Shen Qi, watching her draw near, suddenly stepped forward. “Today the eldest young mistress will surely be pulled in every direction. Please do not trouble yourself with attending to us — we are quite fine on our own.”
Jiang Huanran glanced at him and stepped forward as well. “Quite so. There is no need for the eldest young mistress to play host to us.”
Hua Zhi’s gaze softened. She was about to speak when an unfamiliar voice cut in: “But if the eldest young mistress is so inclined, none of us would have reason to refuse, would we?”
Hua Zhi followed the sound. Someone from the Xia Family — Third Aunt’s brother, most likely.
She took in the room with a glance. Though nothing showed in her expression, eyes do not lie. Hua Zhi gave a light, covered cough, nodded in thanks toward Shen Qi and Jiang Huanran, then said: “All who come are guests. Of course they must be received. Everyone, please come inside.”
The Zhu Family brothers also walked over at that moment. Hua Zhi shook her head slightly at her younger uncle, Zhu Haodong understood and quietly held his elder brother back.
Inside the reception hall, the warmth was enveloping. The others shed their cloaks the moment they stepped in, but Hua Zhi only removed her hood. She had been standing outside in the cold for so long that she felt the chill had seeped into her very bones, and she was not about to make herself suffer further.
The others took little notice, but Shen Qi, reading the near-translucent pallor of her face, felt a sudden, quiet grief. Pulling the Hua Family back from the edge of ruin could not have come without cost. The young mistress who had once had rosy cheeks and spent her days in easy contentment with her maids — she was gone now.
“I thank you all for coming. If Grandmother could see this from beyond, she would certainly be glad.”
“We are all one family — there is no need for such formalities, eldest young mistress.” Someone immediately seized the opening to climb further up the offered foothold. Hua Zhi looked over — the Qi Family. “Old Madam was a woman of great virtue and had always deserved to be honored. We naturally had to come and show our respects.”
“Indeed so. We are all one family — glory shared and loss shared. Is that not so, eldest young mistress?”
Hua Zhi set down her tea and looked up with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. “Glory shared and loss shared?”
“Absolutely.” The Qi representative, thinking this was their chance, answered quickly. Most of the others, however, sensed the undercurrent in Hua Zhi’s words and all quietly put up their guard.
And sure enough: “When the Hua Family was at rock bottom in its loss, I did not observe that it had any particular effect on any of you — unless something occurred that escaped my notice?”
The room went quiet, and then someone spoke up: “There were some effects, more or less.”
“Then the fault lies with the Hua Family, and I offer our apologies to everyone present.” Hua Zhi set down her tea, rose, and curtsied deeply.
Such swift and easy self-reproach — the room exchanged uncertain glances. This was unfolding precisely as they had hoped, yet somehow it felt deeply unsettling. Why?
It was then that they remembered — if anyone in the room could claim the greatest seniority and the closest connection to the Hua Family, it was the Qin Family. With the Qin Family saying nothing, who else should speak?
Pressed by a roomful of expectant gazes, Qin Gongyang cleared his throat and opened his mouth: “Eldest Young Mistress, capable as you are, and with such generosity of heart, I trust Honored Aunt is at peace in the afterlife.”
“You flatter me, Maternal Grand-Uncle. I could not possibly deserve that.”
“You could, and you do. Search all of the capital and you will not find another who holds a candle to you.”
Hua Zhi picked up the freshly changed cup that Ying Chun had placed before her and gave a light laugh. “When you put it that way, Maternal Grand-Uncle, it does not quite sound like a compliment.”
“Every single word comes from the bottom of my heart.” Qin Gongyang’s eyes were entirely sincere, and not a drop of guilt troubled him — he was not the least bit ashamed to say it. When he had first learned that the Seventh Bureau, whose ripples had spread through the entire capital, had been born from Hua Zhi’s hands, he had thought his ears were deceiving him. Surely he was not the only one left wondering how her father had raised such a daughter!
