The Crown Prince pressed a hand to his racing heart and looked steadily at the figure now bound on the ground — it was Fu Qin, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards. With Yuxiang’s example fresh in mind, even if it had been Fu Gang himself who was the Commander, he would not have found it shocking.
Gu Yanxi walked over and looked down at the man lying there, neither speaking nor struggling. “Knowing there was a Chaoli agent within the Imperial Guards, the Seven Lodges Division remained positioned several paces away. The Crown Prince had no one guarding him closely. As Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, you couldn’t even see a gap that glaring — what is this official even supposed to say to you?”
Fu Qin said nothing at all.
Gu Yanxi looked at Fu Gang, who had heard the commotion and come rushing back. “Continue the investigation.”
“Understood.” Fu Gang’s gaze at his deputy commander was like something dipped in poison. He had never once imagined that this person could be Fu Qin — the most taciturn and most reliable man in the unit, or so everyone thought. Not long ago he had trusted this man with his back in battle beside him, relying on him more than he would have relied on his own brothers.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
The mutiny of the Northern Camp had not managed to affect the larger situation. Qu Qi moved with the speed of thunder, took command with the tiger tally, and worked in coordination with the Eighth Division to purge the enemy agents from within. He then made contact with Zhu Ling, who in turn reached out to the descendants of Chaoli and Great Qing alike, and together they turned the capital upside down — throughout the entire night, the sound of hoofbeats never ceased.
When Hua Zhi woke, the room around her was so quiet that she was overtaken for a moment by the illusion of a peaceful, tranquil life. The sharp agony in her shoulder brought her back to reality at once.
“Young Mistress, you’re awake?”
That familiar small voice made Hua Zhi smile immediately. “How did you two end up being brought into the palace? This is quite a breach of palace protocol.”
“Rules are rigid; people are not.” The sudden voice startled Hua Zhi so much she turned quickly to look, which pulled at her wound and twisted her face in pain. She hissed quietly through her teeth.
The Empress Dowager came forward and sat down on the edge of the bed, pressing her back down gently, then dabbed at the cold sweat on her brow with a handkerchief. “You — being conscientious is admirable, but for once being willful is something no one can fault you for.”
“His Highness and Your Ladyship are understanding, but this minister fears her self-discipline is not strong enough — if she becomes accustomed to willfulness through indulgence, it would be better not to start down that path and simply observe the protocols from the beginning.”
The Empress Dowager let out a sigh. “The imperial house owes you far too much.”
Hua Zhi did not dare accept that, and simply smiled. “Your Ladyship may not know — it was the Grand Mentor who first requested to enter the Hall of Blessed Longevity. Were it not for the Seven Lodges Division members and their swift skills, the Grand Mentor would have died beneath the enemy’s arrows. As for this minister — at every step she seemed to have a pair of unseen hands pushing her forward. Where to go, what to do — none of it was truly her own choosing. How, then, can there be any talk of being owed?”
The Empress Dowager shook her head without conceding the point, though she let the subject drop. Some things were better understood in one’s heart; whether they were said aloud changed nothing.
A silence stretched between them. Hua Zhi glanced at Nian Qiu. Nian Qiu understood at once and hurried forward with the tea tray. “Young Mistress, allow your servant to give you something to drink.”
The Empress Dowager let out a quiet laugh, glanced between mistress and maid a few times, and rose to walk toward the doorway. There she saw another maidservant approaching at a brisk, capable pace, carrying a silver tray. She stood and watched as the two girls waited on Hua Zhi with seamless attentiveness — Hua Zhi needed only a single glance for the maids to know what she wanted. And yet when Hua Zhi refused to eat, little Fu Dong — who had not dared lift her head fully the entire time — would stubbornly hold up a spoonful and wait, until Hua Zhi would finally relent with a helpless sigh and open her mouth. This bond between a mistress and her maids… it was as though she were watching something she had once had herself, long, long ago…
When Fu Dong walked away, satisfied, with the now-empty bowl, the Empress Dowager finally spoke. “If someday you discovered that a maidservant you trusted completely had come to take your life — what would you do?”
