Ever since Zhao Hanzhang left, County Magistrate Chai had been living in constant fear.
He feared the rebel army would come from Quyang and Xiping, and he would have no troops to resist. He also feared Zhao Hanzhang would abduct his people, while he couldn’t keep watch over the Zhao family’s mother and son.
But this fear quickly turned to worry, because the Zhao Family actually sent four more children in. He heard they were sent overnight from Xiping.
The rebel army had forced the Zhao Family to send out their seed—their future generation. County Magistrate Chai immediately had thoughts of fleeing.
But he still held on and didn’t dare flee, precisely because of what Zhao Hanzhang had said when persuading him before: if worst came to worst, surrender, and at least protect the city’s common people.
In this state of constant fear, County Magistrate Chai received news of the Xiping battle.
He heard that Xiping County’s County Magistrate had died defending the city, that Xiping County had been breached with heavy casualties.
He heard that the Zhao Family had led their soldiers to retake Xiping County and driven away the rebel army.
He heard that the Zhao Family sent a woman to recover Xiping County—the Third Miss of the Zhao Family, and she was Zhao Changyu’s granddaughter.
He heard that Zhao Sanniang was very capable, rebuilding the county, pacifying the common people, distributing relief grain, and leading the county’s people in autumn harvest.
He heard that Zhao Sanniang had defeated Zhao Ming and was now the actual person in power at the Zhao Family fortress, and Zhao Zhongyu in the capital had been sidelined.
He heard… County Magistrate Chai heard many rumors, and the worry on his face slowly turned to expressionlessness.
Every day after court, the first thing he asked was, “Has Zhao Sanniang returned?”
Changning told him with a complicated expression, “There’s been no news.”
Today County Magistrate Chai received the same reply and couldn’t help getting angry. He finally couldn’t help asking aloud, “Why is she so confident? Her mother and younger brother are still in my hands.”
Changning fell silent. Did you dare do anything to Lady Wang and Zhao Erlang?
You still had to provide them with good food and lodging, didn’t you?
County Magistrate Chai was full of sorrow. “Those four children from the Zhao Family are also with us. Why aren’t they anxious?”
The Zhao Family was actually anxious, especially the parents of those four children.
They had long sent people to Shangcai to fetch them, but when they arrived at the manor in Shangcai, they learned the people had been sent to the county.
In the manor they could have just taken them and left, but in the county it wasn’t possible.
Never mind that County Magistrate Chai wouldn’t agree—even Ji Yuan wouldn’t agree.
“Since they were sent to the city, they are the same as the Second Miss and Second Young Master—they’re entrusted by the Third Miss to County Magistrate Chai. Until the Third Miss returns, they cannot leave the city for even a day. This is a matter of trust.”
This attitude moved County Magistrate Chai greatly. Recently he had become sworn brothers of different surnames with Ji Yuan, and their relationship was rapidly warming.
County Magistrate Chai had thought carefully about it. With the Zhao Family’s power and position in Runan, if they forcefully took the people away, he really couldn’t stop them. So Ji Yuan keeping his word like this and thinking of him like this—how could he not be convinced?
However, County Magistrate Chai didn’t know that Changning, watching his emotion, was extremely silent. He very much wanted to tell him that the reason Ji Yuan blocked the Zhao Family’s people from taking away those four children wasn’t just to keep them as hostages for County Magistrate Chai—it was also to keep them as hostages for Zhao Hanzhang.
Did he really think those four children were in County Magistrate Chai’s hands?
They were clearly in Zhao Hanzhang’s hands.
As long as the Zhao Family couldn’t retrieve them for a single day, the Zhao Family had a vital weakness in Zhao Hanzhang’s grasp.
Just look at how smoothly Zhao Hanzhang was operating in Xiping County—especially after the appointments of Xiping County’s County Magistrate and Chief Clerk came down.
Zhao Ming, a local powerful gentry family member and a former mid-ranking gentleman, was only appointed as County Magistrate.
Who was the vacant County Magistrate position being left for?
