Hua Zhi looked up at the man whose downcast gaze made him seem uncommonly gentle, and her heart softened beyond measure. She tilted her head and leaned against him, emptying her mind of commerce and family and all her calculations, resting against his shoulder to enjoy this brief, quiet warmth.
Just for this moment — she wanted to keep it for herself.
Gu Yanxi turned his head and pressed his lips to the top of her hair, then switched to the other hand and applied more pressure, keeping the side she leaned against as still as he could.
The water gradually cooled. Gu Yanxi dried both their hands with a cloth, scooped out a generous amount of hand cream and worked it between his palms before spreading it onto A’Zhi’s hands. Feeling the slick, greasy sensation, Hua Zhi raised her head to look — and her eyes immediately filled with amusement. This man had always been the one attended upon, never the one doing the attending. The amount he had dug out was probably enough to empty the jar by half.
She turned and took hold of Yanxi’s hands, scraping off the excess and spreading it onto his, working it in from the back of his hand to each finger, blending it evenly.
These hands were large and solid. There was an old scar across the back of the right hand, and thick calluses on the tiger’s mouth and across the palm. Hua Zhi decided that any lamenting she had done over her own hands could be quietly set aside — compared to Yanxi’s hands, the changes to hers amounted to nothing at all.
The two of them went back and forth, spreading what remained between them until every last bit had been absorbed, only then stopping. It was the sort of thing others might find shameless, yet the two of them were entirely at ease.
Liu Xiang came back in, red-faced and eyes lowered, cleared away the things, brewed tea for both of them, then retreated again. She pressed her hand against her burning cheek, let out a long slow breath, and resolved to keep her ears and eyes even sharper than before — she absolutely could not let anyone else see this.
Hua Zhi gently skimmed the foam from her tea and turned to the matter at hand. “How many more days before Xiao Liu can return?”
“Five days at the fastest.” Even if he rode night and day — Gu Yanxi was confident they would move as quickly as possible. Xiao Liu had been born into the imperial family and understood the stakes better than most.
“I also forgot to mention before — Bailin and Sui’an cannot come back.”
“I never recalled them.” Meeting A’Zhi’s look of surprise, Gu Yanxi smiled. “I know.”
I know you don’t want them to return. Even if the Hua Family were to one day face its final ruin, you hope that at least these two can be spared. I know you don’t want Bailin to be held in the Emperor’s grip the way you are. If you could choose, you would rather the Hua Family stay far from this vortex. I know you want Bailin and Xiao Liu to be close — but not too close. I know all of it. How could I not grant you this?
Hua Zhi tilted her head and smiled. “You know me that well, do you.”
“Mm.”
“Then tell me what I’m thinking right now.”
Gu Yanxi said nothing — only smiled.
Hua Zhi, whose mind had just taken a decidedly improper turn, felt her face grow warm under that gaze. She gave a haughty little huff and returned to the matter at hand. “I’d like to borrow a few of your people to escort Bailin to Qingzhou.”
Qingzhou? Gu Yanxi turned the place over in his mind but couldn’t quite place it.
Hua Zhi unfolded a map and traced a circle with her finger over the coastal stretch of Qingzhou. “This is the best place to build a salt works.”
Most salt consumed now came from well salt. Gu Yanxi had once visited a salt-boiling site, and in his mind such places should look a certain way — but the moment he saw where A’Zhi was pointing, he recalled the new salt-making method she had once mentioned. “Your method requires the sea?”
“Yes.” Hua Zhi retrieved an unsealed envelope from a hidden compartment and handed it across. “I’ve written out all the steps. Have someone deliver it to Bailin.”
Since A’Zhi had given it to him, he was certainly meant to read it. Gu Yanxi opened it without hesitation — true to A’Zhi’s style, it was clear and to the point. Reading through, he grasped the essentials well enough. If this were to fall into the wrong hands…
“I’ll take it back and have Qisu Division encode it.”
“Handle it however you see fit. The main thing is that you send a few trustworthy people to Bailin — a boy of ten-odd years can’t hold things together on his own.”
“Don’t worry.”
This would take time, yet Hua Zhi had already thought far ahead. “Once salt begins to come out, the first batch must be presented to the Emperor by Xiao Liu himself. That credit belongs to him, and no one else should be allowed to pick that fruit.”
“I’ll set up a separate channel to oversee this and hand it directly to Xiao Liu.”
“Even better.” There was an idea forming in Hua Zhi’s mind, but after turning it over, she held her tongue. Even if it were to be done, it should be Xiao Liu who came forward to do it. She could forgo every credit — as long as the one who received them was Xiao Liu.
She took a sip of tea. Gu Yanxi brought up another matter. “I’ve already dispatched people to the Yan Kingdom.”
“Would there truly be people willing to leave their homeland?”
“There would — and not a few.” Gu Yanxi’s gaze settled on a portion of the map — the territory of Yan. “It is the same in every kingdom: some live in abundance while others barely cling to life. Yan is not short of grain, but only for those who have land to till. From what I know, most land there is in the hands of the powerful, with some held by the wealthy, and many ordinary people have no fields of their own.”
Indeed, the same everywhere — Hua Zhi felt her guilt evaporate. Coming to Daqing was leaving one’s homeland, yes, but she could promise them full bellies.
“If they can grow two harvests of rice, what do you think about rewarding them with a few acres of land?”
Amusement rose in Gu Yanxi’s eyes. “As you wish.”
Every time Hua Zhi heard Yanxi say as you wish, a warmth spread through her — and whenever she was with him, she always found herself hoping he would say it. Those words were far too effective.
Speaking of effectiveness… Hua Zhi’s smile gradually faded. What could soft words compare to real firepower? She had never asked, and Yanxi had never told her, yet the research into black powder had surely never stopped. Without any guidance from her, they were already walking that road — someday they would unlock the full force of black powder.
“Has the Emperor indicated when construction should begin?”
“He has already issued orders to the Ministry of Works — without going through court deliberation.” Gu Yanxi’s expression grew grave. “Tomorrow is the grand court assembly. It will likely be quite a turbulent affair.”
Thinking of that Emperor who habitually used Yanxi as a shield, Hua Zhi’s wariness sharpened. A thought struck her. “Do you have any plans to go out in the next few days?”
“None. Why?”
“Think of a reason — leave the city the moment you depart from here, don’t come back tonight, and avoid tomorrow’s court assembly.”
Gu Yanxi frowned slightly. “I hold a special privilege. I am not required to attend court.”
“But you also hold the privilege of attending.” Hua Zhi leaned slightly forward. “Why did the Emperor issue the order without going through court? Because he knew it could never pass a proper deliberation, so he struck first. But since he already knows tomorrow’s assembly will be turbulent, do you think he’ll find a way to avoid it? A single word of feeling unwell would be enough — yet the matter still cannot bypass the court. Knowing how he operates, what do you think he would do?”
He would have him stand in his place!
Gu Yanxi closed his eyes. Since the beginning of this year, he had attended court in the Emperor’s stead more than half the time — counting carefully, barring periods spent away, whenever he was in the capital he was the one attending. If the Emperor were to summon him to court tomorrow, he would have no ground to refuse.
Once the thought settled — that the Emperor in all likelihood would do exactly this — Gu Yanxi was overcome with a bitter unease. Some things, truly, were better left unexamined.