Shaoyao stood at the courtyard gate, holding a medicine mortar and idly grinding herbs while craning her long neck to peer toward the moon gate.
Gu Yanxi approached and said in a low voice, "She's leaving home for three days. Follow her."
"Of course I'll follow her. What about you, Yan Ge?" Shaoyao swore she meant nothing else by it—it was just an offhand question. But the moment she asked, she felt she might get beaten and instinctively retreated several steps.
Gu Yanxi, however, had no time to deal with her. Frowning slightly, he looked toward the Sixth Prince, who had emerged from the house and was standing under the eaves. He walked over and said, "Third Brother might have gotten some information. He wants to muddy the waters. I need to make some arrangements. For now, this must not reach the Emperor's ears."
The Sixth Prince pursed his lips. If his father learned of this now, none of the brothers would come out unscathed. And if his father discovered he was hiding with the Hua family—a family that had been convicted, their property confiscated, and exiled just last year—it would only deepen his father's displeasure. He couldn't bring harm to Sister Hua.
"What should I do?"
"Stay hidden. Don't leave the room."
The Sixth Prince glanced at the sun hanging high in the sky, a wave of sorrow washing over him. He was the victim, yet instead of seeking justice for himself, he had to think about how to hide. How pitiful.
"Brother Yanxi, I don't want to return to that cold place." Do you have a way to help me?"
"Do you like it here?"
"Yes."
Gu Yanxi's expression was inscrutable. He gazed at the Sixth Prince quietly for a long moment, and though the prince couldn't decipher what he saw, there seemed to be a hint of satisfaction in his demeanor. "I will grant your wish. Until then, stay hidden.The Sixth Prince hadn't expected Yanxi brother to actually agree. He immediately turned and went back inside, shutting the door tightly.
He had begun remembering things early and possessed an excellent memory. When he was very young, he had overheard palace servants mention more than once how differently the Emperor treated The Heir—a level of trust even surpassing that given to his own sons. The Heir could freely enter and leave the palace and was the only one permitted unrestricted access to the imperial study. The Sixth Prince had even secretly, and rather treasonously, wondered about Yanxi's true identity.
But then, everything turned upside down overnight. The Heir suddenly vanished. He never appeared again, whether for Heaven-worship ceremonies or ancestral rites. Back then, the prince had wondered if the Emperor had grown displeased with him or if he had committed some offense and been banished from the capital. It wasn't until nearly five years later that he reappeared. He resembled the figure from the prince's memories but had matured from a boy into a man. And the Emperor's fondness for him remained as strong as ever. At the time, the prince had felt a twinge of envy.
Later, his mother fell gravely ill. On her deathbed, she told him that if he ever faced a life-or-death decision with no way out, he should follow The Heir's lead. He didn't fully understand her words but committed them firmly to memory.
After his mother passed away, the Empress Dowager took him in for a few days. During that time, he slept restlessly yet constantly felt drowsy, sometimes dozing off mid-conversation. The Empress Dowager, pitying him, would let him sleep wherever he happened to nod off, trying to ensure he got as much rest as possible.
One day, in a half-awake state, he heard his father's and The Heir's voices. He meant to get up and pay his respects, but in his drowsiness, he saw The Heir pull and tug at his face, revealing a different visage—one with a scar that made him look somewhat fierce. The image stuck clearly in his mind. Unsure if this was some secret, he instinctively drifted back to sleep.That's why he recognized it at a glance today and knew he was saved. The Hua family couldn't protect him, but Brother Yanxi could. He no longer needed to figure out how to leave the Hua family to avoid repaying kindness with enmity.
Not leaving the house? He could do that!
Outside, Gu Yanxi remained standing where he was. Shaoyao, having finished her break, crept over and asked sneakily, "Yan Ge, what are you plotting with Little Six?"
"Little Six?"
"Is that wrong? Should I call him A Jian then?"
No, it's right. That's what you used to call him when he was just born. Suddenly, sorrow flooded Gu Yanxi's heart.
