Chapter 366: Jealous?

"Ah Zhi, have you noticed that you care about Hao Yue a lot?"

Hua Zhi looked up at Gu Yanxi. The man met her gaze, his eyes seeming a bit aggrieved, "An extraordinary amount of care, more than you care about me."

"..."

Hua Zhi's anger, which had been brewing, suddenly fizzled out. For a moment, she didn't know whether to be angry or amused. It was true that she cared about Hao Yue, but why?

Wasn't it largely because of him?

Perhaps it was the fire in her eyes that made Gu Yanxi fall silent. He lowered his head to eat, looking... almost docile, leaving Ah Zhi with nowhere to direct her anger.

Taking a deep breath to suppress her inexplicable emotions, Hua Zhi spoke through gritted teeth, "Are you sure you're jealous of the right person? Hao Yue came for you, don't deny it. If anyone should be jealous, it should be me."

"But you're not jealous at all," Gu Yanxi seemed genuinely aggrieved, as if he had forgotten that he was a noble prince and the powerful leader of the Seven Stars Bureau, a man who usually presented a commanding image. Without any self-consciousness, he accused, "You don't seem worried at all that she might seduce me."

"If the man I fancy can be so easily seduced by someone else, what's the point of me being here?"

Gu Yanxi was appeased by the words 'the man I fancy,' and the smile in his eyes could no longer be suppressed. He stroked Ah Zhi's hair in turn, "I know you care about Hao Yue because of her ability to make predictions, but I don't think she can truly predict the future. From the beginning to the end, I've always thought she was an unstable factor. The only way to deal with such a person is to silence her completely, of course, after we've squeezed all her value out of her."

Ah Zhi had always known Yanxi's attitude towards Hao Yue, so she wasn't jealous at all. She softened her tone, "Judging from her prediction about the Xiangyang Dam collapse, her existence is not entirely useless. The other things she said were just off in terms of timing, but the events themselves were correct. So, what if we guide her to say certain things? For example, tell her that Wu Yong was not poisoned. This would break her prediction. Since she values her reputation so much, she will be very anxious once her reputation is tarnished. When people are anxious, they tend to make mistakes. At that time, it will be easy to extract information from her."

Gu Yanxi understood Ah Zhi's meaning. It was one thing to be reconciled actively, and another to be forced to reconcile. If they truly angered her, she might say things that were both true and false, and they wouldn't be able to distinguish between the two. It was for this reason that he had been delaying using strong measures and had only asked Chen Qing to wear her down.

"I've already told Chen Qing to tell her everything that can be said. Let her ask whatever she wants, and we'll see how it goes. When there's any news, I'll send it all to you. You're going to have a lot of work, but see if you can find anything."

Hua Zhi glanced at him, not even wanting to talk to him. His words were so sour, but he still did everything he should, didn't he?

Gu Yanxi ingratiatingly picked up a piece of mushroom and brought it to her lips. Hua Zhi ignored him for a while before opening her mouth to eat it, pretending not to see the man use the same pair of chopsticks to pick up some vegetables and put them into his own mouth.

"The date for the autumn examinations has been set, half a month from now."

Because of the disaster in the south, the autumn examinations were postponed, but since this matter had nothing to do with the Hua family, she only listened to it casually and didn't take it to heart.

Gu Yanxi said again, "The Hua family holds a special place in the hearts of scholars. As far as I know, there are always many people visiting the Hua family in previous years, and many students come with letters. And those who recommend them all have at least the relationship of a teacher with Old Master Hua. Before the autumn examinations, the old master would not see them in order to avoid suspicion, but after they finished the exams and before the results came out, he would set a day to hold a whole day of philosophical discussions, once every three years, which is very famous among the students."

Hua Zhi knew about this philosophical discussion, but she just didn't understand why Gu Yanxi would mention it, "It's impossible this year, they should know the situation of the Hua family."

"As far as I know, someone wants to replace the Hua family in holding this philosophical discussion."

Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow, her raised corners of her mouth full of sarcasm, "Which family is so eager?"

"The Wei family."

This was really something. Hua Zhi sneered, "Before, my maternal grandfather reminded me to be careful of the Feng and Wei families, saying that these two families were not on good terms with my grandfather. Now it seems that this is indeed the case. One family has made a move, and the other has also taken action. I just don't know if those scholars will buy it."

Looking at Ah Zhi who was so sharp, Gu Yanxi couldn't help but feel fond of her, "There is actually a way. Chen Dayi, one of Old Master Hua's three students, is not bad. If he takes the lead and lets him hold this philosophical discussion, he would be more qualified than the Wei family, and the scholars would be more likely to buy it."

Hua Zhi thought for a moment and shook her head, "No need. The Hua family is not suitable now. I used to think that my grandfather was punished because he was involved in party disputes, but later I realized that the Emperor had already become jealous of the Hua family. In that case, the Hua family cannot be in the limelight. That philosophical discussion has too much reputation, especially it cannot be touched."

Hua Zhi was quite familiar with this literary gathering. She had even disguised herself as her grandfather's bookboy and attended once. Although it was mostly filled with pretentious scholars eager to show off, there were also a few truly insightful individuals.

These people were essentially the future of Daqing. At the time, she had felt that Daqing had a promising future, at least for her lifetime. Who would have thought that the biggest foundation would be the first to rot?

"Some things cannot be taken by force. The Wei family can certainly try."

Hua Zhi vowed in her heart that the next three years, the next literary gathering, would be held at the Hua family. She flipped through all the cards she had saved, thinking like a miser that she needed to add more, it was still not enough.

*

It might’ve been all the overthinking that night, but for the first time, Hua Zhi dreamed of her grandmother. In the dream, the old woman still looked like her pre-tragedy self—rounded cheeks, warm smile, and an aura of comforting strength. Hua Zhi wasn’t particularly close to her grandmother back then, but seeing her now brought an unexpected sting to her nose. Before she knew it, tears were running down her face.

Her grandmother approached slowly, resting a gentle hand on Hua Zhi’s cheek. With a soft sigh, she said, “My poor girl, you’ve been through so much.”

Hua Zhi flung herself into the embrace, clinging to her like a lifeline. Silent sobs wracked her as she tried, and failed, to summon the words she wanted to say: I’m fine. I’ve been through worse. I can handle this. But the weight of the entire Hua family rested squarely on her shoulders, leaving her no space to breathe, let alone crumble. Yet, in the presence of this familiar elder, even in a dream, the façade slipped. For the first time in ages, Hua Zhi allowed herself to feel fragile, to not be the unyielding Hua Zhi everyone depended on. And she cried—fully, freely.

It was a dream, after all. A hidden pocket of vulnerability she could explore without judgment or consequence. No one could see her break here. Still, even in this dream, she didn’t dare let herself cry too loudly. The habit of restraint was so ingrained that she feared waking the maids outside her room, even in her sleep.

When morning came and the dream faded, Hua Zhi knew exactly who she had to become again. The unshakable Hua Zhi. The Hua Zhi who bore the family’s burdens. The Hua Zhi who never faltered, no matter how much she might want to.

———TN: I had to cancel my dentist appointment today because my son came down with a fever. Thankfully, he’s napping now, so I’ve managed to squeeze in a bit of time to translate and edit a few chapters for everyone.

Catch you all soon!