Zhao Hanzhang had come down from the battlefield only days before, and though she herself felt nothing amiss, she still carried some of that killing aura about her. The women of the household weren’t very familiar with her to begin with, and combined with the rumors currently circulating about her in the manor, everyone instinctively avoided her, not daring to look her in the eye.

So the whole group instead turned their attention to the innocent, lively, and adorable Zhao Erlang. Seeing how dark his skin had gotten, the aunts were full of pity and pulled him close, asking, “How did you get so dark?”

Zhao Erlang had already been told several times that day how dark his face had gotten. Young as he was, he still cared about his looks, and he couldn’t help but pout, standing among the crowd somewhat sullenly.

Madam Wang glanced around the room and suddenly understood—Sanniang was different from these women now, and naturally had less in common to talk about with them.

So she said, “Sanniang, go see if the evening meal is ready in the kitchen. I’m keeping your aunts and the others here to eat with us tonight.”

She kept Zhao Erlang behind to keep everyone company.

Zhao Hanzhang agreed with a smile, and so what had started as simply picking her mother up turned into the whole family staying a while longer.

The relatives didn’t stand on ceremony either. After eating dinner together at the old residence, they chatted a while longer before taking their leave.

The manor was quite safe, and the various households weren’t very far apart—close enough to walk. For those a little farther off, if someone hadn’t returned home in a while, their family would simply send someone to fetch them.

Once home, the women quietly remarked to their husbands, “I think Sanniang seems even more imposing than before.”

The eldest son of the Sixth Household said, “She just won a great victory a few days ago, and Inspector He personally agreed to let her be in charge of Xiping County. Even though as a woman she can’t formally petition the court for the post of magistrate, there won’t be any magistrate for Xiping from now on anyway. Wouldn’t you call that impressive?”

The senior wife of the Sixth Household said, “It’s not as though our Zhao clan lacks for magistrates—we even have men who’ve served as Palace Secretary and Left Chancellor. But seeing her, it felt more like meeting the clan patriarch.”

“She was raised by Eldest Uncle, after all—isn’t it only natural she’d take after him?” After a pause, the eldest son cautioned her, “From now on, keep our household in check. Stop bringing up Madam Wang’s supposed ill fate all the time. And with Mother, give her a gentle reminder too—don’t keep giving Madam Wang a hard time.”

“Before, Eldest Uncle never concerned himself with the inner household, and Madam Wang was only a daughter-in-law, so you all could do as you pleased. But now it’s Sanniang who runs the main branch of the family,” the eldest son said. “That’s her mother. Do you think she’ll just stand by and let people mistreat her?”

“Right now both Erlang and Sanniang are in Xiping, while Madam Wang stays alone in Shangcai, supposedly to manage the estate there—but everyone knows it’s really because she doesn’t like the manor.” He went on, “Sanniang may not yet be in a position to run the manor itself, but she can already speak for the main branch, and with Fifth Uncle backing her—if she loses her temper, I won’t be able to protect any of you.”

“I know,” the senior wife of the Sixth Household said. “It’s precisely because we know that we went to the old residence today and showered her with flattery.”

She lowered her voice. “I heard Sanniang has been gathering up refugees lately. Using the conscription order the inspector’s office gave her, she’s already recruited over five thousand men—and she’s still recruiting?”

Even their own Zhao clan manor didn’t have that many armed retainers of its own. Was Zhao Hanzhang trying to defy the natural order or something?

The eldest son lowered his voice too. “That’s exactly why I want you all on good terms with Madam Wang—don’t provoke her over nothing.”

“Times are unsettled now, and the way she’s going about things doesn’t resemble our great clans’ usual approach of playing it safe—it’s more like those rebel armies out there.”

Even Zhao Ming himself sometimes got the feeling that Zhao Hanzhang might raise her arm and call for rebellion.

She’d recruited far too many troops.

