Chapter 90: The Big Picture
Hua Zhi slept deeply and for a long time, only opening her eyes the next afternoon, her mind blank and unaware of the time.
"Hua Hua, you're awake!" Shaoyao threw herself onto her, wearing a wronged expression. She had been threatened by Yan Ge multiple times, but Hua Hua really was just sleeping!
As her thoughts fully returned, Hua Zhi sat up and glanced at the window, where the snow-white light indicated it was already broad daylight.
"What time is it?"
"Past the hour of Shen. Are you hungry? Get up quickly. There's hot water in the room for you to wash up. I'll go fetch the meal."
Watching her skip to the door, open it, then turn back to grab her Veiled Hat and put it on, Hua Zhi smiled. She lounged against the headboard for a while, feeling as if her bones had softened from sleeping too long.
After eating more than usual, Hua Zhi finally felt some strength return to her body.
Gu Yanxi entered with a teapot, timing it perfectly. Inside was the fine tea leaves he had taken from Wu Yong the previous night.
Hua Zhi had a natural connoisseur's palate and could immediately tell this was excellent tea. Without asking where it came from, she finished one cup and poured herself another, taking the initiative.
A smile flickered in Gu Yanxi's eyes, and his tone softened considerably. "Fourth Master has gone to the yamen. Before leaving, he said all the Hua family members are busy during the day and told you to rest well. Today, he will try to have your father return home early. In two days, it will be the rest day, and everyone can have a proper talk then."
Hua Zhi nodded in understanding. Looking at this Lu Xiansheng, who always remained composed, she asked, "Lu Xiansheng seems very familiar with this place."
"I've been here before. Feel free to ask me anything, Miss. I will share all I know."
"What concerns me is how to make my family suffer less hardship. Does Lu Xiansheng have a solution?"
Gu Yanxi met Hua Zhi's unwavering eyes through the steam. "Miss, you worry too much. Before you arrived, the Hua family did not suffer losses. In a short time, they even managed to place several people in lighter duties. If the men still need a junior like you to protect them, where would that leave their pride?"
Hua Zhi was left speechless. Indeed, they were not womenfolk needing her protection. Before the Hua family's downfall, they had upheld the family's sky, sheltering her in wealth and stability for fifteen years.
Hua Zhi stood and curtsied to Gu Yanxi. "Thank you for the reminder, Lu Xiansheng. I was mistaken."
Gu Yanxi gestured for her to rise. "No need for that. Miss, you only care deeply for your family."
Sitting back down, she took a few sips of tea and refilled Gu Yanxi's cup before asking about something else. "Is Yinshan Pass safe?"
"What Miss truly wants to know is whether the tribes beyond the pass show signs of invading, right?" Seeing Hua Zhi nod, Gu Yanxi smiled. "The northern side is relatively stable, but the eastern side is uneasy."
Relatively stable meant not entirely secure. As for the eastern side...
Hua Zhi thought back to her childhood. Her grandfather had personally educated her, and once he deemed she had learned all the characters, he had her study history books just like the male students in the Hua Clan School. As she grew older, he spread out topographic maps to teach her geography and local customs, making her understand that the world was not limited to the sky above the inner chambers, nor was it only the Daqing Kingdom. Beyond lay vast territories larger than Daqing, where countries were not wealthy, and the people were not prosperous. The flourishing Daqing Kingdom was like a piece of fat meat in their eyes.Beyond the nomadic tribes known for their formidable combat skills and reliance on water sources, there were two countries outside the frontier: the Flame Country to the south, and the former dynasty, the Chao Li Tribe, which had been driven beyond the passes by the Great Qing.
The Chao Li Tribe originally hailed from beyond the frontier and had once occupied the Central Plains for nearly a century. During that time, they nearly destroyed the foundations of the Central Plains, severing the inheritance of its splendid culture and burning countless classical texts and ancient books. To control the Central Plains, they eradicated the sages and forced scholars of the era to conceal their identities, with exposure leading to arrest and execution. It was a dark age, and it took the Great Qing Dynasty many years to restore vitality to the Central Plains.
Today, the Chao Li Tribe, located east of the Great Qing, frequently engages in border skirmishes with the dynasty. For over a hundred years, the most powerful military forces of the Great Qing have been stationed at the Shou'ai Pass in the east, commanded by leaders of exceptional ability. Regardless of who sat on the throne, this fact was always well understood.
Her grandfather had once taught in the imperial study and told her that the first lesson for all members of the royal family was not the study of the sages, but a thorough understanding of the history of the former dynasty—a strict rule established by the founding emperor.
Over the 170 years of the Great Qing Dynasty, not every emperor had been a visionary, but even the most incompetent had never erred in their appointments to the Shou'ai Pass.
That century was a pain shared by all people of the Central Plains.
Hua Zhi was naturally aware of the threat the Chao Li Tribe posed to the Great Qing, but her attention was most drawn to the overly docile south. She had sought out and read every book she could find about the Flame Country.
Dipping her finger in tea, Hua Zhi used it as a brush on the table, drawing a layout of pentagrams, triangles, squares, rectangles, and a central circle. Gu Yanxi understood instantly and moved to stand behind her.
Hua Zhi seemed unaware, connecting and crowding various shapes together until the table was covered.
Then she swept her hand across the table, smearing the water stains into a blur.
Gu Yanxi had already grasped her meaning. Instead of returning to his seat, he stood by the window, peering through a crack at the people passing outside.
Not just him—the entire court was vigilant against the north, the east, and even the tribes to the west, but no one had considered the possibility of trouble from the south. The Flame Country had been too quiet for too long; its last conflict with the Great Qing had occurred forty years ago. In recent years, the two countries had engaged in exchanges, appearing almost like allies.
"I've read many books over the years, and Grandfather never hesitated to discuss court affairs with me. I’ve found the Flame Country particularly intriguing," Hua Zhi said, smoothing her sleeves as if commenting on the pleasant weather. "For fifteen consecutive years, the Flame Country has used grain to express goodwill and strengthen ties between our nations—no, including this year, it’s sixteen. Each time, the Emperor’s gifts in return far exceeded the value of that grain, and he has granted most of their requests, as long as they weren’t excessive. For example, he generously gave them a small iron mine discovered on the border, insignificant to the Great Qing."
Guuanxi turned around. "It is indeed small—even privately mined by nobles, the deposits are larger. Its output can’t produce many weapons. Their claim is that they need it for farming tools to cultivate fertile land."
"Not many weapons, but what about arrowheads?" Hua Zhi stood up, facing him directly. "The Flame Country abounds in bamboo of various types, one of which has excellent texture, ideal for making bows and arrows. Its only drawback is that the arrowheads lack sufficient hardness, reducing their lethality."Hua Zhi smiled serenely, "Flame Country can harvest three crops of grain a year. Trading what they consider cheap grain for iron ore is such a lucrative deal that even I'm tempted."
Gu Yanxi knew he should immediately report this matter to minimize any potential crisis. Yet as he looked at Hua Zhi, not a single thought of official business crossed his mind - his heart and eyes were completely filled with wild notions. This woman was destined to be his in life, and even in death, they should be buried together!
PS: Suddenly got a great idea for a contemporary romance, while Hua Zhi's story has only just begun, haha.
Seems most readers prefer plot-driven stories. Tsk, truly my dear readers! So taking advantage of your preferences, here's another main plot chapter - finally from the female lead's perspective. Sorry to those who prefer romance-focused plots! After all, I'm a plot-driven writer - you've really put up with a lot following my works.
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