Having accomplished her purpose in coming, Hua Zhi had just prepared to rise and leave when she heard Lu Boxi speak again. “The Sixth Prince has appeared here — have you considered the consequences?”

Hua Zhi shifted her bottom back down into her seat. Looking at Lu Boxi, she suddenly smiled. Others might be completely unaware of matters within the palace, but the Duke of Anguo had likely already received word. She decided to speak plainly. “The Sixth Prince does not currently reside within the palace. He has been ordered to accompany the Shizi of Prince Ling’s household. What consequences need be considered when a prince who does not live in the palace accompanies his maternal grandmother to visit old acquaintances?”

Having the confirmation of what he had suspected, Lu Boxi still could not set his mind at ease. When he and his father had first received the news, neither of them could make sense of what the Emperor intended by such an arrangement. Could it be that he meant to bring his nephew into the open and have him choose sides — specifically, the side of the Sixth Prince? But what would be the reason? Surely it could not be that the Sixth Prince was actually the Emperor’s chosen heir.

He lowered his gaze to the clear green tea in his cup, took a sip — a hint of bitterness, then a faint thread of sweetness — and drank again.

Zhu Haocheng frowned, his expression showing clear disapproval. Hua Zhi saw it but offered no further explanation. She was grateful to the Zhu family and felt close to them, but she had no intention of deferring to their expressions. The Hua family never had before, and would not in the future.

Only when a relationship was between equals could boundaries remain intact.

As for what they made of it — that was no longer her concern. After all, she had said nothing, had she?

Footsteps sounded from outside. Hua Zhi turned and rose, stepping to one side.

Liu Xiang lifted the curtain, and a stream of young manservants — all dressed alike in white plain-cloth garments, blue cloth shoes, and hair neatly bound with blue cloth strips — filed in carrying dishes of various shapes, bowls and cups alike, some still trailing wisps of steam.

Once everything was set down, the group bowed in unison and withdrew in silence.

Rather interesting, Qin Gongyang thought, raising an eyebrow. Whatever the food tasted like, the presentation had real elegance — the kind that put a person at ease simply to look upon.

Zhu Haocheng surveyed the spread. “There’s certainly plenty of it, though each portion is quite small.”

Hua Zhi smiled and offered a little tease. “Big Uncle, look more carefully.”

Zhu Haocheng looked again, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. “It all appears to be… chicken?”

The other two also took a closer look.

Hua Zhi explained to the three of them. “The specialty of Shi Zhai is that guests select a single ingredient, and from that one ingredient, twelve dishes are prepared — along with four small side dishes that must also relate to the chosen ingredient. As you can see before you now, every dish on this table uses chicken, yet each is prepared differently and paired with different accompaniments. The portion size is also determined by the number of diners. If ten guests arrive, ten servings are made; if only two, then two. Today is a special case — originally three parties of ten were prepared, but since everyone is seated separately, I had everything divided into small individual portions, so each table will receive all three featured ingredients and everyone may sample the flavors.”

As she spoke, the manservants returned with another round of small dishes — this time, the featured ingredient was fish.

Their third visit brought the ingredient that Fu Dong had sprouted herself: yellow bean sprouts. Altogether, the dishes covered the table in abundance.

The three of them looked on in astonishment. Qin Gongyang shook his head and said, “This is truly…”

Hua Zhi thought with some private pride: there are twenty-eight methods of cooking, and I’ve only brought out half of them here. What of it!

Taking the wine that Bao Xia passed to her, Hua Zhi accepted the vessel, broke the clay seal, and filled each of their cups in turn, saying as she did so: “It’s brewed by an ancient method — the flavor is quite decent.”

Setting down the wine jar, Hua Zhi dipped in a graceful bow. “Please, enjoy at your leisure.”

Knowing she had other guests to attend to, the three did not detain her. Even Lu Boxi gave her a nod — an expression that conveyed what seemed like genuine approval.

Hua Zhi looked in on the younger guests in their private rooms, and seeing each of them laughing and talking pleasantly, she was reassured. She declined their invitations to dine together, attended to her maternal grandmother through the meal, and then descended to the ground floor.

