ODF Chapter 23

Shen Lingzhen’s eyelids were battling to stay open, her vision already too blurry to make out the figure before her. She mumbled, “If I follow you… will there be wine?” Then her head lolled to the side and landed heavily on Huo Liuxing’s shoulder. She was completely unconscious.

For a moment, Huo Liuxing didn’t know whether to be angry or amused.

Apparently, that jar of lychee wine had unearthed the hidden rogue spirit buried deep inside this refined young lady.

Expressionless, Huo Liuxing reached out with one finger and nudged her head off his shoulder, gently laying her down on the bed. He pulled the quilt over her, then reached behind her neck, fingers searching for the Fengchi acupoint, and began to massage it in slow circles.

In her sleep, Shen Lingzhen seemed to feel the discomfort. She squirmed and whimpered, quickly kicking off the quilt with an irritated pout.

This girl was surprisingly hard to care for.

Huo Liuxing tucked the quilt around her again, used his elbow to steady her shoulder, and resumed massaging.

But she shook her head and twisted away, clearly unwilling to be touched, her expression full of disdain, as if he really were some uncouth brute.

Huo Liuxing shook his head. “Fine, I won’t bother with you. When you wake up tomorrow, the headache will be yours to deal with.” He stood and turned to leave, but after just two steps, he came back, pointed at her, and said, “I’m not someone who hesitates or second-guesses. I will do it just this once.”

Shen Lingzhen couldn’t be bothered to listen to his muttering, she was fast asleep, clearly lost in a pleasant dream. She even stuck out her tongue to lick her lips, revealing a look of pure satisfaction.

Huo Liuxing glanced at her bright, glistening lips, then awkwardly turned his head away, focusing instead on massaging the Fengchi acupoint at the base of her skull.

Only after the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn did he return to his wheelchair and call for Jian Jia and Bailu. “Prepare some hangover soup early tomorrow. As soon as she wakes, make sure she drinks it.”

Bailu responded with a crisp “Yes.” Jian Jia, seeing he was about to leave, hesitated. “Young Master, will you not be staying in Young Mistress’s room tonight?”

Huo Liuxing glanced at Shen Lingzhen. “No.” Who knows if she’ll start calling me ‘Father’ again. And a father certainly shouldn’t be sleeping in his daughter’s room.

At that thought, he paused in wheeling himself away and asked, “Do I look anything like your Duke?”

Jian Jia and Bailu were stunned, then shook their heads in unison. “Young Master, how could you resemble the Duke…”

Huo Liuxing gave a soft “Oh,” and left the room.

Drunken words, deceitful words.

Shen Lingzhen slept deeply and woke the next day groggy and disoriented. For a moment, she thought she was back at the Duke’s manor. Only after taking in the sparse, austere furnishings did she realize where she was.

Following Huo Liuxing’s instructions from the night before, Jian Jia promptly brought her the hangover soup. “Young Madam, you’re finally awake. The sun’s already high, it’s nearly lunchtime. Please drink this soup.”

Shen Lingzhen rubbed her eyes. “How did I sleep so long…” She looked down at the bowl of dark red tea. “What kind of soup is this?”

“It’s hangover soup. You drank too much lychee wine last night and passed out. Don’t you remember?”

Shen Lingzhen blinked in confusion, pressing her temples, trying to recall the scattered fragments in her mind. “I only remember seeing my father…” Then she paused, realizing how absurd that sounded. “Must’ve been a dream. He was traveling all over in it… and he looked young again, no beard…”

Jian Jia seemed to connect the dots. “Young Madam, you must’ve been completely drunk. Young Master came to see you last night and stayed with you for quite a while. Afterwards, he asked us if he looked anything like the Duke…”

Shen Lingzhen gasped. “Don’t tell me I mistook my husband for my father and acted like a drunken fool in front of him?”

“Judging by Young Master’s expression when he left… it didn’t look too good.”

Shen Lingzhen’s face flushed instantly. She’d read plenty of essays describing drunkards in miscellaneous books before. Without exception, they were all shameless and repulsive. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she’d one day become one herself.

She pressed the back of her hand to her burning cheeks, pinched her nose, and downed the hangover soup. Then she hurriedly dressed and washed up, skipping breakfast entirely as she rushed off to apologize to Huo Liuxing.

But as she reached the courtyard gate, hesitation crept in. What if she’d done something truly outrageous last night and Huo Liuxing was still angry?

She tiptoed to the moon gate and peeked inside, lingered for a moment, then retreated again. After a while, she gathered her courage and stepped forward once more.

