Hua Zhi watched the backs of the departing figures, and for no particular reason, a sense of solemn, tragic nobility rose in her heart. Every person has their own self-interest, and the Grand Preceptor was no exception — yet when placed before the greater cause, he had not retreated.
This was what Central Plains people were. They had all manner of flaws. They would fight one another bitterly over their respective interests. But when facing a foreign enemy, their spines could not be broken. Even if they suffered defeat today, they could endure for a year, ten years, a hundred years — they could put in the labor across generations — and in the end they would always find a way to reclaim their homeland.
Sometimes they were so infuriating you could wish them all gone, yet at other times they were so admirable it commanded a kind of reverent awe.
“Your Highness.”
The sound of a salute nearby brought Hua Zhi back to her senses. She turned to find the Crown Prince standing there, and she said nothing about the impropriety of his coming out — as the future sovereign of a nation, he should witness the sacrifices his subjects were making for Daqing.
“Grand Tutor, I want to go closer.”
“Your Highness must not.” The Minister of War, Chen Yuanqing, immediately intervened. “A superior man does not stand beneath a perilous wall — your safety is what matters most.”
The Crown Prince paid him no attention, and stubbornly sought an answer from the Grand Tutor.
Shen Qi’s gaze had been resting on Hua Zhi the entire time. He could guess her answer. And indeed — that person smiled slightly. “Your subject will accompany Your Highness.”
“Grand Tutor Hua!” Minister Chen’s voice rose sharply.
Hua Zhi looked back at him. “Does the Grand Tutor not think that a Crown Prince willing to advance rather than retreat shows greater strength of character?”
Chen Yuanqing was momentarily at a loss for words. Who could say otherwise? If the Crown Prince only knew how to hide when danger came, they would have far more cause to worry about Daqing’s future.
“Your subordinate is also willing to follow His Highness.” Shen Qi stepped out and took a position at the Crown Prince’s other side.
The corners of the Crown Prince’s lips curved upward, and he strode forward with vigorous steps.
Hua Zhi silently pointed toward the position behind the Crown Prince; seeing Shen Qi understand and move to guard that flank, she took a quick step ahead and stationed herself before the Crown Prince — one in front, one behind, together shielding him. She had agreed to let the Crown Prince venture forward, but she would never place him in actual danger.
Seeing this, the older court officials all followed as well, their hearts feeling — in the end — more glad than worried. As the Grand Tutor had said: a Crown Prince willing to advance rather than retreat was a blessing for Daqing!
But before they could draw any closer, the Grand Preceptor was forced back by a single arrow from the other side. Had it not been for Xue Liang’s whip striking with timely precision, the force of that arrow would have run the Grand Preceptor clean through.
Xue Liang shielded the Grand Preceptor behind him, his waist slightly bent, coiled and ready to spring.
A low, deep voice carried out from inside: “Two hundred years ago, Hua Jingyan destroyed our capital city; today it is again his descendant who has ruined our tribe’s great undertaking. By the Elder’s order — Grand Tutor Hua is invited to come inside and have a conversation.”
Every eye turned to Hua Zhi.
Into that stillness, the voice rang out again, laden with full mockery: “What is the matter? Does Grand Tutor Hua not dare?”
“I was merely thinking over how many of your great undertakings I have managed to ruin.”
“We await you.”
The Crown Prince grabbed the Grand Tutor’s arm and shook his head at her repeatedly. The other side had arranged such a massive scheme out in the open precisely to have the Grand Tutor’s life — if she walked in there now, how could she possibly come out alive?
Hua Zhi smiled, patting his hand to soothe him, then extended her hand toward the nearest Seven Lodges member. “Give me a few pieces of black gunpowder.”
The man hesitated, uncertain whether to give them or not. Everyone could guess her purpose in wanting black gunpowder at this moment.
Xue Liang returned, supporting the Grand Preceptor, and spared that man the difficulty. “Your subordinate will arrange everything properly — you need not do this!”
