Shao Yao saw Hua Zhi to the study, then headed back to tinker with her medicines.

Hua Zhi looked at one fully stocked bookshelf and another that was still more than half empty. “We’ll need another one yet. Twelve cartloads of books won’t fit on a single shelf.”

“The moment you mentioned it, I already had someone start on one.”

“The study is a bit small — put in another shelf and it’ll feel rather cramped.”

Hua Yizheng also surveyed the study, which, despite having been arranged in haste, showed far more care and thought than any of their own living quarters. “I’m thinking of squeezing the younger ones in a little tighter and clearing out the room next door to open things up.”

“Can they really squeeze any more?” She had spent her idle days lately having Shao Yao push her around to look things over, and the younger ones were already three to a room — the spaces not large to begin with. Packing in another person would leave barely room to stand.

“It hasn’t been an easy year, but that’s nothing they can’t handle.”

Hua Zhi said no more on the matter. In her grandfather’s presence, playing the dutiful junior was quite enough — there was no need to flaunt what little capability she had. What she wanted to raise was something else entirely. “Grandfather, please speak to everyone and ask them not to gossip about Zeng Han behind his back. Young as he is, he understands far more than people think.”

Hua Yizheng’s brow creased slightly. “Has someone said something?”

“I haven’t gone looking for the details, but I can well imagine.” Had no one said anything, Zeng Han would never have spoken as he did. “I can understand why people feel uneasy about him. But it isn’t fair to assume, just because his father was driven to madness, that he will become a second Zeng Xian. He is only four years old — still in the midst of learning and adapting to how this world works. Whatever he takes in during that process is what he will give back when he grows up. If he does go wrong someday, the responsibility lies with me, with the Hua Family. A child who grows up happy and secure will have a soft heart — he won’t go down that path. “

“You’re right. I’ll speak to them.” Hua Yizheng studied his granddaughter. “You intend to raise him yourself?”

“I think so. This child… is far too clever. I want his cleverness to go toward the right things.” A highly intelligent person turned dangerous could cause devastation beyond measure. Hua Zhi shook her head. Listening to the sounds from outside, she said, “That’s probably Wu Yong arriving. You lead the conversation, Grandfather — I’ll sit in and listen.”

“I’d much rather watch you handle it.”

Hua Zhi smiled. “In front of you, I wouldn’t dare show off what little wit I have.”

Hua Yizheng pointed a finger at her with a knowing look, then rose and walked toward the entrance. He gave a proper bow to Wu Yong as he came in. “I greet General Wu.”

Wu Yong quickly moved to stop the bow. “Old Lord, a bow like this from you would leave me feeling deeply unworthy.”

“Courtesy must be observed.”

From her wheelchair, Hua Zhi also dipped her head slightly in greeting. Wu Yong very nearly sidestepped it entirely — this was the Shizi’s most cherished person; if anything, he felt like he ought to be bowing to her!

Shao Yao had been waiting with barely contained excitement, but now that the man was here, she was shut out of the meeting. She let out a small huff and started heading out, giving a little sulky hmph. Wu Yong heard the sound and turned — she was already stepping over the threshold. He hastily took two steps after her. “Can we continue playing after the meeting over here wraps up?”

That brightened Shao Yao’s mood considerably. “Fine. I’ll wait for you.”

She had gone two steps when something seemed to occur to her and she spun back around, giving Wu Yong a long, thorough once-over from head to toe, then raised her fist at him. “Stay away from Hua Zhi.”

Wu Yong’s eyes went wide. Did he have a death wish? Developing feelings for Hua Zhi? He’d rather just play with the odd-looking girl!

Wait — why did something about that feel a little off?

Hua Zhi watched the exchange and felt increasingly certain about what she already suspected. She gave a light cough, cutting off whatever Wu Yong had clearly begun daydreaming about. “General Wu, please be seated.”

Wu Yong cast one more glance at Shao Yao’s retreating, bounding figure, then came back and settled into the seat of honor. “I’m not sure what the First Young Miss wishes to discuss?”

“It isn’t me — it’s my grandfather.”