Thinking of his mother, now confined to bed following a reprimand from his father, Qin Gongyang felt a quiet sigh rise in his heart. The time they had sat together at that restaurant, Hua Zhi had already counted the Qin Family in for a share. Had his mother not driven a wedge through it, he would not now be here tangled up in all of this — he would long since have joined the Zhu Family brothers in standing at the side, watching calmly from the wings.
His mind still turning over these thoughts, Qin Gongyang suddenly felt done with the roundabout approach. “Zhi’er — might we speak privately?”
Hua Zhi raised a brow in surprise. He wanted to speak plainly?
Before she could even respond, others moved faster. “Who among us would not like a private word with the eldest young mistress? Master Qin, do not use your standing to cut ahead!”
“Precisely.”
“Master Qin is surely not trying to take everything for himself?”
“My brother-in-law and the eldest young mistress have always been close — if anyone speaks first, it ought to be me.”
Hua Zhi listened for a while as they snapped and scrambled at one another, then smiled. “Have any of you thought to ask whether I am willing to speak with any of you? Or have you decided among yourselves and assumed I have no choice but to comply?”
The reception hall plunged from clamor to silence so deep you could hear a pin drop. They were right — even if they settled the order among themselves, what did it matter? If Hua Zhi did not agree, none of it would go anywhere.
Awkwardness filled the room, and Hua Zhi had no intention of dispelling it. She went on sipping her tea at her own unhurried pace. After being outside in that bitter cold for so long, she truly had no desire to step back out and be cut by the wind again for a good while.
She was perfectly at ease — while everyone else was far more anxious than she was. Before long, someone broke the silence. “Eldest young mistress, we are all our own people. When there is something good to be had, one naturally ought to think of one’s own first, is that not right?”
Hua Zhi looked at the speaker — an unfamiliar face. Nanny Su had mentioned the Su Family. “The Hua and Su families are indeed old associates. In our grandfather’s time the two families had frequent dealings. But I recall that when Grandmother passed, the Su Family sent only a steward — and a minor one at that. I wonder whether the word ‘our own’ does not stick a little in your throat.”
Not waiting for anyone else to speak, she proceeded to strip away each person’s pretense, one by one. “The stewards sent to offer condolences by the Qiu, Hu, Tang, and Liu Families gave condolence gifts of exactly two hundred taels each — as though they had coordinated beforehand. The Qi, Xia, and Wu Families — proper relatives by marriage — likewise gave two hundred taels. Apart from the Wu Family, which at least sent Second Master Wu in person, the other two sent only stewards as well. And you now come to speak to me of ‘our own people’? Where were you when the Hua Family needed its own? Were you afraid of being stuck to us with no way free? Or afraid that being too close to the Hua Family might bring trouble down on yourselves?”
Hua Zhi’s tone was perfectly calm. The words should have sounded like outrage, yet not the slightest flicker of emotion crossed her face — she even wore a slight smile. “Hua Ling nearly had her name and honor destroyed. Third Aunt sent her attendant back to the Xia Family to plead on bended knee for help, and the Xia Family did not even open the door. That is ‘our own people.’ I ran a business to keep this family fed, and was told I was shamelessly putting myself on display and debasing myself. That, too, is ‘our own people.’ Knowing full well what Hua Jing’s character is, you still whispered in her ear to come to her maternal home and demand things. That as well is ‘our own people.’ Please do not speak to me of ‘our own people.’ It makes me feel the phrase has become a term of contempt.”
She took a sip of tea and continued: “I know why you are here. The Seventh Bureau has been filling posts in the capital — every radish in its hole — but there are still plenty of holes further down. You remembered me, your ‘own people,’ and thought to take a shortcut through me. I am afraid, however, that I must disappoint you: I no longer count you among my own. That so-called shortcut, through me — it is closed.”
To have one’s pretenses stripped so thoroughly and laid bare — those present were experiencing it for the very first time in their lives. Those who had been named outright were awash in shame and fury together, and for a long moment not one of them could produce a single word in reply.
Chapter 473: Disturbance at the End of Mourning (Part 1)
Though she was a guest, Old Madam Sun was of an elder generation, and when word reached the inner courtyard, the mistresses of all four branches came out to pay their respects.
