Zhao Rong: “That’s too troublesome, and they won’t necessarily obey. In my opinion, why not just seal off the mountains and forests and not let them in?”

Zhao Hanzhang looked back at him for a while, then suddenly smiled: “Zhao Rong, by calculation you’re older than Zhao Zheng and are studying at the Imperial Academy. Haven’t you entered official service?”

Zhao Rong said somewhat proudly: “My teacher said I’m suited for study and should continue deeper studies, then take the recruitment examination in the future.”

Zhao Zheng hadn’t taken the recruitment examination but was recruited because he and other Imperial Academy students helped the county office with work, which caught the court’s attention.

Oh, the recommender was Zhao Kuan.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at Zhao Rong and said: “We hunted quite a bit of game today. Later, you and I will go to a village at the mountain’s base to borrow fire. We’ll roast some things to eat. As for your question, you can think about it yourselves first. If you still haven’t figured it out by mealtime, I’ll tell you the answer.”

Zhao Zheng followed close to Zhao Hanzhang’s side, turned his head and said to Zhao Rong: “Cousin Rong, since we are officials, we should put the common people first. Their lives are very difficult—entering the mountains and forests might be their only way to survive.”

Zhao Rong disagreed: “People who are truly starving would have the strength to dig such a large trap and set up such vicious wooden spikes? Cousin Zheng, you almost died just now.”

Zhao Zheng: “These are two separate matters. We encountered danger partly because the trap was set viciously, but the trap itself wasn’t aimed at people—it was aimed at fierce beasts. The one who set it made markers. It’s because our knowledge was shallow and we didn’t pay attention that we accidentally stepped on it.”

“Even if we discuss cause and effect, we are not without fault.”

Zhao Rong couldn’t help reaching out to feel his forehead: “Did you get scared silly?”

Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze fell on the frowning Zhao Zheng. “Zhao Kuan told me that though you’re young, your knowledge is quite extensive. You read books as well as any of them. Most rare is that you have a bodhisattva’s heart. I didn’t quite believe it before—you’re only how many years old, how could you have grown a bodhisattva’s heart? But now I believe it.”

She said to Zhao Rong: “Enough. Both you and Cousin Zheng suffered a fright. Be careful—if the cold wind picks up soon, you might fall ill. Your disagreement doesn’t need to be resolved right now.”

Zhao Hanzhang took off her cloak and put it on Zhao Zheng, then had Zhao Erlang wrap Zhao Rong in his cloak. After gathering up the game, the guards also helped restore the trap before they left.

They carried quite a bit of game. With blood involved, because of the cold weather, the flowing blood quickly congealed, so the bloody smell wasn’t strong. But in the mountain forest they still had to be careful, so the group all hastened their departure.

The guards carried the deer and roe deer. Zhao Erlang and the others also grouped in twos and threes to carry large game.

Zhao Hanzhang just held two rabbits in her hands. The horses happily followed behind. All along the way, she had already decided how to eat the two plump rabbits in her hands. Suddenly her steps paused and she looked up ahead.

Zeng Yue noticed, placed his hand on his sword hilt, and signaled everyone to stop. He first took people quietly forward.

Soon he brought back a person—a man with stubble on his face and dark circles under his eyes, his body wrapped in a pile of torn cloth strips barely covering his body. His feet were wrapped in cloth strips, then wearing straw sandals. His big toe had broken through the cloth, and the exposed toe was frozen bright red.

When Zeng Yue brought him forward, his eyes were full of panic. But seeing Zhao Hanzhang standing in the middle of the crowd, the panic receded. He threw himself to his knees on the snowy ground with a thud, prostrating himself fully: “This humble one pays respects to the Grand General. I, I’m not an assassin, just a common person who entered the mountain to hunt for food.”

Zhao Hanzhang had him rise and asked: “What’s your name? Where do you live?”

The man didn’t rise but only knelt up. After hesitating, he pointed toward outside the mountain: “Live, live in Lu Village at the mountain’s base. This humble one is Lu Si.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at his complexion and lips, untied the pouch from her waist, poured out two pieces of rice cake, and stepped forward to hand them to him.

The man’s eyes went straight at the sight of the rice cakes. Kneeling in the snow, he looked up at Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang extended the rice cakes toward him again. The man then accepted them, quickly stuffing one piece into his mouth while discreetly tucking the other piece into his clothes.

Zhao Hanzhang pretended not to see. She took a water skin from Zhao Erlang and handed it to him, asking: “You came up the mountain empty-handed?”

Zeng Yue reported: “He had a wooden stick. Your subordinate knocked it down.”

Immediately a guard turned back to find the stick that had been left behind and brought it for Zhao Hanzhang to see.

Zhao Hanzhang took the wooden stick and weighed it, nodding: “It does have some use.”

After he drank two mouthfuls of water and swallowed the rice cake, Zhao Hanzhang asked him: “Can you see people clearly now?”

The man was surprised upon hearing this: “How did the Grand General know I couldn’t see people clearly just now?”

“You were about to faint. You were starving,” Zhao Hanzhang reached out and pulled him up from the snow, pointing toward the stream and asking: “There’s a large trap over there. Did you dig it?”

His face, which had just gained some color, immediately turned deathly pale. The man dropped back to his knees with a splat, saying fearfully: “Yes, did it injure the Grand General’s people?”

“Almost,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “That trap is positioned extremely well. It’s just that there are too many wooden spikes in the pit. If someone who doesn’t understand trap markers accidentally falls in, they could easily be injured.”

The man’s head was pressed tight against the snowy ground, trembling with fear.

Zhao Hanzhang asked: “Did you set up this trap alone, or do you have companions?”

The man gritted his teeth and said: “I set it up alone. Almost injuring the Grand General’s people is this humble one’s fault. Please punish me heavily, Grand General.”

Zhao Hanzhang then laughed, reaching out to pull him up: “Then I’ll punish you to be responsible for the people entering the mountains in this area. Warn them not to plant wooden spikes in traps anymore, to avoid accidentally injuring people. We’re here to hunt, but we can’t cut off people’s way of survival, right?”

The man was stunned for a moment before agreeing.

Zhao Hanzhang then beckoned to a guard carrying a roe deer. The guard cheerfully came forward.

Zhao Hanzhang said to the man: “Look, this roe deer ran blindly toward your trap and was impaled by the wooden spikes. Take it back with you.”

The man was instantly delighted, but seeing the wound on the roe deer, he could tell it wasn’t caused by the wooden spikes they had whittled, but by an arrow.

The man’s mouth opened and closed several times, wanting to speak but unable to. He could only look at Zhao Hanzhang with tears in his eyes.

Seeing this, Zhao Hanzhang laughed heartily, slapping his shoulder with her large hand: “What are you standing there for? Hurry and take it! Do you really want us to help you carry it down the mountain?”

The man lowered his head and knelt down, banging his head twice on the ground for Zhao Hanzhang before rising and wiping away his tears. He stepped forward to accept the roe deer.

The guard had originally wanted to carry it down for him, but seeing him shivering from cold, thought better of it and placed the roe deer on his shoulder.

With the game on his shoulders, the man felt excited. The cold wind blowing against him suddenly didn’t seem so cold anymore. After walking for a while, his body even warmed up. A smile appeared on his face, and as he walked he praised Zhao Hanzhang: “The Grand General is truly amazing, catching so much game as soon as she entered the mountain.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled: “Just good luck.”