Chen Zhi became famous — the kind of famous that the entire city knew about.

Hua Zhi continued refining her plans for the new shop while listening to Bao Xia denounce Chen Zhi with passionate indignation, reducing him to nothing of worth. “Miss, you have no idea — some of the older scholars were so furious they had to be carried off to the physician. That man’s servant girl — I’d seen her before, and I always thought he seemed refined and scholarly. How could someone change so much in just a few months?”

“Were you expecting him to stay the way you imagined him? Go and invite Xu Jie and Du Cheng.”

Having received no reaction from her young mistress, Bao Xia was a little deflated. She pursed her lips and went to make the arrangements.

Nian Qiu poured a fresh cup of tea for the young miss. “Is there nothing to be done about Master Chen?”

Seeing that even the usually quiet Nian Qiu was preoccupied with the matter, Hua Zhi felt she had misjudged Bao Xia. This affair — she could see it plainly: Chen Zhi was on a path to his own ruin. But most others could only see Chen Zhi coming out on top in this episode.

She set down her brush, rinsed her hands, rose, and began to pace. “Chen Zhi knows that whatever he does, he cannot recover his standing among scholars and men of letters. So he has chosen to break all restraint and use this moment to pledge his allegiance to the Emperor. Unfortunately, that may not bring him any real reward.”

“Will the Emperor not employ him?”

“He will — but not in any meaningful capacity. At most he will be moved into place as a pawn when a pawn is needed. No one is a fool. Who would dare use a man with no loyalty or decency without keeping him on a tight leash?” The corner of Hua Zhi’s mouth curved with a full measure of contempt. “As a man of letters who has lost the support of the scholarly community — what value does he have left?”

Nian Qiu’s eyes lit up. “So we need do nothing at all — only wait for others to act?”

Hua Zhi said nothing more, but the ease in her expression was answer enough. Nian Qiu’s face came alive with realization. She had been just as infuriated as Bao Xia earlier — and how foolish of her. If Chen Zhi had truly come out ahead, how could the young miss have this attitude? She should have noticed long ago that the young miss was in a very good mood.

Xu Jie and Du Cheng entered the room at the same time. “We pay our respects, eldest young lady.”

“Rise.” Hua Zhi did not look up. “Xu Jie — I have two matters I can offer you to choose from. Consider your options carefully. The first: continue as before, overseeing the procurement of fruits as you did last year. The second: I intend to open a new shop in the capital, and the shop requires a head manager.”

Xu Jie had not expected to be given a choice. He was deeply moved. Working under the eldest young lady was always deeply satisfying — whatever the task, he always wanted to give it everything he had, as though anything less would be a disservice to her.

He thought it over carefully and then asked, “If I may ask, eldest young lady — would the fruit procurement be the same two varieties as last year?”

“Not only those. This year several new varieties will be added. If you choose this, you will spend more time traveling outside the capital than last year, and I will also assign two additional people to assist you.”

Xu Jie did not inquire further about the new shop or what trade it would conduct — he had a keen sense of proper limits — and nodded directly. “This servant will take the first option.”

Hua Zhi was not at all surprised. Last year she had already observed that Xu Jie was someone who genuinely enjoyed being out on the road — he had a restless spirit within him, but he was dependable by nature, and his family was settled in the household. He was someone she could rely on.

“Very well. For these next two months you will remain in the household and assist the Xu Steward in managing domestic affairs. You will not be permitted to go out until after the fourth month. Liu Fei will remain your deputy.”

“Yes, this servant obeys.”

“You may go.”

Xu Jie bowed and withdrew.

Hua Zhi turned to Du Cheng. For these past two months and more he had managed the trade with Yunlai Restaurant without a single mishap. His coordination and management abilities were excellent, and she appreciated his attentiveness to detail.

“Henceforth Liu Qi will take over the business with Yunlai Restaurant. You will take charge of the new shop.”

Du Cheng answered without the slightest hesitation.

Hua Zhi gave a small nod and gestured to Nian Qiu to pass Du Cheng the papers she had written. “Read these.”

Du Cheng’s ability to handle affairs was plainly demonstrated by the fact that Hua Pingyang had kept him by his side — yet by the time he had finished reading the several pages, he felt as though he had only just learned to read. He bowed deeply. “Eldest young lady, this servant needs a little more time to read through it once more.”

“Take your time.”

Hua Zhi spread a fresh sheet of paper and picked up the sutras she had been copying — she had lost count of how many times she had done so by now. Though the forty-ninth day had long since passed, the habit of copying scripture had stayed with her.

Only after she had transcribed more than half of one section of the sutras did Du Cheng carefully hand the densely written pages back to Nian Qiu — his movements as delicate as though he feared damaging them. “Eldest young lady, this servant has finished.”

“Do you understand it fully?”

“Yes, fully.”

Hua Zhi set down her brush and rubbed her wrist. She was not at all surprised that Du Cheng had grasped it. In plain terms, what she intended was high-end custom dining — meals arranged either in full by the shop’s own staff, or according to ingredients specified by the guest.

For instance, if a guest specified fish as the chosen ingredient, then among the twelve main dishes and four side dishes, every one of them must incorporate fish. Even if a guest specified something as humble as a single egg, the kitchen was to produce a full array of sixteen dishes — large and small, stir-fried, quick-fried, braised, deep-fried, poached, steamed, boiled, scallion-oil tossed, sauce-braised, slow-stewed — enough to fully satisfy the guest.

This level of custom dining placed extreme demands on the chefs’ skill. But Hua Zhi was not the least bit daunted. She was confident there was no one in all of Daqing who appreciated food more deeply than she did, nor anyone who had tasted a wider variety of things. For any ingredient one cared to name, she could describe numerous ways of preparing it — and once Fu Dong, who had extraordinary natural talent, experimented and refined them further, the possibilities would only multiply.

This kind of venture was unique in all of the capital. No one could replicate it. The profit margins were unimaginably large. A place this exceptional — to not price it handsomely would actually be a disservice to every guest who walked through the door.

The shop space she had acquired suited her perfectly as well — both in terms of its location and its character.

Hua Zhi’s eyes gleamed as she looked at Du Cheng. “This position of head manager — are you willing to take it?”

Du Cheng drew a slow, deep breath to press down the excitement rising in his chest. “This servant will give everything he has. I will not disappoint eldest young lady.”

“Then I will leave everything that follows in your hands.”

To bring a shop to a standard that would satisfy the eldest young lady — to select and train suitable people from within the household, to procure and arrange all that was needed, and more — Du Cheng knew well it would be no simple matter. But why should it not be within his reach?

The eldest young lady was willing to entrust this to him. How could he be unequal to it?

Du Cheng answered with grave and sincere resolve.

“Is Ying Chun here?”

Ying Chun came in from outside. “Yes, this servant is here.”

“Give Du Cheng a list of names and let him select his people.”

“Yes.” Ying Chun answered, then looked a little troubled. “Miss — the male staff in the household is running short.”

This Hua Zhi was well aware of. Though the people from the estate had all returned, the workshop still needed to continue, and they were eager to keep going there now that they had seen the rewards. On top of that, a considerable number had been assigned to Green Moss Lane. If another group were drawn away, the household might be left with only women.

And yet she could not send the maidservants out instead. Going out unveiled in public was a grave impropriety for women of this era — even for maidservants. If they could avoid stepping beyond the inner gate, they would. For now, the only way they could lend a hand was through the workshop.

Such was the way of the world. She had no intention of fighting the rules of this era, nor any wish to change anything.

“Buy new people into the household. Remember — quality over quantity.”

“Yes.”