Gu Yanxi thought for a moment. “They use this method to fleece the common people?”
He had cut straight to the heart of the matter in a single sentence. Hua Zhi nodded in approval. “I had Yu Mu look into it. Over the past two or three years, the common people have actually found themselves increasingly stretched thin. The gambling den may appear amicable to everyone — it does not force people to sell off their children — yet when all is said and done, it remains a gambling den that bleeds the common folk dry. Moreover, by establishing its own rules and draping itself in a veneer of respectability, it has drawn in even greater numbers of ordinary people who go simply for the amusement. But a place like a gambling den — no one walks out until they have lost everything they came in with.”
“If the common people are bled completely dry, would they not be too spent to continue?”
“If all the wealth of an entire city were to flow into a single person’s hands… that would be more than enough to do whatever one pleased.”
Gu Yanxi gave a slight nod. The Chaoli tribe would not endure in silence forever. Once they had accumulated enough silver to purchase sufficient supplies, stirring the great nation of Daqing into turmoil would create the perfect moment for them to fish in troubled waters. What did it matter to them if the common people had been wrung so dry they could no longer survive?
“Have you had anyone look into Zhu Ling and Zheng Hang?”
“I feared alarming them before the time was right, so I have not moved on that front yet.”
Thinking back to how their quarry had slipped away in several previous attempts, Gu Yanxi found himself with a headache. “What worries me most right now is that we will end up like before — only catching the few visible figures on the surface while those hiding in the shadows make their escape again. They have grown quite practiced at this maneuver.”
Hua Zhi hesitated for a moment. “I do have an idea. It may not be enough to catch them all in a single net, but once their interests are at stake, they are unlikely to keep their composure for long. As long as we watch them closely, we may yet be able to lure the snake from its hole.”
Gu Yanxi tightened his grip on her hand. “You have not been sleeping soundly these past days, worrying over all of this.”
“It has not been so bad. I know you cannot rush things that take time.”
Xiao Liu, who had been playing the invisible man for quite a while, could no longer hold back. “Elder Sister Hua, what is this idea of yours?”
“To cut off their financial lifeline, the only approach is naturally to work the angle of gambling itself. But I am also concerned that once a new gambling method is introduced, the people of Jinyang will find it even harder to break the habit afterward.”
“That is a headache for the future. Nothing is more pressing right now than dealing with the Chaoli tribe.”
Hua Zhi had been hesitating all along over whether to pursue this direction precisely because she had been weighing all the considerations. Now that she had Yanxi’s word, her remaining doubts dissolved at once. The troubles of Jinyang were a matter for Daqing’s own people to settle; the Chaoli tribe, however, were enemies — outsiders who did not belong to Daqing. Dealing with enemies was naturally the greater priority.
“Let me think more carefully about how to carry it out.” Hua Zhi rose to her feet and, in a tone that brooked no refusal, pulled the man up as well and steered him toward the door. “Go and rest. It is not early anymore. Do not think about anything — just sleep through until tomorrow morning for me.”
Gu Yanxi laughed softly. “How could I possibly sleep that long?”
“You can. Sleep is a human instinct. You are badly sleep-deprived, and if you are willing to sleep, you will sleep that long — perhaps even longer.” Hua Zhi led him to the room that had been prepared nearby, pushed open the door, and said, “You are not to come out until tomorrow morning.”
Gu Yanxi fondly ruffled her hair, could not help drawing her into a brief embrace, and whispered his agreement softly at her ear.
Xiao Liu came out just in time to catch this scene. On reflex, he pulled his foot back, and many thoughts flickered through his mind. An elder sister-in-law was as a mother — if Elder Sister Hua were to become his actual sister-in-law, that would actually be… rather nice.
“Xiao Liu.”
Xiao Liu quickly turned around.
“Tomorrow, take Yanxi to see Zeng Xiangyan. You have been under their care for several days, and as the elder brother going to thank them is only proper courtesy. Find a way to have him take you to that place to gamble again — and to the horse track as well. Tell Zeng Xiangyan that Yanxi is an exceptionally skilled rider, with few who can match him even in the capital.”
“Understood.”
“Do not let anyone catch hold of your tail. Your own safety comes first.”
