Stepping out of Haoyue Hall, Laifu spotted the Shizi not far away.

The two exchanged a glance. Gu Yanxi set off first. Laifu glanced back at the main hall — its interior looking darker than ever against the bright sunlight outside — and wordlessly followed.

Along the covered walkway, Laifu bowed deeply and spoke in a clear voice: “Whenever Your Highness the Shizi finds a free moment, please send word to this old servant, and I will escort you to collect those night-luminescent pearls.”

“No hurry — deliver them to my manor directly in a couple of days.”

“Yes.”

Laifu’s eyes swept quietly around them. He spoke in a voice barely above a murmur. “His Majesty has instructed this old servant to investigate whether those mushrooms were truly cultivated by the Hua young lady. This old servant suspects His Majesty’s curiosity does not end there — a more thorough inquiry will surely be required. Does Your Highness have any instructions?”

“Any part of the investigation that traces back to me — remove it entirely. Do not implicate others. Report Lv Tai Lane.”

“Understood.” Laifu grasped the situation immediately. There were clearly other parties entangled with the Hua young lady, yet the Shizi was determined to protect her. He himself had dealt with the elder Hua official for decades and knew the man’s character as well as anyone. Whatever connections were involved, given the Hua Family’s current circumstances, they would amount to nothing more than a means of survival. So long as no harm was being done to the Emperor, he was glad to do the Shizi this favor.

The two exchanged no further contact before going their separate ways. Nothing that transpired within the palace could be hidden from the Emperor. When he was informed of this, he dismissed the messenger with little more than a wave. Given how specially he treated Yanxi, even his own several sons offered Yanxi considerable deference — it would be stranger if Laifu did not go out of his way to oblige him.

That same evening, Laifu had the dossier delivered to the Emperor’s desk. The Emperor had not even finished reading it before he started laughing. “Running an entire street of businesses — quite the talent for commerce, indeed.”

“Yes. This old servant made a point of going to see it today and asked around as well. That stretch used to be a dead-end alley — nearly every shop was vacant, no business could ever get off the ground there. That young lady of the Hua Family had quite the boldness: she sold the residence the Empress Dowager had arranged for the old Hua matriarch and used the money to buy out the entire alley. Then she knocked through the shop facing the inner river, turning a dead end into a through road. Now the whole lane deals in food, and with most of the snacks being things you cannot find anywhere else — when this old servant visited, it was so crowded one could barely move, with long queues forming at every turn. Business is truly remarkable.”

“I would truly love to see the expression on Hua Yizheng’s face when he finds out.” The Emperor was in good spirits. He had been wary of the Hua Family’s standing among scholars, but he knew what kind of people they were. Hua Yizheng was like a stone in a cesspit — stubbornly immovable and maddening to deal with, yet without any treacherous intent.

The Emperor found himself feeling a sudden pang of something like longing for the old man. Decades of sovereign and subject together. He still remembered the first time he had taken the throne, looking down from above at his assembled civil and military officials, his heart pounding — and among them catching sight of Hua Yizheng in the back rows, lingering there a moment longer. The Hua Family were all born with fine features; the air of scholarly refinement about the old man had made him stand out all the more. Yet in what seemed like a blink, the man who had once been celebrated throughout the capital was now old.

The Emperor gave a cold, wry laugh. Was he not old too? Old enough to be not far from death.

With languid disinterest he pushed the dossier aside. “She has her pride, and does credit to the Hua name. Next time you see the Empress Dowager, mention it to her — let her share in the good news.”

“Yes.”

By now, Gu Yanxi had more or less taken to having his evening meal at the Hua Family’s home on a fixed schedule. Lan Qiao had long since taken it as a matter of course, habitually preparing a few dishes suited to his taste.

“Cao Cao left early this morning on some errand she said she needed to run.”

“I gave her an assignment. Keep her from trailing after you every moment, impossible to send away otherwise.”

Hua Zhi set down her chopsticks and dabbed her mouth. “Will she be going on the trip north?”

“Do you want her to go?”

“Grandfather is getting on in years, and the others have never known hardship before. I’d like Cao Cao to watch over them.”

Gu Yanxi had originally not planned to send Shao Yao along, but immediately changed his mind. “I’ll leave word for her. She can catch up after she returns.”

“Will that delay things on your end?”

“No.”

Hua Zhi asked nothing further. Although she wanted a love built on equal footing, she had no intention of becoming some all-conquering iron woman. When it was her boyfriend’s turn to step up, she ought to give him the chance.

“I told Imperial Uncle about our mushroom venture.”

Hua Zhi looked up. Was this truly all right?

“Laifu has a good relationship with me — what ought to be reported was reported, and not a single word that should not be reported will be.”

In other words, Laifu was someone they could count on. Hua Zhi understood instantly. Of course — Yanxi was not an impulsive person. He would not have put her forward if he did not have some assurance in hand.

Just as the two were in the middle of their discussion, Liu Xiang appeared at the door to report, “Miss, Teacher Mu and Teacher Zheng have arrived.”

Hua Zhi rose quickly to welcome them. Teacher Zheng would sometimes wander over for a game of chess with her, but Teacher Mu was one who observed propriety strictly. Although a resting room had originally been set aside for him in this courtyard, he had stopped coming to avoid any appearance of impropriety once she began staying here permanently.

Later, she had simply arranged for the two teachers to have their rooms refreshed over in the clan school courtyard. When she wasn’t heading over there herself, she could sometimes go days without seeing them. His coming now was most likely for that one matter.

After exchanging greetings, Mu Qing came straight to the point without circling around it. “Bailin has told me he wishes to travel, and that you have agreed. I feel that at his age, going on a long journey now may be too hasty.”

Before Hua Zhi could say a word, Zheng Zhi cut in and took over. “I see nothing wrong with it. Having the boldness is a good thing, and with friends alongside him — how could he possibly come to any harm?”

The two had clearly been arguing about this before they arrived. Mu Qing ignored Zheng Zhi entirely and addressed Hua Zhi directly. “I do not wish to stop him from going out to see the world — there does come a stage where one must travel and gain experience in order to broaden one’s horizons. But that stage should not be now, for Bailin. I urge you to reconsider with greater care.”

Hua Zhi suddenly recalled something her grandfather had said: Mu Qing was a man of both talent and integrity, but something he had endured in his younger years had become a barrier in his heart that he could not step past, binding his hands and feet.

Looking at him now, it was clearly so.

As a teacher, concern for a student was natural. But worry carried too far became timidity and hesitation.

Zheng Zhi, on the other hand, was someone who had grown up wild and free. If both were to enter government service, Zheng Zhi would certainly go further.

Inviting the two of them to be seated, Hua Zhi explained to Mu Qing, “Bailin will not only have Sui’an alongside him — Xiao Liu will be going too. Xiao Liu will bring his own guards, and I will send several more people along in secret. Small dangers, the three of them will handle themselves. Should anything truly serious arise, those people will be there to protect them.”

Hua Zhi smiled. “How can one see the rainbow without going through the rain? Since Bailin is willing to throw himself into the storm, I naturally want to give him that chance.”

Mu Qing still wore an expression of disapproval. “But he is only eleven…”

Hua Zhi smiled.

And Mu Qing suddenly found he had nothing more to say in opposition. Bailin was only eleven — yet the eldest daughter was also only sixteen, and she had already borne the weight of the entire Hua household on her shoulders.