In the Palace of Blessings and Longevity, Gu Yanxi paid his respects to the Empress Dowager and addressed her as "Grandmother."
The Empress Dowager gestured for him to sit closer, having grown accustomed to her grandson's face by now. "I heard you went to offer condolences to the Hua family and were reprimanded by your imperial uncle."
"I didn't expect this to reach you. Please don't worry, it wasn't that serious. Since I usually have no contact with the Hua family, my sudden visit to offer condolences naturally made my imperial uncle curious, so he asked a few more questions."
"Your grandmother is curious too. Tell me about it."
Gu Yanxi lowered his gaze. "If I tell you, you'll only feel sad again."
"It's alright. One more matter won't make a difference."
After a moment of silence, Gu Yanxi said, "Back when I escaped from the princely estate, covered in blood, everyone who saw me avoided me. If Old Master Hua hadn't happened to pass by, taken me into his carriage, and brought me to the clinic, you might not have seen me again later."
Though Gu Yanxi spoke calmly, the Empress Dowager nearly broke a fingernail upon hearing this. That year, it was at the clinic that the emperor brought back the badly injured Yanxi!
"That's why I didn't want to tell you. Knowing would only make you recall those painful memories! It's been so long, you shouldn't keep holding onto it."
The Empress Dowager patted his hand affectionately, her love for him growing even stronger.
Gu Yanxi lowered his gaze again. In truth, Hua Yizheng had nothing to do with the matter from beginning to end. Back then, it was he himself who had managed to evade his pursuers and make his way to the clinic.
But only by placing Hua Yizheng in this role would his imperial uncle refrain from digging deeper. No one wanted to uncover those rotten, old matters—it would only disgust themselves and others.
What he relied on was his imperial uncle's trust in him. He had the authority to oversee all officials, yet no one supervised him. That was why he dared to follow Hua Zhi to Yinshan Pass without an imperial decree, and why he dared to conceal his identity and serve as Wu Xiansheng in the Hua family.
It was also for this reason that the imperial princes, though wary of him, dared not lay a finger on him.
"Your father..."
"Grandmother," Gu Yanxi looked up, "let's not talk about him."
"Alright, alright, we won't. We won't." Of all her descendants, the Empress Dowager cherished this ill-fated grandson the most. She couldn't bear to see him in the slightest distress, so she immediately changed the subject when she saw his reluctance. "Grandmother has selected a few young ladies from good families for you. They all have gentle temperaments and don't cause trouble, and their families aren't from those prominent, powerful clans. You don't need to worry about..."
She patted his hand. "Don't keep drifting alone like this. It pains your grandmother, and your imperial uncle has mentioned it several times too. Yanxi, you mustn't blame your imperial uncle for some things. It's not easy for him sitting in that position, but no matter what, he also hopes you can settle down and start a family safely."
"I've never blamed my imperial uncle. How could I?" Gu Yanxi's expression was uncharacteristically docile, completely devoid of his usual aloofness. "Even the imperial princes may not have received as much care as I have. I've even slept beside my imperial uncle—something they've never done."
The Empress Dowager laughed. "Indeed, you must remember all this well. When you think of these things, some matters become hardly worth dwelling on. Don't you agree?""Yes, you need not worry that I might harbor any ambitions. What they fight tooth and nail for holds no appeal to me, nor do I care to contend for it. Even if one day they truly wish to reclaim the authority I hold, I would willingly surrender it with both hands. Grandmother, rest assured, I will not involve myself in those matters. A carefree life is more than enough for me. Once the new year passes and the weather improves, I shall speak with the Imperial Uncle and take you out of the palace to reside elsewhere for a time. Being confined day after day within these imperial walls, even the most splendid scenery grows tiresome."
The Empress Dowager beamed with joy, much like any ordinary grandmother, her eyes crinkling into slits. "Do not think that just because you've pleased your grandmother, I have forgotten that matter. Look across the entire capital—which noble scion of your age remains unmarried? Your elder brother, not much older than you, already has several children. Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"
He had no need to desperately accumulate advantages to contend for that position, Gu Yanxi thought to himself, but aloud he offered the Empress Dowager reassurance: "Your grandson has someone in mind, but the timing is not yet right. When the moment arrives, I will certainly tell you."
