Though Hua Yizheng had not yet learned the particulars of the household’s current situation, the fact that Bailin had been able to summon the elder physician so swiftly told him that this man of renowned skill must have been residing in the family home for some time already. The old patriarch’s thoughts turned quickly, and he reached a decision. He gave a pointed look to his youngest son, who was the most diplomatic of the family and had just emerged from the family shrine.
Hua Pingyang was momentarily puzzled, but when he saw his father’s gaze fall on Ah Zhi, he understood.
After conducting his examination, the elder physician looked at Hua Zhi. “First Young Miss need not worry. The old gentleman is simply fatigued from the journey. By my assessment, his constitution is actually somewhat better than other men his age. With a few days of rest, he will recover well.”
Hua Zhi immediately felt a weight leave her, and she smiled. “Before this, Shao Yao accompanied me to Yinshan Pass and properly attended to Grandfather’s health along the way. This is her achievement.”
At the mention of his disciple’s name, the elder physician smiled as well. “When, I wonder, will that girl be able to return.”
“It should be soon.” Even if Shao Yao had the ability to hold the border, command of the southern flank was not a position that would fall to her. She and Yanxi would not allow it either.
“Ah Zhi.” Hua Pingyang stepped forward and first gave the elder physician a cupped-hand salute. “Fourth Uncle would like to ask you something.”
Hua Zhi had always been close with Fourth Uncle and suspected nothing amiss. She nodded and turned to the elder physician. “The family gathering this evening makes it inconvenient to ask you to stay. I’ll arrange for someone to escort you back to the Shizi Manor in a little while.”
The elder physician nodded with an easy smile, indicating his understanding.
Hua Zhi gave him an apologetic bow before calling Bailin over and murmuring instructions. “Later, you personally escort the elder physician back.”
“Yes, Elder Sister.”
She bowed in farewell to her grandfather and father and stepped away with Fourth Uncle.
Watching Hua Pingyang lead her off into the distance, Hua Yizheng composed himself and turned to the elder physician who had been waiting for him to speak. “Please, physician — tell me. How is Ah Zhi’s health?”
Hua Pingyu and Hua Bailin watched the elder physician intently.
“Even if the old gentleman had not asked, I would have said so myself. First Young Miss’s body at this time is like a bowstring pulled taut to its limit. No one can say when that string will finally snap. This is no longer a question of what medicine to prescribe — medicine cures illness, and First Young Miss has no illness.”
The elder physician sighed. He had already revised his prescriptions several times, but none had made any difference. “Over these two years she has suffered injuries on multiple occasions, and her vital energy and blood are gravely depleted. Were it not for my disciple, who exhausted every means to try to restore her, her body would be in far worse condition. And yet despite all of this, every time she is wounded she recovers with remarkable speed. Take what happened recently in the palace — the wound on her shoulder tore open several times, and even suturing could not keep it closed. At the time I was deeply worried about infection, and yet it did not come. She recovered within a few days. That kind of speed belongs to someone of exceptional physical constitution — and yet First Young Miss’s body cannot be called exceptional by any measure. When something defies the natural order, it calls for caution.”
Shaking his head, the elder physician looked at the three generations standing before him, their expressions grave. “First Young Miss has not had it easy. The fact that she has come this far is because she gritted her teeth and bore it through sheer will. That kind of fortitude is rarely matched — not only among women, but among men as well. I have certainly no wish to see her brought down by her own body. I have thought it over from every angle, and there is only one method I can think of to try.”
Hua Pingyu immediately rose and clasped his hands in a bow. “Please, physician, speak plainly. Your servant will be eternally grateful.”
The elder physician rose and drew him upright. “These past months, not only has the Emperor entrusted me repeatedly to take good care of First Young Miss — the Shizi, the Empress Dowager, and other officials who have encountered me have without fail found ways, openly or subtly, to make the same request. I dare not do anything less than my utmost. The method — simple though it sounds — is this: now that the pillars of the Hua Family have returned, the burden on First Young Miss’s shoulders can at last be set down. But my thinking is to hold off on letting her set it down just yet.”
Hua Yizheng was a perceptive man and understood at once. “Let her continue to carry this pressure in her heart?”
“Precisely. And then ease it away gradually afterward. The burden cannot be lifted from her all at once. My concern is that if that resolve releases too suddenly, she may not be able to get back up again.”
