All the concubines shared a spacious tent, relatively close to Tang Yifang's own one, with their maids in another tent they were inconvienetly far away. The condition here was not as nice as it was back in the Li family's house because obviously, this was an army base.

"Hn, I can't believe we have to live in such a horrible place," said the other girl from the three who seemed cold towards me. We were siting around in the tent that we shared later that evening after meeting our 'husband' for the first time.

"Ranwei藍薇, don't be like that," Mingyue said, "I heard that he war is almost over and Tang Yifang is winning by a landslide. We might move into the Imperial Palace soon."

"I've always dreamt of living in the Inperial Palace," Lianhua said, "with the amazing gardens and all the glamorous clothes."

"These are just appearances," I said instinctively, "There are much more going on behind the scene." I was remembering all the dramas I watched.

Before anyone else could say anything, a guard shouted in from outside, "Zhao Mingyue has been summoned to Lord General Tang's tent!"

All the girls turned their attention to Mingyue, who was surprised for a second but quickly recovered, and put in a smile before exiting the tent to follow the soldier.

"Why did he choose her?" I heard a girl whispered, "My status is higher than hers."

Was this how it work in this era? The woman who had a higher status is favored? Well, I was not sure what mine and my father' statuses were, but he seemed like a pretty well-respected and well-off man. Hopefully my status was high.

"Is Mingyue going to be alright?" Lianhua worriedly. Though I've only known her for a short while I could already tell that she was kind...or was it a facade?

"Why are you worried?" Ranwei chirped in with the voice that I already found annoying, "She should be happy that she's getting General Tang's favor!"

"Alright..." Lianhua muttered.

-

Mingyue was gone for the whole night. She only returned to our tent the next morning, her hair disheveled.

"How was last night?" Ranwei immediately asked when Mingyue entered.

"It was...exhilarating?" Mingyue said with an unsure tone.

Was something wrong? "Mingyue, are you alright?" I asked.

"Yes! I'm good..." she glanced around the tent, which caused the other girls to avert their gazes, before hurrying over to us three. She sat down on my bed beside me and said in a hushed voice, "Last night was quite something as it was my first time but...it felt like he was just using me. He came into his tent, all stressed out from the war. And we didn't even talk much before he pushed me into the bed and..."

"But you should still be happy!" Ranwei said, "You are the first one he summoned so that obviously means you are in favor right now!"

Mingyue didn't say anything. Ranwei carried on, "I wished I was summoned, even if he just uses me."

I had to supress my expression of disbelief. How can someone be like this? But I guess woman of this era was all taught to be like this, with their only and greatest goal to be marrying well.

-

Weeks passed, and a few other girls had been summoned. They all came back the next morning either still dazed from the night before, or flaunting it to everyone else how well they 'served' Tang Yifang.

I feared for the day that I would be summoned. I was glad that I hadn't been summoned yet, but it grew more and more worrying at the same time. What if he didn't like me because of our first encounter? Does that mean I'd just be casted aside and left to rot, and act only as a token of my father's support for Tang Yifang? I refused to be like that.

One evening, I was so bored out of my mind that I decided to take a walk around the camp. Almost everyone else was asleep save for the soldiers staying up for their shift. I wandered freely around the site, careful not to lose my way. I was admiring the silver moon up higher in the dark sky when I suddenly bumped into someone.

"Who is this pretty lady?" A man in the common soldier's uniform said.

"Keep your hands off me." I demanded as he walked closer and attempted to touch me.

"I haven't seen a woman in so long! You are a whore that another soldier bought right? Come on, just let me try you once."  He smiled pervertedly.

"I swear if you touch me you'd get your hand cut off!" My feistiness was surfacing.

He laughed, "You cutting my hands off!?" He extended his hand and was about to lay them on me.

Within a flash, his hands detached from his forearm and he cried out in pain. I looked to the owner of the sword and their he was, Tang Yifang, holding his sword in his right hand, the sheath in his left.

"You heard her," the lord of the army said stoically, completely unfazed at the wailing man before him, with blood gushing out of where his hands used to connect to his arms.

He put his sword back in the sheath and started walking away. I hurriedly followed. I was consious of the state I was in; I was about to go to sleep when I decided to take his walk so I was in a simple gown, my hair flowing naturally.

He didn't say anything until he arrived before his tent. I hesistated to go in.

He turned his head, the muttered, "Come in."

I listened and stepped into one of the largest tent in the site. Inside, a worn-out bed that still looked a lot more comfortable than the makeshift ones the girls are sleeping on was packed squarely into he middle. To the side was a wooden table with scrolls laid messily on it. There were also various weapon laid out on a shelf. But one sowrdholder was empty.

Tang Yifang started taking off his light armor, as if he has already forgotten my presence. I turned my eyes away when he started stripping his undershirt.

"Aren't you going to look?" He said, a hint of devousness in his voice.

"No, my lord," I said, still feeling weird that I have to address anyone as lord, "you are changing."

"But you are my concubine." He stated.

"That doesn't mean I would suddenly want to watch a man strip." I said impulsively. Shit, was I not supposed to say that?

I could hear him walking up behind me, "Look."

"No." I said firmly. Shit shit shit, what am I doing?

He grabbed one of my hand and placed it on his now bared chest. I instantly yanked my hand away when it came into contact with the warm, toned flesh. I kept my face turned away from him to both hide my involuntary blush and to not look at him.

He chuckled, and walked back away from me. I could hear clothes ruffling. After a few moments, he said, "You can look now, I'm changed."

I looked back at him and true to his words, he was now fully clothed in his night time clothing. He went and laid on top of his bed.

"Come join me," Tang Yifang nodded toward the empty space of the bed. I was reluctant but I felt like I couldn't disobey further, so I did as he said. But I tried to sit as far away as possible.

"Why are you like this?" He asked, staring at me.

"Like what?" I asked, even thought I already knew the answer.

"Why aren't you keen to please me?"

Of course I wouldn't be pleased to 'please' a man I've only just met. I did have thoughts to pretend to love him like the other girls and just go with it when he summons me, but I was not a good actor at all so there went that thought.

"Why should I be keen to please you when you haven't done anything to please me?" I said. Well, I'm dead aren't I.

He raised an eyebrow, "Taking you into my court and offering your family protection should please you enough."

"But what about me personally?" I said, meaning only what I said.

Tang Yifang looked at me seductively, "Whats is it that you want?"

My eyes widened when I realised how he had taken what I said. I did not want to be 'pleased' that way! In fact, the very last thing I wanted to do was giving my virginity to a man who would only use me as stress-relief!

I scooted away even further from him instinctively.

"Interesting." He said, as he sat up from the bed. "I thought that you were just another one of the demure little girls when I first met you."

I didn't say anything, as I wasn't sure how to respond.

He sighed heavily, then got under the cover of the bed. He nodded towards the space next to him. "Just get in here with me." When he saw I was heaistant, he added, "I won't do anything."

I reluctantly climbed into the cover and he put it over he both of us. I turned away from him and closed my eyes, but snapped them open when I felt an arm go around my stomach.

"Hey! You said you would do anything to me!"

"I'm not doing anything," he said with his eyes closed, "At least let me hold you."

At that moment it really sounded like he genuinely just wanted to have someone to hold as he falls asleep. He seemed so tired anyway I couldn't bear to disturb him, so I huffed and decided to at least comply with this. I closed my eyes again and willed for sleepiness to take over ignoring the arm around me.