldn’t disappear like this.”
His expression darkened as he scanned the area, trying to find the tracks.
He murmured to himself, “Could we have gone the wrong way?”
In ancient times, carriage wheels lacked rubber tires and were made entirely of wood, leaving clear, deep tracks on the ground.
The area they called the “sandland” was a mix of desert and wasteland.
The tracks from before would have been left on the more solid parts of the wasteland.
After a moment’s hesitation, the captain bowed to Ying Changchuan and said, “Your Majesty, the sandstorm is too strong today. Without the tracks to guide us, we could easily stray into the depths of the desert and get trapped, which would be dangerous for both people and horses. Perhaps we should return and wait for the storm to subside before continuing.”
Seated on a dark warhorse, Ying Changchuan scanned the surroundings with lowered eyes.
After a brief pause, he suddenly dismounted and drew the long sword from his waist.
The captain flinched, nearly falling off his horse in fear.
Ying Changchuan didn’t spare him a glance.
The sword’s sharp edge sliced through the dense yellow haze. Without touching the ground, the force of the blade swept away the sand.
In the next instant, deep wheel tracks were revealed beneath the sand.
“T-This…” The captain, who had only been with the Northern Frontier Army for half a year and had never experienced such a scene, was dumbfounded. “The sand was buried this deep?”
Seeing the situation, a thousand-man commander stationed long-term in the northern region finally couldn’t help but say, “A simple sandstorm wouldn’t kick up such large clouds of sand and dust. Just now, there was likely a tornado passing through here.”
The emperor was always skilled at concealing his emotions. Even in critical moments, he remained composed, with a faint smile always gracing his lips.
But today… not only had he been silent the entire time, but his lips were tightly pressed together, and his brow was full of cold determination.
The thousand-man commander couldn’t help but clench his fists and instinctively avoided those ash-gray eyes.
It was the first time he had seen Ying Changchuan display such evident displeasure.
The commander immediately turned around and ordered those behind him, “Dismount! Clear the wheel tracks together!”
“Yes, sir!”
At the edge of the sandland, the atmosphere was suffocating.
—
No one knew how much time had passed before the trembling of the carriages finally ceased.
The tornado that had raged for half a day was scattered by the sandstorm.
However, Jiang Yuxun and his group did not feel any relief—
Before they had stopped to shelter from the wind, the horses had already been spooked, causing them to deviate bit by bit from their original path.
Now, with the massive amount of sand flattening the land, they found themselves in the middle of the sandland, completely unsure of where to find the wheel tracks.
“Lord Jiang, two carriages have been severely damaged and are no longer usable,” a soldier stepped forward to report, bowing to Jiang Yuxun. “Five horses are injured, and the wounds on three of them appear serious—they probably can’t pull carriages anymore.” As he spoke, his heart grew heavy.
Even though the horses had been gathered together, falling stones from the sky still struck some of them.
“Ugh…” Jiang Yuxun coughed as he leapt down from the carriage.
He turned and instructed the group, “Sweep the sand out of the carriages first. Once that’s done, dig the wheels out of the sand!”
“Yes, sir!”
After giving his orders, Jiang Yuxun braced against the yellow sand and scanned his surroundings.
Unfortunately, the dense sand obscured the sky, and he couldn’t even spot the sun, let alone determine direction.
At this point in time, rudimentary compasses called “Si Nan” had already been invented and were widely used in geomancy.
However, they were large, heavy, and difficult to carry. Worse, their precision was low.
Most importantly, they could only function on flat surfaces; uneven terrain would disrupt the needle.
“Sigh…” Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but sigh.
If he survived to return to Zhao Capital, he would definitely find someone to improve the design.
Right now, the team was full of injured people.
Seeing that identifying direction with the naked eye was impossible, Jiang Yuxun turned back to join the group in clearing the yellow sand from the carriages.
…
As the sky darkened bit by bit, the sandstorm showed no signs of subsiding.
By twilight, the wheels buried deep in the sand were finally dug out through the collective effort of the group.
In the northern region, the temperature difference between day and night was extreme. Though it had been somewhat warm during the day, the surroundings now radiated bone-chilling coldness.
While the carriages carried luggage and clothing, the garments were thin and, even when layered, provided only minimal protection from the cold.
With the wind and sand still raging, starting a fire was impossible.
Everyone could only remain in the carriages to shelter from the wind and keep warm.
Jiang Yuxun sat quietly, leaning against the carriage wall with one arm wrapped around his knees.
His hands and feet were frozen, and the wound on his arm had long gone numb.
The howling wind continued unabated, but Jiang Yuxun’s heartbeat seemed to overpower the storm outside.
