Hua Zhi lay down properly and softly thanked wet nurse Yu Xiang before taking over the conversation: "If Grandmother truly appears in your dreams, she must be there to thank you. Since she no longer visits me, if you do see her, please convey that the Hua family is doing well."
"The Hua family is indeed thriving now, and you are doing well too." The Empress Dowager sighed as she watched Hua Zhi's expression soften at the mention of her family. Hua Zhi's vulnerability was too obvious—so apparent that others could easily exploit it. Perhaps she knew this herself, hence she made no attempt to conceal it, leaving it open for all to see. This might be one reason she had to appear strong and ensure everyone knew the eldest daughter of the Hua family was not to be trifled with.
A weak person could never protect their family. She had to arm herself to the teeth to build an impenetrable wall around her loved ones.
The Hua family must have accumulated profound virtue over generations, for Heaven sent them Hua Zhi to help them overcome this crisis.
"You must take good care of your health. Don't ruin your foundation at such a young age, or you'll suffer for it later. If not for yourself, then for my grandson who finally found someone he cares for!"
"Yes." Hua Zhi felt somewhat helpless. Every relative and old friend she met reminded her to take care of her health. Just how wretched did she look these days?
The Empress Dowager glanced at Yu Xiang, who understood immediately and withdrew to guard the door personally.
The door remained open, for the Empress Dowager, having lived deep in the palace for years, knew that an open door was better for handling unexpected situations.
"I've noticed Haoyue has targeted you multiple times. Do you know why?"
Hua Zhi lowered her voice as well. "Haoyue has an unusual obsession with Yan Xi. Yan Xi once mentioned that when they first met in Yuzhou, she seemed to know him quite well. She even assisted in the matter concerning Yuan Shifang. She... claims to be skilled in prophecy and once predicted a major flood in Xiangyang that would cause tens of thousands of casualties. Later, Yan Xi and I reflected that if we hadn't happened to be in Xiangyang and made some preparations, such casualties might indeed have occurred."
The Empress Dowager frowned deeply. "Can she truly prophesy?"
"I don't think so." Hua Zhi's tone was firm. "We tested her several times afterward. Most of what she mentioned had already happened, and the outcomes differed from her predictions. At that time, Yan Xi had her detained, so she had no contact with the outside world and was poorly informed. If she could truly prophesy, how could that be?"
"Does she have another source of information?"
"That's why Yan Xi has always been suspicious of her."
The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, her brow still furrowed. If this were true, Haoyue was extremely dangerous. Such a person remaining in the palace, and now highly favored by the Emperor, was unsettling to even think about.
If she only harmed the Emperor, it might be tolerable—after all, he was already acting foolishly even without her influence. But what if she used the Emperor to achieve some other goal? The Empress Dowager regretted not dealing with Haoyue directly during the New Year's incident, which would have saved so much trouble.
"So, Haoyue targets you because of your relationship with Yan Xi?"
"I can't think of any other reason."
"This is truly..." The Empress Dowager shook her head. If the Emperor learned of these twists and turns, who knew how he would view Yan Xi? That Haoyue was nothing but a scourge!
"Empress Dowager, you must guard against her. I suspect she knows some medicine. When she first operated outside as the Seven Stars Cult Leader, she concocted some kind of potion. By the way, Yan Xi mentioned bringing it back for Yu Lao to examine. Do you remember Yu Lao?"Old Yu stroked his beard, "I remember, that was actually a mild tonic formula, and its effects aren't bad either."
A sudden inspiration struck Hua Zhi, and she sat up slightly. "Is it possible she just happens to have a few decent formulas? Maybe she only knows some superficial medicine?"
"What medical skills could she possibly have?" Shaoyao snorted. "There's not a trace of medicinal scent on her. Hua Hua, smell me—every piece of clothing I wear carries the scent of medicine, no amount of incense can cover it."
Shaoyao really did lean in front of Hua Zhi, who laughed and humored her by actually taking a sniff. "The medicinal scent on you is so strong you could brew a whole bowl of medicine from it."
Shaoyao lifted her chin, though no one knew what she was so proud of.
The Empress Dowager watched with a smile, feeling even more fond of Hua Zhi. You don't need to see much to judge a person's character—just observe how they treat those around them. This Hua Zhi was a good one.
"Your Majesty, you must be especially careful with your daily food and drink. Shaoyao, you should frequently inspect everything thoroughly. Don't give that Haoyue any opportunity. Right now, you're the only one in the palace who can keep her in check. She might very well set her sights on you."
The Empress Dowager's smile turned cold, her eyes sharp as knives. "This old one understands. But it won't be so easy for her to move against me. The women in the palace come and go, but their methods remain the same. When it comes to this, I am their grandmaster."
Suddenly, Shaoyao pressed Hua Zhi back down to lie properly. "Hua Hua, don't push yourself. You've just woken up—of course you're dizzy. Rest a while before going to apologize, it's not too late."
The others understood her meaning. The Empress Dowager continued along this line, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere else? Lying on the ground in this cold weather for so long must have let the chill enter your body. You need to properly drive out the cold."
Shaoyao stood up, "I've already prepared ginger sugar water. Hua Hua, wait here, I'll go get it."
By now, the footsteps outside were very distinct. She charged out furiously, while Haoyue pitifully hid behind the Emperor.
The Emperor reached out to stop her, "Enough, enough, what kind of behavior is this?"
Shaoyao glared, "Your Majesty, have you already believed her side of the story after hearing only her account?"
"..." The suddenly thoughtful Shaoyao left the Emperor speechless.
"Did she say Hua Hua was disrespectful to her? Did she say Hua Hua was putting on an act just to frame her? Did she say I didn't believe her and treated her poorly?" Shaoyao sneered, "Hua Hua has been injured three times. The first time, she encountered someone being pursued by the Seven Constellation Bureau at her family's estate. Someone who could escape from Yan Ge's hands—you can imagine how formidable they were. Hua Zhi held on until Yan Ge arrived, but she suffered multiple stab wounds."
The Empress Dowager came out of the room and listened quietly.
"The second time was in Zhenyang. Hua Hua went there for business negotiations. Local bullies tried to force a sale and even attempted to disrespect her. If it were just some ruffians or hired guards, that would be one thing, but in the end, soldiers from the New Intent Battalion joined the attack. Hua Zhi was injured again."
"The third injury was at Yinshan Pass. Your second prince intended harm to the Hua family. Hua Zhi risked her life to protect them, barely surviving. It took half a month before she could get out of bed. For a whole year, she spent half of it taking medicine. Yet she still had to give her all to the tasks you assigned. When you asked her to answer questions and resolve doubts, she stood for an hour—already at the end of her strength. But your beloved consort deliberately waited there, expecting Hua Hua to perform the full kneeling ceremony to her, and used that to accuse her."Shaoyao stared fixedly at the Emperor. "Have you also come to accuse me?"
PS: Will update the rest later.
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