Zhao Hanzhang had no idea the Prince of Donghai had abandoned the effort halfway through, much less that Yuzhou was in crisis. At this moment, she was standing on Xiping County’s city tower watching the vast crowds below queuing to enter the city.

She clicked her tongue twice, feeling quite pleased with herself, “I never imagined my recruitment notice could attract so many people.”

Only Sun Linghui was accompanying Zhao Hanzhang at this time. She sincerely congratulated her, “Congratulations, Commandery Governor.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at her, while watching the people below queue to enter the city, she chatted casually, “Does your family still want to take you home?”

“After meeting the Commandery Governor, they stopped mentioning it.”

Sun Linghui had secretly run away to take the examination. Of course, she had found an excellent excuse to be out so long.

She was going back to Xiping to visit her uncle and aunt.

That’s right – Sun Linghui was not only Zhao Yunxin’s cousin, but also Zhao Hanzhang’s… cousin?

Zhao Hanzhang momentarily became uncertain and turned to ask her, “Which of us is older?”

Sun Linghui lowered her head shyly, “The Commandery Governor is slightly older than me. I was born in the ninth month.”

Zhao Hanzhang was surprised, “So you just came of age?”

“Yes,” Sun Linghui didn’t hide it. “Precisely because I came of age, my family wanted to arrange my marriage, so I fled to my uncle’s home.”

Sun Linghui’s mother was a Zhao family daughter – Zhao Hanzhang would have to call her Aunt. Although the blood relation was distant, clans didn’t care about such things – an aunt was an aunt.

So when Aunt came crying to the gate, Zhao Hanzhang still had to set aside her position as Commandery Governor and comfort her as a niece.

The Sun family never imagined Sun Linghui would be so bold, colluding with Zhao Yunxin to deceive the family.

Since learning of the recruitment notice, she began writing to Zhao Yunxin.

So Zhao Yunxin, in the voice of her parents, wrote to the Sun family saying her parents had been unwell recently and dearly missed Sun Linghui, wanting to have her come home for a visit.

Zhao Dong wanted his son Zhao Kuan to marry Fan Ying, but the Sun family had their eye on Zhao Kuan, hoping to add family ties to family ties.

So when Zhao Yunxin’s letter arrived, the Sun family thought they understood, immediately packed Sun Linghui’s bags and sent her back to Xiping, wanting her to first get along well with her uncle and aunt.

Who knew this was something the two children had done behind their families’ backs?

Oh, tracing it to the source, Zhao Kuan knew about it. Zhao Dong once suspected this idea came from Zhao Kuan, because while Zhao Yunxin’s courage wasn’t small, it wasn’t large either. Sun Linghui’s courage was indeed large, but she would never gamble with her own marriage prospects.

The Zhao family side still thought Sun Linghui missed Zhao Yunxin, so coming to stay for a while – the two families were close, the girls similar in age, this was common.

By the time Sun Linghui and Zhao Yunxin went to take the examination, Zhao Dong’s wife, accustomed to her daughter going to teach at the academy, didn’t notice anything amiss.

Not until news reached the Sun family, and the Sun parents, still waiting to marry their daughter to Zhao Kuan, were utterly stunned.

Aunt Zhao didn’t even have time to think through everything – she went straight with her husband to Xiping and grabbed Sun Linghui to take her home.

It was the first time the young lady, who had always maintained boundaries and respectfully called Zhao Hanzhang “Commandery Governor” in both public and private settings, asked for help as a relative.

Zhao Hanzhang also didn’t want to lose such a capable assistant, so she personally went to meet her uncle and aunt whom she’d never met.

Upon seeing them, Zhao Hanzhang searched her memory – the original owner seemed to have met them, just wasn’t close and had rarely spoken.

Indeed they weren’t close. Facing Zhao Hanzhang, Sun Zhengyang and Zhao Qi both felt very unfamiliar, but… her reputation was too great now. The two didn’t dare look down on her because of her age.

So they secretly glared at their daughter, then invited Zhao Hanzhang to sit.

Zhao Dong’s wife also came over. Now that her children were all working under Zhao Hanzhang, especially with Zhao Kuan’s future entirely dependent on her, the couple was very polite to Zhao Hanzhang. “Sanniang, why didn’t you send word ahead when coming? We could have personally gone to receive you.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled, “Our two families don’t live far apart – where is there a niece visiting her uncle’s home who sends formal invitations first?”

Her gaze fell on Sun Zhengyang and Zhao Qi, smiling warmly as she asked, “Uncle Dong, I’m young and haven’t returned to Xiping in many years. I’ve lost track of many relatives. This must be our family’s Aunt Qi and Uncle Sun, correct?”

Zhao Kuan and Zhao Hanzhang were beyond the five degrees of mourning, yet she called them “our family’s aunt” in one breath – this made Zhao Qi’s heart ease, and the anger in her chest diminished.

Even Sun Zhengyang’s heart settled, so all the fury turned toward Sun Linghui.

Zhao Dong said, “Indeed, this is your Aunt Qi and Uncle Sun.”

Zhao Hanzhang then properly bowed.

Only then did Zhao Qi pull her hand and begin to cry, “Sanniang, our Erniang has caused you trouble. We came this time to take her home.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked surprised, gripping Zhao Qi’s hand in return. “How can Aunt say such things? I was just about to ask the Wuyang County magistrate to send Aunt a commendation.”

She glanced at Sun Linghui before saying seriously, “That Uncle and Aunt could raise such a talented person as Linghui for the nation is the nation’s fortune, Runan Commandery’s fortune, and moreover my good fortune. I was just thinking of announcing it throughout the commandery, having everyone in the commandery learn from Uncle and Aunt. If people throughout the realm could hear of this and raise more talents like Linghui, how wonderful that would be.”

Not to mention Zhao Qi – even Sun Zhengyang’s mouth hung open.

Honestly, this feeling was somewhat… peculiar.

They had once dreamed of one day receiving such commendation because of their son or grandson – that would make this life worthwhile.

Now they had received it, and never expected it would be because of…

The couple’s gazes both fell on Sun Linghui.

At this moment, Sun Linghui was especially well-behaved, hands clasped together before her abdomen, extremely respectful.

Sun Zhengyang understood this daughter – usually bold and lively, rarely seen in such a composed state.

He fell silent for a moment, meeting his wife’s eyes full of hopeful struggle, paused, then asked, “Sanniang, these words – surely you’re not just saying them to humor us?”

Zhao Hanzhang said seriously, “Uncle is underestimating Runan Commandery too much. In this recruitment examination, Linghui ranked first. Even Yunxin, who is closest to me, only placed eighth. Surely Uncle wouldn’t suspect me of favoritism? Even if I were willing, those under me wouldn’t be.”

Sun Zhengyang’s heart felt like boiling water, both excited and anxious, momentarily at a loss for words.

Zhao Hanzhang seemed to sense his difficulty and turned to Ting He, “Go back to the county yamen and fetch Clerk Sun’s examination papers.”

She smiled at Sun Zhengyang and Zhao Qi, “Uncle and Aunt, if you don’t believe it, you can look at Linghui’s papers. She truly is no less capable than any man.”

Zhao Qi said with some pride, “That’s certainly true. This child has loved reading since young. When little, she loved clinging to her father, so from childhood she studied alongside her brother. In learning, she was no less than her brother.”

Sun Zhengyang also nodded, though he quickly remembered their purpose in coming and hurriedly said, “She’s not young anymore. The family is arranging her marriage. It’s not appropriate for her to be working outside at this time…”