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, straightening her posture. "You're not deceiving your grandmother?"
"Your grandson would not dare lie to you."
"Which family's young lady is she? Quickly, tell your grandmother. What do you mean the timing isn't right? It's long since arrived—speak!"
Gu Yanxi merely shook his head, refusing to divulge even a syllable no matter how the Empress Dowager threatened or coaxed.
Outside the room, the Emperor, who had been listening for some time, departed as silently as he had arrived. The maids kneeling throughout the chamber exchanged glances, all sharing a sense of lingering trepidation.
Gu Yanxi glanced toward the hall entrance before continuing to parry his grandmother's interrogation.
The night passed, and the sun revealed its face early—today would be fine weather.
Amidst the chanting of Buddhist sutras, the coffin lid slowly closed. Hua Zhi watched as her grandmother's face was gradually obscured, until with a final thud it sealed shut, truly never to be seen again for all eternity.
As the coffin was nailed sealed, everyone wept—family members, servants, young and old, all crying. But Hua Zhi did not.
From beginning to end, she had not shed a single tear.
She merely stood straight-backed at the very front, compelling others to instinctively watch her, follow her, obey her. Before anyone realized it, she had swiftly transitioned the Hua family from its former matriarch to its new head.
The appointed hour arrived.
Master Banruo handed the spirit tablet to Hua Bolin to hold and, to everyone's surprise, passed the portrait of the deceased to Hua Zhi.
Without questioning why, Hua Zhi accepted the portrait she had painted herself and led her younger siblings to kneel outside the mourning hall, awaiting the coffin's departure. She had arranged the previous night that she would accompany her younger brothers in the funeral procession, while her younger sisters would remain at home.
In the chanting, the rhythmic tapping of the wooden fish resonated deep within their hearts.
The coffin was lifted by strong servants, with Chen Sui'an, Song Chenghao, Chen Dayi, and the Old Madam's maternal nephews and grandnephews serving as pallbearers—an arrangement that appeared somewhat makeshift and even shabby.
As the coffin was raised, all the filial descendants, supported by elderly servants, withdrew beyond the main gate. The cries of mourning, shouts of instruction, Buddhist chants, and wooden fish percussion created a cacophony that overwhelmed the grief. Hua Zhi pulled up her hood, thinking: After enduring these seven days, perhaps sorrow had been drained to its dregs.
When the coffin reached outside the main gate, Hua Jing knelt prostrate on the ground, weeping bitterly. Not a single person from the Hua family, master or servant, stepped forward to assist, all watching coldly from the sidelines. Even the most oblivious could now sense the Hua family's peculiar treatment of Hua Jing. Ultimately, it was Song Chenghao who, under everyone's gaze, helped her move aside.He was filled with regret. His father hadn’t come, his younger siblings hadn’t come—so why had he? What a disgrace! With the Hua family’s attitude, how could things possibly be as harmless as his mother had claimed?
Though Song Chenghao was inwardly disgusted, his movements remained gentle. Only Hua Jing, whom he was supporting, knew just how much force he was using.
Hua Jing endured the pain, bowing her head as she wept. The genuine sorrow in her heart faded instantly, replaced by overwhelming resentment!
She had to strike first and seize the advantage. Even if Hua Zhi grew a hundred mouths, she wouldn’t be able to shift the blame onto her, an elder. And as for the Song family, she needed to come up with an excuse to deceive them.
Thinking this, Hua Jing raised her eyes to look at Hua Zhi, only to find that Hua Zhi was already staring back at her—with a cold, disdainful gaze, as if looking at trash.
How dare she!
Hua Jing was so enraged she felt dizzy. If her son weren’t gripping her hand so tightly, she would have lunged at that junior who dared to look at her with such contempt.
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