Hua Zhi smiled faintly. “The Emperor may well understand all of this. But to him, his legacy after death matters less than what he wants to accomplish while he lives — even if it means the people suffer.”
“Mind your words.” Zhu Bowen gave her a mild reproach. “Since the Emperor has brought the matter before the court assembly, he has made up his mind to see it through. I’m afraid even the salt merchants won’t be able to hold him off.”
“Buying time is buying time. The salt merchants have entrenched themselves for years — their web of connections spreads throughout the entire court. The Emperor won’t find it easy to dismantle them. I’ll distract him with another business prospect. It may at least buy a little more time. And if the double-crop rice succeeds, it might even give me legitimate grounds to push things back to next year.”
“What are the chances of the double-crop rice succeeding?”
“The prospects are good. The south is different from the north — the soil there doesn’t freeze as hard and thaws faster, and the cold sets in later in the season. The likelihood of success is quite high. For the Great Qing, food is the most essential thing. Soldiers must be fed before they can fight. Even if the Grand Canal is to be dug, the laborers still need to eat — even if it’s just thin porridge, there must be grain for it. You can’t work every last one of them to death. The Great Qing has a total population of only forty million. It cannot afford to be depleted.”
Zhu Bowen gave a slight nod. The logic was sound. As long as their sovereign retained even a measure of reason, it could be made clear to him.
Hua Zhi hesitated over whether to say more. As a commoner, she had no standing to voice opinions on many matters. But this was in front of her grandfather, so she wasn’t as guarded as she might otherwise be. After a moment’s hesitation, she went ahead and asked, “Is there any way to speak with the Ministry of War — to see that this year, soldiers are not permitted to purchase exemptions from military service? As things stand, the border could go to war at any moment. If the Grand Canal construction begins at the same time, there will simply be no manpower left to replenish the troops.”
Zhu Bowen smiled bitterly and shook his head. “I can try to negotiate with Minister Chen. But whether it will succeed, I truly cannot say — there are other interests intertwined in this matter.”
It’s the question of where the purchased exemption funds end up, isn’t it? Hua Zhi understood. Wherever there are people, there are interests at play. She had long since stopped dreaming of selfless loyalty — that was a dream she had abandoned in her previous life.
But still — if the skin is gone, what will the hair cling to? If the nation itself falls, where will their wealth and glory be? The Chaoli clan has always treated people of other ethnicities like beasts of burden — did they not know that?
They understood every grand principle perfectly well — likely better than she did. But they all harbored wishful thinking. Because the Seven Lodges Division stood as a shield at the front, they felt perfectly entitled to assume that the Seven Lodges Division would resolve everything sooner or later. In moments like these, they conveniently forgot that the Seven Lodges Division’s numbers were limited — that there were countless holes to plug and not enough hands to plug them with.
So what was the purpose of the Seven Lodges Division’s existence? All the dirty work and exhausting toil fell to them, and still they were guarded against, watched with suspicion, and feared. It would be easier to simply shed that skin and live more freely.
Thinking of Yanxi, still wounded, still out there traveling through the bitter cold of winter, Hua Zhi felt a surge of resentment. The Emperor spoke of valuing him to the heavens — but in her view, it was simply that Yanxi was useful, so the Emperor flattered him with fine words and worked him like an ox.
Hua Zhi felt a wave of agitation. Remembering she was in the presence of an elder, she raised her teacup as cover and silently worked through the negative emotions.
Zhu Bowen was old and sharp — he noticed. He had come today simply to warn her about the Emperor’s likely upcoming summons. His purpose was accomplished, and there was no reason to continue dwelling on these vexing matters. He shifted the conversation: “Before I came out, your grandmother asked me to inquire — of the families mentioned to you before, have any caught your eye? She would like to begin making arrangements so that someone doesn’t get ahead of her.”
“There are, in fact.” Hua Zhi smiled at once. “Please tell Grandmother that the Yuan family and the Yu family both seem promising. Ask her to look into which one would suit Second Sister better, and see if the other might be a match for one of my other sisters.”
Here was a young woman who had not yet settled her own marriage, and yet she was busy arranging the marriages of others — carrying her whole family on her back as though it were the most natural thing in the world. And somehow, both she and everyone around her found it entirely ordinary. Zhu Bowen felt an ache in his heart, worn as smooth as stone as it was. “Take some time to think about your own affairs as well. Don’t spend all your energy managing everyone else’s.”
Hua Zhi smiled. “My affairs are hardly mine to decide. And truthfully, I have no wish at the moment to marry into the imperial family and be bound by all its rules and restrictions. Out here, I can do as I please.”
Thinking of all the complications surrounding the imperial house, Old Master Zhu frowned as well. “And what does the young master say?”
“He would like to formalize an engagement first. I’m not in favor of it. The Emperor’s dignity still needs to be considered — neither of us is a free person with no ties to the world.”
“This has been hard on you.”
“Not really. Things are quite good as they are. For me, mutual understanding and affection matter more than a document of marriage.” Besides, she was only seventeen — in terms of her body’s age, at least. Hua Zhi felt she had gotten quite the advantage: not everyone got to live through the seasons of youth twice. Though neither time had been easy.
The next day, good fortune arrived alongside heavy snow, right on schedule.
Hua Zhi had made her preparations. She was ready before Lai Fu had to wait long, and she boarded the carriage. Shaoyao came along as well. Her identity was more or less known to the people in the palace, and everyone knew she was favored there — no one dared say a word.
Other attendants accompanied them as well. Lai Fu did not dare approach Hua Zhi too closely, but he cast her a subtle glance. Hua Zhi took that as a small reassurance. Inside the palace was an Emperor who disliked her and a Haoyue who found her disagreeable — entering would not be easy. But this time, it likely wasn’t trouble being brought to her door.
The Emperor received Hua Zhi in the warm pavilion. Hua Zhi was not at all surprised to find Haoyue already there.
“This humble woman greets Your Majesty.”
Shaoyao, as was her habit, gave the salute of a military officer.
“Rise, both of you.”
The Emperor looked somewhat lethargic. Shaoyao, out of habit, walked over to take his pulse. Hua Zhi took the opportunity to observe openly. The Emperor’s… complexion appeared to have improved somewhat.
The Emperor seemed not to have anticipated Shaoyao’s gesture. He was briefly startled, then laughed, and with his free hand reached out to pat her hand. Shaoyao rolled her eyes in an enormous arc.
Haoyue smiled from the side. “Our Shaoyao truly says what she feels.”
“I’ll take that as an insult.” Having said so, Shaoyao half-closed her eyes and focused on reading his pulse. Haoyue wanted to respond, but she didn’t dare interrupt a physician in the middle of taking the Emperor’s pulse while he was right there. She suppressed the urge, her expression remaining perfectly composed, smile still warm and bright.
“Your Majesty, you know how I am,” Shaoyao said, withdrawing her hand. “I either speak the truth or I say nothing. Do you wish to hear the truth?”
The Emperor rotated his wrist, his expression unreadable. “When have I ever refused to hear what you have to say?”
Shaoyao pointed toward Haoyue. “Before she entered the palace, Your Majesty’s health was improving. After she entered the palace, your health has deteriorated day by day. I will speak to the Empress Dowager and have her confine Haoyue.”
Haoyue had not expected her to say such a thing. Her expression changed immediately — the composed bearing she maintained at all times slipped entirely. “That is sheer nonsense. Would I harm His Majesty? What would I possibly gain from that? It’s obviously—”
Haoyue snapped her mouth shut.
But the Emperor pressed her. “Obviously what? Finish what you were saying.”