The commotion here quickly drew the attention of the residences on either side. People secretly opened doors and peeked out. Seeing Zhao Hanzhang and her brother kneeling at the gate in full mourning, they were all shocked. The Zhao family had a death?

As both sides remained at an impasse, a voice came from afar: “I’ll accept it!”

Everyone turned to look and saw Fu Tinghan leading a group of people on fast horses heading their way, with several carriages and ox-carts following slowly behind.

Fu Tinghan met Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, kicked his horse’s belly to speed up, and only reined in sharply when he reached the gate.

He jumped down from his horse and strode forward. The adjutant raised his hand to block him halfheartedly, then stopped. Didn’t he see all those people following behind?

There were young lords and young ladies—all clearly nobles. He could afford to offend one or two, but so many? He wasn’t brain-dead, so naturally he knew when to be tactful.

Fu Tinghan took three steps as two to reach Zhao Hanzhang. He looked at her steadily for a moment before taking a piece of hemp cloth from her hands and tying it around his waist.

Wang Xuan and Wang Siniang fell a step behind.

Wang Siniang jumped down from her horse and ran over, her face full of concern. “Sanniang, are you alright?”

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at her, lowered her head and raised the white hemp higher. “Zhao clan’s Sanniang announces the death to all arriving friends and old acquaintances. Grandfather, surnamed Zhao with the given name Qiao, passed away last night.”

Wang Siniang’s eyes reddened. She reached out to also accept a hemp cloth strip.

Wang Xuan walked up slowly and said to the adjutant, “Setting aside Lord Zhao’s achievements, even for an ordinary household, the dead are paramount. The Zhao clan has both branches present here. They must be allowed to go out and announce the death. His Majesty and the prince should also be informed.”

He continued, “If you cannot make this decision, why not summon General Ma now?”

“Lord Zhao lived a life of simplicity and integrity. How can the likes of you insult him with a mere flapping of lips? He’s dead and can’t even announce his death—you ruffians, what are you trying to do?”

Those following Wang Xuan, whether on horseback or in carriages and ox-carts, had also arrived. Seeing Zhao Hanzhang and her brother holding hemp cloth but being blocked, they grew angry.

These people were all in their prime, full of youthful vigor, most dissatisfied with the current state of the nation, and most ambitious. For a moment their emotions stirred and they couldn’t help pointing at the adjutant and soldiers to curse.

One disheveled middle-aged man who came riding a donkey and carrying a wine gourd simply sat down on the steps. Facing the gate, he began crying and laughing. “Moral decay, ethics all gone! Insulting a man of national service, losing our lands—hahaha, it’s all karmic retribution! Zhao Changyu, Zhao Changyu, you urged me to take office, saying good men should devote themselves to the state. You were certainly loyal and righteous, but what was your fate?”

He pointed at the gate, crying and cursing. “You rushed about for the Sima family, exhausted yourself for Dajin, yet nearly died twice at Jin imperial hands. In the end, in the end, you still died, unable even to protect your descendants. What was it all for, what was it all for?”

Then he pointed at the adjutant and cursed. “Dead dog! Corpse without a heart! Dajin’s loss of Zhao Changyu is like losing a great pillar. Yet you still have time to place the Zhao family under house arrest. Just wait—give it time, and even your master won’t be able to set foot in Luoyang!”

Zhao Hanzhang heard this and looked up, her eyes blazing as tears rolled down. She held back her sobs and asked Wang Xuan, “Who is he?”

Wang Xuan replied, “This is Mr. Zhang Jingyang.”

Zhao Hanzhang: “You invited him?”

Wang Xuan smiled bitterly. “How would I have that ability? Last month Mr. Zhang refused the Emperor’s summons yet again, claiming illness. Not just me—even my father couldn’t see him. I never expected he would come today.”

Zhao Hanzhang understood. She held up the hemp cloth and moved forward on her knees to the steps, kowtowing and presenting the cloth. “Thank you, sir, for coming to mourn Grandfather.”

The adjutant and soldiers were cursed until their faces turned purple and blue, yet they dared not lay hands on Zhang Jingyang or stop Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhang Jingyang looked silently at the white cloth presented before him. Tears streamed down as he took a piece with trembling hands and clutched it, weeping and collapsing on the steps. “Changyu, oh Changyu! Where will you return, where can you return to? Alas, alas! Dajin, alas…”

Zhao Hanzhang bowed deeply to him, then stood and looked back at Zhao Erlang. Holding back tears, she said, “Erlang, follow me to announce the death.”

Zhao Erlang quickly scrambled up and trotted after her. A soldier stepped forward, but Fu Tinghan and Wang Xuan moved to block him, their gazes firm.

The adjutant pulled the soldier back. “Let them go.”

Damn it! The higher-ups were good at hiding. He’d been blocking for so long and no one came. If he kept blocking, even if these scholars didn’t curse him to death, he’d be executed for it afterward. Since that was the case, better to let them through.

Zhao Hanzhang led Zhao Erlang down the steps and walked step by step toward the street. Zhao Zhongyu saw this and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It was done.

The siblings, one holding hemp cloth and one carrying a mourning staff, walked along the street outward. For anyone familiar with the Zhao family, they would stop and kneel outside the gate to announce the death, waiting for someone inside to come out and accept the hemp cloth.

Fu Tinghan and the others followed slowly behind, stopping to the side to watch.

He watched as Zhao Hanzhang knelt before a gate, held up the hemp cloth high, and announced loudly, “Zhao clan of Runan, Sanniang, with young brother Erlang, have come to announce a death. Grandfather, surnamed Zhao with the given name Qiao, passed away last night…”

The first time, those inside didn’t hear clearly. Tao Qi paused his brush and listened carefully. “What are people outside shouting? It sounds like announcing a death to me.”

Soon the steward came running in urgently. “Lord, the Zhao family has come to announce a death, saying Administrator Zhao passed away last night.”

Tao Qi shot to his feet and pointed at him with his brush. “Who did you say?”

“Administrator Zhao, Marquis Shangcai—he passed away last night!”

Tao Qi grabbed his robes and ran outside. “Was it Prince Donghai’s doing?”

This was the unified question of all onlookers and those receiving news: was Zhao Changyu’s death Prince Donghai’s doing?

The gate opened and Tao Qi strode out quickly. Seeing Zhao Hanzhang and her brother kneeling before the gate, tears instantly fell.

He stepped forward to accept the cloth from Zhao Hanzhang’s hands, choking up. “I will certainly come to pay my respects.”

Zhao Hanzhang led Zhao Erlang in a kowtow before standing to leave.

Zhao Changyu had many acquaintances in Luoyang—not just friends and family, but colleagues and old friends. Zhao Hanzhang had helped Zhao Changyu handle correspondence and documents during this time and knew which people to notify.

Fortunately, though she didn’t know the roads well, Zhao Erlang did.

As they announced deaths, some like Tao Qi came out personally to accept the cloth, some sent stewards and servants out, and some closed their gates and refused to see them.

Regardless of what situation they encountered, Zhao Hanzhang led Zhao Erlang in a kowtow, treating it as thanking this world on Zhao Changyu’s behalf.

The young people following behind couldn’t help shedding tears. Wang Siniang cried like a fountain. When they reached the Wang family gate and found their house had closed its gates and wouldn’t come out, she was furious and went forward to pound on it. “What is Father thinking?”

Wang Xuan quickly stopped her. “Father isn’t home. The servants at home probably don’t dare make the decision.”