Chapter 216: Favoritism
It took quite a while before Xu Jie returned.
After paying respects to Wu Shi, he reported to the young lady, "I've found out clearly—Yang Qi hosted the Eldest Master of the Wu family at Yunlai Tavern yesterday."
Hua Zhi looked at Wu Shi, who returned her gaze with bitterness flooding her eyes, mouth, and heart. These were her maternal relatives—the past doting affection seemed like nothing but a dream, a figment of her imagination. Recalling those people now, they appeared utterly detestable.
"I understand. Let it be then. From now on, the Wu family may walk their path of wealth and honor, while I shall remain a daughter-in-law of the Hua family, crossing my single-plank bridge." Wu Shi stood up, her expression remarkably calm, as if the resentment and hatred in her heart were illusory, as if the Wu family she spoke of bore no relation to her.
Hua Zhi rose to see her off when Fourth Aunt added, "Zhi Er, deal with the Wu family as you see fit. There's no need to inform me of such matters from now on."
"...Yes."
Standing at the doorway watching Fourth Aunt depart, Hua Zhi quietly buried her faint guilt where no one could see it. Turning around, she observed Xu Jie standing with his head bowed to the side, then slowly walked back to sit behind her desk. In a gentle tone, she said, "There's something I've been meaning to discuss with you."
"Yes, I await your instructions."
"Recently, when Steward Xu fell ill, I recalled he's several years older than Grandfather. It's time for him to enjoy a well-earned retirement."
Xu Jie froze momentarily before responding, "I understand. I'll take my father to the estate later..."
"What nonsense are you thinking? Would I discard someone after they've served me?" Hua Zhi chided, then softened her tone. "Steward Xu has spent his entire life in the manor. My only regret is that I cannot let him retire at the old residence, let alone make him leave the household. However, we must carefully select his replacement as steward, and Steward Xu will need to properly train them."
Xu Jie felt relieved, then chastised himself for his petty suspicions, lowering his head further.
"You have your responsibilities managing external affairs, and Xu Ying is still too young. The replacement must be chosen from among others. I hope you won't take issue with this."
Xu Jie immediately knelt down. "We would never dare object. It's never been proper for servants to have opinions about their masters."
"Clarity ensures everyone understands. Rest assured, I won't treat anyone unfairly." Hua Zhi made a gesture to help him up. "Rise. Go inform Xu Ying that starting tomorrow, he'll report to me. Since you'll be traveling soon, I need to add someone for external errands."
"Yes. My brother thanks the young lady for her promotion."
"I hope for my wellbeing, and yours as well." Hua Zhi spoke meaningfully. She placed people where she believed was best for them and tried to spare them future worries, hoping only that they would offer her more genuine loyalty as their mistress. Even if they couldn't empathize completely, she hoped they wouldn't betray one another.
Gu Yanxi had grown accustomed to coming over for dinner, and everyone in the courtyard took it for granted. While some noticed the unusual relationship between the two, no one voiced it aloud.
On a broader level, the Hua family relied on the young lady to hold things together. As she managed the household, her affairs weren't to be questioned. On a smaller scale, their interactions occurred openly under everyone's watchful eyes, without any improper conduct—they merely interacted frequently. Given that their young lady had even dared to smash the memorial altar of the eldest aunt, what was unusual about her having more contact with one person?Now even Shaoyao knew better than to approach Hua Hua at this hour, having learned to avoid Yan Ge's threatening glare. Every evening, she would consciously take her large portion from the kitchen and join Little Six, along with Berlin. The three of them chatted happily while eating.
The only time the two of them could be alone was during this meal, and Gu Yanxi cherished it deeply. Eating the dishes A Zhi had served him, he could look up and see the person he held dearest sitting right beside him. There was no awkwardness of facing each other across a table, no wariness, no conflicts—just gentle and peaceful moments that made him reluctant to leave every time he visited.
Hua Zhi set down her chopsticks and lightly dabbed her lips. "I'm attending a tea party tomorrow."
"It's good to socialize with other families. There are certainly some worth associating with."
"This particular one definitely isn't." A faint smile tugged at Hua Zhi's lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. "The Wu and Yang families have joined forces. Inviting me probably isn't to thank me for teaching Yang Qi a lesson."
