The Yunlai Restaurant stood on the main thoroughfare, occupying a wide and generous footprint. In a street of buildings mostly two stories tall, its three-story height stood out conspicuously.

The private rooms on the third floor of the Yunlai Restaurant had always been the most sought-after. One had to book at least two months in advance to have any hope of securing one, and without a certain social standing, one could not go up to the third floor at all.

It was no wonder everyone wanted to be on the third floor. In all of the capital, only the Yunlai Restaurant could face the Imperial Palace from afar. That sense of psychological satisfaction could be obtained for the price of a meal, and when entertaining guests there, one earned tremendous face — a resounding reputation that spread far and wide without any deliberate effort.

After learning all she could about the Yunlai Restaurant, Hua Zhi found herself wanting to give a thumbs-up to whoever had masterminded it all. By seizing upon human nature’s weaknesses, guests naturally came in droves, just as the name suggested.

Hua Bailin had come to her precisely about this matter. When he had heard everything, he said, “Elder Sister, I’ll go with you.”

“The laws of the Great Qing — students and officials are forbidden from engaging in commerce.”

“But…”

Hua Zhi tilted her head slightly and looked at him. “You dislike seeing your elder sister appear in public?”

Hua Bailin was quiet for a moment. “However Elder Sister conducts herself, I would never dislike it. It’s only that… I don’t want others to speak ill of you.”

“I only care about your opinion. What does it matter to me what others think or say?” Hua Zhi smiled freely and openly. She was a person who had walked out of conflict and controversy before, and she didn’t mind walking back into it now. Her skin was like copper and iron — it wasn’t so easy to wound her.

Hua Bailin felt he might never be able to catch up to his elder sister. But if he made no effort, he would lose even the right to call her elder sister.

“For the next two days I must handle this matter. You go and teach your classes.”

“Yes, Elder Sister.”

Hua Zhi reached out and straightened her younger brother’s collar. “This house is large, with so many people inside and out. Though I manage the household, I only have two eyes and two ears — there are bound to be things I miss. You must pay attention on my behalf, and above all, the affairs of the clan school must never be neglected.”

“Yes, Elder Sister. I will.”

“And then there is Sui An — you must guide him and help him fit in, fit in with the Hua Family, with his brothers and sisters. Don’t let him feel as though he is merely lodging here.”

Hua Bailin nodded firmly. His own father was a thousand miles away, yet their bond remained and they thought of each other. His cousin’s father was right there in front of him yet treated his son like an enemy. By comparison, his cousin’s situation was even worse than his own. And he still had his elder sister to lean on, still had family nearby — his cousin had nothing but a mother who needed his care.

But that was all right. From now on, he would have more. Their Hua Family was far better than the Yang Family.

Before long, Du Cheng returned with good news: Bai Mingxia had arranged to meet her at the Yunlai Restaurant the following morning during the Hour of the Snake.

No one in the Hua Family moved to stop Hua Zhi from going out, though Zhu Shi firmly placed a veiled hat on her head. Hua Zhi didn’t want her face drawing unwanted attention either, so she let her mother be.

Just as she was about to board the carriage, she heard the steady clop of hooves, and when she looked and saw it was Master Lu, she paused and waited.

Linying was particularly fond of Hua Zhi. Spotting her, the horse pushed its head eagerly toward her.

Hua Zhi lifted a corner of her veil, patted Linying’s head, and said, “Master Lu, are you…”

“I’m going with you.”

Hua Zhi didn’t ask how he had known she was going out. “It’s only within the capital. There won’t be any danger.”

Gu Yanxi said nothing, yet showed not the slightest sign of being persuaded.

Not wanting to be late, Hua Zhi said no more and stepped up onto the mounting block, climbing into the carriage.

A smile surfaced in Gu Yanxi’s eyes. Hua Zhi’s weakness was her inability to flatly refuse people who were good to her. Once she knew that a person’s intentions were for her benefit, even if she were reluctant within, she could never refuse outright to the very end.

Inside a private room on the third floor of the Yunlai Restaurant, facing the main street, Bai Mingxia sat with lowered head, watching the tea leaves in his cup rise and sink, his thoughts having wandered far away.

