One matter piled upon another until it was already noon.
After hastily filling her stomach, Hua Zhi went to the government office backyard where Zhu Ling resided. While Zhu Fang’s incident couldn’t be considered her responsibility, both sentiment and reason demanded she make this visit.
Zhu Ling’s expression was complicated when he saw her. He hadn’t expected his daughter to be injured so severely, yet he couldn’t claim righteousness—Fang’er should never have initiated the physical confrontation.
“Regarding your daughter’s situation, I’m truly sorry.”
Zhu Ling sighed and shook his head. “Given her status, things weren’t going well for her anyway. This doesn’t change much.”
“I’d like to apologize to Miss Zhu in person.”
“That won’t be necessary. Your visit alone shows considerable thoughtfulness, Young Lady. I’ll make sure she understands the principles involved.”
“Very well, I’ll trouble you with this, Lord Zhu.” After brief consideration, Hua Zhi didn’t insist further. From previous rumors, she knew Zhu Fang had a somewhat spoiled and unreasonable temperament. Anything she said now would only add fuel to the fire. If this could teach the girl a harder lesson, so be it.
Leaving Zhu Ling’s quarters, Hua Zhi rubbed the back of her neck. “Where is General Lu?”
“This subordinate arranged a room for him to rest.”
Calculating the time, Hua Zhi decided not to disturb him yet. “Let’s go inspect outside.”
However, the person she hadn’t intended to bother encountered her in the front courtyard. Lu Peiyu bowed from a distance. “Is Young Lady going out?”
Hua Zhi returned a slight curtsey. “I planned to check the situation outside. Why isn’t General Lu resting in his room?”
“I was just going out to walk off my meal. Shall we go together?”
Hua Zhi indifferently agreed and decided against taking a carriage, having someone bring her horse instead.
Seeing how she swung onto the saddle, Lu Peiyu knew she was no novice. His curiosity grew—he’d seen Hua family daughters before, impeccable young ladies who couldn’t be faulted. This girl carried the Hua family’s grace, yet possessed skills no young lady should have. He wondered how she’d developed this way.
The deserted streets were extremely empty, their hoofbeats disturbing the silence.
The orderly houses on both sides, the wide main street, the murmuring Lotus River, the massive eastern market district—these still faintly revealed the prosperity of this former “little capital.” Yet upon closer inspection, signs of decline were evident.
The houses hadn’t been repaired for years, shopfront steps were noticeably moss-covered, the market district was dilapidated, and even the Lotus River was no longer as clear as in former times. A city’s decay begins precisely from such aspects.
Several riders stopped not far from the market district, where people were scattered about squatting or standing. Occasionally someone would emerge from the market.
Jia Yang returned after a short while. “They’ve summoned the village heads and clan elders to identify people. Those confirmed can come out. Manor Guards escort them out of the city every half-hour. Over half are already cleared out—this subordinate estimates they should empty it completely today.”
Hua Zhi nodded slightly. Formulating a plan this quickly was reasonably good. This showed that those who entered government service weren’t incapable—it only depended on whether they were willing to apply themselves.
After circling through residential areas, they saw several groups going door-to-door questioning and recording. Although they still inevitably displayed official airs, they barely managed the task of reassuring the populace.
“What did Young Lady hope to see?” Lu Peiyu asked curiously after following her around.
“Just seeking peace of mind.” Hua Zhi lightly nudged her horse’s flank to turn back toward the government office. “Without seeing for myself, I’d constantly worry about further mishaps. Since Yan Xi entrusted this to me, I must prove worthy of his trust.”"Have you ever considered that no matter how well you do now, you're merely sewing a wedding gown for someone else? The person who takes over might completely overturn all your arrangements?"
She had thought about it, of course she had. She even suspected that the replacement might be a political opponent of the Hua family. But there was a difference between a place falling into chaos under her watch versus under someone else's. She could only control her own actions. As for how the future successor would handle things, whether Jin Yang would prosper or decline under their rule—that was beyond her control.
These thoughts she didn't need to share with others, merely saying: "Since it's a wedding gown, it ought to be beautiful. I hope this gown remains splendid and radiant in the future."
Splendid and radiant? Lu Peiyu smiled meaningfully. In the eyes of those in the capital, Jin Yang was like a ripe, juicy peach ready to be devoured. They'd probably wrestle fiercely to take a bite of this ripe peach, but once they actually got their hands on it, they'd discover it was actually rotten to the core. Given Jin Yang's current situation, ordinary people could hardly achieve anything here and might even be dragged down to their doom. He looked forward to seeing which unlucky soul would be sent here.
Returning to the government office, Hua Zhi handed the reins to a servant and turned to look at Lu Peiyu. "General, if you would step this way—I have matters to discuss."
Lu Peiyu wasn't surprised and extended his hand in invitation.
The two went directly to Zhu Ling's study. Zhu Ling was writing something and hurriedly stood up to greet them when he saw them enter.
"I'd like to examine the topographic map."
Zhu Ling brought out the map and was about to clear the desk when the young lady said: "Just put it on the floor—that'll be more convenient."
Placed on the floor, everyone could view it from different angles without crowding together, which was indeed more practical. Zhu Ling placed it in an open area and tactfully prepared to leave.
"No need, you may stay and listen. You might even be able to offer some suggestions."
"Yes."
Lu Peiyu's eyes flickered between the two, his long eyebrows raising slightly, but he didn't ask further questions.
"Jia Yang, explain your plan."
"Yes."
Zhu Ling was completely baffled, but Lu Peiyu understood somewhat and immediately set aside his miscellaneous thoughts, moving to a position where he could view the map.
"Travel between the capital and Jin Yang is more convenient by water transport, so communication between the two places has always relied heavily on boats. This time, I plan to take the land route, and with good reason." Jia Yang pointed at the location of the horse racing track. "The horses here are all fine breeds, superior in both pedigree and appearance to those in the capital. Using such horses merely for racing is a waste—they should be sent to the Imperial Stables where they can be put to proper use. With this justification, having a larger convoy becomes reasonable."
"Are you suggesting we conceal the silver within this convoy? Since we're returning to the capital anyway, why not take the water route? The amount of silver is substantial—concealing it would be difficult."
"This batch of silver cannot travel by water. Experienced people can estimate the cargo by how deep a ship sits in the water. Moreover, most horses get seasick—it's common for them to fall ill after a boat journey, and some never recover. Jin Yang isn't too far from the capital—the land route is more suitable for them."
Right. Hua Zhi rubbed her temples. She had been careless not to consider this. A ship carrying silver could have its cargo roughly calculated just by its draught. If they did this, they would immediately expose themselves.
"My thought is: this batch of silver and the horses will be escorted back to the capital by your people via land, while the remaining silver to be submitted to the court will be transported by you and the Seven Constellation Bureau via boat. What do you think?"
Hua Zhi thought for a moment. "Depart before they arrive?"
"Yes.""Very well, you must make proper arrangements and absolutely must not leak any information."
Jia Yang bowed in acknowledgment.
Zhu Ling understood now - was the young lady planning to embezzle the silver privately? This didn't quite match the attitude she had previously displayed.
PS: Such fragmented plotlines, trying to naturally weave them together is driving me crazy. Only managed to revise one chapter.
OpenNovel