Gu Yanxi tilted the linked fingers gently, his smile carrying a trace of cool detachment. “Had I not met you, I had no intention of ever marrying. There are enough people carrying on this surname — my line is not needed.”

“So you would not take concubines for the sake of heirs and a flourishing family line either?”

“I will not allow my mother’s tragedy to repeat itself in my life. I swore at her graveside that I would avenge her, and I once told her in front of her that I would never become the kind of man the Prince of Ling is.”

Hua Zhi felt that if it were possible, Yanxi would rather strip flesh from bone and return it to his father than acknowledge that man. In his heart, he had most likely long since ceased to have a father. That was why he always called him the Prince of Ling — never Father.

“My father is a bit rigid, but he is a good person. My mother is a crybaby, though she has no cunning hidden thoughts — she is easy to understand.”

Gu Yanxi watched quietly as the person before him spoke with a bashfulness she did not seem aware of, and listened as she continued. “If that day ever comes, they will certainly treat you very well. We could live near them — close enough to have a conversation over a ladder. My father will invite you to appreciate antique paintings with him. My mother will scold you for indulging me…”

Hua Zhi found she could not quite continue. Her intention had been to comfort Yanxi, but as she spoke, she found herself drawn in by the future she was describing. If they truly could reach that point — if they truly could live that kind of life…

“A’Zhi.”

Hua Zhi looked up.

Gu Yanxi’s eyes blazed with a brilliance that was almost scorching. “One day I will sit with your father and appreciate antique paintings, and I will send him my entire storehouse of calligraphy, paintings, and antiques. I will listen to your mother’s complaints, and then I will indulge you twice as much, so that your mother has new cause to complain about me the next time she sees us. And Bailin — whatever he wants, I will give him.”

“Only him alone is not enough — Xiao Liu would be the first to object, and there is also Sui’an, Xiao Han, Boyu… they all call me Elder Sister.”

“All of them, then. Whatever they want, I will give them all. As long as they are willing to call me…” Gu Yanxi held the word brother-in-law silently on his tongue, the shape of it forming but making no sound. The more he thought of it, the more beautiful such a life seemed — so beautiful he wanted nothing more than to possess it that very instant.

Their eyes met — and it was impossible to say who laughed first. Then the second voice joined in, and laughter spilled through every corner of the room, filling it with joy.

“Two fools.” Hua Zhi’s eyes had laughed themselves bright with moisture. The gaze she turned on Yanxi was soft and shining, carrying something like tiny hooks — and Gu Yanxi found he could not look away. He was, in truth, exhausted. He had ridden without stopping from Yuzhou, reported to the palace upon arrival, and then come directly here. By his reckoning, he had not closed his eyes in three days. And yet right now he felt as though he could turn around and make the trip to Yuzhou all over again.

Ying Chun appeared in the doorway, paper lantern in hand, and gently announced, “Young Miss, the hour is late.”

“Has the rain stopped?”

“Yes.”

Hua Zhi rose to her feet. “Go and rest. The sky is not about to fall just yet — take care of yourself and sleep properly.”

Gu Yanxi had been meaning to ask about the Wei family matter, but in this moment it no longer seemed important. A’Zhi had not been at anyone’s mercy in his absence — knowing that was enough. If she were the sort of person who needed him to step in at every turn, she would not have come as far as she had.

“You too can set your mind at ease and sleep well. I am here.”

“…Very well.”

That night, Hua Zhi slept exceptionally well — as though knowing that her steadying force had returned, her heart was at rest, and she slept soundly through until morning.

Early the next morning, Hua Zhi had Wu Shi invited over and told her about Hua Qin’s situation.

“May the Bodhisattva be praised.” Wu Shi pressed her palms together and bowed with unconcealed delight. A married-out daughter having such good fortune was, in some unspoken way, a blessing for the other daughters of the Hua family as well. “That midwife has quite a reputation in the capital. Having her enter the household immediately may not be possible, but I will send someone to inquire about her availability.”

“Besides her, we should engage another as well. It is fine to spend a little more silver — the first requirement is that she must be of good character. For the wet nurse, you might look among the tenant farming families; if none are suitable there, look further afield.”

