She drained two cups of water. The sound of the cup meeting the table stirred the Sixth Prince from his thoughts. He looked toward Shao Yao — the cheerful, carefree Elder Sister Shao Yao who pilfered snacks from the kitchen and forgot to wipe her mouth afterward was so very different from the fierce and commanding Seven Lodges Division operative standing before him today. Yet he was not the least bit surprised.

He already knew Elder Sister Shao Yao’s true identity. How could the Gu Family possibly raise someone without a care in the world? Only the Hua Family could manage that.

“Does the Seven Lodges Division have the authority to appoint and remove officials?”

“Does it frighten you? Or does it strike you as impossible to believe?” Shao Yao propped her chin on her hand and regarded him with languid ease, the corner of her mouth curling in the faintest trace of mockery.

The Sixth Prince shook his head. “The Seven Lodges Division has always held the Emperor’s trust — there is a reason for that. It is only that I cannot work it out.”

Shao Yao thought of the manner in which Yanxi and Hua Zhi treated Little Six, and was willing to spend a little more breath on the matter. “A great deal of what the Seven Lodges Division does is acting on the Emperor’s behalf across the realm. If we had no authority at all, we could hardly be expected to seek instructions from the capital every time something arose. Matters that are neither urgent nor time-sensitive can afford to wait — but the affairs that fall into the Seven Lodges Division’s hands are hardly ever small ones. So the Seven Lodges Division has always had the authority to act first and report afterward. The power of final judgment, however, does not rest with the Seven Lodges Division. Understood?”

So even though the Seven Lodges Division frequently acted first and reported afterward, the relevant ministries were the ones to verify the facts, and it was the Emperor who delivered the final verdict. If the Seven Lodges Division truly possessed the authority to appoint and remove officials on its own, it could never have existed as peacefully as it had until today.

The Sixth Prince nodded, his heart easing somewhat. He had been a little worried that Elder Sister Shao Yao’s handling of the situation had been too dramatic and might rebound on her — and by extension draw Elder Sister Hua into trouble as well, leaving no one to come out unscathed. It was reassuring to know that the Seven Lodges Division held this authority and that Elder Sister Shao Yao’s actions had not exceeded her mandate.

“Rest well, then prepare to return to the boat. Hua Zhi is probably anxious with waiting.” Shao Yao rose and walked out a couple of paces before stopping. She turned to look at the young boy following her. “Little Six — pay attention. Think about your brothers. Which of them has the fortune of being taken around the realm by the Seven Lodges Division? And which of them has a teacher like Hua Zhi, who holds nothing back and teaches everything she knows? If someday you still end up being stepped on and pushed around by your brothers, I will not help you. A brother with so little capability is no brother of mine. And never tell anyone you are Hua Zhi’s student — she does not expect you to bring her glory and wealth. Do not bring her shame either.”

The Sixth Prince bit his lip. “I will not let you down.”

He understood more clearly than anyone that he had no right to be lax — and understood more clearly than anyone how fortunate he was.

At dusk, Hua Zhi stood at the prow of the boat, watching as the members of the group appeared at the dock one by one, all accounted for. Only when she saw every last one of them did the worry she had been holding release from her chest. She told the captain to bring the boat to shore.

On the dock, Shao Yao leapt up and waved toward Hua Zhi. While waiting for the boat to come in, she asked Little Six, “Did you work out Hua Zhi’s intention?”

“Elder Sister Hua prepared for two possibilities. If the other side had managed to determine our position, Elder Sister Hua could retreat to the middle of the river to prevent them from using us as leverage. And if we retreated to the dock in defeat, the boat being close to shore meant she could provide support as quickly as possible.”

Shao Yao clapped him on the shoulder with satisfaction. The head still worked when it needed to.

Once aboard, Shao Yao relayed the day’s events. Hua Zhi’s brow creased. “You should not have used the whip. If the other party made an issue of that, you would have been the one in the wrong.”

