Zeng Xian’s final wish was to be buried alongside his wife. Hua Yizheng assigned his youngest son to handle the arrangements — since Zeng Han had now fallen under Hua Zhi’s care, which meant he had fallen under the Hua Family’s care, it was only fitting that they take the lead in this matter.

The physician came once more to examine her, and upon learning that Hua Zhi’s condition had improved, the Hua Family members took their cue and dispersed, leaving only Wu Yong behind.

“The Qixiu Division will take over from here. You need only cooperate.”

“I’m quite happy to.” Wu Yong dragged a chair over and sat down just below Gu Yanxi. “But Shizi, are you certain you want to do this? You just dealt with the First Prince at the start of the year, and now you’re turning around to deal with the Second Prince… it is the Second Prince, isn’t it?”

Gu Yanxi met his words with silence.

Wu Yong didn’t mind. Silence was already an answer. “His Majesty only has six sons in total. They can’t withstand you going after them like this. Don’t let the fire end up burning back onto yourself.”

“A prince who invites wolves into the house is better off gone. When you get back, go find Gu Chengde and ask whether he’s uncovered any evidence or leverage — I can always use more.”

Wu Yong wished nothing more than to see the Second Prince dead. That a man like him was among the candidates for Crown Prince made his scalp crawl just thinking about it. Yet he still felt Shizi was taking too large a step — one misstep and it would arouse the Emperor’s suspicions.

He wanted to say more, but seeing Shizi’s utterly unmoved composure, he swallowed those words back down. A dragon has its reverse scale — touch it and you die. And Hua Zhi was most likely Shizi’s reverse scale. He didn’t know what position Shizi held within the Qixiu Division, but it certainly wasn’t a low one. Since he had already made this decision, he must have thought everything through. What need was there for him to say anything more?

“What else do you need me to do?”

“They’ve spent years operating in Yinshan Pass — they won’t have done nothing. Go and investigate.” Gu Yanxi glanced over. “Every charge must be nailed down solid.”

“Yes.” Wu Yong rose to his feet, cast a glance at Hua Zhi, and was just about to leave when the door was kicked open with a bang. A figure entered, dusty from the road, travelling hat askew — who else could it be but Shao Yao?

Shao Yao flung her hat aside and ran furiously to the bedside, shoved Gu Yanxi out of the way, and immediately seized Hua Zhi’s wrist to take her pulse. Moments later, her fury turned to astonishment. “You used that medicine on Hua Hua?”

Before Gu Yanxi could answer, her anger surged even higher. “Hua Hua’s injuries were that severe?! How were you protecting her?!”

Gu Yanxi let her shout. It was, after all, his fault.

Sensing that someone was watching her — though with no ill intent — Shao Yao turned a thoroughly unamused gaze directly on Wu Yong. “Has General Wu recovered then? Well, take it easy. Don’t overindulge and end up with kidney deficiency — won’t be able to lift a sword.”

“…” Wu Yong felt so wronged he nearly cried out for justice. Heaven and earth knew that ever since the poison was neutralized, he had been utterly restrained. He hadn’t even visited the rear courtyard once in ten days to half a month. How in the world was that overindulgence?

“Out, out, out — what are you standing here for?” Shao Yao pulled the medicine pouch from her back, then opened a bundle and rummaged through it. Things fell to the floor and she didn’t bother about them, setting to work amid a collection of bottles and jars.

Wu Yong noticed she had turned up a dudou. Then his vision blurred as something flew toward his face and a foot kicked squarely in front of him. He hurriedly leaned back to avoid it. By the time he straightened up again, the dudou on the floor had vanished, and he himself had been shoved backward out the door, which snapped shut behind him with a loud crack.

Gu Yanxi fixed him with an icy look. Somehow Wu Yong felt a twinge of guilt without knowing why. He rubbed his nose and bowed with cupped hands. “This subordinate will get to work immediately.”

“Come back only when there is something to report.”

“Yes.” Wu Yong agreed with great enthusiasm. Only when there was something to report — so naturally he could come when there was something to report. And right now, at a moment like this, was it really so hard to find something to report?

Shao Yao’s arrival let Gu Yanxi breathe easier. He didn’t trust other physicians; with Shao Yao watching over things, he could go and attend to other matters.

Though he would have to wait until Shao Yao had made her assessment before he could leave with a clear mind.

It was a long while before the door opened again. Shao Yao looked at him sideways, her expression deeply displeased. “The last time I failed to protect someone, you know what you said to me? Every single word of it — I’m returning it to you now!”

“How is A’Zhi’s condition?”

“If using that whole pill and her condition is still bad, go ahead and cry.” Shao Yao’s anger had largely deflated, and she was no longer speaking quite so sharply. “You had other medicines on you — Hua Hua shouldn’t have been at the point of needing that particular one.”

“I couldn’t think of anything else at the time.” That image of A’Zhi, so utterly drained of life, made his heart clench every time he recalled it. There had been no weighing what medicine was appropriate — he had only wanted to give her the very best.

Shao Yao was now both aching with pity for Hua Zhi’s injuries and burning with grief for her elder brother’s suffering. She said fiercely, “Serves you right for not waiting for me, serves you right for deliberately sending me away. Thank heaven Hua Hua is alright. Otherwise I truly would have…”

She scrubbed at her reddening eyes, then hurled down one final threat: “In this lifetime I’ve only ever acknowledged this one sister-in-law. If anything happens to her, you can spend the rest of your life as a bachelor. Every wife you bring through the door, I’ll poison to death!”

The door snapped shut again. Only with no one else present did Shao Yao dare let her fear show. From the moment she entered the city, she had been hearing about what had happened to Hua Hua. When she finally understood the full picture, her legs had gone so weak she couldn’t even mount her horse. In the end she had simply run the rest of the way.

Others only knew Hua Hua as the head of the Hua Family. What they didn’t know was that to her and Yan-ge, Hua Hua was as essential as the water they drank each day. Both she and Yan-ge clung to Hua Hua, drawing life from her, the way a vine draws moisture — only through her did they feel truly alive.

She could no longer remember how she had gotten through each day before she knew Hua Hua. But she remembered every day after. She remembered that joy, that fullness, that feeling of smiling through every single moment. Yan-ge had gradually changed after getting to know Hua Hua too. He had been good to her before, but never close — later, though, he began ruffling her hair. And it was only from then that she had ever truly felt, in any real sense, that Yan-ge was her elder brother.

As she ran the whole way here, she had thought: if Hua Hua was truly gone, she would preserve Hua Hua’s body from decay and throw herself into researching the more obscure branches of medicine. The phrase “raising the dead” existed — which meant the thing itself had happened before. Master had said she was talented. Perhaps she really could find a way?

But if Hua Hua was gone, what reason was there for her to go on living? She might as well go keep Hua Hua company. They could be ghost sisters together, and let Yan-ge suffer alone. Though if Yan-ge followed them over too — he would definitely find some way to drive her off and monopolize Hua Hua. This time she absolutely would not fall for that trick…

Thank heaven, thank heaven — all those wild thoughts would never come to pass. Hua Hua was still alive!

As long as she was still alive, even if she was down to her last breath, she could pull her back. What was the point of being ghost sisters when you could be living ones?

Shao Yao climbed onto the bed and lay down beside Hua Hua, carefully avoiding her injuries, and wrapped her arms around her. Breathing in that familiar scent of medicine, the heartbeat that had been unsteady ever since she entered the city gradually calmed. The exhaustion from her desperate sprint slowly rose up, and just before sleep claimed her, she was still mentally swearing vengeance — once she found out who was behind all this, whoever had caused Hua Hua to suffer such grievous injuries would answer for it.