Qinggu silently said nothing. Earlier, she had been called to the front by servants to receive instructions. There was a large circle of officials at the front, with Fu Tinghan surrounded in the middle. From what she heard, there were some problems with water conservancy projects in various regions that had been audited and completed. She didn’t understand it well, but the matter seemed significant. Everyone was asking Fu Tinghan for his opinion.

However, Qinggu didn’t defend Zhao Hanzhang. The relationship between Master Fu and his parents seemed poor. With Master Fu’s reserved personality, he would likely avoid his parents in the future.

Using the young lady as an excuse was better than using official business.

The madam might be dissatisfied with the young lady, but it would pass in half an hour. However, toward Master Fu, though she approved of him, she didn’t love him as deeply.

The madam was like this, let alone Princess Hongnong. Who knew if this would affect the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship?

However, thinking of Zhao Hanzhang’s status and position, Qinggu relaxed somewhat. Forget it—everyone has mother-in-law conflicts, but their Sanniang definitely wouldn’t have that problem.

Her conflicts directly concerned national fortune and could cost lives.

At this moment, having just seen off Li Ban and Li Xiang, Zhao Hanzhang suddenly realized she had neglected something.

She hurried to find Fu Tinghan.

The people around Fu Tinghan were gradually dispersing. Officials from the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Revenue, and the Office of Agriculture took their notes and documents and bid farewell to Fu Tinghan one by one. Upon leaving and seeing Zhao Hanzhang, they quickly bowed again.

Fu Tinghan finished processing the last document. Only then did Zhao Hanzhang step forward. “Was there a problem with the labor service audit?”

“Some prefectures and counties arbitrarily increased the length of water conservancy construction. To rush the service period, the water channels they dug didn’t meet standards. Officials from the Ministry of Works discovered this during inspections.”

This was poor quality engineering caused by seeking unwarranted merit.

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at his notes and nodded. “I’ll have the censors investigate again to verify the other policies and measures in those prefectures and counties. I’ll handle it then.”

Fu Tinghan acknowledged.

He looked outside at the sky and asked, “Li Ban and Li Xiang have left?”

“Yes, I had preliminary talks with them. Tomorrow I’ll bring them to the palace to meet the emperor.” Zhao Hanzhang paused and brought up a personal matter. “I came to find you because I realized I neglected something. I forgot to prepare a princess’s estate for Princess Hongnong. Having the couple stay at your place would normally be fine, but I remember you’re currently living in the main courtyard. The Changsong Courtyard you cleaned up, though large, is extremely far from the central axis.”

Zhao Hanzhang sighed. “This era is somewhat different from our time. Ethically speaking, when parents are present, children shouldn’t have private property.”

Fu Tinghan asked, “Is that really the case in practice?”

Zhao Hanzhang laughed heartily and shook her head. “Of course not. Regardless of the era, there’s always a gap between actual practice and the rules. Children should respect and be filial to their parents, parents control their children—as long as parents are alive, children don’t travel far and have no private property. This is just an ethical expectation. Since it’s an expectation, it basically can’t be fully realized.”

“But even if it can’t be realized, people still gravitate toward it when acting. So even though that estate is yours, if they demand to live in the main courtyard, public opinion will be on their side.”

Fu Tinghan was easygoing. He frowned and said, “Forget it. We don’t go back often to stay anyway. If they want to live there, we can let them have it.”

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but laugh again, shaking her head. “You just want to avoid trouble. But you don’t know—this isn’t about who lives in the main courtyard. It’s about who has authority in the household.”

Fu Tinghan frowned. “They can’t control me.”

“They can’t control you, but they can give outsiders the impression that they can control you.” Zhao Hanzhang glanced outside and, confirming only Zeng Yue and Ting He were standing there, said to him, “You don’t know how important Princess Hongnong’s return to Luoyang is for the court situation.”

Fu Tinghan looked puzzled. “She’s… just a princess. From what I remember, although she always upheld Jin legitimacy, she rarely participated in court politics. Her influence on government should be within your control, right?”

“It’s within control, but the influence is more than just a little,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “Now is different from the past. She’s not only a Jin princess but also your mother and my mother-in-law.”

“You don’t know—she’s been working tirelessly for the Jin state.” Zhao Hanzhang handed him a stack of papers. “This is what Master Ji found. When she was in Chang’an, she personally appealed to gentry and wealthy merchants to provide grain for famine relief. Though she didn’t obtain much, many common people survived thanks to her kindness.”

“When Prince Donghai controlled the court, she accepted your grandfather Fu’s request and worked tirelessly in Chang’an, gradually recruiting soldiers and providing supplies for the late emperor. It can be said that the late emperor’s ability to maintain a personal guard later was partly thanks to her.” Zhao Hanzhang personally greatly admired Princess Hongnong. Her father was poisoned to death, her mother also died miserably, and she only had an uncle-nephew relationship with Emperor Huai, who succeeded to the throne—not particularly close.

This Jin state was broken and tattered, leaking everywhere. Her uncles, brothers, and imperial relatives fought each other over power and influence until their brains spilled out, yet she kept working to try to patch it up.

You should know that in Chang’an, her situation was precarious. Otherwise, how could Fu Tinghan have run away back to Luoyang to seek help in anger?

Her assets were sold off bit by bit. Eventually, due to lack of funds, she had to dismiss many servants and guards. Even in such circumstances, she still scrimped and saved to spend money recruiting soldiers to send back to the late emperor, only hoping he could govern the country well.

When the late emperor perished and the Xiongnu and Shi Le’s armies moved south, throwing the realm into chaos, she didn’t flee toward Jiangnan but went to Shu to seek reinforcements, wanting to save the Jin state once more.

Princess Hongnong was like this—how could she treat her as an ordinary mother-in-law?

When Zhao Xin invited them back, it wasn’t just for Fu Tinghan’s sake—it was also for her own.

“I was negligent before. The princess is so noble—she should have her own princess’s estate.” Zhao Hanzhang said, “I’ll speak with the little emperor and have him bestow a princess’s estate. That way, you and your mother can live separately and both be more comfortable.”

Fu Tinghan asked, “The princess’s estate will need repairs, right? Do you have money? I mean, does the national treasury have money?”

Zhao Hanzhang sighed. “We can squeeze some out if we try.”

Fu Tinghan was silent for a moment, then said, “After we marry, we’ll live in the new estate. The Fu estate will basically be vacant. Why not convert the Fu estate into a princess’s estate? Just change the household head’s name. That could save a large sum of money.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him. “It won’t come to that. Everyone is a meritorious official of the court. Ji Yuan, Ming Yu, and others all received estates bestowed by the court. You should naturally have one too. Treating you and your mother as one unit not only wrongs you but also dishonors Princess Hongnong.”

She said, “Princess Hongnong has her own merits. Not from the perspective of Zhao’s army, but purely from the perspective of the Great Jin state—she deserves this reward.”