Having achieved her purpose for coming in, Hua Zhi was about to rise and leave when Lu Boxi added, "The Sixth Prince appearing here—have you considered the consequences?"
Hua Zhi settled back into her seat, having half-risen, and suddenly smiled at Lu Boxi. While others might know nothing about palace affairs, the Duke of An surely had some information. She decided to speak plainly, "The Sixth Prince no longer resides in the palace but has been ordered to accompany the Heir of Ling Wang. What consequences should there be for a prince who doesn’t live in the palace to accompany his maternal grandmother here to visit old acquaintances?"
Though his suspicions were confirmed, Lu Boxi felt no more at ease. When he and his father had received the news earlier, they couldn’t fathom the Emperor’s intentions. Was he pushing his nephew into the open to take sides—and on the Sixth Prince’s side at that? What could the reason be? Surely it couldn’t be that the Sixth Prince was the Emperor’s chosen heir.
Lowering his gaze to the clear green tea in his cup, he took a sip. It was faintly bitter, with a hint of sweetness. He took another sip.
Zhu Haocheng frowned disapprovingly. Seeing this, Hua Zhi offered no further explanation. She was grateful to the Zhu Family and felt close to them, but she had no intention of deferring to their opinions. The Hua family never had in the past, and never would in the future.
Only equality in relationships prevents overstepping boundaries.
But whatever they thought was not her concern—after all, she hadn’t said anything, had she?
Footsteps sounded outside. Hua Zhi turned, stood up, and moved aside.
Liu Xiang lifted the curtain as a line of attendants, all dressed in plain white robes, dark blue cloth shoes, and with their hair neatly tied up in dark blue cloth bands, entered carrying plates and bowls, some still steaming with warmth.
After setting down the dishes, the group bowed in unison and quietly withdrew.
Qin Gongyang raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Regardless of how the food tasted, the presentation was elegant and pleasing to the eye.
Zhu Haocheng glanced around. "There’s quite a variety, but the portions are small."
Hua Zhi smiled mysteriously. "Take a closer look, Uncle."
Zhu Haocheng looked more carefully, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "It all seems to be chicken?"
The other two also examined the dishes more closely.
Hua Zhi explained to the three of them, "The specialty of this dining hall is that guests choose one ingredient, and twelve different dishes are prepared using that ingredient. There are also four small side dishes that must relate to the chosen ingredient. For example, this entire table features chicken as the main ingredient, prepared in various ways with different accompaniments. The portion sizes are determined by the number of guests—if there were ten people, it would be a ten-person portion; if only two, a two-person portion. Today is different. Originally, it was prepared for ten people from three families, but since we’re seated separately, I had them make smaller portions. Each table will have all three ingredients so everyone can sample them."
As she spoke, the attendants entered again, this time with small portions featuring fish as the ingredient.
On their third entry, they brought dishes made from Fu Dong’s homegrown bean sprouts. In total, the table was now fully laden with an array of dishes.
The three men were amazed. Qin Gongyang shook his head and said, "This is truly…"
Hua Zhi thought with a touch of pride, There are twenty-eight cooking methods, and we’ve only used about half so far. This is nothing!
Taking the wine handed to her by Bao Xia, Hua Zhi broke the seal and poured for the three of them, saying, "This is wine brewed using ancient methods. The flavor is quite acceptable."Setting down the wine jar, Hua Zhi performed a slight curtsy. "Please enjoy."
Knowing she still had other guests to attend to, the three didn't detain her. Even Lu Boxi nodded at her, appearing quite approving by now.
Hua Zhi checked on the young people in their private room and felt reassured seeing them all chatting cheerfully. Politely declining their invitation to dine together, she attended to her grandmother until she had eaten some food before heading downstairs.
She went to the innermost room on the first floor, concealed behind green plants—quite hidden, unknown to anyone outside their circle that this room wasn't open to the public.
Before she could push the door open, it swung inward. Gu Yanxi looked at her with smiling eyes, reached out to pull her inside, and didn't release her hand even after seating her. "I thought it would take you longer to get away. Those young ladies from the families seemed eager to learn from you."
Hua Zhi took the tea he offered and drank several sips. "If wisdom were so easily gained, there wouldn't be eighty-one trials in the journey. I merely went in to greet them."
She had no interest in becoming their idol nor in leading them to rebel against society's injustices toward women. The gap in mental age was too vast—she never intended to get involved with them from the start.
Gu Yanxi gently massaged her fingers, mimicking her maids' techniques. In this simple room containing only a soft couch, a small table, a compact bookshelf, and a writing desk, his heart felt at peace.
"Will you be coming here often in the future?"
"Hmm?" Hua Zhi didn't immediately grasp his meaning.
Gu Yanxi glanced around the room, and she finally understood. "This is arranged for Fu Dong. She often has brilliant ideas, habits of jotting them down and experimenting. Feasible ones get refined and added to her recipe collection. She has a similar setup at home, and of course, the other senior maids do too."
Maintaining harmony among servants required fair treatment for all.
"They all seem capable of handling responsibilities independently now."
"They still lack some courage. Having been indentured servants for over a decade, their self-perception as subordinates is deeply ingrained—not easy to change."
"Take it slowly."
"Mm, no rush." Hua Zhi tried to pull her hand back but found it held fast. She didn't mind, watching the man before her whose lowered eyes gave him a docile appearance, her voice unconsciously softening. "I think the Lu family might have noticed something?"
"Little Six?"
"Yes. When I told him the Sixth Prince was sent by the Emperor to accompany Gu Shizi, he probably started considering which side to support."
"Let him ponder for now. I'll observe his attitude. If it aligns with what I hope to see, I'll visit the Lu family in my capacity as The Heir."
"Is that appropriate?"
Gu Yanxi lifted his gaze to meet hers, his eyes completely non-confrontational. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"It feels too early to me."
"He can choose his allegiance quietly. As long as nothing is said openly, who would know? There's no need to do anything for Little Six right now. The Emperor's attention isn't focused here currently—it won't cause trouble. Having them establish connections earlier benefits both sides."
Gu Yanxi shifted forward almost imperceptibly, leaning slightly closer to Hua Zhi. "You needn't say much to the Zhu family. Let them make their own decisions. The closer the relationship, the less one should meddle in such matters."
"I won't say anything, but my eldest uncle has probably noticed something.""Even if they see it, the Zhu Family won't make an immediate decision. Old Master Zhu is a steady man - unless he genuinely believes Little Six has potential, he won't declare his stance. The Qin family is different though."
"How so?" Hua Zhi recalled Qin Gongyang's attitude but found nothing particularly noteworthy.
"The Qin family counts as nouveau riche in the capital, closely watched by all the princes. Unlike the Zhu Family who have solid foundations, they'll inevitably have to choose sides eventually. If the eldest prince hadn't encountered trouble, they'd likely have sided with him before long. Though more cautious now, they still can't avoid taking a stand. After today's events, they'll definitely list Little Six as one of their options. I suspect they'll later make contact with the Lu family. Don't worry, the Qin family won't escape our grasp."
Hua Zhi lifted her chin slightly. "They're still my maternal grandmother's family after all. Be somewhat gentle with your methods."
Gu Yanxi's eyes crinkled with a smile. "As you command."
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