The old madam smiled so broadly that the new lines on her face seemed to ease open. “Hearing you say those words fills my heart with joy — those who should study can study, those who should embroider can embroider. If things can truly be like that, the household will be at peace, and when the household is at peace, what cannot be accomplished? Grandmother is truly at ease now.”

Hua Zhi moved to kneel and offer a word of apology, but before her knees could touch the ground she was caught and helped back up. “Grandmother knows what you wish to say. Do not blame yourself — it was your Third Aunt who went too far. And don’t hold a grudge against her either. She has shallow vision — she can only see what’s right in front of her. But she has no malicious intent. Just as you said, you are family. Families have disagreements and conflicts, but in the end, you are still family. When she finds herself in difficulty, you will still need to step forward and shield her. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes. I understand what Grandmother means, and I will not hold any grudge against Third Aunt.”

“Grandmother knows you’re a good child. Your Third Aunt simply cannot see clearly — she thinks managing the household is a desirable thing, not understanding how crushing the burden is for you to carry the Hua Family in its current state, or how hard it truly is.” Looking at her granddaughter, visibly thinner than before, the old madam’s heart ached. Had she herself been able to hold things up, she would never have let a girl who had barely come of age shoulder such exhaustion.

Gripping her granddaughter’s slender arm, the old madam said softly, “You’ve suffered.”

“I don’t feel it as suffering.” Hua Zhi remembered there was still one matter she had not yet reported, and took the opportunity to change the subject. “Grandmother should know: during this trip to the manor, I dealt with Chen Jin’s family. I stripped them of three acres of land and sent them off to farm it themselves.”

“His family has a long history with mine. A reprimand would have been enough.”

Hua Zhi shook her head. “If it had been a small matter, I would not have acted against him. Do you know what he did? I had barely arrived at the manor when I came upon his son having seized a tenant farmer’s daughter by force. Had I not arrived when I did to rescue that girl, she would have been violated — and if she had a strong-willed nature, she might not even have survived. And in the end, whose account would that have been charged to? When I looked further into it, I found that the thirty-percent rent you had set was being collected at forty percent on the manor grounds. In disaster years when you ordered the rent remitted, it was never remitted — the full forty percent was still collected. He had been pocketing the difference all along, while the Hua Family bore the ill reputation for it. If someone like that is let off, how can anyone else be kept in line?”

The old madam’s hands shook with fury. She had known that family had been helping themselves to more than their share over the years, but she had assumed Chen Jin’s audacity would extend no further than skimming some grain. She never could have imagined he would be so utterly brazen as this.

Hua Zhi rubbed the old woman’s chest gently and spoke in a soothing tone. “I’m not telling you this to make you upset, Grandmother. You have been more than fair to Chen Jin — you can give a clean account to anyone. It was I who meted out the punishment, and it is I who will bear whatever comes of it going forward. You are the Hua Family’s anchor — as long as you are well, the Hua Family can be well. You trust me, don’t you?”

“I trust you. Of course I trust you.” The old madam steadied herself. In the beginning it had been because of the late patriarch that she trusted her; now she trusted her for who she was. Beside her, the Third daughter-in-law was simply overestimating herself beyond measure.

“Chen Jin’s family has accumulated a property over these years — I’ve had it dealt with. There are also some banknotes and silver that I’ve recorded separately. One must not keep all one’s eggs in the same basket. I intend to put them to use elsewhere.”

“Grandmother knows you have it well in hand.” The old madam gave a nod to Nanny Su, who understood and drew out several banknotes from beneath the pillow. “This is from the sale of the property outside the city — all of it is now yours to manage.”

“Yes. Once matters are settled, I will come and report to Grandmother in full detail. Even if you trust me, where the money goes should still be made clear to you — so you have a complete picture and need not be kept in anxious uncertainty.”

