Chapter Eight: My Military Journey

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I am finally out of prison!

As a divine maiden, my treatment must surely be different now. The Prince of Yan arranged for me a tent near his palace. Though small, it was fully equipped. Living here, I often saw Zhu Di coming and going. For some reason, I found myself hoping every day to catch a glimpse of him, even from afar—it gave me a sense of peace.

What’s happening to me? Perhaps it’s gratitude; after all, he saved my life and has provided such generous care. I comforted myself with this thought.

It is wartime, and since there are no women in the army camp, I requested a new military uniform. Though it looked rather loose on me, it was clean enough. Gazing at my reflection, clad in a red officer’s robe embroidered with a swallow fish pattern, my curly hair tied up in a bun, I appeared particularly spirited and handsome.

I could come and go in the camp as I pleased, unrestricted. Zhu Di even assigned two soldiers who had seen me as my personal bodyguards. They were brothers named Da Wu and Xiao Wu. Seventeen told me that although their ranks were low, they were highly skilled! Actually, during my imprisonment, they often listened outside when Seventeen and I talked, and they did their best to care for me in daily life. By now, I regarded them as friends.

I also asked Zhu Di to bring Seventeen to serve as my personal attendant, looking after my daily needs. “Serving the prince is like handling a tiger,” I always felt uneasy about Seventeen staying close to Zhu Di, so I deliberately brought him to stay with me. Seventeen was exceptionally clever and considerate. I found myself growing increasingly dependent on this adorable boy!

Freed and happily relocated, how could I not celebrate properly?

One day, I took Seventeen for a walk not far from the camp and discovered a small puddle. I said to him, “There must be fish in here! If we catch some, we can have grilled fish for dinner to celebrate, how about that?”

“That’s great! That’s great!” he clapped his small hands excitedly.

We called Da Wu and Xiao Wu, and began catching fish.

The grassland was cold in winter, and fish had difficulty finding food; they must be hungry. With this in mind, I had them find some quinoa, rolled it into small balls, coated with a bit of pork fat, and scattered them on the water surface.

Sure enough, after a short while, a few fish swam over. Da Wu was quick and skillful, stabbing fiercely with his spear. No wonder they were known for their prowess—the speed was dazzling.

Caught! Da Wu’s spear tip held a fish that was still moving!

Seventeen and I cheered and jumped excitedly nearby. In just one afternoon, we caught four or five fish. Although Seventeen and I didn’t do much, cheering from the sidelines was a small contribution.

We found some branches, washed the fish at the puddle’s edge, and skewered them. Since it was a military campaign, we didn’t have many rich ingredients; having fish to eat was already very fortunate.

Back at camp, we set up a fire pit and grilled the fish. A sprinkle of salt released a mouthwatering aroma! I asked Seventeen to bring some wine. The four of us gathered around the fire, eating and chatting.

Pouring wine for them all, I raised my bowl and said, “Thanks to Seventeen, Da Wu, and Xiao Wu for taking care of me during this time. Thanks to His Highness’s great favor in bestowing my title. I owe my present situation to all of you. Tonight, to celebrate my freedom, I drink to you! I’ll drink first!”

After speaking, I downed the wine in one gulp, coughing as my face flushed red. I had thought the ancient rice wine would be mild, but the military’s supply was surprisingly strong!

Seventeen and the others were used to my half-modern, half-ancient speech and roughly understood my meaning.

The three of them raised their bowls together happily and said, “Congratulations to the divine maiden! Your arrival is a blessing to the Ming dynasty!”

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I poured myself another bowl and looked at them earnestly. “Seventeen, Da Wu, Xiao Wu, after all this time, I have come to see you as my closest friends, the dearest people in this world to me. In this world, I have no family or friends except you. Since we are family, don’t be so formal with me. Don’t call me divine maiden—just call me sister! From now on, I am your sister!”

“All right, all right, Sister Divine Maiden!” they said in unison.

At that moment, Seventeen whispered mysteriously to me, “Sister, do you know? His Highness calls me every day to ask about you!”

Hearing Seventeen mention him, my heart started pounding wildly, a gleam of joy creeping into my chest.

Feigning calm, I asked, “What does he ask about me? Does he suspect me?”

“No, no,” Seventeen hastened to reply, “His Highness doesn’t doubt you. He just asks what you do each day, whether you eat well, if you’ve settled in comfortably.”

Then he added with a grin, “I think His Highness cares about you a lot!”

