After a spell of autumn rain, the weather turned noticeably cooler, and with the imperial examinations drawing near, the streets of the capital filled with noticeably more young men in students’ attire.

“Young Mistress, another thirty-seven calling cards arrived first thing this morning.” Hua Zhi had barely finished breakfast when Bao Xia came in from outside with a small chest in her arms. These past few days, collecting cards from the gatehouse was her single greatest delight, and she was determined to let no one else take the task from her.

“Thirty-seven more? That is even more than before.” Ying Chun smiled until her eyes curved, and all the other maids in the room smiled as well. They were all glad on their young mistress’s behalf. What did it matter if the family had fallen on hard times? There were still so many people who remembered them.

Hua Zhi stroked the chest, a gentle smile on her face. Up to today, counting these thirty-seven new cards, ninety-one had been received in total — and this was only the third day. The examination was still six days away. The number would surely grow, day by day. They could do no more — only, with restraint yet with a reluctance they could not quite suppress, express their support for the ideal they held dear.

As she had done each day before, Hua Zhi replied to the cards one by one, signed with her own name.

On the seventh day of the ninth month, Hua Zhi waited quietly before the gate of the house.

She knew without thinking what a stir was brewing outside, yet she remained calm above it all. When Gu Yanxi came, he too did not speak of it even once.

He did not speak of it, and so she did not ask — treating it all as ordinary.

“I need to make a trip to Yuzhou. Hao Yue has provided a lead.”

“About the Chaoli tribe?”

“Yes.” Gu Yanxi’s face was grave. “Yuan Shifang, Tong Yi, the attendant by the princess’s side — they all come from Yuzhou.”

Hua Zhi looked at him steadily. “What has happened?”

Gu Yanxi raised his head.

Hua Zhi reached out and touched the corner of his eye. “The redness here — it goes all the way into the eye. What has made you this furious?”

Calling it redness was an understatement — Gu Yanxi’s eyes were suffused with red, and his spirits were plainly far from settled. He covered her hand with his own. “I carried out a thorough investigation of every single person connected to the imperial family. We rooted out six agents of the Chaoli tribe’s remnants. Together with those found previously, that brings the number of spies they have embedded in the imperial family to nearly twenty. Had we discovered this even a little later — the consequences would be unimaginable.”

“And now…”

“We are conducting another sweep. There may still be some who slipped through the net.” In a matter such as this, he would sooner act on a false alarm than let a single one go free.

The Chaoli tribe — they had gone too far!

“I actually think there may not be many agents of the Chaoli tribe’s remnants left to find.” Hua Zhi was in no hurry to withdraw her hand, and propped her other cheek against her palm. “The overwhelming majority of the Chaoli agents uncovered so far have been found among those in close proximity to members of the imperial family. This tells us that they designated the imperial family as their target — which indirectly confirms that they did not have enough people to make broader arrangements. If they had, why would they have limited themselves to planting agents only near the imperial children?”

Gu Yanxi gave a slight nod. “I have already checked the circles around the most important ministers — only one was found.”

The two exchanged a glance. Both felt a knot in their chests ease — if there had been many more such people, they would truly have been overwhelmed.

“When do you leave?”

“First thing tomorrow morning. If anything comes up, find Wang Rong — he will help you with everything.”

“Rest easy. At the foot of the Son of Heaven, the only thing I could not withstand on my own is the Son of Heaven himself. And I imagine that with scholars gathered from across the realm right now, even if His Majesty harbored the gravest discontent, he would not make a move against me at such a moment.”

Gu Yanxi smiled bitterly. A’Zhi — seeing through everything, always.

The two of them had been apart for long stretches many times since they had first come to know and trust each other, and had grown quite accustomed to such a pattern. Apart from missing one another a little more, Hua Zhi’s life was not much changed.

“Young Mistress, the Third Young Lady has arrived.”

The Third Young Lady? Hua Zhi’s mind was so full of other things that for a moment she was at a loss — which younger sister was this?

