Fu Tinghan looked behind him and chuckled softly, “Perhaps you could ask the beauty herself.”

Zhao Ming turned his head and met Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze. He was startled for a moment, then immediately sat up straight with a serious expression. “Sanniang, when did you arrive?”

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at his face, noticing his eyes were glazed over, clearly already drunk. “When Cousin was discoursing on beauties.”

Zhao Hanzhang picked up the wine jug and sniffed it, finding the aroma quite pleasant. She sat down cross-legged on the other side of the low table and poured herself a cup.

She took a sip and nodded approvingly. “This wine is excellent.”

Zhao Ming: …

He looked at Fu Tinghan sitting across from him, seeing that he didn’t mind at all and even refilled her cup.

“Rumor has it that Minister Fu is upright and rigid, but I didn’t expect his grandson to be different.”

Fu Tinghan replied, “That’s a misunderstanding by the world about my grandfather. He’s not that kind of person.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded in agreement. “If Grandfather Fu were as the rumors say, he wouldn’t have let Young Master Fu accompany me to escort the coffin back home.”

Although bringing Fu Tinghan back to Runan was acting first and reporting later, even Zhao Zhongyu had sent people to demand money, yet Fu Zhi still hadn’t sent anyone to fetch Fu Tinghan, showing he didn’t oppose Fu Tinghan remaining in Runan to observe mourning.

Seeing she was about to drink more, Zhao Ming reached out and pressed down on her hand. “Sanniang, although the heavy mourning period has passed, you’re still in mourning and shouldn’t drink alcohol.”

Zhao Hanzhang withdrew her hand and asked curiously, “Does Cousin have troubles on his mind? Why drink during the day?”

Zhao Ming shook his head. “No troubles, just felt like drinking.”

At this point, he perhaps felt a bit embarrassed. After pausing, he laughed heartily and pushed the wine cup back in front of Zhao Hanzhang. “Forget it, forget it. Mourning concerns the heart, not outward appearances. Drink if you want.”

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t move.

Zhao Ming picked up the wine jug and poured himself a cup, then tilted his head back to drink it down. Turning the wine cup in his hand, he sneered coldly, “Mourning? In these times of collapsing propriety, who cares whether you observe it or not?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Cousin, with you saying this, I dare even less to move.”

Zhao Ming waved his hand. “I’m not talking about you. I know you’re good—just seeing how you protected your grandfather’s coffin during the escape without losing it shows your filial piety.”

Zhao Hanzhang picked up the wine cup and took a sip. “Cousin, if you have troubles on your mind, why not speak of them? Perhaps we can help?”

Seeing she actually drank after saying she would, Zhao Ming’s lips curled slightly. “You’re quite good—not hypocritical, a true scoundrel!”

Zhao Hanzhang: “…Cousin, I only drank two sips of wine. Surely that doesn’t make me a scoundrel?”

Zhao Ming snorted. “Don’t think I don’t know—you have ulterior motives.”

“If you were a man, then for the Zhao family’s century of stability, I would definitely stand on your side and wrest the clan leadership position back from the second branch. But you’re a woman,” Zhao Ming glanced at Fu Tinghan sitting across from him with a complicated expression, “and I don’t know if this future husband of yours is truly simple or a fake gentleman.”

“But whether it’s the former or the latter, I won’t support you,” Zhao Ming said. “The clan sympathizes that you lost your father young, and I don’t mind helping you from time to time, but expecting me to stand with you against the second branch or obtain more property from the Zhao family fortress is impossible.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at Fu Tinghan in surprise.

Fu Tinghan shook his head slightly at her. After coming here, he hadn’t mentioned her at all—they had only discussed wine, and oh, also discussed beauties briefly.

“He didn’t say anything. I guessed it myself,” Zhao Ming asked. “Tell me, what’s your real purpose in returning this time?”

“Cousin is impressive,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “Much more capable than my eldest uncle. Did Grandfather never consider passing the clan leadership to you?”

Zhao Ming raised his eyes to look at her. “Sowing discord, using threats and inducements? That won’t work on me. The clan leadership position can only come from your direct line. Even if Zhao Ji is incompetent, there’s still your younger brother. Just have your brother marry early and have children, then raise them properly.”

Zhao Hanzhang: “…You’d rather choose an infant who doesn’t know when he’ll be born as clan leader than select someone capable and intelligent who’s already here?”

Zhao Ming looked at her curiously. “This is clan regulation. The clan leader has always been from the direct line. What’s so strange about that?”

When a family divides property, the legitimate eldest son can claim seventy percent alone, with the other children dividing the remaining thirty percent.

It’s naturally the same for the clan.

Therefore, the direct line, generation after generation, always enjoys the most assets and resources of the family. Naturally, they also bear the greatest responsibility.

In normal times, whatever happens, the direct line bears the largest share.

Zhao Changyu was like this.

Of the fields and properties inside and outside this Zhao family fortress, the first and second branches occupied nearly half—and this was just two branches, when the Zhao clan actually had over a thousand members.

They occupied the largest share of property. Besides the tenant farmers and long-term workers in the family, more fields were sub-leased to clan members with little land, charging only a small rent.

Additionally, the clan provided relief to the old, weak, women and children every year, all with Zhao Changyu contributing the largest share.

Not to mention major undertakings like building fortresses—Zhao Changyu basically paid for everything.

So were all the assets in Zhao Changyu’s hands truly his?

One could say yes, and one could say no.

Yes, because they were all under the direct line’s name. No, because they actually belonged to the entire Zhao clan.

Also because of Zhao Changyu’s consistent contributions, everyone in the Zhao family firmly believed the clan leader should be from the direct line.

If Zhao Ming dared show any hint of wanting to be clan leader, before the clan members could speak, his father would scold him to death.

However, he differed from his father and even from most people in the clan. Deep in his heart, Zhao Ming had doubts: “Can Zhao Ji really serve well as a clan leader?”

He leaned close to Zhao Hanzhang, his eyes fixed tightly on hers, his gaze looking straight into her heart. Word by word, he asked, “Sanniang, can you truly be completely unconcerned—neither minding that he abandoned your first branch family, nor that they once threatened your life?”

Zhao Hanzhang gazed steadily back at Zhao Ming, her eyes firm, not shifting in the slightest. The two locked eyes for a long moment, then the corners of her mouth lifted in a light smile. “What do you think?”

Zhao Ming looked at her for quite a while, then sat up straight, his expression somewhere between a smile and a sneer. “I think you cannot.”

Zhao Hanzhang poured wine for both herself and him, lifting her cup to lightly clink it against his. “Cousin, your concerns aren’t wrong. Can Zhao Ji really serve well as clan leader?”

Zhao Hanzhang drained the wine in her cup, turning the cup in her hand. “There’s another saying that’s not wrong—mourning concerns the heart. I promised Grandfather I would protect Mother and Erlang well. I also know that besides Erlang, what he couldn’t let go of most was the Zhao family.”

“Therefore, even for Grandfather’s sake, I won’t harm the Zhao family—not in the slightest.”

Zhao Ming fell into contemplation.

Zhao Hanzhang set down her wine cup and stood up. “Cousin is drunk. Young Master Fu and I will take our leave. Oh, by the way, Cousin, drinking in the garden today, you probably don’t know—my grand-uncle sent an advisor to take over managing the family business. Fifth Grand-Uncle is probably looking for you right now.”

—