Hua Zhi dashed off a quick sketch, set down her brush, and said: “I am having the servants work on another kind of game piece. Once they have made some samples and I am satisfied with them, you can arrange for them to be produced in large quantities.”

“More difficult to make than these cards?”

“Yes, and there are more choices in material as well. The cheaper end can use wood or stone; finer pieces could be carved in jade for noble patrons.”

Gu Yanxi nodded his agreement. Neither of them mentioned sending any to the palace. They had never intended to let anyone know that he was the one directing all of this from behind the scenes. The palace was a place with no secrets anymore — he had not even gone into detail with the Emperor.

Finding the hand warmer no longer quite as warm as before, Hua Zhi thought to herself that she, a fully modern soul, was sitting in a room alone with her romantic partner, and yet there had not been so much as a bit of closeness between them — and she felt somewhat put-upon. What was more, Yanxi was holding back for the sake of her reputation. Fine then. If the mountain would not come to her, she would go to the mountain.

She set the hand warmer on the table, extended both hands, and said: “Cold.”

Gu Yanxi was momentarily caught off-guard. When he understood what she meant, he felt a sudden urge to laugh, and also thought that this Zhi of his was truly… endearing. Yes — endearing was exactly the right word, a word that normally had no place in describing her, yet in this moment it fit perfectly.

He was of course going to give her what she wanted.

Gu Yanxi went over and gathered her up the way one would lift a small child, then sat down in the chair with her settled in his lap. He wrapped her snugly inside her cloak, and though it was the first time he had ever done any of this, he did not look the least bit clumsy.

“Why has your health still not improved? These next few days, I will find some pretext to have Shao Yao come out of the palace.”

“Even if she comes to see me, it still comes down to rest and recuperation. I know my own body — it is not getting worse, it is simply not so easy to get better.” With the warmth at her back, Hua Zhi was perfectly content. This kind of warmth was something no hand warmer could compare to. “But having her come out for a visit is fine — I have not seen her in quite a while.”

Gu Yanxi lightly nuzzled the top of her head, then leaned close and said quietly: “The winter is not easy for him. His Majesty now rarely lets Shao Yao stray far.”

“Is he ill again?”

“He caught a chill at Yuepin’s the other day.” Gu Yanxi touched the hand warmer and retrieved it, nestling it back against Zhi’s hands and tucking her cloak over it.

“Speaking of Yuepin — something just came to mind. When she first moved about in the outside world under the identity of the Seven Stars Sect leader, she did have a certain ability. I once suspected she might be a celestial master, or perhaps versed in medicine. That sacred water she used to attract her followers — you had Shao Yao’s master examine it, and it did have medicinal properties. Has her true identity ever been traced?”

“It was never confirmed. It is almost as though her own account is true — that she came down from the mountains to experience the mortal world. Even now, we have only traced her back to a sudden appearance in a small village beneath the hills in Yuzhou, and beyond those hills lies an unbroken stretch of mountains. From the very beginning, she had prepared a cover story for her origins.”

“She also once said that her destined partner was to be found in this mortal world.” Hua Zhi smiled. “She has now entered the palace as a consort — which, when all is said and done, makes her a concubine. One has to wonder if this is the destined match she spoke of.”

“She appeared too conveniently, and her identity remains murky — that is why I have always suspected she has some connection to the Chaoli tribe.”

Hua Zhi thought it over and shook her head. “She is probably not from the Chaoli tribe. But she is certainly someone with a purpose. When she introduced herself to you and volunteered her services, she claimed to be skilled in divination and said she could help you. At the time, you held the position of leader of the Seven Lodges. Which means, from the very beginning, she was coming for you — but why you, and not one of the imperial princes? The leader of the Seven Lodges may appear to hold great power and authority, but everyone knows you are the Emperor’s solitary official — he would never permit you to marry too early. And yet what she said was that she could help you.”

Hua Zhi looked up at him. “Help you do what? Take the throne?”

Gu Yanxi clapped a hand over her mouth — truly, she would say absolutely anything!

Hua Zhi pushed his hand away. “There is no one else here.”

“She is convinced that I will be the final victor.” Taking her hands and wrapping them back up, Gu Yanxi shared his own deductions. “She has hinted at this more than once. I have never been able to make sense of where her confidence comes from.”

“Could it be… that she has lived through all of this before?”

Gu Yanxi looked down to meet her gaze. “Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream?”

“Something along those lines. Actually, if I had not been here, those prophecies she made might well have come true. Have you never suspected me?”

“I have always believed you are a variable — the best possible variable, for Daqing, for me, for the Hua Family.” Gu Yanxi lowered his head until his forehead rested against hers, his voice carrying a quiet depth. “Without you, the Hua Family might have been devastated beyond recovery. Little Six might truly have died young, as Yuepin said. Wu Yong might have been poisoned to death long since. I would still be traveling from one end of the realm to the other putting out fires… Why would I ever suspect you? You have benefited so many people. The only one who has paid a price is you yourself.”

The warmth of his breath fell across her face. Their eyes met. Hua Zhi did not know whether her expression gave anything away, but her heart was filled to overflowing with the weight of that trust. She smiled, the curve of it reaching all the way to her eyes, and when she spoke, her voice was hushed, and the softness of it made it sound warm: “I got you, didn’t I? This is the best bargain I have ever struck in my entire life.”

Gu Yanxi nuzzled her forehead, then, unable to stop himself, pressed a kiss to her upturned nose — and then further down, landing on her lips.

Hua Zhi opened herself to him entirely, offering no resistance, parting her lips willingly in response. Their lips and breath intertwined, not the least bit improper or coy, only full of warmth and deep feeling — as though this was simply how things were between them, as though it was only right and natural that they should have come to this moment.

“Zhi…” His forehead resting against hers, Gu Yanxi let out a long, quiet breath of her name. He had promised the Hua Family he would observe proper decorum — yet it seemed he had overestimated himself. He simply could not rein in this desire to be close to her.

Still catching her breath, Hua Zhi’s face carried a smile that made no pretense of restraint. They had known each other for over a year — and they had finally kissed. She felt it had taken quite long enough! If this had been her previous era, the sheets would long since have been worn through!

Gu Yanxi, who had still been feeling that he had been rather reckless, took one look at her expression and could not hold back a low laugh. His Zhi was truly… one of a kind.

“You are mine now,” Hua Zhi said, reaching up to tap Gu Yanxi’s lips with her fingertip.

Gu Yanxi smiled so warmly it could have dripped honey. “Yours. All of it is yours. Take it — no refunds, no exchanges.”

Hua Zhi made a little noise of satisfaction. Given where things stood between them now, there was no need for any of that. If the time ever truly came to end things, a simple parting of ways would be enough. But right now was a time to be happy, and she saw no reason to say anything so dampening — besides, the Emperor had only a few years left to him, and her future with Yanxi was still long.

“Going forward, should the Hua Family keep its gates shut tightly, or should we begin exchanging visits with other families?”

“There are not that many families worth visiting, and besides, it is a household full of women — going about in society too often would not be fitting, and would only invite all manner of talk. Better to keep to ourselves and live our own lives quietly. But there is no need to avoid people either — for weddings and funerals and such occasions, we should attend where we ought to. Propriety must be maintained.”

Gu Yanxi thought the same. Neither shut themselves away nor made themselves conspicuous — keeping up appearances where it mattered was enough.

The two of them murmured together in low voices, at ease with one another. Gu Yanxi, drawn in by this Zhi of his who so rarely let down her guard and asked for something just for herself, found his heart and eyes so entirely full of her that he could almost have wished he could carve it out and lay it at her feet.