The pavilion was open-sided, and as Hua Zhi approached with Zheng Shi, the people inside spotted them from afar.
There were quite a few people seated there. The hostess, Old Lady Wu, was present with her two granddaughters, and Old Lady Yang had also brought her own granddaughter. The Feng, Liang, and Cheng families had all sent their daughters-in-law, some bringing their legitimate daughters, while those without legitimate daughters brought their nieces.
Since Hua Zhi was today's target, the conversation naturally revolved around her.
Old Lady Yang, thinking of the grievances her eldest son had suffered, nearly wished she could tear Hua Zhi apart. Naturally, her expression was far from pleasant. "I thought she had three heads and six arms, but it turns out she's nothing special."
The Hua and Feng families had never gotten along. Upon hearing this, Wang Shi, the Feng family's daughter-in-law, covered her mouth and laughed. "What are you saying? Three heads and six arms belong to immortals—how could she compare?"
This pleased Old Lady Yang, who sneered, "You're right. She's just an unmarriageable girl. If not for her pretty face, how could she have gained such a reputation? It's only because the Hua family has a solid foundation. Any other family would have been ruined by her antics."
"Exactly! Speaking of this, I'm furious. My son actually told me he wants to marry the Hua family's eldest daughter. It made me so angry." The Liang and Wu families were related by marriage and had always been close. If Old Lady Liang hadn't been unwell, it wouldn't have been her eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Shi, attending today.
Initially, Zhao Shi hadn't harbored any ill will toward Hua Zhi and even felt she had a difficult lot. But after hearing her son's intentions and with others whispering in her ear, she began to believe the Hua family intended to use marriage as a means to save themselves. Otherwise, why would Hua Zhi strive for such fame? Wasn't it to raise her own value and go to the highest bidder?
Once prejudice took root, everything seemed wrong. Hearing that Hua Zhi had even expelled Hua Jing from the family after her death only reinforced Zhao Shi's belief in her cold-heartedness. Such a person was not someone the Liang family could afford to provoke.
When Hua Zhi entered the pavilion, all eyes fell on her. Despite their biases, they had to admit she was indeed strikingly beautiful, especially in her mourning attire, which only enhanced her elegance.
However, her outfit immediately displeased Old Lady Wu. Although one should dress modestly while in mourning, who truly wore full mourning white when visiting others? Modesty didn't have to mean only white!
She restrained herself but ultimately couldn't hold back. "The eldest young lady's attire is certainly eye-catching."
Hua Zhi pretended not to understand the sarcasm. She bowed slightly to the group and said, "I am in deep mourning. I beg the Old Lady's understanding."
Understanding! Of course, she had to understand! She was the one who had invited Hua Zhi—what else could she do? The old lady felt a knot of frustration in her chest, lowered her eyes to sip her tea, and ignored Hua Zhi, as if forgetting all etiquette.
Hua Zhi was not one to humble herself unnecessarily. Seeing that no one invited her to sit, she took a seat on her own and proactively steered the conversation. "Lady Wu mentioned this was a tea gathering. I wonder what topics we'll discuss. Please don't laugh, but I seldom go out and am unfamiliar with such events."
"Speaking of which, I have a question I'd like Sister Hua to answer." A young lady from the Wu family blinked coquettishly, her round face appearing sweet and innocent.
If Hua Zhi hadn't noticed the calculation in her eyes, she might have been charmed by such a face. "I dare not accept the title of 'sister' from Miss Wu. Please, go ahead."
"Sister, you're already of marriageable age. How have you managed to stay indoors all these years? I've lived in the capital all my life, yet this is the first time I've seen you! I've met the other two young ladies from the Hua family before.""What's so strange about that? Some prefer noise while others prefer quiet; some favor simplicity while others indulgence; some enjoy making friends while others are content to guard their small world. Surely I don't have to present myself before others just because they're curious about me."
Well... that made perfect sense. Wu Shi's mouth opened and closed, at a loss for how to respond.
