There is a room on the first floor near the back that Hua Zhi specially reserved for the cooks in the kitchen. Women are naturally weaker than men, and they need a place to rest after working all day. The waiters can lie down anywhere, but women cannot.
Hua Zhi was resting in this room at this time. Bao Xia made some tea and put it in the young lady's hand. "There must be someone behind this man. Miss, who do you think it could be?"
"There are always some people who can't stand the Hua family's success. They may be in the same industry. We don't need to worry about this. The Cai and Jiang families will investigate."
Bao Xia suddenly remembered that this was not their business, and nodded, "If you get such a big benefit for nothing, you have to contribute a little."
Hua Zhi nodded her head lightly and was about to scold her when she heard someone knocking on the door. Bao Xia thought it was one of her sisters, so she went over and opened the door without thinking. When she saw that it was a strange man standing outside the door, she was about to close the door immediately.
"Miss, Mr. Lu's elders invite you."
As the words fell, the door closed. Hua Zhi's heart skipped a beat and she stood up. She only knew one Mr. Lu, and his elder...
"Open the door."
Bao Xia wanted to say something, but when she saw the young lady's expression, she stopped talking. She quickly opened the door, but blocked it with her body, and looked warily at the man outside the door who was a head taller than her.
Hua Zhi looked up at the man in black from above Bao Xia's head and said in a hoarse voice, "Would the elder invite you?"
"Yes, young lady, you should know what to do for the good of the Hua family."
Just like the long-awaited shoe finally dropped, Hua Zhi let out a long sigh. She did not have the trust in the emperor that Yan Xi had due to their closeness. To put it bluntly, she had no good feelings towards the emperor who had prevented her family from reuniting. After she and Yan Xi confessed their feelings to each other, she had been waiting for this day to come. She did not believe that the emperor who sat high up in the temple would really trust Yan Xi that much.
Facts proved that she was right. The emperor did trust Yan Xi at the beginning and had trusted him for many years. He also started to investigate him recently.
"Please give me a quarter of an hour. I need to make some arrangements."
If it was someone else, An Yi would not agree, but since the other party was Hua Zhi, he was willing to compromise. The Dark Guards and the Seven Stars Division have always complemented each other, and at critical moments the Dark Guards would obey the orders of the leader of the Seven Stars Division. This matter involved the leader of the Seven Stars Division, and it was his own business. He did not want to do anything extreme, so he turned around and left silently.
After a quarter of an hour, Hua Zhi sat down on the desk, held down her trembling hands and bit the tip of her tongue hard. The smell of blood stimulated her to calm down.
"Miss..." Bao Xia secretly hated himself for being so stupid that he could not understand what the young lady was talking about just now. He just knew that something was wrong.
"Grind the ink." Hua Zhi rolled up her sleeves and her mind raced. Since the emperor knew about her, he would definitely not accept her. She didn't know what would be waiting for her on this trip, and there was a high possibility that she would not be able to come back. She had to prepare for the worst.
Now the several businesses in hand are all profitable, even if... What if she is gone, the Hua family can still stand with the support of these businesses. But if she is gone, Berlin may have to give up the idea of a career in politics. With the help of Yingchun and the others, Berlin is smart and can support this family.
As for the Zhu family, she believed that her grandfather would definitely help them, but she couldn't rely too much on the Hua family. It didn't matter if they were not of the same social status, but she must never feel inferior to them. It was fine when her grandfather was alive, but if one day her grandfather was gone, her uncle might have other thoughts. Even if they were relatives, they needed to be equally matched in order to last long.
Berlin must be told that at least once a year, silver and money must be sent to Yinshan Pass. Of course, no news about her can be told, just like she suppressed the news about her grandmother. They will definitely come back, even without her, they will definitely come back, it will just take a little longer at most. She has no control over how they will react when they come back and know about these things, the premise is that they have to come back.
And Yan Xi...
Hua Zhi's hand holding the pen trembled, and the ink on the tip of the pen dripped onto the rice paper. She looked down, then watched Bao Xia take away the waste paper.
Taking a deep breath, Hua Zhi wrote steadily. In the first letter she left to Berlin, she explained the family business. After a little hesitation, she left a sentence at the end: I hope you grow into a towering tree, with your feet on the ground and your hands supporting the sky, so that your eldest sister can see it.
Baoxia covered her mouth and burst into tears. She didn't know how the happy opening had turned out like this. She was angry and unwilling, but there was nothing she could do but to increase the force of grinding the ink to make it darker and thicker.
Hua Zhi left the second letter to her grandfather. In just a few words, it fully explained the bond between her and the Hua family.
The third letter was left to her father. She didn't know whether the taciturn man would be shaken in his faith when he came back and knew her ending. She was actually quite looking forward to it.
The fourth letter was left to Xiaoliu, with only five words: May there be peace and prosperity in this world.
A quarter of an hour was almost up, and Hua Zhi gave the time for the last letter to Yan Xi. But after writing the word Yan Xi, she didn't know how to continue. The man who said that he actually had nothing would be sad.
Hua Zhi suppressed the bitterness in her heart and slowly wrote: I have no regrets knowing you.
Putting down the pen, Hua Zhi added in her heart, I hope you will not be born into a royal family in your next life, so that you can enjoy family, love, and friendship.
Putting down her sleeves, Hua Zhi gently stroked the hairpin on her head, but ultimately did not take it off.
"If I don't return today, go find Berlin and give him the letter."
“Miss…” Bao Xia knelt on the ground, hugged her legs and shook his head.
Hua Zhi looked at the maid who had grown up with her, and her heart was filled with sadness. It was not that she was not afraid, but she had no way out. The emperor was holding her at her weak spot, and now she didn't even have the right to commit suicide.
"Help Berlin well."
“Miss, I will go with you, together…” Baoxia crawled to her feet and went forward to open the door without even wiping her tears.
Hua Zhi held her back, wiped her tears, and said, "Berlin can't do without you, dear."
"Miss, please take me with you. Yingchun and the others are at home. Please take me with you. I won't talk. I will just follow you. I will go wherever you go and serve you wherever you are..." Baoxia burst into tears and grabbed the young lady's sleeve tightly and refused to let go.
"It may not come to that. I'm just preparing for the worst." Hua Zhi smiled, "I have to make some arrangements."
Otherwise how could she feel at ease? If it wasn't just a quarter of an hour, if she could be given a day, no, half a day would be enough, she would also make a more thorough plan.
But things didn't go as she wished.
Hua Zhi walked towards the door, listening to the humming sound behind her, her heart calmed down.
To have a life for free, to have a home, to have a decent family, to have a few loyal servants, to have... a person with a heart. Even if her life ended here, she would have gained something. But she also felt regretful because she thought she could have gotten more.
She opened the door, looked at the man outside, and said softly, "Please lead the way."