Zhao Hanzhang also looked at him. After a moment, she said earnestly: “Uncle Cheng, people shouldn’t be too greedy. You don’t actually want the Zhao clan to last for thousands of generations, do you? If I establish a unified dynasty and it can continue peacefully and stably for three hundred years, I’ll be very satisfied.”

“Guo Pu said the Zhao clan rises through the people’s hearts, which shows the people’s hearts are with me. This is already a very good beginning.” Unlike Wei and Jin, neither could truly say they rose through the people’s hearts. Every dynasty that rose through the people’s hearts had at least two hundred years of dynastic rule. She was very satisfied.

Of course, Zhao Cheng had no history to compare with. After all, before him, there was only one unified dynasty—the Han—that truly exceeded a hundred years.

Compared to the Han’s four hundred years and the Zhou’s eight hundred years, it really wasn’t worth mentioning. So restoration was often brought up.

Everyone in the world wanted to replicate the Zhou Dynasty’s long rule. She understood and expressed her understanding.

But she also knew: “We must admit that every family will eventually produce a few unworthy descendants—this is impossible to prevent no matter how hard we try. You and I have both seen how hard ordinary people’s lives can be during difficult times. So when that time truly comes, I hope the people’s hearts will prevail. If those unworthy descendants in future generations really throw the realm into chaos again, then let the people’s hearts sweep them away.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at Zhao Cheng and sighed. “Uncle Cheng, I didn’t expect you to have aspirations for eternal rule.”

In the era she came from, there was not only the Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin before, but also the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing as reference points. So she had never thought a dynasty could last for a thousand years without falling.

What she was doing now and would do in the future was to ensure the interests of more common people and the unification of power.

She turned the tables and consoled Zhao Cheng: “Prosperity and decline are like the tides—when there’s a rise, there must be a fall. This is Heaven’s will. Uncle Cheng says my usurpation is moral corruption and sets a bad example. I acknowledge this and am willing to take responsibility for it. I’ll do my best to make amends in the future. I’m also confident that morality can be rebuilt and can be better than it is now.”

Zhao Cheng looked at her in astonishment. “You never thought of eternal dynastic rule? You only seek three hundred years. Do the clan elders know your thoughts? Does Zinian know?”

Zhao Hanzhang tilted her head and examined him carefully. “Uncle Cheng, is your opposition to me because I’m disloyal and unrighteous, corrupting morals, or because you think I’ll drag down the clan?”

Zhao Cheng: “I have both concerns.”

The corner of Zhao Hanzhang’s mouth twitched. She said to Zhao Cheng: “Uncle Cheng, I happened to meet Guo Pu before coming. He said there will be winter thunder tomorrow. When you reach the eastern outskirts, lightning will strike and fell a giant tree, blocking your path and possibly injuring people. So why not stay one more day? After this calamity passes, then set out.”

Zhao Cheng thought she didn’t want to continue this topic to avoid arguing with him, so he could only let it go. He frowned. “Did he say what time, what road section? Perhaps I could leave earlier to avoid it.”

Zhao Hanzhang: “Guo Pu is called a ‘rival to the immortals,’ not an actual immortal. Being able to divine it at all is already quite good. How could he possibly be so precise? Besides, even real immortals might not know, right?”

Zhao Cheng fell silent.

After thinking it over, he still wasn’t willing to change his schedule. The next day he still prepared to depart, but changed city gates and routes.

He discussed with his students and decided to leave through the south city gate, then circle around to the east. Since they were traveling for study anyway and time wasn’t pressing, their itinerary could be more flexible.

Zhao Cheng ran away in time, leaving Zhao Hu, who had recovered, unable to find him to argue with.

But for two consecutive days, the weather was clear and sunny. Forget winter thunder—they didn’t even see a snowflake.

Even though they left through the south gate, far from the east gate, when winter thunder struck, it should be audible within a hundred li radius.

Zhao Cheng felt something was strange. Combined with Zhao Hanzhang’s previous behavior and questions, he grew increasingly suspicious. He immediately took his people and circled toward the east, intercepting a merchant caravan coming out of Luoyang on the official road. “When you left the capital, did you hear about winter thunder in the eastern outskirts felling a large tree?”

The caravan manager was rushing home for New Year and hadn’t wanted to pay attention to Zhao Cheng. But hearing this, he immediately said: “When did this happen? How do I not know about it?”

Zhao Cheng: “The twenty-sixth.”

The manager exclaimed: “Impossible! I left the capital on the afternoon of the twenty-sixth and stayed at a relay station in the eastern outskirts that evening. Forget thunder—I didn’t see a single cloud. The sun was shining brightly, and the weather couldn’t have been better.”

He looked at Zhao Cheng suspiciously. “Where are you from? Where did you come from, and where are you going? Stopping us specifically to say such nonsense—could you be trying to spread rumors about winter thunder to harm the Grand General?”

Zhao Cheng: …You think quite expansively, but the one spreading rumors isn’t me—it’s Zhao Hanzhang herself!

Zhao Cheng said: “I’m from Yuzhou. I also heard this from someone, and precisely because it was hearsay, I didn’t dare believe it. That’s why I asked you, brother.”

The caravan manager: “There’s no such thing. The Grand General is regent, the realm is stable, and even Heaven is giving face. The weather has been good these past few days. It should be good weather for New Year too.”

Zhao Cheng quickly agreed and saw off the caravan manager. But he stood in the middle of the road, not knowing where to go.

The students following him were all very obedient. They didn’t know what their teacher was hesitating about but were willing to wait.

Zhao Cheng looked back at the students. Feeling somewhat defeated, he sat down on the grass to space out. He hadn’t been like this before.

In the past, he stayed far from the court. He disapproved of the Jin court and cursed it openly. He had firm convictions and insisted that what he believed was correct.

But after entering the court, the family forbade him from doing so. In the past, if he didn’t care, he would naturally ignore them.

But in the past, when he didn’t care, it would only hurt himself and no one else.

Now it was different. If he insisted, hurting himself was secondary—the clan’s children, the Imperial Academy’s students, even the teachers and students in schools throughout the nation—because he was the Grand Academician, the teacher of all students in the realm, his behavior would directly or indirectly harm them.

Only then did he understand that his previous understanding of being “unable to help oneself” was too shallow. The higher one’s position, the more one was unable to help oneself.

He couldn’t figure out whether the prophecy Zhao Hanzhang gave him was fabricated to deceive him, or whether Guo Pu had made an error and given a false prophecy.

If she deliberately deceived him, what was her purpose?

If Guo Pu made an error, then those things he told him—might they also possibly be wrong?

Zhao Cheng felt that if he didn’t figure this out, his upcoming scholarly journey would be very unhappy.

Should he write to ask?

No—if he didn’t ask in person, she might deceive him again.

That’s right. Zhao Cheng was already leaning toward the first guess—this matter was most likely fabricated by Zhao Hanzhang to deceive him.

After sitting on the grass and thinking for a long while, Zhao Cheng finally made up his mind. He stood up and said: “We’re going back to the capital!”

Hearing this, the students and servants following him couldn’t hold back their joyful cheers.

Zhao Cheng: “…What do you mean by this?”