Shen Qi watched the approaching figure and suddenly stepped forward. "The young lady must be overwhelmed with responsibilities today. Please attend to your duties first—there's no need to trouble yourself with entertaining us."
Jiang Huanran glanced at him and also stepped forward to echo, "Indeed, there's no need for the young lady to entertain us."
Hua Zhi's expression softened slightly, but just as she was about to speak, an unfamiliar voice interjected, "If the young lady is willing, we certainly have no reason to refuse, do we?"
Hua Zhi followed the voice and saw a member of the Xia family—likely the brother of her third aunt.
Scanning the crowd, she noticed that while their expressions remained neutral, their eyes betrayed their true feelings. Covering her mouth with a light cough, Hua Zhi nodded in gratitude to Shen Qi and Jiang Huanran before saying, "Guests are guests, and it is only right to entertain you. Please, come inside."
Just then, the Zhu brothers approached. Hua Zhi shook her head slightly at her younger uncle, and Zhu Haodong, understanding her meaning, held his elder brother back.
The warmth in the main hall was enveloping. As soon as the others entered, they removed their cloaks, but Hua Zhi only lowered her hood. Having been outside for so long, she felt a chill deep in her bones and had no intention of pushing her body further.
While the others seemed unaware, Shen Qi noticed her nearly translucent pallor. His heart ached with sorrow. Pulling the Hua family back from the brink of ruin had undoubtedly come at a cost. The once rosy-cheeked young lady who had lived joyfully with her maids was gone.
"Thank you all for coming. Grandmother would surely be pleased if she knew."
"We're all family—no need for such formalities, young lady," someone from the Qi family immediately seized the opportunity to ingratiate himself. "The Old Madam was kind-hearted and deserved every honor. It is only right that we pay our respects."
"Exactly. Since we're family, we share in both glory and disgrace. Don't you agree, young lady?"
Hua Zhi held her teacup, using its warmth to ward off the chill. She looked up with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Share in both glory and disgrace?"
"Of course," the Qi representative replied eagerly, thinking he had gained ground. But most of the others sensed something underlying Hua Zhi's words and grew wary.
Sure enough, Hua Zhi continued, "When the Hua family fell into disgrace, I noticed it had little effect on any of you. Or perhaps there was something I was unaware of?"
The room fell silent before someone finally spoke up. "We were all affected to some extent."
"Then it must be the Hua family's fault. I apologize to you all." Hua Zhi set down her teacup, stood, and bowed in a formal gesture of apology.
Such a swift admission of guilt? The attendees exchanged uneasy glances. Though things were unfolding as they had hoped, they couldn't shake a sense of foreboding.
It then dawned on them that, among those present, the Qin family held the highest seniority and the closest ties to the Hua family. If anyone were to speak, it should be them.
Urged by the collective gaze of the crowd, Qin Gongyang cleared his throat and began, "The young lady is so capable and magnanimous. I'm sure your aunt can rest in peace knowing this."
"You flatter me, Cousin. I hardly deserve such praise."
"Of course you do. Who in the capital could possibly surpass your capabilities?"
Hua Zhi picked up the fresh cup of tea Ying Chun had brought her and chuckled softly. "With such praise, Cousin, it almost sounds as though you're not complimenting me at all.""Every word comes from the heart." Qin Gongyang's gaze was sincere, his words containing no falsehood. He felt no guilt, for when he first learned that the Seventh Division, which had stirred up the entire capital, was actually Hua Zhi's creation, he thought his ears had deceived him. He suspected that now, he wasn't the only one curious about how his uncle had raised such a remarkable young woman.
Thinking of his mother, who was still ill after being reprimanded by his father, Qin Gongyang sighed inwardly. Back at the food charity event, Hua Zhi had already included the Qin family in her plans. If not for his mother's interference, why would he be here entangled in these disputes? He could have been like the Zhu brothers, observing from the sidelines.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Qin Gongyang suddenly lost patience for circumlocution. "Zhi Er, may we speak privately?"
Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow in surprise. Was he trying to be direct?
Before she could respond, others grew anxious first. "We all wish to speak with the Eldest Miss alone! Official Qin, don't take advantage of your status to jump the queue!"
"Exactly."
"Official Qin, surely you don't mean to monopolize this opportunity?"
"As her cousin-in-law, I should be the one to speak with her first if anyone should."
"..."
After listening to their bickering for a while, Hua Zhi smiled. "Have any of you asked whether I'm willing to speak with you? Or have you decided among yourselves, expecting me to simply comply?"
The reception hall instantly fell from clamor to pin-drop silence. They realized that even if they determined an order among themselves, it would mean nothing if Hua Zhi refused.
The room filled with awkward tension, which Hua Zhi made no effort to dispel. She continued sipping her tea leisurely, finally feeling some warmth returning to her body. For the moment, she had no desire to venture back out into the cold wind.
While she remained as steady as an angler waiting for fish, everyone else grew increasingly anxious. Soon, someone broke the silence. "Eldest Miss, we are all your own people after all. When there are benefits to be had, shouldn't we first think of our own?"
Hua Zhi looked at the speaker—unfamiliar, though Su Momo had mentioned he was from the Su family. "The Hua and Su families are indeed old friends. When my grandfather was alive, our families interacted frequently. But I recall that when my grandmother passed away, the Su family only sent a steward—and a minor one at that. I wonder if it pains you to call us 'your own people'."
Without waiting for others to speak, she proceeded to tear away their pretenses one by one. "The Qiu, Hu, Tang, and Liu families all sent minor stewards to offer condolences, each contributing two hundred taels as if they had coordinated in advance. The Qi, Xia, and Wu families—our actual relatives by marriage—similarly gave two hundred taels. Except for the Wu family, which sent Second Master Wu, the other two families also dispatched stewards. And now you come to talk to me about being 'your own people'? Where were you when I needed my own people? Were you afraid of being tainted by association with the Hua family? Or frightened that proximity to us might bring you misfortune?"
Hua Zhi's tone remained calm, her words sharp yet delivered without any emotional fluctuation. She even wore a slight smile. "When Hua Ling nearly had her reputation ruined, Third Aunt sent a matron to kneel and beg the Xia family for help, but they wouldn't even open their door. That's 'your own people' for you. When I started a business to support my family, you said I was degrading myself by appearing in public. That's 'your own people' for you. Knowing Hua Jing's temperament, you still encouraged her, openly and covertly, to demand things from her maternal family. That too is 'your own people' for you. Please don't speak to me about being 'your own people'—it makes me feel like the term has become derogatory."Taking a sip of tea, Hua Zhi continued, "I know why you're here. The Seventh Division in the capital has already filled every position, but there are plenty of vacancies below. You remembered me as one of your own and wanted to take a shortcut through me. But I'm sorry, I no longer consider you my people. The so-called shortcut ends here with me."
Such blunt stripping of pretenses was a first for those seated there. The named individuals felt both humiliated and enraged, momentarily rendered speechless.
OpenNovel