“My lady.” Xue Liang came sprinting over, and the sight of Hua Zhi in such a state nearly stopped his heart. Had he arrived even half a step later, he dared not imagine the consequences.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Hua Zhi reached out her hand toward Xue Liang, and using the support he offered, pushed herself upright. She looked toward the fierce fighting still raging in the middle of the courtyard. “Keep a few alive — and make sure none of them take their own lives.”

“Understood.” Xue Liang signaled to the others with a series of hand gestures.

“Yu Mu and Jia Yang went in that direction.” Hua Zhi pointed. “Send someone to check on them immediately — find out if they’re still alive.”

Xue Liang called two men over and gave the order. Only after watching them disappear at a run did Hua Zhi suppress the anguish rising in her chest and ask, “What is the situation now?”

“We were ambushed on the way here, which cost us some time. According to intelligence received by the Seven Lodges Division, there were also ambushes outside the Shizi’s residence, and in considerable numbers — the Shizi’s people were tied down and unable to come to your aid.”

“And the Hua Family?”

“This subordinate has already dispatched men.”

Hua Zhi gave a small nod. That he had thought of the Hua Family in so short a time already showed presence of mind. “Help me up. We’re going to the palace.”

“Forgive this subordinate’s presumptuousness.” Xue Liang steadied Hua Zhi to her feet, gave a sharp whistle to call his horse over, then helped her mount. He then let out a long, sustained whistle. Six fighters disengaged from the battle and fell in around her. “Escort my lady to the palace. Take the route by Qingshan Bridge to avoid any further ambushes.”

“Understood.”

Hua Zhi gripped the reins tightly. From blood loss, most likely, her head swam. She forced herself to hold on and let not a trace of it show.

Fortunately, the imperial palace was not far. There were no more enemies on the road, and she arrived just as she was on the verge of blacking out from the jolting ride. The Crown Prince had thoughtfully arranged a palanquin to be waiting. The moment she came into sight, a female official hurried forward to help her onto it, and the palanquin moved swiftly inward, carrying her directly to the Imperial Study.

By this point, not only had the Grand Preceptor arrived, but several senior officials had all been summoned as well. Even Shen Qi, who had come earlier to deliver word, had not yet departed.

At the sight of Hua Zhi in such a wretched state, the Crown Prince was so alarmed that he strode quickly out from behind the imperial desk and personally helped the Grand Tutor from the palanquin to the soft chair nearby, his voice cracking as he called for the imperial physician.

Zhu Bowen was equally distraught. “How did you come to be so gravely wounded? Can you bear it?”

“I’m fine — nothing vital was struck.” Hua Zhi cleared her hoarsened throat. “Would Your Highness please have someone prepare some salt water for me — a small pinch of salt in a bowl of water will suffice.”

“Laifu, go.”

Laifu was gone before the words had fully left his lips. He had heard before that the young lady had been injured, but seeing it with his own eyes made him understand just how dreadful the situation had truly been.

The Crown Prince wanted to reach out and touch the Grand Tutor, but blood covered her so completely that he could not tell where the wounds were. His hand extended and then hesitated, drawing back. He simply crouched down beside her and leaned in, trying without seeming to do so to be close to her.

Seeing him like this, Hua Zhi felt a strange pang in her chest. When a person has had so little, the moment they receive even a small measure of something, they cherish it fiercely — and fear losing it just as fiercely. That was very nearly the Crown Prince’s relationship with her.

Perhaps because she had just passed through the jaws of death and had not yet recovered, or perhaps because she had never held imperial authority in particular reverence, Hua Zhi reached out on impulse and patted the young Crown Prince’s shoulder with a quiet, gentle voice: “I’m all right. Don’t worry.”

The Crown Prince stilled. From the moment word had reached him until now, the restless, unmoored feeling in his chest had been slowly, quietly settling with those words. He pressed his forehead against the Grand Tutor’s arm, and the warmth and reliance he normally kept carefully restrained came spilling out in full.