Zheng Shi immediately stepped in with a smile to rescue her daughter. "The young lady truly has remarkable composure. No wonder she's so favored by the Hua family matriarch. Even someone like Hua Jing couldn't gain any advantage over you."
Wang Shi sighed along. "Speaking of Hua Jing, she was truly the pearl in the Hua family's palm back then. Who would have thought she'd come to such an end?"
Hua Zhi raised her eyebrows. "Is Hua Jing the main topic of today's tea party? My apologies, but if that's truly the case, I'm afraid I must take my leave."
"We're merely chatting about whatever comes to mind. Since the young lady dislikes this topic, let's change the subject." Old Lady Wu casually shifted the conversation, her eyelids lifting slightly as she glanced at the Cheng family's daughter-in-law Jiang Shi and her daughter who had remained silent throughout.
Jiang Shi pretended not to notice. Had she known today was about condemning Hua Zhi, she wouldn't have come.
Although the Cheng family and Hua family weren't allies, they bore no grudges against each other either. There was no need to eagerly step on others. Having seen Hua Zhi today, she quite liked this young lady. Despite facing what amounted to several families united against her alone, she showed no fear. If her own daughter could learn even half of that, she wouldn't suffer losses no matter which family she married into.
After some light conversation on various topics, catching Old Lady Yang's meaningful look, Wang Shi steered toward the main issue. "Speaking of Hua family matters, outsiders really shouldn't interfere, but it's rather inappropriate for a married woman to keep living with her maiden family. I wonder if the young lady has any thoughts on this matter?"
"This matter?" Hua Zhi looked at Wang Shi with sincere confusion. "What matter?"
"..."
Old Lady Yang took over. "Naturally, it's about my Yang family's daughter-in-law Hua Xian. Could it be the young lady has forgotten there's such a person in the Hua family?"
"My aunt?" Hua Zhi smiled. "What are you saying, madam? My aunt ceased being the Yang family's daughter-in-law long ago. The Yang family head personally wrote the divorce agreement—did he not inform you upon his return?"
How dare she! How dare she admit it so openly!
Old Lady Yang flew into a rage. "So it's true! You kidnapped my son, beat him brutally, and forced him to write that divorce agreement!"
"Madam, just because you say it was a brutal beating doesn't make it so. Where's your evidence? Or does Master Yang bear injuries? Even the magistrate's court doesn't convict based on mere words. If you wish to condemn me, please present your evidence."
"Sophistry! There's no way my son would voluntarily write a divorce agreement and deliver it to you!"
Hua Zhi smiled serenely. "Why couldn't he? He wronged my aunt first, then bullied her afterward. Now he's had a change of heart, realizing how he's mistreated my aunt, so he granted her freedom. The entire Hua family is grateful to him."
If some had been skeptical of Old Lady Yang's claims before, Hua Zhi's words convinced them the situation was exactly as described—though for such an exaggerated excuse, who would believe it? She might as well have outright admitted she was behind it all!
"You... you... you..." Old Lady Yang's pointing finger trembled violently. After stammering "you" repeatedly without managing another word, she stood up and charged toward Hua Zhi, her hand raised high as if to strike.Everyone gasped in shock, yet no one stepped forward to intervene.
Nian Qiu and Su Momo moved to protect their mistress, but Hua Zhi pushed them back with a swift motion of her hand. Without rising, she caught the descending hand firmly, lifting her head slightly to meet the old lady's resentful gaze. "Playing the elder card doesn't work with me, Old Madam. I am not Hua Xian, whom you can manipulate at will. Take a good look."
PS: Finally managed a double update. So far today, my son has only had a low-grade fever without spiking again. The evening situation remains uncertain, but I hope the high fever won't return. Also, each chapter consistently exceeds two thousand words—I usually write significantly more, and this PS isn't counted toward the word count. The platform won't allow posts under two thousand characters due to backend settings.
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