“I no longer have the strength.” No — more accurately, she had not had the strength for quite some time now. The wound on her left side felt as though the stitching had already torn open; it had been hurting so long it had gone numb. She raised her hand, and those around her only now noticed that the hand holding the dagger was trembling without ceasing. “The strength to swing it is already gone. Give me something to put a few pieces of black gunpowder in — I will use them for self-defense.”
Even men of seven feet felt distressed at this sight, to say nothing of the young Crown Prince. He had to clench his jaw tightly to stop his teeth from rattling.
In the end Xue Liang filled a small pouch with three pieces of black gunpowder the size of rice bowls.
“Give me a fire-starter as well.”
“Grand Tutor!”
“As a precaution.” Hua Zhi smiled lightly. “Do not worry — if there is any chance of living, who would choose to die? But if it truly comes to that moment, at least I will take a few with me for company.”
No matter what, Xue Liang could not bring himself to hand it over. In the end Hua Zhi simply took it directly from his hands, tucked it into the folds of her garment, then turned to face everyone. “May I ask something of all of you — a promise?”
Zhu Bowen’s throat was so thick with grief he could barely speak. He coughed softly and said in a hoarse voice: “Speak.”
“Should the day come when His Highness wishes to summon the Hua Family back to the capital — please, all of you, do not oppose it for any reason.”
This was the thing Hua Zhi guarded against most. Although the Crown Prince had already assumed power, he was still only twelve, and nothing could be accomplished without the support of court officials. But as long as the people before her now agreed, the rest did not matter.
The Grand Preceptor replied with grave gravity: “Hua Senior Official’s wholehearted devotion to the public good is known throughout the court. No one will stand in the way.”
“Then I am at ease.” Hua Zhi smiled with what looked like genuine relief and breathed a long sigh. This day had been far too long — she was so tired she could barely locate her own feet.
Lifting the pouch of black gunpowder, which still felt heavy even to her, Hua Zhi gently patted the hand gripping her arm that refused to let go. “I am not important enough for them to be willing to sacrifice the Wiseman in exchange for me. Do not worry.”
“I will accompany the Grand Tutor.”
“Don’t be foolish — adding you to the equation means they profit even more.” Hua Zhi smiled. “Yanxi has been working tirelessly for Daqing for many years. Do you still intend to dump all of this on him? Let him rest a little — can you not?”
“Grand Tutor!” The Crown Prince’s eyes reddened, and no matter what he refused to release his grip. He was afraid — afraid that if he let go, he would never have his Grand Tutor again.
“Your subject has not yet helped you become a great and enlightened ruler. I have not yet waited for my family to return. I have not yet married Yanxi. How could anything happen to me?” Hua Zhi looked toward Fushou Palace. “I will not allow my life to be left with so many regrets.”
She would fight with everything she had to survive — even if only a single shred of hope remained.
“Your subject’s hand hurts.”
The Crown Prince instinctively loosened his grip at once. Hua Zhi smiled, then clasped both arms around the pouch of black gunpowder and walked forward. “Xue Liang — deploy everything well.”
“Yes.”
Xue Liang ground his back teeth to force himself to stay calm. With Qu Qi gone, he was the only Seven Lodges Commander present; all the pressure rested on him alone. He dared not imagine what the consequences would be if the Grand Tutor were lost in there.
No one spoke. Every person stood watching that figure walking away — slight, yet unbroken. As Hua Zhi’s maternal grandfather, Zhu Bowen’s body trembled almost imperceptibly; before he realized it, tears had run all down his aged face.
It was not as though they had ever been exceptionally close in the past. She had deliberately concealed her capabilities, barely ever left the house, and came to the Zhu Family home only a handful of times in an entire year. But these last two years — he had watched a young woman hold an entire household together with her own strength, watched her step by step arrive at where she stood today, watched her take on one obligation after another that should never have been hers to carry and work steadfastly to repay them, watched her shield this person and protect that one. Without knowing quite when, he had come to take great pride in her — this young woman who never gave a thought to what the outside world said about her. She had made countless people change their view of women entirely. It was she who showed the world that women, too, could contend with men for a place under the sun.
And yet now — he was watching with his own eyes as she walked toward an invitation that held no visible way out alive. And he could do nothing.