It was Hua Zhi herself who broke the silence. “I have never once thought of groveling before you all, relying on your help to pull the Hua Family through their hardships. So there is no need to deliberately keep your distance or create any divide — it is entirely unnecessary. The Hua Family’s people, I can provide for them myself. You have simply forgotten the old saying: never underestimate the young. So what if the Hua Family has lost everything? The Hua Family still has its people.”

Thinking of how the Hua Family’s children, young as they were, had already shown remarkable composure and responsibility, everyone fell silent.

While the sons of other families were still scheming every which way to escape clan school, the Hua Family’s children — the oldest barely past ten, the youngest only three or four — were already holding up the household. With such precocious wisdom, and with Hua Zhi to guide them, who would dare say they had no future?

And yet, right up until today, all these people had been thinking only of extracting a promise from Hua Zhi, forgetting what the ancestors said: never underestimate the young.

But precisely because of this, they could not afford to let the situation continue to deteriorate.

All eyes turned once again toward Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng smiled bitterly. The Qin Family were those very “people who shamelessly show their faces in public” that Hua Zhi had spoken of — her own kin. The fact that she had not named them directly was already showing mercy. How was he to bring this up again now?

He let out a sigh. “I wonder if there is still any room for this matter to be resolved?”

“Rather than that question, I am actually more curious as to why you all believe I have any say in this affair.” Hua Zhi looked puzzled. “Why would you think that I, a woman, the daughter of a convicted official, have the power to decide who sits in which seat?”

Everyone paused. Come to think of it… that was indeed the case.

Even if this scheme had originated from Hua Zhi’s mind, this was ultimately a matter of governance — how could a woman have a hand in it? Moreover, there had long been rumors in the capital that although the Emperor wished to make use of Hua Zhi, he did not particularly favor her. If the Seventh Bureau had truly been a great undertaking for the benefit of the people, such a great merit would surely have at least secured the return of the Hua Family’s members, if not brought more — yet there had been nothing, not even a whisper. This lent the rumor some credibility.

And then there was the matter of Hua Zhi’s close ties with the Zhu Family. Yet Zhu Boxi had not inserted a single person into the Seventh Bureau — he had not been involved at all. If Hua Zhi truly had influence over such matters, would it really have turned out this way?

Even those who suspected Hua Zhi was not being entirely truthful found their earlier urgency fading after thinking it through. Yet none of them dared look down on her in the slightest now. Setting that matter aside, they still needed to use this opportunity to mend their relationship with her. One by one, they began making idle conversation, drawing Hua Zhi in from time to time. Her purpose had already been achieved, and she handled them all with effortless ease, deflecting gracefully like a tai chi master — until Nanny Su stepped in.

“Miss, everything is ready.”

Hua Zhi nodded, rose to her feet, and bowed all around. “This young woman must go and pay her respects. Please forgive any discourtesy.”

“Please go ahead, Miss.”

Ying Chun stepped forward and fastened the cloak that had been loosely draped over Hua Zhi’s shoulders, drawing the hood up snugly before signaling Liu Xiang to pull open the door. Mistress and servants stepped out together into the cold wind, making their way toward the rear courtyard.

As the door opened and then closed again, a brief silence fell over the main reception hall. Someone was the first to speak: “Am I the only one who feels that the eldest young miss does not look particularly well?”

Everyone had noticed it just now. The room was very warm — all of them had removed their thick outer robes the moment they arrived, and even so had felt a touch of warmth — yet from the moment Hua Zhi had entered until now, she had never once taken off her cloak, and cup after cup of hot tea sat at her side. Every sign pointed to her being unwell.

Shen Qi, who had not spoken a single word since entering the room, suddenly said: “The eldest young miss travels to Yinshan Pass once every six months. She must have gone again not long ago.”

Everyone exchanged glances. Yinshan Pass was a great distance away — how could one’s health not suffer from such constant journeying? The way Hua Zhi conducted herself sometimes truly… commanded respect.

