Hua Zhi had finally come to live the life she had long dreamed of — one where nothing required her attention. Beyond the occasional worry about Shao Yao, she let nothing else into her thoughts.

Yet her color did not improve. She still looked listless and wan.

“If all of this had drawn out the hidden ailments in her body, that would actually have been better — but she held on through sheer force of will.” The elderly physician shook his head gently, then looked over at the young man from the Hua family who had just come hurrying in, and let out a sigh. “For her, this is not a good thing. She has been wound too tight.”

Gu Yanxi was troubled. “Is there truly no other way?”

“Let this old man have another look once her wound has healed. For now, her body absolutely cannot withstand any further strain.”

The worry between Gu Yanxi’s brows refused to lift. Even the elderly physician spoke this way — A’Zhi’s constitution…

“Greetings to Shizi. Greetings to the elderly physician.” Eager as he was to fly to his elder sister’s side, Hua Bailin still mustered the patience to observe proper courtesy.

“Go on in. Your sister should be awake.”

“Yes.” Hua Bailin dashed off in that direction. The capital’s lockdown had only been lifted today, and all he knew was that his elder sister had been injured — not how badly. Just thinking about it had set his heart ablaze. How many times had she been hurt now?

He nearly tripped on the threshold. He stumbled through the doorway — and looked up to meet those eyes of hers, which seemed even softer than usual. His nose stung. He surged forward and flung himself down over the covers beside her, letting the tears fall freely.

Three days of suspense collapsed in a single moment, and he felt as though his chest itself were aching.

Hua Zhi patted his head, without saying anything about how men should not weep easily. No one cries for no reason at all.

After a moment, Hua Bailin raised his head. His eyes were red. Seeing his elder sister’s pale lips, the worry he had only just forced down crawled back up to cover his face entirely. “Is it serious?”

“The wound tore open a few times, which makes it look frightening. But nothing vital was injured — it’s nothing too serious.” Hua Zhi had no wish for the attention to linger on herself, and turned the question back on him. “Is everyone at home all right?”

“Everyone’s fine. At first there were people lurking outside and peering in — Steward Wang dispatched them without a second word, left them in a sorry state. Even after Steward Wang left, he arranged for people to stay behind and guard the house.”

Hua Zhi was not surprised. She nodded and asked further, “What did you do?”

“I gathered everyone in Grandmother’s main courtyard. The family members stayed inside the rooms; the maids attended closely at their sides; the servants kept watch in the courtyard. Everyone was counted — not one person unaccounted for.”

Not bad at all. Hua Zhi smiled. “Were there any suspicious individuals?”

Hua Bailin pressed his lips together. “There shouldn’t have been. I kept a particular eye out.”

Hua Zhi was actually fairly confident on this point. The people the Hua household employed were largely those whose families had served the Hua family for generations. Even when new people were brought in, there was a strict protocol — anyone with even the slightest irregularity could not be taken on. The Hua family members had at least some ability to read people, though unfortunately she herself had never managed to acquire that skill.

“Mother must have been crying again.”

“Her eyes were so swollen. The courtyard is only so large — when the news came back, everyone heard it. There was no keeping it from her.”

Hua Zhi could well imagine what that woman, made of water, had looked like. She gestured for Bailin to lean closer, and whispered in his ear, “When you go back, quietly tell Mother — once this affair is put to rest, Father should be able to come home.”

Hua Bailin was so happy he nearly leapt to his feet. Catching his elder sister’s quick shushing gesture, he barely restrained himself — but the excitement in his voice gave him away nonetheless. “Once everyone is back, Elder Sister can finally rest.”

Hua Zhi was startled for a moment, then gave a soft sound of agreement. Yes — once everyone was back, she would be free. She was going to sleep until the world turned upside down. She was going to stay behind closed doors without setting foot outside. She was going to be the proper, sheltered young lady of a good family she was meant to be. Whatever it might look like — as long as all of this could pass quickly, and let her return to the life that had once flowed as calm and still as water.

She lowered her gaze to conceal the longing in her eyes, and smiled. “All right — you’ve had your visit. Go keep company with His Highness. Things are busy now, and being by his side will teach you a great deal.”

Hua Bailin naturally wished he could stay longer with his elder sister, but he had always been obedient. He left, if slowly, looking back over his shoulder with every other step.

Nian Qiu covered her mouth with a smile. “The sixth young master is so capable outside, and yet in front of you he hasn’t changed one bit.”

“Being capable is the important thing.” Her own name had already grown far too prominent. If he were not capable enough, he would spend his whole life in her shadow — and by then, to say nothing of being as close to her as he was now, it would be a wonder if he didn’t come to resent her.

But she believed the child she had raised would not only ever amount to so little, and would not only have a heart the size of a bean.

The light at the doorway dimmed. Gu Yanxi walked in briskly, saying as he entered, “There is a victory dispatch from the south.”

Hua Zhi sat up straight at once, her gaze burning bright as she looked at Yanxi.

Gu Yanxi did not keep her waiting. He sat down on the edge of the bed and said immediately, “Shao Yao has captured the sovereign of the Yan Kingdom and is sending him to the capital.”

Hua Zhi was so elated she could hardly sit still. “Shao Yao sent word herself?”

“She has gone to take command of Xinyu Pass.” Pride in his younger sister filled Gu Yanxi’s eyes as well. “That temperament of hers — I’m not sure who she takes after. She is ruthless in the most effective way — she captured the sovereign, then either killed or seized everyone in the imperial house with any claim to succession, leaving only the women and children behind, wailing loud enough to shake the heavens.”

“She was clever to do it that way. In times like these, it’s the women and children whose resilience is truly frightening — they will think of every possible means to bring their men back.” Hua Zhi clapped her hands, then winced and bit down against the pain of pulling her wound, yet her mind was still working — Shao Yao wouldn’t have thought this through so carefully on her own; it had to be Zheng Zhi’s doing.

“The south is no longer of any concern. What is the situation elsewhere?”

Gu Yanxi settled Hua Zhi carefully, keeping clear of the wound, and let her lean against the headboard. He glanced at the hourglass — seeing that nearly half the sand remained, he was not in a hurry. “The west cannot stir up any real trouble now. The pressure is entirely in the north. The grassland tribes have never been easy to contend with, and now they are facing their own survival — even without the Chaoli tribe pushing them, they would be making raids across the border.”

When survival was at stake, who would sit and wait for death to come? Hua Zhi’s heart sank despite itself.

He took the medicine from the maidservant’s hands, tipped a small mouthful to taste himself — impossibly bitter — and, truly wishing he could take it in her place, brought the bowl to A’Zhi’s lips. He continued, “You needn’t worry. I have already dispatched people. And Wu Yong is no soft target either — with your grandfather assisting him, breaking through their defenses will not come easily. And you must not forget — Wu Xing was originally stationed at Yinshan Pass.”

That was right — the black powder. The tension in Hua Zhi’s chest eased a fraction. With the vigor of someone drinking wine, she tilted back the bowl and drained it in one go. The moment the bowl came away from her lips, a candied preserve was pressed into her mouth.

Gu Yanxi set the small dish of candied preserves within easy reach of her, then looked up at her complexion — still not a trace of improvement — and found that no matter what he did, the worry in his heart would not settle. This was not the first time A’Zhi had been injured, yet even the time at Yinshan Pass had not left her looking this frail.

When something is abnormal, there is always a reason for it. He could not help but worry.

Author’s note: I have to go to the hospital again tomorrow. It really is just a tail left to write — and still I can’t finish it in peace.