Zhao Zheng had the bailiffs and soldiers organize the common people into queues to receive relief porridge.

Luoyang currently still lacked people. The vast lands outside the city still had many unused cultivable fields, just waiting for them to come till them. As the County Magistrate of Luoyang, Zhao Zheng warmly welcomed their arrival.

Wang Dao and Zhou Zhi watched as the common people happily ran to register their names in the census records before going to receive relief porridge. Their hearts filled with admiration. With Zhao Hanzhang commanding such prestige, what chance of victory did they have?

The two men looked toward the Prince of Langya together.

The Prince of Langya had been consoled by his son throughout the journey and could now maintain an impassive expression on his face. Therefore, he simply ignored their gazes and went directly into the city with Zhao Xin.

The independent scholars and family heads following behind them also had to register their names in the census before they could enter the city.

Since the Zhao Family Army had crossed the river, Zhao Hanzhang had been assassinated twice in the city, both times occurring on the street. Although she had never been harmed, Luoyang’s entry and exit management had become much stricter.

As for assassinations that didn’t occur on the street, there had been three more attempts. Two of them had been uncovered while still in the planning stages.

Recently, the entire court had been somewhat tense. Information obtained from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review indicated that the masterminds behind the several assassination attempts were not the same person.

One of the masterminds was undoubtedly Wang Dun, but who was behind the other assassination attempts?

The young Emperor was very afraid. Xun Fan and others were also very afraid. Many court officials were waiting anxiously with their hearts in their throats.

But Zhao Hanzhang did not expand the assassination incidents. She even actively suppressed the matter, not allowing the news to appear in the official gazette. She only assigned Song Xin to work with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to try the cases and investigate the people behind them.

The Prince of Langya entered the palace with his wife and children along with Wang Dao and Zhou Zhi. When entering the palace, he couldn’t help but look up at the imperial palace that had once been visible yet unreachable.

Though he was imperial clan, Sima Rui was from a distant branch and was not valued. When he studied in Luoyang, he was often looked down upon. Other princes who were also clan members bullied him frequently, and many renowned scholars thought he was too weak-willed and didn’t like him. Only Wang Dao had remained his friend throughout.

The imperial city walls and palace city walls of Luoyang looked dilapidated. This year, court officials had mentioned repairing the imperial and palace city walls several times, but Zhao Hanzhang had rejected them all on the grounds that the national treasury was empty.

So at this moment, the Prince of Langya saw the imperial city that had been scorched by great fires, the palace city walls shot and hacked by arrows and weapons, and even some bloodstains on the walls that were difficult to remove.

The Prince of Langya withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and followed Zhao Xin inside.

Only when he walked all the way to the great hall did he react – his wife had been following along the whole time. He couldn’t help but turn back to grasp his wife’s hand, looking somewhat anxiously at Zhao Xin.

Zhao Xin glanced at them and stepped aside to invite them in. “The Grand General also wishes to meet the Princess Consort of Langya.”

Princess Consort Yu Mengmu couldn’t help but look nervously at her husband. Seeing he was also nervous, she suppressed her wildly beating heart and instead comforted him, lifting her feet to enter the hall with him.

The instant she entered, she released Sima Rui’s hand and walked forward shoulder to shoulder with him, her eyes slightly raised, quickly surveying the hall.

The great hall was spacious with a solemn atmosphere. She could see rows of mat desks arranged on both sides, with several people kneeling behind the desks. She didn’t dare count carefully. After a quick glance, she looked slightly upward.

She saw a youth about the same age as her two sons sitting at the very top of the great hall, dressed in dragon robes. Below the dragon throne on the high platform was another high desk and high chair, where an exquisitely beautiful young lady sat upright. As soon as she looked over, she met the other’s gaze. Yu Mengmu was startled. Unable to avoid it in time, her gaze was caught by her, and she saw the other smile slightly at her.

Yu Mengmu immediately came to her senses, lowered her eyes, and stood with her head bowed.

