Chapter 341: Flirting

Someone was waiting outside for Gu Yanxi, and Hua Zhi, sharp as ever, caught the thread in Jia Yang's tone—it wasn’t good news. She pushed to her feet, brushing off imaginary dust. "I'll step out for a bit."

"No need to play coy," Gu Yanxi drawled, his voice like a blade slicing through the room. "You might as well hear it too."

Hua Zhi froze. When had she stopped tiptoeing around Gu Yanxi? Her defiance surfaced like a smirk. Without a word, she reclaimed her seat, locking her gaze on him, daring him to push her further.

Gu Yanxi’s lips curved into a wicked grin. "Come in," he called out, his voice laced with the kind of confidence that made weaker men squirm.

The door opened, revealing not just Jia Yang but a nondescript man trailing behind him—Xue Liang, their go-to spy for all things underhanded and dirty.

"Talk," Gu Yanxi commanded, lounging back as if he owned the air they were breathing.

Xue Liang gave a tight bow before spilling his rehearsed report. "I infiltrated the First Prince's circle and made contact with Jia Yang. He uncovered a lead. Jia Yang, if you will?"

Jia Yang stepped forward, clearing his throat, his unease palpable. "There’s only one eunuch shadowing the First Prince in exile, which seemed ordinary at first. The Prince keeps up appearances, flashing those charming smiles, but something about it feels off. People have started noticing, and that’s the real danger." He hesitated, like a man walking a tightrope over fire. "This is the same First Prince who handed the Emperor a death wish disguised as an elixir, the same one with blood on his hands and a temper to match. Exile should’ve broken him, but his behavior now? It’s too... deliberate. Like he’s putting on a show, trying too hard for someone’s attention."

Jia Yang glanced at Yanxi, then Hua Zhi, before delivering the final blow. "I shadowed him for twelve hours and discovered something unsettling."

The weight of those words hung in the air like the sharp tang of iron. Yanxi and Hua Zhi exchanged a look, tension crackling between them. Whatever was coming next, it was bound to burn.

"That eunuch is a woman," Jia Yang continued. "At first, I thought she was just brought along by the First Prince...but I realized they are not in that kind of relationship. The First Prince is very obedient in front of that woman. That's all I have found out so far."

Xue Liang added, "After learning about this, I daringly searched the First Prince's residence but couldn't find anything to prove the woman's identity. She behaves properly, without any faults in her words or actions. The only thing is that she wears coarse clothes on the outside, but the finest silk inside. All her undergarments in her wardrobe are silk, and I found two crates of tea bricks in the First Prince's room."

"Silk and tea bricks," Gu Yan Xi muttered, a sneer curling his lips. "Ordinary goods here in the Central Plains, but to the tribes and Chao Li? They're coveted treasures. Watch them closely. No sudden moves—we’re not here to scare off the rats before they lead us to the nest. I want every single one of these snakes exposed."

"Understood," they both replied in unison.

Gu Yan Xi’s voice turned venomous, his disdain cutting through the air. "Years of royal education, and now he needs some foreign puppet to pull his strings? Pathetic. This isn’t just negligence—it’s an insult. Call in the Seven Star Bureau. Sweep Yingshan Pass from end to end. I want every last Chao Li infiltrator dragged into the light and crushed."

Yes, sir." Jia Yang and Xue Liang bowed before slipping into the shadows.

Hua Zhi understood his frustration and poured him another cup of tea, saying, "You don't need to be so impatient. Even if the Chao Li has been working on this for two generations, I still believe that there won't be too many nails embedded in the Great Daqing Dynasty. Firstly, the lack of offspring is their fatal weakness, and secondly, not everyone is suitable. If someone is born looking too much like the people from the Chao Li, they wouldn't be able to be used. Even if there is a fifty-fifty chance, they still need to be chosen carefully. From the people we have captured so far, both Yuan Shifang and Tong Yi are very intelligent. If everyone is as outstanding as them, the Chao Li wouldn't need to resort to such methods, they could simply start a war and not necessarily lose."

Yan Xi held her hand and kissed it restrainedly, saying, "Your analysis is logical."