Thump, thump, thump—
Based on previous experience, the sandstorm would take at least another day to gradually disperse.
The team was already exhausted, both man and beast.
Hopefully, we haven’t strayed from the main road for too long. Hopefully, Ying Changchuan’s people will find us soon…
Jiang Yuxun pressed his lips together tightly.
Today, Jiang Yuxun had been on high alert mentally.
Now, his body was utterly fatigued, but his thoughts were unusually active, and his heartbeat had never been this fast.
Slowly, Jiang Yuxun closed his eyes.
The sandstorm continued to rage. In a half-dream, half-awake state, he suddenly heard a familiar sound.
Clip-clop—
Jiang Yuxun frowned, pressing his ear firmly against the carriage wall.
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
It was the sound of horse hooves!
Had Ying Changchuan’s people arrived?
The vibration of the hooves striking the ground transmitted through the solid carriage wall and into Jiang Yuxun’s ears.
His eyes snapped open, and he immediately lifted the curtain to step outside.
“Lord Jiang?!”
Jiang Yuxun’s sudden action startled everyone else in the carriage.
Tang Yimeng was stunned for a moment and hurriedly called out, “What are you doing?”
“I heard hoofbeats!”
As he spoke, Jiang Yuxun had already disappeared from his sight.
“Hoofbeats?” Tang Yimeng, who heard nothing, glanced at Jiang Yuxun in confusion but ultimately gritted his teeth and followed after him.
The sandland was pitch-black, and nothing could be seen clearly.
Worried that Ying Changchuan’s people might miss them, Jiang Yuxun jumped out of the carriage and shouted loudly into the distance, “Over here!”
After an entire day without water, his once clear voice had become hoarse.
He used all his strength to shout, causing a sharp pain in his chest and lungs.
Jiang Yuxun’s voice was fragmented by the wind and blown into the distance, only to be swallowed by the swirling sand.
Still unwilling to give up, he continued walking forward, calling out loudly, “We’re here—”
Not far away, a dark warhorse slowed down.
The rider on its back suddenly raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop where they were.
The wind howled in their ears.
Aside from that, nothing else could be heard.
Though confused, no one dared to make a sound to disturb the emperor.
After a moment, Ying Changchuan finally spoke slowly, “Go.”
The suffocating tension in the Northern Frontier Army seemed to ease slightly at that moment.
“Yes!”
The group quickly followed behind Ying Changchuan, heading northwest with him.
Faint starlight pierced through the sandstorm and scattered on the ground.
In the distance, someone could vaguely be seen waving their arms desperately.
His voice was hoarse, and his body trembled slightly from the cold.
The taut string in Ying Changchuan’s mind didn’t relax at this sight; instead, it seemed to sink abruptly.
A faint ache arose in his chest.
…
Tang Yimeng braved the sandstorm to make his way forward.
Not only had his face been injured earlier, but he had also bruised his leg, making it impossible to run.
Seeing Jiang Yuxun still moving ahead, Tang Yimeng, struggling to keep up behind him, shouted loudly, “Lord Jiang, please be careful—”
“Why don’t you come back first? Let’s wait and go forward together!”
The wind howled fiercely across the sandland, and Jiang Yuxun squinted his eyes involuntarily.
He didn’t respond to Tang Yimeng but stubbornly kept his gaze fixed ahead.
In the dark night, the figure in the distance was blurry.
At that moment, Jiang Yuxun’s heart hung in suspense.
For an instant, he couldn’t tell if what he was seeing was real or an illusion.
Another gust of wind blew past, and Jiang Yuxun instinctively raised his uninjured arm to shield himself.
Tang Yimeng, still limping behind, continued to shout, “Come back first! The wind was too strong earlier—what you heard might not have been hoofbeats!”
Jiang Yuxun shook his head slowly and, with determination, lowered his arm, gritting his teeth as he pressed forward.
At that moment, the dark figure finally became clear.
Jiang Yuxun saw someone riding toward him on horseback!
… Could it be Ying Changchuan?
Jiang Yuxun instinctively wanted to call out Ying Changchuan’s name, but remembering the other’s status, he swallowed those three words back down.
His heart thudded heavily in his chest.
The joy of surviving a disaster instantly reactivated Jiang Yuxun’s stiff, wind-beaten limbs.
He almost jogged forward.
The warhorse moved even faster than Jiang Yuxun had imagined.
In no time, the sound of a neigh reached his ears.
“Whoa—”
Before the horse had come to a full stop, the dark figure had already leapt from its back.
Before Jiang Yuxun could react, the howling wind around him was instantly blocked by the figure standing in front of him.
The sand that had been pelting his face ceased, and the fierce wind came to a halt.
