County Magistrate Chai and Changning had worked together for many years. Since he’d first become county magistrate, he’d hired Changning as an advisor, and the two had always gotten along well. Only recently had some problems emerged.

But County Magistrate Chai had always felt those were minor issues. Weren’t they still together every day?

He never imagined Changning would request to resign.

Changning didn’t hide anything either, frankly telling County Magistrate Chai that he’d found better employment, which was why he was resigning. He would miss the county magistrate greatly in the future.

County Magistrate Chai asked, “Where is the master going for this better position?”

Changning said, “Xiping County.”

He added, “The distance isn’t very far. I’ll come back often to see you, county magistrate.”

County Magistrate Chai was stunned. “Xiping County? You, you’re going to work for Zhao Sanniang?”

Changning’s silence was confirmation.

County Magistrate Chai was so shocked he fell into his chair. He wanted to cry. With a bitter expression, he forced a smile, but tears welled up in his eyes anyway. Finally unable to hold back, tears fell. He slapped his thigh and wailed, “The master was right—Zhao Sanniang truly had ill intentions! She actually poached you away!”

If this wasn’t harboring bad intentions, what was?

This was simply the worst possible intention!

County Magistrate Chai cried inconsolably, but in the end he still let Changning go, even drinking with him and saying that when he became successful in the future, he mustn’t forget him.

Changning could only smile bitterly. “County magistrate, you’re teasing me again. How could my prospects compare to yours?”

County Magistrate Chai thought about it and agreed, so he raised his cup. “Come, I’ll give you a farewell drink.”

In the end, Changning couldn’t bear it. After a long silence, he said, “County magistrate, I have two or three good friends. If you want to hire an advisor, I can introduce you to one or two.”

But County Magistrate Chai waved his hand dismissively. “No need for now. I already have someone in mind.”

Changning was surprised. “So soon? Who might that be?”

County Magistrate Chai humphed to himself. He wasn’t so dependent on Changning that he had no other options. He’d already decided—he was going to poach Ji Yuan!

Upon learning of County Magistrate Chai’s plan, Changning was completely dumbfounded. But seeing the county magistrate’s confidence, he opened and closed his mouth without saying what was on his mind.

He was quite conflicted. First, County Magistrate Chai was his former lord, and seeing him about to step into such a big trap, he couldn’t bear it.

Second, Zhao Hanzhang was his new lord, and this would benefit her. Warning him would violate professional ethics.

Changning was extremely troubled. In the end, he still offered one comment: “If the county magistrate later wants to hire another advisor, Zining has other recommendations. You can see then if they’re suitable.”

County Magistrate Chai nodded perfunctorily.

After securing Changning’s agreement, Zhao Hanzhang happily packed up and brought her mother back to Xiping.

Wang Shi mainly missed her children, but she actually didn’t much like returning to Xiping.

Zhao Hanzhang could see her mother didn’t like Xiping, or more precisely, didn’t like the Zhao clan fortress. So she said, “Mother, we’ll just go back to pay respects to the elders. You can’t stay in the fortress—you must come find me and Second Brother at the county yamen.”

Hearing she wouldn’t have to stay in the fortress, Wang Shi perked up. “Good, and let’s also see how Fu Dajun is doing. Is he living comfortably in Xiping?”

She said, “He’s here alone. You must treat him well and not let him suffer any grievances.”

Zhao Hanzhang immediately nodded. “I know, I definitely won’t let him suffer any grievances.”

The group returned to Xiping. Zhao Hanzhang passed by her home without entering, having Qiu Wu escort Wang Shi to the fortress to pay respects to the elders first, while she needed to return to the county seat first.

“Returning victorious from a great triumph, I should have come back with the soldiers, but since I didn’t, I naturally need to check on the situation at the county yamen first. Mother, you go pay respects to Fifth Great-Uncle first, and I’ll come get you later.”

Wang Shi agreed reluctantly. “Then you must come get me.”

Zhao Hanzhang agreed and ran back to the county seat to see Fu Tinghan first.

Fu Tinghan and Zhao Ming were sitting in the county yamen’s back courtyard playing chess and drinking. Fu’an came running in from a distance, happily reporting, “Young master, Sanniang has returned!”

Fu Tinghan immediately stood up from his mat, bumping the chessboard and completely disrupting what had been an excellent position.

Zhao Ming looked up at him and tossed down the chess piece in his hand, saying magnanimously, “Go on then.”

Fu Tinghan’s face reddened slightly. He was somewhat embarrassed, but still bowed to Zhao Ming before dragging on his wooden clogs and heading out.

Zhao Ming slowly collected the chess pieces from the board. Changqing, who was attending nearby, couldn’t help but sigh. “Just a little more and Fu Dajun would have won again.”

Zhao Ming said, “I notice your complexion is ruddy—you’re probably experiencing rising blood energy. At times like this, you should eat less. Don’t eat dinner tonight.”

Changqing: …

Zhao Ming put away the chess pieces and slowly stood up. “Come on, let’s go see what my niece who returned two days late has been up to outside.”

Zhao Hanzhang learned that Fu Tinghan wasn’t in the front courtyard but in the back, so she immediately headed for the small gate to enter the back courtyard through there.

