Chapter 368: Prince Ling Stirs Up Trouble

After Hua Qin and her husband departed, Liu Xiang stepped in quietly and announced, "Miss Shao Yao is here with the young master. They heard you were meeting guests, so they’ve gone to wait in the side room. Also, the old steward has returned and is waiting outside."

Zeng Han couldn’t risk being seen by anyone at the moment, so Hua Zhi gave a quick nod. "Bring the steward in."

"Understood," Liu Xiang replied promptly.

The old steward entered, holding a letter in his hands. Bowing slightly, he reported, "Since Lord Jiang was already at the yamen, the Jiang family’s chief steward went directly to deliver the message. He confirmed that Lord Jiang will definitely keep the appointment as planned."

Hua Zhi took the letter, glanced at its contents, and then tucked it neatly into the drawer. "You’ve done well. Go and get some rest. If you need anything handled, let Li De take care of it."

The old steward smiled graciously and replied, "Of course, Miss."

Without wasting more words, Hua Zhi rose from her seat and prepared to leave, her steps deliberate and composed.

The door to the next room was shut, but before she could even lift her hand to knock, it swung open from the inside, and Shao Yao's head popped out, so close to Hua Zhi’s face that it almost brushed against her.

Pushing the face away, and the door opened fully, revealing the quiet child sitting inside. Dressed simply, the child looked a little thinner than before. His eyes flickered with a subtle shift when they landed on Hua Zhi.

He stood up wordlessly, then walked over to her, his small arms wrapping around her waist. His head gently rested against her abdomen in a gesture that was simple, silent, and unspoken—but it clearly communicated his closeness and affection, without any overt display of emotion or complaint.

Hua Zhi was momentarily caught off guard, but she quickly recovered, reaching out to pat his shoulder and stroke his head in return.

Shao Yao spoke with some suspicion, "He doesn’t speak more than ten sentences to me all day."

Ignoring her, Hua Zhi gently guided the child to the table, pulling out a stool for him to sit on.

"I’ve had someone tidy up your room," she said. "From now on, you'll stay with me. Are you okay with that?"

Zeng Han’s eyes widened. He’d been under the impression that his family’s property would be returned to him, and he’d go back home. He wasn’t sure if this person would still be willing to keep him around.

"Not willing?" she prompted, her voice softening.

Before she could finish, he eagerly nodded, his head bobbing up and down like a chick pecking at the ground.

Hua Zhi smiled warmly and gave his head a gentle pat. "Good. There are plenty of kids in the house, and the family clan school is in the front courtyard. Once your family’s situation is settled, you can join the Hua children in school. And when your family’s property is returned, you’ll need to make arrangements for your parents’ memorials. From now on, on the first and fifteenth of every month, as well as holidays, you’ll go back to pay respects. As for your family’s assets, my suggestion is to sell what can be sold, convert it into cash, and manage it yourself. But if you need a large sum of money, please don’t hesitate to tell me. I may not be able to offer much help, but I’ll never let anything bad happen to you."

Zeng Han nodded, his lips pressed tightly together, absorbing her words.

"When you got back to the capital, you were still looking pretty good. So what happened? How did you lose so much weight in just a few days?" Hua Zhi asked, eyeing Shao Yao. "Is he sick?"

"No, he's not sick," Shao Yao replied, shrugging. "I don’t really get it myself. He ate like a champ at Yingshan Pass, but now that he’s staying in the prince’s mansion, with all that fine rice and flour, he’s lost weight. No idea why."

Hua Zhi could guess the reason. No matter how well people treated him, it couldn't compare to the love his father had shown before he passed. With his father gone, it was likely leaving the child feeling anxious, even if he was trying to appear fine.

"It’s probably just him adjusting to a new environment. He should settle in soon, maybe feel better in a couple of days. It’s good he’s with us; at least here, we can all go through the mourning together," Hua Zhi said with a soft smile. Then, she turned to give orders, "Tell Lan Qiao to prepare some snacks kids like—vegetarian ones."

"Got it."

"You can’t be in mourning for a whole year, you know? Your body’s too young for that. Just three months, and your father wouldn’t want you to overdo it."

Zeng Han, ever the obedient one, quietly accepted. Though he kept his usual composed air, it was clear that even kids had trouble hiding their feelings. The subtle relief on his face was hard to miss.

