Bao Xia entered carrying the medicine chest. Shaoyao took it and opened it while saying, "Your method of using liquor to clean wounds is quite good. I later used it on my companions, and cases of fever and suppuration decreased significantly—though it is a bit more painful."
Despite mentioning the pain, her movements showed no gentleness. Unlike Hua Zhi, who diluted the liquor with water for wiping, she poured the liquor directly onto a clean soft cloth and applied it to the wound.
The child opened his mouth in a silent scream from the pain, his body instinctively tensing and pulling away. Yet, he gripped the edge of the bed tightly and forced himself back under Shaoyao’s hands—he could tell she was a physician.
Shaoyao gave him an appreciative glance and worked even more efficiently.
After the liquor cleansing, the child’s entire body was flushed red, with some areas even swollen. Shaoyao rummaged through the medicine chest, sprinkled medicinal powder all over, and then wrapped his whole body in soft cloth, instructing, "Whether it hurts or itches, you must endure it."
A Jian nodded, his eyes reddened, looking utterly pitiful. Yet, not a single tear fell.
Fu Dong came in carrying porridge. Hua Zhi pulled Shaoyao aside to the study and asked the still-sullen woman, "Did you find out something?"
Shaoyao shook her head, leaning on the table and tilting her head to look at Hua Hua. "Yan Ge has been gone for two months now."
Hua Zhi watched the wisps of steam rising from the teacup. In three more days, it would indeed be two months—far longer than the month he had mentioned when he left. She was not without concern, but she could not ask.
"Cao Cao, can you get the most comprehensive topographic map?"
"Yes." The topographic map in the hands of The Heir was as complete and detailed as the one in the imperial palace—the most comprehensive in the Daqing Dynasty. "I’ll go fetch it now."
As Shaoyao made to stand up, Hua Zhi held her back. "There’s no rush. I promised Lu Xiansheng not to let you leave the residence. Today already breaks that agreement—we can’t push it further."
Shaoyao suddenly felt incredibly happy. She had a brother who cared for her and a friend like Hua Hua, who always kept her in mind. That was more than enough. Those past experiences, those undoubtedly unhappy memories, no longer mattered at all.
Swinging Hua Zhi’s hand, she finally broke into a radiant smile. "I’ll have someone bring it."
Wang Rong made the trip for her. Learning that he needed to retrieve the topographic map from The Heir’s study, he did not hesitate in the slightest. Before The Heir left, he had left clear instructions: whatever the Hua family’s eldest young lady asked for, she was to be given it without question.
The topographic map was enormous. Unfurling each section took up an entire room. Hua Zhi cleared the table and spread the southern section over it.
Shaoyao also studied it, pointing at a high mountain and saying, "My master and I have been here. There are many valuable things inside, but ordinary people would die if they entered."
"Foul vapors?"
"Right." Shaoyao wasn’t at all surprised that Hua Hua knew about foul vapors—Hua Hua understood everything, after all.
"Do you have an antidote?"
"Of course. Such a small matter can’t stump me. Don’t worry, Yan Ge must have taken some with him."
Hua Zhi studied the topographic map, her fingers tracing over various locations. She was no general, had never commanded troops, and her learning and skills had never touched upon this field. In this lifetime, she wasn’t born into a military family either—she lacked the convenience of having servants who could easily handle three to five ordinary people, nor could she organize a team with sufficiently high combat prowess at a moment’s notice. She didn’t even have a Wu Xiansheng without relying on external help.
What she did possess was a vision years ahead of its time and a reasonably sharp discernment honed over years of navigating the business world.But with just these clues and a topographic map, she couldn't discern what the Flame Country intended.
To the Flame Country, the Daqing Dynasty was a colossal entity. Even with boundless ambition, they wouldn't consider annexing it before its decline—unless they were certain Daqing's national power would plummet catastrophically.
Yet a nation's decline never happens abruptly. History shows every dynasty requires generations of misrule before collapsing. Though Daqing's current strength might not match its peak, it still far surpassed a minor power like the Flame Country.
So where did the threat lie?
The Chaoli Kingdom to the east? The northern nomadic tribes? Or perhaps... internal strife?
Hua Zhi's mind flashed to those troublesome princes. No, it couldn't be them. However fiercely they contended for power, they still needed a standing nation under the Gu dynasty!
Where did Flame Country's confidence originate?
Hua Zhi felt she was overthinking. These matters shouldn't concern her. Yet since Lu Xiansheng had failed to return on schedule, an unease had shadowed her thoughts.
Perhaps her fear of war made her dread the very scenarios she wished to avoid.
Folding the map layer by layer, she placed it gently on the table. When she looked up, her expression was clear, betraying none of her hidden worries.
In every era, beneath surface tranquility, there were those who silently bore unspeakable suffering. With people like Lu Xiansheng, border guards, and devoted ministers upholding the nation, the sky above her wouldn't collapse.
"Hua Hua?"
Hua Zhi smiled at her. "If this child brings trouble, the Hua family cannot shelter them. Our family can't afford to provoke anyone now."
"Don't worry. I can handle minor troubles, and Yan Ge will take care of major ones. Besides," Shaoyao sneered, "I want to know which family this child belongs to. If they were kidnapped, I'll consider this a good deed. But if their own family tortured them like this..."
Then even heaven would demand justice, revealing this to her to enact divine retribution!
A light knock sounded at the door. "Miss, someone requests an audience with Lady Shaoyao."
"They're quick." Shaoyao moved to leave, but Hua Zhi caught her arm. "Lu Xiansheng said you mustn't go out."
"I'm not going. I'll have Wang Rong relay my message."
Only then did Hua Zhi release her. Watching from the doorway, she saw Wang Rong block Shaoyao's path at the courtyard entrance.
Shaoyao glanced back at Hua Hua and lowered her voice. "Tell the messenger: if I don't go, their master might live until the King of Hell summons them. If I go, I guarantee they won't see tomorrow's sun. Deliver every word exactly. If they still insist after that... I'll go."
"Shaoyao..."
Shaoyao grinned. "If they're rushing to their graves, why shouldn't I escort them? Go now. Oh, and if Wu Bi comes, notify me immediately."
Wang Rong reluctantly went on the errand while Shaoyao bounced back to Hua Hua's side. "Hua Hua, I'm hungry."
"Find Fu Dong. I can't conjure food from thin air."
"As you command."
Hua Zhi's smile gradually faded. She wasn't blind to Shaoyao's evasiveness—precisely why she refrained from pressing. Suffering that could be spoken aloud wasn't true suffering. Only heartrending pain became untouchable, unmentionable, left to fester in silence rather than be voiced.She could only hope that Shaoyao would never recall such a past.
Glancing at the topographic maps spread across the table and floor, Hua Zhi couldn't help but think of Lu Xiansheng, who remained missing without any news. She wondered what circumstances might have delayed his return, praying only for his safety.
PS: Took half a day off today, so posting both updates together.
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