Inside the corner gate of the Hua family, Yingchun and Baoxia were pacing back and forth, and from time to time they would stick close to the door to listen to the noise outside.
"Haven't you come back yet?" Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Zhu came together, both showing some anxiety. There were many taboos during the national mourning period, and people had to be away from home.
After the greeting, both maids shook their heads.
Wu looked at Yingchun, "You came back from Zhi'er. Did she tell you anything?"
Of course there were, but the young lady said that she could only tell him if he didn't come back tonight. Even though she was so worried that she wanted to tell him everything without missing a word, she had to endure it now.
Mrs. Wu understood what was going on and she was helpless. These maids were too opinionated and listened to Zhier. Even if she forced them, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get them to say anything.
Zhu on the side spoke up, "As a mother, I always know where Zhi'er went."
Yingchun bit her lip and finally told the truth, "The young lady... has entered the palace."
Zhu was stunned for a moment, "The emperor summoned her to the palace?"
Yingchun lowered her head and decided not to say anything. The eldest lady didn't know what was going on outside, and the young lady was willing to protect her, so she would naturally help the young lady.
Wu knew more and was aware that Zhi'er had suffered great losses in the previous few times she entered the palace. She was already worried without having to find out more. She knew very well that the Hua family could be so stable today thanks to Zhi'er. She also believed that as long as Zhi'er was in the Hua family, they would be able to continue to live in peace until the men of the Hua family came back or the men of the Hua family grew up. Zhi'er was too important to the Hua family, so important that she didn't dare to think too much about what would happen to the Hua family if something happened to Zhi'er.
Bao Xia suddenly turned around and opened the door. As expected, the young lady's carriage without any family emblem slowly drove up, and the people following behind the carriage were... the Royal Guards!
Baoxia rushed out without thinking, and Yingchun was no slower than her. Seeing the two of them doing this, Zhu and Wu looked at each other, walked to the door, and when they saw the scene outside, they subconsciously followed them out.
The captain of the royal guard in charge of the escort led the others to dismount, holding the horses and not moving forward. Even if the Hua family had fallen before, they had never fallen to the bottom. Now with the relationship between the new monarch and the eldest daughter of the Hua family, it was only a matter of time before they returned to their heyday. He had already done a good job for the Hua family by getting this job today.
The carriage stopped, but Hua Zhi did not get out. She couldn't wait to hug Xia and lift the curtain. When she saw the scene inside, she immediately regretted her rough action. If the lady was not extremely tired, she would not fall asleep without someone she trusted by her side.
Hua Zhi was wide awake in her sleep. She opened her eyes as soon as the curtain was lifted. After seeing who it was, she yawned with her hand covering her mouth, gathered the cloak that obviously did not belong to her, bent down to dismount from the horse with the help of the inner wall of the carriage. The movement involved her wound, and she hissed softly. The two maids' already uneasy hearts were instantly lifted up. Their young lady had never escaped unscathed every time she had a conflict with the palace. This time, she was afraid that she would not end up well. Yingchun clearly remembered that the young lady was not wearing this coat when she entered the palace.
The two men stepped forward, one on the left and one on the right, to support the person. After walking a few steps forward, Hua Zhi remembered that Xiao Liu had arranged someone to escort them, so she stopped and looked back. She leaned slightly towards those people, maintaining neither her status nor her courtesy.
Several people hurriedly returned the greeting and watched the person go into the house before leaving, looking at each other in surprise. The Imperial Guards were not an ordinary army. Most of them were children of the powerful in the capital. Maybe they were not legitimate sons, and maybe their families had long been ruined, but fundamentally they were not ordinary people. At this time, they also felt that Hua Zhi was extremely pleasing to the eye. No wonder she was personally appointed as the Grand Tutor by the late emperor and became the first female official in the Daqing Dynasty.
The prosperity of the Hua family is just around the corner.
After entering the house, Hua Zhi smiled and explained to her mother and fourth aunt, "I lost a lot of clothes in the palace. Xiaoliu found a new one for me to change into. I'm fine now."
Hua Zhi smiled happily, "The Hua family is fine now."
Wu covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide open.
Hua Zhi nodded at her, "It's just as you thought. The late emperor's will made Xiao Liu the crown prince and I the tutor."
Now even Zhu covered her mouth. Madam Master
Hua Zhi had no comment on this official position. The late emperor just wanted to use it to tie her down and make her devote herself to his son. She didn't need to attend the court and was not allowed to participate in politics. Although she looked like an official, it was just a title in the end.
Fortunately, she didn't really want to pursue a career in politics. She just hoped that Xiaoliu would grow up quickly, become a qualified monarch, and get married quickly. By then, she would have a bright future.
"Madam, Madam Four, I am your servant. Miss is tired. Why don't you let her rest for a while?"
Yingchun's reminder made the eldest lady, who was a mother, feel guilty. She nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, you don't look very energetic. Go and rest."
Hua Zhi was really tired, so she stopped being polite with her family and nodded and walked towards her yard. She missed her bed very much. She was also hungry, very hungry, and could eat as much as a cow.
A little maid had already trotted back, and everyone in the yard was moving. Hot water was carried into the house, clothes were prepared, and the dishes that had been warming on the stove were served on the table... Looking at these familiar scenes, Hua Zhi felt that her bones were softening. This was the life she had always wanted to live, without running around and working hard, without having to worry and exert herself, without having to be as tired as a dog and still have to pretend nothing had happened.
She hopes to be surrounded by people who can support the world, so that she can retreat to a corner and be protected with a clear conscience, instead of having to set up a home and be a protector like she has now.
"Miss, please have a bowl of soup to warm yourself up first."
Hua Zhi took the handkerchief and washed her hands, then drank the soup at the fastest speed in her life. The feeling as if there was air leaking through the joints of her bones finally faded a little.
Yingchun's eyes were red. She quickly picked up some dishes that were easy to digest and placed them in front of the young lady. She then signaled Baoxia with her eyes to go to the kitchen quickly to urge her.
Hua Zhi ate without even raising her head. Her eyes were even greedier than her stomach and she wanted to stuff everything into her mouth.
"Please go slow." Yingchun filled another half bowl of soup without stopping the serving of the dishes.
The First Lady and the Fourth Lady, who felt uneasy no matter how they thought about it, followed her. They wanted to ask in detail what the position of the Grand Tutor was all about, but standing outside and looking at Zhi'er's appearance, they all slowed down their movements at the same time, watched for a while and then left hand in hand. They could ask about their questions at any time, but Zhi'er was really hungry and tired.
Even without asking, they knew how difficult it was for a woman to obtain the position of Grand Tutor, how much she had to pay, and how many things she had to endure in the palace that they could not imagine and how many dangers she had to go through before she could make it.
They looked at each other and sighed at the same time. The crisis of the Hua family might have passed. They were safe, but what about Zhier's future? What should she do about her marriage? In the end, a woman still had to marry into a good family!