Of course he did. Xiao Liu gave a solemn nod. “They have had it very hard.”

“What is hardest for them is that they have no anchor for their hearts. The people of Da Qing are loyal to Da Qing. The Chao Li people are loyal to their tribe. But these people — to whom do they owe loyalty? Even if they carry a heart that wishes to serve faithfully, to whom should they give it? They have no say in their birth, no power over their futures — life and death both rest in the hands of others. A lifetime with no hope in sight. ‘Very hard’ barely begins to describe it.”

Hua Zhi looked with gentle eyes at this young boy who was so obedient in her presence. “Xiao Liu, you must cultivate a wider heart. Regardless of bloodline, regardless of which tribe a person comes from — as long as he lives on Da Qing’s soil, he is a person of Da Qing. He must abide by Da Qing’s laws and submit to Da Qing’s authority, and Da Qing, in turn, must protect him — so that he is never wronged without recourse. The loyalty of the people is never something owed without reason. Only when you truly love the people as your own children will they trust you and look to you. Do not think the common people are easily deceived. They can tell the difference between good and bad. They simply lack power and voice — they cannot do anything to you if you treat them poorly, but they will turn away from you in their hearts. When you have time, think carefully on this.”

“Yes, Shifu.” He paused, then added, “I understand what you mean.”

“Good. If you ever find yourself truly lost, shift your perspective and put yourself in their place.” Hua Zhi lowered her head and smiled. “I am not a natural teacher. I do not always know what I ought to be teaching you. I can only explain the reasons behind each matter as it comes up. If there is anything you do not understand, there is no need for ceremony — simply ask.”

“Yes. I love listening to you talk about these things. It is far more straightforward and easier to understand than all those words of the sages those old tutors go on about.”

“The words of the sages have endured to this day for good reason. You must still listen to them — I, too, grew up reading them. Do not be careless with them.”

Xiao Liu agreed with a smile, and with good instinct steered the conversation in another direction. “While you were away, everything at home has been fine. I visited often. Ying Chun and the others are remarkably capable — they have kept the household in perfect order.”

Hua Zhi was both tickled and warmed by his easy use of “home.” It had not even been a full year and a half, yet Xiao Liu had truly begun to think of himself as part of the household. That was good.

“However capable they may be, they are my people. Do not go getting any ideas.”

“I genuinely have.” Xiao Liu tested the waters. “Shifu, is there really no chance of sparing even one for me?”

“They followed me from a young age, and their temperaments have taken after mine. They want only to live quietly and in comfort. Not a shred of ambition among them. Before the Hua family’s troubles began, they were already begging me not to arrange marriages for them — girls who won’t even marry are hardly going to agree to change households and serve you. I will not force them.”

Xiao Liu let out a sigh. “I knew as much.”

Hua Zhi laughed despite herself. “Before I left for Jinyang, did the Emperor not reward you with two hundred palace maids? Are you still short of people to serve you? And even if those maids don’t suit you, Lady Sun would never leave you wanting.”

“There are plenty of them, but few of any real use. And with Ying Chun and the others there as a standard, how could I even look at the rest? I’m not just talking about Ying Chun — even the second-tier maids in Shifu’s courtyard are better than all of them.”

Hua Zhi only smiled. She knew perfectly well where her own maids’ strengths lay. Compared to stones that needed pushing before they moved, her girls were leagues more nimble. But she could not give them away — she could not place people of her own in a prince’s household, not even this prince, not even her own student.

The carriage came to a stop. Hua Zhi looked out at the familiar lane, and her heart gave a sudden fierce leap. After more than a month away — she was finally home.

The side gate swung open, and Liu Xiang came rushing out — arriving just in time to take her mistress’s arm as she stepped down. Once Hua Zhi was steady on her feet, Liu Xiang moved to bow to the ground, but Hua Zhi caught her and said with a warm smile, “That’s enough. How long have I even been gone? No need for such ceremony. Is everyone at home well?”

“Yes, all is well.” Liu Xiang turned to offer a bow to the Sixth Prince as well.

From inside the gate came several more figures — at the head of them, Steward Xu, his hair now half-silver, and Nanny Su. The sight reminded Hua Zhi suddenly of something: two years ago, Grandfather and Steward Xu had made a bet between master and servant over who would go gray first. When she had gone to Yinshan Pass, Grandfather’s white hairs had not seemed as plentiful as Steward Xu’s — she wondered how they compared now.

She stepped forward herself to help the old steward up. Before she could speak, the creak of wheels sounded behind her. Hua Zhi turned to see another carriage rolling into the lane. It stopped, and Zhu Fang stepped out, startled by the scene before her, and hovered uncertainly without coming down.

Bao Xia went immediately to attend her. Hua Zhi glanced at Xiao Liu. “Go and meet up with Chen Qing outside the palace. Come for a meal later if you have time.”

“Alright.” Xiao Liu clasped his hands in a bow. “Your student takes his leave.”

She watched him go, then turned and walked inside. “This Miss Zhu will be staying here for a time. Nanny Su, please prepare a courtyard for her.”

“Yes.”

The time spent outside had been enough for the whole household to learn of her return. She went first to kneel before her mother, then to the ancestral hall to offer incense. She sat with her mother through a meal — neither quite lunch nor dinner, but utterly satisfying — and in the peace of home, the exhaustion accumulated through all those weeks of hard travel welled up all at once. She was mid-sentence when her voice simply trailed away into silence.

Zhu Shi turned aside and pressed her fingers quietly to the corners of her eyes. She called Lin Shuang over to help ease her daughter down to rest in her own bed.

In the days before, word from the capital had been flying everywhere. It was only through the inquiries of relatives from her husband’s family that Zhu Shi had learned of everything her daughter had done in Jinyang — deeds so grand she could scarcely bring herself to believe them. She could not fathom how a person as timid as herself had given birth to a daughter with a heart so staggeringly bold.

She was proud, too — proud in the way one basks in another’s glory. Yet it was only now, seeing her in person, that she understood how much toil lay behind what had been described so lightly in words. Zhi’er had always been composed in her presence, even returning from Yinshan Pass without a trace of distress on her face. But now she had fallen asleep in front of her — which told her all she needed to know about how deeply exhausted she truly was.

She signaled to the maids to move even more gently, then wrung out a cloth and softly wiped her daughter’s face. When she took her hands to wipe them too, she felt the faint calluses on her fingertips and felt her heart ache more sharply. She had been raised tenderly, in comfort — yet somewhere beyond her mother’s sight, she must have endured untold hardship to bring the Hua family back to safety. If only she herself were not so useless — if she could have helped, even just a little—

“Madam…”

Zhu Shi covered her eyes for a moment, then spoke in a low, hoarse voice, “Go to the Zhu residence and tell my mother there is no need to speak to Zhi’er about the marriage matters of the Hua girls from now on. Wu Shi and I will handle it ourselves.”

She bit her lip, then added, “Tell my mother that Zhi’er is back — worn to the bone. I may not understand what goes on outside, but her grandfather must stand up for his granddaughter. I will not have her bullied.”

Lin Shuang couldn’t help but let a smile show on her face. The old madam must be weeping with relief right now. “Do not worry, Madam. Now that our Miss is back, there will be ways to silence whoever needs silencing.”