Zhao Ming couldn’t convince Zhao Song, nor could Zhao Song gain Zhao Ming’s agreement. Father and son parted on bad terms.

Although the conversation was unpleasant, the next day Zhao Ming still had to accompany them to inspect the fields and shops.

It was currently the height of the summer harvest season, so the fields were full of people harvesting wheat.

Zhao Hanzhang wore a veiled hat while riding her horse, but she refused to wear it properly, lifting the veil so that half her face was exposed. When she lowered her eyes, they could meet those of the laborers in the fields.

Zhao Song disliked riding horses and went directly in an ox cart. He called out to Zhao Hanzhang, who was walking beside the cart, and asked, “How is the wheat harvest in Shangcai? I see it will rain in a few days, so we need to hurry.”

Zhao Hanzhang replied, “It’s all been harvested already. The farmers are currently preparing the soil to plant beans.”

Zhao Song was surprised. “So fast?”

In his memory, there were quite a few fields in Shangcai that were part of Zhao Hanzhang’s dowry, plus she had exchanged many more with Zhao Zhongyu.

Zhao Hanzhang sighed. “Previously the household steward managed things poorly. Many fields were left fallow, and with the recent loss of tenant farmers and long-term workers, the cultivated fields were only roughly planted and didn’t yield good harvests. Recently I’ve taken in some refugees, and with more hands available, these small tasks were finished quickly.”

After speaking, Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “It’s precisely because the field work is all done that I could return to visit Fifth Grand-Uncle.”

Zhao Song’s heavy mood lightened, and he smiled. “So if you had work in the fields, you wouldn’t come back to see me?”

Zhao Hanzhang sweetly replied, “Of course I’d still come. Seeing Fifth Grand-Uncle is like seeing Grandfather—it sets my heart at ease.”

Zhao Ming, squeezed into the ox cart with his father, couldn’t listen anymore. He had the driver stop the cart, then jumped down and stretched his arms and legs. Turning his head to see everyone watching him, he waved his hand. “Let’s go. I’m getting off to move around, I’ll walk there.”

Zhao Hanzhang thought for a moment, then dismounted and gave her horse to Ting He, also choosing to walk.

Fu Tinghan lowered his head in thought. If he didn’t dismount, would it seem very impolite?

Zhao Song couldn’t be bothered with his son. He smiled at the somewhat troubled Fu Tinghan. “Young Master Fu need not mind them. Let those uncle and niece walk. Riding a horse is bumpy—why not get in the cart and sit with me?”

Fu Tinghan readily agreed.

Zhao Ming looked back at the ox cart, then said to Zhao Hanzhang walking beside him, “Young Master Fu’s constitution seems not even to match yours.”

“Isn’t this the current trend? Men apply face powder, their bodies as delicate as willows in the wind, giving an ethereal, immortal feeling.”

Zhao Ming: …He felt somewhat offended.

However, Zhao Hanzhang had already turned to scrutinize him carefully. After scanning him up and down, she suddenly smiled brilliantly. “Cousin, your makeup today is quite good.”

Looking at the bare-faced Zhao Hanzhang, Zhao Ming suddenly felt very angry, but couldn’t say a word.

Zhao Hanzhang walked to the edge of the field and pulled up a stalk of wheat to examine. “It looks like this year’s harvest is not bad.”

“There are also poor areas,” Zhao Ming stepped forward and also pulled up a wheat stalk, chewing a grain. “This area has irrigation ditches passing through, it’s good farmland, the soil is fertile, close to home, and well-tended. The further out you go, some land plots are barren, and the harvest isn’t very good.”

Zhao Ming pointed in one direction. “This year there was an insect plague on the north side of the mountain. The wheat in that area mostly has empty husks—even more severe.”

Zhao Hanzhang thought for a moment. “I remember my family and Grand-Uncle’s family have several plots of land over there.”

Zhao Ming hummed in acknowledgment. “We can take a detour through the mountain’s north side on the way back to the fortress. You can see the situation.”

Tan Zhong obediently followed along with them.

