Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. Instead of twisting the knife in Wu Yong’s heart, she remarked, “I’ve heard General Wu is twenty-six. Though unmarried, you already have women in your household. Given the Wu family’s circumstances, they wouldn’t forbid a concubine from bearing children like other noble families do. Yet, after all these years, you still have no children. Why is that?”
Wu Yong’s brow twitched. “The physician said the time for children hasn’t come yet.”
“That’s not right,” Shaoyao interjected, her tone startlingly blunt yet her expression unchanged. “Your body had some issues before, but they were resolved when I treated your poisoning last time.”
Suppressing the turmoil boiling inside him like hot oil, Wu Yong asked, “What issues?”
Only then did Shaoyao realize something was amiss. Without another word, she strode over, grasped his wrist, and checked his pulse. After confirming the situation, she quickly pieced things together. “My mistake—I didn’t investigate thoroughly back then. You currently have that poison in your system.”
Pausing briefly, she added, “It’s not exactly a poison, but a drug that prevents women from conceiving. Such methods are rare, though. Most inner-household schemes target women; few are used against men.”
“How interesting,” Hua Zhi chuckled lightly. “How long has this problematic concubine been with you, General Wu? And who was the physician who told you the time for children hadn’t come? If she’s a recent addition, you might want to thoroughly investigate your inner household.”
“Good. Very good,” Wu Yong sneered, his anger boiling over. “They intend to cut off my Wu family’s lineage. Heir, I must take my leave.”
“Keep it discreet. It’s not yet time to close the net.”
“Understood.”
Once Wu Yong left, Gu Yanxi turned to A Zhi. “What are you thinking?”
“Don’t you think the Chao Li Tribe has been unusually active at Yinshan Pass?” Hua Zhi felt she was missing something but couldn’t pinpoint it. A sense of unease gnawed at her. “Logically, even if they were making moves, it should be at Shou’ai Pass in the east. The Chao Li Tribe’s territory isn’t close to Yinshan Pass.”
“Are you worried Yinshan Pass is their real target?”
“Not necessarily. They’re adept at feints and deception—I can’t grasp their strategy.” Hua Zhi didn’t pretend to understand. She truly couldn’t decipher the purpose behind the Chao Li Tribe’s numerous actions at Yinshan Pass. Unless… they were using misdirection, deliberately drawing the Daqing Dynasty’s attention here… Wait!
Hua Zhi suddenly stood up.
“A Zhi?” Gu Yanxi rose as well and moved closer, nudging Shaoyao aside. Shaoyao didn’t dare protest and resentfully shifted to Hua Hua’s other side.
“A thought just occurred to me,” Hua Zhi swallowed hard, her voice strained. “Is it possible… the Chao Li Tribe has reached some kind of agreement with the grassland tribes?”
Gu Yanxi wanted to say their spies hadn’t uncovered any such information, and the Chao Li Tribe had always acted alone, frequently clashing with the grassland tribes. But if the Chao Li Tribe was now scheming—embedding countless agents within the Daqing Dynasty—then forming an alliance with the grassland tribes, despite past conflicts, wasn’t far-fetched if they shared common interests.
Gu Yanxi turned and strode toward the door, pausing at the threshold. “I must leave for a few days. I’ll delegate matters at Yinshan Pass. If any issues arise that require decisions, have them seek you out. Please manage things here for the time being.”"I'm not qualified..." Hua Zhi took a deep breath and changed her tone, "I understand. Be careful in everything you do."
Gu Yanxi glanced at Shaoyao, who nodded repeatedly, "I won't leave Hua Hua's side for even a step."
Having been frightened by A Zhi's occasional injuries, Gu Yanxi wasn't fully reassured by this promise. After leaving the room, he called Jia Yang over to give additional instructions before quickly departing. This matter required his personal confirmation.
Inside the room, Hua Zhi pondered for a moment before pulling Shaoyao closer and saying, "Go find Wu Yong and tell him about my suspicions. He'll know what to do."
"I'm not going." She wouldn't leave Hua Hua's side for even a step. "I'll send someone else."
Hua Zhi didn't insist. Only when she was alone in the room did she reveal some of her inner anxiety. If the Chao Li Tribe was colluding with tribes beyond the pass, then Yinshan Pass wasn't just a theoretical concern—it could become their actual target at any moment. If war broke out...
Yinshan Pass could hold its own against the grassland tribes, but if mixed with Chao Li Tribe members, the pass wouldn't stand a chance.
How to solve this? Reinforcements? The elite troops of the Daqing Dynasty were all stationed in the east, strictly guarding against the Chao Li Tribe. Those troops absolutely couldn't be moved. No matter how many soldiers from other camps were sent, they would just be sacrificing lives—their combat effectiveness wasn't on the same level.
So how to solve this? What could she do?
Hua Zhi's thoughts were in complete disarray. She bit her tongue hard, the sharp pain making her eyes red. She could earn silver, do what she could to create things that could be sent to the battlefield, and offer advice standing on the shoulders of giants. But she couldn't make the Daqing Dynasty's army powerful and invincible, nor did she possess Hua Jingyan's strategic ability to influence a national war. If enemies actually reached the city gates, even if she possessed a mountain of gold, they would kill her before she could use it to crush them.
She could do nothing. In the face of absolute power, any tactics were paper tigers. Hua Zhi had never understood this saying more deeply than at this moment.
Dealing with just the Chao Li Tribe already required the entire nation's strength. If combined with the equally powerful grassland tribes... Hua Zhi felt bitter. She couldn't stop her thoughts from going to the worst possible scenario.
No, think again, think carefully. The Chao Li Tribe had been holding back for a reason—either they had reservations or weren't fully prepared. If they were truly ready, they would have already reached the city gates. Yes, the timing must not be ripe yet. They still had time.
Hua Zhi stood up and walked to the study. The study was empty now. She pushed open the door, lit a lamp, spread the topographic map she had obtained from Wu Yong's residence on the floor, moved inkstones and paper to the ground, casually tied up her hair, and knelt on the map to examine it carefully.
Shaoyao didn't disturb her, simply sitting on the floor to keep her company.
Hua Zhi desperately recalled everything she knew—the famous strategies from the Three Kingdoms, the military tactics she was familiar with. She even sketched similar terrain on the sand table and conducted simulations with Shaoyao. But it was no use—even sacrificing soldiers' lives wouldn't bring any chance of victory.
In the end, she only wrote two lines on paper: Haoyue and Black Powder.
If her suspicions about Haoyue were true, then she must know the future direction of the Daqing Dynasty. If the Daqing Dynasty ultimately lost, she wouldn't have chosen to approach the Seven Constellation Bureau in the first place.As for the black powder, although its lethality was far inferior to that of later generations, with its assistance, the Daqing Dynasty would at least not be left completely defenseless.
After some thought, Hua Zhi wrote a third line on the paper: Strike first to gain the upper hand.
If they could catch the grassland tribes off guard and eliminate them first, the Daqing Dynasty would only have the Chao Li Tribe as their enemy. Although they were formidable, at least the dynasty wouldn't be attacked from both sides. However, success required the right timing, geographical advantages, and unity among the people—none of which could be lacking. The grassland tribes were not easy to deal with.
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