Half a day passed, and the torrential downpour showed no signs of letting up.
Yu Tao took off his raincoat outside the door and hurried in to report, "Commander, Miss Hua, the river is rising very quickly. The water level that had receded by two strokes has surged back."
Only half a day... Hua Zhi and Gu Yanxi exchanged a glance. "Has Wu Xing sent any response?"
"The rain is too heavy. He went into the mountains and said he would produce the item as quickly as possible."
"Even if it is truly made, I'm afraid it will be too late. That thing cannot get wet, and right now water is the one thing we have in abundance." Hua Zhi shook her head slightly as she looked at the dry riverbeds on the sand table. She had been too naive—how could everything in the world go exactly as planned?
But Gu Yanxi smiled. "It's not too late, A Zhi. This thing will never be too late no matter when it's made."
Hua Zhi's mind buzzed, and she felt momentarily deafened. Yes, yes—she had underestimated Yanxi after all. She had only thought of using this thing to dig canals and channels, but Yanxi had already looked further ahead, such as... war.
In this era without firearms, she couldn't imagine what changes the emergence of this thing would bring. Perhaps she would become a sinner.
Gu Yanxi was taken aback and stepped closer, calling softly, "A Zhi?"
Hua Zhi looked up. She wanted to ask Yanxi what he planned to do with it—whether he would initiate war—but in the end, she just shook her head at him and lowered her gaze to the mountains, rivers, and embankments on the sand table. How could she have forgotten? This was the Gu family's empire, and the man she loved currently held far greater power than any prince.
Gu Yanxi waved the others away and gently drew A Zhi close to his chest. "No one likes war, but only war can stop war. The Great Qing Dynasty is now beset by internal and external troubles. The princes have ambition but lack the ability to support it. The imperial in-laws seek more power. The Emperor grows more suspicious by the day, yet his courage wanes. Meanwhile, the countries surrounding the Great Qing Dynasty, after years of recuperation, have begun to show expansionist intentions. The Great Qing Dynasty possesses the most fertile land and the most prosperous cities—all of which will inevitably become their targets. A Zhi, beneath the surface of peace, the Great Qing Dynasty is unstable. If this Black Powder truly has the power you speak of, I need it to protect our empire and its people."
Gu Yanxi lowered his head and discreetly kissed the top of Hua Zhi's head. "I know you dislike war, A Zhi. I'm sorry."
What more could Hua Zhi say? Between being the aggressor and the invaded, she naturally preferred to be the former. Though it meant bearing sin, it was better than being a citizen of a fallen nation. Better to bully than be bullied—consider it repayment for the years of prosperity she had enjoyed in the Great Qing Dynasty.
Leaning against the man, Hua Zhi sighed softly. Who said that those in high positions had it easy? Her grandfather had been exiled, the man she loved worried about the nation and its people, and even those princes who saw nothing but the dragon throne had no peace, constantly fearing that their rivals would ascend to power and eliminate them. In truth, they weren't much better off than the common folk living at the bottom of society.
"I alone cannot change the course of history. Everything appears when it is meant to appear." If it weren't for the need to dig river channels, she wouldn't have recalled this thing. She only knew what materials Black Powder required, not the specific proportions. Even if she had to grind out the formula bit by bit, with her complete lack of expertise, she probably wouldn't be able to produce it anyway.She had come to this world for no reason—perhaps precisely because this place needed her? Hua Zhi tried to console herself with bitter amusement, yet she couldn’t ease the weight in her heart.
Amid the sound of rain, the two leaned against each other. Gu Yanxi, feeling guilty, found himself wanting to share more with A Zhi. “The Chao Li Tribe is a fierce people. Because of their ferocity, they’ve always disdained underhanded tactics. But this trip to Yuzhou revealed that they had started scheming years ago. If Haoyue hadn’t created the Seven Stars Sect to lure me there and expose Yuan Shifang as a member of the Chao Li Tribe, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
As he’d hoped, Hua Zhi set aside her thoughts about black powder and picked up the thread. “Since Haoyue knew Yuan Shifang was from the Chao Li Tribe, she probably knows more than just him.”
“Before coming here, I sent Chen Qing back to Yuzhou to make contact with Haoyue and extract as much information as possible. I don’t trust that Haoyue.” It was an intuition—Haoyue was far from harmless. He was willing to meet her demands if possible, but he feared what she might ask for was something the Great Qing Dynasty couldn’t afford to give.
“I won’t place all my hopes on her. The Seven Constellation Bureau has existed for many years and isn’t so incompetent. We’ll manage to uncover something.” Guiding her to sit, Gu Yanxi poured tea and placed it by A Zhi’s hand. “We’ve always been wary of the Chao Li Tribe, but Yuan Shifang’s appearance made that wariness concrete. To think a regional governor was an enemy agent—it was a harsh wake-up call for the Great Qing Dynasty.”
Sipping her tea, Hua Zhi’s thoughts lingered on Haoyue. For some reason, this person troubled her deeply. She had a feeling… this woman might have her sights set on her partner.
Gu Yanxi watched the rain outside. All he wanted was to sit like this with A Zhi, talking and drinking tea, but for now, he could only afford half a day of such peace.
Refilling her cup, he said, “Leave the outside matters to me. You should rest properly and not lose any more weight. It hasn’t been long since we set out, and you’ve already grown thinner. Once we return, we still have to head north. Old Master Hua would be heartbroken to see you like this.”
“With you in charge, I’m more than happy to step back.”
Gu Yanxi gently caressed her cheek. This person—she was so good that he always found himself wanting to ask for more.
If Hua Zhi was the backbone of their journey, Gu Yanxi was their stabilizing force. His arrival immediately tipped the scales in the deadlocked situation.
Officials of the Great Qing Dynasty held the Seven Constellation Bureau in awe, but their disdain for women was ingrained. Chen Hongyi, the magistrate of Xiangyang County, showed superficial respect to Shaoyao but secretly resented her for usurping his authority, causing her no end of frustration. Yet there was little she could do—she couldn’t dismiss everyone and leave only Xu Yangjun to run errands.
These issues, however, were no problem for Gu Yanxi. He took direct control of the magistrate’s office, placing his own people in key positions. Orders flowed from the top down without the slightest resistance. In just half a day, he relocated all residents from low-lying areas along the river to higher ground and activated all of Xiangyang’s flood prevention measures. His stern, uncompromising demeanor silenced the initially discontented populace, who now obeyed without question, following every instruction dutifully.When the rain eased the next day, he sternly demanded that all corvée laborers continue dredging the river. However, he also opened the granaries to have dry rations prepared for them, with each person receiving a piece of meat—small though it was. Such treatment was unprecedented across dynasties, and grievances turned into strength, noticeably speeding up the work.
"Still too slow. Post a notice: anyone willing to participate in dredging the river will be fed to their fill and receive a piece of meat. As for the money to buy the meat..." Gu Yanxi sneered, "Magistrate Chen is quite wealthy. I'll requisition it first."
PS: Will try to resume double updates tomorrow. Kongkong, now tanned as dark as charcoal, sends greetings to everyone.
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