This back-and-forth repeated several times, and just as she was caught in this awkward dance of advance and retreat, Kongqing strolled over cheerfully. “Young Madam, Young Master asked me to come see you and ask if you are trying to control a flood?”

Her mind still muddled from the hangover, Shen Lingzhen blinked in confusion. “Is there a flood somewhere? Is it serious?”

Kongqing paused, then burst out laughing. “Young Madam’s concern for the people is truly touching. But rest assured, there’s no flood. It’s just that you’ve passed by the gate three times without entering, just like the legendary Yu the Great[mfn]Yu the Great was so devoted to his mission of taming the floods that, according to legend, he passed by his own home three times without ever going in, because he was too busy[/mfn], who tamed the waters.”

“…” Shen Lingzhen forced a dry laugh. “Young Master has quite the sense of humor.”

She beckoned Kongqing closer and whispered, “Tell me, did Young Master say anything to you after leaving my courtyard last night?”

He did, actually, things like asking with a face dark as ink whether he was some uncouth brute, or just a pretty face with no substance.

But Kongqing couldn’t betray his master. He shook his head. “Young Master didn’t say anything.”

If that were truly the case, the phrasing should’ve been “didn’t say much,” not this overly deliberate “didn’t say anything.”

Shen Lingzhen’s brows drooped. She figured Kongqing was trying to spare her feelings. Huo Liuxing must really be upset.

She asked again, “Then how’s his mood today?”

“He wasn’t looking too well earlier,” Kongqing scratched his head, hesitant to say she’d been sneaking around, so he settled for a gentler phrase, “but seeing you here, so cautious and careful, made Young Master laugh. He’s about to have lunch. If you haven’t eaten yet, why not join him?”

Shen Lingzhen followed Kongqing into Huo Liuxing’s room.

The moment she stepped inside, she heard his deep, commanding voice: “Anyone who acts improperly, once caught, they’re to be expelled from the manor.”

Having just acted improperly the night before, Shen Lingzhen froze behind the screen, not daring to move forward. She waited until the room fell silent, then tiptoed a few steps closer and peeked out from behind the screen, revealing half her head.

And promptly locked eyes with Huo Liuxing.

She gave a nervous little laugh. “Husband.”

“What are you doing hiding back there?”

“I heard you were dealing with someone who made a mistake… I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Huo Liuxing closed the ledger in his hand and handed it to Jingmo, his words crisp and cold: “Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.”

Shen Lingzhen, who now saw herself as the monkey, felt her heart tremble.

Huo Liuxing glanced at her, puzzled.

Ever since uncovering a spy during their visit to the Shen residence, he’d been quietly investigating the rest of the household. Given how constrained he was on all sides, he couldn’t afford to make any bold moves. An all-out purge would raise too many suspicions. So he had to take his time and observe carefully.

He had no idea why Shen Lingzhen looked so guilty.

He beckoned her over. “Come eat.”

Shen Lingzhen shuffled forward in tiny steps, but didn’t sit down. Instead, she lowered her head and twisted her fingers nervously. “Young Master… they say to recognize one’s mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. Would you forgive someone who truly wants to change?”

“The mistake always repeats. People like that aren’t worth forgiving.” Huo Liuxing tapped his knuckles on the table, signaling her to sit.

Shen Lingzhen’s delicate face scrunched up like a bitter melon. “I won’t sit. I’ll serve you instead. I need to prove to you that I’m worth forgiving.” With that, she picked up a clean pair of chopsticks and, recalling how others had once served her, began piling food into Huo Liuxing’s bowl.

When the dishes were stacked into a miniature mountain, Huo Liuxing finally understood the source of her nervous energy. He glanced sideways at her. “So you do remember what happened last night?”

Under his sharp gaze, Shen Lingzhen stiffened. She figured pretending to forget would only make things worse, so she nodded decisively. “I remember. I told you I have a very good memory.”

“Then you understand what I meant?”

Her eyes darted quickly. “I understand. I understand everything.”

Huo Liuxing had intended to revisit the question she’d dodged the night before, but seeing her so obedient now, he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. They were married, after all. If she didn’t follow him, where else could she go?

He said, “Sit down and eat.”

“Then… you’ve forgiven me for last night’s recklessness?”

“I have.”

Only then did Shen Lingzhen take her seat. Since she’d just claimed to remember everything, she couldn’t very well ask for details now. So she quietly picked up her chopsticks and nibbled on a slice of sweet-and-sour lotus root.

