Zhu Bowen suddenly found himself almost envious of Hua Yizheng — though all he could do was envy him. Counting every family across the capital, only Hua Yizheng could have raised a daughter like this.

Thinking of his old friend, far away in the northern frontier, Zhu Bowen let out a sigh. A man who had spent his whole life in splendor — the kind who could change his clothes five or six times in a single day — and now at the end of his years he was forced to endure such hardship. One wondered how he was faring.

Hua Zhi looked down and took a sip of tea. “Around the seventh month, I also plan to make a trip to the northern frontier. If you have anything you wish to send to Grandfather, you may prepare it for me in advance.”

A look of surprise crossed Zhu Bowen’s face. “Again this year? Jingzhou is no short distance — the journey there and back alone would take over two months. If you then head north in the seventh month, will your body be able to withstand it?”

“Traveling on horseback, it won’t take that long — and the weather is fine now, so there should be no delays on the road. A little over a month ought to be enough for the return.”

“I recall you just went to the northern frontier before the New Year.”

“Yes — it mainly depends on when I return from Jingzhou. If I return early, I’ll set out sooner. Then another trip before year’s end.”

Zhu Bowen had never imagined this was her plan. He could not help but sit up slightly, leaning forward a little. “Twice a year? Will it always be like this from now on?”

“Yes.”

“Why put yourself through such hardship? Looking after the Hua Family well would already be the greatest of merits.”

“Merit is for others to judge — what does it have to do with me? I enjoyed the Hua Family’s wealth and comfort for many years. What I am doing now is nothing more than fulfilling my duty as a daughter of the Hua Family.” Hua Zhi looked at her maternal grandfather, still vigorous and full of energy, and thought of her own grandfather — whose hair had gone half-white in just the few months since she had last seen him. She understood that stubborn old man. He certainly had no regrets about what he had done — but having dragged the Hua Family into this state of ruin, he blamed himself.

“Others now watch me as if I were a spectacle. Yet I too grew from a tiny infant to the age of sixteen. If Grandfather had not indulged me, could I ever have lived so quietly tucked away in one place, just as I wished? The knowledge I carry was not born in my mind — every word I say, every action I take, was taught to me by Grandfather. If Grandfather had treated me well for the sake of the family’s interests, that would be one thing — when the time came to repay it, I would repay a fair measure and call it even. But that was not his reason. He did not know that the Hua Family would face this calamity. He simply indulged me, and let me live the life I wanted to live.”

Hua Zhi’s eyes grew faintly warm with unshed tears. Had Grandfather’s kindness to her been born of any agenda, she would not feel it so keenly. But Grandfather had truly spoiled and cherished her — in quiet, unassuming ways.

“If the Great Qing Dynasty permitted women to serve at court, I would exhaust every last effort to carve out a future for the Hua Family. If women were permitted to serve as generals, I would go to the battlefield and win military honors, then return and give everything I had for them. But I have no such opportunity — I can only advance step by step, inch by inch. Before that day comes, I must let Grandfather rest easy. I don’t want it to be that when they finally come home, the most important person is no longer there.”

By the end, Hua Zhi’s voice was trembling. This was her greatest fear — which was why she would rather exhaust herself than fail to appear before her grandfather’s eyes, to tell him the household was well, to tell him what she had accomplished, to tell him they would be home soon.

She could endure Grandfather being ill, Grandfather growing old — but she absolutely could not accept losing him. Not like that — not in a way he himself would surely find unworthy.

This was the first time Zhu Bowen had ever seen his granddaughter with her emotions so openly exposed. He understood what she was trying to say. As her maternal grandfather of many years, he had barely known this granddaughter existed — which spoke to how much effort Hua Yizheng had poured into her. When one put oneself in another’s place, if he himself were banished a thousand li away, nothing could bring more comfort than knowing all was well at home. What Zhi was doing was the greatest solace she could offer Hua Yizheng.

