Hua Zhi was someone who could sit still. Shao Yao was not.

Once they had traveled far enough from the city and there were no more eyes following her, she stripped off her bridal attire — and underneath, she had been wearing a riding outfit all along.

She slipped out of the carriage and called for someone to bring her horse, only to find Wu Yong already riding alongside, smiling broadly, with another horse’s reins in hand.

Looking at the reins held out before her, Shao Yao raised an eyebrow, took them, swung into the saddle — and bolted.

Wu Yong’s smile froze on his face.

“Hua Zhi! Hua Zhi!”

Hua Zhi, who had been leaning against Yanxi’s chest reviewing accounts, straightened up with a helpless expression. “She’s barely left the capital and already she can’t contain herself. It’s a good thing the position she’ll hold at Yinshan Pass is the highest of all — there will be no one there with the authority to rein her in.”

Gu Yanxi leaned back against the carriage wall, stretching his legs out in an unhurried attempt to ease the numbness, and said, “If you hadn’t known her temperament, you would never have agreed to this marriage.”

That was true enough. Hua Zhi lifted the curtain at the window, and with a wave of her hand greeted the figure who came riding over at a gallop. She watched as Shao Yao reined in her horse, made it rear up on its hind legs, then turned and rode off in the other direction again — her unbridled and jubilant air stirring a smile in Hua Zhi without her even noticing.

If she had been confined in the capital, one would never have seen Shao Yao looking this happily wild.

“Elder Sister.”

Hua Zhi leaned on the windowsill as her younger brother rode up in his official robes, pride and heartache mingling in her chest. Despite all her efforts to protect him, Bolin had grown up far too quickly. Without anyone urging or pressuring him, he had willingly taken on responsibilities no one his age should have to bear. He wanted to be capable of protecting her by the time she stepped down — she knew that.

“Father once told me that when he was exiled, you caught up with them right at this very spot.”

Hua Zhi had quite forgotten about that, but now that it was mentioned, she glanced around and smiled. “So it was.”

Hua Bolin looked at his elder sister — so visibly more relaxed since her marriage — and felt both glad and a pang of sorrow. He hoped his elder sister could remain as towering and formidable as she had been these past years, commanding the respect of men — for only that would be worthy of her tremendous talent. Yet he also hoped she could spend her days in ease as she did now, sheltered by the Regent, reading books and drinking tea and giving lessons, with nothing left to trouble her mind.

Those people who had benefited from her and were now gossiping behind her back — convinced that she would not step down even after the Emperor’s wedding — had no idea how much she longed for a quiet corner of her own. The things others coveted so fiercely were perhaps less important to her than a single book she loved.

“Back then… were you afraid, Elder Sister?” Watching his elder sister’s serene and untroubled smile, Hua Bolin could not help asking.

“I was afraid — how could I not have been? But back then there was simply no time to think about whether I was afraid or not. There were only things that had to be done right away, and things that could wait a little longer.” Hua Zhi propped her head on her hand and smiled. Looking back on those times now, she rather admired herself — she was not sure she would have that same courage and resolve if she had to do it all again.

“Bolin!”

Sister and brother both looked toward the voice. There was Shao Yao, mounted on her horse and apparently incapable of staying still even in the saddle — she was standing up in the stirrups as she galloped toward them. “Come on, let’s race!”

Hua Zhi covered her eyes with her hand. “Has she forgotten that she is a bride on her wedding journey? The groom is not far off, watching her.”

Hua Bolin laughed so hard he could barely breathe. “Then I suppose I’ll have to forget that I am on an imperial mission right now. Elder Sister, I’m off.”

Hua Zhi waved him on. Though her expression wore a show of reluctance to watch, her eyes were brimming with laughter. What did it matter, being a little reckless once they were out of the capital and away from its confines? Even if someone reported it, the Emperor would surely be understanding — most likely, he only resented not being able to come along himself.

“Shall we go out too?”

Hua Zhi shook her head and turned back to lean against the carriage wall, looking at her husband. “No hurry. The road is still long.”