Born in the capital, raised in the capital, the younger generation of every notable family knew each other to some extent. As the third son of the Bai Family, he had never lacked for people who sought to ingratiate themselves with him — but those he could truly call friends were few. Hua Pingyang was one of them.

Their two families were of comparable standing, and comparable circumstances as well. Both harbored ambitions with nowhere to put them. Hua Pingyang had it somewhat better — at least his elder brother didn’t guard against him like a thief. As long as he steered clear of an official career, he could live as he pleased. Bai Mingxia was not so fortunate.

His elder brother was inferior to him in every respect, yet still could not tolerate him. Whatever Bai Mingxia undertook, his brother would send people to interfere and disrupt it. After so long, Bai Mingxia had simply grown too weary to bother anymore. He took over the family’s commercial affairs and cut off those other ambitions entirely.

Yet even after retreating so completely, his dear elder brother still worried he was embezzling from the family coffers. Not content with replacing all the accountants with his own people, he would personally audit the books from time to time. His father’s response to behavior so blatant and shameless was nothing more than a few words of rebuke, and his mother’s counsel was for Bai Mingxia to yield further — yet no one noticed that he had already been pushed back to the very edge of a cliff.

At times, he truly wanted to simply overturn everything, grind that man beneath his foot, and let him see how vast the gulf between them truly was.

A quiet knock came at the door. Bai Mingxia came back to himself, straightened his posture, and signaled for the servants to open the door.

Even with her face concealed by a veiled hat, the woman who walked in carried herself with a composure that was plain to see.

Bai Mingxia knew of Hua Zhi. Hua Pingyang, deep in his cups more than once, had lamented that his niece was such a pity — a girl. Now that he thought of it, it was actually fortunate that she was a girl. If there had been no man to uphold the Hua Family after it lost both its men and the old matriarch, no one could say what might have become of it.

He then glanced at the man who had followed her in and was now standing against the wall, and his brow furrowed slightly. Who was that? How could a young miss of the Hua Family be seen moving about with an unfamiliar man?

Hua Zhi removed her veiled hat and handed it to Bao Xia, then gave a deferential bow. “Hua presents herself before Young Master Bai.”

“Please, no need for formalities. Sit and speak.” This was Bai Mingxia’s first time meeting Hua Zhi. She was indeed as beautiful as rumor held — but what struck him even more was her bearing. Neither meek nor arrogant, neither hurried nor dismissive. She had not placed herself below him, nor had she elevated herself above. She had simply put herself on equal footing with him, inviting an exchange between equals.

An exchange between equals. Bai Mingxia smiled. Interesting.

“I heard you made a trip to the Northern Territories. Did you see Yuezhi?”

Yuezhi was Hua Pingyang’s courtesy name. Hua Zhi did not ask how he knew she had gone North. She simply nodded. “Yes, I did. Fourth Uncle said that Young Master Bai is a man of honor, and that if I encountered difficulty, I could come to you for help.”

Bai Mingxia smiled again. Knowing Yuezhi as he did, those words may not necessarily have been his. “You’ve come to find me, I take it, because there is something you’d like my help with. Tell me.”

“Rather than one-sided help, I would prefer to collaborate with Young Master Bai.” Hua Zhi glanced at Xu Jie, who carried two porcelain jars to the table, removed the seals, and lifted the lids. A clean, fruity fragrance drifted upward, and in the enclosed space, the aroma grew richer and richer.

Bai Mingxia oversaw the family’s commercial affairs and kept a close eye on this sphere. He had heard that the Hua Family had opened a shop that received no customers, but he had not intervened. He had rather hoped the Hua Family wouldn’t try to venture outward — shutting their doors firmly and disappearing from other people’s mouths was what the Hua Family ought to be doing now.

He did not look at the two glistening, plump little things before him. He looked directly at Hua Zhi and said, “If the Hua Family is short of money, I can provide it. However much is needed, I can produce.”

“A family that can only survive by depending on outsiders is already finished.” Hua Zhi lifted her chin slightly, the corners of her mouth curving upward. “Even if this venture fails, the Hua Family — I can support them on my own.”