The North is a general term used for this area, and most people had grown accustomed to calling it that. When Yinshan Pass was mentioned, quite a few would have to stop and think before they could recall that this was, in fact, the place’s true name.

Yinshan Pass had been an important battleground since ancient times, far larger than an ordinary city. Patrolling soldiers could be seen everywhere within its walls, and even the common people were sharply dressed, their tall and imposing builds radiating a fierce, vigorous energy.

Hua Zhi sat high on her horse, taking in the sights all the way. The anxiety and worry that had gnawed at her heart had, now that she had actually arrived, largely settled.

Even if this was a place of exile, it was not at all what she had imagined — a place inhabited only by overseers and laborers. At first glance, it was not so very different from anywhere else. The only difference, perhaps, was the lack of freedom.

So long as silver could be put to use here, that was enough. She did not dare ask for more.

Entering through the east gate, they walked for nearly half an hour before reaching the south city. Compared to the east side, this area was noticeably more chaotic, with far more people, and correspondingly, far more patrolling soldiers.

Hua Zhi and her group, laden with large and small bundles, were obviously outsiders. Yet strangely, no one moved to make trouble for them. Some people even smiled at them in a friendly manner. One man, standing with his arms folded, pointed toward a distant inn and said, “Go stay there — the rooms are kept clean and the prices are fair.”

Hua Zhi was momentarily taken aback, then immediately thanked him and headed off in that direction.

Seeing that she was easy to approach, the man drew closer and introduced himself: “I’m called Hu Gua. You’ve come to deliver things, have you? It’s been a while since anyone from the outside has come around.”

Hua Zhi had only harbored a vague suspicion in her heart, but hearing him say this, what was there left she could not understand? The south city had its particular circumstances; virtually no one was ignorant of why outsiders would come to this part of town.

The laws of Da Qing only stipulated that those sentenced to exile could not leave at will, but there was no rule preventing their families from visiting. Everyone had relatives and friends, yet the number who actually came to this place of exile to visit was few and far between. Over time, this had come to serve as a kind of test of people’s hearts. Those who came did not need to be especially remarkable — even a servant would earn a look of high regard from the people living here under various circumstances.

That was why they had been treated with such goodwill upon entering the south city. Hua Zhi felt a pang of emotion, and her wariness dissolved by more than half. “The North is bitter and cold. Afraid the family would suffer, I’ve brought some warm clothing.”

“How thoughtful, how thoughtful. The winters here really are hard to bear.” The man walked with a slight limp, though it did not slow his pace. He noticed that Hua Zhi had not once glanced at his leg, treating him as she would any ordinary person, and he felt an even greater warmth toward her. To him, that simple normalcy was the rarest thing of all.

“I wonder whom the young master is looking for? I know this place well — I may very well know them.”

Hua Zhi’s mind worked quickly, and in an instant she made her decision. “I’m looking for members of the Hua Family. They should have arrived here in September. I wonder if this elder brother might know them?”

“The Hua Family? I know them, I know them. They don’t live far from here. I even know one of their servants. It’s nearly mealtime, so we should move quickly.”

It had come without any effort at all. Hua Zhi let out a quiet breath of relief and sincerely offered her thanks. “Thank you, elder brother.”

“Ha, no need for ceremony. Just for the fact that a young thing like you with that slight frame was willing to make this journey, I’m happy to show you the way.” As he spoke, Hu Gua made to clap Hua Zhi on the shoulder, but Gu Yanxi moved swiftly, slipping between the two of them and using the motion to pull Hua Zhi’s hood up over her head.

Hu Gua had looked momentarily startled, but seeing the gesture, he laughed. “Right, keep it on. It’s not like other places here — very cold.”

Hua Zhi cast Gu Yanxi a grateful glance, then smiled and nodded at Hu Gua. “You truly don’t know how cold the sky can get until you come here.”

“Isn’t that the truth.” As Hu Gua spoke, he suddenly pointed ahead. “Look there — do you recognize that person?”

A young man in a cotton padded short jacket came striding briskly from the west, arms full of something. Hua Zhi did, in fact, recognize him. It was one of the men who had accompanied her father here — his name was Chen Shan.

She glanced back, and Dongzi understood at once, breaking into a quick run to catch up.

When Chen Shan saw Dongzi, he froze. Then, hearing that the eldest young miss had come, he nearly dropped everything in his arms. Dongzi rushed forward to catch it.

With his hands now free, Chen Shan ran over and bowed his head to the ground at once. “Chen Shan pays his respects to—”

Dongzi kicked him. He looked up, took in the eldest young miss’s current attire, and immediately corrected himself. “Chen Shan pays his respects to the eldest young master.”

“Get up quickly. Are you on your way to bring Father his meal?”

“This is a meal for the First Elder Master and the Third Elder Master. The masters have been separated now, so I attend to the First Elder Master and the Third Elder Master. The other masters have others looking after them.”

Hua Zhi nodded, then turned and signaled Dongzi to take a small porcelain bottle from the bundle and hand it to Hu Gua. “This is a chilblain remedy formulated by an old physician. They say it works exceptionally well. Elder brother Hu might want to try it.”

Had it been silver, Hu Gua might have put on a sour face, but this effective chilblain remedy he could not refuse. He accepted it with a grin, face splitting wide. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony. I’ve been in this city for many years — little brother, if there’s anything you ever want to know, just come find me. Chen Shan knows where I live.”

“Indeed. There will certainly be times when we must trouble Elder Brother Hu.”

The moment Hu Gua left, Chen Shan, who had been holding himself together, immediately reddened around the eyes. “Eldest young miss, I never thought you would come.”

“We’ll talk as we walk. The food will go cold.”

“Yes.” Chen Shan wiped his eyes and took back the tightly wrapped food box from Dongzi, clutching it to his chest for warmth.

“Is grandfather’s health still all right? And the others? What are they doing now? Are they managing to adapt?”

“The Old Master was already coughing on the road, and even after seeing a physician it never fully cleared up. The Fourth Elder Master pulled some strings and found the Old Master a lighter clerical task, but easy work is scarce here, and the Hua Family came late besides. A great deal of silver has been spent, and it was only enough to see the Old Master and the senior branch elders comfortably settled. Everyone else has suffered to one degree or another — the young masters most of all. Several of them have already fallen ill these past days.”

As Chen Shan spoke, his eyes reddened again, but both his hands were occupied, so he could only rub at them against his shoulder.

Hua Zhi’s expression did not change. Young men enduring hardship would come through it. As long as grandfather and father could be spared some suffering, that was what mattered. But even “spared some suffering” was only relative compared to hard labor.

“Has there been any trouble?”

“When we first arrived, there were those who tried to bully newcomers, but the Fourth Elder Master dealt with it all. These days the Fourth Elder Master has cultivated better relations with those above, and since there are quite a number of Hua Family members, few would lightly come to provoke us.”

“Has the Fourth Elder Master been handling all the external affairs?”

“Yes.”

Just as she had expected. These practical matters would still rely on Fourth Uncle. With her father’s literary temperament, he would likely offend someone the moment he opened his mouth. Second Uncle and Third Uncle were no different.

PS: Thank you for your concern, everyone. The only thing ailing this author is lack of sleep — all sorts of things go wrong when that happens. Once I’ve rested it’ll be fine.