Chapter Sixty-Four: The Bird Spreads Its Wings and Soars

Inside the rocking carriage, Emil gazed out the window with a blank expression. From the cage-like little courtyard to this prison-like carriage compartment, her solitary existence had numbed her. It felt as if she were lost in the endless river of time. Only when she looked up at the pure, lofty sky, her eyes wide open and her heart racing, did she feel truly alive.

A burst of urgent hoofbeats sounded, and the carriage door was flung open. Emil saw the eyes of Lu Liao—bright as the stars. Her own confusion, loneliness, and solitude seemed clearly reflected within them.

Faced with the pair of steady hands reaching out toward her, Emil shrank back like a frightened bird, her eyes widening with alarm. If she took hold of those hands, where would he lead her?

Lu Liao took out Lu Jiu’s cloak, wrapped Emil in it, and—without ceremony—lifted her onto his proud steed. Under the astonished gaze of Wang Shiyi, Lu Liao mounted behind her, cradled Emil in his arms, cracked the whip, and galloped away, soon vanishing into the swirling yellow haze.

The steed thundered across the land, leaving the dust far behind. Gradually, Emil’s terror faded, and soon her heart began to pound with excitement. She couldn’t help but want to spread her arms and revel in the sensation of flying.

Lost in a dream, it was impossible to say how long they rode. Eventually, the horse slowed. Lu Liao dismounted, lifted Emil down, and handed her a water skin and a piece of bread.

Staring blankly at the endless wilderness, Emil asked in a daze, “Where are you taking me?”

“To blue skies, beautiful white clouds, and endless sheep—the place from your dreams,” Lu Liao replied, wiping the dust from his face and beaming with happiness.

Emil was stunned, and after a long pause, she asked in disbelief, “Are you kidnapping me?”

He grinned, “Yes! I have kidnapped the beautiful Princess Emil.”

For reasons she couldn’t name, Emil’s tears began to fall like pearls, one after another.

Lu Liao reached out and caught each tear with care. “Your tears are as beautiful and precious as pearls—don’t waste them so easily.”

But Emil couldn’t stop herself; the tears kept falling.

Lu Liao gently wiped the crystalline drops from the corners of her eyes with his sleeve, and spoke in a voice as soft as a dream, “I don’t know how far the place in your dreams is. Let’s find out together, heading west. I believe, someday, we’ll reach your homeland.”

Emil could hold back no longer; she threw herself into Lu Liao’s arms, and the two embraced tightly.

The crescent moon rose and fell, and cold, dark dusk turned to icy dawn. Sustained by the fire burning within them, the two journeyed side by side, supporting each other until they reached Liangzhou.

Before the towering city walls and the formidable soldiers, Emil tensed, pulling the hood of her cloak low to hide her face and burrowing into Lu Liao’s embrace. He patted her shoulder gently, comforting her. “Don’t worry. While Lu Jiu was asleep, I found a blank travel pass in her belongings and stamped it with her seal. Now we’re members of the Four Seas Trading Guild—a newlywed couple returning home to visit family. These soldiers won’t trouble us.”

“So, I’m your new bride now?” Emil’s beautiful eyes widened as she looked at Lu Liao, an ambiguous smile playing on her lips.

Lu Liao, embarrassed, scratched his head and gave a silent laugh.

At the sight of the Four Seas Trading Guild’s seal, the soldiers didn’t even charge an entrance fee and waved them through.

They found an unremarkable inn. Lu Liao instructed Emil to stay safely in the room, then went out alone to sell the horse and buy a carriage. Only then did he return, asking the innkeeper to bring hot food to the room.

Upon hearing the commotion, Emil, like a kitten, peeked out and darted into Lu Liao’s arms—it seemed his brief absence had left her anxious and afraid for quite some time.

The innkeeper delivered steaming dishes, which the two devoured ravenously. Staring at the empty plates and bowls, they couldn’t help but laugh.

“Was it hard?” Lu Liao asked, gently stroking Emil’s head.

Emil looked up at him, eyes bright, and shook her head.

“I sold the horse and bought a carriage. From now on, it won’t be so exhausting,” Lu Liao said.

“Is it a carriage just for people?” Emil asked.

Lu Liao nodded.

“In the Western Regions, few people buy such carriages just for passengers. Most buy large wagons that can carry many goods. When it rains or snows, they put up a canopy for shelter. You know, porcelain and silk from the Tang Empire fetch a fortune even farther west. Many couples in the Western Regions make their living as small merchants, traveling together and gradually building wealth,” Emil said, her face flushed.