A smile spread through Xiao Liu’s eyes, and he answered in a soft voice. His thoughts drifted back again to what he had been pondering earlier — if Elder Sister Hua became his sister-in-law, she would probably treat him even better than she did now, right?
Gu Yanxi’s arrival meant more than just having someone to handle tasks Hua Zhi could not conveniently manage herself and to give orders she could not give — it also gave her a sense of security. The most noticeable change was that she could now sleep soundly at night. It was as though even in sleep she knew there was a tall figure beside her, someone who would hold up the sky before it could ever press down upon her.
The first snow in Jinyang was not heavy. It drifted down for a day and then stopped, and the sun came out early the next morning.
Gu Yanxi, who had thought he would sleep no more than three hours at most, did not stir until the first ray of light slipped through the crack of the door. Perhaps from sleeping so long, even his vigilance seemed dulled, his mind a touch slower than usual. He stared at the unfamiliar bed canopy for a moment before remembering where he was — and then he smiled.
The hard riding had been exhausting, of course. But the moment he saw A’Zhi’s face, startled then overjoyed, eyes full of laughter, everything else had ceased to matter. To be so eagerly awaited by someone — it felt, somehow, like the first time in his life.
He savored the feeling for a moment, then heard footsteps outside that sounded like A’Zhi’s. He got up at once, dressed and washed at his quickest pace, and when he reached for the comb to bind his hair, his hand paused. He thought of something, then deliberately set the comb down and stepped out of the room with his hair still loose.
Sure enough, Hua Zhi was outside. She stood beneath the covered walkway watching Chen Si and Jia Yang and the others clearing away the snow. The accumulation was thin — the sun had already begun to melt it — and the courtyard now had a slightly damp, sodden feel.
Hua Zhi turned and, at the sight of him, instinctively broke into a smile. “Did you sleep well?”
“Better than I ever have.” Gu Yanxi walked over and stood shoulder to shoulder with her, shook out his cloak, and drew her beneath it. “Why are you standing out here? Never mind that the sun is out — it is coldest when the snow is melting.”
“Just stepping out for a breath of fresh air.” Hua Zhi called over to Nian Qiu, who was emerging from the small kitchen: “Serve breakfast, please.”
“Yes, miss.”
She turned to go back inside, then remembered something and glanced up. Right — this Shizi had been waited upon all his life; he probably did not know how to bind his own hair. “If you do not mind, I can tie your hair for you. I should say upfront — I have never done this for anyone before, so my hands are rather clumsy at it.”
“Whatever it looks like is fine by me.” Having achieved his goal, Gu Yanxi took her hand and led her inside, where he settled himself before the dressing table with great willingness and handed her the comb.
In this era untouched by dyes or perms, and given his distinguished birth, Yanxi’s hair was smooth and silky — slightly coarser in texture than a woman’s, but only just. As the comb glided from root to tip in one unbroken pass, a phrase arose unbidden in Hua Zhi’s mind: One stroke to the end, two strokes until white hair grows together, three strokes until the hall is full of children and grandchildren — like something from a wedding blessing. It was rather embarrassingly bridal of her, and even someone as worldly as she found herself flushing a little.
Gu Yanxi could not see her face, and assumed she simply did not know how to begin. He smiled. “It does not matter — just tie it however you like.”
“No, it has to be done properly.” Hua Zhi set down the comb and gathered all his hair into her palms. She had never bound an adult man’s hair before, but she had tied Bailin’s hair back when he was young, so even though the style required now was different, she at least had some feel for it.
In Daqing, grown men generally wore their hair bound up at the crown. Scholars of modest means wrapped theirs in a square cloth kerchief; those better off used a crown. For someone of Gu Yanxi’s standing, the crown worn would naturally be nothing inferior — today it was a lustrous white jade crown.
Hua Zhi spent the better part of a quarter hour getting the hair into place. The result was tolerably secure, at least, and not too embarrassing.
Gu Yanxi touched it lightly, unconcerned with how the binding looked. He took Hua Zhi’s cold hand in his as a matter of course and drew her around to face him. “This is perfectly fine.”
“I did my best.” Gu Yanxi smiled contentedly and touched it again. In this moment, he was like some large creature that had been tamed — all its sharp edges folded away, yielding entirely to whatever she chose to do with it.