The two families had many fields. Not counting those cultivated by clan members, just those worked by tenant farmers and long-term workers were considerable, and the fields were adjacent.

After Zhao Hanzhang inspected her own family’s fields, she could immediately see the condition of Zhao Zhongyu’s family’s fields.

The tenant farmers and long-term workers in the fields had never met Zhao Hanzhang. Hearing she was the legitimate eldest daughter of the first branch, they immediately put down their sickles, came forward, and knelt on the field ridge to speak with Zhao Hanzhang. “Last year the master showed great kindness, deferring twenty percent of our rent. This year the crops in the field are doing well, so we can make up that twenty percent.”

Zhao Hanzhang helped him up and asked, “Your name is Chen San?”

“Yes, I’m the third child in my family.”

“Who else is in your family? When did you come to the fortress? How many acres have you rented in the fortress?”

Chen San answered each question. He had fled here to Xiping five years ago. Because the Zhao family fortress was recruiting long-term workers and tenant farmers, he stayed with his family.

“…I rented ten acres of land—six acres belong to the young lady’s family, and four acres belong to Seventh Elder.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked, “Can you make ends meet?”

Chen San answered, “We can barely manage.”

Zhao Hanzhang sighed deeply, glancing at the woman in the distance bending to cut wheat and the children gleaning in the field. After pondering for a moment, she said, “The twenty percent rent my grandfather deferred for you last year is now forgiven.”

Chen San’s eyes widened. He couldn’t help but glance at Zhao Song sitting in the ox cart, then immediately knelt down, repeatedly saying “I dare not.”

Zhao Hanzhang pulled him up. “Last year Grandfather deferred twenty percent of your rent out of pity for your difficult circumstances, but feared that forgiving it outright would make you lazy. Now I’m deciding to forgive it—I’m simply continuing Grandfather’s intentions.”

Zhao Song, sitting in the ox cart, nodded approvingly.

Chen San was even more moved, his eyes reddening. Breaking free from Zhao Hanzhang’s grip, he knelt and kowtowed repeatedly. “Thank you, young lady. Thank you, master. I’ll go home and set up a longevity tablet for the master. I’ll make daily offerings and will never neglect it.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Grandfather wasn’t someone who cared about such empty rituals. Why waste the expense?”

Her gaze extended into the distance. Knowing that this area had quite a bit of land belonging to her, she simply said, “I’m forgiving all the twenty percent rent my grandfather deferred to you last year. Go tell them.”

Chen San’s eyes brightened. He kowtowed twice more, then loudly declared, “Thank you for the young lady’s great kindness!”

Chen San ran to the next field ridge and shouted toward the distance, “The young lady has forgiven the twenty percent rent we owed from last year—”

His voice carried far. Tenant farmers who had also rented land from Zhao Hanzhang’s family heard this and cheered happily. They also knelt facing the direction where Zhao Hanzhang stood and kowtowed once, then rose and continued shouting into the distance, passing this news along.

Zhao Song felt the tenant farmers’ joy and also sensed their gratitude toward the Zhao family fortress, feeling that the fortress’s cohesion had grown even stronger.

He contentedly stroked his beard, looking at Zhao Hanzhang with satisfaction, then turned to his contemplative son Zhao Ming. “Pass down the word—our family won’t collect that twenty percent from last year either.”

Zhao Changyu was the clan leader, and his decisions directly influenced other family members.

So last year when the fields had a poor harvest, he wrote back saying that clan members and tenant farmers were struggling. Therefore, after the summer and autumn harvests, he would only collect ten percent rent from clan members and twenty percent from tenant farmers, with the remaining twenty percent to be repaid next year when the harvest improved.

That twenty percent rent was considered a loan to help everyone through difficult times.

As a supporter of Zhao Changyu, Zhao Song naturally stood firmly on his side. With a grand wave of his hand, his family operated the same way.

The major households in the clan followed suit one after another, including Zhao Zhongyu, who was far away in the capital.

At that time, he naturally acted together with his elder brother.

At this moment, everyone looked toward Tan Zhong.

—