Old Madam Sun was herself gracious and courteous in return, and they shared a warm, harmonious lunch before she took her leave.
Hua Zhi and Little Six tallied up the fortune the Sun Family had sent over together. For an ordinary person the sum was enormous, but for a great household it could hardly be called much.
“They say General Sun contributed heavily to fill the gaping hole in the military payroll — it seems that was no exaggeration.”
Little Six pressed his lips together and said quietly, “It is the truth. Maternal Grandfather could not bear to see the soldiers go without even a full meal. Over the years, he has poured in an incalculable amount.”
“If even the garrison passes, which are most heavily prioritized, are in such a state, the embezzlement and delays in military pay everywhere else can only be imagined.” Hua Zhi was not surprised. If this were the modern era — well, who would dare!
“Leave these things with me for now.” Hua Zhi placed her hand on the stack of ledgers. “I will go over everything before deciding how to handle it. If we want to get our hands on the private salt, this silver alone is not enough.”
“Whatever Hua Jiejie decides.” Little Six paused. “Imperial Father does not favor me. If he finds out that I have had a hand in the private salt trade…”
“In the eyes of the imperial household, the benefits of this far outweigh the risks. Even if he knew, he would commend you for your foresight. There is nothing to worry about.”
Little Six thought it over and understood. If the private salt trade were firmly in the imperial family’s hands, who could ever hold it over them again?
Hua Zhi picked out the register of names. “Give this to Yanxi. Have the Seven Lodges look into the backgrounds. We must not let anyone with ulterior motives slip in.”
Little Six had no objection. These people were strangers to him — he would never dare simply use them as they were!
On the twenty-fourth, snow fell heavily — just as it had the year before.
Hua Zhi was dressed in plain mourning white, a few small white flowers freshly picked and pinned behind her ear, which only made her already cool and composed bearing seem all the more austere.
Nanny Su pushed open the door and entered. “Miss, the Qin Family has sent word. The eldest master who is bringing the spirit house is already on his way.”
Hua Zhi looked at her own reflection in the mirror. The timing was well chosen — on a day such as this, no one could rightfully turn him away.
“Open the main gate wide to receive him.”
Nanny Su quietly exhaled in relief and hurried off. She was originally from the Qin Family, and though she had left many years ago, she still did not wish to see the two families truly estranged. Even with what the Qin Family had done before — now that they had offered an olive branch, it was naturally best if the young mistress could gracefully step down and accept it.
Hua Zhi rose, and a thick cloak was settled across her shoulders. “Today is likely to draw quite a crowd. Go inform the kitchen — prepare plenty of food.”
“Yes, Miss.”
She stepped outside. The freezing air, laced with snowflakes, rushed at her face, chasing away every trace of warmth from her body.
Hua Zhi pulled her cloak tighter and walked toward the assembled household.
Wu Shi came forward to meet her, something clearly weighing on her, but she stopped herself.
“What they choose to do is their business. What we do is ours.” Hua Zhi reached up and gently touched the flower behind her ear. “We simply do what must be done on the day mourning ends.”
Wu Shi drew a deep breath, clenched her back teeth, and gave a firm nod. The evening before, she had received word from her own family, and since nearly all the branches seemed to be in the same situation, she had a fair idea of why they were coming. Yes — it was true that the family could refuse visitors on ordinary days, but on the day mourning ended, it was a time-honored custom that the more relatives and friends came to pay respects, the greater the honor to the deceased. No matter how firmly the Hua Family closed its gates on other days, it could not turn people away on this one.
Was that not exactly what they were banking on? Wu Shi felt both grieved and indignant, yet could say nothing — among those who had come to take advantage, there were her own closest kin.
“If anyone insists on saying things today that are not particularly welcome, there is no need for any of you to raise your voice against them. Simply say the person in charge of the household is inside, and have them come find me.” Hua Zhi took the hand warmer Ying Chun passed to her and slipped her hands inside. “Fourth Aunt, please keep a close eye on the rear courtyard. Second Sister, Third Sister — lend a hand.”