When she saw the person, she placed her. Third younger sister, Hua Ling.

Fourth Aunt had mentioned her a few times. The sisters took turns managing the household and had shown themselves quite capable, and relations among them had grown much more harmonious of late. But since they managed precisely the things she had no interest in managing, and she was often away from the inner courtyard, she had not had many occasions to deal with Hua Ling directly.

“Eldest Sister.”

Hua Zhi’s smile was warm and gentle. “It is a rare thing to see you come seeking me out. Is there something on your mind?”

Hua Ling glanced at the thick stack of documents piled on the writing desk and bit her lip, a little embarrassed. “Am I disturbing Eldest Sister?”

“Not at all — I was just about to take a rest in any case. Come, let us talk.”

Hua Ling sat down nervously, uncertain how to begin.

Ying Chun, always quick to read a situation, brought tea. The warmth of the cup in her hands settled Hua Ling somewhat, and she lowered her head. “Eldest Sister, last night I dreamed of Grandmother. She looked as though she was in great suffering. I want… I want to go to the Dazhuosi Temple to pray for her.”

Hua Zhi was reminded that she too had dreamed of Grandmother a few days ago. She had said she had suffered so…

Hua Ling, seeing that Hua Zhi had said nothing, thought she was opposed, and looked up with eyes swimming in tears, her voice catching. “Eldest Sister, please let me go. Grandmother doted on me greatly when she was alive. Seeing her in such pain in the dream — it hurt so much. I want to help her somehow. Eldest Sister, I… I…” she began to sob.

Hua Zhi exhaled softly. She herself had never been one to push herself to the fore of things, but Hua Ling and Hua Xin were sweet-tongued girls who had earned names for their talents, and Grandmother had naturally been especially fond of them. That Hua Ling still remembered this was something good in itself — how could she find any reason to refuse?

“I’ll arrange two guards for you. The Dazhuosi Temple doesn’t lodge visitors, does it?”

“No — no, it doesn’t.” Hua Ling was so glad that tears still streaked her face even as she smiled. “I’ll go early and return in the afternoon. I won’t dawdle on the way.”

“Very well. Dry those tears now — Nanny Su, go and prepare everything.” Noticing the reddened rims of Nanny Su’s eyes, Hua Zhi’s thoughts shifted, and she said, “As it happens, I have some things to send to Master Bore Ruo. It wouldn’t be convenient for a young girl like Third Sister to be the one to present them — Nanny Su, if you would take the trouble to go along, I’d be grateful. Please also bring additional offerings of incense money and ask the Master to perform a memorial service for Grandmother.”

Nanny Su’s voice was thick as she gave her assent.

Hua Ling walked away with a light step, but could not help stealing one last look back as she reached the door. Though they lived under the same roof, they did not often see Eldest Sister. She was always busy — managing the family’s business affairs, preparing provisions for the elders in the north, resolving one difficulty after another within the household. She spent most of each day in the front courtyard, and the inner courtyard remained as peaceful as it had always been.

They could not help. All they could do was manage their responsibilities as well as they could and not cause Eldest Sister trouble.

If not for last night’s dream, she would not have come to disturb her at all. Eldest Sister really was — so very busy.

“Liu Xiang, go and tell Lan Qiao that all the mushrooms that arrive tomorrow should be set aside, and a portion from the restaurant side held back as well. Fill a full cart and have Nanny Su take it with her. And pack up some mushroom powder while you’re at it — oh, and include a few jars of the mushroom oil as well.”

“Yes.”

Touching the bracelet on her wrist that she had never once removed, Hua Zhi took up her brush and wrote out the recipe for the mushroom oil, then added several ways of preparing mushrooms for eating — she intended to have Nanny Su bring it all along tomorrow. Master Bore Ruo’s timely presence at the time of Grandmother’s passing was something she had always held in her heart.

In those days, it had truly been the most difficult time the Hua Family had ever faced. It was Master Bore Ruo’s arrival that had spared Grandmother from departing this world in too undignified a fashion.