The two guards belonging to the Sixth Prince fell in close behind. When they had gone a fair distance, Hua Zhi turned to look at the remaining two guards. “One of you keep watch in the shadows. If something happens, leave everything else — getting them safely away comes first.”

Neither of these two was from Qisu Division; they were Gu Yanxi’s personal men. The taller one was named Yu Tao; the other, Wang Cheng. Before leaving, they had been given thorough instructions, and now they did not hesitate. Wang Cheng acknowledged the order and went after the others.

Letting the Sixth Prince out of her sight was not something Hua Zhi did without concern. But she had not brought him along merely to look at mountains and rivers. She wanted him to see the lower reaches of the world — to witness lives that stood a world apart from his own, and to observe things that a prince would ordinarily never have the chance to see.

Selfishly speaking, she also hoped that for this compliant young boy, before he was made to bear all that lay ahead, he might have one experience that was different from the rest: unconstrained by rank, free of complicated calculations. That was a privilege belonging to childhood. Once a person became an adult, even a wish for simplicity could not be simply granted.

Because, without fail, every person would grow in some unguarded moment into the very type of person their younger self had disliked the most.

Just like herself.

A sudden heaviness settled over Hua Zhi’s mood.

Shao Yao was most attuned to shifts in emotion. She nudged Bao Xia aside and attached herself to Hua Zhi’s side, offering reassurance. “Hua Hua, do not worry. I gave Xiao Liu plenty of useful things. No matter how far he wanders, I can find him.”

Thinking of what Shao Yao had given him, Hua Zhi felt her heart settle a little. With guards along, with Xiao Liu being clever by nature, and with the things Shao Yao had provided — nothing should go wrong.

She drew Shao Yao down and had her rest her head in her lap. Looking down to meet Shao Yao’s clear, bright eyes, Hua Zhi said, “What I have to do tomorrow is rather dull. You need not come with me — go and enjoy yourself.”

Shao Yao did indeed find the business tedious. She thought it over and decided not to torture herself. “Then tomorrow I will go look at the apothecary halls here. Master said the people in this region are particularly skilled with rheumatism.”

“Good. I will have Xu Ying go with you. You are not good at managing all the small practical matters, and with him there you will not need to trouble yourself over any of it.”

Shao Yao agreed with a cheerful grin. She liked being looked after by Hua Hua this way — even if in truth none of those things actually posed any difficulty for her.

Hua Zhi stroked the uneven surface of Shao Yao’s face and smiled, without voicing the deeper reason. It was true that women in the capital had little standing, but in this respect the north had always been somewhat better than the south. Here in the south — and in Jingzhou especially — women were little more than beasts of burden.

Just look at the people they had encountered today: had Hua Zhi not carried herself with the air of someone backed by considerable influence, even Xia Yin might not have seen fit to regard her properly — it was the imposing manner she projected that put him in check first.

Shao Yao was a female physician. In Jingzhou, a woman practicing medicine would be considered even more unfathomable. Hua Zhi did not want Shao Yao to be mistreated somewhere beyond her sight.

The following day, when Xia Yin saw Hua Zhi again, she had brought only two attendants. He asked no questions. After confirming that she had not visited any other trading houses the previous day, his warmth toward her rose another degree. This young woman’s manner made it clear she was here to negotiate in earnest, not to play several parties against one another and take the best offer. He appreciated such sincerity, and was willing to make concessions during their negotiations.

With both sides genuinely intent on reaching an agreement, the negotiations went smoothly. The terms were settled in short order, and while they waited for the middleman, Hua Zhi inquired about Antai Fishing House.

“Antai? The First Young Lady truly has a discerning eye — that is one of the houses I had intended to recommend.” With this deal now secured, Xia Yin was in excellent spirits. This First Young Lady had a remarkably bold approach to business — to commit upfront to a two-year arrangement in one go. In their line of work, having a long-term deal as a foundation meant one could weather almost any difficulty. What did the Zheng Family’s influence matter now?

On a personal level, having secured this deal, his succession to the Xia Family’s leadership was now as near to certain as it could be. And so he was willing to say rather more than usual.

“Antai’s owner is surnamed Wu — Wu Zheng. His family previously ran an escort house, though for reasons I do not know they eventually changed their trade. Because of that background, he conducts himself with great directness and magnanimity, never squeezing suppliers unfairly. The small-boat fishermen all prefer to sell their catches to him. Even here in Zhengyang he has something of a reputation; many wealthy households favor his fish. Our manager told me that Antai’s fish are noticeably more lively than those from other houses.”

“That is high praise from the Young Master.”

“Ha — if they can be our counterpart in this arrangement, it will save us a great deal of trouble.”

That much was certainly true. Hua Zhi nodded but made no promise right away that they would partner with that house specifically. Hearing was not the same as seeing — she needed to lay eyes on things herself before she could be sure.

Seizing the moment, Xia Yin stole another glance at her. He was as susceptible to beauty as any man, and he was no exception. “However, conditions over on that side are somewhat more complicated than here. If the First Young Lady does go, she would do well to be cautious.”

Hua Zhi looked at him with a questioning expression.

Under that gaze, Xia Yin found himself saying more than he had intended. “There is an old fishing house over there called Yushun that is quite domineering in its ways. Antai has only maintained its position by joining forces with another fishing house to barely preserve a balance. This order of yours is quite large, First Young Lady — there are bound to be those who covet it.”

“What is the quality of their goods?”

Xia Yin’s expression carried a meaningful undercurrent. “We have never purchased from them.”

Not buying from them was enough to say everything. Hua Zhi gave a small nod. “Many thanks to the Young Master for speaking frankly.”

“I still come back to the same point — I hope to have an agreeable counterpart to deal with. Otherwise it will not sit well with our trading house either.”

“The Young Master is a sensible man.”

The middleman arrived in the company of the manager. Hua Zhi ended the exchange and gathered herself to prepare for the signing of the contract.

With the transaction settled, Hua Zhi politely declined Xia Yin’s invitation. The moment she was in the carriage, she downed several cups of water in succession before her throat finally stopped feeling so uncomfortable.

Bao Xia had her mistress rest her head in her lap, applying gentle, measured pressure to massage her temples. Hua Zhi was just beginning to enjoy the relief when Yu Tao’s voice came from outside. “First Young Lady — there is a tail behind us.”

Hua Zhi opened her eyes, brow lightly furrowed. Xia Yin was a sensible man — now that the deal was done, he had no reason to send someone after her. “Is it the same person as yesterday?”

“No. He was spotted outside the trading house earlier — he would not be one of the trading house’s people.”

Hua Zhi turned over the events since their arrival in Zhengyang in her mind. Beyond the fact that she was obviously from out of town, she could not think of anything else she might have revealed.

“Once we are back at the inn, stay on him. Find out where he comes from.”

Yu Tao paused a moment before answering. With the other people scattered, if he left as well, there would be no one left at the First Young Lady’s side. Deciding that the inn itself was reasonably secure, he agreed.

Back at the inn, the main hall went still for a moment upon their return, as it always did. Many gazes — open and concealed — settled on Hua Zhi, but she did not deviate her eyes an inch and went directly up the stairs. Not a single person stepped forward to approach.

People were always drawn to what was new and unfamiliar, and all the more so to a woman who was so unlike anyone they had encountered before. They were far too accustomed to women who deferred and yielded in all things. Hua Zhi’s refusal to spare them a proper glance was, to them, like an intoxicant — everyone wanted a taste.

Author’s note: Sick. I did not want to be. But at least I did not break my word.