Zhao Hanzhang saw Fu Tinghan carrying a child over and asked: “Where are her parents and family?”

“Gone, I suppose. I didn’t see anyone in the group who showed particular attachment to her.”

His words had just fallen when a soldier led over a couple with a small boy. “Magistrate, First Young Master, these people say they’ve come looking for the child.”

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyebrows at Fu Tinghan.

Fu Tinghan just glanced once at the couple and small boy, then said: “They’re not her parents. When they came out, there were sixteen people between them and this little girl—they weren’t together.”

Hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang frowned at them.

Under her gaze, the couple’s knees went weak and they immediately knelt on the ground, prostrating: “We, we are Niuniu’s uncle. Her parents have died—we’re her only relatives.”

Zhao Hanzhang’s expression softened slightly. She leaned down and shook the little girl’s hand, asking: “Do you recognize them?”

The little girl, who looked only five or six years old, turned her head to glance at the couple. Her bright black eyes turned back to Fu Tinghan and Zhao Hanzhang. Under their gazes, she nodded once, pointing at the couple: “Uncle, Aunt.”

She pointed again at the small boy kneeling on the ground: “Older brother.”

Zhao Hanzhang had the three of them stand. Fu Tinghan stepped forward carrying the child and returned her to the man. He touched her ice-cold feet and simply gave her the cloak to wear, not intending to take it back.

The couple hadn’t expected them to return the child so readily. Holding the child, they were at a loss for quite a while. Seeing the two about to leave, the man knelt down holding the child, gritted his teeth, and still handed the child out: “Honored ones, we can no longer support this child. If you like her, please take her away.”

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan turned back. Though the man was anxious, he still dragged up the small boy behind him and pushed both him and the little girl forward, kowtowing: “We’re selling both these children. Please, honored ones, take pity—just give us a couple bites to eat.”

The woman kneeling beside him looked at her son through her tears but didn’t dare voice opposition. She knew that the people before them were nobles—possibly the most distinguished people they would encounter in their entire lives.

The children were young, but following them would have a better chance of survival.

Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t angry. What was there to be angry about?

Such human tragedy—this world that forced parents and children into life-and-death separations—people in high positions like her should feel ashamed and heartbroken.

This was the tiny spark of hope they found for themselves in utter desperation.

Zhao Hanzhang said: “I will settle you all properly. I’m not buying servants right now.”

But the man wouldn’t give up. He kowtowed directly: “Money isn’t necessary—honored one, just give them a bite to eat so they don’t starve. They’re old enough now to work.”

He pointed at his roughly seven-year-old son: “He knows how to tend the fire and cook, can carry water. If you trust him to herd cattle or sheep, honored one, he can do that too.”

He pointed again at the little girl around five: “Honored one, don’t look at her small size—she’s actually six years old. She also knows how to tend fire and cook, can wash clothes, not to mention sweeping and cleaning. Just command her as you please.”

“Please, honored one, take them in.”

Many people were watching this way. Zhao Hanzhang knew that if she took in the children here, soon there would be plenty of people sending children to her.

She sighed, once again steeling her heart to refuse. Turning her head, she saw Fu Tinghan staring at the little girl, so she asked: “Do you want to keep her?”

Fu Tinghan thought for a moment, then nodded. “Send her back to Xiping—put her in the Charity Hall.”

Zhao Hanzhang remembered what he had just said—that this couple was sixteen people away from the little girl, clearly not very concerned about her. After settling down, her life might not be very good.

She nodded: “Alright, all the orphans can go to the Charity Hall.”

Fu Tinghan stepped forward to hold the little girl in his arms, nodding to the couple kneeling on the ground, and said to the little girl: “Say goodbye to them.”

The little girl struggled to get down, knelt before the couple, and kowtowed once. The man opened his mouth, wanting to also sell off his son. Zhao Hanzhang had already beckoned over a personal guard to have him take them away.

Saying more was less effective than doing one thing. Right now they didn’t trust her—no amount of promises would help.

So Zhao Hanzhang directly went to find Zhu Chuan.

She looked at the merchant caravan Zhu Chuan had brought, clicking her tongue in admiration: “Master Zhu has made such a grand gesture, bringing so much grain and cloth. How do you plan to sell it?”

Zhu Chuan narrowed his eyes and smiled: “I haven’t yet congratulated Magistrate Zhao on your promotion to Yuzhou Provincial Governor. Magistrate Zhao’s official fortune is truly prosperous. Last time we parted, you were only a county magistrate. I never imagined that in less than a year you would already be Yuzhou Provincial Governor.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him, her gaze still on this batch of goods.

Zhu Chuan swallowed. Truth be told, he was quite worried that Zhao Hanzhang might simply seize them by force right now.

However… he lowered his eyes in thought. Wouldn’t this also be a kind of investment?

So after only a brief pause, Zhu Chuan continued: “Though in Shu, I also heard of Magistrate Zhao’s proclamations spread throughout the realm. This grain and cloth were specially collected. I was planning to transport them to Runan Commandery, but unexpectedly met the Magistrate on the road. This shows we truly have a connection.”

Since they were so fated, Zhu Chuan generously indicated that this grain and cloth were all gifts for Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. She looked carefully at Zhu Chuan, then smiled: “I’ll buy them from you. If Master Zhu could give me a discount from market price, that would be good.”

After Zhu Chuan opened his mouth, he actually felt that giving them away for free wasn’t so painful. With Zhao Hanzhang’s current power and influence, using this batch of materials to invest in her wasn’t a loss.

Others might want to and not necessarily get the chance. So he insisted on giving them to her.

Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t very short of money right now, so naturally she wouldn’t accept. She continued to decline.

Fu Tinghan, having handed the child to Fan Ying and come looking, heard them going back and forth with false courtesies. He couldn’t help but pause and wait. After quite a while, seeing they had no end, he stepped forward and said to Zhao Hanzhang: “Accept them.”

Zhao Hanzhang just smiled without speaking.

Fu Tinghan said to Zhu Chuan: “I know that Shu is stable now and doesn’t lack grain and cloth. What it lacks are porcelain, glass, books, and paper. These happen to be what we’re good at. We’ll remember Master Zhu’s help today. If you need assistance in the future, just ask.”

Both Zhao Hanzhang and Zhu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. This back-and-forth was exhausting for them too! Unfortunately, the place they had chosen to start this conversation was a bit remote—no one came up to give them a way out, so they could only keep declining.

Zhao Hanzhang immediately accepted the promise Fu Tinghan gave: “Master Zhu, whatever you request, as long as it doesn’t violate morality, Hanzhang will certainly not refuse.”

Zhu Chuan quickly said: “Today it was thanks to Magistrate Zhao’s rescue. I’m grateful beyond words…”

Fu Tinghan, seeing them about to begin a new round of courtesies, quickly turned to Zhao Hanzhang: “The head count is complete. There are one hundred ninety-eight orphans under twelve years old.”

—