The heavy snow fell on and off for several days, and the capital was blanketed in white, its festive red peeking through the silver—a beautiful sight, though the cold was very real.
Beyond fulfilling her unavoidable duties as Grand Tutor, Hua Zhi spent her time ensconced in the library, which was heated by underground channels, and went nowhere. She would read with her small disciple or engage in rounds of question and answer, content and thoroughly self-satisfied. At times she even hoped the deep winter would last a little longer. Cold as it was, everyone knew the Grand Tutor’s constitution was delicate, so she had perfectly good reason to decline all manner of banquet invitations outside.
Such as right now.
“This servant also did not wish to trouble you with it, but I received word that Miss Pei Qiu will be attending the Bai Family’s spring banquet.”
“You knew I had my eye on her.” Even as she said this, Hua Zhi took the invitation and opened it to look. The phrasing was the same as always. She scanned it briefly, then closed it, and asked her head steward, “Is the information reliable?”
Ying Chun smiled. “Yes. If I weren’t certain of that, how would I dare come and disturb you?”
Hua Zhi considered briefly, then nodded. “Write back to them—I will attend on time.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Hua Zhi not only attended herself but brought Bailin along. These gatherings held by noble families under one pretext or another were, at their heart, occasions for the young men and women of various households to be seen and assessed—and a rare, legitimate opportunity for young men and women to meet openly. Everyone knew how close this pair of siblings was, and the two of them arriving together was precisely what many had anticipated. No one paid any attention to the drab, gray-clad attendant beside Bailin.
After seeing to the Bai Family’s people and dismissing the crowd of servants, Hua Zhi bent slightly toward the attendant. “I have put you through an inconvenience.”
The attendant raised his head—it was none other than the Emperor himself. He signaled for the Grand Tutor to rise and looked around at the curtained pavilion. “Rather charming.”
It kept out the wind on all sides while blocking any prying eyes—charming indeed. Hua Zhi lifted a corner of the curtain and glanced outside. Three such separate pavilions in all—clearly prepared for guests of particular standing. And her standing, it seemed, was particular enough to warrant that word.
“Who does the Grand Tutor wish me to see?”
“Your Majesty may look at whoever you please. I would rather you see for yourself than hear about a person’s character from someone else. Since you will be spending your entire life with this person, you should first see whether she suits your eyes—is that not so?”
“As with the Grand Tutor and the Regent?”
Hua Zhi smiled. “Life must be lived regardless—but if the person at your side is someone you truly want, then life has all the more flavor to it.”
“The Grand Tutor speaks wisely.” The Emperor clapped Bailin on the shoulder. “Did you hear that? Find someone who suits your eyes.”
Hua Bailin returned the gesture, not too lightly and not too heavily. “I respectfully ask Your Majesty to choose first—the entire court is waiting.”
The Emperor gave him another clap—from the sound of it, this one was delivered with real force.
Hua Zhi saw and heard nothing, looking deliberately away. The two of them had always been like this with each other, and Bailin had grown increasingly skilled at knowing exactly how far he could go. She had no cause for concern.
“Princess Consort, the young ladies of the Bai Family have come to pay their respects.”
With her present position and standing, it was not as though anyone had a claim on her attention. The Emperor promptly put his hat back on and placed himself unobtrusively behind Bailin.
Hua Zhi gave Bao Xia a small nod. Bao Xia understood and lifted the curtain to usher the guests inside.
“The Bai daughters pay their respects to the Regent’s Princess Consort. Ten thousand blessings upon the Princess Consort.”
Hua Zhi swept her gaze across them—seven or eight young women, and Bai Pei Qiu was not among them. In her heart, she understood: that girl had been deliberately left out.
She kept the visitors briefly, exchanged a few courteous words, and saw them off with the tea-lifting gesture. The waves of visitors that followed were all treated the same—a sentence or two each, neither warm nor cool, no one singled out for particular attention. Everyone present was perceptive enough not to push. Even those most eager to become the Hua family’s daughter-in-law dared do no more than steal an extra glance at Hua Bailin as they left.
