Although the four Madams had contributed from their personal savings, the concubines in each household made no move. They lacked the confidence of the Madams — money was the foundation of their future security, and they dared not be generous. Those with children fared slightly better; those without children, if they also had no silver in hand, felt their hearts fill with dread at the mere thought of it.

Hua Zhi had originally intended to bring up her own marriage, but upon seeing the weariness on her grandmother’s face, she held her tongue. “Let us stop here for today. Everyone, settle your minds these next few days and try not to overthink things.”

The assembled household took their leave one by one. Hua Zhi was the last to go. “Grandmother, please rest well. Above all else, your health must come first.”

The Old Madam looked at this granddaughter, whom she had never particularly distinguished before, and found that the more she looked, the more she liked what she saw. She patted the edge of the bed, beckoning her to sit, then drew out from beneath her pillow a ledger and a few keys, running her fingers gently over them with quiet feeling. “A stack of ledgers, a whole casket of storeroom keys — and in the end, only this little remains of any use.”

She placed both items in Hua Zhi’s hands and let out a long sigh. “In the past, I never thought much of the income from the estates. Who would have imagined that what little they yield is now all we can rely on? These keys are for the storerooms here. Though what was inside has been taken, the space itself is wide enough — there is still room to store things.”

Hua Zhi was somewhat surprised. She had assumed all of the family’s properties had been confiscated.

Seeing what was in her mind, the Old Madam smiled lightly. “The family still has two estates that were not sealed.”

“How can that be? Did the Emperor show mercy?”

“It was all due to the Empress Dowager’s favor.”

Had the family not fallen into misfortune, Hua Zhi would never have known that the Hua Family had an old connection to the Empress Dowager — and even now, she did not know whose connection it had been.

Fortunately, the Old Madam had no intention of concealing it from her. “The Empress Dowager is a few years my senior. She and my maiden family are connected by a roundabout relation. At the time, when trouble befell her family, my mother took pity on her — felt it was hard for a young woman to manage alone — and brought her home with us. We got along well, sharing the same bed for nearly two years. Later, when she became betrothed, my mother quietly added gifts to her trousseau in private, and when I was married, she in turn sent generous gifts.”

Thinking back to those girlhood days, the Old Madam lowered her gaze to her hands, no longer smooth and delicate as they once were. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed — and yet those vivid memories had not faded with time. If anything, she found herself recalling them more often these past two years.

“But the situation within the palace is complicated, and the Hua Family has held prominent positions generation after generation. To avoid the appearance of impropriety, we had to keep our dealings sparse. Even so, the bond between us remained. This time, but for her, I fear the Hua Family would have…”

Every time she let herself imagine that outcome, the Old Madam was overcome with a gratitude beyond all expression.

Hua Zhi furrowed her brow slightly. “The inner palace must not interfere in affairs of state. By doing this, the Empress Dowager has gone against the Emperor’s will. Could it not draw his displeasure?”

“It is remarkable that you can think of all this.” The Old Madam’s face softened into a smile. “Do not worry. Those two estates were gifts the Empress Dowager sent for my wedding trousseau — and so, in fact, is the residence we are living in now, as well as the one outside the city. The official overseeing the confiscation would certainly have reported all of this already. Everything was done above board. No one will raise the matter.”

So that was it. No wonder these two properties had not been sealed. Now that she understood the full story, Hua Zhi felt her heart settle. With two estates still in hand, the weight upon her shoulders was considerably lighter — at least she need not worry about anyone going hungry.

“Grandmother, which two estates are they?”

“One is twenty li south of the city; the other is closer — ten li to the east.”

Those two! A quiet joy rose in Hua Zhi’s heart. If she remembered correctly, one of the estates was bordered by a stretch of woodland, with quite a number of fruit trees growing within. She thought she might already know where to begin.

