There was deathly silence in the imperial study.
The emperor thought that this would force the daring woman to show some cowardice, but as time went by, her fearlessness did not diminish at all.
She was really not afraid of being punished after she got his promise not to punish the Hua family.
The emperor broke the silence, "Aren't you afraid that I won't fulfill my promise after you die?"
"I don't believe you. I believe in the emperor of Daqing, to whom the Hua family has been loyal for generations."
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Even now you are still fighting for all possible hopes for the Hua family. Hua Zhi, your weakness is too obvious. If they capture the Hua family, they will capture you. If you were a little more ruthless, you wouldn't have done this."
"Your Majesty, you are cruel enough, but who else do you have besides Yan Xi? I am not cruel enough, but I have the entire Hua family. If I die here today, they will cry for me and remember me forever. What about you?"
Hua Zhi's smile was even a little malicious and a little happy. She hated the emperor who ruined her peaceful life, hated him for making Yan Xi work like a slave and having few days of leisure throughout the year, and hated him for being suspicious of this and that and being able to decide life and death with just one thought. On weekdays, she had to hide and act like a grandson, but today she was going to die anyway, so why should she endure it any longer!
The emperor's face was gloomy. "You don't need to say these things to anger me. I know better than you."
"But you were still angry because you knew very well that I was telling the truth."
The emperor stared at her coldly. Hua Zhi looked back without dodging. She was not afraid! It had come to this point. She was not afraid!
During the confrontation, An Yi came in quietly and handed several letters to the emperor.
However, Hua Zhi still recognized it at a glance despite it being an ordinary envelope. It was the letter she left!
Her body swayed, and Hua Zhi quickly recalled the contents of the letter in her mind. It was okay, yes, it should be okay. She had not treated it as a private letter when she wrote it. She was also well aware of the insecurity of such a letter, and she had not said anything that could not be shown to others.
The emperor looked at her, picked out the deliberately slow-opened letter "Grandfather's Letter", and read it: "Grandfather, seeing your letter is like seeing you in person. You have indulged me and taught me for more than ten years. I have used what I have learned in these ten years to protect the family. Everything is destined by heaven. I have no regrets. Please don't worry."
The emperor laughed, "You two have a deep affection for each other."
"Yes, you probably never had the chance to experience it."
The emperor ignored her and opened the one from 'Father's Personal Letter'. "Father, I feel like I'm seeing you in person. It's hard for you to tolerate your daughter's private marriage when your mind is full of the words of saints. Thank you for taking the knife for me regardless of your own life. I hope that we can continue our father-daughter relationship in the next life. Please take good care of me. I bow my head and say goodbye."
The emperor picked up the third letter, and on the envelope was a letter from Berlin himself. "Berlin, my elder sister has entrusted the family business to you. As long as you keep these Hua family businesses, they will never fall into such a state. The business of Green Moss Lane and Oriole Cloud Lane is exclusively owned by my elder sister. Each family has contributed to the canned fruit business, and their shares are recorded in detail. You can ask Nianqiu to find them for you. You don't need to worry about the canned fruit business, just sell it to Bai Mingxia at the current price.
Vegetarian food, mushrooms and seafood are all joint ventures. I have kept detailed records. Profits are divided according to share, once every six months. For soap business, 30% of the dividend is enough. In fact, you don't need to intervene in anything. My eldest sister has left Yingchun and the others to you. You must use them well and treat them well. You must also fulfill my eldest sister's promise for me. You must do your best to protect all the daughters of the Hua family who are married out. If Shaoyao is willing to come back, treat her as your sister. Berlin, I hope you will grow into a towering tree, with your feet on the ground and your hands supporting the sky. My eldest sister can see it."
The emperor opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but finally closed it again. He picked up the letter again and was stunned when he saw the four words "From Xiaoliu" on the envelope. He was even more surprised when he saw the content of the letter.
"Why was the text 'May the world be peaceful and prosperous' left for Xiao Liu'er? Do you think highly of him?"
Hua Zhi closed her eyes and stopped talking.
The emperor sneered, "Do you believe it or not, I can let Xiao Liuer have an accident in Xiangyang right now?"
"I believe you. Who can be more cruel than you?" Hua Zhi opened her eyes, her expression calm, as if Yan Xi had never mentioned those plans. "Xiao Liu is a prince. Even if he is not favored and easily abandoned by his father, he is still of royal blood. His identity means that he can do many things that ordinary people cannot do. Daqing is the Daqing of the Gu family. What's wrong with me praying for a prosperous and peaceful world to the prince I taught?"
"quibble!"
“That’s the answer.”
The emperor sighed, took the last letter and hesitated before finally opening it. He had thought of many possible contents of the letter, but he had never thought of this one. It was so simple, yet so full of emotion.
I have no regrets knowing you.
Even if knowing him brings disaster upon herself, she has no regrets. This is her attitude towards this relationship, so open that she doesn't even bother to hide it.
The emperor suddenly understood why Yan Xi fell in love with her. When a person has been in the dark for a long time and suddenly sees the light, even if he knows that it is a fire, he will uncontrollably rush towards it. Hua Zhi is that fire, and Yan Xi is the lonely traveler who has been walking for a long time.
Loneliness, who doesn't feel lonely except for fools? The emperor snorted and threw the letter on the imperial desk, leaning back deeply into the back of the chair, "I heard that in order to relieve the flood in Lingzhou, it was your idea to build a new canal there?"
Hua Zhi blinked. Is there anything wrong with this? Who does the emperor want to implicate? Yan Xi
Her nerves had been tense for a long time and her spirit had reached its limit. Kneeling for a long time had consumed too much of her energy and her body was already at the end of its strength. Hua Zhi couldn't think at all for a while and she didn't dare to reply, for fear that she would accidentally bring trouble to Yan Xi.
When the emperor saw her like this, he suddenly felt a little envious of Yan Xi. Born into a royal family, she had everything and could get everything easily, except true love. He had countless beauties in his harem, but none of them came to him simply because of him. In comparison, Yan Xi was too lucky.
Hua Zhi's attitude change was obvious. She came with an attitude of admitting her guilt at the beginning, and tried to find a chance of survival from it. It was only after he proposed to enter the palace as a concubine that she cut off her own road, not for herself, but for Yan Xi. She felt sorry for Yan Xi and felt unfair for Yan Xi. She was willing to sacrifice her life for a man who had not given her any status. If they got married one day, how would she protect him
Such a strong character might cause dislike if she married into another family, but for Yan Xi, who had lost everything, even his home, she was very attractive. However, when the emperor thought that his nephew who had never hidden anything from him would actually go against his will for her, he still felt that he could not let Hua Zhi go easily.