Of all those pleased that Hua Zhi was not going, none was happier than Xiao Liu. To him, the Hua Family was only the Hua Family he felt close to when Sister Hua was in it.

But for Hua Zhi, it suddenly meant she had a great deal of free time on her hands — and for a moment she genuinely did not know what to do with herself.

She spent half a day keeping her mother company, listened to the maids report on various business matters, and found the day more than half gone. Hua Zhi thought back to how she had spent the fifteen years before all this and could no longer remember how those days had passed one after another. Circumstances really did change a person’s mindset.

Of course, it was not as though she truly had nothing to do. The Emperor was eager to see her conjure mountains of gold at a moment’s notice — only she had no desire to put her heart into it. Working herself to the bone for someone who wanted her dead and expecting wholehearted devotion in return — that was not going to happen. Making plans for herself, though, was another matter entirely.

After spending a day in the inner courtyard, she attended a session at the clan school the next morning — her first in quite some time — then retreated back into her study.

The matter of Yuzhou had been delayed and delayed again. Even if she couldn’t go herself, she could make preparations in advance…

Wait.

Why couldn’t she go herself? Who had said she couldn’t go alone? When she had gone south that time, hadn’t she set off just like that? Yuzhou was only three days’ travel from the capital — the trip to Zhenyang had taken nearly half a month.

Hua Zhi let out a low groan and pressed her forehead hard onto the desk. She had once believed the saying that love makes one weak was simply an excuse used by people who were already weak. Now she was beginning to understand it. Yanxi had never demanded anything of her, yet without realizing it, she had placed herself in the position of someone who needed protecting — had even forgotten that she too had weathered wind and rain for the past year.

She had actually started thinking of herself as helpless. Truly — there was real truth in the saying that women were usually undone by matters of the heart.

Exhaling a long breath, Hua Zhi told herself firmly: feelings were feelings, but she could not pin all of her affairs on Yanxi. If she did that, how was she any different from those women who used men to get what they wanted?

First and foremost, she was an independent person. She was Hua Zhi.

She was not a clinging vine. She had the ability to move through the world on her own. She and Yanxi ought to be each other’s support — not her leaning entirely on him, becoming his burden without even knowing it.

The nerves she hadn’t realized she had let slacken tightened again. She reined in that last bit of ease, and turned her attention to Yuzhou.

She spread out the map and looked toward Jinyang, the prefectural seat of Yuzhou. The Chaoli Clan’s exposure had begun in Yuzhou, and Yuzhou had continued to surface time and again in the investigation — which was why Yanxi suspected the Chaoli Clan’s main base of operations within Daqing was located there.

Yuzhou was close to the capital, and Jinyang in particular had once been called “Little Capital” — its bustle and prosperity needed no further description. Pulling their trail out of a place that vast would not be easy, which was why even the Qisu Department with all its capabilities had only been able to narrow the search range incrementally.

Do business, then?

They would certainly not bother with small trade. So what brought in money fast? Nothing beyond illicit pleasures, gambling, and drugs. Drugs were not present here, but illicit pleasures and gambling were both possibilities. Wherever there was light, there was shadow — the two existed together, neither could be stamped out, and behind such trades there would certainly be officials providing cover. And was that not precisely the kind of protection the Chaoli Clan needed?

If that was truly the case…

Hua Zhi frowned. She had no interest in venturing into disreputable dealings — so what kind of business could she enter that would allow her to connect with them without raising suspicion?

There did not seem to be any trade connected to gambling that was cleaner than gambling itself. If she were to approach this from the gambling angle, Hua Zhi thought of all the varied and inventive games she knew from her past life and felt quite confident — but if she went down that path, she could not appear in it directly, nor could it be traced back to her at all. The Hua Family’s century-old good name could not be ruined in her hands.

Liu Xiang quietly came in and changed the tea. Hua Zhi held the cup in her palms to warm her hands and continued pulling at the loose threads within that tangled knot of possibilities.

