Hua Zhi looked toward the doorway at the person who had returned, the joy of their reunion still swelling in her chest, yet now mingled with such discomfort.
"I wasn't deceiving you—you really do resemble Mother." Gu Yanxi stepped inside. "When you were just a few months old, many people said you looked like Mother. Those who didn't know better thought you were her biological child. As you grew older, the resemblance only deepened. Mother even joked that you were originally meant to be reborn into her womb but missed the timing, so you had to settle for being born to a concubine, all just to become her daughter. Do you remember?"
Shaoyao remained clinging to Hua Hua without moving, but she nodded gently. She remembered. It was precisely because she remembered that Yan Ge's words had hurt her so deeply.
"I just... I just miss Mother."
"What a coincidence, so do I." Gu Yanxi walked over, raised his hand, paused mid-air for a moment, and then rested it on Shaoyao's head. "Before Mother passed, she left instructions: half of her jewelry is for you, and the other half is for my future wife. Later, I'll retrieve everything, and the two of you can divide it among yourselves."
Hua Zhi rolled her eyes at him. As if he really had a wife! His marital status was still unclear, wasn't it?
"I'll only keep a few pieces as mementos. The rest can all go to Hua Hua."
"..." Listening to their back-and-forth, Hua Zhi lightly patted Shaoyao's head, pushed her into a nearby chair to sit, and asked Bao Xia to fetch hot water.
Only after Shaoyao had composed herself and dried her tears did the three of them have time to catch up.
"Right now, whether I'm here or not makes little difference. I might as well take advantage of this bit of free time to get some fresh air. The Emperor wouldn't refuse me at a time like this."
Gu Yanxi naturally understood what she meant. Indeed, in the Emperor's eyes, A Zhi's actions this time could be considered highly tactful.
"You can't stay long."
Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. Was he kicking her out?
"Last time you came, you used the Hua family name. It's not a common surname, and since you're from the capital, it's easy for people to connect you to the Hua family. If you had only come that one time, others might have assumed you were here for leisure. But if you show up at this critical juncture, they're bound to speculate." Though he should have been troubled, an inappropriate smile crept onto Gu Yanxi's face. "The nature of our relationship has already spread. I wouldn't say everyone knows, but those with ulterior motives certainly do. For your safety, it's better to keep your distance."
"Have you been keeping a low profile?"
"I have many faces."
Oh, so having multiple identities makes you special? Hua Zhi was displeased. She hadn't even warmed her seat, and he was already urging her to leave!
Gu Yanxi glanced at Shaoyao, who glared back at him. Still, she played the role of the considerate little sister, stepping outside and wisely closing the door behind her.
Sitting down beside A Zhi, Gu Yanxi took her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. "You have no idea how overjoyed I was when I saw you earlier. I thought I was hallucinating from missing you too much. But Jin Yang right now is like a pot of oil simmering over a fire. Normally, I'd worry if you so much as sneezed too often—how could I bear to let you simmer in that pot of oil too?"
Hua Zhi glanced at him sideways, her demeanor entirely that of a coy young woman. "And do you think I can bear to let you simmer in it?""My skin is thick and my flesh is tough, I can take it." Gu Yanxi's eyes and brows couldn't conceal his smile as he kissed her palm again. "Our previous suspicions were correct—the mastermind behind Jin Yang is indeed the Chao Li Tribe. Jin Yang is very likely their stronghold. I've already tracked some of their movements, but we're still not quite ready to capture them all in one sweep."
"How far along are we now? Have you made contact with them?"
"I had Peng Fangming tell Zheng Xing that he doesn't deal with puppets put on display."
Hua Zhi's lovely brows furrowed. "Won't they become suspicious?"
"If anyone else said this, they would be suspicious. But not when Peng Fangming says it—he's suffered losses at the hands of the Zhu Family before. Given this opportunity, anyone would want to pay back what they've suffered. But Zhu Ling is an official figure—he can't possibly sign. So who will come instead?"
"Are you trying to force the real owner of their gambling den to reveal themselves?"
Gu Yanxi shook his head. "Isn't the real owner the Chao Li Tribe? The one running the gambling den is Zeng Xianglin, the eldest son of the Zeng family. It was by following him that I managed to track the Chao Li Tribe's movements. He's very cautious."
Hua Zhi wondered if she had been on the boat for too long and gotten dizzy—otherwise, why couldn't she figure out Yan Xi's plan?
Gu Yanxi rarely saw A Zhi looking so troubled. He watched her with amusement for a while before reminding her, "What is the Chao Li Tribe's purpose in Jin Yang?"
"To rake in silver..." Hua Zhi immediately understood. "You think they'll be interested in Peng Fangming's financial channel?"
"More precisely, they're interested in the playing cards and mahjong. Without seeing it with your own eyes, you can't imagine how crazy these games can make people. Gambling dens are usually busy at night with few visitors during the day. Jin Yang is a bit better—they basically don't open in the morning. But since these two games appeared in Peng Fangming's three new gambling dens, they haven't closed their doors. If you go too late at night, you can't even get in."
Hua Zhi grew more concerned. "After this is resolved... what then? Won't the people of Jin Yang just be jumping from the wolf's den into the tiger's mouth?"
"Sacrificing one place to protect the whole country—there's no better solution. Since I'm involved in this karma now, I won't abandon them afterward."
Hua Zhi thought she probably wouldn't find another man more responsible than Yan Xi. He coldly talked about sacrificing one place, but then turned around and shouldered them as his responsibility.
Well, let's shoulder it together then. It's nothing major—where there's a will, there's a way. When there's a new person on the throne, when the world is at peace, when there are no internal troubles or external threats, how could we not solve Jin Yang's problems?
However, "We haven't seen each other for days, and you haven't even given me a meal—just talking about these depressing matters here. Yan Xi, tell me the truth—are you actually treating me like a brother?"
Gu Yanxi leaned in and gave her a kiss, sucking on her lips until they swelled before releasing her, using action to show exactly how he regarded her.
"I'm hungry..." Shaoyao's feeble voice came from outside the door, accompanied by scratching sounds that completely shattered the intimate atmosphere between them.
Smoothing her hair at the temples, Hua Zhi stood up, pulled the man's collar to make him lower his head, gave a smacking kiss at the corner of his mouth, then walked past him toward the door.
The smile in Gu Yanxi's eyes deepened. His A Zhi was truly one of a kind.After the meal, Hua Zhi voiced her opinion, "I actually think there's no need to be so overly cautious. I'm just a woman—in men's eyes, a woman who can't accomplish much. Even if I have some reputation, it's only in business. I have ample reason for coming to Jin Yang."
Meeting Yan Xi's gaze, Hua Zhi smiled slyly, "Didn't you previously expand the mushroom trade to Jin Yang? Isn't it perfectly justified for me to come inspect my own business?"
"A Zhi..."
"I'm not here for leisure. If I wanted amusement, I wouldn't have come to Jin Yang." Hua Zhi's smile faded. "The Chao Li Tribe is lurking in the shadows, and Jin Yang is a place they've long plotted against, with accomplices by their side. I'm afraid you might suffer losses. Though I can't be of great help here, when troubles arise we can at least consult each other. Moreover, I can stay by your side—I want to stay by your side."
"But Jin Yang is dangerous..."
"If I were in danger, would you abandon me and flee alone? I know you wouldn't, and neither would I."
Gu Yanxi thought that all the luck in his lifetime had probably been spent on meeting A Zhi.
PS: Every time I say I'll set aside that chapter, I end up rewriting it, but I feel this version is better. Here's some candy with a few shards of glass mixed in for everyone.
OpenNovel