Seeing weariness show on her grandmother’s face, Hua Zhi set aside the matter of the household’s clan school that she had also intended to raise, and helped the old madam back to bed, crouching down to remove her shoes and tucking her in gently. “It was wrong of me to come disturbing your rest at a time like this. The hour is still early — please sleep a little longer.”

“When you get old, it’s always like this — you want to sleep and yet you can’t sleep long. You’ve been out working hard for so long — rest well yourself. Grandmother can see you’ve grown quite thin. You mustn’t run yourself into the ground.”

“Yes, Grandmother. I know.”

At the same time, things were lively at the Zhu household. Lin Mama was prostrated on the ground, weeping with unbridled grief. “The words the mistress-in-law said were like a knife driven straight into Madam’s heart. Since the Hua Family’s misfortune, has Madam ever once spoken of asking her family for help? She received nothing but love and affection from her family growing up — would she willingly drag the Zhu Family into this quagmire? And to say that the eldest young miss’s broken engagement would affect the Zhu Family’s daughters’ marriage prospects — that is as good as driving the eldest young miss to her death!”

“Crack!” A teacup shattered into shards. Tea splattered across the floor. Zhu Old Madam trembled with fury, her voice carrying the chill of something crushed and frozen. “Well, well. Very well indeed. To think I never knew my Zhu Family had such a daughter-in-law, so devoted to the interests of her husband’s household!”

The Zhu Family’s eldest daughter-in-law knelt on the floor, her face drained of all color, not daring to utter a single word in her own defense. She had not expected this — had not for a moment expected that her sister-in-law, who had always been so easygoing as to seem without a temper, would suddenly deliver this kind of blow.

Lin Mama acted as though she had seen nothing, and continued on. “The Hua Family knows full well that it has lost imperial favor and cannot implicate its relatives and old connections. They also know the full weight of the imperial decree — even if every single family were dragged down with them, the Hua masters would not come back. That is why they instructed the ladies of every branch to send word to their families and temporarily sever contact, with absolutely no intention of the kind the mistress-in-law has attributed to them. This servant humbly asks the old madam to see clearly.”

Zhu Old Madam closed her eyes and reined in her emotions. “Eldest daughter-in-law, you may leave first.”

“Mother…”

“Out!”

The Zhu Family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Ren Shi, bit her lip and withdrew, head bowed. She had to think — she needed to think of how to smooth this over. Whatever punishment came, she would accept it; she only prayed this would not reach her husband’s ears.

The old madam dismissed everyone else as well. “Lin Shuang, stand up and speak.”

Lin Mama Lin Shuang rose at the command, eyes still swollen, tear-streaks still damp on her face.

“Whose idea was this little act?”

Lin Shuang hesitated, uncertain whether she ought to tell the truth.

“Would I not know Xuan’er’s character by now? Even if she were tormented to the point of crying under her quilt, it would never occur to her to come before me and lodge a complaint. You are steady and proper by nature as well — without someone setting you up with a plan, you would not have pulled off a move like this. Was it Zhi’er or Bailin?”

“Nothing escapes the old madam. It was the eldest young miss who sent this servant here. She said Madam is soft — but there is still one who is not.”

Lin Shuang’s face took on a hint of pride. “The old madam should know: the Hua Family is now being managed by the eldest young miss. When the mistress-in-law’s messenger came, the eldest young miss had gone to the manor on account of some business. She had barely returned today before she noticed something was off with Madam, uncovered the treacherous servant in a matter of moments, and sent this servant to the Zhu household.”

She paused, then shifted her tone. “The eldest young miss had no intention of sending this servant here to make trouble. She sent this servant out of grief for Madam. She also said… also said…”

“Speak plainly.”

“Yes. The eldest young miss said she does not count on anyone, and she does not need anyone. In fact, the very suggestion that all the ladies of each branch should cut off contact with their families — that was the eldest young miss’s idea. Neither the Hua Family’s old madam nor Madam had any thought of seeking assistance from the Zhu Family.”