Wu Yong gave her a meaningful look, then turned his attention to Hua Yizheng.

Hua Yizheng produced something and extended it toward him. “The Hua Family wishes to make a bargain with General Wu.”

Wu Yong took it. It was a piece of silk folded into a neat square. He opened it — and on the very first glance, he sat up straight. This was a defense map unlike any he had ever seen.

“The Wu Family has stood guard over Yinshan Pass for as many years as you have faced the lands beyond the pass. But forgive my candor — over all those years, the defensive layout has changed very little. In blunt terms, the enemy has almost certainly long since memorized every detail of Yinshan Pass’s fortifications. Were it not for the fact that the lands beyond the pass have remained in turmoil all these years, the pass might not have held as steadily as it has.”

Hua Yizheng took a sip of tea to ease his throat, then continued. “As I understand it, the tribes beyond the pass completed their unification this past April. From April to now — barely a few months — the number of border incursions has already exceeded all of last year combined. And this is a year of disasters. No one can say when these probing raids will turn into a genuine invasion. General Wu, when that day comes — can Yinshan Pass hold?”

The coldness that settled into Wu Yong’s features was complete. In this moment, he was no longer the general’s son making small talk — he was the defender of Yinshan Pass. “The Old Lord speaks the truth on every point, but there is one matter I must push back on. The Wu Family has not been standing still all these years. The reason the tribal lands have remained fractured for so long is in no small part due to our own efforts. The Wu Family’s agents embedded beyond the border sustain losses of more than twenty men every year. As for the fortifications —”

Wu Yong gave a cold snort. “Would the Wu Family truly rely on defenses that every enemy already knows?”

Hua Yizheng showed no surprise. He nodded. “I did sense that. Yinshan Pass operates on two layers — visible and concealed. I wonder if General Wu can tell me: how does Yinshan Pass’s true defensive arrangement compare to what is shown here?”

Wu Yong stared at the map in silence for a moment. “Old Lord, you are several steps ahead of me.”

“The Hua Family cannot so much as lift a sword. On a battlefield, we would fall to the enemy in a single exchange. But if you ask us to devise a strategy — our minds turn a great deal faster than most generals.” Hua Yizheng smiled. “If the Hua Family committed its full strength to aiding General Wu in defending Yinshan Pass, would the General be willing to work together?”

Wu Yong turned abruptly to look at Hua Zhi. “Is this his idea?”

He meant only one person by that. Hua Zhi neither confirmed nor denied it. “If the Hua Family proves of no use, the General will surely not employ us. And if we truly can be of service, what is there against working together?”

The logic was sound — yet Wu Yong couldn’t believe there was no personal feeling behind it. If he wasn’t mistaken, the Hua Family intended to use this as a foothold for their restoration. That made sense. Living out one’s days in a fog was worse than setting a goal and working toward it — and for him, this arrangement was all gain, no loss.

“What does the Old Lord propose?”

“Allow the Hua Family members to enter the military encampment — the manner in which they enter is entirely for the General to determine.” Hua Yizheng glanced once at the silk map. He and his sons had spent an entire night working on it together: the eldest had used mathematical calculations to derive patterns, the second had built the structural framework, and he himself had drawn on details observed from his youngest son’s frequent visits to the garrison commander’s residence to work backward and reconstruct the concealed layer — close enough that they had then been able to use it to check and fill in the gaps. What they had produced, at last, was something capable of earning even Wu Yong’s respect.

“To avoid being purely theoretical, one must understand how things actually work in the field. Every strategy requires live training to test it. And as for Zhi’er’s sand table —” Hua Yizheng paused. “General Wu, don’t you think it would be a terrible waste to use it as nothing more than a game?”

A waste barely began to cover it. After leaving the previous evening, Wu Yong had nearly charged straight back to the encampment. Only true head-to-head simulation could bring the sand table to its full potential — and that was precisely what would build a general’s real commanding instincts.

The Great Qing dynasty had seen no major war in many years. What it lacked most were battle-seasoned commanders.

Wu Yong rose to his feet. “As you wish.”

Hua Zhi and her grandfather exchanged a look.

Done.