“… Your Majesty?”
The person in front of him was Ying Changchuan.
He had come in person!
Jiang Yuxun’s breath suddenly hitched.
Still dazed, he looked up at the approaching figure under the starlight.
A pair of smoky gray eyes were gazing down at him.
The storm on the sandy ground seemed to have been swept into Ying Changchuan’s eyes, making his gaze no longer as calm as usual.
Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but murmur, “…I knew you would come.”
As soon as he spoke, Jiang Yuxun was startled by his own hoarse voice.
No, this wasn’t right!
Why had Ying Changchuan come in person?
Coming to his senses, Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you…” Why did you really come in person?
Before he could finish his question, the actions of the man beside him interrupted him.
—Ying Changchuan had removed his cloak and gently draped it over him.
The warmth of the cloak and the faint scent of imperial ambergris instantly enveloped Jiang Yuxun, as if a hand had pulled him out of the vast, desolate sands.
Even though they had not yet left the yellow sands, the heart that Jiang Yuxun had held suspended for days finally settled in that moment.
The sandstorm seemed to ease, and the faint starlight fell into Jiang Yuxun’s eyes, illuminating Ying Changchuan’s heart.
Jiang Yuxun paused, unable to resist saying, “The wheat seeds have been successfully secured, along with vegetable seeds from the Western Regions! Once we return, we can begin cultivating them—”
Joy, regret, fear, worry, and pride.
A flood of unfamiliar and complex emotions surged into the emperor’s heart in an instant.
The earlier twinge of sourness transformed into an invisible hand that lightly brushed his heart.
“…Your Majesty?” Jiang Yuxun instinctively called out softly when he saw no response.
The Northern Frontier Army had yet to arrive, and those in the carriage were unaware that reinforcements had come.
In the vast yellow sands, it seemed only Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan remained.
Starlight pierced the gray mist, falling upon Jiang Yuxun.
Ying Changchuan suddenly had the urge to gently stroke his hair at that moment.
For an instant, countless words crowded Ying Changchuan’s mind.
But before he could speak, the hoofbeats of the Northern Frontier Army suddenly cut through the howling cold wind and reached his ears.
Tang Yimeng also arrived, chasing after Jiang Yuxun.
After a brief pause, Ying Changchuan finally smiled faintly at Jiang Yuxun.
Then, while tying the cloak securely around him, he asked softly, “Still cold?”
Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but glance down at his neck.
—The cloak was not only for warmth but also a symbol of status.
This black cloak, embroidered with patterns of stars, could only be used by Ying Changchuan in the Da Zhou.
Instinctively, Jiang Yuxun wanted to return the cloak, which didn’t match his status, but his mouth betrayed him: “I was a bit cold earlier; now it’s much better.”
…After saying that, how could he give the cloak back?
Jiang Yuxun felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
Hearing his response, the emperor smiled and said, “That’s good.”
As he spoke, he thoughtfully tightened the cloak around Jiang Yuxun.
Not far away, Tang Yimeng, who had been panting heavily after running to catch up, was about to speak when his eyes met Ying Changchuan’s smoky gray gaze.
…Why was the emperor here?!
Before he could think further, Tang Yimeng immediately lowered his head and saluted, “Your Majesty—”
His heart began to race wildly, and a wave of fear and panic followed.
The next moment, the Northern Frontier Army finally arrived as well.
The sandy ground suddenly became bustling with activity.
Standing cautiously at the back of the crowd, Tang Yimeng finally dared to straighten up.
He couldn’t help pressing a hand to his chest and sneaking a glance ahead.
The cold wind blew against his face, and a shiver ran through him as he suddenly understood the strange feeling in his heart earlier—what he had just witnessed seemed a bit… excessive.
Night had fallen deeply, and the group didn’t linger in the sands but quickly set off on their return journey after regrouping.
The horses, restless after a day trapped in the sandstorm, were tethered at the rear of the convoy while other horses were used to pull the carriages forward.
Once again, Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan found themselves in the same carriage.
As his nerves relaxed, drowsiness came belatedly.
Unwilling to doze off in front of the emperor, Jiang Yuxun racked his brain for topics to discuss:
“Your Majesty, have you heard of the ‘si nan’ (compass)? When the wind picked up suddenly today, it was difficult to discern directions. At that time, I thought if we had a si nan with us, it might have been much more reassuring,” Jiang Yuxun said as he exhaled into his hands for warmth. “In the future, when we fight Zherou again, we won’t need to fear such weather.”
Ying Changchuan nodded lightly. “This matter can be arranged once we return to Zhaodu.”
Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but smile and turned to continue discussing the wheat seeds with him.
As he spoke, he unconsciously gestured toward the carriage behind them.