Sima Rui took the lead in kneeling and paying respects to the Emperor. When facing Zhao Hanzhang, he hesitated, but still stood up first before bowing again in salute.

The Prince of Langya felt he needed to maintain some dignity.

His wife, children, Wang Dao, Zhou Zhi and others all followed in paying respects.

The young Emperor raised his hand with a威严expression and said, “Rise!”

Sima Rui was one generation senior to the young Emperor and should be called Imperial Uncle, but the hierarchy between ruler and subject came first. The young Emperor wasn’t particularly clever, but he wasn’t stupid either. He knew the reason why Sima Rui had established a separatist regime in Jiangnan.

It was nothing more than waiting – waiting for him to die so he could legitimately inherit Dajin.

Although Sima Rui had never done anything to directly harm him, the young Emperor would have no good feelings toward someone who hoped for his early death. So his attitude was very cold, showing little interest in either Sima Rui or Wang Dao.

Because Sima Rui was imperial clan, Prince Yuzhang Sima Duan, who rarely had opportunities to attend court sessions in the great hall, sat listlessly. He didn’t recognize this so-called uncle at all. Moreover, three generations of blood relation already separated them, and they had never met before – what kinship was there?

So he only glanced at Sima Rui before looking at the two youths following behind him.

Were these the sons of the Prince of Langya?

They were about the same age as him and the Emperor. He wondered if they could enter the palace to study and read with them.

Thinking of his and the Emperor’s coursework, Sima Duan’s shoulders slumped, feeling utterly miserable.

He wanted to claim illness and go home to rest again. Reading together with the Emperor was really too exhausting.

Sima Duan shrank into his seat, immersed in his own world. In the hall, the adults had already begun conversing.

Zhao Hanzhang had people place three mat desks on both the left and right sides, inviting the six people to sit down.

Palace attendants came forward to guide them. The Prince of Langya and his princess consort sat together at the first mat desk on the left, their two sons sat below them, and Wang Dao and Zhou Zhi sat at the desk behind them. Below them were Ji Yuan and the others.

When entering the hall, Wang Dao and the others had already seen three empty mat desks in front and thought they were arranged for some important personages who hadn’t arrived yet, never expecting they were all arranged for them.

The six people all sat down nervously.

Zhao Hanzhang was fairly amiable, smiling as she asked, “Was your journey smooth?”

Zhao Xin had also taken his seat. After the Prince of Langya said “Very smooth,” he stood up and reported, “Grand General, Adjutant Ping reports that Wang Dun sent assassins to kill the Prince of Langya along the way, intending to frame the Grand General.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at the Prince of Langya. “So you also encountered assassins. Don’t be afraid. My Zhao Family Army has experience dealing with these. This month alone I’ve been assassinated multiple times and dodged them all.”

Sweat began forming on the Prince of Langya’s forehead. The young Emperor sitting above also became nervous. Before the Prince of Langya and others could speak, he hurriedly said, “A treacherous villain like Wang Dun deserves to be executed by all.”

He said, “I’m still here, yet he creates chaos in Jiangnan. Clearly he has never regarded the court seriously.”

Hearing this, Wang Dao quickly looked at Zhao Hanzhang and immediately stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and knelt to apologize.

Zhao Hanzhang seemed touched. She stood up, came down to help Wang Dao rise, and sighed, “What does this have to do with Master Wang? Wang Dun is an adult and your cousin. No matter how much you advise him, if he won’t listen, it’s all in vain.”

She continued, “This general knows that among your Wang clan, only a minority are willing to follow Wang Dun’s nonsense. When he murdered Wang Cheng back then, I knew he was no benevolent and virtuous person. Today’s events prove it. Rest assured, I only prosecute the ringleaders and won’t implicate their entire clan.”

In other words, the Wang clan could rest easy. She wouldn’t make the entire Wang family pay for Wang Dun’s mistakes alone.

Wang Dao received clear assurance, breathed a huge sigh of relief, and thanked Zhao Hanzhang with reddened eyes.

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