Wei Jing froze for just a moment when he caught sight of Hua Zhi. He had never imagined she would come.

In the past, few in the capital had known of Hua Zhi. Now, word of the Hua family’s eldest young miss had spread through the entire city. And he knew more than most — which was precisely why he would never underestimate her. She had been willing to make such a sweeping scene for the sake of a single sister, forcing the Wei family to step in and clear Hua Ling’s name. Now that he intended to move against the entire Hua family, he didn’t believe for a moment that she had come to wish the Pure Discussion Gathering a smooth success. She was almost certainly here with trouble in mind.

But what did it matter? Behind the Wei family stood the Emperor himself.

Wei Jing walked forward with a broad smile, bowed with restrained courtesy to the group at large, and said, “This is the Wei family’s first time hosting a Pure Discussion Gathering. We are inexperienced and have no doubt caused everyone to wait — please forgive us.”

The gazes of everyone present drifted, as if by accident, toward Hua Zhi. The Hua family had been hosting it for years, and now ownership had changed hands in a single stroke. Anyone would feel that sting. Wei Jing’s words had truly found a nerve.

Zhu Ziwen was about to retort immediately, but Hua Zhi spoke first. “Experience is built up over time. If there is another occasion to host, I trust Lord Wei will have plenty of it by then — and guests will no longer be kept waiting outside.”

The words could be taken at face value, or read as a barb. Wei Jing was not about to go looking for an argument, so he cupped his hands and replied, “Thanks to Miss’s kind words. The next time, I will certainly not make the same mistake.”

“Splendid.” Hua Zhi smiled as well, smoothing a strand of hair that the wind had blown loose. “The wind today is truly rather strong. If we stand out here much longer, I’m afraid this young woman will embarrass herself.”

Wei Jing seethed inwardly at having his words cut off — yet managed to respond with complete civility: “That is my error. I was so absorbed in conversation I forgot — everyone, please come inside.”

My error? Hua Zhi tucked her cloak closer around herself and let out a quiet laugh. He truly intended to run a Pure Discussion Gathering the way one runs a banquet.

The Wei family held a Third-Rank residence, comparable in scale to the Zhu family. All the substance one expected of an old noble household was there. As they walked through, servants stood with heads bowed along every corridor, and the covered walkways stretched deep into the grounds.

At a fork in the path, Wei Jing led the group to the right. They passed through a side courtyard and then through a moon gate, and suddenly the view opened up.

Before them lay a garden where a lake took up nearly half the space. On the water, several pavilions stood at intervals, not far apart from one another. There were also boats on the lake.

Were it not for the howling wind today, it would have been a lovely place for an outing. Even as it was, the wind was mostly blocked from reaching inside. As a venue for a Pure Discussion Gathering, it was serviceable enough.

Without quite meaning to, Hua Zhi made a comparison. The location the Hua family used for their gatherings was a two-story wooden building constructed specifically for the purpose. The ground floor was one large open room; the second floor was open to the air. Along the walls on both floors stood several long writing tables spread with quality ink and brushes. Cushions were scattered freely on the floor. In the corners, a few servants stood ready to pour tea, and that was all — nothing else.

Her grandfather and father and uncles would usually attend in plain white scholars’ robes. Her grandfather liked to stand on the second-floor balcony, leaning against the railing as he spoke at length. Her father usually spoke from the stairs between the floors. Other scholars who took the floor would often climb to an elevated spot as well — on days when the crowd was large, the staircase would be packed with people sitting along it, leaving only the narrowest gap to pass through.

In the Great Qing, scholars were not required to sit for the regional examinations in their own provincial capitals. Those with enough confidence in themselves would often travel thousands of li to sit for it in the capital. Part of the reason was no doubt that the Hua family’s Pure Discussion Gathering was held only after the autumn examinations. It was a gathering without ulterior motives, without politics — all participants were equal, no rank above another. For any scholar, simply being allowed entry was an honor.