Hua Zhi adjusted his collar thoughtfully. She realized he’d been wearing the same two sets of clothes she’d bought for him earlier. Without missing a beat, she stood up, motioned for Liu Xiang to come over, and said, "My mother and aunts have some time on their hands. Let them make a few new outfits for Zeng Han. And once the mourning period ends, we can all get some fresh, bright clothes. Ying Chun, make sure to do this: when the time comes, invite Ji Niang to bring some fabric to the mansion so everyone can pick out something. Get a few winter outfits for everyone."

"Understood."

*

After Hua Zhi wrapped up her work, Shao Yao crept up and whispered, "You won’t believe it, but this morning, a steward from Prince Ling's place showed up at the prince's mansion."

Hua Zhi, who knew the ins and outs of Prince Ling’s residence like the back of her hand, immediately picked up on the fact that this couldn’t be good. "What’s the deal?"

Shao Yao shook her head with a sly grin. "They came on the orders of the parents to arrange a marriage for Yan Ge, all through the Matchmaker. But get this—Yan Ge didn’t even bother to show up. He just had the steward kicked out by Chen Qing."

Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. "You don’t think Prince Ling is going to spin this whole ‘Yan Xi is unfilial’ angle to cause trouble, do you?"

Shao Yao snorted. "He’s tried that before. In the end, who’s really going to suffer is still up in the air."

And it was true. Yan Xi had too much clout with the emperor, and the emperor was more than aware of this. If Prince Ling tried to make an issue out of Yan Xi’s so-called ‘disrespect,’ it would backfire, especially with the emperor’s clear disapproval of Prince Ling’s tactics. If not for the deaths of his other brothers, there’d be no need to use someone as a scapegoat.

"So which family does Prince Ling have his eye on for the marriage?" Hua Zhi asked, already guessing the answer.

"The Wei family," Shao Yao replied with a casual shrug.

Hua Zhi couldn't help but smirk, a sharp edge creeping into her tone. "Oh, how convenient. After taking the Philosophical Discussion from the Hua family, now they’re trying to snatch my man, too?"

Her fingers tapped thoughtfully against the table as her mind whirred. She’d need to get Yan Xi to check with Haoyue and see what sort of standing the Wei family had. But before that, she needed to figure out exactly where their loyalties lay.

Shao Yao’s voice broke her concentration. "But wait," Hua Zhi frowned, thinking aloud. "Prince Ling should’ve known better than to suggest a marriage to Yan Xi. He knows Yan Xi’s stance on him. Who’s behind this? Who’s stirring the pot?"

Shao Yao gave her a knowing look and a thumbs-up. "Yan Ge’s already asking the same questions. He’s sent someone to get to the bottom of it. The one thing you can give Prince Ling credit for is knowing when to hold back. Yan Ge’s clear on how much he despises him, and Prince Ling hasn’t pushed that button unless absolutely necessary."

Shao Yao let out a dismissive laugh. "Honestly, it’s probably all about his sickly son, right? The love between father and son runs deep."

Hua Zhi gave her cheek a playful pinch, steering the conversation away from anything that might rile her up. "You haven't had any of Fu Dong’s cooking in a while, have you? Since the seafood trade hasn’t kicked off yet, go ask her to whip something up for you before she gets too busy."

"You're the best, Huahua! I’ll head over there right now." Shao Yao's eyes brightened, happy to leave the small irritations behind as Hua Zhi had suggested.

"Go on, then. Don’t hang around here bothering me."

With a cheerful shout, Shao Yao darted off. After being on the road for so many days, what she craved most was Fu Dong’s food. And before long, Fu Dong would be swamped with work, and Shao Yao would have her own responsibilities to deal with.

Her master had insisted on leaving the palace, and it was up to Shao Yao to take over, or else how could her master possibly leave?

Ah, she really didn’t want to stay in that cursed palace any longer. Sure, it all looked glitzy and perfect from the outside, but underneath?

There was no one in that place who was cleaner than the next. The innocent, the soft-hearted, the kind—they were all long gone. Whether by their own hand or someone else’s, the only ones left were those with hearts as black as coal.

———TN: Shao Yao, just hang in there for a moment...