“Hmph. If he had gritted his teeth and taken my lashes without fighting back, he could have won that argument. The problem is that he fought back — and once he fought back, right became wrong on his side.” Shao Yao stopped just short of admitting that she had deliberately provoked Li Shiren into retaliating. Yanxi had previously submitted a memorial recommending that garrison commanders be rotated across regions every three years — it would both prevent collusion between administrators and commanders and develop the commanders’ capabilities. The Emperor had approved it, yet implementation had proven enormously difficult, with Li Shiren being among the most vigorous opponents.

Now that such a perfect opportunity had presented itself, she naturally could not let it pass. With things turning out the way they had, even if Li Shiren were not stripped entirely of his post, there was no possibility of his returning to command the Yixin Camp.

Hua Zhi poked her on the forehead and said nothing more. Shao Yao was no child — since she had acted as she had, she clearly knew what she was doing.

“We rest for the night. Tomorrow we continue on our way.”

The following day brought rain. The downpour was not heavy, and the wind was mild. The captain came to ask for instructions, but Hua Zhi did not presume to give orders on matters outside her knowledge — she simply told him to decide based on his own experience. After consulting with the crew, the captain determined they would proceed as planned and set sail. Weather like this was something they had encountered many times before; if they refused to travel in such conditions, they would likely spend half the year sitting idle.

But the rain refused to behave as expected by stopping after a short while. Instead it fell continuously without cease. By the time they reached Xiangyang late on the second evening, the rain had grown steadily heavier and the waves noticeably larger.

Hua Zhi made her decision at once. “We will lodge at an inn tonight. Xu Ying — please inform the captain that everyone on board is to come ashore. All expenses are on me.”

“Yes.”

Bao Xia moved nimbly to pack what would be needed off the boat. Hua Zhi found some oilpaper and carefully wrapped the military strategy books before tucking them against her person. Seeing that Little Six had his chess set, she made no move to stop him from bringing it.

The boat rocked and swayed. The wind and rain seemed to have intensified even from just a few moments before. Bao Xia did not have the strength to spare, and she feared slipping with her mistress — so with sensible understanding, she opened the umbrella and passed it to Shao Yao. Watching Shao Yao hold her mistress steady with one hand and manage the umbrella with the other while remaining perfectly sure-footed, Bao Xia felt her anxiety ease. She opened her own umbrella, intercepted the captain who had been about to step forward, accepted his words of gratitude on her mistress’s behalf, and then walked toward the bow on her mistress’s behalf to assist in the departure — only to see the gangplank itself shifting underfoot, which gave her a slight twinge of unease.

“Miss Bao Xia, the head lady sent this subordinate to assist you. Pardon the intrusion.”

Bao Xia tilted her umbrella up higher. The hand extended from beneath a rain cape was Yu Tao’s. Her heart warmed. She reached out her hand.

Yu Tao gripped her wrist over her sleeve and slowed his pace, guiding her down the gangplank. In the wind and rain, through the point of contact between them, both felt an inexplicable warmth passing from one to the other. Once they had stepped off the boat, they released each other — and in the same moment, both looked toward the other with perfect simultaneity. Bao Xia dipped in a small curtsy toward him, then turned and walked away.

From the dock to the nearest inn was not a great distance, yet by the time they arrived, even with umbrellas, there was precious little on anyone that remained dry — with the exception of Hua Zhi, who had an additional outer robe draped over her and fared somewhat better than the rest.

After paying more than the usual rate to secure rooms and have hot water brought up, everyone went to clean up and change.

Hua Zhi, as always, was the quickest to finish. Behind the dressing screen Bao Xia was using her wash water to see to herself. Hua Zhi crossed to the window. Outside, darkness had fallen completely. The rain hammered against the rooftops with a dense, relentless rhythm, and her heart felt unsettled for no reason she could name.

A low rumble of thunder rolled in from the distance, gradually drew closer, then faded away again. It had only been a moment since she finished bathing, yet already there was a damp, clinging feeling all over her skin.

This was the rain of the south — bringing moisture, heavy and close, falling on and on without intention of stopping. Unlike the north, where rain brought the temperature down with it.

This feeling was so familiar. Familiar in a way that reached down into her bones. The south had always been the region where flooding ran rampant. She could only hope that a rainfall this heavy would not last too long, because if it did—