The three sisters standing at a slight distance all started slightly. Hua Xin and Hua Ling immediately nodded and agreed.
“Fourth Sister, stay with my mother. Do not let her be alone with anyone who may have ulterior motives.”
Hua Rong, who had feared she would be left out entirely, exhaled in relief and answered at once in a clear voice.
Hua Zhi then looked over the cluster of children. “Bailin, as soon as the hour arrives, take everyone to the ancestral graves.”
“Yes.”
Her gaze moved to Zeng Han. Hua Zhi stepped forward. “Does Xiao Han want to go as well?”
Zeng Han nodded. His surname was Zeng, but in his heart he considered himself part of the Hua Family too — what the Hua Family members must do, he felt he must do as well.
“Then go. Be a good older brother and look after the younger ones.”
All the children straightened their chests and answered in unison that they were old hands at looking after their younger brothers — they knew perfectly well what to do.
Hua Zhi gave them an approving smile, then walked toward the front courtyard.
What should have been a family matter had been turned by others into an arena of scheming and calculation. If Grandmother could see it from beyond, she might feel resentment — or perhaps she would blame her granddaughter for refusing to bow her head.
But how could she bow!
The moment she showed even a trace of retreat, those people would latch on like leeches and refuse to let go until they had sucked her dry!
Only a backbone of iron and steel could break apart the grasping hands they extended, one by one, and make them feel the pain.
If they wanted to feed off her — they would have to see whether she was willing! She had never been afraid even when biding her time at her lowest. Now, with the Emperor’s banner behind her, she knew how to use borrowed authority perfectly well.
The front courtyard was livelier than usual. The snow had already been swept once, and the flurries still drifting down could not accumulate quickly. Servants moved back and forth in every direction making preparations. Hua Zhi stood still for a moment, watching, before continuing on her way.
Steward Xu noticed his young mistress and was about to step forward to welcome her when a figure moved faster. “Hua Jiejie.”
Little Six was also dressed in plain white. It suddenly occurred to Hua Zhi that since he had come to the Hua Family, Little Six seemed never to have worn anything in bright or vivid colors. He dressed much as Bailin did — the clothes she had ordered made for him, and even those sent over by the Sun Family, he had consistently chosen in plain and understated shades. Thinking about it now, it was clearly deliberate.
“So many people are likely to come today. Would you not rather spend the day at the Sun Family’s residence?”
Little Six hesitated and asked, “May I go to the Hua Family ancestral graves with everyone?”
Hua Zhi smiled. “Of course you may. Just be mindful — light a single stick of incense and no more. Do not give anyone grounds to impeach you.”
Little Six’s face instantly broke into a bright smile. “Understood.”
At that moment Steward Xu also walked over. “Miss, shall I go open the main gate now?”
“Open it.”
Hua Zhi removed her hand warmer and passed it to Bao Xia. Step by step, she walked steadily to a spot near the front of the courtyard, facing the gate, and watched as the main doors slowly swung open.
After a moment, Qin Gongyang appeared in her line of sight. He had not come alone — several of the Qin Family’s nephews and younger kinsmen were with him, and behind them a group of servants carrying an enormous spirit house. Hua Zhi let her gaze rest for a moment on the grand and elaborate spirit house, then looked beyond it and saw Master Boruo standing at the rear.
Hua Zhi dipped in a slow, graceful curtsy. “I pay my respects, Maternal Grand-Uncle. You have gone to great lengths.”
“Please, rise.” Qin Gongyang raised a hand to help her up, and looked at this cousin’s granddaughter who had, without a word, managed to bring all this about. At the time, he had not agreed with the idea of growing distant from the Hua Family, but his mother had disapproved of Hua Zhi engaging in trade and had firmly persuaded his father to consent to reducing their contact. Who could have imagined that while she was indeed skilled at commerce, that was far from all she was capable of — and by the time the Qin Family came to its senses, it was already too late.
