Chapter Sixty-One: The Love of Dongfang Zhiyi

Night had fallen over the capital. At the Dongfang family residence, Dongfang Yuyan, the nanny, hurried toward the study of Dongfang Shiguo. She knocked softly, knowing the elder was still awake.

"Come in," came the authoritative voice from within.

Dongfang Yuyan entered, her expression tight with anxiety. The elder was seated, reading a copy of *The Art of War*. He did not look up as he asked, "Yuyan, has something happened?"

"Master, indeed, there is trouble," she replied respectfully.

Dongfang Shiguo looked up, his eyes flashing with intensity. "What is it?" He knew Yuyan was a woman of great composure; for her to disturb him at such an hour meant the situation was critical.

"Reports have just arrived," she said urgently. "This afternoon in Deqing, the grandson of Elder Lu from the Military Commission had his eyes gouged out."

Dongfang Shiguo burst into a hearty laugh, a sudden wave of satisfaction washing over him. For years, Lu Guoliang had paraded his military achievements, ruthlessly suppressing other officials. Though the Dongfang family had stepped back from active politics, their influence and protégés remained, and they had suffered heavy losses under Lu’s shadow.

Still smiling, he asked, "Whose handiwork was it?"

Dongfang Yuyan’s expression turned complex. "Neither side."

Startled, Dongfang Shiguo pressed, "Then who? To have the audacity to do this—that is no simple feat."

"Master, it was Zhuo Nan," Yuyan said, a note of pity in her voice. By crippling the grandson of the powerful Elder Lu, Zhuo Nan had effectively ruined his own life.

"What?" Dongfang Shiguo could hardly believe it. "You mean Zhuo Nan?"

Yuyan nodded firmly. Dongfang Shiguo sighed. "The boy is a talent. What a pity, what a pity." He paused, then asked, "Does Zhiyi know?"

"Not yet," Yuyan replied, "but she will by tomorrow. The news is spreading like wildfire through the capital; it cannot be kept from her for long." She added with a pained look, "Master, ever since the young lady returned from Deqing, she has been melancholy. She barely eats, just sighs and stares into space. I know she is thinking of Zhuo Nan. If she learns of this, I fear..." She trailed off, noticing the darkening expression on the elder's face.

"The debt our family owed Zhuo Nan has been repaid," Dongfang Shiguo said coldly. "He has no further connection to the Dongfang family."

"But Master..." He waved her off, his face weary. "Go, Yuyan. I am tired. Keep a close watch on her."

Yuyan sighed, praying the young lady wouldn't do anything foolish. She turned to leave, but as she opened the door, she froze. Dongfang Zhiyi was standing there in her nightgown, her face streaked with tears. "Miss..."

Zhiyi pushed past the nanny and rushed to her grandfather’s side. "Grandfather, I heard everything. Please, I beg you, save Zhuo Nan!"

Seeing his granddaughter’s tears, Dongfang Shiguo felt a sharp pang of pain. But what could he do? Intervening now meant a direct confrontation with the Lu family. For a boy like Zhuo Nan, it wasn't worth it. He shook his head painfully. "Zhiyi, it isn't that I don't want to, but I cannot. He has maimed the Lu family's grandson. Elder Lu will never let him go. We cannot afford an open war with them over one man."

"Grandfather, I know, but my life was saved by him! If not for Zhuo Nan, I would be dead. Please, I beg you!" Zhiyi dropped to her knees, looking up at him with desperate, tear-filled eyes.

Yuyan tried to lift her, but Zhiyi stubbornly shook her off.

Dongfang Shiguo looked at her, a sense of resentment rising within him. He had once held high hopes for Zhuo Nan, intending to bring him to the capital to groom him for the family business and eventually marry him to Zhiyi. But the boy had been ungrateful, rejecting his offers.

"Zhuo Nan saved you, yes," he said sharply, "but I fulfilled the two conditions I promised him. We owe him nothing now. I will not lift a finger."

"Grandfather..." Seeing his absolute resolve, Zhiyi stood up abruptly and snatched a pair of scissors from the desk, pointing them at her own chest.

"Miss!" Yuyan gasped, lunging forward.

Dongfang Shiguo was stunned. He had never imagined his granddaughter would go to such lengths.

"Don't come closer!" Zhiyi pressed the tips of the scissors into her chest; they had already pierced the fabric and broken the skin. Tears streamed down her face as she spoke with chilling finality. "Grandfather, please forgive my lack of filial piety. This is not a threat. Since I returned from Deqing, I have tried to forget him, but the more I try, the more he occupies my heart. When he threw himself in front of those gunmen for me, I knew I could never forget him. When a man is willing to die for a woman, her heart is his forever. Which of these pampered sons of the capital would do the same? They are nothing but parasites. If you do not save him, he will surely die. If he dies, I will accompany him. I did not get to be with him in life, but I will be with him in death. I love him. I truly love him."

She pushed harder, and blood began to seep from the wound.

Yuyan fell to her knees, sobbing. "Master, please, just agree to save him!"

Dongfang Shiguo sighed, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant. "Zhiyi, you were orphaned young; I have always loved you more than your cousins. You were always so bright. I wanted to bring him into this family, but he was too arrogant. He looked down on us." He looked at her, seeing her resolve, and continued, "I don't understand this young love, but you know he has a girlfriend. Can you guarantee he will be with you if I save him? Moreover, I need a reason to intervene. If he were my grandson-in-law, I could act, and the higher-ups would give me face. If he agrees to marry you, I will save him. If he refuses, do not blame me for being heartless—I will make his life a living hell."

Zhiyi understood. Her grandfather would act, but she could not guarantee Zhuo Nan’s heart. Yet, this was their only hope. "Grandfather, just save him. I will handle the rest."

"Get up," Dongfang Shiguo said with a weary sigh. "Yuyan, find out where he is being held."

Zhiyi slumped as her adrenaline faded, but Yuyan caught her. "Miss, I'm going, I'm going!"

With her grandfather's help, Zhiyi stood, her white nightgown now stained with red. "Grandfather, I'm sorry..."

He waved her off, silent. Yuyan dialed the phone, her expression growing increasingly panicked. "Miss, it's bad..."

She hung up, her face pale. "Master, he has been taken to 206."

"What?" Dongfang Shiguo gasped.

Zhiyi didn't know what "206" was, but the look of pure terror on her grandfather's face told her everything. Without hesitation, Dongfang Shiguo grabbed the phone and dialed a number. "This is Dongfang Shiguo! Connect me to the General Office of the Central Committee immediately!"