“Shao Yao woke up and had forgotten everything from before?”

“Yes — and she suddenly developed a fascination with poisons. Before that, what she had wanted was to become the greatest female general in all of Daqing.”

Hua Zhi drew a quiet breath inward. All of them were people carrying wounds, all of them carrying stories of sorrow. How many people in this world sailed through life without a single storm?

Gu Yanxi looked at the human-skin masks in the box and steered the conversation back. “Even those of the imperial family who are ten thousand miles removed from that seat of power are born knowing certain things. The more the Emperor favored me, the more wariness I drew from the older princes. I had no choice but to keep myself out of sight, to make no connections with anyone. After the upheaval in my family, I simply requested to go train with the Shadow Guards, and used that as my cover. Even if your grandfather had once seen me, it would only have been years ago — a distant glimpse at some great rite or ceremony. It would not be strange for him to fail to recognize me. And besides, what member of the imperial clan would disfigure themselves? That would be cutting off one’s own future.”

Hua Zhi suddenly understood. The scar on Mr. Lu’s face had not been put there by another’s hand — he had marked himself deliberately. Daqing’s requirements for appointing officials included one that the face must bear no disfigurement — not so much as a scratch. An injury like the one that marred half his face was more than disqualifying.

“So they no longer fear you in the same way now?”

Gu Yanxi smiled. He had known she would not need more spelling out — her instincts in matters of court affairs were startlingly acute. “They still fear me — only for a different reason now. I currently head the Seven Lodges Bureau.”

Hua Zhi had heard her grandfather speak of the Seven Lodges Bureau. He had called it a double-edged sword hanging above the heads of all officials — its necessity was undeniable, yet its drawbacks were equally impossible to ignore. At the time she had thought it resembled the Eastern and Western Offices of the Ming dynasty, but after probing carefully she had come to see there was a difference.

The Seven Lodges Bureau had not existed from the founding of the dynasty — it was established only after the third generation. The Emperor was the sole authority who could command it, and its head had always been a member of the imperial clan, each one unswerving in loyalty to the Emperor across the generations.

If the Eastern and Western Offices were a rabid hound kept at the Emperor’s heel, the Seven Lodges Bureau was the Emperor’s sharpest and most irreplaceable card. To become head of the Seven Lodges Bureau was to have secured the Emperor’s absolute trust.

And how difficult that trust was to earn — Hua Zhi knew.

She lowered her gaze, and her thoughts drifted to the family members far away beyond a thousand miles.

“Hua Zhi. Some things cannot be rushed, but that does not mean opportunity will never come.”

Hua Zhi looked up and met his gaze. She had always told her family she would find a way to bring them home, but she understood clearly how difficult that was. The Emperor’s word was law. In a world where imperial authority reigned supreme, the Emperor could never be wrong — thunder and rain alike were imperial grace, and all had to pinch their nose and accept it.

She had even considered that if every other option failed, she could outlive the old Emperor and wait for a new one to ascend the throne — once the Emperor changed, the decree would be void.

What she needed to do was earn as much money as possible, and on that foundation, slowly search for a point of breakthrough. And now, it seemed, one had appeared.

Gu Yanxi’s lips curved in a faint smile. He liked Hua Zhi looking at him with such undivided attention — even if it was because she had something she wanted.

“I will arrange for Little Six to stay.”

Countless thoughts flashed through Hua Zhi’s mind. She could not be certain whether Mr. Lu’s words held only their surface meaning, or whether they implied something more…

Gu Yanxi rose, looking down at the young woman before him — her expression unchanged, yet her eyes holding the turbulence of crashing waves. A pity she was not born a man — yet he was so very glad she was a woman.

“I hope you can bring forth a second Hua Bailin, Hua Zhi. Whoever comes to sit upon that seat in the end — the Hua Bailin you have shaped will have a future without limit.”

“Mr. Lu.” Hua Zhi stood and called to him as he moved toward the door. “You are playing with fire.”

Gu Yanxi turned to face her. “No — it is only that the Seven Lodges Bureau, which has always been impartial, now has a preference. Given how things stand, does it truly matter who ascends? Little Six is better than any of the others. And besides — whether this succeeds or fails, what does it have to do with you and me?”