His movements were a bit too large, and it wasn’t until a sharp pain shot through his hand that he remembered he was still injured.
“Hiss…”
He unconsciously wanted to withdraw his hand, but in the next moment, his wrist was tightly grasped by Ying Changchuan. “What happened here?”
“Just got hit by a rock…” Jiang Yuxun tried to pull his hand back. “It’s just a surface wound.”
Before he could finish speaking, Ying Changchuan had already carefully rolled up his sleeve.
The wound wasn’t very deep, but the surrounding skin was not only covered in dirt but also slightly red and swollen.
Ying Changchuan frowned and, from somewhere, produced a leather water pouch he carried with him.
In the faint light from outside the window, he held Jiang Yuxun’s wrist with one hand and gently poured water from the pouch with the other, cleaning the wound.
“Though the wound isn’t deep, the dirt must still be cleaned promptly.”
Cool water droplets ran down Jiang Yuxun’s arm and fell to the ground.
Ying Changchuan’s actions were unexpected. Caught off guard, Jiang Yuxun gasped sharply, “Hiss—”
Ying Changchuan paused. “What is it?”
How could a minor injury defeat me, the great envoy of Da Zhou?!
Jiang Yuxun instinctively wanted to act tough, but under the influence of this debuff, he could only confess truthfully: “Could Your Majesty be a bit gentler? It hurt just now…”
The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became, sounding somewhat guilty.
This is the emperor, helping me treat my wound in person.
And here I am complaining!
No emotional intelligence at all—hopeless!
Jiang Yuxun thought Ying Changchuan would find him ungrateful.
Unexpectedly, Ying Changchuan nodded and said, “Alright.”
As he spoke, his movements indeed became even gentler.
All the carriages on this trip had been “wounded” in the earlier storm.
The carriage Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan were in was already small, with half its space occupied by a desk.
The two of them had to squeeze into the same corner.
To clean the wound more easily, Ying Changchuan held the water pouch in one hand while gently holding Jiang Yuxun’s palm in the other.
Warmth spread from where their hands touched.
The silence around them was palpable. Jiang Yuxun could distinctly feel the slight calluses on Ying Changchuan’s fingers.
Jiang Yuxun’s slightly curled fingers suddenly felt a bit awkward.
It’s just holding hands!
What’s there to feel awkward about?
He couldn’t help but clear his throat, his gaze darting around.
The night deepened, and the wind and sand showed no sign of stopping.
The sound of pebbles hitting the carriage walls filled Jiang Yuxun’s ears, like a soft white noise lulling him to sleep.
Unknowingly, Jiang Yuxun’s eyelids began to droop.
But unwilling to nod off in the emperor’s presence, he struggled to find something to say: “…Is this Your Majesty’s first time in such a small and shabby carriage?”
Ying Changchuan chuckled. “It is.”
But he found the size of the carriage just right.
Jiang Yuxun blinked hard to stay awake. “It’s a good thing Your Majesty came to find us. Otherwise… we wouldn’t have found our way by tomorrow.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but yawn.
Jiang Yuxun’s face was practically screaming, “Sleepy.”
Seeing this, Ying Changchuan finally said, “It’s getting late. If you’re tired, just go to sleep.”
Sleep?
Jiang Yuxun shook his head quickly. “I won’t sleep. I’ll just rest for a bit.”
His voice was hoarse, with a faint nasal tone from his exhaustion. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ll wake up in a little while…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Yuxun’s voice trailed off.
Just before falling asleep, he couldn’t help but think—when the emperor helped clean my wound earlier, did I forget to protest?
…I might have been a bit too complacent.
The carriage creaked as it moved forward.
The wind over the sands showed no sign of stopping.
Jiang Yuxun, contrary to his claim of “just resting for a bit,” fell into a deep sleep.
His body swayed uncontrollably with the movement of the carriage.
A moment later, just as Ying Changchuan had anticipated, Jiang Yuxun gently rested his head on the emperor’s shoulder.
The movement was light, like a feather landing there.
His soft breathing wrapped around Ying Changchuan’s neck like ribbons, bringing a faint ticklish sensation that spread through his entire body.
The unfamiliar feeling made Ying Changchuan’s fingers tremble slightly.
He didn’t push the person leaning on him away.
Instead, he slowly shifted his posture, no longer sitting upright as before.
Amid the yellow sands, a sliver of light seeped through the window into the carriage.
It illuminated the pale gray of Ying Changchuan’s eyes and the faint smile on his lips.
After a few moments, he couldn’t help but lower his gaze in the dim light.
Softening his breathing, his eyes landed on the person beside him.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Kai
Thank you for the update!