“I understand.” Wu Shi truly did understand — in the eldest young lady’s eyes, nothing mattered more than people.

“I must also trouble Fourth Aunt to visit Fourth Uncle’s wife and let her know of the arrangements I have made here, so there is no overlap.”

“Certainly.” Wu Shi could not help but smile. “Qin-er trusts you more than she trusts her own mother. You have taken on all the worry a mother ought to carry. I expect this will become a fixture in the Hua household — you, my dear, are going to tire yourself out over this.”

“Things will be better once the men of the family come home.” Whether a household was held up by its women or its men made all the difference in the world. Had the Hua family not fallen, would Madam Cai the elder have dared to hint and suggest about concubines when Hua Qin had been a new wife for barely two months? The Hua men standing there would have been all the backing the women needed — instead of the situation now, where she had to go and patiently talk Hua Qin through things herself.

“Hua Zhi — Hua Zhi — Hua Zhi!”

The voice arrived before the person did — unmistakably Shao Yao’s way of making an entrance. Hua Zhi smiled in spite of herself.

Wu Shi rose to her feet. “I will go right away.”

“Please give my regards to Fourth Uncle’s wife.”

“I will remember.” She exchanged a greeting with Shao Yao as she came in, then turned and left with a brisk step. She had barely crossed the threshold before she heard Shao Yao behind her, drawling with exaggerated complaint, “Hua Zhi, I’m absolutely exhausted.”

Wu Shi bowed her head with a quiet smile and stepped out, picking up her pace. There it was — not only the Hua family, but even outsiders had grown accustomed to treating the eldest young lady as their pillar of support. And with her temperament, she would shoulder every one of them as her own burden without a second thought. How could she not tire herself out?

Inside the room, Shao Yao had her arms wrapped around Hua Zhi and refused to let go. It had only been a few days since entering the palace, yet she felt as though she had not seen Hua Zhi for a hundred years — two hundred years since she had eaten anything good.

“Were you very busy?” Hua Zhi patted her back lightly — the bones seemed more prominent. “Have you lost weight?”

“Lost weight, lost weight — I need Fu Dong to nourish me back.” Shao Yao took the opening with both hands, nodding emphatically for effect. “I need to eat lots and lots of good things to recover.”

Hua Zhi flicked her on the forehead to push her back. Shao Yao swayed like a tumbler doll and fell right back in, burying her face in Hua Zhi’s warmth and breathing her in deeply, chasing away the cold sterility of the palace air before she finally felt alive again.

That dreadful place — she would not spend a single extra moment there if she could help it. But the problem now was that she could not spend extra moments with Hua Zhi either. Yanxi-ge had given her only one hour, and even that had been obtained by finding some pretext to keep the Emperor occupied.

The more she thought about it, the more pitiful her situation seemed. Shao Yao almost wanted to go up into the mountains to find her master — deep in the hills with the Emperor far away, where no one could find her. That would suit her perfectly.

Hua Zhi saw her looking so thoroughly wrung out and felt both amusement and sympathy. She took a jar of dried meat strips from the drawer and pressed it into her arms. “Start with these. Liu Xiang — go tell Lan Qiao to begin cooking right away. Make plenty of dishes. Cao Cao, when do you need to return?”

Shao Yao stuffed dried meat into her mouth and answered in a muffled mumble. “One hour.”

“Then do not make anything complicated — prepare some dishes to eat now, and make some things that will keep for Cao Cao to take back with her.”

“Hua Zhi, you are the very best.”

Hua Zhi had no pressing matters at the moment, so she set everything else aside for now and simply talked with her. “I thought your only duty was to look after His Majesty’s health?”

“He has me follow him around every single day. Even when there is nothing to be done, I must follow. I don’t even get the chance to be idle. I’ve been in the palace all these days — just yesterday I clung to the door for dear life and refused to move until he agreed to let me spend the day in the medicine room.”

Just talking about it made Shao Yao aggrieved beyond measure. She felt she had not gone in as a physician at all — she had gone as a eunuch. The kind that served at the Emperor’s personal side. Without the castration.