Chapter 355: Night Meeting
Leaving Fourth Aunt to pacify the crowd, Hua Zhi personally escorted her maternal grandmother back, though she first had to see off Granny Li who had accompanied them in the carriage.
Grateful for Granny Li's kindness, Hua Zhi maintained her most courteous demeanor throughout the journey, even personally alighting from the carriage to assist her when they reached her destination.
Granny Li accepted these gestures with a smile. Having served the Empress Dowager for many years, and with the Hua family under the Empress Dowager's protection, they shared a certain connection in this regard.
Once the carriage was on its way again with no outsiders present, Hua Zhi dropped her formal posture, slumping against her grandmother's shoulder.
Old Madam Zhu patted her arm affectionately, holding her hand with a sigh. "Are your father and the others well?"
"They're doing fine. He's become a teacher there now, so he hasn't suffered too much hardship."
"That's good, that's good." The Zhu family was quite satisfied with this son-in-law. Given their daughter's temperament, if not for her husband's protection, she wouldn't have remained so naive at her age. "You seemed rather lenient in your handling of Hua Yan today."
"I couldn't be too ruthless. After all, we share the same family name. I needed to make my stance clear, but driving her to desperation would also damage the Hua family's reputation. My approach leaves no room for criticism. Besides, can Hua Yan truly live well in the Feng family relying on what I called 'sincere feelings'? Feng Changyu's first wife would never tolerate her. In conflicts between wife and concubine, how often does the concubine emerge victorious? Even if Feng Changyu is a scoundrel, he knows better than to touch his first wife. I doubt he would genuinely favor Hua Yan. Moreover, our families have always been at odds. With someone like her delivering herself to their doorstep, wouldn't they take full advantage to torment her?"
Old Madam Zhu understood this reasoning well, but she hadn't expected her granddaughter to have calculated even these aspects. "So you cut off Hua Yan's retreat entirely, refusing to involve yourself in her messy affairs."
"Every matter I need to attend to is more important than her troubles." Hua Zhi didn't wish to discuss this further and lifted her head. "Is today a rest day? I've been away for some time and lost track."
"It was supposed to be, but with the severe flooding in the south recently, the court is organizing disaster relief. Your grandfather, as Minister of Revenue, has been swamped these past few days. How could he possibly take a break?"
"Grandfather was promoted?" Hua Zhi suddenly realized—of course, Zeng Xian's case had implicated Fang Hongzhi, the former Minister of Revenue. Now that Zeng Xian's case was being revisited, Fang Hongzhi's downfall wasn't surprising.
"Yes, he was promoted not long ago." At this, Old Madam Zhu's eyes crinkled with smile lines. The leap from second-rank to first-rank official was a barrier some never overcame in their lifetime. Her husband had indeed enjoyed smooth official advancement.
Hua Zhi, however, felt that promotion at this time wasn't necessarily good. The aging Emperor grew increasingly suspicious, and serving as a close minister to the sovereign was no easy task. The Ministry of Revenue managed the state treasury of the Daqing Dynasty, and along with the Ministry of Personnel that controlled official appointments, these were the two ministries where ministers were replaced most frequently. And now, right during disaster relief efforts...
Hua Zhi decided she needed to inquire with Yan Xi about the Emperor's current disposition. No matter what, she couldn't let her grandfather stumble during this critical period. She'd seen enough to be wary—the mighty Hua family had collapsed overnight, and the Zhu family was comparatively weaker. If they fell, there would be nowhere to plead their innocence.
What worried her most wasn't her grandfather's capabilities—after decades in officialdom, he understood its machinations far better than she did. Her real fear was the princes meddling again. The Emperor showed leniency toward his own sons but dealt harshly with his officials."What are you thinking about, Zhi Er?"
"Nothing much. I'll escort you back today but won't come inside. I'm afraid I might fall asleep right in the middle of our conversation."
Old Madam Zhu gently touched her face. Having just returned from such a long journey yesterday, she fully understood the exhaustion. "Rest well, don't push yourself too hard. So many people are counting on you!"
"Yes."
By the time they reached home, meal hours had passed. Having little appetite, Hua Zhi ate lightly and instructed, "Su Momo, select some fresh mushrooms from today's delivery and take them to Mother Li's house to thank her for her assistance today."
Su Momo acknowledged the order and immediately went to carry it out.
As Ying Chun was about to speak, Hua Zhi raised her hand to stop her. "Let me rest first. Business matters can wait."
"Yes." Ying Chun hurriedly helped her mistress back to the room, secretly hoping the young lady would set aside all affairs and properly rest.
Hua Zhi fell into such deep sleep that she remained unaware of Shaoyao's visit during which she checked her pulse. Learning she was simply exhausted from the long journey, the entire household finally relaxed - the eldest young lady had never slept so heavily during daytime, making everyone concerned.
When she awoke, darkness had fallen. Blinking awake, Hua Zhi momentarily lost track of time until a voice came through the dimness, "Awake?"
Following the sound, she saw none other than Yan Xi sitting by the table. This was the inner courtyard, wasn't it? How had he gotten in?
"I avoided everyone." Gu Yanxi rose and came to sit at her bedside.
"My maids permitted this?" Hua Zhi pushed herself upright, leaning against the headboard as she studied the man. "Why do you look so weary? Have you been busy since returning?"
"Shaoyao distracted them." Evading her second question, Gu Yanxi simply said, "You've made quite a name for yourself again today."
"The Hua Yan matter? People certainly have ample leisure to focus on my family affairs."
Gu Yanxi smiled. It wasn't that people had nothing better to do, but rather she had executed such a brilliant maneuver - instantly reversing the disadvantage and restoring the Hua family's reputation. The Feng family had to accept this concubine however reluctantly. While aristocratic families prioritized clan interests over personal feelings, none wanted to be exposed as heartless. A Zhi had perfectly identified their vulnerability.
Sitting up straighter, Hua Zhi said, "I actually wanted to ask you something. What are His Majesty's plans regarding the southern floods?"
With quick understanding, Gu Yanxi grasped her concern. "This matter bypasses regular officials. The Ministry of Revenue only needs to provide silver, while the Seven Constellation Bureau selects the executors. His Majesty won't permit anyone to intercept these funds, and I've tasked the Bureau with monitoring."
"That's good. If there's the usual layered exploitation like before, who knows how much would actually reach the people. Normally it might be tolerable, but this year is different. With such widespread disaster, if public resentment erupts, my grandfather certainly won't be able to extricate himself."
"Don't worry. Lord Zhu isn't someone easily bullied."
Hua Zhi looked at him with a knowing smile. "Was my grandfather easily bullied? He remains stranded at Yinshan Pass even now!"
Gu Yanxi coughed lightly, unable to reveal the Emperor's reservations about the Hua family.
Fortunately, Hua Zhi couldn't bear to press him further and quickly changed the subject. "Is it time to reopen Zeng Xian's case?"Gu Yanxi's eyes warmed as he replied in detail, "Yes, I originally intended to have someone draft a petition for Zeng Han, but unexpectedly he disagreed. He only had someone write it and then copied it himself before submitting it to the Ministry of Justice. The Seven Constellation Bureau also presented the evidence. It won't be long before Zeng Xian's innocence is restored, and all of the Zeng family's belongings will be returned to Zeng Han."
"If Zeng Han no longer needs to appear, send him to me as soon as possible. If it weren't for the fact that he's the only one left in the Zeng family, I wouldn't want him involved in these matters at all. After all this time, I've come to realize that Zeng Han... lacks a sense of right and wrong, of good and bad. It seems he has some deficiency in that regard."
"Understood, I will urge them."
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