Huo Liuxing glanced at her. “Any headache this morning?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “Strangely enough, I’ve heard people always get headaches after drinking, but I feel perfectly fine. Could I be… naturally gifted?”

Thinking of the effort he’d spent massaging her acupoint  the night before, Huo Liuxing gave her a sidelong look. “Clearly. You should drink more next time, it might unlock new potential.”

Shen Lingzhen shook her head like a rattle drum. “No more. I wouldn’t dare.”

Watching her bury her head in her food with guilty determination, Huo Liuxing shook his own head. She really did feel more like a daughter than a wife sometimes.

As lunch neared its end, Kongqing arrived, oddly, not for Huo Liuxing, but for Shen Lingzhen. “Young Madam, Second Miss is outside asking for you.”

Before she could respond, Huo Liuxing cut in coldly. “She’s been clinging to you quite diligently lately.” So diligently, in fact, that she’d dared to sell even his handwriting.

“She’s just bored, stuck at home all day. And I happen to be free,” Shen Lingzhen explained, then turned to Kongqing. “Does Second Miss need something?”

“She says she wants to go out to the market later. First Miss is still recovering and doesn’t feel up to it, so she came to ask if you’d like to join her.”

Shen Lingzhen’s eyes lit up, then dimmed again. She glanced sideways at Huo Liuxing.

Though the northwest wasn’t strict about gender segregation, she’d grown up in Bianjing, where women didn’t just go out on a whim. She wasn’t used to making such decisions herself.

Huo Liuxing looked out the window at the blazing sun. “It’s scorching out. You won’t get heatstroke?”

“I’m not that…”

“Delicate,” he was about to say, but Shen Lingzhen reconsidered. She’d had heatstroke before in summer. “Alright, I won’t go.”

“You’re really giving up just because of one bad experience?”

Shen Lingzhen stared at him, puzzled. Why was Huo Liuxing suddenly acting like her father, so fussy and overprotective?

She pouted. “This isn’t allowed, that’s not allowed, what am I supposed to do then?”

“Drink some cooling tea before you go.”

Her face lit up instantly. “You’re truly full of clever ideas.” Then she turned to Kongqing. “Tell Second Miss I’ll be there shortly.”

Huo Liuxing thought for a moment, then turned to Jingmo. “The report from the Dingbian Army this morning, was it urgent?”

“No, but I just reviewed it and found a few suspicious points. You may want to look it over soon.”

“Then send a few guards to accompany them. Make sure they’re safe.”

Only then did Shen Lingzhen realize his true intention. “Young Master, you don’t need to worry. Just focus on your official duties while we’re out. Without you, the streets are perfectly safe.”

“…” A classic case of biting the hand that feeds you.

Jingmo thought to himself: Young Madam’s words may be blunt, but they weren’t entirely wrong.

Huo Liuxing didn’t bother responding. He left the table after eating just enough to feel sated and returned to his study, picking up the report Jingmo had organized.

He read for most of the afternoon.

When he finally set the documents aside, he unfurled a sheepskin map and began tracing it with his finger, his brow slowly furrowing.

Jingmo reported: “The Yan and Hong provinces in Western Qiang have been suffering drought for over a month. In the past few weeks, starving refugees from both regions have repeatedly harassed the border, with frequent looting. The local commander has had to suppress more than a dozen uprisings. Western Qiang’s court has yet to implement any meaningful resettlement measures. Relief efforts are extremely ineffective. It’s unclear whether this is due to corruption among lower officials or deliberate neglect from above. Young Master, do you think there’s something suspicious here?”

“It’s hard to say for sure based on this alone,” Huo Liuxing replied, “but the locations of those dozen uprisings are telling.” He pointed to the map, marking each spot. “They’re all along border zones with relatively weak military presence. And the tactics are classic diversionary feints. Someone’s playing a clever game of misdirection.”

If these were ordinary refugees, they wouldn’t be so precise in their movements, nor would they coordinate so seamlessly.

“Then it really is possible that soldiers have infiltrated the refugee groups, using the natural disaster as cover for a larger scheme?” Jingmo frowned. “But what exactly are the Western Qiang people plotting?”

Huo Liuxing furrowed his brow, silent.

Ten years ago, Western Qiang seized Hexi and tasted victory. Since then, they’d grown increasingly greedy, launching open attacks and covert strikes with alarming frequency.

Yet the Emperor, plagued by his own inner demons, not only refrained from reclaiming Hexi, but continued to assign civil officials from the capital to the border regions, deliberately restraining the military commanders.