The two met right at the small gate.

Seeing Fu Tinghan, Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but break into a big smile, her mood soaring. “I was just coming to find you. Has everything been fine at the county yamen these past days?”

Fu Tinghan also smiled involuntarily, his mood becoming cheerful. “Nothing’s wrong, everything went smoothly. What about you? They said you personally went to the battlefield to fight—are you all right?”

Zhao Hanzhang shook her head. “I’m fine. They were far inferior to Shi Le.”

The two gazed at each other and smiled, their smiles brilliant and bright.

Ting He beside Zhao Hanzhang silently exchanged glances with Fu’an across from her. Just as they were wondering whether they should withdraw, they heard a cough.

All four turned to look, seeing Zhao Ming standing with his hands folded not far away, watching them.

He asked slowly, “Have you looked enough? Should we find a place to sit down and talk leisurely?”

Zhao Hanzhang raised her smiling face and bowed to him. “Hanzhang greets Uncle.”

Zhao Ming nodded and was first to walk out through the small gate. “Come on, let’s talk in the main hall of the county yamen.”

Upon reaching the main hall, everyone took their seats separately. Zhao Ming and Fu Tinghan sat on the left and right, while Zhao Hanzhang sat in the main seat.

Only after sitting down did Zhao Ming realize something was wrong. As an elder and nominally Xiping County’s second-in-command, with the first position vacant, he should be the one sitting in the main seat.

But he looked up at Zhao Hanzhang and saw her sitting there completely naturally, so he tacitly accepted it.

Zhao Ming asked, “Zhao Ju’s account wasn’t very clear when he returned, and Second Brother knows even less, so what’s the actual situation in Quyang?”

Zhao Hanzhang gave a detailed description of what they saw and encountered during the rescue, though of course she mainly talked about others. When it came to matters involving herself, she skimmed over them, only mentioning them briefly.

There was one central point: her acting management of Xiping County had been approved by Inspector He through proper channels. People from various commanderies and counties of Yuzhou had witnessed it, so from now on she could openly manage affairs without needing to borrow Zhao Ming’s name and seal.

Zhao Hanzhang decided to have her own private seal made.

But Zhao Ming’s attention was on Inspector He’s injury and his confrontation with Administrator Zhang. “So Inspector He is trying to win you over?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “Yes.”

“And you let him win you over?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “That’s right.”

Zhao Ming said, “You should know that when you’re out there, you don’t just represent yourself—you also represent the Zhao clan.”

“I know,” Zhao Hanzhang asked. “Should the Zhao clan refuse Inspector He’s overtures?”

Well, not exactly, but they shouldn’t directly choose sides either.

Zhao Hanzhang said very straightforwardly, “I’ll support whoever becomes inspector. Uncle, Yuzhou is unstable. No matter who becomes inspector, our Zhao clan will be the party being courted.”

Zhao Ming thought about it and realized it was true, so he stopped worrying about this matter. After thinking briefly, he stood up. “Since you’re back, I’ll return to the fortress.”

Zhao Hanzhang immediately stood up as well. “I’ll go back with Uncle. I need to pay respects to Fifth Great-Uncle.” She turned to Fu Tinghan and said in a low voice, “My mother came too. I’m going now to bring her back.”

Hearing this, Fu Tinghan also stood up. “Then I’ll go with you.”

Zhao Hanzhang instructed Ting He, “Send someone to the military camp to call Second Brother back.”

Ting He bowed and left.

Zhao Ming was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “You’re quite at ease, letting your mother return to the fortress alone.”

Because of the so-called eminent monk’s prediction, Wang Shi wasn’t very welcome at the fortress, especially among the elders.

Their attitude directly influenced the fortress’s female relatives, so every time Wang Shi returned home, she became depressed.

Zhao Hanzhang urged, “Then let’s hurry to pay respects to Fifth Great-Uncle.”

The subtext was to hurry and get her mother.

Zhao Ming pursed his lips and stood up to leave with Zhao Hanzhang.

Xiping County seat was only so big. The military camp wasn’t very far from the county yamen. Zhao Erlang quickly came running, covered in sweat, with nine strong young men following behind him.

Zhao Ming looked him up and down, always feeling he’d gotten darker. Not quite certain, he turned to ask Zhao Hanzhang, “Has he grown taller and gotten darker?”

Zhao Hanzhang was very satisfied with Zhao Erlang and praised him, “Yes, he’s grown taller. He’s only twelve now. If he eats more, in the future when he goes out, everyone will praise him as handsome and refined.”

Zhao Ming was speechless. She probably had some misunderstanding about what “handsome and refined” meant.

Zhao Ming instructed Zhao Erlang, “Get less sun. You’re too dark.”

Zhao Hanzhang disagreed. “It’s not deliberate exposure to harsh sunlight, just normal training. He’s still young—if he gets darker, so be it. He’ll lighten up after staying indoors for a while. Right now, learning skills is what’s important.”

“After the new year he’ll be thirteen—about time to arrange a betrothal. Is this still young?” Zhao Ming said. “Being this dark, which family would choose him as a son-in-law?”