Hua Yizheng gave a slight nod. “I understand what must be done. After this, physician, we will continue to trouble you to watch closely over her. Ah Zhi has poured her heart and blood into the Hua Family. No matter what it takes, I am determined to keep her well.”
As he spoke, Hua Yizheng rose and made a deep, formal bow to the elder physician. Hua Pingyu did the same. Having been born and raised in this capital city and having witnessed the rise and fall of great families, they understood all too clearly how difficult it was for a clan that had been stripped of everything and sent into exile to reclaim its footing in this merciless place. Yet Ah Zhi had not only done exactly that — she had sent aid to them far away in the north, and had established herself in the court as a woman, becoming the Imperial Tutor to the Son of Heaven. What suffering she must have endured to reach this day — no one could truly imagine it except she herself.
They could not offer their gratitude in words. They could not even give voice to what they felt — for that would only cheapen what Ah Zhi had done. She had never done any of this for a word of thanks. What she had protected was this family — every single person within it. Every member of the Hua Family needed to carry this truth in their hearts, always.
The elder physician felt a warmth of his own settle within him. He returned their bow. “I will do all that I am able.”
After seeing him off, the father and son stood where they were for a long moment without speaking. They had come home — longed for it through two full years — and now they truly had. Yet it was only now, truly home at last, that they understood the price their Hua Family had paid for this undeserved catastrophe.
On the other side, Hua Pingyang had brought Hua Zhi into the garden. Looking at the earth, which was still showing signs of being recently turned and refreshed, he smiled. “This garden was in quite a neglected state before, wasn’t it?”
Hua Zhi smiled. “I never saw it that way. Before the Emperor returned the residence to me, he had already sent people to restore everything outside the inner courtyard.”
“I hear the new Emperor spent over a year in your presence.”
Hua Zhi raised a brow. “What is it Fourth Uncle wishes to know?”
“That protective instinct of yours — if you’re going to protect someone, it should be me, shouldn’t it?” Hua Pingyang gave a rueful laugh. “We were away for two years. Father and your elder brother both need to return to their posts. Is it wrong for me to ask a few more questions?”
“If Fourth Uncle had simply asked me directly, I would have answered directly. There is no need to go around the long way.”
Hua Zhi’s eyes curved with a smile as she answered back, clearly enjoying herself. They had always been like this with each other — no formality between uncle and niece.
“The Empress Dowager raised him well. In those early days he was still somewhat timid — he had no mother’s protection and would instinctively retreat and avoid conflict to protect himself. Later I took him on a journey outside the capital, and afterward he and Bailin traveled together as well. He experienced much, and that timidity was gradually worn away. Fourth Uncle can be at ease — the Emperor will grow into a sovereign of great breadth and ambition, of far-reaching vision and a benevolent heart.”
“Are you not afraid that in the future…”
“No. His instruction was under my guidance as Imperial Tutor. Of his two regent officials, one is the Regent Prince and the other the Grand Preceptor — for both public and private reasons, they are bound to devote their full effort to supporting him. The inner palace has the Empress Dowager to preside over it. No one has had the opportunity to lead him astray.”
The confidence Hua Zhi expressed came from within herself — understanding this, Hua Pingyang could not help but smile. It was becoming rather difficult to connect the woman in front of him, speaking so crisply and decisively, with the niece who had once wanted nothing more than good food, good books, and a quiet life.
But since Ah Zhi held the new Emperor in such high regard, he could not be lacking. Hua Pingyang trusted Ah Zhi’s judgment — and by now, no one in the Hua Family would not.
“Father still says I am not suited for officialdom. But if I were willing to leave the household and establish my own branch, he would no longer interfere with the matter.”
“I used to feel indignant on Fourth Uncle’s behalf — I thought that with your ability, had you entered officialdom, you would have far surpassed my father. But I have come to agree with Grandfather’s view now.” Hua Zhi looked at Fourth Uncle with grave sincerity. “It is precisely because Fourth Uncle is too capable that he must not enter officialdom. What the Hua Family practices is the concealment of its light. Even if the one who entered official service were nothing but a bookish scholar who knew only his texts, that would do. The Hua Family does not need someone brilliant and adaptable in public life — and that is exactly why the Hua Family has endured and passed its legacy down to this day.”