"A Zhi, have you noticed how much you care about Haoyue?"
Hua Zhi looked up at Yan Xi. The man met her gaze, appearing somewhat aggrieved. "An extraordinary amount of care, more than you care about me."
"..." The raging anger in Hua Zhi's heart extinguished with a poof before she was even prepared, leaving her unsure whether to be angry or amused. She did care about Haoyue, but where did this concern come from? Wasn't most of it because of him too?
Perhaps noticing the fire in her eyes, Gu Yanxi didn't dare say more and lowered his head to eat. He looked... surprisingly docile, making Hua Zhi's anger completely dissipate.
Taking another deep breath to suppress this inexplicable emotion, Hua Zi spoke through gritted teeth, "Haven't you mistaken the target of your jealousy? Haoyue came for you. Don't tell me you haven't noticed. If anyone should be jealous, shouldn't it be me?"
"But you're not jealous at all." Gu Yanxi genuinely felt wronged, as if forgetting he was the esteemed Heir and the authoritative leader of the Seven Constellation Bureau who usually maintained a dignified image. Without any reservations, he accused, "You're not worried at all about whether she might seduce me away."
"If the man I've set my sights on could be so easily lured away by someone else, what would I want him for?"
Gu Yanxi was instantly soothed by the phrase 'the man I've set my sights on.' The smile in his eyes could no longer be contained as he gently reassured A Zhi in return, "I know you care about Haoyue because of her prophecy skills. I just don't believe she can truly prophesize. From beginning to end, I've considered her an unstable factor. The only way to be safe with such people is to silence them completely—after squeezing out all their value, of course."
Hua Zhi had always known Yanxi's attitude toward Haoyue, which was why she felt no jealousy whatsoever. Her tone softened, "From what she predicted about the Xiangyang embankment breach, her existence isn't entirely useless. The other events were only off in timing, not in occurrence. So what if we guide her to say certain things? For example, if we tell her Wu Yong wasn't poisoned, that would break her prophecy. Since she's built her reputation on prophecy, she values credibility highly. Once her credibility is broken, she'll become anxious. When people are anxious, they tend to make foolish moves. That would be the perfect time to extract information from her—it shouldn't be difficult."
Gu Yanxi understood A Zhi's meaning. There's a difference between speaking voluntarily and being forced to speak. If pushed too far, she might mix truth and falsehood randomly. With events that haven't occurred yet, they might not be able to distinguish what's real. This was precisely why he hadn't used forceful methods yet, only having Chen Qing wear her down slowly.
"I've already instructed Chen Qing to tell her some things that can be revealed. We'll satisfy her curiosity depending on the situation. Any information gathered will be compiled and sent to you. I'm sorry to trouble you, but please see if you can discover anything from it."
Hua Zhi shot him a glare, not even wanting to speak to him. His words might sound sour, but hadn't he done everything that needed to be done anyway?
Gu Yanxi placatingly picked up some mushrooms with his chopsticks and brought them to her lips. Hua Zhi made him wait a moment before finally opening her mouth to eat them, pretending not to see the man using the same chopsticks to pick up more food for himself.
"The date for the Autumn Examination has been set—it's in half a month."Due to the disaster in the south, the Autumn Examination was postponed slightly. However, since this matter had nothing to do with the Hua family, she merely listened without taking it to heart.
Yet Gu Yanxi continued, "The Hua family holds an extraordinary position in the hearts of scholars. From what I know, many visitors came to the Hua family in previous years, with numerous students bringing letters of recommendation. Those who provided recommendations shared at least the bond of mentorship with Old Master Hua. To avoid suspicion before the Autumn Examination, the old master would not receive them, but after the exam and before the results were released, he would set a date for a full day of Scholarly Discussions. Held once every three years, this event is highly renowned among scholars."
Hua Zhi was naturally aware of this Pure Conversation Gathering, but she didn’t understand why Yanxi was bringing it up. "It’s impossible this year, and they should be aware of the Hua family’s situation."
"From what I’ve heard, someone intends to host this Scholarly Discussions in place of the Hua family."
Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow, her lips curling with unmistakable sarcasm. "Which family is so eager?"
"The Wei Family."
How absurd, Hua Zhi sneered. "Earlier, my grandfather reminded me to be cautious of the Feng and Wei families, saying they were at odds with Grandfather. It seems he was right—as soon as one family makes a move, the other follows. I just wonder if the scholars will accept it."
Gu Yanxi watched A Zhi, so sharp and spirited, and found her utterly endearing. "There might be a way. Among Old Master Hua’s three students, Chen Dayi is quite capable. If he takes the lead and hosts the Scholarly Discussions, he would be more qualified than the Wei Family, and the scholars would likely respond better."
Hua Zhi considered for a moment but shook her head. "No need. The Hua family isn’t in a position for that now. I used to think Grandfather was punished because he was involved in factional struggles, but later I realized the Emperor had already grown wary of the Hua family. Given that, we can’t afford to draw attention. The Scholarly Discussions carry too much prestige—it’s especially untouchable now."
Hua Zhi was quite familiar with this Pure Conversation Gathering; she had even disguised herself as her grandfather’s pageboy to attend once. Although there were plenty of pretentious scholars seeking to show off, there were also genuinely insightful individuals among them. These people represented the future of Daqing. At the time, she had felt hopeful about Daqing’s prospects, thinking she could coast through her lifetime. Little did she expect that the rot would start from the very top.
"Some things cannot be stolen. Let the Wei Family try."
In three years, at the next Pure Conversation Gathering, it will surely return to the Hua family, Hua Zhi vowed inwardly. She mentally reviewed all the cards she held, thinking like a miser that she needed to add more—it still wasn’t enough.
Perhaps because she had been overthinking at night, Hua Zhi dreamed of her grandmother for the first time. The old woman appeared just as she had before the family’s downfall—plump and cheerful, smiling at her. Hua Zhi hadn’t been particularly close to her grandmother at that time, but seeing her now, she felt a sharp sting in her nose, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.
Her grandmother walked over and gently stroked her face, sighing deeply. "My dear child, you’ve suffered."
Hua Zhi rushed into her arms and wept silently. She wanted to say she didn’t feel tired—she had endured harder times before and could withstand this hardship. But the weight of the entire family rested on her shoulders, leaving her no room to relax. Seeing a trusted elder now made her feel as if she could finally stop being the iron-willed Hua Zhi and simply be herself for a while. She couldn’t hold back the urge to cry her heart out.She was even aware that this was a dream. Precisely because it was a dream no one could witness, she allowed her tears to flow freely. Yet even in the dream, she dared not cry aloud, fearing she might truly make a sound and disturb the maid keeping watch through the night.
Once the dream ended, she would still be the invincible Hua Zhi, still the Hua Zhi destined to be the towering pillar of the Hua family, still the Hua Zhi relied upon and leaned on by her family.
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