“My clever Princess Emil, who knew you had a head for business?” Lu Liao chuckled.

“Hmph! You don’t understand. Among the Nine Kingdoms of Zhaowu in the Western Regions, our Khang and Shi Kingdoms have traded with the Central Plains since ancient times. In that barren land, farming and herding can barely sustain the people, so commerce has brought prosperity to all. It’s in our blood,” Emil declared with pride.

“Very well, we’ll do as you say. Tomorrow we’ll trade our carriage for a large wagon, buy lots of silk, and transport it to your homeland. We’ll make a fortune,” Lu Liao agreed readily, as he had little wealth of his own.

Emil, overjoyed, threw herself onto the bed and rolled about in delight. Only when weariness overcame them did they curl up together and drift into sleep.

Dressed in newly bought attire of the Western Regions, the two sat side by side on the wagon’s bench, driving westward with a load of silk purchased in Liangzhou. Hearing the familiar songs of travelers, Emil suddenly felt that as long as she was with Lu Liao, the homeland of her dreams would always be within reach.

They passed through Ganzhou and reached the Qilian Mountains, where the air grew ever colder and travelers fewer. Beneath trees and beside snowy streams, their silhouettes remained, huddled together for warmth. Amid wind and rain, they struggled to raise their canopy, fending off the elements, living just like ordinary merchant couples of the Western Regions.

At a small, hidden hot spring they stumbled upon, Lu Liao and Emil stopped early. After so many days of hardship, to bathe in a hot spring was a rare paradise for weary travelers.

Lying in the warm water, Lu Liao nearly moaned with pleasure. Looking at the cart piled high with goods, and up at the silent crescent moon, he felt a strange sense of fullness and contentment.

A splash disturbed the quiet. Emil, who should have been finished bathing and resting in the cart, appeared before Lu Liao entirely naked, her skin glowing like jade in the moonlight. Her beautiful eyes, brimming with emotion, fixed upon Lu Liao, so lovely she seemed almost unearthly.

Slowly, they drew close, their lips meeting softly. In the moonlight, amidst the gentle mists of the hot spring, their bodies entwined until the water echoed with their closeness, the sounds growing louder and more intense.

For days, nothing had happened between them, but now, in this moment, everything unfolded naturally and beautifully.

Curled in Lu Liao’s arms, Emil spoke in a faint voice.

“To be born in a small kingdom of the Western Regions is a misfortune. The land is barren, the climate harsh, and life is already difficult. Yet we must also endure the weight of the mighty Tashkent to the west and the great Tang Empire to the east. Some of these small kingdoms submit to Tashkent, paying heavy tribute each year. Countless girls are sent east as tribute to the Tang. Compared to the greedy, brutal Tashkent, our people prefer the Tang, a land of propriety and ritual. But later, the Tang border generals became arrogant and tyrannical, oppressing us at will. The slightest discontent, and they would bring armies to destroy our kingdoms, leaving the people homeless. Later, Lord An Lushan became the Tang’s military governor, defending the northern frontier. Lord An sent envoys to the Western Regions, secretly relocating many tribes and granting them lush grasslands so that they might help defend against northern barbarians. I grew up on those northern steppes; the Western Regions are but the homeland of my dreams.”

Lu Liao grew somber. “So, you’re not really a princess of Khang?”

“I don’t know if I am anymore. My father was the king of Khang before he was overthrown. He fled with us to the northern steppes, struggling with the Khitan for land and settling there. As I grew, our people called me the brightest pearl of the grasslands. Naturally, such a jewel was to be gifted to the great Lord An. I never met Lord An. Instead, I was brought to a remote place in Longyou, and my companions told me this was my old country, Khang, and I its little princess. But I, a princess of a lost kingdom, was sent to Chang’an, and finally entered the Yang mansion. There, not only did I serve the most powerful Lord Yang, but also had to share his bed with important guests. The pearl of my people had become tarnished beyond recognition.”

A tear slid from Emil’s long lashes, tracing her pale cheek and falling silently into the water.

Lu Liao gently wiped her tears away, his heart aching, on the verge of crying out.

“All the kingdoms of the Western Regions have submitted to the Tang. Are their people not also the emperor’s subjects? Why then was Lord An accused of treason? Why do they say that Lord Li Linfu, who promoted foreign generals and treated all clans equally, would not live another three years? With such vast lands, can’t the Tang grant us even a corner to call our own?”

Emil’s face was filled with such sorrow and helplessness.