“I once had the fortune of traveling by boat with the eldest young miss to the south,” Jiang Huanran took up the thread, though he said nothing of what had transpired between them. Those days they had spent together were not something he intended to share with anyone. He also suspected, though he had only a vague inkling, that her poor health today was connected to that injury she had sustained. Women who lived their lives sheltered in the inner quarters could not compare to men in terms of physical constitution — let alone this young miss, who had been injured and then spent her days traveling from south to north without rest. How could her health not suffer?

In the silence that followed, someone sighed. For a long while, no one spoke.

Hua Zhi had gone to the main courtyard. The offering table and tributes had all been prepared, and the Hua Family’s female members had arranged themselves in proper order on their own.

Hua Zhi bowed to her elders, then stepped to the front and stood for a moment before the spirit tablets. She stepped forward, took the incense, lit it, and placed it in the incense burner, then performed the three-kneeling, nine-kowtow ceremony. Everyone else followed in kind.

After the final bow, Hua Zhi did not rise. She picked up a wine cup and slowly poured the wine upon the ground. Grandmother, can you see this? Everyone is well. As for Grandfather, I have kept it from him — each time, I have had someone copy your handwriting and write letters to send to him. Please do not reveal yourself in his dreams. The brothers and sisters at home are all well-behaved. The various branches may be a little too soft-hearted, but none of them are ill-intentioned, and when the time comes to stand together, they do. It makes me want to laugh at you a little, Grandmother — your standard for choosing daughters-in-law was their gentle nature, wasn’t it? Never mind my mother, but Second Aunt and Third Aunt are also people who forget a lesson the moment they’ve been appeased. Fourth Aunt is a little better. Going forward, I still need to cut off contact with certain households, so as not to let people stir up trouble.

Hua Zhi raised her head and watched the pale smoke curl slowly upward. The things I promised you, I will see them through. Have no worries. Go in peace.

She bowed one final time, then rose and turned to face everyone. Her gaze swept from left to right, and more than one person bowed their head involuntarily.

“The major mourning period has now ended. Whether to observe the minor mourning period is a matter of personal choice — Grandmother would surely not fault anyone for not observing it. In the days ahead, I hope we will all work together with one heart. When something arises, think carefully about the costs and benefits. Now, everyone may attend to their own affairs — do not neglect our guests.”

Zhu Shi had meant to tell her daughter to come and speak with her maternal grandmother once she was done, but seeing that her daughter had already moved toward Hua Qin, she let it go. She had a maid go and inform Ying Chun, then departed ahead of the others.

Hua Qin’s complexion was rosy, and she looked a little fuller than before. When she saw Hua Zhi, she called out sweetly, “Elder Sister.”

Hua Zhi nodded. “Go back inside. Don’t catch a chill.”

“At home they just keep me cooped up in my room all day — it’s suffocating. I’ve finally come back here for a breath of fresh air. Elder Sister, please stop trying to chase me off.” Hua Qin was thoroughly exasperated. Being valued by her husband’s family was a good thing, but this particular way of being valued was truly unbearable. She had barely left her room in almost a month.

Hua Zhi had a maid help her up to the covered walkway. Snow was still drifting down in the courtyard — it was not safe.

“It seems your problem has been resolved.”

Hua Qin lowered her head and gently touched her belly, which was not yet very noticeable. “Elder Sister, you were right,” she said softly. “Whether or not to take a concubine is the husband’s affair. If he truly cared, he would never let such a matter be used to trouble me — so I just let it trouble him instead.”

Hua Qin’s smile was sly, quite different from the dignified air she had carried as an unmarried girl. “I don’t know how he handled it, but Mother-in-law has not brought up the matter again these past few days, and Husband has not shown any particular favor to anyone either.”

“That’s good.” Hua Zhi smiled — she was genuinely happy for her.

Hua Qin looked at her elder sister with admiration. “Father-in-law asked me to convey his gratitude to Elder Sister. But I think I’m the one who ought to be most grateful.”