Hua Zhi came out and, not seeing Master Lu, did not make inquiries. She had never regarded Master Lu as a subordinate of the Hua Family. In her own mind, she placed him in the category of outside support who had come by way of Shao Yao.

Since he was outside support, she need only keep the debt of gratitude in mind. It was not her place to manage his comings and goings.

“Yanxi has booked a room at the inn — the one that person recommended earlier.”

The residence was full of men. Though they were family, it was still not quite convenient. Staying at an inn was the most appropriate arrangement. Hua Zhi nodded and turned to Chen Shan. “When is curfew here?”

“In reply to the eldest young miss — it is at the start of the You hour.”

That would be five o’clock. In weather like this, by five it would likely be completely dark. Hua Zhi took out a banknote and handed it to him. “You should know where the food is good. Go and arrange several tables of proper meals.”

“Yes. This one will go at once.”

Hua Yi came out of the room. Seeing Chen Shan disappear at a run, he laughed. “Quick on his feet, that boy — he knows that it’s your word that carries weight now.”

“If he didn’t have that much sense, he’d be better off going back to the capital.” Hua Zhi turned, looking at her grandfather — the cloak was a little short on him. The one on herself was a little long. She simply swapped them.

Hua Yi was a man who knew quality when he saw it. He had known at a glance it was a fine thing; once he actually held it in his hands, how could he fail to recognize its exceptional worth? “You don’t need to give it back?”

“I bought it from him. It is far too cold here — one cannot do without a proper cloak.”

“Your grandfather is not so fragile as all that.”

“That your health is not good at present is nonetheless a fact.”

“…” Hua Yi laughed and shook his head, declining to argue. This granddaughter struck him as endlessly surprising. In the past, getting her to say a few more words had been a feat in itself — she had been like a sealed gourd, never seeming to grow bored with her own silence.

As dusk drew near, the Hua Family men returned one by one. Every one of them was stunned to see Hua Zhi. Then a kind of excitement came over them that was difficult to name or define. Even members of the collateral branches who had harbored some resentment in the past were now all smiles, eager to read the latest news of their loved ones from Hua Zhi’s very face.

Hua Zhi dispensed with formal greetings entirely — no one had any thought for such things now. All eyes burned into her, hoping she would say more about how things were at home.

Hua Zhi seemed to forget that if she stayed too late she would not be able to return to the inn. She spoke to each person in turn about the family members they cared for most, and told everyone that the Hua Family’s clan school had reopened, and that not one child who should have been enrolled was absent.

In the midst of the excitement, someone let slip: “Those teachers have finally earned their years of meals at the Hua Family’s table — it seems every one of them has proven worthy of us after all.”

Hua Zhi, her throat dry and tongue worn, took advantage of lowering her head to sip her tea to sidestep the topic. But the Hua Family had held its ground in the capital for generations, and the older among them were not going to miss a deflection so slight.

The room fell momentarily silent.

Hua Yi spoke on everyone’s behalf. “What is the state of the clan school right now?”

Since the question had been asked directly, Hua Zhi did not conceal it. “At present, the only teachers at the clan school are myself and Master Mu.”

“Truly… truly only Mu Qing came?” Hua Pingyu could not contain his anger. “Were formal invitations sent to everyone?”

“Yes, in Grandmother’s name. Some found pretexts to decline. Others did not even bother to respond. Master Mu, upon receiving the invitation, replied immediately. He also asked to borrow someone from me to bring his family to the capital. Whatever else one might say, this teacher will not be going anywhere.”

The Hua Family men, however, were in no mood to be amused. Without speaking a word, each of them was thinking the same thing — what those left behind in the capital had endured in such circumstances, and what role the young woman standing before them, composed and steady under all these gazes, had played in it all.

Someone had wanted to say, what right does a woman have to teach at the clan school — but looking at her, weathered from the journey, the words would not come.

Before they had seen her, they had not dared imagine that any family member would come at all. It was natural for women to remain within the inner chambers. Even going out in the capital without servants was enough to make one fear getting lost. But Hua Zhi had come — all the way to Yinshan Pass, a thousand miles away.

