As dusk approached, lanterns were already hung along the main house and west wing corridors, while the eastern wing remained shrouded in darkness due to Hua Zhi's orders keeping everyone at a distance.
Gu Yanxi emerged from the room and paused mid-step at the sight of Hua Zhi's slightly blurred silhouette in the dim light.
Hearing movement, Hua Zhi turned around. Their eyes met, and she lowered her head slightly before performing a curtsy. Unlike her usual half-hearted gestures, this was the most proper and complete bow she had ever given him since they first met.
Gu Yanxi's eyes darkened, remaining silent for a long while as Hua Zhi maintained her bowed posture.
With a bitter smile, Gu Yanxi stepped forward and raised her up. "Is the young lady angry with me?"
"I wouldn't dare." Hua Zhi looked up and caught the bitterness in his eyes, causing her intended words to shift after a pause. "I have always been the one receiving Lu Xiansheng's care, while you have never done the Hua family any harm. How could I possibly have the face to blame you for concealing your identity when I've benefited so much from your kindness?"
A gradual light returned to Gu Yanxi's eyes as he gazed intently at Hua Zhi. He nearly confessed his feelings right there in the corridor, but his last shred of reason held him back. It wasn't time yet, he knew clearly it wasn't the right moment. Even if he did speak his heart, he would only face rejection.
Before the Hua family regained their footing, Hua Zhi would never consider her own marital prospects. No, that wasn't quite right either. Gu Yanxi looked at the woman whose features now vaguely revealed tenderness, remembering Shaoyao's words that she had decided never to marry again.
Hua Zhi suddenly lifted her head, meeting Gu Yanxi's gaze directly. "Does Lu Xiansheng have something to say?"
"Gu Yanxi. My name is Gu Yanxi."
The surname Gu - the imperial surname. Hua Zhi felt as if she had heard the second shoe drop. Without hesitation, she moved to perform a formal bow, but her arms were firmly held in place.
"But in the Hua family, I am only Lu Xiansheng. My position as the martial arts instructor for the Hua family children will not change."
"The Hua family..."
"The Hua family can afford it." Gu Yanxi cut her off. "I'm quite willing to earn the Hua family's silver."
Hua Zhi was no fool - in many ways, she could be considered quite clever. So she clearly saw the affection in Gu Yanxi's eyes and understood how rare such feelings were. But... she couldn't accept them.
She could marry someone chosen by her parents through matchmakers, becoming a virtuous first wife who would select concubines and prepare tonics for her husband. But she couldn't fall in love with a man in this foreign land. They weren't just separated by different languages or nationalities - they came from completely different worlds, with different upbringings and values. How could two such different people possibly fall in love?
In the end, it would only lead to mutual heartbreak. At worst, they might never speak again. Why bother?
"Lu Xiansheng, I don't plan to leave the Hua family in this lifetime."
"A lifetime is very long. We can discuss this matter later."
Hua Zhi frowned slightly, then reconsidered. Such persistence probably stemmed from not having obtained what he wanted. Given time, these feelings would naturally fade. If he absolutely had to have her to be satisfied, it wouldn't make much difference to her anyway.
"Don't be troubled." Gu Yanxi resisted the urge to touch her hair, his eyes brimming with warmth. "I won't use my status to force anything upon you, nor will I ever use the Hua family to pressure you. I only hope you can treat me as you did before. Others might not manage it, but I know you can."She truly could, for deep down she held no reverence for imperial authority and could never tremble before the royal family. This was actually an extremely dangerous trait—in the eyes of those with ill intentions, it would be easy to pin a crime on her. That was why she had hidden herself within the inner household, minimizing her presence as much as possible. Even now, though she couldn’t avoid it entirely, she still tried to limit her contact with outsiders. But the one before her… she probably couldn’t avoid.
Oh, and the one inside the room. Hua Zhi glanced at the tightly shut door. "Is he staying here?"
"For now, he must remain here. Don’t worry, I’ve arranged for someone to keep watch. Nothing will go wrong." Gu Yanxi made a gesture of invitation, and the two walked forward one after the other—one deliberately slowing their pace, the other reminding themselves not to overstep, maintaining a half-step distance that satisfied both.
Gu Yanxi glanced back, subtly pausing for a moment, and the half-step distance shortened by more than half. Satisfied, he steered the conversation onward: "Let’s continue calling him A Jian in the future. It’s a good name."
"Giving him such a name is already disrespectful. To address him like that after knowing his identity…"
"People in the royal family are actually quite pitiable. They seem to have everything, yet in truth, they have nothing. The name A Jian may seem ordinary to others, but it’s truly his own. That matters greatly to him."
Recalling how he had reacted when she stopped calling him A Jian and instead addressed him as Sixth Prince, Hua Zhi’s heart softened. He was just a child around Berlin’s age, without a mother’s protection. Who knew how much suffering he had endured in that dog-eat-dog palace?
"Then from now on, the Hua family will overstep in addressing him."
"He’ll be very happy."
Unnoticed, the two had fallen into step side by side as they used to. Gu Yanxi, afraid Hua Zhi would notice, continued, "Did you know the Sun family and the Hua family have old ties?"
Over this period, Hua Zhi had gained some understanding of the Hua family’s influence, but she never imagined they also had connections with the Sun family, the garrison commanders guarding the passes. One civil, one military—both were key officials. If the Emperor found out, could things end well?
"Was it Grandfather and Commander Sun, or…"
"Not exactly. You’d have to go back several generations—starting from your grandfather’s grandfather’s time. Although the Sun family has always been a military lineage, they weren’t so prominent before. From what I know, the two elders became close friends through their shared love for wine. Your grandfather and Commander Sun grew up together since childhood. With generations of friendship continuing to their time, they were practically sworn brothers, no different from real siblings. Later, as the Sun family rose step by step and Sun Bei became the commander of such a crucial pass, the two families had to keep their distance to avoid gossip."
Gu Yanxi looked at Hua Zhi with a smile. "If not for that, your father would have been more likely to marry into the Sun family."
Marry into the Sun family? Wasn’t Consort Zhen the Sun family’s only descendant? Could it be that Father had a past with Consort Zhen?
Hua Zhi looked at Gu Yanxi, her eyes full of curiosity.
Gu Yanxi’s smile deepened. "Back when the two families interacted frequently, the younger generation naturally had chances to meet."
He left it at that. Consort Zhen was already deceased and had been the Emperor’s consort—regrets between the two families were not something to be spoken of lightly.
Hua Zhi held a favorable impression of this Consort Zhen. "Did she die of illness, or…"
"Of illness. In a place like that, only those with great ambition thrive. Consort Zhen had no choice but to enter the palace. As the Sun family’s only bloodline, she was essentially a hostage placed in the Emperor’s hands by the Sun family."She has passed away, and the Sixth Prince is now Sun Bei's only remaining attachment. Hua Zhi curled her lips—the First Prince and Fourth Prince would have quite the bitter pill to swallow.
Since the Sun family and the Hua family had a longstanding relationship, and she happened to have brought him back, it was only right to offer him some protection to honor the friendship between the two families over the years.
"Please ensure you keep your word, Lu Xiansheng, and prevent anyone from tracing this back to the Hua family."
Gu Yanxi was not at all surprised by Hua Zhi's decision. His purpose in saying so much had been precisely to achieve this outcome. Hua Zhi had always been fiercely protective of those she considered her own, and in a way, the Sixth Prince had found fortune in misfortune.
PS: Apologies for the long wait, dear readers. The previous writing didn't explicitly address the romantic aspect, but considering how perfect the opportunity was, I thought... well, here it is. Thank you for your patience.
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