The Grand Preceptor frowned slightly, then smoothed his expression. So be it. The Crown Prince had no Imperial Noble Consort as a mother, and had spent the most difficult time of his life at the Grand Tutor’s side — a closeness like this was only natural. If such a bond between ruler and subject could be maintained, it would in time become something fine. The Grand Tutor was a perceptive person. She would know where to draw the line.

And indeed, Hua Zhi indulged the Crown Prince only for a moment. After drinking the salt water and feeling somewhat steadier, she steered things back to the matter at hand: “The Chaoli tribe’s killing of General Sun was very likely a means of drawing the Regent King away. Even the business with Shao Yao was almost certainly part of their calculation. The reinforcements called in from various regions afterward were probably also deliberately orchestrated — the aim being to hollow out the capital. There is no question that the Chaoli tribe’s true target is the capital.”

The Crown Prince gathered himself and rose. His eyes drifted, perhaps involuntarily, toward the door of the study. At this rate, how was the imperial physician still not here? Did they not know how to run?

“The Grand Tutor makes a sound point. But what I want to know is where the Chaoli tribe gets the audacity. Their operatives concealed within the capital cannot possibly outnumber the remaining two garrison camps, let alone with the Imperial Guards still holding the palace. How do they dare be so brazen?”

“This subject has a bold conjecture.”

Every eye in the room turned to Hua Zhi. Whether they knew her well or not, they all knew she was not one to speak lightly — whatever passed her lips, there would be reason behind it.

“This subject suspects that the Strategist is here, in the capital.”

The room startled — then a ripple of relief followed. The Minister of War said, “Does that not mean that if the Strategist can be dealt with, the Chaoli tribe will be left without its figurehead?”

“That is precisely the problem — who is the Strategist, and where is he?” Hua Zhi rubbed her throbbing head. “He may be among us. He may be within one of our households. He may be in any corner of this city. How do we find him?”

The Grand Preceptor spoke up suddenly. “You mentioned earlier that there was something unusual about the Ling Wang’s wife — could she be the one?”

“I suspected her once, then came to think otherwise. If I calculate correctly, she has been with the Ling Wang for close to ten years now, and has remained in the capital all that time. But from what Zhu Ling and the others have said, the Strategist has not been confined to one place during these years — though he did mention that the Strategist had come to the capital before. Wait…”

Hua Zhi had the nagging feeling that she was overlooking something — something connected to the Strategist. What was it?

“Your Highness, the imperial physician has arrived.”

The Crown Prince immediately had him shown in. No matter how grave the larger matter, it could not outweigh the Grand Tutor’s health.

Knowing that the Grand Tutor was the patient, the imperial physician had brought a medical attendant with him. Hua Zhi was deep in thought and did not stir. The Crown Prince did not disturb her, and simply had a folding screen brought in. He then led the officials to the side of the room.

The imperial physician first took Hua Zhi’s pulse, then moved behind the screen. The medical attendant cut away the clothing over the wound and carefully described each injury aloud, while the imperial physician dictated instructions on how to treat each one. Even this did not disrupt Hua Zhi’s train of thought.

The Strategist had come to the capital before, and now he had come again. There must be some thread connecting the two visits — what was it?

Now he had come again…

Hua Zhi suddenly recalled something. She lurched to her feet. “Your Highness — have all the people within the Ling Wang’s household been accounted for? Is everyone present?”

“Commander Fu sent word just a moment ago confirming that everyone is there.”

“Including Xiao Shi’s parents?”

The Crown Prince paused, and immediately sent someone to verify.

“Also — please ask someone to look into whether Xiao Shi’s parents have ever come to the capital before. If they have, when was it, who accompanied them, and what were the circumstances. As this concerns the imperial family, records should exist.”

“Laifu, go yourself — and be quick.”

“Understood.”

The Grand Preceptor pressed at once, “Has the Grand Tutor thought of something?”

“I suspect Xiao Shi’s father.” Hua Zhi made no effort to conceal her suspicion. “The timing is remarkably convenient. You may not be aware, but not long ago, the Ling Wang’s wife brought her parents here from Yangzhou to the capital.”

Author’s note: I finally kept my word — my head feels twice its normal size.