The wedding ceremony, known as the dusk rite, is conducted at twilight — marking the gradual yielding of yang to yin, the natural passage of one into the other.

From mid-afternoon onward, the time had been watched and counted with close attention. When at last the groom stepped through the Hua Family’s gate to the joyful announcements of the ceremonial matron, the Fourth Household finally felt the tension that had gripped them for so many days quietly release.

They had not dared speak it or let themselves dwell on it — too afraid that things might fall apart at the very last moment.

Thankfully, the Cai Family proved to be people of their word.

In the main hall, Fourth Madam sat in the seat of honor. The seat to her other side was left empty. Wei Shi occupied the first position to the left, with the others arranged in descending order. This time, Hua Zhi did not defer — she took the first seat to the right, in her capacity as head of the main branch.

Cai Jie, eldest grandson of the Cai Family, was dressed in a deep crimson wedding garment. A tall, imposing young man who moved with the brisk bearing of a military officer, he entered the room and, in one sweeping glance, picked out the young face among the assembled elders. He understood immediately who she was, and recalling the various stories circulating about her in the capital, he looked twice out of curiosity before striding forward to perform the full ceremonial bow before Fourth Madam.

Fourth Madam looked upon this young member of her maternal family with deep satisfaction. “Jieming, I am entrusting my Qin’er to you. Treat her well, and walk together with her to old age.”

“Yes. Jieming would not dare to disappoint you.”

Cai Jie then bowed to Wei Shi, who had her own admonishments for him. When he turned to pay his respects to the others, the full formal bow was no longer required.

Hua Zhi, being the most senior present in terms of standing, received his bow first. She returned a half-bow. “Wishing you both happiness.”

Cai Jie felt an undeniably peculiar sensation — he said his thanks, then found himself entirely at a loss for what to say next. It was only when the ceremonial matron gave him a nudge that he continued turning to greet the others.

Hua Zhi, too, allowed herself a quiet breath of relief. This kind of occasion was a first for her as well, and she had been acutely out of her depth — mercifully, Cai Jie had seemed even more so.

Hua Zhi did not join the commotion that followed, but from the sounds drifting in from outside, she could tell that the Cai Family had not treated this match lightly. Whether it spoke to their farsightedness or their sense of loyalty and duty, it bespoke a sound character — the makings of someone worth cultivating as an ally.

At that moment, Bailin’s voice rang out. “Brother-in-law, on behalf of every man in the Hua Family, I have one question for you: will you treat Hua Qin well?”

The noise fell at once into silence. A row of children, with Hua Bailin at their head, formed a line blocking Cai Jie’s path. The eldest among them was no older than fifteen; Hua Bailin himself was only eleven. Behind him, each boy was younger than the last. They were the men of the Hua Family today, standing on slender young shoulders to do what they could for a daughter of the family as she went out to be married.

Cai Jie found himself suddenly thinking back to the day his grandfather had called him in and told him of this marriage arrangement. The words that had stayed with him most were these: “The Hua Family’s foundation cannot be brought down in a single generation. As long as the Hua children are worthy, the day of the family’s resurgence is not far off.”

Before him now stood those very children — standing straight and clear before him, still unmistakably young and yet puffing out their chests and calling themselves men. He did not have his grandfather’s piercing insight, but he believed nonetheless that these children before him would one day bring the Hua Family back to its former glory.

Faced with eyes so earnest, he could not offer a dismissive reply. “I promise you — I will treat Hua Qin well.”

Hua Bailin pressed his lips together, expression still taut. “If you fail to keep your word, I will bring her home. Elder Sister said — the daughters of the Hua Family are not water poured out of a basin. The family home is always there for them, whenever they need it.”

“Agreed.” Beyond that single word, Cai Jie did not know what else to say. Hua Qin was his cousin — he knew her character, he appreciated her refinement, and she had the bookish grace and beauty particular to Hua Family women. From the very beginning he had been entirely satisfied with the match his elders had arranged, and even though there had been a moment of hesitation when the Hua Family fell from favor, he had in the end made his resolution to proceed with the wedding.

He had said he would treat Hua Qin well — and not merely to satisfy the Hua Family.

