That evening, when Gu Yanxi came by, Hua Zhi told him about the Xie Family situation.
“I know this man. In the Fang Hongzhi case, he extracted himself with remarkable elegance — he’s skilled at maneuvering and equally skilled at cultivating relations. Although he serves in the Ministry of Finance, he has connections across every other ministry as well.” Gu Yanxi drummed his knuckles on the table. “I happened to have looked into him before. His ambitions don’t stop at officialdom — the Xie Family’s business dealings are also largely managed by him.”
Hua Zhi smiled. The rule that officials were forbidden from engaging in commerce had always been laughable — as long as one didn’t conduct business as openly and flagrantly as she did, who would ever know what was happening behind closed doors?
“He’s not the only one with his eye on my business ventures, but he’s the only one shameless enough to go this far. A man who can pick himself up, set himself down, and feel no shame doing either is perfectly suited for officialdom.”
“I’ll have someone look into the matter of the marriage proposal.” Gu Yanxi took her hand in his. “Wu Yong’s report arrived today. The Yinshan Pass has been formally divided into two sections — the front for the military garrison and the rear for residential living. Wu Yong secured several official posts for the Hua Family, and His Majesty has approved them.”
This was the best news Hua Zhi had heard in some time. A weight she had been carrying lifted from her chest, at least somewhat. With official titles to their names, the family members at Yinshan Pass would no longer be at the mercy of anyone who wished to take advantage of them. Still — “What was His Majesty’s attitude?”
“His Majesty understands that the frontier cannot be allowed to falter. He was once a wise ruler — it’s only in recent years that he has grown muddled. Hua Zhi, don’t be prejudiced against him.”
“I’m not prejudiced against him. The Hua Family sought to be loyal subjects, yet found themselves facing a ruler who proved unworthy of that loyalty — that is the Hua Family’s fate. Grandfather and the others bore it without complaint, thinking of nothing but the Great Qing even from that desolate frontier. I simply don’t possess that level of devotion.”
Hua Zhi tried to withdraw her hand and could not, so she stopped trying. Her smile was faint, and in it there was genuinely none of the hatred Gu Yanxi feared. Hua Zhi was unlike anyone else he had ever known — she held far too little reverence for imperial authority. In daily life she behaved no differently from anyone else, yet in her heart, the Emperor was simply an ordinary man. Which was precisely why she could so calmly speak of outliving the Emperor as though it were a perfectly reasonable goal.
“Let’s not speak of that. I’ll assign several stewards to you — the people I’m withdrawing from my side will be placed under their management, so that even if someone were to discover it later, no one could use it against you.”
Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. “They’ll actually listen to me?”
“Would they dare not to?” Gu Yanxi leaned in close to her. “I told them — to serve you is to serve me.”
She pushed that far-too-close face away and turned aside. “I refuse to be swayed by such tactics.”
Gu Yanxi blinked, then burst out laughing. In other people’s eyes, his face was said to be enough to silence a crying child — yet in Hua Zhi’s eyes, it was apparently a tool of seduction. His Hua Zhi always managed, so effortlessly, to pluck at the deepest string in his heart.
Hua Zhi laughed quietly too, her head bowed. If something that slipped off her tongue could bring Yanxi such genuine joy, then it had not been wasted breath.
Gu Yanxi moved quickly. By early the next morning, three stewards arrived, led in by Wang Rong. The three of them dropped into a deep bow the moment they laid eyes on Hua Zhi.
Hua Zhi ran through the situation swiftly in her mind and accepted the gesture — there were certain people one could not be too familiar with, and this was a line that needed to be held with care.
The three stewards were close in age, all appearing to be in their early thirties, and their names were easy to remember: Lu Da, Lu Er, and Lu San.
Hearing that surname, Hua Zhi understood at once that they must have been part of Yanxi’s mother’s dowry household. She asked nothing further, and after dismissing their bow, inquired, “How many people do you have under you in total?”
“In reply to the First Young Miss — one hundred and fifty in total, fifty under each of us.”
