Hua Zhi gently but firmly pulled the person to sit beside her, seemingly oblivious to the redness in her eyes. "Xu Ying has inquired—the fishing trade operates from a coastal village without major shipping companies. That means all goods must be loaded here. The Zheng family is connected to the Jingzhou Governor through marriage. I don’t want to clash with them; it offers me no advantage."
Shaoyao’s tense body gradually relaxed as she leaned against Hua Hua’s shoulder and fell silent.
Hua Zhi held her, softly patting her back. She had long passed the age of impulsiveness; her first thought in any situation was what outcome would benefit her most. It wasn’t that she was truly calm, but having been at the helm for so long, she had lost even the right to be impulsive.
"Cao Cao, I still need your help."
Shaoyao’s voice was muffled. "What is it?"
"Originally, I wanted you to find a way to make my pulse appear as if I were ill. But since someone has already taken action, let’s follow their lead."
"Sleeping draught?"
"Yes." Hua Zhi spoke with utter composure. "They made the first move, and with a local physician examining me, they won’t suspect anything."
"I have the medicine."
"Then it’s settled. Yu Tao, go summon the physician."
Yu Tao responded without delay, turning to leave immediately. With Shaoyao here, ordinary people wouldn’t easily cross the threshold.
"Bao Xia, keep watch by the window and inform me when they arrive."
"Yes."
Hua Zhi lay down on the bed, her eyes reassuring as she looked at Shaoyao. Shaoyao crouched beside her for a moment before fully calming down. She retrieved a pill from her pocket, broke off a small piece, and tucked the rest away. "It’s nothing good. I’ll give you the antidote as soon as they leave."
"I’ll follow your lead." Hua Zhi held her hand, her voice gentle yet firm. "Whether we love or hate someone, that person must hold value. I care for you and am willing to risk my life to protect you. You care for me and would go through fire and water for me. You despise Ling Wang, wishing you could tear him apart. Here in Zhenyang, those unrelated to us are mere ants—we disdain to bother with them. But if they dare provoke us, we can crush them underfoot without a second thought. Don’t be angry; it’s not worth it."
Though her words were tender, their meaning was sharp and detached. The redness in Shaoyao’s eyes welled up and receded as her emotions gradually steadied. She had so few people left; she cared too deeply, to the point where anyone who threatened them would pay in blood.
She didn’t want to appear so bloodthirsty in front of Hua Hua, fearing Hua Hua might like her less. But now she understood—Hua Hua knew everything. She knew Shaoyao wasn’t as good or obedient as she seemed, knew her inherently volatile nature, knew all her flaws. Hua Hua had always known, yet her feelings for Shaoyao had never wavered.
So Hua Hua had known all along.
Shaoyao climbed onto the bed, lying half on top of Hua Zhi. How could her Hua Hua be so wonderful? So wonderful that she wanted to keep her all to herself and not share her with Yan Ge!Hua Zhi gently patted her back, her gaze fixed on the tent ceiling with desolation. They were all people who had trudged through thorny paths, leaving bloody footprints with every step. They had witnessed too much betrayal, encountered too much injustice, roared in the abyss of despair, and in their agony, wished for the apocalypse to truly arrive—to obliterate all the filthy, despicable scum along with the blissful and content. For such individuals, having personality flaws was hardly surprising; she merely concealed hers better.
When people like them gathered, they couldn’t warm each other, but they could lick each other’s wounds and never betray one another.
"Miss Shaoyao, the physician is here."
Shaoyao grunted in response, turned over, sat up, and fed the medicine into Hua Hua’s mouth.
The sensation was peculiar—as if she had suddenly lost all strength despite being fine moments before. Her eyelids grew heavy, and drowsiness overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes, listening to the commotion at the door, hearing Bao Xia guide the physician closer, then feeling her wrist being grasped.
In her dazed state, she faintly heard the physician speak. After the door opened and closed, something cool and refreshing was fed into her mouth. Soon after, the heaviness faded, and her body felt noticeably lighter.
"Hua Hua, are you better now?"
Hua Zhi opened her eyes, closed them, then opened them again and sat up. She felt no different from before taking the medicine—an indescribable sensation, one could only say Cao Cao’s skill in refining medicine was nothing short of miraculous.
"How do you feel?"
"As if nothing happened at all." Hua Zhi smiled. Without asking what the physician had said, she directly instructed, "Yu Tao, fetch water from the inn’s well and boil it yourself. Later, go out and get some food, but act cautiously."
"Yes."
Once he left, Bao Xia tightly shut the door again. To avoid eavesdroppers, they had been speaking in hushed tones all along. Now, Bao Xia asked, "Miss, are you trying to make the poisoner believe you’ve fallen into their trap?"
"Not just the poisoner. I’m afraid soon enough, everyone who needs to know will find out. When the Zheng family sends someone, it’ll be reasonable for me to refuse even if I do."
Shaoyao muttered, "Why go to all this trouble for just the Zheng family? What if even Mu Yunyang shows up?"
"I’m here to discuss business. Harmony breeds wealth—it’s best to avoid conflict." As she spoke, someone knocked on the door.
They exchanged glances. Bao Xia walked to the door and asked with practiced ease, "Who is it?"
"I am Zheng Qing, steward of the Zheng Family Shipping. I’ve been sent by my employer to invite the guest to discuss a business matter."
Seeing her young lady gesture toward the bed, Bao Xia understood and said, "It’s not that we’re being unreasonable, but you should know, Steward Zheng, my young lady has fallen ill. The physician just left, and our servants have all gone to fetch medicine. I’m afraid she won’t be able to leave her bed today."
Steward Zheng was taken aback. Hadn’t she just returned from the Donglai Shipping Company? How could she fall ill so quickly? What kind of illness struck this fast? Suspecting that this mysterious, wealthy woman might be making excuses, Zheng Qing’s face darkened, and he turned away with a flick of his sleeve.
As a steward, he relied not only on eloquence but also on genuine ability. Though he initially assumed Hua Zhi was feigning illness to snub him, he paused and turned back after overhearing chatter about the woman in the main hall downstairs. Tapping the innkeeper’s counter, he asked, "What’s going on?"The innkeeper was already on edge, after all, the incident had occurred in his establishment, and he couldn't escape responsibility no matter what. Moreover, he wasn't entirely innocent himself. But even with his heart in his throat, he didn't dare refuse Zheng Qing. Forcing a smile, he revealed that Hua Zhi had called for a physician.
Zheng Qing raised an eyebrow—so she really was ill? How interesting. "What kind of illness?"
"This humble one doesn't know. They summoned the physician from Renxin Clinic over there. Manager Zheng, you could go and ask them directly."
Zheng Qing snorted and actually headed straight for Renxin Clinic.
PS: I promised a reader I'd recommend some novels, but kept putting it off. If you enjoyed Nirvana in Fire, I recommend The Military Advisor Who Drifts with the Tide—it's also about a frail strategist and predates Nirvana in Fire. It was my absolute favorite book back in the day. For historical fiction fans, I recommend Fu Tian's The Elegance of the Zhu Family, which has a permanent spot on my bookshelf. Most of Fu Tian's works are quite good—she's practically my literary soulmate. If you prefer lighthearted stories, check out He Zao's works. That's all for today's recommendations. Honestly, I've mainly been reading BL novels in recent years, but I won't recommend those since I don't want to lead you astray. Hehe.
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