On the inner side of the first floor, there was a room that Hua Zhi had set aside specifically for the kitchen women. Women were naturally not as strong as men, and after a busy midday, they needed a place to rest. The male waiters could lay themselves down anywhere, but women could not.

Hua Zhi was resting in this room at that moment. Bao Xia brewed some tea and placed the cup in her young miss’s hands. “Someone must be pulling strings behind that person’s back. Young Miss, who do you think it could be?”

“There will always be people who can’t stand to see the Hua Family rise. It could also be a competitor in the same trade. This isn’t something we need to worry about — the Cai Family and the Jiang Family will look into it.”

Bao Xia suddenly remembered that this was not solely their family’s business, and nodded. “They’re getting such a huge benefit for nothing, so of course they ought to put in some effort.”

Hua Zhi lightly tapped her on the head and was just about to scold her a little when there came a knock at the door. Bao Xia assumed it was one of her fellow maids and, without thinking, went to pull the door open. When she saw that the person standing outside was an unfamiliar man, she immediately moved to shut it again.

“Miss Hua, an elder of Master Lu’s wishes to see you.”

As the words fell, the door closed shut at the same moment. Hua Zhi’s heart leapt as she stood up abruptly. The only Master Lu she knew was one person, and his elder…

“Open the door.”

Bao Xia looked as though she wanted to say something, but one glance at her young miss’s expression silenced her completely. She hurried to open the door, though her body subtly blocked the entrance, warily eyeing the man outside who stood a full head taller than her.

Hua Zhi looked past Bao Xia’s head at the man dressed all in black, her voice strained. “An elder wishes to see me?”

“Yes. Miss Hua should know what to do for the good of the Hua Family.”

It was like the long-awaited other shoe had finally dropped. Hua Zhi let out a long, slow breath. She did not share Yanxi’s closeness with the Emperor, and the trust that came with it. To put it plainly, she harbored not a shred of goodwill toward the Emperor — the man who had kept her family from reuniting. After she and Yanxi had confessed their feelings to each other, she had been waiting for this day. She never believed that the Emperor, enthroned high above it all, would truly trust Yanxi without reservation.

As it turned out, she had not been wrong. Even if the Emperor had genuinely trusted Yanxi from the very beginning — and had done so for many years — he had recently begun to investigate him all the same.

“Please give me a quarter of an hour. I need to make some arrangements.”

Under any other circumstance, the Shadow Guard would not have agreed, but the person asking was Hua Zhi, and so he was willing to make an allowance. The Shadow Guards and the Seven Lodges Division had always operated in complement to one another, and in critical moments the Shadow Guards would follow the orders of the Seven Lodges Division’s leader. Since this matter directly involved the Seven Lodges Division’s leader, it was something of an internal affair. He had no wish to be utterly heartless about it, and without a word, he turned and walked away.

Having won herself a quarter of an hour, Hua Zhi steadied herself against the writing desk and sat down. She pressed her trembling hands flat on the surface and bit hard into the tip of her tongue. The sharp taste of blood jolted her into composure.

“Young Miss…” Bao Xia inwardly cursed her own dullness — she had not been able to make sense of the cryptic exchange just now, only sensed that something was very wrong.

“Grind the ink.” Rolling up her sleeves, Hua Zhi’s mind raced. Now that the Emperor knew about her, he would certainly not let her go free. She did not know what awaited her on this trip, and it was more than likely she would not be coming back. She had to prepare for the worst.

The several businesses she currently had going were all profitable. Even if the worst happened — even if she was gone — the Hua Family could still stand on its own with those ventures as support. It was only that without her, Bailin would likely have to abandon his aspirations for an official career. With Ying Chun and the others to assist him, and with Bailin being as clever as he was, he could hold the family together.

And then there was the Zhu Family. She trusted that her grandfather would help, but the Hua Family could not come to rely on them too heavily. The disparity in their social standing did not matter, but they must never feel in their hearts that they were lesser — that would not do at all. While Grandfather was still alive things would be fine, but should the day come when he was gone, the eldest uncle might not be free of other designs. Even with family, one could only sustain a lasting bond when both sides stood on equal footing.