One hundred and fifty people, just like that. Hua Zhi, who was perpetually short on manpower, felt a pang of envy. “You won’t be needed just yet. For the time being, carry on as you have been — I’ll inform you once I’ve set out a proper plan. Also, whatever rules you followed before, now that you’re answerable to me, you follow mine.”
“Yes.” It was Lu Da who answered. “The master has instructed that in all things, we are to follow the First Young Miss’s direction.”
A good attitude. Hua Zhi gave a small nod. “Ying Chun, go and brief them.”
“Yes.”
Hua Zhi had decided to visit Hai Wei that day and saw no reason to linger. As it happened, the moment she stepped out of the courtyard, she came face to face with Hua Ling and her sisters walking toward her in a group. The moment they spotted her, they quickened their pace — it was obvious they had come looking for her.
Hua Zhi sighed inwardly but had no choice but to stop and wait.
“Elder Sister.” All three of them greeted her with a bow. Hua Ling asked, “Elder Sister, are you heading out?”
“Yes — there are still preparations to be made for the new business. What brings you here?”
The three exchanged a glance. Second Sister Hua Xin spoke up to explain: “Elder Sister, we’ve gone over the ledgers and understand them well enough, but there are some things that really need to be seen with one’s own eyes to be properly grasped. So we were hoping… hoping to make a trip to the estate.”
“Of course.”
None of the three had expected their elder sister to agree so easily. Every excuse they had prepared dissolved, unspoken, back down their throats.
The sun broke through the clouds and cast its light across the earth, sweeping away all shadows. The brightness caught Hua Zhi’s eyes, and she squinted instinctively. “Running a business means seeing things for yourself — no amount of hearing about it will do. At this hour Steward Wang should be free. I’ll ask him to take you there, and we’ll bring along a few guards — it’s the capital, after all; ruffians like that young master from the Wei Family are not so common.”
“Yes, thank you, Elder Sister. We’ll be back as quickly as possible.”
“No need to rush. One day probably won’t be enough — spend the night there and I’ll have Steward Wang come for you tomorrow afternoon.”
All three of them were visibly excited, and they answered in bright, eager voices.
Hua Zhi smiled, turned to leave, then stopped after two steps and looked back. “Make sure to tell each of the Aunts clearly — don’t be vague about it. If they know what’s happening, they won’t worry.”
“Yes.”
Ever since that day when cartloads of seafood had come rolling in, Hai Wei had been a constant source of excitement. The capital was nowhere near the coast — on ordinary days, dried goods were all one could expect to find. Fresh seafood in such abundance was something almost everyone was seeing for the first time. Word spread quickly as people gathered outside just to watch, and within two days, the news had rippled through the entire city: a restaurant called Hai Wei was about to open. It had essentially advertised itself for free.
Hua Zhi stepped down from the carriage. Whether it was in her head or not, she caught the scent of the sea the moment she stood before the door — a hint of salt, a hint of brine, but not at all unpleasant.
“Miss.” Fu Dong came hurrying forward to meet her.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes.” Fu Dong took her arm as they walked inside. “Rest assured — with a few more days of focused practice, they’ll all be ready to work independently.”
“If you say they’re ready to be used, then they’re ready.” Hua Zhi smiled. Well before she had decided to open this establishment, she had already asked Fu Dong to train a team of cooks with a particular focus on fresh fish and other seafood dishes. Most of them had some prior culinary background and had picked things up quickly.
They were all women cooks, though — tasks requiring brute strength might prove a bit of a challenge.
The group headed straight for the kitchen. The further in they went, the stronger the briny smell became. When Hua Zhi caught sight of the fish and shrimp darting happily in their individual partitioned tanks, a sudden, deep sense of satisfaction welled up in her chest. So many of them!
“First Young Miss.” Nanny Chen bustled over in high spirits, looking very much in her element. “Everything you asked to be prepared has been brought in — it arrived yesterday. The supplier said that if anything isn’t quite right, adjustments can be made.”