Chapter 586: Tangled Mess
While the court was bustling with activity, Hua Zhi was far from idle.
Chen Qing came early to report, "I met with the former chief. He said he would find a way to enter the palace today to investigate."
"Why does he need to 'find a way' to enter the palace? Even if other members of the Seven Constellation Bureau are restricted, shouldn't he have privileges as the former chief?"
"All privileges in the Seven Constellation Bureau belong to the current chief. Once someone steps down, all privileges are revoked. This is to prevent having two decision-makers in the bureau."
Hua Zhi nodded slightly. That made sense, especially since the Seven Constellation Bureau held such a special position in Daqing and wielded immense power. If two chiefs were to contend for authority, it would spell disaster for Daqing.
The current situation was rather complex, and Hua Zhi’s nerves were stretched taut, not daring to be the least bit careless. "How many people can you still mobilize? They must be skilled—not just ordinary workers."
After a quick calculation, Chen Qing replied, "Around one hundred and forty."
That was too few. Hua Zhi stood up and paced a few times. She couldn’t afford to leave any evidence that could be used against her, but she also couldn’t proceed without any preparations. "By the way, where is Zhu Ling?"
"He’s waiting outside. I’ll call him in right away."
Although Zhu Ling had long known Hua Zhi’s identity and had heard of the Hua family’s reputation, it was only upon setting foot in their residence that he truly understood what it meant to have an air of grandeur. And this was after the Hua family had fallen from grace—he couldn’t even imagine what they must have been like at the peak of their power.
Even inside the room, he could faintly hear the sound of reading. If he hadn’t known about the Hua family’s circumstances beforehand, who could have guessed that this was a family whose adult male members had all been exiled? The only slight difference was that the household was now managed by an unmarried young woman. If only Fang’er could stay here and be influenced by this atmosphere...
Suppressing his thoughts, Zhu Ling reported what he had learned: "I’ve met with those people. They all said they haven’t received any instructions recently, and they’re willing to help gather information."
This meant that the Chao Li Tribe likely had no involvement in the matter. Hua Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the Chao Li Tribe wasn’t meddling, the situation wasn’t as complicated—at worst, it was just an internal power struggle.
"Thank you for your efforts. If you learn anything, report it to Chen Qing as soon as possible. If he’s unavailable, you can come to me directly."
"Yes."
"I’ve had your daughter brought here. You may go see her now."
"Thank you, Miss."
Watching him leave, Hua Zhi motioned for Chen Qing to come closer and instructed in a low voice, "Gather your people. We may need them at any moment, but do not touch those watching Ling Wang’s residence."
"Yes."
"Also, go discreetly to the Anguo Duke’s residence and inform them of the situation. They should make preparations in advance."
"Yes."
Once Chen Qing left, Hua Zhi turned to Ying Chun. "Go to the Sun family and tell Madam Sun that there may be trouble in the capital. She should gather more people and keep them on standby, especially around Little Six—there must be no mishaps."
Ying Chun accepted the order and left. Hua Zhi mentally reviewed the situation and realized that there were only a few families she dared to confide in. But with such limited strength...
Biting the back of her hand to force herself to calm down, Hua Zhi tried to reassure herself: Things might not be as bad as they seemed. Perhaps, just perhaps, the Emperor was deliberately acting this way to observe the court officials’ reactions?
But this slim hope was shattered that afternoon. Seeing Xiao Shuang out of breath, Hua Zhi could no longer remain seated. "You didn’t get to see the Emperor?"Xiao Shuang nodded, "Yes, up until now, several ministers along with the princes are still in the main hall and haven't left."
"Find a way to send a message to Little Six, tell him to leave the palace and return to the prince's residence as soon as possible."
"Yes."
If it really was as she suspected—an attempt to force Little Six into rebellion—then it would be fine; he would be safe in the palace. But what if she was wrong, and the other party had no such intention? She couldn't let Little Six get trapped. She had no ability to rescue anyone from the palace.
If only Yan Xi were here. Hua Zhi couldn't help but calculate how far Yan Xi had traveled by now. He should have found the hidden silver, right? It had been over ten days; the battle with the Chao Li Tribe should be over by now. If all went smoothly, he ought to be on his way back.
But traveling from Yanzhou to the capital would take at least ten days at the fastest. Ten days—enough time for too many things to happen.
The palace...
Hua Zhi suddenly thought of someone. Outsiders might not know what was happening in the palace, but how could the Empress Dowager, being right there, know nothing? And if she knew but remained inactive...
"Call Wang Rong."
Wang Rong entered, but before he could speak, the young lady said, "Have Chen Qing send a request to see the Empress Dowager. Say that Yan Xi asked him to bring something back."
"I already tried that earlier, but there was no response," Chen Qing reported, having overheard the conversation from outside the door. "I was just about to come and inform you of this."
Hua Zhi's heart sank. Something might have really happened in the palace, and they were completely in the dark.
What should she do? What else could she do?
"Any news from the former chief?"
Chen Qing shook his head, "No."
"How many people are currently training in the Seven Constellation Bureau?"
"About two hundred, among whom sixty to eighty are children or teenagers. Only the chief and the former chief can mobilize them."
Hua Zi closed her eyes. "Wait for news. Send someone to protect Little Six."
The waiting was excruciating. No news came throughout the entire evening.
"Miss, why don't you rest for a while in the front courtyard?" Ying Chun brought over a basin, knelt down, and lifted her feet to remove her shoes. "I've instructed the gatekeeper not to stop anyone who comes."
With such heavy matters weighing on her mind, how could she sleep? Hua Zhi placed her feet in the basin. The warmth seeped up from her soles, and it seemed to bring a little comfort to her heart as well.
"How are the family businesses doing lately? Your young lady is quite poor now, relying on these few ventures to support the household."
Ying Chun looked up with a lovely smile. "They're doing very well, even better than before. Oh, and Young Master Bai returned a while ago. He said the canned goods are selling well outside and requested an increase in quantity. I went to the estate to discuss it with Manager Liu. He said there's no problem, but we'll need to add more hands. I told him to work it out with Liu Jiang."
"That's good."
"The mushroom production is too high now. There's a surplus in the capital, so I had them sort out the slightly less presentable ones to dry. Later, Fu Dong experimented and prepared a full banquet using dried mushrooms, which was quite popular. Now dried mushrooms are selling too."
Hua Zhi rested her chin on her hand and smiled at the maid washing her feet. "Did you ever imagine you could be so capable before?"
Ying Chun smiled faintly. "If I could choose, I'd rather still be as incapable as before. That way, you could live as leisurely as you used to, without having to endure such hardship and toil. In less than two years, just think of how many injuries you've sustained and how calloused your fingertips have become..."Ying Chun's eyes suddenly reddened. Not speaking of it might have kept the thoughts at bay, but once mentioned, she couldn't forget the young lady's scar-riddled appearance. Even if the young lady were a mountain, continuing like this would surely wear her down. How could those gossipers utter such words without a pang of conscience?
PS: May I borrow the wisdom of you ladies for a moment?
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