Early in the morning, no sooner had she arrived at the front courtyard than Nanny Su brought in an invitation card.
Hua Zhi looked at the elaborate signature on it with an unreadable expression. “The Wu Family?”
“Yes.” Nanny Su kept her eyes lowered. “The one who brought the invitation card was the Wu Family’s head steward. I recognized him from my time attending on the Old Madam.”
“How very interesting.” They had only just put on the air of wanting to sever all ties with the Hua Family, and now they were sending someone to invite her to attend a tea gathering at the Wu household. She would not believe there was nothing going on behind this.
“Go and send Xu Jie to me.”
Since they were both in the front courtyard, Xu Jie arrived quickly.
“Go and find out what the current state of affairs is between the Wu Family and the Yang Family — especially regarding Yang Qi.”
“Yes.”
Watching Xu Jie hurry away, Hua Zhi quietly sighed. “Steward Xu needs to be stepped back into retirement. Xu Jie’s heart is set on going out and about, and Xu Ying is still too young. Nanny Su, do you have any thoughts on what to do?”
“Has the young lady considered letting Yingchun take the role?”
Hua Zhi was somewhat surprised that Nanny Su would put Yingchun forward. She had assumed this world universally took it for granted that the position of household steward would be held by a man. “I have no wish to push her into a position where she would have to wrangle with a group of men all day. If the right match comes along for her in the future, I do not want this to stand in the way of her happiness.”
Nanny Su was briefly stunned into silence, then smiled. “It is truly the good fortune of us servants to serve a mistress like you.”
“Good relationships go both ways. This matter needs to be attended to soon. Nanny Su, look around and see who might be suitable — bring me a few names. If there is someone you yourself favor, you may say so directly. After these past few months with me, you ought to know that there is no need for concealment here.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Glancing down at the invitation card, Hua Zhi smiled. “This is one visit I really must make. Liu Xiang, take this to the Fourth Madam.”
“Yes.”
Hua Zhi pulled out her own card, took up her brush, and wrote: Zhi will be there at the appointed hour.
“Is the Wu Family’s messenger still here?”
“Yes, waiting for a reply.”
“Give this to him.”
“Yes.” Nanny Su received it with both hands, and the look she gave her own young lady was touched with quiet concern. From the young lady’s words, it seemed this invitation from the Wu Family was likely connected to the Yang Family. The rift between the Hua Family and the Yang Family had barely stopped short of becoming an open confrontation — and yet the Wu Family was plainly and openly throwing their weight behind the Yang side. How were the young lady and the Fourth Madam to get on from here?
And the Wu Family was infuriating — knowing perfectly well that the two households were at odds, they still sent this invitation. What could their intentions be? This was simply too much!
Hua Zhi rose and walked out of the courtyard, making her way toward the clan school. Only when she could faintly hear the sound of students reading aloud did the restless irritation inside her slowly begin to ease. She understood the principle that when a wall starts to fall, everyone pushes — she had heard it, and even witnessed it firsthand. But when had she ever admitted that the Hua Family’s wall had fallen?
To be so impatient to choose sides, so impatient to make enemies of the Hua Family — even Yang Zheng still knew enough to use a cover of pretense to conceal things. The Wu Family, on the other hand — they were something else entirely!
“Zhi’er.”
Perhaps Hua Zhi’s expression had grown too cold, for Wu Shi had stopped several paces away, and all the hurt and sorrow in her heart transformed into helpless uncertainty. She had already been cast aside by the Wu Family as a married daughter who was no longer their concern — if she were to lose the recognition of the one who managed the household in her husband’s home as well, how was she to stand her ground within the Hua Family? How were her children to survive within the Hua Family?
Hua Zhi turned to face her, and at the sight of her like this, her heart softened a little. In this world, women like Hua Jing, who could cut all ties with her family without a second thought, were a rare minority. The majority were like Fourth Aunt — seeing their family home as their last refuge. Yet they were always the first to be abandoned.