Chapter 474: Disturbance at the End of Mourning (Part 2)
Qin Gongyang’s expression was pleasant and amicable, as though the Qin and Hua families were still as close as they had always been. He gestured toward the spirit house and said, “It has been ready for some time. It was placed at Dazhuosi Temple to be blessed by the incense smoke there. I had originally intended to bring Master Boruo along when I came, but it turned out you had sent someone to invite him a few days prior — so we simply came together.”
“Ah, I see. I had thought the two of you had happened to meet by chance.” Hua Zhi stepped forward a few paces to greet Master Boruo. “I must trouble you again this time.”
Master Boruo glanced at the prayer beads on her wrist, then clasped his hands together and recited a Buddhist blessing in a gentle tone.
“I have had a quiet room prepared. I invite you and the other masters to rest there first. When the hour arrives, we will set out.”
“Benefactress Hua is most considerate.”
The gathered company of monks — heads shaved to every size — followed Steward Xu as they filed away. Hua Zhi turned to Qin Gongyang, who still stood in place. “It is cold outside. Please go in and rest, Maternal Grand-Uncle.”
Li De stepped forward at once to extend the invitation.
Qin Gongyang also understood that one could not move too hastily — and certainly could not be the one to go first. He smiled and nodded. “Do not stand out here in the courtyard either. The snow melting on you is miserable enough.”
“I will go in.”
This had always been Hua Zhi’s plan, so she turned at once and walked toward the covered walkway. The ease of her compliance caught Qin Gongyang off guard. He had not supposed, as his mother had, that the Qin Family’s overtures of goodwill meant Hua Zhi should be grateful and obliging — he had come prepared to say a few conciliatory words and offer some degree of apology. This ready compliance, so natural and unguarded, was disorienting.
But the disorientation lasted only a moment. Qin Gongyang, turning over his thoughts, followed Li De toward the main reception hall.
Soon after, the Xia Family, Wu Family, and Qi Family all arrived in quick succession. The women were led by Nanny Su toward the inner courtyard; the men were guided by Li De to the reception hall.
Shortly after came the wife of Chen Dayi, who also brought word of Chen Dayi’s whereabouts: “He said he would check in at the office and then come straight here. He is likely not far behind me.”
“Master Chen is most considerate.”
Then came Master Mu and Master Zheng. Their connection to the Hua Family was of a different sort, and they did not join the bustle in the reception hall — instead they walked shoulder to shoulder toward the clan school, thinking to use the time to tidy up the study.
Then came Shen Qi from the Shen Family, Lu Boxi from the Lu Family, Jiang Huanran from the Jiang Family. From the Cai Family, Hua Qin arrived, visibly with child, together with her husband. Yu Xia Sheng came. The Liu Family, the Peng Family, the Qi Family — and on it went. Those who could claim some connection came, and those who could not forced a connection and came as well. The Hua Family’s long-cold and desolate doorstep took on something of the feeling of a stream of carriages and horses.
The Zhu Family arrived comparatively late. Old Madam Zhu spotted Hua Zhi and immediately explained: “We thought it would be lively today, so we came a little later on purpose.”
Hua Zhi curtsied to her maternal grandmother, then to the two uncles, aunts by marriage, and cousins who had come behind her. She had not expected the Zhu Family to bring so many people — though she was not surprised that Zhu Shan had not come.
“It is indeed very lively.” Hua Zhi smiled. “Do not bother with all of this — please go to my mother quickly. She must have been watching and waiting for a long while.”
“Always teasing your mother.” Old Madam Zhu gave her forehead a gentle tap, smiling in spite of herself. “The hour is nearly upon us. Go see to your duties.”
The women followed toward the inner courtyard. The Zhu Family’s two uncles had no interest in the crowded reception hall, and stood instead along the covered walkway, both their gazes falling on Hua Zhi as she calmly directed everything.
“When Mother used to joke that Zhi’er was short and no one knew who she took after, I would argue that she was not short at all. Looking now — she really is not tall. Yet every single person around her is taller and more solidly built.”
Zhu Haocheng laughed. “Now that you mention it — how is it that I never noticed before?”