Changning could figure it out with his toes.
Unfortunately, County Magistrate Chai’s feelings for Ji Yuan had been rapidly warming recently. Ji Yuan, that petty person, had been sowing discord between him and County Magistrate Chai, so that recently he was often suspected and scolded. Changning simply didn’t mention these matters.
County Magistrate Chai wouldn’t believe him anyway, and in the end he would just get another scolding.
Changning waited with Buddhist detachment, waiting for Zhao Hanzhang to return and exchange people.
Several branches of the family in the fortress were also waiting.
Don’t look at how only four children were sent out, with only four sets of parents—behind them stood a whole group of clan members.
After the first attempt to retrieve people from Shangcai failed, the clan members in the fortress gained a new understanding of Zhao Hanzhang.
Before the fortress was besieged, in their eyes Zhao Hanzhang was just a clever junior. If they had to define an identity, it would be the eldest branch’s granddaughter, the actual decision-maker of the eldest branch.
But she was still a child.
After the fortress was besieged and rescued, in their eyes Zhao Hanzhang was a capable, bold, and clever junior who could discuss clan matters—a woman they could negotiate with.
But after failing to retrieve the children, they finally realized that Zhao Hanzhang could stand on equal footing with the Zhao Family as an individual to discuss major matters.
So what did she want from the Zhao Family?
At this moment, in the eyes of her clan members, she was no longer just Zhao Sanniang—she was also Zhao Hanzhang.
Zhao Sanniang was the Third Miss of the Zhao Family who definitely had to follow the family’s arrangements, but Zhao Hanzhang clearly was not.
Zhao Hanzhang handed the county over to Fu Tinghan and brought two hundred people back to the fortress with Zhao Ming.
Upon meeting again, though only ten days had passed, Zhao Song felt it had been longer than a year. He quietly watched Zhao Hanzhang.
But Zhao Hanzhang was the same as before. Jumping off her horse, she ran toward Zhao Song with a smile, bowed in greeting, and called out, “Fifth Grand-Uncle.”
Zhao Song’s expression involuntarily softened somewhat. He nodded slightly. “You’re back.”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded vigorously, looking admiring. “I’m back. Xiping County has finally gotten on track, so I could return.”
Zhao Hanzhang pointed to the dark circles under her eyes. “Look, I’ve been unable to sleep well for ten consecutive days, only able to sleep two or three hours each day.”
Zhao Song couldn’t help feeling distressed. “Why so little sleep?”
“Xiping County suffered heavy casualties with everything in ruins. There were too many things to do,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “I’m young and inexperienced with few dealings, so I could only stay up late handling official business.”
Zhao Song sighed, finally unable to hold back his question. “Why would you, a woman, do such thankless work?”
Zhao Hanzhang’s voice grew dejected. “Fifth Grand-Uncle, when I saw Xiping’s signal fires from Shangcai, I knew the fortress was in grave danger. At that time I had few people, and even less weapons and horses—I had practically nothing.”
“I was burning with anxiety inside, extremely afraid something would happen to the fortress. Inside are over a thousand of our Zhao Family clan members. What would I do if something happened to you all?” Zhao Hanzhang said. “So I could only beg everywhere, borrowing soldiers from the County Magistrate, and reluctantly having Mother and Erlang go into Shangcai County as hostages to exchange for some weapons and horses for the soldiers.”
“At that time I swore that as long as I could protect the fortress, I would definitely build up strength. In the future if such things happened again, I would never again use Mother and younger brother as hostages to exchange for troops and horses.”
Zhao Song looked at her in surprise, not expecting such thoughts from her. For a moment his heart ached terribly. Taking her hand, he couldn’t help shedding tears. “Good child, you’ve had it hard.”
Zhao Ming, who had just finished arranging for the people Zhao Hanzhang brought back, returned to see the grandfather and granddaughter crying together.
Zhao Ming: …
Clearly just a few days ago he was still angry at himself for misjudging her character—how had they made up now?
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