Gu Yanxi didn't ask why she would go if she knew the other party had ill intentions. He understood A Zhi—avoiding a situation despite knowing the opponent's motives was simply not her style. Even if the circumstances were unfavorable, she would reshape them to her advantage and strike back fiercely within the opponent's own game.
This was his A Zhi! He only regretted not being able to witness it firsthand!
"I'll assign two people to accompany you..."
"No need. It's not like she'd dare to physically attack me. And if she did, who would end up worse off is anyone's guess."
Gu Yanxi chuckled and shook his head. Right, how could he forget? When it came to physical prowess, those women were no match for A Zhi. Thinking it over carefully, he realized there was truly nothing he could do to help.
No, that wasn't entirely true.
Gu Yanxi lowered his gaze and finished his last bite of rice. He might not be able to intervene with the women, but the men were fair game.
The next day happened to be a grand court assembly. The dragon throne remained empty, and below it sat the Seven Constellation Bureau chief who had been presiding for many days. Some even wondered if it was the same person behind the mask every time.
Since the Seven Constellation Bureau chief began overseeing governance, the customary "If there are matters to report, speak; if not, this court is dismissed" had disappeared. In his words, if there was nothing to discuss, why hold a court assembly? The civil and military officials had grown accustomed to his pace and gradually developed strategies to adapt—for instance, having lower-ranking officials speak first when presenting matters.
After listening to several trivial reports, Gu Yanxi waved his hand to stop them. "Since none of you have anything significant to report, I shall speak."
Everyone's hearts tightened, bracing themselves, afraid of being singled out. This wasn't the first time, and it usually didn't bode well.
"Yesterday, as I passed by the capital's prefectural office, I witnessed quite a spectacle. Official Wen, wouldn't you say it was quite lively?"
Wen Qing, the magistrate of the capital prefecture, trembled from head to toe. Steadying himself, he stepped forward to reply, "This humble official is ashamed. It was merely some commoners disputing over uneven distribution of benefits, causing a disturbance at the yamen. The matter was neither minor nor major, so the handling took longer than expected. I had no idea you happened to witness it. It was my oversight in handling the situation."
"Oh? Over uneven distribution of benefits?"
Wen Qing gritted his teeth and affirmed it.
Gu Yanxi let out a cold laugh and signaled Lai Fu to bring the document over. "How is it that the petition I saw tells a different story?"
Wen Qing took the slightly crumpled paper and knew at a glance it was the same one he had seen yesterday. But he had explicitly ordered it dealt with—how could it still be here...?
"Official Wen, do you have anything else to say?"Wen Qing knelt prostrate on the ground, stubbornly refusing to yield. "This humble official truly knows nothing of this matter. I beg Your Excellency to see the truth."
"Since that is the case, then go investigate."
Wen Qing hadn't expected to be let off so lightly. He had thought his official position would surely be lost...
"As for Official Wu mentioned in the indictment, his promotion matter shall be temporarily suspended and discussed later."
The moment the head of the Seven Constellation Bureau mentioned yesterday's incident at the Mingtian Prefecture office, Wu Zhen, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, knew disaster was coming. But watching the nearly attained third-rank official position vanish with those light words, his eyes turned red with fury.
What tremendous cost had he paid to finally cross that threshold into the upper third-rank official ranks? He had used every resource available, abandoned everything that could be sacrificed, even ignored the Hua family's troubles despite years of friendship - all to cross that barrier. And now it was gone?
Just like that, gone?
Wu Shi covered his chest, his vision darkening, but he didn't dare faint. If he dared faint here, all hundred-plus members of his Wu family would be finished.
He wasn't Hua Yizheng - no one would come to protect the women of his family!
PS: My son woke up without fever this morning, and I was overjoyed. I took a shower and had a good sleep, thinking to replenish my energy to write updates. But before I could fully recover from sleep deprivation, he developed fever again - 39.2 degrees Celsius. I'm really... helpless.
Thank you for your suggestions, girls. I tried the Huoxiang Zhengqi remedy, and it worked quite well. Many thanks. Today even my editor came to praise you all, saying how wonderful my readers are. I told her all the reasonable, good readers from Migu have come to me. Really, thank you so much for your understanding.
Though I cannot make up for missed updates, I still want to wish all students taking the college entrance exam success. Do your best - university is where your life truly begins.
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