Watching his elder brother observe with nothing more than amused interest and not an ounce of concern, Zhu Haodong swallowed what he had been about to say. If they were not walking the same road, there was no use in more words. Zhi’er’s character was one that drew sharp lines between gratitude and grievance — his elder brother could see the cost the Qin Family had paid and still not see that he was heading down the same path to become a second Qin Family.
Well — perhaps not, actually. Knowing Zhi’er’s way of doing things, she would simply cut this eldest maternal uncle out of her circle of interests, while her treatment of the rest of the Zhu Family would remain unchanged. The elder brother who fancied himself so clever had not noticed how many new white hairs their mother had grown in recent months, nor that their father’s sighs had grown more frequent.
Suppressing a quiet sigh of his own, Zhu Haodong turned to look toward the inner gate, from which signs of movement had begun to emerge. The Hua boys — tender as young saplings — filed out one by one in their matching plain white clothes, each carrying a small basket in hand. Whatever they held inside, he could not quite make out.
Hua Zhi saw them too, but she did not go forward. She simply stood there watching as Bailin organized them.
Hua Bailin understood what his eldest sister meant. He swallowed, willing his heartbeat to slow, then gave a sweeping bow to all who were present, and walked with great solemnity to stand before Master Boruo. He bowed deeply. “We trouble you, Master, to accompany us.”
Master Boruo studied the children carefully. He consented readily. He had seen them on this same day the previous year — they had been bewildered and helpless then. Now their eyes were steady and resolute, carrying a weight of responsibility. Word that had spread beyond these walls only spoke of the Hua Family’s eldest young mistress as someone who could turn stone to gold, a person of rare and heavenly gifts. In his view, what was most truly worthy of praise was her way of governing the household. The living vitality that filled the Hua Family was something rarely seen.
In the courtyard, the offerings of spirit tea and tribute fruit had been arranged. Incense smoke curled in ribbons, and as the low, rhythmic sounds of monks chanting filled the air, the household members knelt in reverence. When the rites concluded, the spirit house was lifted with great care, and the Hua children, walking in pairs with hands clasped together, followed behind it through the wind and snow toward the Hua Family ancestral graves.
The scene had a power that struck straight to the heart. Even those present who harbored selfish motives could not help but feel a stab of sorrow in their chests. The Hua Family had once been a name renowned throughout the realm — a family of incomparable refinement and honor — yet in the end, all that remained was a small band of children holding the gates. If the late patriarch Hua Jingyan could see this from beyond…
Yet no matter how great the shock, it would pass. When quiet returned to the courtyard and each person gathered their own thoughts again, that pang of sorrow was suppressed. After all, what matter belonging to another family could ever weigh heavier than one’s own affairs?
Almost simultaneously, every gaze turned toward the far end of the covered walkway where the Hua Family’s eldest young mistress stood alone — cool and still as the air itself. Yet not one person broke the silence first. By now, who in this city did not know that the Hua Family’s eldest young mistress was not to be trifled with? They had all just seen the Sixth Prince walking among the Hua children as though he belonged there — his closeness to her needed no words. At this moment, not one of them wished to be the first to step forward and give Hua Zhi cause to single them out.
Ying Chun hurried to her young mistress’s side. “This servant asked around. The baskets the young masters carried held a few small things they had prepared themselves, along with words they had written for Old Madam. After the rites, they will be burned together with the spirit house.”
Hua Zhi was somewhat surprised. “Who suggested it? Did they hear something?”
“It was the Seventh Young Master. He overheard Fourth Madam and Third Madam wondering whether the Qin Family might bring extra things and whether the family should prepare something of their own. He remembered that, and together with all the young masters, prepared one item each.”
Hua Zhi pressed her fingertips to the bridge of her nose, quietly expelling the welling emotion that had risen in her chest.
Ying Chun pulled her young mistress’s hood more snugly into place, her own eyes reddening as she said, “The young masters are all so sensible. You have not taught them in vain.”
Hua Zhi smiled. Yes — all of them, so sensible. In time they would only grow more so.
And now — it was her battlefield.
