“My father said Zeng Xiangling has been calculating and shrewd since childhood, and bold with it. If there is truly something out of the ordinary to speak of…” Yü Weiwei smiled as if sharing some delightful piece of news with a close friend. “My father said the handover of the Zeng family to Zeng Xiangling came very suddenly. Before it, my elder uncle had shown not the slightest sign of intending to pass the family affairs to his eldest son — he had even been discussing a business venture with my father. Then, within just a few days, he abruptly announced publicly that he was handing Zeng family affairs to his eldest son, and from that point on he was rarely seen in public.”

“Have you seen him since?”

“A few times a year, perhaps. Once I learned my father had been poisoned, I did consider this possibility, but my elder uncle’s situation is different from my father’s. My elder uncle suffers from intermittent headaches — when well, he is perfectly fine, but the slightest mental exertion brings on a blinding pain, and it was because of this that he had to hand over the family early.”

Yü Weiwei leaned close to Hua Zhi’s ear, conducting their private conversation in full view of everyone. “My father also told me something else. At the time, he had seen great promise in water transport and wanted to invite my elder uncle to join him in entering that business. My elder uncle did not share his optimism and declined. Yet about half a year after Zeng Xiangling took over, he came to my father and said he wanted to pursue exactly that venture.”

Hua Zhi frowned. “But our investigations showed no water transport businesses registered under the Zeng family’s name.”

“The venture was always filed under the Yü family’s name. Zeng Xiangling said my elder uncle did not approve and he did not want to upset him, so it was kept quiet from outsiders. Without my father telling me, no one would have known. These past several years the water transport business has not gained much traction, and my father had half a mind to withdraw — but feeling he was the one who had initially proposed it, he could not bring himself to simply walk away from Zeng Xiangling, so he kept putting it off.”

Something shifted in Hua Zhi’s mind, and she confirmed, “So — the Yü family’s water transport operation effectively belongs half to Zeng Xiangling?”

Yü Weiwei did not know what Hua Ling was looking for, but she could dimly sense it was very important, and hurried to add, “Yes, and it has been Zeng Xiangling who has managed it entirely for several years now. He told my father there was no business he could not turn around, and that he did not believe water transport could not be made to flourish. My father, not wanting to dampen his spirits, simply stepped back and stopped interfering.”

If Zeng Xiangling were providing cover from the shadows, with Zhu Ling and the former Yuan Shifang throwing open the gates openly above ground, and with this water route in place — transporting silver away would be completely unobstructed.

Hua Zhi’s heart quickened. She leaned close to Yü Weiwei’s ear. “This is a vital clue, Weiwei. You have done us an enormous service.”

“I am helping myself as well.” Yü Weiwei rested against her. “When you succeed, the crisis hanging over the Yü family can be resolved — only then can our family survive.”

“Do not worry. Whatever happens, I will do everything I can to keep you safe.”

Yü Weiwei smiled. “I trust you — completely. A’Ling, are all the young women of the capital like you?”

“No. They are true daughters of great families. I am just a merchant smelling of copper coins. In the capital, someone like me would likely never find a match.”

“Nonsense.” Yü Weiwei shot her a reproachful look, but her expression was more relaxed than it had been in days.

“Look at you two! Do you have to be so close? Yü Weiwei, I have seen through you now — I have known you for over ten years and you have never been this intimate with me.” Wang Yü finally could not hold herself back, and her words carried just the faintest trace of vinegar. She was genuinely put out, filled with the very real fear that her best friend was being stolen away.

Yü Weiwei deliberately draped her arm around Hua Zhi’s neck and met Wang Yü’s gaze with a provocative stare, while murmuring softly, “What should I do next?”

Hua Zhi played along and returned the embrace, smiling as she quickly whispered in her ear, “Do not lock Qi Qiu up again — keep watch on him, and establish the nature of his relationship with Zeng Xiangling. You do not need to risk coming out. I will have Ling Niang come to you tonight.”

“There is someone in the household who has been bought. I will put letters in the hollow of the brush holder in the study.”

“Good.”

Wang Yü forcefully slapped a tile down. “Yü Weiwei, I am going to be cross with you now!”

“You are really not hard to tease.” Yü Weiwei took the opening to stand and moved to stand behind Wang Yü. “Here — let me lend you some good fortune.”

“The only good fortune you have is borrowed from others, and you dare speak of it.” Wang Yü finally laughed, gesturing for her to draw a tile on her behalf.

As chance would have it, Yü Weiwei’s hand was genuinely lucky that time, drawing exactly the tile Wang Yü needed to win, bringing in quite a few tokens. She crowed over it as though her tail might fly up to the heavens.

Shao Yao had endured enough. She pushed her tiles aside and stood up. “Weiwei, your turn.”

“Fine — a few more rounds and I will head home. My father’s health is getting worse, I cannot be away too long.”

At the mention of this, no one else could find anything appropriate to say. The Yü family’s present situation was truly in poor shape — and Yü Weiwei had acquired a name as a shrew on top of everything else. One thing after another, all of it trouble. It said something about Yü Weiwei that she could carry it all. Any of the others here, and they would not have known what to do.

Wang Yü looked at her friend. “Your color is still very poor. Do not push yourself too hard — your health matters.”

“It is just a chill that has not quite cleared. A little rest and I will be fine.” Yü Weiwei rubbed her forehead — now that it had been mentioned, she actually felt the weight in her head all the more.

“With things like this, what is the point of staying to play? Go home. I will walk you out.” Wang Yü pushed aside her tiles and rose to support Yü Weiwei, then called to the maidservant waiting nearby, “Our two shares can be settled together next time.”

“Yes, Madam.” The maidservant promptly came forward and packed each woman’s tokens separately into their boxes — deft and practiced, as if this were hardly a new arrangement.

Two seats now free, Hua Zhi — whose reputation was that of a woman devoted to the game — naturally could not let the opportunity pass. After seeing them to the door she turned right back, took a seat alongside Shao Yao, and played until hunger gnawed at her before finally going home. As usual she did not take meals away from home.

The dinner hour had already passed, yet Gu Yanxi had not sat down to eat either, and waited for her to return before having the dishes brought out. He personally wrung out a warm cloth and handed it to Hua Zhi; the moment she had wiped her hands and face, he had the hand warmer ready — the cold today had not relented.

Shao Yao, standing to one side, pursed her lips in a small, slightly envious pout.

“Wipe on the medicine first, then eat.”

At the sight of the ointment held out before her, Shao Yao blinked, then broke into a wide smile at Yanxi. She took the jar and went off to the side to find a mirror.

“Shao Yao’s face seems to look even better.” Helping A’Zhi to her seat, Gu Yanxi remarked.

“The scarring is lighter. By the end, even if it cannot be erased entirely, a little powder should be more than enough to cover what remains.”

Gu Yanxi smiled. “She has no patience for that sort of thing. The way it is now is already quite good.”

It was — quite good. Hua Zhi leaned her head against the man beside her, offering silent comfort. However many years Shao Yao had borne that scar, he had carried the guilt of it just as long. In his mind, had it not been for him, Shao Yao would never have faced that woman and brought them both down together, and would never have had her face slashed. Even though Shao Yao had never once blamed him, he blamed himself — it was his failure to protect his own younger sister, and then to have his younger sister turn around and protect him in his place. That was his inadequacy.

So the question of how much of Shao Yao’s face could be restored mattered more to him than it did to the person herself. He was far more conscientious about applying the ointment than she was, and the weight it carried in Yanxi’s heart was likely no less than the weight of the Chaoli tribespeople making their return.