Now, Huo Liuxing’s father was already sixty and his body was worn down by years of battle. He could barely hold on. And Huo Liuxing himself, outwardly seen as a cripple, was naturally dismissed.

There were few capable generals left at the frontier. Western Qiang’s growing restlessness was hardly surprising.

Jingmo sighed again. “Though the report doesn’t mention it outright, I suspect that Commander has been exhausting himself this past month. He may already be at his limit. If Western Qiang are deliberately delaying disaster relief… at this rate…”

“If it were the old days, I’d go myself.”

Years ago, Huo Liuxing hadn’t always been confined to the manor. In times of crisis, he’d risked venturing out.

But now, with the Emperor just beginning to reconsider the Huo family’s usefulness, and countless eyes watching his every move, not to mention the lingering threat Zhao Xun had planted within the Huo estate, if he disappeared for ten days or more, it would surely raise suspicion.

Just as he was at a loss, a sudden clang echoed through the room. The study window had been slammed shut by the wind.

Huo Liuxing turned toward the sound, walked over, and pushed the window open. He reached out to feel the breeze, eyes narrowing at the rolling clouds gathering on the horizon. His expression darkened. “This morning, were the flowers and plants in the courtyard damp with dew?”

“Yes,” Jingmo replied. “It was quite cool earlier.”

Huo Liuxing’s expression grew grave. “Has Young Madam returned?”

“She should still be out,” Jingmo replied, glancing at the wind picking up outside. “Don’t worry, Young Master. The servants prepared umbrellas for her and Second Miss, they won’t be caught in the rain.”

Huo Liuxing shook his head. “Send riders immediately. Find them in the marketplace and get them into a sturdy building. Also dispatch guards to help evacuate the townspeople. Notify the prefect, disaster preparations must begin.”

Jingmo froze. “Disaster?”

“Hail is coming.”

In the northwest, hail during summer’s sharp temperature shifts was common. They were usually harmless pellets that came once or twice a year.

But if it warranted the word “disaster,” then the hailstones were likely large enough to destroy roofs, kill livestock, and ruin crops.

The Huo household erupted into motion.

Huo Shuyi immediately tried to rush out to find Huo Miaoling, but Huo Liuxing stopped her. “I’ve already sent Jingmo. If you go now, you’ll only add to the chaos. Better to help coordinate with the neighbors. Every household spared is a victory.”

She nodded, donned protective gear, and dashed out.

In the front hall, Yu Wanjiang’s face had gone pale.

Beside him, Huo Liuxing’s brows were tightly knit. He’d studied weather patterns during his years on campaign, his predictions were rarely wrong. This time, he hoped he was.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, the sky darkened in an instant. A crack of thunder split the air, followed by a deafening cascade of sound overhead.

Huo Shuyi had just stepped under the covered corridor when she turned and saw the sky blanketed with hailstones the size of chicken eggs. She was stunned, then rushed into the front hall in a panic. “Mother! Brother! Have you found Miaoling?”

Her voice was drowned out by the deafening roar of hail. Huo Liuxing and Yu Wanjiang stood silently, eyes fixed on the storm outside.

Huo Shuyi clenched her fists, pacing anxiously across the hall. The relentless sound of hail made her heart burn with worry. In all her years, she’d never seen hailstones this large. A storm like this could punch through the roofs of ordinary homes. Anyone caught outside might truly be gravely injured.

After half a stick of incense’s time, the wind and rain began to ease.

Huo Shuyi gritted her teeth. “I’m going to find Miaoling.”

Just as she turned to leave, Kongqing burst in, leaping over the shattered hailstones in two strides. “Madam! Young Master! Eldest Miss! Young Madam and Second Miss are back!”

They’d arrived just as the hailstorm hit? Yu Wanjiang’s face turned pale. “Is Miaoling hurt?”

“Second Miss is fine,” Kongqing panted, “but she was crying and told me Young Madam was struck. Her head’s bleeding!”

Huo Liuxing shot to his feet.

Yu Wanjiang was stunned for a moment, then called out in alarm. “Liuxing!”

Huo Shuyi’s eyes widened, her jaw slack as she stared at Huo Liuxing’s retreating figure. “Brother…”

Huo Liuxing’s body stiffened. He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Kongqing, momentarily dazed, sprang forward and—bang—slammed him back into his wheelchair.

 

Author’s Note: Kongqing , a.k.a. Bruce Lee:  Hi-yah!