However, the trip north ultimately never came to pass. On the day before their departure, Hua Zhi received a letter from her grandfather.

Yinshan Pass was a critical border fortress, and sending letters out from there was no easy matter. Although the Hua Family had since found ways to manage, and getting a letter out was no longer difficult, Hua Yizheng had always kept to the rules and never made exceptions.

Yet now, Hua Zhi had received a letter.

Gu Yanxi explained, “Old Master Hua sent it through Wu Yong, piggybacking on a courier delivering memorials to the capital. It didn’t go through the Qisu Department’s channels, so even if someone found out, there would be nothing anyone could say about it.”

The openness of it all left no room for objection. Hua Zhi understood her grandfather’s intent. With an anxious heart, she broke open the seal — for her, anything out of the ordinary was never a good sign.

The envelope was thick, holding two letters folded separately. Hua Zhi recognized the handwriting at a glance: one from her grandfather, one from her father.

The tone of both letters was perfectly ordinary, yet when she finished reading, her brow creased.

“What is it?”

“Grandfather and Father are telling me not to go north. My maternal grandfather sent a letter to Grandfather — they know I am now in the Emperor’s service. Grandfather wants me to use this time I had set aside for the northern trip to rest properly at home.”

Gu Yanxi felt a wave of relief wash over him. He too had not wanted A’Zhi to make this journey — given her current state, such a long and grueling trip would take a serious toll on her. Yet he had known he could not talk her out of it, and had only been able to prepare as thoroughly as possible. He did not know why Hua Yizheng had suddenly sent this letter, but he was grateful all the same. It was no small thing that A’Zhi had sheltered them so.

“The Old Master is worried your body won’t be able to bear it.”

Hua Zhi rubbed her ice-cold fingertips. Her health was deteriorating — she understood this better than anyone.

She had never once entertained the thought of giving her life for the cause. Sacrificing herself to protect the Hua Family would be the greatest insult to the Hua men, and so she had taken care of herself as best she could. For half the year she had been taking medicinal tonics — never going a single day without soups and broths. Whatever Shao Yao forbade her from doing, she did not touch. Even though she disliked practicing her fists, when Shao Yao asked her to extend her training time, she complied.

She wanted to be healthy — for her own sake, and for everyone else’s.

Going north had not been mere stubbornness either. She wanted to know how the Hua Family was faring at Yinshan Pass, and nothing would set her mind at ease more than seeing and hearing it with her own eyes and ears. She also wanted to appear before her grandfather in person — to let them see her, to let them know that things at home were well. Her presence alone would be worth more than any words.

But now, her grandfather would not permit her to come.

She read the letter again from start to finish. Hua Zhi could find nothing amiss, yet she still felt there might be other reasons she was not seeing.

“I need to go to him.”

Hua Zhi looked up at Yanxi, whose mood was visibly lifted. Of course — this man had never wanted her to make this trip either.

Gu Yanxi, as before, cupped her hands in his palms to warm them with his own body heat. “Having already petitioned the Emperor, I cannot go back on my word.”

“I’m sorry…” Hua Zhi felt a pang of guilt. If not for her, Yanxi would not have had to make this long journey in the dead of winter.

“Don’t apologize to me. The situation at Yinshan Pass is something I need to see for myself before I can have a clear picture. And there are matters I need to discuss with Wu Yong.” Gu Yanxi’s smile turned faintly cold. “The entire court is watching the Seventh Department. Hardly anyone remembers the threat that is the Chaoli Clan.”

Hua Zhi fell silent. The Seventh Department had been her proposal — something that should have benefited the nation and its people. Yet after all this time, it remained at a standstill. To those men at court, what was good for the nation and the people probably did not matter much — what mattered was how much benefit they could personally extract. Just thinking about how some of those men had once attended the Hua Family’s intellectual gatherings, and had once held firm in their own convictions, filled Hua Zhi with an indescribable discomfort.

Official life changed people too much. She wondered how many of them still remembered what they had originally set out to be.

“When do you leave?”

“The schedule stays the same. Give me what you want sent along.”