Xiao Wu nodded in agreement, saying, “That’s right. His Highness often orders us to be vigilant—there might be Yuan spies around the camp, so we must protect Sister well!” Da Wu chimed in, “Exactly, exactly.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. So he truly cares about me.

“Perhaps because I am the divine maiden, His Highness naturally pays more attention to me,” I hurriedly masked my delight.

“Yes, yes! General Fu even said he will report to the court to formally confer your title as divine maiden sister! When that happens, will we be able to go to the capital with you?” Da Wu said excitedly.

The capital? Hearing this, I suddenly grew anxious. Da Wu was right—if the emperor knew of my existence, I would surely be summoned to the capital! That was the mighty Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, notorious for his ruthless killings. What consequences would lying before him bring?

A chill ran down my spine, sobering me halfway. No, I must quickly devise a plan!

Seeing my worried expression, Seventeen seemed to guess my thoughts and comforted me, “Don’t worry. The Prince of Yan wouldn’t let Sister Divine Maiden leave!”

That’s right! I am useful to Zhu Di. How could he send me to the emperor after all the trouble to secure me as the divine maiden?

Relieved, I lifted my cup again: “No matter what, I will never leave you all! Come, let’s raise our cups—tonight we won’t leave until we’re drunk!”

So we laughed and drank, watching their flushed faces and sincere smiles. I wished time could freeze in this moment.

How long had it been since I last laughed so happily? In that world, survival, competition, deceit, and intrigue suffocated me. Coupled with what had happened later, I was utterly exhausted.

And now, here in the Ming dynasty over a thousand years from my own time, I had found such good friends who genuinely cared for me—wasn’t this a rare and precious happiness?

That night, the tent was bright and warm, while outside, snowflakes quietly began to fall.

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For some reason, I was astonished to find that my body had not changed at all since crossing over. Normally, nails and hair should have grown, but despite my long stay here, neither had lengthened. It felt as if my body was exactly as it was when I arrived. Suddenly, I recalled how a minor wound on my body had mysteriously healed. What could this mean?

Forget it. Perhaps the time was too short, and I was overthinking.

Although I had been bestowed the title, there was no real work to do. I spent my days idly. I had Seventeen accompany me around the camp, where I saw many wounded soldiers.

Here, I witnessed the brutal reality of war. Although our previous battles had been victorious, casualties were inevitable.

Besides soldiers who died on the spot and were buried immediately, many injured men were brought back to camp to recover. Now it was bitter winter; under such harsh natural and difficult conditions, proper treatment was rare. Seeing them, I felt deeply distressed.

I asked Seventeen, “Do we have a medical officer here?”

He answered, “There is only one military doctor, who serves His Highness. But now many soldiers are wounded, so His Highness has him treating everyone. The doctor is overwhelmed and hasn’t slept well for several nights.”

“Seventeen, since we have nothing else to do, let’s help the military doctor!”

“That’s wonderful! Sister Divine Maiden’s compassion will surely help everyone recover soon!” Seventeen said, moved.

We found the military doctor; he was a small, thin elderly man, looking quite worn from continuous labor. I explained my intention, and he repeatedly bowed, thanking me: “The divine maiden is truly compassionate. To have your protection is a blessing for our soldiers!”

I quickly helped him up. “Please don’t say that, Doctor Lu. I only wish to relieve some of His Highness’s burden. Seeing these wounded soldiers, I cannot bear it. I just want to do what little I can.”

Although not a medical professional, I knew some basic hygiene. Most soldiers had blade wounds; cold weather made infection and inflammation likely. So, recalling some herbal remedies, I instructed Doctor Lu to prepare a decoction of houttuynia and honeysuckle for the wounded to drink, which should reduce inflammation.

We also used the strong military alcohol for cleaning wounds during dressing changes; the used gauze was boiled to sterilize it...

These were basic medical practices, yet Doctor Lu praised them, evidently approving my methods after years of practice. After several days of tireless effort, most patients showed marked improvement.

News of my help spread quickly through the camp. The soldiers increasingly believed I was a celestial being descended from the heavens, not only possessing boundless power but also great compassion... Some even left food offerings at my tent, saying they were for the goddess.

This made me chuckle awkwardly. I told Seventeen to distribute the offerings among the wounded, feeling deeply guilty. I knew I was just an ordinary person doing what was right.

Occasionally, I caught sight of Zhu Di’s tall figure from afar. Watching him gave me comfort. He was still busy every day discussing military matters with the officers. I wondered if the Prince of Yan knew about the help I was giving.

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