On the return journey, Little Six kept glancing at Hua Zhi, his face full of unspoken words.
"There's no need to feel burdened." Hua Zhi suddenly opened her eyes and met Little Six's gaze. "From a public standpoint, we're grasshoppers tied to the same rope - your wellbeing benefits us all. From a personal perspective, you're under my care, so of course any advantages should go to you first. But Little Six, you must figure out how to make these benefits your own. You can't always rely on others to make decisions for you. Since you were born to lead, you must develop the ability to protect those who fight for you when they need shelter. Others will always remain others - having your own capabilities is far better than depending on anyone else."
"But Sister Hua, you're not 'others'."
"I am. Everyone except yourself is 'others'. Every person has their own selfish interests - they'll always prioritize their own benefits first. When your interests conflict with theirs, they'll protect themselves. Humans naturally pursue profit, coming together for gain and parting ways when interests diverge. That's why they say there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests."
Seeing the change in the child's expression, Hua Zhi smiled. "Yet I don't consider this a bad thing."
Little Six couldn't understand the reasoning. "I don't follow."
"Interest groups actually have the closest relationships and are least likely to betray each other. And you, Little Six, are the core of this group - now and even more so in the future."
"If relationships between people only revolve around interests..." The thought that he and the Hua family might eventually become like this made Little Six unbearably uncomfortable. Some things are easier if you never had them, but if you gain them only to lose them later... he'd rather lose anything else than lose this.
Hua Zhi sat up slightly and folded Little Six's slightly lengthened sleeve. "Human hearts have always been the hardest to predict, and emotions the most difficult to grasp. What you give may not be returned, while sometimes unexpected efforts bear fruit. Who says interests and emotions can't coexist? You and the Hua family are now an interest community, but is that all there is between us? What you need to learn is how to balance emotions and interests. I want you to grow into a towering tree with abundant branches - one that can block clouds and sunshine, shelter from wind and rain - not one that gets constantly pruned during growth until only the crown remains."
Hua Zhi didn't realize how gentle her smile was at that moment. Little Six stared blankly, listening intently as her words entered both his ears and his heart.
No one had ever taught him these things before.
Then again... such lessons weren't needed. In the palace environment, one unconsciously learned selfishness, political maneuvering, and controlling people through interests. If Sister Hua hadn't spoken to him today, he probably would have become that kind of person too.
He didn't care about others, but he didn't want his relationships with Sister Hua and Berlin to eventually become merely interest-based. "As long as I always stand with the Hua family in the future, we'll never part ways."
Hua Zhi paused, then laughed and corrected him: "It's that the Hua family will always stand with you."
Little Six nodded emphatically. Whether it was him with the Hua family or the Hua family with him - as long as the people were right, that was what mattered.
Hua Zhi didn't realize how profoundly these words would influence Little Six throughout his life. After returning home, she took out a thick stack of papers and handed it to him, signaling him to read.
It was supplementary details about salt administration and transportation - the shortcomings she had intentionally left for Little Six to complete and perfect, through which he would substantiate his contributions.Little Six knew full well how great a benefit he had received. After offering a solemn bow, he began to study the materials earnestly.
Hua Zhi wasn’t idle either. As the Emperor’s money-making machine, she had to find ways to expand business and generate profits.
Tea plantations were already being acquired. The next step was to reorganize the soap business that had been reclaimed. Although the idea had originally been hers, she couldn’t simply take it back without compensation. Yet, sharing the profits…
After some thought, Hua Zhi picked up her brush and started writing. She couldn’t reclaim it for nothing, nor could she let the Emperor think his subjects were competing with him for profits. The solution was to integrate the businesses of the three families as branches of this enterprise. In essence, it would be like a headquarters with ten subsidiaries—one in the capital and the others across the nine provinces. Even the Emperor’s business couldn’t monopolize everything.
This approach could apply not only to the soap trade but also to any other ventures they aimed to expand. By spreading the network of interests wider, it would become harder for anyone to manipulate things under the balance of power.
As she thought and wrote, the plan grew clearer and more coherent. Her brush flew across the paper, her neat small script unconsciously transforming into wild cursive. By the time she noticed, most of it was already written, so she decided not to revise it—after all, no outsiders would see it.
As an insider, Gu Yanxi could understand it perfectly well. He rather liked this bold, unrestrained handwriting—it reminded him of A Zhi when she didn’t hold back.
“This framework is quite innovative, but selecting branch managers won’t be easy. If not handled properly, the business could easily become someone’s personal enterprise.”
“If possible, I’d prefer to appoint people ourselves. But for a lucrative venture like this, it’s hard to proceed smoothly without someone locally influential in charge. Rather than dealing with endless troubles, it’s better to share the profits. If they know it’s the Emperor’s business, they’re unlikely to overreach.”
Hua Zhi was most familiar with the business principles from her previous life, but she couldn’t apply them directly. They had to be adapted to suit Daqing’s context. Here, there weren’t as many legal constraints—whoever had the stronger fist called the shots.
Gu Yanxi nodded. “The Seven Constellation Bureau will decide on the candidates.”
“Alright.” Setting that matter aside, Hua Zhi detailed the outcome of the three-party discussion. “The court will likely be locked in power struggles for a while. Keep an eye on Little Six and make sure he doesn’t suffer any losses.”
“Now isn’t the time for Little Six to stand out. It’s not yet appropriate.”
“I don’t understand those matters—you handle them as you see fit.” Hua Zhi washed her hands of it decisively, unwilling to use her weaknesses against others’ strengths.
A smile flickered in Gu Yanxi’s eyes as he reached out to brush aside the stray hairs at her temple. “Once things are settled here, let’s go to Yuzhou.”
“What a coincidence—I was thinking the same.” Resting her chin in her hand, Hua Zhi felt a surge of joy at their shared thought. She knew Yanxi was still troubled by the Chao Li Tribe, and truth be told, so was she. Compared to internal strife, external threats were far more deadly. Until the Chao Li Tribe was rooted out, her heart would remain unsettled, fearing the day they might become a conquered people.
“Have you found anything over there?”
Gu Yanxi shook his head. “No news has come back, which means they haven’t caught their trail yet.”
“For them to hide so thoroughly, they must have protectors. Those capable of offering such protection are undoubtedly powerful, and if even the Seven Constellation Bureau can’t trace them, their status must be quite high.” Hua Zhi sneered coldly. “There will always be those who engage in actions that harm others without benefiting themselves, all while thinking they’ve gained the upper hand.”The two of them found such people utterly tiresome and had no desire to exchange even one more word with them. Taking advantage of the lingering daylight, they strolled side by side through the front courtyard, casually chatting about trivial matters, which gave them a sense of stealing a moment of leisure from their busy lives.
PS: I don't know what's been going on lately—I've scrapped a lot of what I've written. I'm thinking of rewriting Chapter 2 again. Let me revise it and see if it works. If you don't see it today, check back tomorrow.
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