And now—

Hua Zhi stood in the pavilion and looked at the wine jars and cups arrayed on the table, then at the beautiful female attendants waiting at their sides. She thought: that person should come and see with his own eyes how the man he had favored — Wei Jing — was going about destroying the nation’s future pillars.

As it happened, that person had indeed thought to come and see for himself. At this very moment he was entering the Wei residence, accompanied by Gu Yanxi.

Wei Jing received word and his eyes lit up with delight. He leaned close to his eldest son and murmured something quickly, then strode off at a brisk pace.

With such a fine opportunity to distinguish himself, Wei Chenze was naturally determined to make the most of it. He made his way to the highest pavilion, smiled like warm spring sunshine, and said, “The Wei family would never dare compare itself to the Hua family. However, a gathering held only once every three years should not simply be left to lapse — and so the Wei family has had the presumption to take it on. If anything falls short, we ask for your forbearance. The hour is still early and some guests have yet to arrive — please feel free to enjoy yourselves in the meantime.”

These words grated on Zhu Ziwen’s ears, and the sight of the wine made his eyes sting. His voice was thick with suppressed fury. “Bringing wine to a Pure Discussion Gathering — do you want us to make fools of ourselves?”

The pavilion they occupied held people they all knew: Zhu Ziwen along with his two friends Xu Zhenghe and Tan Qingsong, the Hua sisters, and Yu Xiasheng.

At this, Yu Xiasheng asked, “Was there no wine at the previous gatherings?”

“I had the nerve to follow my grandfather once — the Hua family’s gathering had none of these trappings. A few servants came in and out with tea. When they couldn’t keep up, you just got up and poured your own cup. That is what a Pure Discussion Gathering is supposed to look like!”

Just as they were speaking, the sound of strings and pipes drifted across the water. Three boats emerged from the far end of the lake — one with a zither player, one with a flute, one with an ancient vessel-flute and a plucked lute — drawing a crowd of scholars to lean over the railings and look. Some were in high enough spirits to clap along to the rhythm. The atmosphere was lively.

Wei Chenze smiled with satisfaction and let his gaze drift toward the other pavilion, which had remained completely silent. He gave a quiet, unreadable snort of laughter.

Hua Zhi was looking too — only she wasn’t watching the performance. She was watching the people in the pavilions. Every young man invited today had passed the supplementary examinations at a young age, each one bursting with talent and confidence. And it was precisely because they had succeeded so young that they couldn’t be further indulged — they needed to be held back a little. The purpose the Hua family’s gathering served was exactly that: letting them speak freely, with her grandfather then guiding them to see their own shortcomings.

Handled the way the Wei family was handling things, this was nothing but ruining young men.

Yet people were naturally drawn to comfort and pleasure. Most here would probably go along with whatever the Wei family offered. Strictly speaking, the direction the Wei family had chosen wasn’t wrong — if that person accepted this approach… Hua Zhi gave a cold, silent laugh. Even if the canal were completed in his lifetime, he would still be a sinner against the Great Qing.

“Miss Hua.”

Hua Zhi turned to see Chen Dayi stepping into the pavilion. She rose quickly to greet him. He returned the courtesy with a perfunctory bow and strode immediately to the railing to look out at the performers on the boats, so furious he slapped the rail. “A disgrace to propriety — a complete disgrace! This is no Pure Discussion Gathering — this is a pleasure outing!”

She was still working out how to respond when he rounded on her, one question tumbling after the next: “And Miss Hua is just going to watch? Watch them ruin the Pure Discussion Gathering? Ruin the Great Qing’s future pillars?”

Truly… naive. Hua Zhi let out a quiet laugh. “Lord Chen, please teach me — what can I do, and what should I do?”

“I—” Chen Dayi fell silent. He was right. What use was his indignation? She had kept the Hua family standing; no one could expect her to preside over this gathering too. Even if she were willing, no one else would agree.

Yet — “If our teacher were to find out, how heartbroken he would be.”

Hua Zhi rose and stood beside Chen Dayi at the railing. How could he not be heartbroken? Even she, who lacked her grandfather’s lofty sense of calling, found the sight before her almost too painful to look at.