She had traveled a road that far. Teaching at the clan school — what was that compared to such a journey? And who had a better claim to teach than someone personally instructed by the Head Academician of the Hanlin Academy — more so than any ordinary scholar?

Chen Shan slipped in through the doorway, clearly hesitant to speak.

Hua Zhi rose. “The food will go cold. Let’s eat first. I will still be here for several days — whatever needs to be said can wait until tomorrow. Grandfather, I must get to the inn. Curfew is about to begin.”

Hua Yi glanced at the water clock and said quickly: “The time is almost up. Let your fourth uncle see you there — he knows many people.”

Hua Pingyang stood up at once and fell in beside his niece. Hua Zhi did not decline. She bowed in a circle to everyone; those of the same generation moved aside, and the others all made gestures of keeping her from kneeling.

Coming out of the room, Hua Zhi saw Master Lu and Shao Yao talking together.

Shao Yao ran over and grabbed her arm. “Hua Zhi, are we going to the inn?”

“Yes. It’s getting dark — let’s go quickly.”

Dongzi and the others had been taken by Chen Shan to rest in the servants’ quarters. Those going to the inn were only the three of them — along with Gu Yanxi’s horse, which kicked at anyone who came near.

The street, which had been full of people on their arrival, was now completely empty. Along both sides, every door was shut tight. Against the thick snow piled high on the rooftops, Hua Zhi felt as though she had stepped into a fairy tale world.

Then came the sound of hoofbeats. A small patrol squad appeared, making directly for their group, and surrounded them.

“Who are you people? Do you not know that curfew has begun?”

Hua Pingyang hurried to step in front of the group, and said with measured calm: “This one is Hua Pingyang of the Hua Family. I am escorting my niece, who has come from the capital, to the inn ahead to lodge for the night. It is not that my niece has disregarded the rules — it is only that with so many family members eager for news, the questions ran long and we lost track of the hour. I ask this officer’s pardon.”

The man on horseback suddenly dismounted. Gu Yanxi shifted almost imperceptibly to step forward on the left; Shao Yao moved forward on the right, both ready to act at a moment’s notice.

“Remove the hood.”

Hua Pingyang naturally had no intention of complying. Was a daughter of the Hua Family something anyone could simply demand to look at? Let alone that this was a niece he had watched grow up. Even if the Hua Family had fallen on hard times, that did not mean anyone could ride roughshod over them.

Hua Zhi immediately caught her fourth uncle’s arm as he was on the verge of erupting, and with perfect composure lowered her hood herself, then gave a bow of courtesy. “A daughter of the Hua Family has violated curfew. I ask the officer’s forbearance, on account of my having newly arrived and being unfamiliar with the rules.”

Gu Yanxi’s brow tightened slightly. He did not like to see Hua Zhi like this. It did not quite rise to the level of being slighted, but Hua Zhi should not have been subjected to this. She could have stayed removed and uninvolved, could have left it to others, could have treated it as none of her concern — but she should not have had to bow her head like this.

The anticipated trouble, however, did not come. The man looked at Hua Zhi, confirmed that she was indeed a female member of the family, and gestured for his men to stand down. Then he swung back into the saddle. “Move along quickly. Do not linger outside.”

Hua Pingyang was caught off guard for a moment, then immediately assented, and — as though afraid of things taking a turn — pulled his niece along with him toward the inn at a brisk pace.

Watching until they were swallowed by the darkness, the deputy spurred his horse up beside his commander. “Chief, so this is the Hua Family’s young miss? That face of hers is considerably more than just ‘pretty’ — those people during the day must have been blind.”

“Coming a thousand miles, she naturally still has some means of protecting herself.” The patrol leader wheeled his horse and led his men back on their rounds. Thinking of the man beside Hua Zhi, his brow drew together slightly. Eyes that dangerous — ordinary people did not have them. If the man had truly harbored any ill intent just now, he would likely have already been dealt with.

PS: The updates these days have really let everyone down. I’ll make an extra effort today and try to put out one more chapter, though it will probably be quite late. Everyone is welcome to come back and read it tomorrow.