The people who needed to be taken away were taken away, and everyone retreated in a hurry. Eunuch Lai Fu stayed behind and said, "Old Madam, you only have one hour to pack your things. This is already an extra favor from the Emperor. Please prepare early."
"Yes, I thank the emperor for his grace. I will definitely take my parents away within the hour."
After Lai Fu left, Madam Hua could no longer hold on and collapsed. The people around her hurriedly supported her. Nanny Su, who had followed the old lady for decades, pinched her philtrum hard, and the old lady slowly woke up.
Looking at the room full of panic-stricken women and children, the old lady smiled bitterly, tears rolling down her eyes. They were either children who knew nothing, or short-sighted women who only cared about the gains and losses in front of them. How would the Hua family get through this disaster
Hua Zhi felt sad as she watched her grandmother crying. This was the first time she saw her grandmother cry. Her grandmother was always calm, as if nothing would happen as long as she was there. But now her grandmother was also overwhelmed by this huge change, and the Hua family was completely left with no one to protect.
Looking around, the eldest lady among the four wives of the Hua family is notoriously weak and sentimental. She would cry just by looking at the dead leaves on the ground. You can't rely on her at all at this time.
Because the second branch was born out of wedlock, she had no say in the family. Even if she wanted to take the lead, the grandmother would never agree. The other branches would not let a illegitimate child put pressure on them.
The Third Lady has the lowest social status among the wives of the Hua family. Her social status also determines that her vision cannot support the Hua family, which is now in turmoil. What's more, her legitimate son, who was hard to come by, has been taken away. It is unknown how long it will take for her to recover.
The fourth lady Hua Zhi is actually very optimistic about him. She has a good background and vision, but...
Looking at her already visibly pregnant belly, Hua Zhi smiled bitterly. If it were normal times, she could still give it a try and at most she would just give some advice behind the scenes, but how could she let a pregnant woman bear all this pressure now
Such a big, centuries-old family, but in the end there was no one who could hold up the situation. It can be seen that the men of the Hua family did not bring down the reputation of their ancestors, but the women of this generation are really far from it.
Hua Zhi didn't know what she was feeling. She had been forced to become as hard-hearted as iron. She thought she could live a peaceful and stable life until she was old. But now she was forced to become a strong woman. Given the general environment, she hoped that she would not end up miserably.
Pulling her brother to her mother's side and supporting her, Hua Zhi let go of her hand and stepped forward. Hua Bailin's heart skipped a beat and she called out softly, "Eldest sister!"
Hua Zhi turned around and smiled, her eyes full of helplessness, "Take good care of mother."
Hua Bailin still doesn't understand what emotion is contained in that look, he just feels very sad. When he grows up, he realizes what price his sister paid to take the lead, and he also knows that his sadness at that time was actually due to heartache.
Hua Zhi pushed through the crowd, took a few steps forward, and squatted in front of her grandmother. She met her grandmother's gaze and asked in a gentle voice, "Grandma, do you believe me?"
Do you believe it? The old lady raised her hand and touched her granddaughter's face, "You are a descendant of my Hua family."
Because you are a descendant of the Hua family, of course I believe you!
Hua Zhi nodded, "Then you can temporarily hand over the housekeeping power to me."
The old lady looked at her quietly for a moment, and was surprised to find that there was not a trace of fear and panic in her eyes that was obvious in other people. Yes, this was the granddaughter taught by the old man himself.
"Okay, I'll leave all the old, weak, women and children in this room of the Hua family to you."
Hua Zhi smiled, stood up and faced everyone, "We only have one hour, now please go back and take as many things as you think you should take with you, we will leave here first."
The second lady hesitated for a moment and asked, "Leaving here... where to go?"
"No matter where we go, we have to leave first." Hua Zhi replied to her without hesitation, and also replied to everyone, "This is the official residence of a second-rank official. My grandfather was stripped of his position, so we naturally have no right to live here."
"Go to the house in the south of the city." The old lady took over, "It won't be closed."
No one asked why the place would not be closed. Someone had made the decision, and the frightened women just wanted to have a safe place to go.
"Remember to bring the knee and wrist guards that your grandfather and father used in the winter. Hurry."
No one dared to be confused about this matter. Even the eldest lady held her son's hand tightly and went back to clean up the mess.
Hua Zhi turned around to say something, but the old lady spoke first, and her expression seemed a little relieved. "You should go and pack up as well. I will hold on for the sake of the Hua family."
"We need to keep the talents for the future, grandma. This game is not the end of the matter. We still have a chance to turn the tables." Hua Zhi bowed and left quickly with a few maids. One hour was really not a long time.
The old lady covered her eyes and suddenly laughed, "Before, I couldn't understand why the old man ignored other outstanding grandchildren in the family and loved Zhi'er so much. Isn't she just a little obedient? There are many girls like this in every family. Now I understand that the old man was not wrong, it was me who was wrong."
"Yes, I never realized that the young lady had such courage before."
"Come on, help me back, there's not much time left."
As soon as Hua Zhi entered her yard, she gave instructions, "Take out all the things and divide them into five portions. Each of us will carry one portion. Bring as many clothes for all four seasons as possible. Bring whatever else you think you can use."
After entering the house, everyone went about their business. Nian Qiu asked as she packed her things, "Will we be searched when we go out?"
"Probably not. We have already raided our house once. They think that even if we hide something, it won't be much. No one would cause the Queen Mother's displeasure for such a small amount of things."
Baochun suddenly realized, "Yes, the women of the Hua family were protected by the Queen Mother. If they want to search us, wouldn't that be disrespectful to the Queen Mother?"
Hua Zhi walked to the bed. The cabinet was open and there were signs of books being flipped through, probably to see if there were any banknotes hidden inside. There were also two books dropped on the ground.
She took out three books and put them in her bag. Then she stopped packing and sat aside to think about what to do next.
Grandfather and father were officials in the same dynasty, so they must have been stripped of their official uniforms and exiled immediately. At the same time, the imperial guards set out to search the Hua Mansion. The total time for the search was about an hour. Taking all the time into account, grandfather should have been on the road for two hours. She had to make some preparations. Grandfather couldn't just leave like this. The north gets cold early, and it will probably be cold by the time they get there. And now grandfather is still wearing a thin shirt...
Rubbing her forehead, Hua Zhi closed her eyes and calculated everything. Time passed by unknowingly.