Hua Zhi looked across at the crowd watching her from a distance and, pulling her cloak close, walked toward them. Was this not simply the sort of scheming, calculating back-and-forth she had weathered before? She had lived through it all — when had she, Hua Zhi, ever been afraid? Not once!
Chapter 475: Disturbance at the End of Mourning (Part 3)
Shen Qi, watching her draw near, suddenly stepped forward. “Today the eldest young mistress will surely be pulled in every direction. Please do not trouble yourself with attending to us — we are quite fine on our own.”
Jiang Huanran glanced at him and stepped forward as well. “Quite so. There is no need for the eldest young mistress to play host to us.”
Hua Zhi’s gaze softened. She was about to speak when an unfamiliar voice cut in: “But if the eldest young mistress is so inclined, none of us would have reason to refuse, would we?”
Hua Zhi followed the sound. Someone from the Xia Family — Third Aunt’s brother, most likely.
She took in the room with a glance. Though nothing showed in her expression, eyes do not lie. Hua Zhi gave a light, covered cough, nodded in thanks toward Shen Qi and Jiang Huanran, then said: “All who come are guests. Of course they must be received. Everyone, please come inside.”
The Zhu Family brothers also walked over at that moment. Hua Zhi shook her head slightly at her younger uncle, Zhu Haodong understood and quietly held his elder brother back.
Inside the reception hall, the warmth was enveloping. The others shed their cloaks the moment they stepped in, but Hua Zhi only removed her hood. She had been standing outside in the cold for so long that she felt the chill had seeped into her very bones, and she was not about to make herself suffer further.
The others took little notice, but Shen Qi, reading the near-translucent pallor of her face, felt a sudden, quiet grief. Pulling the Hua Family back from the edge of ruin could not have come without cost. The young mistress who had once had rosy cheeks and spent her days in easy contentment with her maids — she was gone now.
“I thank you all for coming. If Grandmother could see this from beyond, she would certainly be glad.”
“We are all one family — there is no need for such formalities, eldest young mistress.” Someone immediately seized the opening to climb further up the offered foothold. Hua Zhi looked over — the Qi Family. “Old Madam was a woman of great virtue and had always deserved to be honored. We naturally had to come and show our respects.”
“Indeed so. We are all one family — glory shared and loss shared. Is that not so, eldest young mistress?”
Hua Zhi set down her tea and looked up with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. “Glory shared and loss shared?”
“Absolutely.” The Qi representative, thinking this was their chance, answered quickly. Most of the others, however, sensed the undercurrent in Hua Zhi’s words and all quietly put up their guard.
And sure enough: “When the Hua Family was at rock bottom in its loss, I did not observe that it had any particular effect on any of you — unless something occurred that escaped my notice?”
The room went quiet, and then someone spoke up: “There were some effects, more or less.”
“Then the fault lies with the Hua Family, and I offer our apologies to everyone present.” Hua Zhi set down her tea, rose, and curtsied deeply.
Such swift and easy self-reproach — the room exchanged uncertain glances. This was unfolding precisely as they had hoped, yet somehow it felt deeply unsettling. Why?
It was then that they remembered — if anyone in the room could claim the greatest seniority and the closest connection to the Hua Family, it was the Qin Family. With the Qin Family saying nothing, who else should speak?
Pressed by a roomful of expectant gazes, Qin Gongyang cleared his throat and opened his mouth: “Eldest Young Mistress, capable as you are, and with such generosity of heart, I trust Honored Aunt is at peace in the afterlife.”
“You flatter me, Maternal Grand-Uncle. I could not possibly deserve that.”
“You could, and you do. Search all of the capital and you will not find another who holds a candle to you.”
Hua Zhi picked up the freshly changed cup that Ying Chun had placed before her and gave a light laugh. “When you put it that way, Maternal Grand-Uncle, it does not quite sound like a compliment.”
“Every single word comes from the bottom of my heart.” Qin Gongyang’s eyes were entirely sincere, and not a drop of guilt troubled him — he was not the least bit ashamed to say it. When he had first learned that the Seventh Bureau, whose ripples had spread through the entire capital, had been born from Hua Zhi’s hands, he had thought his ears were deceiving him. Surely he was not the only one left wondering how her father had raised such a daughter!