Hua Zhi rose and took a bundle from the cabinet. “Just deliver these letters. I’ve also tucked in some banknotes and gold ingots. Oh, and I should write one of my own — give me a moment.”

No servants had been left to attend them. Hua Zhi spread out her paper, held it flat with a paperweight, and poured a little water into the ink stone — but before she could pick up the ink stick, another pair of hands had already taken it up and was grinding it for her in a slow, steady rhythm.

Something came to Hua Zhi’s mind, and she smiled, her eyes curving with delight. “Would this count as a different sort of ‘crimson sleeves adding fragrance’?”

Gu Yanxi raised an eyebrow lightly. “I would be quite willing to be A’Zhi’s beauty — though I wonder whether A’Zhi would find this beauty lacking?”

“In my eyes, Yanxi is very beautiful.” Hua Zhi blinked, feeling she had expressed quite sincerely what she meant. Others might find Yanxi’s features intimidating, but to her his looks were all masculine strength — just right. She could appreciate this kind of beauty very well.

The amusement in Gu Yanxi’s eyes deepened. He lifted a hand and tucked a fallen strand of her hair behind her ear. His fingers trailed along her cheek, the lingering tenderness so thick it could have drowned a person.

Hua Zhi smiled — two shallow dimples appearing — and tilted her head to rub against his fingers. Then she picked up her brush, dipped it in the ink, and pressed a dot to the center of his brow. “Sealed. Mine.”

“Yes. Yours.” Gu Yanxi held perfectly still, his expression all indulgence, letting her do as she pleased.

A mole at the center of the brow — it made the man look even more coldly striking than before. Hua Zhi thought selfishly: good, this way even fewer women will find him appealing. And so, in her unreasonable way, she added one more demand. “You are not allowed to wash it off.”

“Alright.”

Only then was Hua Zhi satisfied. She lowered her head, dipped her brush again, and began writing her letter.

The following morning, Gu Yanxi came early to say his farewell. Hua Zhi handed him the dried provisions she had prepared the night before.

“I can’t quite settle my heart. When you arrive, look and see whether Grandfather is hiding something from me.”

“I read Wu Yong’s memorial — there is nothing to worry about. Don’t overthink it.”

“That’s best.” Hua Zhi looked up, saw the dot still on his brow, and smiled. “You really didn’t wash it off.”

“I’m not washing it off.” Not only had he not washed it off — he had redone it with cinnabar mixed into the ink, so it would last longer.

She glanced around. The servants had all been sent away. Hua Zhi cleared her throat softly. “Lower your head.”

Gu Yanxi assumed she only wanted to look at the mark on his forehead and did as he was told, bowing his head without hesitation — placing himself entirely at her mercy without a second thought. What he did not expect was the sudden warmth against his brow, and a soft, gentle touch…

He snapped his head up. Hua Zhi was smiling at him with a playful gleam in her eyes — her face red, but in no way diminishing her triumphant satisfaction. Things that could genuinely surprise Yanxi were rare indeed.

Gu Yanxi stared at her lips and held himself back from kissing her in return. His voice came out low and a little hoarse. “I really am going to go half a month without washing my face now.”

“You are not allowed to wash it.”

“Mm. I won’t wash it.”

He really did not want to leave. Gu Yanxi sighed, then said, “By now, quite a few people at court know the Seventh Department is connected to you. While I am away, try to go out as little as possible. If you must go out, bring Wang Rong. I have made arrangements outside — you don’t owe anyone face. Whoever you don’t wish to deal with, simply don’t. No one can do anything to you.”

“Alright.”

“If something comes up, don’t try to bear it alone. Chen Qing is in the capital — you can go to him with anything.”

“Alright.”

“If the Emperor pressures you, don’t clash with him directly. Wait for me to come back.”

“Alright.”

Whatever he said, Hua Zhi answered obediently. Her compliant demeanor was too much for Gu Yanxi to resist in the end, and before he left, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Hua Zhi touched the spot and thought: this kind of courtesy in return — she truly liked it very much.