Hua Zhi pretended not to notice his boundary-crossing gesture and said, "If the Great Daqing Dynasty had better control over the regions and stricter management of the population, things wouldn't have escalated to this point."

Even if there isn't advanced technology in this era like the ID card to travel across the land, as long as women are valued more, and their disappearances are recorded, when such cases occur in multiple places, those in charge will realize that something is amiss. It may not necessarily lead to the rescue of these women, but at least the Chao Li won't dare to be so brazen. Over the years, it's likely that they have abducted many women without any trace being found.

In rural areas, when a woman disappears, she simply disappears. Few people would report it to the authorities as families are reluctant to lose face.

"Ah Zhi, it's a shame that you're a woman."

"Even if I were a man, I wouldn't enter official service. I don't want to. The family rules are there, and I don't have the qualifications," her thoughts were too jumbled, and she was too selfish, far from the pure scholar that Hua Jingyan demanded.

Moreover, "If I were truly a man, I would have been exiled along with the others. Then what business would you and I have together?"

Yan Xi leaned closer, "What business do we have?"

Hua Zhi blinked, "Just the business we do. That's all."

"Is that so?" Yan Xi held her hand and gave it a kiss, "This business."

"Oh?!" Hua Zhi calmly raised her hand and also placed a kiss on the back of his hand, "So you were talking about this business."

Yan Xi was momentarily stunned, then couldn't contain his laughter.

Oh, his Ah Zhi!

Shao Yao sat on the corridor steps with Zeng Han, leaning against the column, looking up at the starry sky. She heard the laughter from inside and couldn't help but laugh along. She could barely remember what the previous Yan-ge was like, but she remembered clearly that this kind of laughter only appeared after meeting Hua Hua.

Tomorrow would be a good day.

Gu Yan Xi had taken up temporary residence at the Hua family estate, and out of respect, the younger generation cleared out a room for him.

To keep the meddlesome and suspicious at bay, he rarely ventured out during the day. Instead, he spent his time with Ah Zhi—reading together, exchanging thoughts, and, on this particular day, turning the quiet hours into a mock battleground. They set up the sand table, ready to clash in strategy.

The terrain for their war game was meticulously crafted by Hua Zhi herself, modeled after a familiar map. The Hua family and Wu Yong gathered to watch, their attention sharp, given their deep familiarity with the land in question.

The first round was straightforward: Hua Zhi took the defensive position. She pulled every trick in her arsenal, even daring to try a move that had never been seen in Shiqing’s tactical writings. For an hour, she held her ground—barely. But in the end, Yan Xi's methodical siege proved unstoppable, and she fell.

Round two flipped the board. Hua Zhi charged as the attacker, adopting a more daring, unpredictable approach. Unlike Yan Xi’s cold, calculated advance, her style was reckless and bold, exploiting every element of surprise. By the time she reached the summit, the spectators finally caught on—her so-called “unconventional” tactics had been a feint. The true battle was waiting at the peak, where she went for Yan Xi’s jugular in one ruthless move. Victory was hers, earned in blood and sweat.

Yan Xi, unamused, arched a brow. “Ah Zhi, that was reckless.”

Her laugh came easy, careless. She swiped the sweat off her brow, the exertion tugging at the edges of her lingering injury. “Reckless is the only way I win against you.”

“Throwing yourself into the fire isn’t a solution you can lean on. It’s a gamble, and gambles fail more often than not.”

“Maybe,” she admitted, her sharp grin flashing like steel, “but if I don’t take risks, I’ve already lost. Don’t worry—this is just a game. I’m not about to lead real soldiers into battle with these moves.”

He wanted to argue, to drill sense into her, but bit back his words. Sand table skirmishes were like mirrors—they reflected the soul of a strategist. Ah Zhi’s flair for bold, erratic maneuvers stemmed from an unshakable confidence. She believed in herself, even when the odds were stacked against her. Perhaps, with more battles under her belt, those high-stakes gambles would solidify into a refined art. But for now, her brazenness was both her edge and her Achilles’ heel.

———TN: "Ah, the art of max-level flirting! Watching these two unapologetic lovebirds work their magic almost made me green with envy."