Zhao Hanzhang stood up and brought over a chessboard. She grabbed a handful of white stones and scattered them across the board. “Moreover, this isn’t just about rewards. We’re all prepared. After the New Year, regions everywhere will begin new lives. Everything is waiting to be revived—opportunities are everywhere. To mention just one thing: grain seeds!”

“Do you know how profitable grain seeds are? So how do we select grain merchants? Where there’s profit, there’s competition. They’ll try to influence various officials through different means. I’ll try to be fair, but my fairness is also built on the information I can obtain.” Zhao Hanzhang said, “To obtain more and more truthful information, besides my own intelligence network, I also need external counsel.”

“To hear different voices, there need to be different interest groups.” Zhao Hanzhang began placing black stones on the board. “This represents different voices.”

Fu Tinghan looked at the chessboard and asked, “Are you on the white stones’ side or the black stones’ side?”

Zhao Hanzhang held a stone and smiled. “Why would I be a stone? I’m the player moving the pieces.”

Fu Tinghan looked down at the white stones still occupying most of the board. Suddenly enlightened, he looked up and asked, “A considerable portion of these white stones are Zhao clan members, aren’t they?”

Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow and smiled at him, the answer obvious without words.

Fu Tinghan remembered something he’d once heard and asked, “So, will the Zhao clan be the imperial relatives, or will the Fu clan?”

Zhao Hanzhang replied, “That depends on the specific situation. Whichever benefits us, I’ll choose.”

Speaking of this, she paused and asked Fu Tinghan, “You shouldn’t mind, right?”

Fu Tinghan didn’t mind. After all, his and Zhao Hanzhang’s interests were aligned. He didn’t care about naming rights—they would all be his children, wouldn’t they?

However, hearing Zhao Hanzhang’s tone, he had a guess. “It seems you’re more inclined toward making the Zhao clan primary. I thought that after establishing the country, given the Zhao clan’s current power, they’d likely constrain you.”

“That depends on how they’re used. Contradictions are all relative. Where there are disadvantages, there are advantages. If the Zhao clan are imperial relatives, the gap between their interests and the imperial house’s would be greater, and conflicts would naturally be greater. But if they were the imperial clan, wouldn’t their interests and the imperial house’s interests largely overlap?”

Fu Tinghan suddenly understood.

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at the sky and said to him, “I know you’re nervous. If you don’t want to spend time with them, stay tonight. Have Fu’an go back and relay the message—say state affairs are pressing and you can’t return for now.”

Worldly rules must be followed, but she had the means to let him be more free and not force himself so much.

Fu Tinghan thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Forget it. I’ll go back. They just arrived in Luoyang, and there are many matters to attend to. Our wedding is only a few days away, and some things need to be discussed with them.”

This wedding differed from conventional weddings. He needed to talk with them in advance so they’d be mentally prepared and could avoid some conflicts with the Zhao family and Zhao Hanzhang.

Fu Tinghan was somewhat nervous. These were two strangers—he’d only seen their faces and figures dimly in his memories. All his understanding of them came from those hazy recollections.

It was like watching two people through a glitching television, with the plot choppy and disconnected. Then one day, the people from the TV appeared before him, telling him they were his parents.

And now he needed to discuss his lifelong important matter with them.

Having lost his parents early and only having experience interacting with his grandfather, Fu Tinghan couldn’t help but clench his fists. His palms were sweating.

He stood up. “I’m going back.”

Seeing him so nervous, Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but smile and comfort him. “Didn’t I just say? Princess Hongnong isn’t an ordinary woman. You don’t need to treat her as a common person. You can discuss from a political perspective—she definitely won’t object.”

She smiled. “If you’re afraid, I’ll talk with them.”

Fu Tinghan shook his head. “No, you coming forward versus me coming forward would have completely different implications.”

Zhao Hanzhang stepping forward would have dangerous overtones. He didn’t want her to gain additional enemies and adversaries. Since it was his family matter, he should handle it.

Fu Tinghan took a deep breath. Without even eating dinner, he called Fu’an and went back.

Princess Hongnong and her party were already eating. Seeing Fu Tinghan hurrying back with Fu’an, Princess Hongnong’s expression improved somewhat. She looked toward Ren Hui.

Ren Hui immediately went to serve rice for Fu Tinghan.

Fu Tinghan had a bellyful of things to say. From the Zhao estate to the Fu estate, he walked back, thinking through his words along the way. He even stood at the back gate, silently rehearsing them twice in his mind.

But facing Princess Hongnong’s cold expression, all his prepared words stuck in his throat.

Princess Hongnong saw him still standing there stupidly and couldn’t help but frown. “Aren’t you going to sit down and eat?”

Fu Xuan also said, “Sit down.”

Fu Tinghan silently bowed to them both and sat in the lower seat, eating quietly.

No talking during meals—Princess Hongnong enforced this thoroughly. No one spoke a word at the table.

Fu Xuan was even more thorough. After eating, he set down his bowl and chopsticks and was about to stand and return to his room when Princess Hongnong said coldly, “Wait a moment.”

She raised her eyelids. “Your son’s marriage is such an important matter—won’t you ask even one question?”

Fu Xuan replied, “…Didn’t I already ask? Tinghan said everything’s prepared. If so, we just need to be good in-laws. What else needs to be done?”

“Whether or not to do something is one thing; asking about it is another. This estate is so dilapidated—are you blind or heartless? Does this look like a place for your son to get married? Can’t you put some effort in? He says he doesn’t lack anything, and you really give him nothing?”

Fu Xuan said gently, “I’d like to give too, but do I have anything now?”

Princess Hongnong was furious. “If you don’t have it, won’t you find a way? Your son’s lifelong important matter—are you just going to muddle through like this?”

Fu Tinghan beside them was dumbfounded, so shocked he forgot what he wanted to say.

Fu Xuan was accustomed to this and remained calm and gentle. “What method is there?”

Fu Tinghan wasn’t skilled in social niceties, but he wasn’t stupid. Seeing Princess Hongnong’s expression growing worse, he quickly interjected, “Princess… Mother, Father, I have something to report.”

Princess Hongnong’s gaze shot toward him like an arrow. “After just five years, you’ve even forgotten how to speak respectfully?”

Ren Hui stepped forward and quietly reminded him, “Young Master should say: ‘This son has a matter to report.'”

Fu Tinghan: …

He said woodenly, “This son has a matter to report.”

Princess Hongnong walked to the head seat and sat down, indicating he could speak.

Fu Tinghan exhaled. Finally, he could get to the main point. He said, “This wedding is different from the past. It doesn’t follow old customs. The bridal chamber is set in the Grand General’s Estate…”

Princess Hongnong frowned. “The Grand General’s Estate?”

“Yes,” Fu Tinghan said. “It’s one of Prince Donghai’s former estates, right by the Imperial City.”