How could Wu Yong not know of the rumors circulating outside? If anything, before the rumors reached him, he might not have fully understood his own feelings — but having heard them, he did.

He could barely believe that he had let himself develop feelings for a young woman whose face was scarred. Yet even with those complicated emotions, he had never stopped going to the Hua household. He had always remembered the promise he and Shao Yao had made — to spar again — and he could not bear to break his word and disappoint her.

And so he had let the rumors run their course. Privately, he felt a pang of guilt — if Shizi ever found out, he would likely be dealt with harshly. Yet even with that knowledge, he had continued as before, not only coming every day but staying longer and longer each time.

He had not yet sorted out what he wanted. And it had never occurred to him that Hua Zhi would simply say it aloud, plain as day, catching him entirely off guard.

“Miss Hua…”

“You owe me no explanation.” Hua Zhi cut him off. “I support whatever decision Shao Yao makes. But speaking plainly — I don’t believe General Wu is the right man for her. I say this only in the hope that the General will think carefully before acting. I have no intention of interfering. However, the General should also think clearly about the consequences. Shao Yao is not someone who can be handled however you please — never mind what Yanxi would do, Shao Yao herself would take your life first.”

And that was her not interfering? Wu Yong laughed ruefully. “Miss Hua, you truly see through everything.”

“I only hope that Shao Yao never has to suffer another bitter fruit. I am perfectly content to keep her by my side for the rest of her life.” Hua Zhi’s tone then shifted abruptly. “Unless the General has different tastes from most men, and every concubine in his household is plain-looking?”

“Of course not—” Wu Yong caught himself and fell silent. He met Hua Zhi’s half-smiling gaze and turned his face away in embarrassment.

“It seems the General has no shortage of beauties at home. Understandable — the Wu line has come down to only the General himself, so naturally one must take in many to carry on the family. A tactical sandbox is quite easy to learn — perhaps the General would do better to go home and teach it to his beauties. The pleasure of that company would surely be no less than red sleeves lending elegance to one’s studies.”

“Miss Hua, there is no need to be so relentless. I did not know Shao Yao when I took them in.”

“And yet some things simply cannot coexist. I actually think the General needn’t trouble himself over it. Beauties are pleasing to the eye — a lifetime is neither long nor short. Decades spent with a succession of lovely companions is itself a kind of fortune.”

Hua Zhi braced against the armrest and stood. “Shao Yao should be ready by now. Please, General.”

Wu Yong opened his mouth as if to say something more, but in the end fell silent, clasped his hands in farewell, and left.

Hua Zhi made her way slowly to the doorway. She watched Wu Yong and Shao Yao stand facing each other — Shao Yao, spirited and proud, pointing at the newly reshaped sandbox terrain with a look of pure satisfaction. “You’ve never played this terrain before, have you? I’ll be generous — I’ll let you pick your side first.”

Wu Yong seemed to smile faintly, and chose the left side. Shao Yao skipped her way over to the right.

Hua Zhi leaned against the doorframe and let out a soft sigh. She hoped Shao Yao would one day find a good man. But faithless men were everywhere in this world, while good men were hard to come by. Wu Yong was not lacking in character — but men were creatures driven by what they saw. They would always look at a face first. Even a man of the finest character could not necessarily govern the lower half of himself, and she did not think Wu Yong would be the exception.

There was a sound behind her. Hua Zhi turned and saw Zeng Han dragging over a chair that stood taller than he did. She did not stop him. When he reached her, she ruffled his head and took a seat, steadying herself on the armrest. She could not stand for long stretches these days, and this child was always thinking of her.

Zeng Han pulled up a small stool and sat at her feet. Hua Zhi glanced at the book in his hands — it was the upper volume of Master Siqing’s military text that she had copied out just the day before.

“Han’er, do you want to become an official when you grow up?”

“I don’t want to be an official. My father was an official. Hua Grandfather was an official too.”

Calling Hua Yizheng “Hua Grandfather” had been Hua Zhi’s decision. With the exception of Hua Pingyu, whom Zeng Han addressed as First Uncle, he followed her lead in all other forms of address.

Hua Zhi nodded in quiet understanding — exactly as she had expected. With a past as painful as his, it was only natural he would feel an aversion to officialdom.

“Is there anything you want to do, then?”

Zeng Han hugged his knees and thought for a moment, but could not land on an answer. “What do you want me to do?”

“That must be decided by you alone. Think on it slowly — there is no hurry. You still have many years ahead of you to figure that out.”

Zeng Han took this to heart, gave a nod, and really did stop thinking about it. He lowered his head, opened the book, and began to read.

Hua Zhi smiled and ruffled his head again. Loving books this much — having him look after the Hua Family’s book repository one day might not be a bad idea at all.

In this moment, Hua Zhi could never have imagined that Zeng Han would go on to do exactly that — guard the Hua Family’s book repository for the rest of his life. Even when he rose to become one of the great scholars of his age, his words read throughout the realm, nothing changed. He did not carry the Hua surname, but he would say he was the Hua Family’s Zeng Han.

That evening, Hua Zhi and Shao Yao lay facing each other on the bed. The children who slept on the floor had already drifted off, and the two women kept their voices low.

“I recall you once mentioned that your master was compounding a remedy to remove the scars on your face — is that right?”

“Yes. Only the last ingredient is still missing. When I left, Master said he would leave the palace to search for it once I returned.”

Hua Zhi touched her face gently. Even now, one could tell that Shao Yao’s natural features were exceptional — if those scars could be removed, she would be a true beauty.

“Master also said it might not be possible to remove them entirely.” Shao Yao touched her own face. “Though I’ve come to think it doesn’t much matter either way. I’ve looked at this face for so many years I’m used to it. Besides, it’s not as if I need to marry.”

“…No one has decreed you cannot marry. You are perfectly free to.”

“Why should I want to?” Shao Yao was genuinely puzzled as to why she should marry. She was not like those young women of great families who needed a husband to survive.

Hua Zhi covered those too-bright eyes with her hand. “If someone were to come and seek your hand — would you still refuse?”

“I’d refuse. Prince Ling cherished my mother so deeply back then, and in the end it still changed overnight. I have none of my mother’s beauty, none of her grace and talent — could I possibly hope for someone to be faithful to me alone? I refuse to dream such dreams.”

Hua Zhi laughed softly and lowered her hand. Wu Yong had no chance. If Shao Yao ever caught wind of his feelings, she would probably give him a thorough thrashing.

Shao Yao’s eyes went wide all at once. She propped herself up and cried out in alarm, “Hua Hua, you’re not trying to marry me off, are you? I swear I won’t get in the way of you and Yanxi Gege!”

“How would you get in the way? Would you break down the door while I have it closed?”

Hua Zhi pulled her back down, tapped the tip of her nose, and said, “I only hope that if the day ever comes when someone truly moves your heart, you won’t force yourself to fight against it. Don’t leave yourself with regrets. Do what you want to do — aside from life and death, nothing is truly a great matter. You have me and your Yanxi Gege behind you. There is nothing that cannot be managed.”

Shao Yao hugged Hua Hua’s arm, nestled her head against her shoulder, and gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment.