“This is post-war Yuzhou, its difficulties even greater than Quyang before,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “Now in northern and eastern Yuzhou, bandits and common folk are mixed together. Mister Ji said that in the eastern region alone, where Shi Lei passed through, seventy-two fortresses large and small were conquered, and most of the people inside were taken captive. Those who barely managed to escape either became bandits in the mountains or fled their hometowns to wander everywhere.”

“Throughout the realm today, situations like this are commonplace. As officials, our responsibility is to govern the territory and manage the people,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “I believe that governing a territory is like fighting a battle—only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle. Zhao Kuan, you neither understand yourself well enough nor understand the current state of the people well enough, so how can you be a good official?”

Zhao Kuan was stunned and thought seriously. “Why does the Administrator single me out and not mention Record Keeper Fan and the others?”

Zhao Kuan was very perceptive. He could see that whenever she taught them to do things, she mostly praised Fan Ying and Sun Linghui and the others. Even his sister Zhao Yunxin received more praise than him.

“Because they are like blank paper, full of enthusiasm. Whatever I teach, they accept quickly.”

Perhaps because women rarely served as officials, once Fan Ying and the others sat in these positions, they followed her commands completely. Whatever measures she put forward, they never questioned and worked hard to complete them one hundred percent.

But Zhao Kuan was different. He had studied Confucian and Legalist teachings since childhood and had his own ideas. Moreover, he was heavily influenced by the prevailing thought of this era. Many of Zhao Hanzhang’s measures contradicted his understanding and habits, which once caused him great pain.

Sometimes he felt Zhao Hanzhang was right, sometimes he felt she was wrong, but he could never persuade her either way, so that regardless of whether he was willing in his heart, he always had to act according to her ideas.

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Cousin Kuan, I ask you—family, state, and clan, which is lighter and which is heavier?”

Zhao Kuan replied, “How can there be any difference in weight? Naturally they are all the same?”

Zhao Hanzhang’s face grew serious. “If among the three—no, it should be four: yourself, family, state, and clan—you could preserve only one of the four, what would you choose?”

Zhao Kuan fell silent. After a long while he said, “Though it would be extremely difficult, I still hope the clan would endure forever.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly, turned her head to look at Fan Ying standing to the side, and asked, “What do you think?”

Fan Ying said, “Naturally the Young Lady comes first.”

Zhao Kuan thought: …Sycophant!

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, yet she could hear Fan Ying’s sincerity. She couldn’t help but laugh, and the serious atmosphere immediately dissipated. She turned to Zhao Kuan and said, “Cousin Kuan, I raised this question not to make you choose between me and the clan, but to let you understand my intentions. We two, Uncle Ming and I, the entire Zhao clan and I, and even all of Yuzhou—we seek common ground while reserving differences.”

Zhao Kuan first breathed a sigh of relief, then grew puzzled. “Seeking common ground while reserving differences?”

“That’s right,” Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “We cannot have only one purpose. Just as it’s very difficult for you to choose one among the four, if all four could be obtained together, what need would there be to choose?”

Zhao Kuan couldn’t help but smile. “Where in this world is there such a good thing that you could have everything?”

“That’s why we must seek common ground while reserving differences,” Zhao Hanzhang said with a serious face. “In my view, the state comes first. What I mean by state is not the Dajin in Luoyang, but the common people throughout the realm. Second comes family, and the clan, in my case, ranks third.”

Zhao Kuan looked at her in surprise.

Zhao Hanzhang said, “I don’t require Cousin Kuan to place family and state before the clan. Naturally, Cousin Kuan need not persuade me to regard the clan as paramount. This is our difference.”

“At this stage, the interests of family, state, and clan are aligned. We all hope Yuzhou will get better and better, that the people can live in peace, that military strength will be robust, and that no one will dare invade again. Defending Yuzhou means defending the foundation of our Zhao clan’s survival. Cousin Kuan, do you think I’m right?”

After thinking briefly, Zhao Kuan nodded.

Zhao Hanzhang’s lips curved slightly as she nodded. “This is the common ground. So the immediate priority is to settle the people. I made you my deputy general to show you this broken landscape and let you know what the people here want. As officials, what we must do is comfort them.”

Zhao Kuan understood and bowed before withdrawing.

After he left, Zhao Hanzhang looked at Fan Ying and asked, “Fan Ying, who do you think is more capable—you or Zhao Kuan?”

Fan Ying looked at Zhao Hanzhang’s expression and considered carefully before saying, “Zhao Kuan?”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “He is capable, not only because he has read a few more years, gained a few more years of experience, but also because he knows how to think and dares to question me.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Even sages make mistakes and have oversights. How much less am I, who am not yet a sage? You must learn to think like him. Are all the decisions I make necessarily suitable for the people and for this place?”

Fan Ying’s mouth fell open. Finally she sighed sincerely, “I’ve never heard of anyone asking people to question themselves. Young Lady is truly the Young Lady—her breadth of mind is beyond what we can match.”

Zhao Hanzhang thought: …If you’re happy with that interpretation.

She stopped there and didn’t continue the topic, otherwise it would seem like she really wanted them to question her.

Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t stupid.

After leaving the tent, Fan Ying kept thinking. Zhao Kuan was also thinking, but his thinking was very fast—he made up his mind almost immediately.

He felt Zhao Hanzhang was right. Between them, they should indeed seek common ground while reserving differences.

At the same time, he realized that her words weren’t just meant for him to hear, but perhaps more for Uncle Ming.

Some things Zhao Hanzhang definitely wouldn’t dare say directly to Zhao Ming’s face, such as placing the clan third.

So at times like this, a mediator was needed.

Zhao Kuan bitterly realized he was that mediator.

Now Zhao Hanzhang controlled Yuzhou, and Runan Commandery was just one part of it. Her relationship with the Zhao clan had also changed, from the Zhao clan supporting her predominantly to the Zhao clan relying on her predominantly.

So how should this balance be maintained?

Zhao Kuan pressed his lips together and dutifully went to write a letter to Zhao Ming. At the same time, he worried about where his teacher had gone with his junior brothers. Hadn’t they said they were coming to support Sanniang?

How was it that they’d finished fighting the battle and they still hadn’t appeared?

If he were here, he could tell his teacher about this matter first, and then his teacher could go tell Uncle Ming.

Facing Uncle Ming directly—the pressure was so great.

After teaching a round of subordinates, Zhao Hanzhang walked out of the tent with her hands behind her back. She happened to see Zhao Erlang running around everywhere and immediately called him over, asking, “What are you running for?”

Zhao Erlang said, “Sister, they say the bandit stronghold on the mountain is easy to defend and hard to attack. Even if we had a hundred thousand men we couldn’t take it, so this time let me be the vanguard again.”

These past few days suppressing bandits, they’d said to let Zhao Erlang be the vanguard, but when it came to actually fighting, he’d had few opportunities. He was so bored.

Zhao Hanzhang understood his meaning and said quietly, “I asked Uncle Ming to send someone to bring Mother over. Counting the days, she should arrive before long. Then you won’t have idle time to be bored.”

Wang Shi was obsessed with making Zhao Erlang recognize more characters. Even though she’d repeatedly accepted the fact that her son wasn’t suited for reading and writing, she still couldn’t help wanting him to learn characters.

Zhao Erlang shuddered and no longer mentioned being the vanguard.

But in the end, Zhao Hanzhang still made him the vanguard and taught him how to fight this forest battle—how to lure or surround the mountain bandits, feinting from the front while attacking from the side.

Zhao Erlang fought with great satisfaction.

—