Never mind a single county—even an entire commandery might not muster six thousand soldiers. Yet Zhao Hanzhang, governing nothing more than one small, humble county, had the nerve to use that conscription order over and over again.

Having washed up and settled at the edge of her bed, Madam Wang was also chattering to Qinggu. “You saw it today, didn’t you? They were all trying to please me.”

Qinggu lifted the blanket to help Madam Wang lie down, laughing. “My lady has told me eight times already. Yes, I saw it, I saw it—they were all flattering you.”

Madam Wang lay back on her pillow, hands folded over the blanket, staring up at the canopy above the bed. “It really is remarkable. Back when Father-in-law was still clan patriarch, and even Palace Secretary besides, with a reputation in the clan no one dared cross—but still, none of them were afraid. They still looked down on me, still despised me, and who knows how many times they cursed me behind my back.”

“And now, after Sanniang has led troops out twice, suddenly they don’t even remember that I supposedly bring misfortune to husbands and sons.” As she said this, Madam Wang’s eyes reddened slightly, and she reached up to wipe at the corners.

Qinggu knelt on the footstool, took her hand, and comforted her softly. “My lady, don’t listen to their nonsense. All that talk about bringing misfortune to husbands and sons—that’s just jealousy talking.”

“You and the master were perfectly matched, loving and harmonious. Sanniang was born clever, and Erlang was born healthy—how many families in the whole clan can claim such good fortune as yours?” Qinggu said. “As for the master, he passed from illness—that had nothing to do with you. Have you already forgotten what he told you to comfort you before he passed?”

“That talk about bringing misfortune to husbands and sons—put it out of your mind for good. If you ask me, they only bully the weak and fear the strong. Before, the master of the house never involved himself in these matters, so they felt free to act however they liked. Now that Sanniang has made something of herself, they’ve finally learned to be careful.”

Madam Wang nodded and wiped away her tears, then asked quietly, “Do you think I should move back and help Sanniang?”

She said, “There’s nothing for me to do in Shangcai. If I come back here, I could at least keep an eye on things for Sanniang. If anything happens in the clan, I could let her know right away.”

Qinggu smiled. “It’s wonderful that my lady is thinking this way—but you dote on Sanniang, and Sanniang dotes on you just as much. How could she bear to let you come back to the manor to suffer mistreatment?”

Madam Wang said, “I never meant to come back before, but seeing how they behaved today, I don’t think I’ll have to suffer for no reason anymore.”

Qinggu understood at once—this was, in a sense, a triumphant homecoming. Now that Sanniang had made such a name for herself and the clan’s attitude had shifted, wouldn’t it be a waste for Madam Wang not to come back and witness it for herself?

Mistress and maid exchanged a glance and immediately made up their minds. “That settles it, then—I’ll stay here and help Sanniang!”

Qinggu was delighted, of course, and tucked the blanket back around Madam Wang. “Get a good night’s sleep, my lady. Tomorrow morning you can share the good news with Sanniang.”

She added, “Sanniang and Erlang will be overjoyed to hear you’re staying in Xiping with them.”

Madam Wang agreed and closed her eyes to sleep, but before long she opened them again, turned over, and looked sideways at Qinggu. “I can’t sleep. Why don’t you come up and sleep beside me?”

Qinggu didn’t refuse. Mistress and maid had grown up together since childhood and had shared a bed plenty of times before.

So Qinggu took off her shoes and climbed into bed.

Madam Wang made room for her, then sighed. “Never mind everyone else changing their attitude toward me—but why has even Fifth Uncle been treating me better than before?”

Qinggu smiled. “Perhaps he doesn’t want to make things difficult for Sanniang.”

Zhao Song did indeed think exactly that.

Recalling how anxiously Zhao Hanzhang had rushed back that day to fetch Madam Wang, Zhao Ming couldn’t help bringing it up at the end of a discussion in the study. “Father, you should rein in the clan a bit. That talk from the eminent monks and priests—it shouldn’t be repeated anymore, or it’ll only breed discord among the clan.”