Because of the surname Gu, he couldn't seek revenge. Because of the surname Gu, Shaoyao lost everything. Because of the surname Gu, the one inside ended up covered in wounds, having to live under someone else's roof to survive. Because of the surname Gu, all the unavoidable hardships seemed connected to them.
And because of the surname Gu, his true self appeared unfamiliar in others' eyes.
All because he bore the surname Gu, because he was of imperial lineage.
"Yan Ge..." Shaoyao grew anxious. Why did Yan Ge look so sad? "I was wrong, Yan Ge, I was wrong. I won't call him Little Six anymore..."
"He is Little Six. You weren't wrong."
Shaoyao tapped her head with her medicine pestle and suddenly ran toward her medicine room. "I'm going to take some medicine."
Gu Yanxi watched her run inside without stopping her. Whether she wanted to remember the past or forget it completely, he wouldn't interfere.
"Lu Xiansheng?"
Gu Yanxi turned around to see Hua Zhi stepping over the threshold, walking slowly toward him in the sunlight, step by step, approaching him, entering his heart.
This person had never been afraid of him, as if she couldn't smell the bloodstains he could never wash off, as if she couldn't sense the violence radiating from him. She only remembered kindness, remembered goodwill, and repaid it manifold.
Hua Zhi narrowed her eyes slightly. "Come inside for a cup of tea."
Gu Yanxi had no resistance. He thought, if it weren't for tea, he'd even drink poison if she offered.
The tea set had been left out since it was last used. Hua Zhi washed her hands and sat down before the tea table.
As the tea warmed his stomach, Gu Yanxi felt as if he was no longer so cold that his heart had frozen solid. Through the rising steam, Hua Zhi's face appeared somewhat blurred, but her expression held the calm composure she always showed others.
"A Zhi, have you ever encountered something that made you lose your composure?"
"Of course I have." Hua Zhi seemed not to notice his change in address, refilled his cup, and pushed it toward him.
"Was it a situation or a person?"
"Both."
She hadn't been born with an unshakable heart that remained steadfast through wind and rain. She too had been heartbroken, crying under her blankets. She too had lost hair in clumps from stress, shaved her head, and worn a wig for a year. She had worked until she vomited, reviewing proposals, competing in bids with an IV drip for stomach bleeding and her personal doctor in tow, all while watching her so-called family plot against her for their own interests.
The Hua Zhi of today was forged at the cost of her life. How could the Lu Xiansheng before her understand the pain of walking this path through thorns?
"No matter how difficult something is, once it passes, it becomes not worth mentioning. All things must pass eventually. No one can outlast time—it's only a matter of when."
Gu Yanxi leaned forward slightly. "No matter how brutal the process?""What else can be done?" Hua Zhi looked at him, each word dripping with blood yet devoid of emotion. "Shaoyao's face is already beyond repair. Even if you slaughter thousands, her features won't be restored. There's no justice to be had, no right or wrong to debate—this is the outcome. You must accept it, and Shaoyao must bear it."
"Even when the one who caused this continues to live in comfort?"
"Do those you hold grudges against truly live in comfort?"
Gu Yanxi froze. His inability to exact vengeance against Gu Yeyan for his mother and Shaoyao remained an unresolved knot in his heart. He had watched as Gu Yeyan left the principal consort position vacant for that woman, witnessed their affectionate relationship as they bore children together, and seen him summon renowned physicians from across the land for their sickly son—even humbling himself to beg Gu Yanxi to send Shaoyao to their residence.
Year after year, month after month, he had observed all this. How could he have considered whether Gu Yeyan was truly living in comfort?
"A blunt knife may not be sharp, but you cannot deny it's still a blade." Hua Zhi lifted her teacup and drained it in one gulp, as if drinking wine.
PS: Not exaggerating—this chapter took over three hours to write and nearly three more to revise. Every detail revealed here pertains to Gu Yanxi's side of the story, with not a single superfluous word. Haven't you readers always wondered: if Gu Yanxi is the heir, why doesn't even Hua Yizheng recognize him? This chapter provides the explanation, so read carefully. I hope my sincere attitude will make you willingly offer your guaranteed monthly votes. A new month begins—time to strive!
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