Chapter 399: Two Fools in Love

Gu Yanxi clasped the hand entwined with his and let out a faintly chilly smile. "If it weren’t for crossing paths with you, I had no plans to marry. The family line doesn’t depend on me to continue—the surname’s secure enough without my contribution."

Hua Zhi arched a brow, her curiosity laced with a hint of teasing. "So, no concubines to fulfill the noble duty of producing countless heirs?"

A shadow flickered across Yanxi’s face. "Never. I won’t let my mother’s tragedy repeat itself. I stood by her grave and swore two things: I’d avenge her and never follow in Prince Ling’s footsteps."

Hua Zhi studied him closely, sensing the steely resolve behind his words. She couldn’t help but feel that if Yanxi had the choice, he’d sever ties with his father entirely. In his heart, it seemed the man he once called father was now nothing more than "Prince Ling."

Breaking the tension, Hua Zhi spoke with a soft determination. "My father might be a bit of an old stickler, but he’s a kind soul. My mother? She’s a sentimental crybaby—too simple-minded to plot against anyone."

Yanxi’s gaze lingered on her, as if absorbing every word. He said nothing, letting her voice fill the silence.

"And if—when—that day comes," she continued, her tone light but tinged with something wistful, "they’d welcome you with open arms. We could live closer to them, set up a ladder if we needed to talk across courtyards. My father would show you his prized antique scrolls, and my mother would probably scold you for spoiling me too much."

Her voice faltered slightly as she spoke, as though realizing she wasn’t just comforting Yanxi anymore. She was painting a picture of a future she wanted to believe in. A future where their lives could intertwine in something as simple and beautiful as the everyday. If only they could make it that far.

"Hua Zhi."

Hua Zhi looked up.

Yan Xi's eyes sparkled with excitement as he spoke, his voice brimming with conviction. “One day, I’ll sit down with your father, admiring antique paintings together. I’ll even gift him some of my prized pieces—both paintings and antiques. I’ll lend an ear to your mother’s endless complaints and spoil you even more, just to make sure she scolds me even harder the next time we meet. And Bai Lin? Whatever he asks for, it’s his.”

“You think just giving him things will work? Xiao Liu won’t stand for that. And then there’s Sui’an, Xiao Han, Bai Yu... they all call me ‘sister,’ you know.”

“Fine, I’ll spoil them too. Whatever they want, as long as they’re willing to call me...” Yan Xi paused, lowering his voice to a playful whisper. “Brother-in-law.”

The idea of such a life lit him up inside—so perfect, so within reach, it felt like a dream he didn’t want to wake from.

The two of them locked eyes, and it was unclear who started laughing first, but the sound soon echoed between them, filling the space with unrestrained joy.

“Idiots, both of us,” Hua Zhi teased, her gaze soft but mischievous. Her eyes, slightly damp with emotion, seemed to hold a glimmer that Yan Xi found impossible to ignore. Despite being bone-tired—having traveled back from Yuzhou without rest, immediately reporting to the palace, and now sitting here with her—he suddenly felt as if he could head straight back to Yuzhou and not miss a beat.

At the door, Ying Chun gently cleared her throat, holding a lantern as a silent nudge. “Miss, it’s getting late.”

“Has the rain stopped?”

“Yes, it has.”

Hua Zhi rose gracefully. “Time to head back. After all, the world won’t collapse in the next few hours. Rest well, Yan Xi.”

He had been meaning to ask about the latest developments with the Wei family, but as he watched her now, calm and self-assured, it no longer seemed urgent. What mattered was that she was doing just fine without him hovering. If Hua Zhi had ever been the type to rely on him for everything, they wouldn’t have made it this far.

“Get some proper rest,” she added. “I’ll handle things on my end.”

Yan Xi nodded, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “Alright.”

That night, Hua Zhi slept soundly, as if the return of her anchor had granted her the peace she needed. She drifted into a dreamless slumber and didn’t stir until the first light of dawn.

*

The following morning, Hua Zhi arranged for someone to invite Wu Shi over to discuss Hua Qin's situation.

“May the Bodhisattva bless you,” Wu Shi murmured with a respectful bow, her tone carrying both gratitude and relief. This was a stroke of fortune for a married daughter—and by extension, a promising sign for the other girls in the Hua family. “That midwife you mentioned is quite famous in the capital. It might not be easy to get her here on short notice. I’ll send someone to make some discreet inquiries first.”

