Chapter 206: You're Overthinking

Hua Zhi walked in silence on the way back, her expression cold. A murderous glint seemed to flash in her eyes, reminding both Ying Chun and Bao Xia of that rainy night at the manor. Even the usually chatty Bao Xia kept her mouth shut, not daring to say a word.

Their young mistress was truly enraged this time.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Hua Zhi was enveloped in a hug. The scent of medicine filled her nostrils. She reflexively returned the hug.

"Huahua, Yan-ge said you wanted to see me. I don't have to go back?"

Hua Zhi patted the head of the person clinging to her and led her inside. "Are you done with everything?"

"Yes, Master will be staying in the capital for a while, so I won't be needed there anymore." Shao Yao jumped up and down, her eyebrows practically flying off her face with joy. It was clear she was truly happy to leave the palace.

Hua Zhi's mood improved slightly. As they approached the front yard, she saw Yan Xi waiting there, which didn't surprise her.

Shao Yao suddenly leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Huahua, what's going on between you and Yan-ge? Yan-ge has been so easygoing these past few days. Something good must have happened, right?"

Hua Zhi pinched Shao Yao's cheek and led her closer to Yan-ge. "Not busy?"

"As long as my subordinates don't slack off, sitting in that position isn't that demanding."

But getting everyone below to work hard is easier said than done. Even when the concept of 'family, state, and world' evolved into 'state and world,' how many people truly put the state before their family?

Most people prioritize their own needs first and only think of the state when they have spare resources. Human nature is inherently selfish. The idea of selflessness is often just a matter of not needing anything or being able to get something better.

There was no need for Hua Zhi to give an order; the servants had already gone to prepare tea and pastries. But today, Hua Zhi was in a bad mood and didn't want to waste any of her precious tea.

Gu Yanxi glanced at the chattering Shao Yao and she immediately shut her mouth.

"Yang Zheng doesn't agree?"

Hua Zhi sneered. She didn't want to be so sharp as to become repulsive, but her sharpness was evident in every word. "Not only does he disagree, but he also wants to suck Hua family dry."

Gu Yanxi stared intently at Hua Zhi. "What do you plan to do?"

"His disagreement doesn't matter. I didn't expect him to agree today anyway. I just went through the motions. It's Yang Qi, not Yang Zheng, who is married to my cousin. As long as Yang Qi writes a divorce decree and the divorce is finalized, I have nothing to fear even if Yang Zheng wants to turn against me."

Hua Zhi met Gu Yanxi's gaze. "I know Yang Qi has a mistress whom he favors very much. He spends most of his time there. I need to borrow two people from you."

"Wang Rong will be enough."

"…"

Being the Hua family's martial arts instructor wasn't easy. Not only did he have to teach the children martial arts, but he also had to act as an enforcer.

"Caochao, your medicine is finally going to be useful."

Shao Yao chuckled and untied the pack on her back, revealing a variety of bottles and jars of different sizes. Hua Zhi had originally thought these were personal belongings she had brought out of the palace...

"Whatever kind you want, Huahua, I'll go make it right now. It's very simple."

"Something that can make a person suffer immensely but won't leave any aftereffects. Also, I want other physicians to be unable to figure out the cause."

"Just like that?" Shao Yao looked disappointed. This was basic stuff, for goodness' sake. The weakest of the medicines she had brought had this effect.

"He's Sui'an's father, and that can't be changed." It was because of Sui'an that she had to show mercy. Caught between the Hua and Yang families, he was the one who had it the hardest.

Although she wanted to keep him in the Hua family, for people in this world, the concept of clan was deeply ingrained. No matter how good she was to him, she couldn't make him forget his Yang surname or the Yang ancestors he worshipped.

To put it bluntly, she was protecting Hua Xian, a woman of the Hua family, and Sui'an was just a bonus.

Shao Yao pouted. If it were her, she wouldn't feel satisfied until she had killed the person and brought them back to life a few times. But Hua Zhi was the head of the family, and she had to think more, so Shao Yao had to understand. At most, she would sneak off and torment Yang Qi a few times after she got the divorce decrees.

Thinking about this, Shao Yao became happy again.

Gu Yanxi glanced at her, seeing through her little plan but not stopping her. Things that Ah Zhi couldn't do, Shao Yao was very good at.

*

The days were getting longer. Yang Qi stayed home to keep his father company and had dinner with him before going out. It was still bright outside.

Thinking about what his sweetheart had agreed to yesterday, Yang Qi's heart was filled with excitement. His steps even felt lighter.

He strode onto the carriage and eagerly urged the coachman to hurry.

He closed his eyes and hummed a tune, his mind wandering. As his thoughts drifted, the carriage came to a stop. He smiled; his mood was so good, even the journey seemed shorter than usual.

He lifted the curtain and stepped out. As soon as he looked up, his smile froze.

Where was this?

He looked down at the coachman. Wang Rong, sitting on the carriage seat, grinned at him, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. Instinctively, he tried to retreat into the carriage, but Wang Rong flicked his whip, wrapping it around Yang Qi’s waist. With a hidden force, Yang Qi was safely lowered from the carriage onto the ground without even stumbling.

Wang Rong nodded in satisfaction. Not bad, his whip skills hadn’t declined.

“Who are you? What do you want? I’m telling you, I’m from the Yang family. If you don’t want to live, you’ve kidnapped me...” Yang Qi threatened weakly, his eyes darting around the yard he was in.

It was as ordinary as could be, and he had no idea where he was. But he was sure it was in the capital, as the carriage hadn’t traveled far and couldn’t have left the city.

Hua Zhi walked out of the hall, with Gu Yanxi and Shao Yao standing on either side. The three of them walked slowly, their steps in unison.

Yang Qi understood immediately. Furious, he lunged towards her, but Wang Rong flicked his whip again, pulling him back to his original position. The whip never left his waist and tightened warningly.

Yang Qi dared not move but was even angrier, “Hua Zhi, what do you want? I’m your uncle!”

“Not for long,” Hua Zhi looked at Yang Qi’s cowardly expression and couldn’t understand how her grandmother had married her second aunt to such a man. “I heard you want only issue letter of dismissal.”

“I’ll write the divorce decree as soon as I get back!”

Hua Zhi remained unmoved, “I also heard you want the Hua family’s resources.”

As soon as he heard this, his fear was immediately replaced by greed. Yang Qi raised his chin arrogantly, “If you can give me the Hua family’s resources, I can consider this incident as never happening. You can have the divorce decree you want.”

“I want the divorce decree, but you can forget about the Hua family’s resources.”

Yang Qi was instantly furious, “Hua Zhi, let me tell you, Hua Xian is finished. I’ll go back and issue letter of dismissal her. She has committed all seven deadly sins. Without the Yang family, she’s as good as dead…”

“You’re overthinking it.” Hua Zhi glanced at Wang Rong, who understood and loosened the whip wrapped around Yang Qi. Before Yang Qi could react, something was stuffed into his mouth. Immediately, a sharp pain shot through his stomach. The man’s fists were like iron, landing blow after blow on his stomach, causing his internal organs to ache.

Shao Yao’s eyes lit up. She ran back to the room and carried a chair out, placing it behind Hua Zhi. She helped her sit down with a servile expression.

——— TN: Oh... oh... Hua Zhi is getting aggressive.