This was only one of the possibilities. The other party might not even be operating along these lines. She needed to think through other kinds of trade as well — and what exactly to do could only be decided after she had gone to Jinyang and surveyed the market herself.

“Liu Xiang, please go and invite Steward Wang.”

“Yes.”

Wang Rong was in the front courtyard and arrived quickly.

“In two days I plan to make a trip to Yuzhou. I’m afraid I’ll need to trouble Steward Wang to accompany me.”

Wang Rong had not expected that so soon after Shizi’s departure, Miss would be heading out on a long journey herself. He gently demurred, “Snow looks to be on the way. If we get caught on the road, the journey could become quite difficult.”

Hua Zhi acted as if she hadn’t caught his meaning and settled the matter outright. “The snow hasn’t started yet — it won’t be that bad. No need to wait two days either. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

Wang Rong had no choice but to agree. The moment he stepped out of the room, he went straight to inform Chen Qing.

Chen Qing naturally knew why Miss was going to Yuzhou. He thought for a moment and said, “You stay here and watch over the Hua Family. I’ll have Jia Yang and Yu Mu accompany Miss.”

“Would two people be enough?”

“Two on the surface — I’ll arrange several more to move in the shadows.” If it weren’t for the fact that he needed to manage affairs in the capital, Chen Qing would have wanted to go along himself. Miss never had a peaceful outing — not once — and he was genuinely uneasy. He feared that in Shizi’s absence, Miss might come to some harm. The world would never again produce another Hua Zhi that Shizi cared for so deeply.

The moment Xiao Liu learned that Sister Hua was going to Yuzhou, he immediately declared he was coming along — and had thoroughly reasoned arguments to back him up. “Following Sister Hua for one trip is worth more than reading books at home for a year and a half.”

Hua Zhi considered it and agreed. Xiao Liu was not the scholarly type — knowing the ways of the world was more useful to him than studying. At present, the useful results in the capital had been achieved, and the credit that needed to be earned had been earned. There was no real impact in leaving temporarily.

Only — “I can go anywhere, but you’ll need to find a good reason to persuade a certain someone first.”

Hua Zhi pointed upward, her meaning unmistakable.

Xiao Liu nodded. “I’ll go back to the palace now. But if Father asks about you, Sister Hua…”

“Just tell him I’m going to do business.”

“Alright.” In an instant Xiao Liu had thought of a reason — Sister Hua was something like a half-teacher to him, and a student following his teacher to learn would hardly be something Father could refuse.

The Emperor indeed had no intention of refusing. What interested him more was what exactly Hua Zhi was planning to do, that she had to travel all the way to Yuzhou rather than doing it in the capital.

Xiao Liu bowed his head and claimed to know nothing. The Emperor dismissed him, then said to Laifu, “Send someone to follow along.”

“Yes.”

Hao Yue, who sat quietly to one side peeling tangerines, presented a complete and perfectly cleaned tangerine segment — all pith removed — to the Emperor’s lips, and said as though in passing, “In the days since this subject-consort entered the palace, the name Hua Zhi has come up several times. She sounds like someone of considerable ability.”

“Considerable ability?” The Emperor let out a soft, dismissive sound. “If that particular ability of hers weren’t something I happen to have use for, I would have had her killed long ago.”

Hao Yue lowered her gaze and continued peeling, murmuring, “If she can be of use to you, her ability must be no small thing. How is it you still seem to dislike her?”

“Hah. My nephew has gone so far as to fall out with me over her — and I should be thanking her for it?”

Hao Yue’s hands paused in their work — barely perceptibly — before continuing. She kept her gaze cast down, concealing the grief and fury roiling within.

So it was true. Just as the Fourth Prince had told her — while he had been charming and winning her over, he and Hua Zhi had been carrying on in secret!

How great a fool she must have been, to think he treated her differently from anyone else. If she had not trusted him, she would never have followed him to the capital — and would never have ended up with no other fate but to enter the palace as a consort!

Gu Yanxi. Hua Zhi.