Hearing this, everyone pursed their lips. Xiping County already had three messengers from the Provincial Governor’s Office—two more wouldn’t be anything special.
Zhao Erlang was the least afraid, but he was a reasonable person. When he came to live in the county town, his elder sister had instructed him to follow the county’s rules, not to let others bully him but also not to bully others. So he very kindly answered the question, “My name is Zhao Yong. I came back late and got locked outside the city gates. I’m waiting here under the city wall for the gates to open.”
“Don’t lose your temper. My elder sister said that in Xiping County, you must follow Xiping County’s rules. They’ve already gone to fetch my elder sister—the city gates will open soon.” He paused, then added, “If you keep being mean to them, I’ll hit you.”
The messenger: …
Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan rode their horses quickly to receive them. They had just dismounted when people from the city tower ran down to report.
Learning that outside there wasn’t just Zhao Erlang but also two messengers from the Provincial Governor’s Office, she and Fu Tinghan exchanged a glance.
They couldn’t possibly be coming for the previous three messengers, could they?
“Open the city gates.” Zhao Hanzhang displayed her best smile, prepared to receive these two messengers.
The retainers hadn’t had time to tell her that one of the messengers seemed to have been frightened unconscious by the Second Young Master.
The city gates opened, and Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan emerged.
As soon as Zhao Erlang saw his sister, he immediately rushed forward, half boasting and half clarifying, “Elder sister, I was very good and very obedient. They told me to wait, so I waited. They’re the ones who weren’t following the rules, kept demanding people open the city gates, then just fainted on their own. I didn’t hit anyone!”
Zhao Hanzhang’s smile froze. “Fainted? Why?”
Zhao Erlang said sincerely, “I don’t know.”
Fu’an stepped forward and reported quietly, “Reporting to Third Miss, we were standing in the shadows. The messengers apparently didn’t see us. When we spoke, they may have mistaken us for ghosts, so…”
Zhao Hanzhang understood.
In the pitch-dark night, having several people suddenly appear—anyone would be scared to death, not to mention this was Xiping County, which had just experienced catastrophe. There were surely plenty of ghost stories circulating recently.
Zhao Hanzhang then withdrew the smile from her face. Fine, since a gentle opening was no longer suitable, she’d switch to a different approach.
Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand at the retainers. “Please invite the messengers into the city.”
The retainers circled around Zhao Erlang’s group and moved forward, lifting the messenger lying on the ground and carrying him in, while also “helping” the messenger on horseback down and carrying him in as well.
The two horses were led inside.
Zhao Hanzhang reached out to pat the two horses, finding them quite good. Very satisfied, she said, “Take them away.”
When Ji Yuan went to buy horses, he dealt directly with horse merchants, negotiating prices down repeatedly. Even the cheapest war horse cost three hundred thousand cash, with no upper limit.
The person was carried all the way to the county office. Only then did Zhao Hanzhang look Zhao Erlang up and down, asking with a normal expression, “Why so late?”
Zhao Erlang said, “I went to pay respects late, and by the time I came out, it was already dark.”
Zhao Hanzhang paused. “What time was it when you finished paying respects?”
“I don’t know. I can’t tell time, but it was already dark anyway.”
“Did you tell Fifth Great-Uncle that you were returning to the city?”
“Do I need to tell Fifth Great-Uncle when I’m returning to the city?”
Zhao Hanzhang understood. She called out to stop the people about to close the city gates. “Send two people on fast horses to the fortified village to notify them that Erlang has returned to the county town.”
“Yes.”
Zhao Hanzhang said, “From now on, if you return to the city late, remember to tell your elders so they won’t worry, understand?”
Zhao Erlang obediently agreed. “Oh.”
After returning to the county office, Zhao Hanzhang had Zhao Erlang and Fu’an go wash up and eat dinner while she and Fu Tinghan went to see the two messengers.
Zhao Ju was also in the county office’s great hall, currently circling around the two messengers and observing them. Seeing Zhao Hanzhang enter, he immediately bowed. “Young mistress, they haven’t woken up yet.”
Zhao Hanzhang was also afraid someone might be scared to death. “Send for a physician to examine them.”
The other messenger who had been tied up immediately began struggling, making muffled sounds.
With Zhao Hanzhang’s indication, Zhao Ju stepped forward and removed the cloth gag from his mouth.
“I’m a messenger from the Provincial Governor’s Office with urgent military orders to see County Magistrate Zhao!”
Zhao Hanzhang walked to the main seat and sat down heavily in the position only the county magistrate could occupy. “County Magistrate Zhao isn’t in the county town. Tell me whatever it is. What urgent military orders does the Provincial Governor’s Office have?”
The other party’s eyes widened as he stared blankly at Zhao Hanzhang. After a long while, he finally found his voice. “You, you’re Zhao Sanniang?”
Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow and nodded. “That’s correct.” She hadn’t expected people outside Xiping County to know of her too—what an unexpected pleasant surprise.
The messenger paused before saying, “I have urgent military orders…”
“Mm-hmm.” Zhao Hanzhang indicated he should continue.
The messenger helplessly said, “Could Miss Zhao please untie me first?”
“These days are chaotic. Not everyone wearing official robes is actually an official. You say you’re a messenger—where are the urgent military orders?”
The messenger, seeing that Zhao Hanzhang neither feared him nor showed even basic respect, could only say, “The military orders are in my breast.”
Zhao Ju felt around in his lapels and soon extracted a roll of silk cloth, which he quickly handed to Zhao Hanzhang.
Zhao Hanzhang unrolled it and read it directly.
The messenger’s jaw dropped, not expecting them to be so casual about it.
Seeing that the orders were to have them provide aid to Quyang, Zhao Hanzhang breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling as though a blade that had been hanging over her heart had finally fallen.
She immediately collected her expression and rose anxiously with the military orders in hand, descending from her seat. “Quick, quickly untie the messenger’s ropes.”
She bowed and said, “Please forgive me, messenger. It’s just that recently there have been many swindlers. I’m but a young woman supporting an entire city alone—I can’t help being overly cautious. I hope you’ll understand any offense.”
Fu Tinghan: … In all their days since entering Xiping County, they’d seen everything except swindlers.
If there were any, it would only be…
Fu Tinghan’s gaze fell on Zhao Hanzhang, and he couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Zhao Ju obediently untied the ropes.
Meeting Zhao Hanzhang’s smiling gaze, the messenger felt his momentum weaken for some reason. He shivered slightly and looked away. “Miss Zhao, military operations cannot be delayed. Please send someone to fetch County Magistrate Zhao and have him mobilize troops to aid Quyang.”
Zhao Hanzhang skipped over the first half of his statement and directly answered the second half. “But Xiping County’s troops were all used up long ago. Xiping County currently has no troops to mobilize.”
The messenger frowned slightly. “Is Miss Zhao trying to fool me? When I entered the city, I saw quite a few soldiers guarding the city tower.”
“They aren’t soldiers but members of my Zhao clan. They’re only temporarily standing guard to protect Xiping until the county office recruits new guards and garrison troops to replace them.”
The messenger stared at her blankly. “They’re Zhao clan members?”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded with a completely serious expression. “That’s right. My Zhao clan is a great family of Xiping. Our clansmen are spread throughout Xiping County—if there aren’t ten thousand surnamed Zhao, there are at least five thousand. You could say Xiping is my home. For the sake of our family, it’s only right that we temporarily guard the city gates.”
The messenger: …
—