Thinking of his mother, now confined to bed following a reprimand from his father, Qin Gongyang felt a quiet sigh rise in his heart. The time they had sat together at that restaurant, Hua Zhi had already counted the Qin Family in for a share. Had his mother not driven a wedge through it, he would not now be here tangled up in all of this — he would long since have joined the Zhu Family brothers in standing at the side, watching calmly from the wings.
His mind still turning over these thoughts, Qin Gongyang suddenly felt done with the roundabout approach. “Zhi’er — might we speak privately?”
Hua Zhi raised a brow in surprise. He wanted to speak plainly?
Before she could even respond, others moved faster. “Who among us would not like a private word with the eldest young mistress? Master Qin, do not use your standing to cut ahead!”
“Precisely.”
“Master Qin is surely not trying to take everything for himself?”
“My brother-in-law and the eldest young mistress have always been close — if anyone speaks first, it ought to be me.”
Hua Zhi listened for a while as they snapped and scrambled at one another, then smiled. “Have any of you thought to ask whether I am willing to speak with any of you? Or have you decided among yourselves and assumed I have no choice but to comply?”
The reception hall plunged from clamor to silence so deep you could hear a pin drop. They were right — even if they settled the order among themselves, what did it matter? If Hua Zhi did not agree, none of it would go anywhere.
Awkwardness filled the room, and Hua Zhi had no intention of dispelling it. She went on sipping her tea at her own unhurried pace. After being outside in that bitter cold for so long, she truly had no desire to step back out and be cut by the wind again for a good while.
She was perfectly at ease — while everyone else was far more anxious than she was. Before long, someone broke the silence. “Eldest young mistress, we are all our own people. When there is something good to be had, one naturally ought to think of one’s own first, is that not right?”
Hua Zhi looked at the speaker — an unfamiliar face. Nanny Su had mentioned the Su Family. “The Hua and Su families are indeed old associates. In our grandfather’s time the two families had frequent dealings. But I recall that when Grandmother passed, the Su Family sent only a steward — and a minor one at that. I wonder whether the word ‘our own’ does not stick a little in your throat.”
Not waiting for anyone else to speak, she proceeded to strip away each person’s pretense, one by one. “The stewards sent to offer condolences by the Qiu, Hu, Tang, and Liu Families gave condolence gifts of exactly two hundred taels each — as though they had coordinated beforehand. The Qi, Xia, and Wu Families — proper relatives by marriage — likewise gave two hundred taels. Apart from the Wu Family, which at least sent Second Master Wu in person, the other two sent only stewards as well. And you now come to speak to me of ‘our own people’? Where were you when the Hua Family needed its own? Were you afraid of being stuck to us with no way free? Or afraid that being too close to the Hua Family might bring trouble down on yourselves?”
Hua Zhi’s tone was perfectly calm. The words should have sounded like outrage, yet not the slightest flicker of emotion crossed her face — she even wore a slight smile. “Hua Ling nearly had her name and honor destroyed. Third Aunt sent her attendant back to the Xia Family to plead on bended knee for help, and the Xia Family did not even open the door. That is ‘our own people.’ I ran a business to keep this family fed, and was told I was shamelessly putting myself on display and debasing myself. That, too, is ‘our own people.’ Knowing full well what Hua Jing’s character is, you still whispered in her ear to come to her maternal home and demand things. That as well is ‘our own people.’ Please do not speak to me of ‘our own people.’ It makes me feel the phrase has become a term of contempt.”
She took a sip of tea and continued: “I know why you are here. The Seventh Bureau has been filling posts in the capital — every radish in its hole — but there are still plenty of holes further down. You remembered me, your ‘own people,’ and thought to take a shortcut through me. I am afraid, however, that I must disappoint you: I no longer count you among my own. That so-called shortcut, through me — it is closed.”
To have one’s pretenses stripped so thoroughly and laid bare — those present were experiencing it for the very first time in their lives. Those who had been named outright were awash in shame and fury together, and for a long moment not one of them could produce a single word in reply.