She had to tell Bailin to send money to Yinshan Pass at least once a year. Of course, news of her could not be mentioned — just as she had kept Grandmother’s news suppressed. They would definitely come back. Even without her, they would come back. At worst, it would simply take a little more time. She could not manage how they would react when they returned and learned of all that had happened, but the precondition was that they had to come back.

And then there was Yanxi…

Hua Zhi’s brush-holding hand trembled, and a drop of ink fell from the tip onto the paper. She looked down at it, then watched as Bao Xia took away the ruined sheet.

Taking a deep breath, Hua Zhi’s brushstrokes fell steadily. The first letter she wrote was for Bailin. She gave a thorough account of the family’s businesses, and after a moment’s hesitation, left a final line at the end: May you grow into a great tree that reaches to the heavens — feet planted in the earth, arms lifting the sky. Your elder sister will be watching.

Bao Xia pressed her hand over her mouth as tears streamed down her face. She could not understand how the joy of an opening day had turned into this. She was furious. She was indignant. And yet she could do nothing at all — only bear down harder on the ink stone, grinding the ink until it was black and dense.

The second letter Hua Zhi wrote was for her grandfather. Brief as it was, it held all the bonds that tied her to the Hua Family.

The third letter was for her father. She wondered whether that man — never one for words — would, upon learning of her fate, find his convictions shaken. She was actually rather curious.

The fourth letter was for Xiao Liu, and contained only five words: May this age be one of peace.

The quarter of an hour was nearly up. Hua Zhi gave the time remaining to write to Yanxi, but after setting down his name, she found she did not know how to continue. That man who had once said he had nothing — he would grieve, wouldn’t he.

She swallowed down the bitterness in her heart, and slowly set her brush to paper: Knowing you, no regrets.

She set the brush down. Silently, in her heart, she added: May your next life spare you from being born into an imperial family. May you know the warmth of family, the tenderness of love, the grace of friendship.

She smoothed her sleeves back down and lightly touched the hairpin atop her head. In the end, she did not take it off.

“If I do not return today, go and find Bailin at once, and give him the letters.”

“Young Miss…” Bao Xia sank to her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, shaking her head over and over.

Hua Zhi looked at the maidservant who had grown up by her side since childhood, and a deep sorrow settled over her heart. It was not that she felt no fear, no dread — only that she had no way out. The Emperor had his hand around the throat of everything she held dear. She did not even have the right to take her own life.

“Take good care of Bailin.”

“Young Miss, let this servant come with you — come with you…” Bao Xia scrambled to her feet, not pausing to wipe her tears, and rushed forward to open the door.

Hua Zhi caught her, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and said gently, “Bailin cannot manage without you all. Be good.”

“Young Miss, take this servant with you. There are still Ying Chun and the others at home. Please take this servant with you. I won’t say a word — I’ll just follow you. Wherever you go, I’ll go. Wherever it is, I’ll serve you…” Bao Xia wept so hard she could barely speak, clutching the young miss’s sleeve with an iron grip.

“It may not come to the worst. I’m only preparing for the worst possible outcome.” Hua Zhi smiled slightly. “I always need to make some arrangements.”

Otherwise, how could she set her mind at ease? If only she’d had more than a quarter of an hour — a full day’s time, no, even half a day would have been enough — she could have made far more thorough preparations.

But things did not go as she wished.

Hua Zhi walked toward the door. Listening to the soft weeping behind her, her heart was perfectly still.

To have lived a full life, to have a home, to have a family that was, all things considered, a decent one, to have loyal servants, to have… one person whose heart was turned toward hers — even if her life were to come to a sudden stop here, she had still come out ahead. Only, she also had her regrets. She had thought she might be able to have even more.

She opened the door, looked at the man standing outside, and said quietly, “Please lead the way.”