The wind howled and the rain poured relentlessly throughout the night.
Hua Zhi had been unable to sleep deeply and stood by the window early, silently watching the outside. Judging by the intensity, the water route would likely be impassable. Yet taking the land route would require waiting for the rain to stop—stepping out in such heavy downpour would soak one's shoes instantly.
"Good morning, Miss." Bao Xia entered with washing water and, seeing her mistress's expression, knew what was troubling her. She said gently, "It might be for the best that we stay here a couple of days to let your injuries heal properly."
Hua Zhi shook her head slightly, unable to voice the worries weighing on her heart.
After the meal, Shaoyao disappeared without a trace after changing the dressing, and Hua Zhi paid no mind to Little Six pacing restlessly at the door. There was a vast difference between someone learning proactively and being forced to learn—she hoped Little Six would choose to be the former.
After a while, Little Six finally knocked on the door.
Hua Zhi closed her book, set it aside, and looked toward the entrance. "Come in."
The Sixth Prince shuffled in sheepishly, head bowed, and settled beside Hua Zhi. In a soft, pleading tone, he offered an excuse, "With such heavy rain, Hua Sister, should we switch to the land route?"
Hua Zhi didn’t call him out. "That’s the plan, but we’ll have to wait for the rain to stop or ease up."
"Heavy rain like this probably won’t last long."
"Hard to say." Hua Zhi gazed out the window; the rain showed no signs of letting up and even seemed to intensify. "The south is different from the north. In the north, rain is scarce and stops abruptly. Here, it’s the opposite—half or more of the year is rainy. There’s a saying in the south: it rains twice a month, each time for half a month."
The Sixth Prince’s jaw dropped slightly. "That... that severe?"
Hua Zhi smiled. "Drought in the north, floods in the south—it’s always been this way."
"Is there no way to solve it?"
How to solve it? Divert water from the south to the north? Hua Zhi shook her head. "I can’t solve this problem. You should ponder it carefully."
"But if even you, Hua Sister, can’t think of a way, I..."
"Little Six, I’m not as capable as you think." Hua Zhi interrupted him. "I excel at business, and I’ll accept your praise in that regard. As for other matters... when you’re cornered and absolutely cannot retreat, you learn what you don’t know."
Picking up the book and flipping through it, Hua Zhi looked at the child. "If one day you’re pushed to that brink, you’ll become just as capable—provided you’ve accumulated enough knowledge. A lifetime is only so long; you can’t master everything, but it’s not so hard to gain a little understanding in many areas. That’s far better than wasting your time."
"Yes, Chengqian has learned his lesson." It was Chengqian, not Little Six, nor the general title Sixth Prince—this was the attitude Gu Chengqian, the Sixth Prince, was willing to show in front of Hua Zhi.
Hua Zhi pretended not to notice the distinction and lowered her head to open a military strategy book.
The Sixth Prince fell silent as well, picking up a nearby book to read.
The rain showed no sign of stopping by evening. Overnight, it lightened slightly, and in a half-awake state, the sound on the roof seemed to grow fainter. Everyone relaxed vaguely, thinking that perhaps the sky would clear by morning.
But this relief didn’t last long. At daybreak, the storm returned with a vengeance, the rain pounding on the roof as if it were not water but shards of ice falling from the sky.Hua Zhi woke at the first sound of movement. Wrapping her outer garment around herself, she stood by the window with a slight frown. If this heavy rain continued, could the Wei River hold up?
At daybreak, she sent Yu Tao to check the docks. Even with a raincoat, he returned thoroughly drenched and had to change before reporting. "The water level has risen alarmingly—about five feet higher than when we disembarked."
The number might not sound significant, but this was only the beginning. This section was the middle reaches of the Wei River, where upstream waters converged, tributaries joined in, and relentless downpour compounded the threat. The situation was likely to...
"Young Miss, I fear things may take a turn for the worse."
Hua Zhi glanced at Yu Tao in mild surprise. He was efficient and rarely spoke out of turn—today was an exception. "What makes you say that?"
Organizing his thoughts, Yu Tao explained, "I'm from Yangzhou. As a child, I lived through a major flood. It started just like this—intermittent but persistent rain, the lightest drizzle still audible on rooftops. At first, the water rose gradually, then surged violently within days, gaining half a foot in the time it takes to drink water. My family suffered greatly because of it, so the memory remains vivid. I apologize for overstepping."
This was precisely Hua Zhi's fear. But what could she do? She held no authority or status, and even if she did, she wouldn't recklessly intervene. As she'd told Little Six yesterday, her expertise lay in trade—everything else was superficial knowledge. She only stepped up for the Hua family when forced, but this... was beyond her responsibility.
"Cao Cao, perhaps you could inform the Xiangyang authorities? Urge them to prepare."
"Understood. I'll go at once."
"Wait." Hua Zhi hesitated before stopping Shaoyao. "See if you can obtain some maps—of Xiangyang, the Wei River area, and local county records."
Shaoyao turned back with a grin. "I'll snatch them for you if I have to."
Restlessness churned within Hua Zhi. Being trapped here was frustrating enough, and now this crisis made her wonder if she was a magnet for disasters—wherever she went, trouble followed.
"Sister Hua, will Xiangyang face a flood?"
"Hard to say if it'll be major or minor." Hua Zhi smiled wryly. "But perhaps it won't be severe—if the rain stops, all will be well."
Yet everyone knew the rain wouldn't cease anytime soon.
"Yu Tao, can you deliver a letter to Yan Xi for me? I'm short-handed, and none of you can leave."
"Yes. The Seven Constellation Bureau has an outpost in Xiangyang."
Hua Zhi immediately sat down to write, filling four full pages before sealing the letter. Wrapping it in oiled paper, she handed it to Yu Tao. "Make haste."
"Understood."
When Shaoyao returned, she was soaked but had kept the documents perfectly dry in her embrace. "Everything's here, Hua Hua. See if this is what you needed."
Hua Zhi's heart sank as she looked at the materials. Though she'd lived in the south and endured humid seasons, she was neither an official nor a soldier—her knowledge came from news reports and fragmented observations. Her ambiguous experiences might not even apply here.But she was trapped here, and for the sake of surviving and returning safely, she needed to learn more about Xiangyang and Wei River. As for whether to take any action, she couldn’t think that far ahead yet and felt she lacked the capability. All she hoped for was to endure safely until the Seven Constellation Bureau arrived.
PS: Filled with negative emotions, I couldn’t write anything good today. Just one update.
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