Gu Yanxi was perfectly content to follow her lead. He pulled her back over to lean against him. “You were up nearly all night. Get some sleep.”

Hua Zhi nuzzled against his chest, a muffled laugh escaping her. “I wager Wu Yong will chase after her.”

Wu Yong did indeed chase after her — and unlike Shao Yao, who had been fully prepared, he was still wearing his groom’s ceremonial robes, making it look entirely as though he was running after a bride who had fled the wedding. The sight of it drew laughter from no small number of people.

Though the road was long, the parting had not yet come — and so the journey was filled with many joys.

Shao Yao had not a trace of a bride’s decorum, galloping and flourishing her whip every day. The carriage all but became an ornament. Wu Yong went from merely following in her wake to actively racing her — more words passed between them, more laughter was shared, and it was plain to see that they had found the right way of being together.

Hua Zhi no longer stayed shut inside the carriage either — sometimes she shared a horse with Yanxi, other times they rode side by side. Whether it was the fitting exercise or the lightness of her heart, throughout the entire journey she showed not a trace of fatigue but rather looked increasingly well — her complexion improved with each passing day. Gu Yanxi was overjoyed, and with apparent casualness began arranging for them to ride together far more often than before.

Yet even the longest journey must come to an end.

Four days before the appointed wedding date, the vast and winding procession arrived at Yinshan Pass.

Yinshan Pass had been decorated all over in festive red and gold to celebrate its commander’s great joy. The Wu Family had guarded this place for generations, and their standing among the people was undiminished. Now, with General Wu marrying the Regent’s own younger sister, it was clear how highly the imperial family regarded them — and the people of Yinshan Pass were genuinely glad on his behalf.

Then Hua Bolin produced the imperial edict and declared that the border fortification was to be rebuilt five li outward, and that the inner city of Yinshan Pass was to be renamed Nuocheng by imperial decree. The gladness that had already been overwhelming surged beyond all measure. Though it had not been stated in so many words, every person understood: Nuocheng would be a city — and a city could never again become a place of exile. A city would need people in countless capacities. They — they finally had a future to speak of.

Who does not wish to live with their head held high? Who does not wish for the day when they might stand openly before the family they once knew? Setbacks in officialdom had never truly been a matter of right and wrong — who among them was genuinely guilty beyond pardon? If a day of resurgence were to come, if such a day were truly to come…

From a corner of the crowd, Hua Zhi watched the burning intensity in people’s eyes and the ambition barely contained within their chests, and smiled. “I did not think the Emperor would give Shao Yao such a grand gift.”

Gu Yanxi was equally surprised — yet what surprised him even more was: “Was it not your idea?”

“I only learned of it just now.” For something of this magnitude, how could she have spoken of it in advance? Hua Zhi shook her head. “This is very good. The thing I was most worried about once was that he might be manipulated by others. Now, though he is still young, he already has a firm mind and a broad outlook. It may very well be that Daqing is truly going to see a flourishing era under his hand.”

And who could say otherwise? Gu Yanxi looked at Hua Bolin making his way toward them and smiled alongside her. “Or perhaps he also wanted to give you a surprise.”

“Grand Tutor.”

Hua Zhi’s smile faltered ever so slightly at that form of address.

The young man in official robes, his hair bound in a crown far too early for his years, appeared all the more upright and impressive for it. He gave a long, solemn bow. “The Emperor asked me to relay this to you: is this — enough for you to set your mind at ease?”

Of all the possibilities, this was the one Hua Zhi had never anticipated.

Her lips parted and moved, but in the end she could only nod at her younger brother. “Yes. The Emperor is sagacious and wise. This subject is very much at ease.”

Hua Bolin straightened up. The manner of an official fell away, and he broke into the smile he wore every day — the smile of an ordinary young man. “This was entirely the Emperor’s own idea. He deliberated over it for a long while before arriving at his decision. He said that once you knew, you would surely be pleased.”

“Yes. I am very pleased.” How could she not be? The people of Nuocheng had a future to look forward to — and so, no less, did Daqing.

P.S.: Oh, still one more chapter? I’ve been far too long-winded.