She watched him open the door and leave, watched the door close behind him. Hua Zhi sat back down and tipped the cold tea into her mouth in one swallow. She understood what Mr. Lu meant.

If this came to pass, the Hua family would have the merit of supporting the new Emperor’s rise — and their men returning home would be a certainty. If it failed, she had done nothing more than shelter a prince with nowhere to go, and the head of the Seven Lodges Bureau had known about it all along. She was sure Mr. Lu would also find an appropriate moment to bring this out into the open through proper channels.

A prince who had lost his Imperial Consort Mother, yet whose maternal family was a military commander whose support could not be alienated and could not be touched — whoever came to the throne would need to appease him, and the Hua family, who had helped the Sixth Prince, could not be blamed in the process. Thinking on it this way, there was a great deal of promise in this!

Before she realized it, she had refilled her cup and lifted it to her lips. Cold tea slid down into her stomach. She closed her eyes and forced herself to be calm. She could not be hasty. She must not be hasty. Set this aside for two days first — do not make a decision in a rush.

She could not lead the Hua family onto a road of no return. Better to move slowly. She had to move with sure footing.

Liu Juan had come by for the third time now. Seeing the study door still closed, she drew near and asked softly, “Ying Chun Sister, has the Young Lady not come out yet?”

Ying Chun glanced at the firmly shut door and gave a small nod. “She should be out soon. Go tell Fu Dong to get things ready.”

“Yes.”

Just as she finished speaking, the door gave a creak and swung open. Hua Zhi stepped out and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. “Have I missed the meal again? Fu Dong must be ready to throw the pot.”

Liu Juan covered her mouth with a laugh. “Knowing you were discussing important matters, Fu Dong has been waiting for word to put the dishes on the fire. This servant will go let her know at once.”

Ying Chun could see her Young Lady looked a little tired, and stepped forward to take her arm, murmuring in gentle reproach, “Not a moment’s rest for you all morning — you must take a good rest after the meal.”

“I haven’t been that busy. Where is Cao Cao? She hasn’t come out of her room?”

“She did come out. She asked me to let you know she is missing a few medicinal ingredients and needs to go back and fetch them — she’ll come by later. She asked me to save her dinner.”

Even just hearing this, the excuse was obvious. Since when did she ever need to go back herself for ingredients? A word to anyone would have them delivered — Hua Zhi said nothing to expose the pretense. Thinking back to Mr. Lu’s reaction earlier, she knitted her brows again. She could be fairly certain it had something to do with Shao Yao.

As Fu Dong came over to set out the meal, Hua Zhi said, “Prepare a few extra dishes this afternoon that Cao Cao likes. Her spirits are low — give her a little comfort.”

“Yes. This servant will make the deep-fried meatballs she loves most.”

“I’ve noticed she loves everything — as long as it’s made by you.” Looking at the maidservant’s face flushing from the praise, Hua Zhi smiled. “How are things on Lv Tai Lane? The ledger shows quite a few more entries coming in.”

“Yes. With the weather turning and more people out enjoying it, there are more customers. This servant taught them a few new dishes recently — they are selling very well.”

Fu Dong’s eyes and brows were full of quiet happiness. She had long felt that of the First Young Lady’s four senior maidservants, she was the most useless. But now she could use the cooking she loved most to earn silver for the Young Lady — the joy she felt inside was something she could not quite put into words.

A thought sparked in Hua Zhi’s mind. “You could try preparing dishes according to the seasonal festivals — though festival timing alone isn’t enough. The key is always the taste. Good food draws people in. Are the peach blossoms out now? Make the first dish peach blossom cakes — a limited quantity each day, and once the blossoms are gone, stop making them.”

“Yes.” The moment food came into it, Fu Dong’s eyes blazed bright — nothing at all like her usual timid self.

Hua Zhi lifted her chopsticks and added one more thing. “You might also brew a few jars of peach blossom wine. Once we are out of mourning, I will use it to toast Grandmother.”

“Yes.”