When she had sent the invitation over to Fourth Aunt, she had already known that Fourth Aunt would not have an easy time of it. But she had done it all the same. She had to sever every thread of hope Fourth Aunt still held toward her family — for the game she was playing, this was a small but significant loose end she could not leave dangling. When her plans were largely in place, she did not want the Wu Family to catch wind of the advantages and come to grind away at Fourth Aunt, hoping to claim a share. By then, Fourth Aunt might not have the heart to refuse them. Far better to administer the strong remedy now and cut off that possibility entirely.
“Does Fourth Aunt think I should go?”
“You cannot go.” Wu Shi’s complexion had gone pale, though the rims of her eyes were red. She did not know why her family had sent an invitation for Zhi’er, but to send an invitation card when it was plainly known that Zhi’er was still in a period of mourning — and when just recently they had all but made a show of wanting to draw a clear line between themselves and her and the Hua Family, and now abruptly invited Zhi’er — she refused to believe there was nothing behind it.
“I’ll go. Let me go and ask them directly what they are trying to do!”
“To stake yourself on it? Fourth Aunt, you will only be disappointed.” Hua Zhi took her arm and steered her toward her own courtyard, and it was only then that she noticed Fourth Aunt’s whole body was trembling faintly.
Perhaps she had administered that remedy a little too heavily.
“Zhi’er…”
“Fourth Aunt, I bear you no blame. What does any of this have to do with you? They simply think the Hua Family has no one to hold them back.”
Wu Shi nearly let her tears fall.
Helping her into a seat, Hua Zhi brewed her a cup of flower tea. “Does Fourth Aunt know how I obtained the divorce papers?”
Wu Shi was startled, and shook her head. It was not only she who was curious — every person in the inner courtyard wanted to know how the eldest young lady had managed it. The Yang Family would not have been so easy to deal with if they were reasonable people; they had left the younger aunt black and blue and not a single person had come to mediate in all the time she had been staying at her family home.
“I beat Yang Qi into submission and forced him to write them.”
Wu Shi let out a cry of shock and quickly pressed her hands over her mouth. She instinctively looked back toward the doorway — seeing that it was Bao Xia standing guard outside, she relaxed, then asked in a rapid, hushed voice: “How… how did this happen? How did things come to that?”
“Such a useful way to hold the Hua Family in check — did you think they would let it go so easily? I went and met with Yang Zheng. He said he would rather destroy ten temples than break apart one marriage, but in truth he was simply waiting for the Hua Family to offer a price he was willing to accept. Did he think I would give him what he wanted? The Hua Family has only this little bit of foundation left — and he expected me to hand it over with both hands? Dream on!”
Hua Zhi’s chin lifted slightly, and a fierce, surging pride radiated from every part of her. What was hers — she would sooner destroy it herself than hand it over with both hands to anyone else.
Wu Shi grew anxious. “How could you… how could you be so reckless? Yang Qi can stir up trouble out of thin air even with nothing to go on — now that you’ve injured him, won’t he come after you? This won’t do — go to the Zhu Family, go now, ask your maternal grandfather to help smooth this over before it damages your reputation.”
A warmth stirred in Hua Zhi’s heart. She took her hand to calm her. “Don’t worry — I left no evidence whatsoever. He can talk until the sky falls and no one will believe him.”
“But you just said you beat him…”
“I did beat him, but I left no marks. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have done it. Does Fourth Aunt really think me someone who acts without foresight?”
That was true — if Zhi’er were the kind of person who acted on impulse, how could she possibly have shouldered such a large household? Wu Shi gave a rueful smile. Still, it had been rather bold of her. She reached out and tapped Hua Zhi’s forehead. “Which other young lady has your daring?”
Hua Zhi only smiled.
“And the Yang Family just swallowed this down without a word?”
“I’ve already sent Xu Jie to make inquiries. If I’m not mistaken, this tea gathering the Wu Family has arranged is very likely connected to the Yang Family.”
Wu Shi froze. So that was it. So the Wu Family had gotten into the same boat as the Yang Family. Two families connected to the Hua Family by marriage, conspiring together against the Hua Family — how truly… admirable of them.