“I understand. Go in peace.”

Hua Zhi rose and dropped into a bow. That was all she had needed to hear. The Hua Family was still too vulnerable — if anyone were to strike while they were down, those young ones at home might not be able to manage.

She could walk away with her hands free — but first, she had to build them a layer of protection.

“What are you all discussing? Why does everyone look so grave?” Zhu Haocheng came in and felt his heart drop at the sight of the scene before him. He knew his second younger brother had been out of sorts these past days over that business matter, and today Zhi was here as well — could it be that something had shifted while he was away?

Hua Zhi rose and called out to her eldest maternal uncle, then exchanged greetings with Zhu Ziwen behind him.

Old Master Zhu’s eyes lit up at the sight of his eldest grandson. “Zhi, how about letting Ziwen accompany you on the journey south?”

“That would not be appropriate.” Hua Zhi declined without a moment’s hesitation. Here there was no rule against marrying within five degrees of kinship — joining two related families in marriage was considered perfectly natural. But never mind that Yanxi was already in the picture; even without him, she had no intention of playing out a tale of a cousin marrying her cousin.

“Zhi is heading south?” Zhu Family’s eldest uncle heard that it had nothing to do with business matters and relaxed, taking a seat to ask.

“Yes — Maternal Grandfather, this arrangement is not suitable.”

Seeing her so resolute, Old Master Zhu did not press the matter further. He did admit to having harbored a small notion — if these two young people happened to take a liking to each other, wouldn’t this girl become one of the Zhu Family’s own?

A pity.

Zhu Ziwen hadn’t even managed to get a word in before being pushed out and then pushed back in again. He didn’t mind in the least, and said with an easy smile: “Didn’t Younger Cousin say she wanted to play a game of chess against Grandfather? This is the perfect chance for me to broaden my horizons as well.”

Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. She had no fear of that.

Everything needed was right at hand. The group shifted to where the chessboard was set up, arranging themselves as if taking sides — Zhu Haocheng and his son took up positions behind the old patriarch, while the Zhu Family’s second uncle stood behind Hua Zhi.

The uninitiated watch for spectacle; the experienced watch for strategy. Sons of notable families all had at least some grasp of the game — the difference only lay in how deeply they had mastered it. As it happened, the Zhu sons were all reasonably skilled.

The old patriarch had a reputation for a steady, methodical style of play — yet what surprised them all was that Hua Zhi also took the stable, grounded approach. And she placed her stones with extraordinary speed, as though no deliberation was needed whatsoever. One could see that she and the old patriarch were evenly matched.

Zhu Bowen’s earlier ease and leisure entirely dissolved. He began treating his granddaughter as a true opponent.

First game: Zhu Bowen won by half a stone.

Second game: Hua Zhi held the black stones and moved first. She drained the tea in her cup, eyes bright and gleaming as if kindled with a fighting spirit.

By the seventh stone, the onlookers could all see that her style had changed. Unlike the open and upright play of the first game, this round was built entirely of interlocking traps laid one upon another. In the end, Zhu Bowen lost by half a stone.

Third game: Zhu Bowen took the black stones. He had not felt so thoroughly exhilarated in a long time — so excited that even his beard was trembling.

And in this final game, Hua Zhi changed her approach once more. She played with cunning and deception — every formation built on layers of true and false. When one thought a position was real, she made it false; when everyone had written off a certain formation as hopeless, it turned out to be the decisive key to victory. This game, Zhu Bowen surrendered his stones and admitted defeat.

The old patriarch had actually lost — a result no one had anticipated.

Old Master Zhu laughed heartily, his face tilted up to the sky. He was genuinely delighted. For the Hua Family to produce such a daughter was a stroke of great fortune for the Hua Family — but was it not equally a stroke of fortune for his Zhu Family?

“Have you read works on military strategy?”

“The Hua Family’s library holds every kind of book, and I have read every kind.”