“This minister would bear it.” Knowing perfectly well what the Empress Dowager was alluding to, Hua Zhi did not deflect. “But this minister would not feel that she had been wrong. That decades of trust and devotion could not change the other person’s original purpose — that is not this minister being heartless; it is the other person who was heartless. Why should this minister torment herself over another person’s faithlessness?”
“Would you not feel fury? Or grief?”
“This minister would. And so she would ensure that person loses everything they hold dear.”
The words rang out with such clarity and force that the Empress Dowager was silent for a good long while, unable to respond. And yet it was thoroughly reasonable — Yuxiang was the betrayer. Was she to do away with herself because of a betrayer? Would that not be granting the betrayer exactly what she desired?
Yes. That was precisely it.
The knot in her chest finally came loose. The Empress Dowager let out a long, slow breath of stale air. She still had a few more years to endure — she absolutely could not collapse like this.
“Come.”
A female official entered immediately at the summons.
“Keep a close watch on Yuxiang. Don’t let her take her own life.”
“Understood.”
Hua Zhi quietly let out a breath of her own. This kind of thing, for anyone who encountered it, would be difficult to come to terms with. So long as the Empress Dowager did not go down a dead end, that was what mattered.
The light at the doorway dimmed as Gu Yanxi strode in. He offered a greeting to the Empress Dowager first.
The Empress Dowager rose to her feet. “I was just about to go and look at the state of the Hall of Blessed Longevity — what damage was done. Keep watch here. It’s nearly time to change the dressing.”
“Yes.”
He walked her out, then sat down directly beside Hua Zhi on the bed, careful to avoid the wound, and drew her into his arms. “Lying against me like this — does it press on the wound?”
“I just ate — lying face-down feels uncomfortable.” Hua Zhi nestled against him. “Is everything settled?”
“The capital is secure. Stop fretting over these things.”
“I’m a little worried about Shao Yao. There’s been no news from the south.”
“That is a good sign — it means Shao Yao has not acted rashly, but is waiting for the right moment.” Gu Yanxi bent his head and kissed her forehead. “Shao Yao’s temperament has steadied considerably. She’ll be all right.”
She could only hope that was truly so. Hua Zhi let every last bit of tension leave her body and leaned into the man’s embrace. It felt wonderful to have nothing to worry over. It felt wonderful not to have to fight with all her strength. She could almost see a leisurely life in the not-so-far distance, beckoning to her.
“Staying in the palace is not appropriate in the long run. Once the dressing is changed, I’ll return home.”
“Your wound has torn open several times. You need rest and recuperation. Stay in the palace for a few days first.” Gu Yanxi dismissed this without a moment’s hesitation. “The Hall of Blessed Longevity is no longer habitable. I’ll ask Grandmother to move here — then no one can say anything untoward about you.”
“There’s no need for that…”
“I’ve already sent word to the Hua household that you’re safe. You don’t need to worry.”
Hua Zhi glared at him. He could at least let her finish speaking. But Gu Yanxi was entirely unmoved — there was no room for negotiation on this. He intended to keep her as close to him as possible before he would feel at ease.
She pressed her lips together and said nothing more. Fine — if she had to stay in the palace, then she would stay in the palace.
A smile rose quietly in Gu Yanxi’s eyes. He glanced at the hourglass, then told Nian Qiu — who had practically buried her head in her own waist — to bring over the medicine. Without asking anyone for help, he let A’Zhi lean against him and applied the medicine with a light, careful hand, blowing on the wound little by little as he worked.
But however gently he moved, it still hurt. Every time he heard A’Zhi’s sharp intake of breath, every time he felt her body flinch involuntarily, he wanted to stop — yet every time he reminded himself that stopping would only prolong her suffering, he quickened his pace again. On and on it went. Sometimes he truly wished A’Zhi would slip into unconsciousness so she wouldn’t have to feel any of it.
And yet he was grateful, with everything he had, that Hua Zhi was awake. At the very least, it meant her wound was not worsening. That had been his greatest fear — and mercifully, the worst had not come to pass.
Author’s note: I’m completely done in — three chapters edited down to two and a half, with almost nothing left. Girls, can you hear the footsteps of the ending approaching?