The most secure job in Dajin

Chapter 255, The Driving Force of the Times (Twenty-Four)
The moon hung high in the sky, and lights were lit in the Hua family's courtyard.

In the courtyard, Grandma Hua talked to her daughters-in-law and granddaughters while occasionally looking up at the gate: "It's almost midnight, why haven't the eldest son and the others come back yet?"

Madam Yao was also looking at the courtyard gate, her expression troubled and somewhat worried.

The commotion caused by the Department of Medicine yesterday was huge; now everyone in the capital knows that a tall alchemy altar has appeared there.

According to news from the Earl's residence, the alchemy altar seems to have appeared because of Ninth Sister.

This seems like a good thing, a happy event?
Earlier, during dinner, the head steward of the Earl's mansion rushed to the Hua family and summoned the old master and all the men of the family to the Earl's mansion.

Because of the serious and tense expression on the head steward's face, Madam Yao's heart was constantly in her throat.

Jiu Niang rarely talks about her situation at the Medical Bureau at home, and the Hua family has no way to find out specific information about the Medical Bureau. Most of the information the family knows about Jiu Niang comes from the Earl's Mansion.

In the past year or two, the Earl's Mansion has been paying more and more attention to their family. Every time they hold a clan meeting, they call all the male members of the family to attend, and at each clan meeting, they talk about Ninth Sister.

Madam Yao suspected that this clan meeting was probably related to her Ninth Sister again.

"Creak."

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Old Master Hua led the way, followed by the three brothers Hua Minghe, Hua Mingang, and Hua Mingcheng, and then Hua Sanlang and other grandchildren of the Hua family.

Seeing that the men of the Hua family all had stern faces, Old Madam Hua and the women, including Madam Yao, felt a sudden pang of unease.

"Old man, what happened?"

Grandpa Hua ignored Grandma Hua and went straight into the main room.

When Grandma Hua saw this, she quickly followed, and the others also went into the house.

After everyone had entered the main room, Old Master Hua coldly snorted, "Ninth Sister has caused a huge disaster!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Yao's face turned pale. Before she could ask any questions, Hua Minghe frowned and stepped forward to retort, "Father, it's not that Ninth Sister caused trouble; it's clearly the powerful and wealthy families who are forcing Ninth Sister."

Old Master Hua glared at Hua Minghe: "That's because Ninth Sister acts eccentrically. If she had been willing to ask the Earl's Mansion for help, and with the Earl's Mansion mediating, how could things have turned out like this today?"

“I’ve said it before: Jiu Niang is young and inexperienced. For her to obtain the secret realm is like a little baby carrying a gold ingot on the street. She can’t protect the gold ingot.”

"The Earl's Mansion has sent messages several times, wanting to help Ninth Sister manage the secret realm. I asked you to persuade Ninth Sister, but what did you do? You just let Ninth Sister do whatever she wanted."

"The capital is a dangerous place. Even the Earl's family has to be extremely careful if they want to make a name for themselves, let alone our family."

"After Jiu Niang joined the Department of Medicine, she became more and more arrogant. At first, she didn't take me seriously. Later, when the clansmen wanted to get close to her, she acted as if they were beneath her notice."

“All of that is fine. Behind closed doors, it’s all family business, clan business. But now, she’s so arrogant that she doesn’t even respect the royal family or the powerful.”

"If the royal family really wants to deal with our family, do you think we have any chance to resist? Do you want our whole family to be buried with the willful and capricious Ninth Sister?"

Old Master Hua had long been seething with anger at his granddaughter Hua Changxi, who didn't respect him or care about the family's interests. Now, after being pressured by the royal family and powerful figures, he unleashed a torrent of anger, venting all his dissatisfaction and worries.

Hua Minghe's face darkened upon hearing this; he wanted to refute it, but had no way to do so.

Compared to the other younger members of the family, Jiu Niang was indeed somewhat unruly.

Madam Yao was extremely anxious and grabbed Hua Minghe in a hurry: "What exactly happened to Ninth Sister?" Hua Minghe sighed and quickly explained that Hua Changxi had erected a vow monument and announced the recruitment of apprentices.

After hearing this, Yao was somewhat confused: "There's nothing wrong with the two things that Ninth Sister did?"

Hua Mingang shouted, "This is a huge problem! Sister-in-law, do you know that what Jiu Niang did has angered everyone?"

As he spoke, he carefully explained to Madam Yao and the other members of the Hua family how Hua Changxi had infringed upon the interests of all parties.

Upon hearing this, Yao muttered, "The secret realm belongs to Ninth Sister. Does that mean she can't even decide for herself how to recruit people?"

Hua Mingang: "Yes, the secret realm belongs to Jiu Niang, but the Medical Bureau is still a department of the imperial court and is subject to the rule of the royal family. The royal family dislikes Jiu Niang and it would be too easy for them to deal with her."

Yao fell silent.

Seeing that Hua Minghe and Yao Shi remained silent, Hua Mingang glanced at Old Master Hua and continued, "Elder brother and sister-in-law, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head!"

"Ninth Sister is being boycotted by the royal family and nobles. Not only can she not recruit a single person, but the entire Hua clan will also suffer as a result."

"In my opinion, you should go see Ninth Sister as soon as possible and persuade her to bow down to Prince Shou. As long as the royal family agrees, there will be no more trouble."

Upon hearing this, both Hua Minghe and Yao frowned simultaneously.

Making Jiu Niang bow down to Prince Shou would be tantamount to forcing her to relinquish control of the secret realm. Jiu Niang would never agree to that!
Grandpa Hua knew his granddaughter's temperament and said, "Ninth Sister is too young and impetuous. She doesn't know how to deal with people properly. The Earl said that if Ninth Sister is willing to back down, he is willing to negotiate with Prince Shou and will not let Ninth Sister suffer too much."

Seeing that the eldest son and his wife remained silent, Old Master Hua became angry: "Things always need to be resolved!"

“The matter has only just begun. The sooner we resolve it, the less impact it will have. Do you really want to wait until our family and clan are severely damaged before you discipline your precious daughter?”

Upon hearing this, both Hua Minghe and Yao Shi looked helpless.

After a while, Hua Minghe spoke up: "Father, I will try to persuade Ninth Sister."

Grandpa Hua: "I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

Hua Minghe gave a muffled "hmm" and left the main room. After that, the others also took their leave.

After everyone had left, Old Madam Hua looked at Old Master Hua and asked, "Did Ninth Sister really do something wrong?"

Old Master Hua sighed deeply: "Wealth can be tempting, but if you gain wealth and then can't protect it, that's a mistake!"

Everyone wants to divide up the resources in Jiuniang's Secret Realm, but Jiuniang has created an oath monument, not letting anyone gain any advantage. If everyone doesn't target her, who else should they target?
Old Master Hua grew up alone and destitute. He was fortunate enough to marry and have children, and now he has a house full of children and grandchildren. He doesn't want anything to happen to the Hua family.

Even though she was the most outstanding in the family, the old man couldn't bring himself to like his ninth granddaughter, who had caused so much trouble for the family.

"If Ninth Sister doesn't change her temperament, she's going to suffer a big setback!"

“In the past, she would only cause minor trouble, and she would bear the consequences herself, but now, she’s making a bigger and bigger fuss. I’m really afraid that one day, our family and clan will be in big trouble because of her!”

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Hua also showed a worried expression: "Then what should we do? I'm afraid the eldest son and his wife won't be able to persuade Ninth Sister."

Grandpa Hua was also quite helpless. He didn't know what to do. He thought regretfully again that it would have been better if the promising younger generation in the family wasn't Ninth Sister.