Chapter 279: A Thief Within is Hard to Guard Against

Only when she could truly see her home just ahead did Hua Zhi realize how much she missed it, how much she missed every person in her family. Strangely, a sense of trepidation arose in her heart as she neared home.

Hua Zhi chuckled at herself, thinking she was acting like a weaned child. She turned to look at the few people behind her who were holding the horses. "Xiao Liu, you should go back to the palace for a visit."

The Sixth Prince tightened his grip on the reins. He didn't want to go back. He hadn't wanted to go back before, and after this trip, he wanted to go back even less.

“You can come whenever you want after you've seen who you need to see.”

The Sixth Prince's eyes lit up. “I can come back?”

“Of course, unless you don’t want to.”

“I’ll come, I’ll definitely come.” His words were too eager, revealing his longing clearly. Shao Yao’s laughter made the Sixth Prince feel a little embarrassed, but he was still smiling. As long as he could come back in the future, who cared about a little teasing.

Hua Zhi’s eyes were filled with soft smiles, and they remained unchanged when they fell on Yan Xi. This man was one of the few who deserved her tenderness. “Go ahead and get busy. Come over for dinner when you’re finished.”

Before Gu Yanxi could speak, Shao Yao put on a coquettish act, vying for attention. "What about me, what about me, Huahua? Are you not inviting me to dinner?"

"Do you even need an invitation?" Hua Zhi glanced at her. "As if the doors of the Hua family could ever keep you out."

"Hehe," Shao Yao was satisfied, and glanced triumphantly at Yan Ge. She was one of them, she didn't need an invitation, but Yan Ge had been invited!

Gu Yanxi was too lazy to pay her any mind. "The weather in the north is actually warmer than in the south. Let's go inside, it's uncomfortable to stay out in the sun for too long."

"En." Hua Xhi stepped up the stairs. Just then, Xu Ying knocked on the door. As soon as the person inside saw the eldest young miss had returned, they raised their voice, "Eldest Young Miss, you're finally back!"

Hua Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and all the bad memories flooded back. The last time she returned from the north, the servant who answered the door had also said in a similar tone that her grandmother was not doing well.

Could it be that this time...

Gu Yanxi also hurried up and stood behind Hua Zhi, taking the initiative to ask, "What happened?"

The servant was taken aback and looked at the eldest young miss, unsure whether to speak or not.

Hua Zhi had already prepared herself, and nodded. "Go on."

The servant quickly said, "Yes, about half a month ago, Qiu shi, the third household's concubine, stole money from the household and was trying to escape when she was discovered by the guards. Upon interrogation, it was discovered that this was not the first time. She had also learned the recipes of several dishes from the household and taught them to her family. The third madam decided to lock her up and wait for your return to deal with it."

At the door, Hua Zhi didn't ask any more questions. She turned and said, "It's just a family scandal, you may go."

Gu Yanxi naturally couldn't stay any longer, "If you need anything, just find me."

"Yes."

Upon entering, Hua Zhi went directly to the third lady's quarters. Xia Shi, upon seeing her, was momentarily stunned, then her face brightened with relief. Although nothing terribly significant had happened during the eldest miss's absence, a sense of unease had persisted. Now that she was back, Xia Shi felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

"Third Aunt." Hua Zhi bowed respectfully.

Xia Shi hurriedly helped her up, her heart aching at the sight of Hua Zhi's weary appearance. It was already difficult enough to travel far and wide, but to have such a treacherous incident occur within the family was even more distressing.

"It was this aunt’s fault for not managing people properly."

"You can’t guard against a traitor within your own family. Who would have thought that she would harbor no ill intentions during the Hua family’s most difficult times, but would become greedy once our fortunes improved?" Hua Zhi took a seat and accepted a cup of warm water from a servant, drinking it down in one gulp. "Bring me another."

After two cups, Hua Zhi finally felt her throat soothe. She hadn’t dared to drink much water on her journey, fearing there would be no convenient place to relieve herself.

Looking up, she was about to speak when she noticed Xia Shi wiping her eyes. Understanding immediately, she knew that for a woman who rarely left her inner chambers, the hardships of traveling were unimaginable. Yet, they couldn’t even manage their own household. She must have felt a great deal of self-blame.

Hua Zhi assured her, ‘I’m not tired.’ Though she wasn’t entirely certain if anyone would believe her. Perhaps it was because she had grown accustomed to such hardships. Aside from the discomfort of horseback riding, everything else was bearable. But it was better to think this way; at least people wouldn’t assume that she was capable of enduring any hardship.

"I overheard the gatekeepers mention something about it, but I didn’t quite understand. The family’s finances have always been managed by Ying Chun and Nian Qiu. They’re both very careful. How did Concubine Qiu manage to steal from them?"

Xia Shi took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Shortly after you left, Concubine Qiu came to me and said she wanted to do something to help the family. The concubines from the other houses said the same. Your fourth aunt and I thought it was a good idea, so we had them help organize the household. Your courtyard wasn’t off-limits to anyone, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to come and go as she pleased. No one would have suspected anything. We were all getting along so well, who would have thought she was harboring such evil intentions? She started by learning a few recipes from the cook, then she figured out Ying Chun and the others’ routines. Over three days, she stole twelve hundred taels of silver from them. If the guards hadn’t noticed her acting suspiciously when she was leaving and stopped her, she would have gotten away with it.’"

The root of the problem lies in management, as it has been in the past. Ying Chun and Nian Qiu would only do the accounts once every few days during busy times, and the silver notes were kept in a box. Since there had never been any errors in the accounts, she didn't require them to record the accounts daily. This bad habit needs to be changed.

If they had been recording the accounts daily from the beginning, how could such a situation where thefts went undetected for several days in a row have occurred?

"Has anyone been to her house?"

"No, I've had people go out to inquire. The Qiu family has rented a shop in the east of the city now, and it seems they intend to sell those same kinds of food."

So they want her to swallow this bitter pill?

Hua Zhi sneered.

If Concubine Qiu came to ask her for the food recipes for her family's livelihood, she would give them. But to get them in this way, she would rather not let them have their way.

Just as she was about to speak, footsteps were heard outside the door, and soon Zhu Shi and Wu Shi appeared at the door one after the other. Hua Zhi quickly got up and knelt down to pay her respects to Zhu Shi.

Zhu Shi couldn't bear to see her daughter like this, and before she could kneel, she pulled her up and murmured, "Why have you lost so much weight? You're so thin already. Are you tired? Are you hungry? I'll go to the kitchen..."

"Mother," Hua Zhi called softly and hugged her mother, who seemed a little flustered. "I'm fine. I haven't been neglecting myself while I'm out. It's just that I've been a little tired from riding these past few days. I'll be fine after resting for a couple of days."

Zhu Shi hugged her daughter, who was so thin that she felt her bones, and tried desperately to suppress her urge to cry. She choked back a sob and forced a smile, saying, "As long as you're okay. As long as you're okay."

Hua Zhi felt heartache but was helpless. She could shoulder all the responsibilities of the Hua family, but she couldn't stop the changes in the family's circumstances. Her mother was simple but not stupid. She couldn't help, so she could only try not to become a burden to her children. Like now, even though tears were welling up in her eyes, she was still smiling, stronger than before.

———TN: "Poor Hua Zhi... she's working her butt off just to keep the Hua family afloat."