“Good. But besides her, we’ll need to invite another one. It’s fine to spend extra money if needed; the priority is finding someone reliable with a kind disposition. As for the wet nurse, we can look locally or even beyond the village if necessary.”

“I understand.” Wu Shi nodded, fully aware of the unspoken truth in this household: nothing and no one mattered more than the eldest miss.

“Also,” Hua Zhi added, her voice calm but firm, “I’ll need you to visit Fourth Grandaunt. Let her know what’s been arranged on this side. We can’t afford any miscommunication.”

“Alright.” Wu Shi chuckled softly. “Qin’er seems to trust you more than her own mother. You’ve truly stepped into the role of a matriarch here. I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of the family starts leaning on you just as much in the future.”

Hua Zhi’s lips curved into a faint, wry smile. “Things are so much simpler when the men are around.” The absence of the family’s patriarchal figures was a constant shadow over the Hua household. Had they not fallen on hard times, someone like Madam Cai wouldn’t have dared suggest a concubine for Hua Qin, let alone so soon after her wedding. A man’s presence alone would have been enough to deter such audacity. Instead, Hua Zhi had been forced to take on the burden of leadership, managing the household and soothing Hua Qin with words she herself sometimes doubted.

“Hua-hua! Hua-hua!” A sing-song voice echoed through the halls before its owner even appeared—undeniably Shao Yao. The corners of Hua Zhi’s mouth softened into an involuntary smile.

Wu Shi rose gracefully. “I’ll head over to Fourth Grandaunt now.”

“Please pass on my regards,” Hua Zhi said.

“Of course.”

Wu Shi nodded, exchanging a brief greeting with Shao Yao as they crossed paths. But before Wu Shi had even made it out of the room, Shao Yao’s exaggerated voice trailed after her.

“Huahua, I’m exhausted!”

Hua Zhi shook her head with a small laugh, bracing herself for whatever whirlwind Shao Yao had brought with her this time.

Wu shi smiled softly and stepped over the threshold, striding away. Look, not only the Hua family, but even outsiders had gotten used to relying on the eldest young lady. With her personality, she would take on everyone else's burdens as her own, how could she not be tired?

Inside the room, Shao Yao clung to Hua Zhi, refusing to let go. Although she had only been in the palace for a few days, she felt like it had been a hundred years since she had seen Huahua, and two hundred years since she had eaten anything good!

"Have you been busy?" Hua Zhi stroked her back, her bones seemed to have become more prominent. "Have you lost weight?"

"I have, I have. I need Fu Dong to fatten me up." Shao Yao followed her lead, nodding emphatically, "I need to eat a lot of delicious food to make up for it."

Hua Zhi poked her forehead and pushed her away. Shao Yao swayed like a tumbler and fell back, inhaling Huahua's scent deeply to mask the cold, icy smell of the palace. Only then did she feel like she was alive again.

She really didn't want to stay in that ghostly place for even a moment longer. But the problem now was that she couldn't stay with Huahua for long. Yan Ge had only given her an hour, and even that was after he had made up an excuse to deceive the Emperor.

The more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt. Shao Yao even wanted to go to the mountains to find her master, where no one could find her in the remote mountains.

Seeing her so worn out, Hua Zhi felt both amused and heartbroken. She took a jar of meat floss from the drawer and stuffed it into her arms, "Eat this first. Liu Xiang, go tell Lan Qiao to prepare dinner right away. Make plenty of dishes. Caocao, when do you have to go back?"

Shao Yao mumbled while stuffing the meat floss into her mouth, "In an hour."

"Then don't make any complicated dishes. Just make some to eat now, and then make some that keep well for Caocao to take away."

"Huahua, you're the best."

Hua Zhi had nothing urgent to do at the moment, so she put aside other matters and talked to her, "Isn't it enough to just take care of his health?"

"He drags me around with him all day, even when there's nothing to do. I don't even have a chance to slack off. I've been in the palace for so many days, and yesterday I had to cling to the door and refuse to let go before he finally agreed to let me stay in the pharmacy for a day."

Shao Yao was so aggrieved when she talked about it. She felt like she wasn't there to be a doctor, but to be a eunuch, a personal attendant, and one who didn't even need to be castrated.

———TN: I've got a bit of a surprise in store for the cover of Volume 3 of this novel. Any guesses, or are you just dying to know?