Hua Zhi did not say that Ying Chun was making a fuss over nothing. The Fourth Aunt going into labor was not in itself cause for such measures — but what had happened was the Old Madam.

If it were only a minor matter, the Old Madam would certainly have suppressed it and not let it reach her ears. The fact that it had been reported to her meant the problem was not small. If Hua Zhi handled it poorly, the household could fall into chaos — and given her low generation within the family, she had little authority to pressure people. Preparing before trouble arose was always better than having to tear relationships apart in order to restore order.

“Take the medicinal herbs sent by Maternal Grandmother and select the best and most applicable ones to send to the Fourth Aunt’s room.”

“Yes,” Ying Chun acknowledged, then asked, “What arrangements are to be made for the clan school?”

“None needed. Letting them experience a little adversity is good for them.”

“Yes.”

Hua Zhi paused her steps, and in the end made no further arrangements there. She could not shield them into hothouse flowers — that would make them incapable of accomplishing anything.

Gu Yanxi had watched everything unfold from beginning to end. No matter how flustered the messengers who came to report, Hua Zhi’s expression had not shifted even once. Her composure steadied the others, allowing them to calm themselves as well. Hua Zhi possessed an exceptionally resilient inner core, and when the situation called for it, she was truly capable of hardness.

And her maids — in such a short span of time, they had already made so many thoughtful arrangements. Their competence was evident, and compared against the female officials within the palace, they were in no way inferior — in certain respects, they even surpassed them.

The more he came to understand her, the more remarkable Gu Yanxi found Hua Zhi to be. It was fitting that the Hua Family’s fortune had not yet run its course.

Passing through the covered walkway into the inner gate, Hua Zhi addressed the women servants who curtseyed in greeting: “Lock the inner gate. Hand me the keys.”

The four women exchanged glances.

“In extraordinary times one takes extraordinary measures. This is not a matter of distrust — I still need all of you to keep careful watch here. Report anything at all to me immediately.”

“Yes.”

Taking the keys, Hua Zhi quickened her pace toward the interior, asking as she walked, “How is Grandmother’s condition?”

Chun Xiang had been ordered to seal her lips and could only stammer, not daring to say a word.

Hua Zhi’s mind formed its own conclusion. “Grandmother has been coughing up blood?”

Chun Xiang stared at the eldest young miss in startled disbelief — she had said nothing at all!

“Tell me.”

Hua Zhi’s brow furrowed slightly, and a natural air of authority pressed forward with it. Chun Xiang’s face went pale. She wanted to speak but dared not — she was a member of the Old Madam’s household and could not defy the Old Madam’s orders.

Ying Chun, observing this, actually felt a certain sympathy for the girl. If someone were pressing her to reveal matters concerning the young miss, she would not speak either. But the situation was reversed now, and she naturally had to help her own young miss.

She exchanged a glance with Hua Zhi, who gave a slight nod and walked ahead — her grandmother was her first concern.

Today’s thunder was no ordinary thunder. But the Old Madam was not someone easily undone by things. That she could be so severely alarmed by a thunderstrike could only mean her body had declined to a terrible degree. And yet it had only been this short a time…

With the young miss gone, Ying Chun took Chun Xiang’s hand warmly and drew her to a stop along the covered walkway, an open and airy spot well-suited for quiet words: “There is no use hiding it any longer. Even when the physician comes, they will have to ask. Do you intend to conceal it from the physician as well? The young miss will find out sooner or later. Keeping it hidden like this only harms the Old Madam.”

With Hua Zhi gone, the weight in Chun Xiang’s chest eased considerably. That expression the eldest young miss had worn a moment ago had genuinely frightened her. And now with Ying Chun saying that concealment was harming the Old Madam, her resolve crumbled at once, and she poured everything out.

“When the thunder sounded, the Old Madam had just lain down for a short rest. She must have been startled awake — she jolted upright and then fell back, nearly losing consciousness. Then the coughing started — very severe — and she… she coughed up blood. Two handkerchiefs were changed. Then she fainted.”