“Grandmother, I was thinking of making a visit to—”

The Old Madam raised her hand and cut her off with a gentle wave. “Now that I have placed the household in your hands, there is no need to seek my approval for every matter. You cannot do what needs to be done if your hands are tied at every turn. As long as Grandmother knows that whatever you do, you have the Hua Family’s interests at heart — that is enough.”

Such trust, arriving so suddenly, left Hua Zhi momentarily stunned before she smiled. “I gave Grandfather my word that I would not disappoint him. Grandmother, I give you my word as well — I will not disappoint you.”

“Grandmother believes you.”

“Then I shall throw myself into the work with everything I have. I would also ask that Grandmother give me the bond contracts of all the household’s servants.”

The Old Madam could well guess what she had in mind, and she raised no objection. She gestured to Nanny Su to open the chest and bring out the casket containing the bond contracts, handing it directly to Hua Zhi. “They are all here.”

Hua Zhi received it with both hands, then gave a curtsy. “Your granddaughter takes her leave.”

Watching her depart, Nanny Su could not conceal her worry. “Old Madam, could the Young Miss be thinking of…”

“It is the proper thing to do. It would be strange if she had not thought of it.” The Old Madam took a sip of tea. “In the Hua Family’s current circumstances, what need is there to keep so many servants? Let those who should go, go.”

“Yes. The Young Miss is very capable.”

Having taken the courage to step forward and manage this household, how could she lack even this much? The only fear was that she was so young, and might buckle under the weight of it all.

Once outside the courtyard, Hua Zhi gave her instructions. “Send someone to Steward Xu with word to gather all the household’s servants in the front courtyard. Those stationed far away need not be included. I will come in a quarter of an hour.”

“Yes.”

Bao Chun beckoned Liu Chun over and murmured a few words in her ear; Liu Chun then left at a brisk pace.

Hua Zhi did not return to her room. She went instead to sit in a breezy pavilion nearby, opened the casket, and looked through the thick stack of bond contracts inside.

It was a rule of the Hua Family that the bond contracts of servants brought by each branch’s Madam were to be submitted to the Old Madam and managed collectively by the family, with their monthly wages also paid from the common household funds.

“Come sort through these and tell me the count.”

“Yes.” Ying Chun and Bao Xia tipped out all the bond contracts to make them easier to tally. When they each caught sight of their own, they could not help but look a moment longer — yet there was not a trace of agitation in their hearts. As far as they were concerned, the day their Young Miss truly returned those contracts to them was the day they would weep.

“Miss, there are one hundred and seventy-three male servants, one hundred and fifty-one female servants, one hundred and nineteen with limited-term contracts, and two hundred and five with permanent contracts.”

So this was what it meant to have servants filling the halls. Hua Zhi reflected on it briefly with a quiet sense of the absurdity of it all, then asked, “Do we know how many went north with the family?”

Bao Xia answered at once. “This servant made inquiries with Steward Xu. Fifteen went — all trusted attendants who served the various masters.”

Ten masters, and fifteen servants had followed them into exile. That, at the very least, said something about the loyalty the Hua Family had earned. Hua Zhi picked up a bond contract at random. “Others have treated me with kindness, and I am willing to repay kindness in kind. Anyone who wishes to leave — I will not make things difficult for them.”

The two senior maids exchanged a glance. Ying Chun hesitated, then asked, “Does Miss mean to release those with permanent contracts as well?”

“Release them. Those whose hearts have turned elsewhere are a danger to the household’s peace.” Freedom sounded appealing enough in name — but these were not ordinary peasants with fields and land to their names. Compared to an uncertain future, remaining with the Hua Family was the more sensible choice. Better to shelter beneath a great tree, even one that had fallen — for even fallen, it was still far more than most households could offer. Compared to filling one’s belly, freedom was not so precious after all.

When one had lived in comfort long enough, not everyone still had the courage to venture out and make their own way — especially when the Hua Family had not yet reached the point of utter ruin.

Ying Chun and the others held a kind of near-absolute trust in their Young Miss. They believed that if she said to release them, there was a reason for it. They had only to do their own part well.