In the main hall, nearly every person of standing in Jinyang had assembled. Only the ailing Elder Master Yu and Elder Master Zeng were absent, unable to attend. Even Peng Chunli, the head of the Peng Family — who had not been directly entangled in the matter — had not missed the gathering.
He had indeed latched onto a powerful patron, and seized a fine opportunity for his family’s advancement. But he was also a son of Jinyang; his roots ran deep here. He could not stand apart from everyone else.
The expressions of all those present were grave. They sat in clusters of three and five, grouped by acquaintance, exchanging information in low voices. No matter how they turned it over, they felt that something dire was coming. What kind of entity was the Seven Lodges Bureau? It was the sort that only appeared when something of great consequence had occurred — to say nothing of the fact that it had now taken outright control of Jinyang. If charges were to be pressed on the basis of these events, not a single one of them would escape.
Peng Chunli sat in a stretch of cold quiet around him. He could feel clearly that he was being subtly excluded, yet he was not troubled. Even the best of relationships was sustained by mutual interest. After this affair, the Peng Family could no longer be spoken of in the same breath as before. A temporary distancing was nothing — they would come to him in time.
Just as he was thinking this, sounds stirred outside the door. He looked over together with the rest, and saw that it was the young lady of the Yu Family.
No one had made a show of the Yu Family’s situation, but neither had it been deliberately concealed. Seeing Yu Weiwei arrive in a dress of plain white, they were at once surprised and not surprised. The Yu Family now had no one capable of managing affairs but her — and there was her connection to Hua Zhi besides. Her presence here could only be to their benefit.
Yu Weiwei performed a full bow of a junior to the assembled company, then took a seat at the very end, and thereafter sat in silence without a single word. The crowd gradually grew quiet as well.
“I have kept everyone waiting.” The voice arrived before the person — Hua Zhi appeared in the doorway, and the assembled company rose as one to receive her.
Hua Zhi passed through their midst, gave a slight incline of her head to the gathering, and took her seat at the head of the room.
Her gaze swept the room with clear, composed eyes. Hua Zhi lifted one of the case files from the basket, gave it a light tap against her palm, and said, “I well remember the day I first arrived in Jinyang, when young Master Zeng of the Zeng Family said with a face full of pride that not even the capital could match Jinyang, the little capital. I remember his expression vividly at the time. I thought to myself then: if someone ever destroyed this Jinyang he was so proud of, he would surely fight that person to the death. Looking back now, the first fight he would need to have is with himself.”
The room fell so still that a dropped needle would have been heard. It seemed as though everyone had even stopped breathing — which made the footsteps outside the door stand out all the more clearly.
Xu Ze stood in the doorway, a basket in each hand, uncertain whether to enter or retreat.
Jia Yang was about to take them from him when he heard the First Young Lady say, “Come in. I will need your assistance shortly.”
“Yes.” Xu Ze took up his position behind Hua Zhi.
“I have no wish to dwell on the rise and fall of the clans within Jinyang city. All of you here have weathered great storms, and seeing through such matters is well within your ability. Some of you ought even to be grateful to the Chaoli tribe — had you not profited through their patronage, your families may not have risen to where they stand today. As for whether Jinyang might collapse utterly from this, I doubt many of you have given it a thought.”
Hua Zhi turned with a gesture. “Take these materials and let everyone have a look. Archivist Xu, please explain them simply and plainly.”
“Yes.” Xu Ze knew these records better than anyone. He explained in a few words, hitting every essential point with precision.
Hua Zhi watched the shifts in their expressions and felt a measure of quiet reassurance. In the face of self-interest, people would naturally think of themselves first — yet there was no one who did not wish their hometown well.
Jinyang was the root from which they had all grown. They were born here and would be laid to rest here. They had never thought to ask: what if this root were gone? What if the root had rotted through?
She had investigated through the Seven Lodges Bureau and found that Jinyang was an exceptionally insular place. Any family that had put down deep roots there had, at minimum, ancestors who were Jinyang natives; without that, one could not enter their circle. Take Zhu Ling — he clearly moved in the same sphere as these established families, sharing their interests, yet he was never truly accepted among them. In their speech one could even detect a faint contempt toward him. In their eyes, the Zhu Family were nothing but rough country stock — and outsiders at that. They had no interest in including him.
“Every inch of your growth has drawn blood from Jinyang. But one day that blood will run dry. You will be standing atop a wasteland — what good then is a mountain of silver? Will you go be outsiders somewhere else? But nowhere else will ever be your hometown of Jinyang. Whether you hear these words and let them pass, or take them to heart, matters nothing to me — my hometown is not here. What I am about to say next is the true business for which I have summoned you all today.”
Hua Zhi set her teacup down; the crisp sound seemed to ring in the very depths of their hearts. “Whatever you consumed alongside the Chaoli tribe over these years, you will return in full. Not one coin less — only more. Consider it paying silver in exchange for peace.”
This demand had been long anticipated. Even without Hua Zhi saying it, they would have done the same — the Chaoli tribe was implicated, after all, and they would have had no grounds to plead their case even if thrown into prison. But could it truly guarantee their safety?
Someone voiced the question openly. “Dou will be the one to stick his neck out and ask the young lady directly: can handing over the silver truly guarantee our safety?”
“The Seven Lodges Bureau will do everything in its power to intercede on your behalf. Though you have committed acts that harmed the foundations of Jinyang, you were nonetheless deceived by the Chaoli tribe. There is something to be said in mitigation.”
“Dou ventures to ask one more question — does the young lady’s word carry weight?”
Jia Yang’s brow furrowed as he was about to speak, but Hua Zhi raised a hand to stop him. “Do you have any other choice?”
“Dou has no intention of looking down on the young lady — please do not take offense…”
Hua Zhi shook her head. “How you regard me does not concern me. The path lies before you; whether you take it is your own affair. I can also tell you plainly: your silver will not be entered into any itemized account. I will gather it all together and bring it directly to the capital, under the designation that although the Jinyang established families were deceived by the Chaoli tribe, they were aware of their wrongdoing and have presented the full sum of their gains. You are not individuals — you are a collective, representing the stance of Jinyang’s families in this matter. You may weigh the merit of that for yourselves. I give you one day.”
Hua Zhi rose and left, not wishing to linger in further debate with them. As she passed Yu Weiwei, she said softly, “Come with me.”
Once they had walked some distance, Hua Zhi turned back. “Why have you come all the same? Did I not have Bao Xia bring you a message?”
“My father regained consciousness. He said that even if the Yu Family must endure this calamity, we cannot stand apart from everyone else at a time like this.”
“Has he taken the antidote? Is he feeling better?”
“Yes, much better.” Yu Weiwei produced the first smile she had managed in these past two days, and her voice softened somewhat. “My father wishes to thank you in person. I told him you were busy, and that he could wait until you had time.”
“There is no need for thanks. You were both innocent in all of this.”
Innocent — yes. Yet who would remember that the Yu Family had been innocent? What people would remember was her connection to the First Young Lady. Yu Weiwei lowered her head and smoothed a strand of hair at her temple. “When do you leave?”
“A few days yet. We must wait for someone to come and take over.”
“After that… will you come back?”
“I will come back.” Hua Zhi looked at her with a small smile. “I will come back.”
Yu Weiwei stared for a moment, then smiled as well. “All right. It is settled, then. I will manage the Yu Family well and wait for you to come as a guest.”
“It is settled.”