“The Old Madam forbade you from informing our young miss, did she not?”

“She did.” Chun Xiang had thrown caution to the wind and let it all spill out. “This is not the first time the Old Madam has coughed up blood. She has always given strict orders that it must not be spoken of outside. This time was the same — it was only when the Old Madam fainted that Nanny Su finally sent me to find the eldest young miss.”

Ying Chun’s heart constricted. They had already suspected the Old Madam’s condition. If anything were to happen to the Old Madam, then the Hua Family…

She did not dare let the thought go further. It was not that she doubted the young miss’s ability to hold things together — the person she trusted most in the world was her young miss. But she could well imagine how difficult things would become. After years of waiting on the young miss, she knew better than anyone what manner of person the young miss truly was at heart — someone who wished for nothing more than to drift through her days in ease and leisure.

And yet that kind of life grew more distant with each passing day, to say nothing of the future that would only grow busier still.

She let out a quiet sigh within herself, then lowered her voice. “Chun Xiang — would you be willing to work in service to the eldest young miss?”

Chun Xiang was no fool — she would not have been permitted to attend the Old Madam otherwise. Ying Chun’s proposition was naturally tempting. From her time at the Old Madam’s side, she understood all too clearly how much weight the eldest young miss held in the Old Madam’s heart. The Old Madam’s body was frail and ailing — there was no telling how long she had. When that day came, the eldest young miss would surely become the Hua Family’s head of household.

And yet she had no wish to become someone who betrayed her mistress. If a new mistress were to form that impression of her from the very beginning, her life would be finished.

“Ying Chun, I know what it would mean. But I am, after all, a member of the Old Madam’s household. If I act in a way that betrays my mistress, there will be no place for me in the Hua Family. I do not wish to be that kind of person.”

“I understand your reluctance and your concerns. We are not asking you to become that kind of person — if we truly wanted you to report the Old Madam’s every movement and action to us, what would that make us?” Ying Chun smiled. “The young miss is worried about the Old Madam’s health. And the Old Madam is worried about causing the young miss to worry for her. When all is said and done, each is thinking of the other. I am not asking you to do anything else — only to share any changes in the Old Madam’s physical condition with us. In as much detail as possible, ideally. Shao Yao is an excellent physician, and knowing the state of the Old Madam’s illness in a timely manner allows for timely adjustments to her prescription. Is that not better than the Old Madam bearing everything alone?”

The Old Madam was not an unkind mistress, and Chun Xiang genuinely hoped for the old woman’s wellbeing. After a moment’s consideration, she gritted her teeth and agreed. After all, no one here had ill intentions.

Meanwhile, Hua Zhi had already entered her grandmother’s courtyard. Shao Yao had arrived only a step ahead of her and was seated at the bedside, taking the Old Madam’s pulse.

Hua Zhi came close, cast one glance at her grandmother’s face — as pale as yellowed paper — and looked away. She could not reconcile the frail old woman before her with the Hua Old Madam of two months ago, whose bearing and manner had still seemed youthful. She did not know how a person’s body could deteriorate so rapidly, as though it had been hollowed out all at once.

Shao Yao looked up at her closest friend. “The Old Madam has had a terrible fright — it will take quite a few days to recover. I will go and adjust her prescription shortly.”

Hua Zhi gave a nod. “When will Grandmother wake?”

“More sleep is a good thing right now. The nights ahead will need careful watching — the Old Madam may be troubled by nightmares. Do not be quick to rouse her when it happens. She needs to be gently guided out of the dream on her own… Actually, let me stay and handle it. You would not know how.”

Nanny Su was more than relieved to hear it. Ever since the Old Madam had taken the medicine Shao Yao had prepared, the coughing had improved noticeably — that alone was enough for her to place her trust in Shao Yao entirely.

“Nanny Su, please see to Grandmother’s care here. I will go to the Fourth Aunt’s room first, then return.”

“Yes, eldest young miss — please do not worry.”