The Hua women were weeping openly, faces wet with tears. They could not have said whether they wept for themselves or for one another.

Only Hua Zhi remained composed throughout. She rose and went to stand at the doorway, looking out at her younger brother. The children were dressed in deep blue — as they were still in mourning — their hair bound neatly without a strand out of place, their young faces held in serious composure. No one would think to mock them for it.

These were the children of the Hua Family. The old saying goes: do not bully the old, for they have lived too long to be startled — but never bully the young. With children like these, who could say the Hua Family had fallen?

Inside the room, Hua Qin wept until her makeup ran, and she felt that she was truly no longer afraid. At worst she would come back to the Hua Family — and with such a family behind her, what was there to fear in coming back?

It was dark by the time Hua Zhi returned home. She was not surprised to find Yan Xi there. She gestured for him not to come forward, and first escorted her mother and her aunts to the inner gate before returning.

“It sounded like quite a lively affair — from what I heard outside.”

“Lively enough for outside to hear, I suppose.” Hua Zhi smiled. The moonlight was beautiful, the breeze pleasantly cool. Neither of them went inside; instead, they sat at the stone table in the courtyard.

Gu Yanxi set down a basket of loquats he had brought and began to peel one. “Bailin did well today — he carried himself with real weight.”

Hua Zhi shook her head. “He’s still so young, and he’s been through so little. What are people saying about him outside?”

“That he is a true son of the Hua Family — that he has the Hua Family’s bearing. That the Hua Family has worthy heirs.”

“Such high praise?” Hua Zhi laughed softly. “That’s putting him in danger of being raised too high too fast.”

Gu Yanxi held the peeled loquat to her lips. Hua Zhi bit into it without ceremony. As she did, the tip of her tongue grazed the tips of his fingers in passing. Gu Yanxi’s heart gave a faint tremor. He pretended not to notice, withdrew his hand, and rubbed it surreptitiously against the underside of the table before picking up the next loquat to peel.

“Grind it in over time and he’ll be of great use. With you here, those who want to build him up too fast will never find the opportunity. In my observation, not a thousand words from anyone else carries as much weight with Bailin as a single word from you.” He kept feeding her as he steered the conversation along. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”

“Quite a bit to do.” Hua Zhi thought through the list. “In the morning, a visit to my maternal grandmother’s family. In the afternoon, a trip to the estate — Xu Jie has already brought a shipload of lychees back, and I need to go and show them the preparation method before they spoil.”

Thinking about how he had lately developed a habit of asking about her schedule, Hua Zhi went ahead and mentioned the day after as well. “The day after tomorrow, another estate — the mushrooms are fruiting faster than I expected. Oh, and before I leave, I need to get the mushroom sales channels in order first.”

Hua Zhi inwardly heaved a sigh of exhaustion. Why was there never an end to all of it?

“The sales channels I’ll take care of — it would hardly do to only accept the benefits and handle none of the work.”

“Well said. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Gu Yanxi looked at her with soft eyes and popped the loquat into her mouth. He hadn’t eaten a single one himself, yet somehow felt a sweetness that had spread from his lips all the way into his heart.

He wiped his hands, then passed the remaining fruit — basket and all — to Nanny Su. “Keep them chilled for tomorrow. If she likes them, I’ll send more.”

These were tribute-grade loquats — large and sweet, reserved for officials of the third rank and above. Of course, Gu Yanxi was a special case: the Emperor had given him five baskets, and told him to come back for more when those were finished.

Since returning to the capital, the time the two of them spent together had dropped sharply. Gu Yanxi had piled-up Seven Constellation Division business to deal with, and needed to make arrangements for what lay ahead — as much as he trusted his subordinates, he couldn’t simply wash his hands of everything. And on top of all that, the Emperor had, since his return, been routing entire stacks of memorials to the Seven Constellation Division for him to review. The most he could manage was this brief visit — and even this time had been squeezed and borrowed from here and there. He would have to go back and continue working after this.

Gu Yanxi thought he had actually preferred life on the road. At least there, he and Hua Zhi had had close to half the day together. Here, barely half an hour in a day had to be pieced together from scraps.