One cup of tea had been consumed. Hua Zhi looked at the two young men who had been staring determinedly straight ahead, and felt a flicker of exasperation sufficient to make her forget all about the deference owed to an emperor. She flicked her hand toward them. “Your Majesty rarely gets out—Bailin, take him to see something of the Bai Family’s spring banquet.”
Hua Bailin and the Emperor exchanged a glance and suppressed their laughter as they agreed. Making their elder sister—their teacher—exasperated was itself something of an achievement, after all. It was not something just anyone could manage.
At these sorts of gatherings, even the amusements and diversions, though accompanied by wine, were kept refined and tasteful. Hua Bailin, whether in terms of standing or ability, was more than capable in any circle, and whatever self-contained group had formed, he could enter it with ease. By the end of a full round, the Emperor had gained a fair amount of new knowledge—though compared to what he had seen and done beyond the capital, none of this amounted to much.
“Frogs in a well.” Away from the eyes of the crowd, the Emperor lifted his head and laughed with scorn. “If I hadn’t followed the Grand Tutor out beyond the capital, I would probably be exactly like them—smug and self-satisfied, believing I was something extraordinary.”
“Elder Sister often says that reading without seeing the world is worse than having no books at all.”
Both had been taught by Hua Zhi, and they shared a glance and a smile. What lay between them needed no words. Their teacher’s learning might not surpass that of the greatest scholars of their time, yet she had let them see with their own eyes the world that lay beyond the capital—shown them how vast the world beyond truly was. That, for them, was worth more than a hundred, a thousand sayings of the sages.
Walking toward a pavilion, they heard voices from within. They glanced at the maid stationed nearby, who only gave a respectful bow and offered no sign of alarm—meaning those inside were simply ordinary visitors, the sort who wanted no trouble. Neither of the two men was in any hurry to enter.
Inside the pavilion, Hua Zhi received a signal from Ying Chun and set down her teacup, taking the initiative to ask directly, “Your relations with the Bai Family main branch are still uneasy?”
In noble circles, speaking with hints and indirect phrasing was the norm. Bai Pei Qiu did not know why the Princess Consort would be so plainspoken, but her father had long since told her that before the Princess Consort, there was no need to conceal anything. She answered with equal candor. “Grandfather once suggested that Father return to the Bai Family fold. Father declined.”
“If that is the case, you must have known that coming here would mean being ostracized—you could have found an excuse to decline the invitation instead. Why give them the opportunity to slight you? When Elder Uncle Bai comes home and learns of it, I don’t know how it will pain him.”
“Miss Pei Qiu thanks the Princess Consort for her protection.” Bai Pei Qiu rose and gave a curtsy, and feeling the warmth behind the words, spoke with a little more frankness. “At first it was difficult. But later I came to understand—the only people who can truly wound you are those you care about. Since that is the case, I simply choose not to care. Is it not the same as them—they are able to go so far precisely because Father cares, and they exploit that?”
Seeming to feel she had said too much, Bai Pei Qiu rose again and gave another curtsy. “This young woman has been presumptuous—please forgive me, Princess Consort.”
“That is exactly how things are. There is nothing to forgive. Please sit.” Hua Zhi studied the young woman, whose features had opened up since they last met—her bearing and manner were genuinely different now. It was as though she had suddenly found her footing, found direction, and come to understand who she wanted to be.
“You should be aware—with both your paternal grandparents still living, your mother likely has little say in your marriage arrangements. Are you not worried about the main Bai branch using this as a means to pressure you?”
“My parents are very worried. I, however, feel that Grandmother cannot truly do anything to me. The conventions governing the marriage of daughters from noble families are well established—and I am not the only daughter of marriageable age in the Bai Family. For the sake of the other girls’ prospects, she cannot make too great a scene over my situation. At most, she will make my path to marriage less smooth. I have prepared myself for that.”
Bai Pei Qiu very much wanted to ask the Princess Consort to intervene—if the Princess Consort stepped in, the Bai main branch would be powerless, and Father would no longer have to think of lowering himself to return to them. But she held back that impulse. The moment of true necessity had not yet arrived.