She made her way to a room tucked in the innermost corner of the ground floor, concealed on the outside by a screen of green plants — entirely hidden from view, the kind of room that no outsider would know existed without being one of their own.

Before she could push the door, it opened from within. Gu Yanxi stood there with smiling eyes, reached out to take her hand and draw her inside, then led her to a seat — and did not release her hand afterward. “I thought you’d be a while longer getting away. The young ladies in there seemed very eager to seek your guidance.”

Hua Zhi accepted the tea he offered and drank several sips. “If guidance were so easily sought, there would be no need for eighty-one trials. I only went in to say hello.”

She had no interest in becoming their ideal to look up to, nor any intention of leading them in resistance against the injustices this society imposed on women. The difference in their inner ages was simply too great — from the very beginning, she had never planned to become entangled with them.

Gu Yanxi imitated the way her maids gently pinched and massaged her fingers, working them one by one. Within this simply furnished room — nothing but a low couch, a small side table, a modest bookshelf, and a writing desk — his heart was nonetheless at peace.

“Will you come here often, after this?”

“Hmm?” Hua Zhi did not immediately understand his meaning.

Gu Yanxi glanced around the room, and then Hua Zhi understood. “It was arranged for Fu Dong. She often has very good ideas, and she’s in the habit of writing them down and trying them out — whatever works, she refines and incorporates into her recipe collection. She has a set like this at home too. The other senior maids each have one as well, of course.”

If you want harmony among the servants, treating everyone with equal measure is essential.

“I can see they each have what it takes to manage things independently.”

“Their courage still falls a little short. Having sold themselves into service for over a decade, the conviction that they are servants runs to the bone — it’s not easily changed.”

“Slowly, then.”

“Mm, there’s no rush.” Hua Zhi tried to pull her hand free, but it wouldn’t budge, so she stopped minding and looked at the man sitting before her, head slightly bowed, eyes lowered, giving off an air of quiet gentleness. Without quite meaning to, her own voice softened. “I have a feeling the Lu family may have sensed something.”

“Xiao Liu?”

“Yes. I told him the Sixth Prince was sent by the Emperor to accompany the Gu Shizi, and he’s probably already started thinking about the question of which side to take.”

“Let him think for now. I’ll observe his position. If it’s what I’m hoping to see, I’ll pay a visit to the Lu family in my capacity as Shizi.”

“Is that appropriate?”

Gu Yanxi looked up and met her gaze, his eyes entirely without aggression. “What would be inappropriate about it?”

“I think it’s a little early.”

“He can take whatever side he chooses. As long as nothing is said aloud, who would know? There’s no need to do anything for Xiao Liu right now — the Emperor’s attention isn’t directed here at the moment, so nothing will be disrupted. Having them build a rapport early will serve both parties well.”

Gu Yanxi seemed to shift forward almost without thinking, leaning slightly in, drawing a little closer to Hua Zhi. “As for the Zhu family — you need say nothing more to them. Let them make their own decision. The closer the relationship, the less one should use such matters as a way to press for something.”

“I won’t. Though Big Uncle has probably already seen something.”

“Even if he has, the Zhu family won’t make a decision right away. Old Master Zhu is someone who can hold steady. Unless he genuinely believes Xiao Liu has a real chance, he won’t declare his position. The Qin family, on the other hand, is different.”

“How so?” Hua Zhi tried to recall Qin Gongyang’s manner earlier — nothing had seemed particularly out of the ordinary.

“The Qin family is considered newly prominent in the capital. All the princes are keeping a close eye on them. Unlike the Zhu family, they don’t have the foundation to hold back — they will inevitably have to choose a side. If the eldest prince hadn’t run into trouble, they wouldn’t have lasted long before leaning toward him. They’re being more cautious now, but they still can’t avoid it. After today’s events, they will certainly place Xiao Liu among their options to consider. My guess is they’ll reach out to the Lu family afterward — don’t worry, the Qin family won’t get away.”

Hua Zhi raised her chin slightly. “She is my maternal grandmother’s family, after all. Keep the methods gentle.”

A smile played at the corners of Gu Yanxi’s eyes. “As you command.”