Fu Tinghan strode quickly from his tent. Zhao Hanzhang’s party had just approached the camp gate.

The soldiers guarding the gate, though knowing their origin, still symbolically stopped them and checked their tokens before allowing entry.

Fu Tinghan’s face bore a smile he couldn’t suppress as he greeted them. “How did you come? Yesterday was New Year’s Eve—wasn’t there a palace banquet?”

Zhao Hanzhang replied, “I set out after attending the palace banquet.”

Hearing this, Fu Tinghan quickly pulled her toward the large tent. “You rode all night?”

Zhao Hanzhang turned to wave at her personal guards, sending them off to rest, before allowing Fu Tinghan to pull her into the tent. “Not the whole night—I rested for one shichen in between.”

Entering the tent, Zhao Hanzhang removed her hat and unfastened her cloak before taking off her gloves. Fu Tinghan touched her hands—ice cold throughout. He hurriedly called for Fu’an to bring hot water. “Did you come to comfort the laborers and soldiers? Do the young emperor and court officials know?”

Zhao Hanzhang removed all her armor as well, finally feeling her whole body relax. “Aside from Zeng Yue, no one knows. They’ll know once I return.”

Fu Tinghan smiled wryly. “Why put yourself through this?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Two hundred three thousand two hundred fifty-seven people are here managing the Yellow River. Behind each person stands a family. I won’t be at ease without coming to see for myself.”

“You’re so confident about Luoyang? Didn’t you say this is a critical time, with Jiangnan just recovered and Prince Langya still in the capital?”

Fu’an personally brought hot water. Zhao Hanzhang washed her face, neck, and hands while saying, “Luoyang is only one day’s journey from here. If the situation could change within two days, do you think I could advance further?”

Having reached this point, if she didn’t even have this much control over Luoyang, then pulling down the young emperor to take his place herself would be pure suicide.

She washed the cloth clean, wrung it dry, and hung it on the rack before smiling. “We can both observe whether there will be any disturbance in Luoyang this time.”

Fu Tinghan asked, “Does this count as entrapment?”

“No—I haven’t made any grand announcements. I had Zeng Yue stay at the mansion declining visitors,” Zhao Hanzhang sat on the cushions and exhaled, finally feeling alive again. “However, I must return to Luoyang by noon on the third day—I need to pay New Year’s respects to family.”

Fu Tinghan acknowledged and had Fu’an go fetch breakfast.

“After eating, will you sleep?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “I’ll nap for one shichen, then go see the laborers. I must visit all the camps.”

Fu Tinghan agreed and was just turning to make preparations when Fu’an brought breakfast, saying, “Master, I’ve brought your breakfast as well.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him. “You haven’t eaten breakfast?”

Fu’an explained, “The kitchen staff slept late, and this servant also slept deeply. I didn’t expect the master to rise so early and go hungry all morning without breakfast until now. The kitchen will certainly only prepare two meals today—this combines breakfast and lunch.”

Zhao Hanzhang shifted to make room. “Quickly, quickly—eat first. You can work after eating your fill.”

Fu Tinghan didn’t squeeze in beside her. He moved the official documents and other materials piled across from her to one side and sat facing her. “You should have told me earlier. Two days ago when I asked, you said you weren’t coming.”

Zhao Hanzhang replied, “It was a last-minute decision.”

“What prompted you to make this decision?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “I saw your and Guo Pu’s solar eclipse calculations. I felt I needed to come see the Yellow River and see all of you.”

Fu Tinghan frowned. “The existing data can’t calculate a specific time.”

“What about approximately?”

Fu Tinghan paused for quite a while before saying, “It should be in the first half of the year, sometime between the second and fourth months.”

Zhao Hanzhang said softly, “The third month. The Yellow River basin will have torrential rain for three consecutive months. The timing of the solar eclipse’s appearance becomes very important. If it’s before the third month, everything will be fine. But if it coincides with the torrential rain, I…”

She paused before continuing, “Either the young emperor or I must die, or the realm will fall into great chaos.”

Fu Tinghan was shocked. “That serious?”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him reassuringly. “I’ll most likely survive. At worst, the next few years will just be harder.”

But she didn’t want to kill the young emperor either.

If the celestial anomaly and natural disaster occurred simultaneously, people wouldn’t accept her so-called scientific explanation. From court officials down to common folk, everyone would demand an accounting from her.

This blame would fall either on her or on the young emperor.

To fantasize that neither would bear it—the realm had plenty of ambitious people. They would use this as justification, and rebellion would succeed instantly. She absolutely wouldn’t allow the realm to fall into great chaos again.

Clearly, if she didn’t take the blame, only the young emperor could.

Actually, this wasn’t necessarily bad for her. She could take this opportunity to force the young emperor to abdicate. But if he stepped down bearing this blame, he might not live to adulthood.

Without bearing this blame, once he was no longer emperor, people would curse her, not him. As long as she didn’t act against him, he could live peacefully to a natural death.

After Fu Tinghan understood, he asked, “If the solar eclipse appears before the third month, you and the young emperor won’t have to bear this blame?”

Zhao Hanzhang hummed in agreement. “If you can confirm it’s before the third month, I’ll start maneuvering now to pin this blame on the natural disaster—the solar eclipse appears to presage calamity, not because the ruler is unenlightened or because treacherous officials are causing chaos. At worst, I can muddy the waters and pin the blame on the Sima family’s ancestors.”

“But if the solar eclipse appears after the torrential rain begins, that would be bad.” The blame was too great—the natural disaster and those dead Sima family members couldn’t bear it. Only the living could.

Fu Tinghan said, “I’ll need to see the recent months’ records of ecliptic and white path data—I’m not sure if I can calculate it.”

“I’ve brought them.” When Zhao Hanzhang decided to come comfort the troops, she had asked Guo Pu for this data. She said, “Today is New Year’s Day, currently noon. If there’s no solar eclipse today, then it would be the first day of the second month, the third month… Historical records state the torrential rain began in the third month and continued for three months, but I know historical records of rain and drought disasters are actually somewhat vague. I’m not certain whether the first torrential rain fell in the third month or late in the second month.”

Fu Tinghan replied, “I understand. A solar eclipse on the first day of the third month isn’t safe either. Can’t Guo Pu calculate when the torrential rain will occur?”

“He can calculate that this year will have abundant spring and summer rain and we must guard against floods.”

Fu Tinghan sighed. “Without meteorological satellites, calculating this much is already remarkable.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded. That’s why she absolutely had to keep Guo Pu and couldn’t let him think about wandering the world anymore.

After eating, Zhao Hanzhang went to the bed for a quick nap. Fu Tinghan took the stack of materials she’d given him and began writing and sketching at the desk.

One shichen later, Zhao Hanzhang automatically woke up.

Fu Tinghan particularly admired this ability of hers. Clearly without an alarm clock or anyone calling her, she could wake precisely at her predetermined time.

Zhao Hanzhang turned over and got out of bed, beginning to dress. “Have you calculated it?”

“Not yet.” Fu Tinghan folded the draft and tucked it in his breast. He followed behind her. “I’ll go with you.”

Zhao Hanzhang turned around. “Visiting all the camps within one day and night—it will be very arduous.”

Fu Tinghan smiled slightly. “I’m the chief administrator for this Yellow River management project. When the General comes to inspect, how can I not accompany you?”

Zhao Hanzhang agreed.