He already had a reputation for being simple-minded. If he wasn’t better-looking, which family would be willing to choose him?

Zhao Ming looked more and more pained. He turned away. “From now on, don’t let him go out after noon. Let him recover first and have someone teach him some etiquette.”

He paused and asked, “Do you have a teacher there? If not, send him back to the fortress to study with the clan’s children. Has he memorized the clan genealogy and family precepts? Although he won’t have the opportunity for an imperial audience, he still needs to learn the proper etiquette for meeting superiors, elders, and clan sacrifices.”

He said, “Winter Solstice is approaching. There will be many banquets then. I’ll take him out to make the rounds. If there’s a suitable young lady, we should settle things.”

Zhao Hanzhang was stunned. Zhao Erlang was only twelve! They were already arranging his betrothal?

She remembered quickly. “Uncle, we’re in mourning. We can’t attend banquets or arrange betrothals.”

Zhao Ming glanced at her. “We won’t go out, but others will come visiting. Won’t he need proper etiquette when attending on the side? We can’t arrange a betrothal these two years, but we can look around and make selections first. Once you’re out of mourning, we can immediately settle things.”

“All the good young ladies from respectable families are betrothed before they reach the age of hairpinning. If you wait until he’s out of mourning to discuss marriage, what good matches will be left?” Zhao Ming said meaningfully, “He’s already at a disadvantage from birth. If we don’t hurry, how will he continue the family line in the future?”

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan listened in shock, both turning to look at the bewildered Zhao Erlang.

This child might be tall and sturdy now, but he was truly only twelve years old! Plus, with the effects on his mental development, he was currently the equivalent of an elementary school student from head to toe.

And they were already worrying about arranging his betrothal…

Zhao Hanzhang swallowed and asked him, “Erlang, do you want to take a wife?”

Zhao Erlang answered without thinking. “I do!”

Zhao Hanzhang was stunned. “You do?”

Zhao Erlang nodded. “I do!”

Fu Tinghan asked with amusement, “Do you know what taking a wife means?”

“I know!” Zhao Erlang said matter-of-factly. “A wife can play with me and give birth to babies. Mother said that once I take a wife and have babies, I won’t have to study anymore. She’ll teach the babies to read and won’t have time to bother with me.”

Fu Tinghan couldn’t help but laugh aloud. Zhao Hanzhang said directly to Zhao Ming, “Uncle, let’s not harm some other family’s daughter. Let’s wait until he’s a bit older and more sensible.”

Zhao Ming hadn’t expected Zhao Erlang’s motivation for taking a wife to be this, and was speechless for a moment before saying, “Do as you please, as long as you can still convince my father.”

Thinking of the worried Fifth Great-Uncle, Zhao Hanzhang fell silent.

She had thick skin and didn’t mind much herself, but she feared Wang Shi couldn’t withstand the pressure. Zhao Erlang’s marriage definitely needed her approval.

“Come on, let’s go get Mother.”

Zhao Erlang followed them in complete bewilderment.

When they arrived at the fortress, it was already evening. Wang Shi had already paid her respects to the clan elders and returned to the old residence. The old residence was currently lively, with many aunts, mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and sisters present.

When Zhao Hanzhang led Fu Tinghan and Zhao Erlang in, she heard laughter bursting from the main hall and was confused, not daring to go forward.

A servant woman saw her and hurried over to bow. “Young lady, you’ve returned.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked curiously, “Who’s visiting? Why is it so lively?”

The servant woman said with a smile, “It’s the eldest lady from the fifth branch and the eldest lady from the sixth branch who brought their children over to play. They’re all the young lady’s sisters. The madam is entertaining them now.”

Zhao Hanzhang hesitated and looked at Fu Tinghan.

Fu Tinghan smiled. “You all go ahead. It’s rare for your mother to return home—she’ll inevitably have social obligations.”

Zhao Hanzhang had the servant woman take Fu Tinghan to the back courtyard while she led Zhao Erlang to the main hall.

The main hall was full of female relatives—not only aunts from the fifth and sixth branches, but also aunts and mothers-in-law from other branches. However, the group centered around those two ladies.

The group was currently gathered around Wang Shi talking.

As soon as Zhao Hanzhang entered, the noisy main hall fell silent. The young ladies playing inside instinctively stood up, looking toward Zhao Hanzhang.

Even the aunts and mothers-in-law sitting beside Wang Shi stood up. After standing, they realized this wasn’t quite right, but sitting back down would be too conspicuous.

In this moment of hesitation, Zhao Hanzhang had already entered with a smile, leading Zhao Erlang in bowing to everyone in a general salute. “Greetings to all the aunts and mothers-in-law. Greetings to all the sisters.”

Wang Shi laughed with a hint of reproach. “Look at the bow you’re making—you’re giving people something to laugh about.”

She turned to apologize to everyone. “This child has been worrying about outside matters lately, and her etiquette has become lax. I’ll have her pick it all back up when we return.”

The eldest lady of the fifth branch smiled. “She didn’t bow incorrectly—she just followed the young masters’ style. I think it’s fine.”

The eldest lady of the sixth branch also smiled. “Indeed. Sanniang goes out into the world now and acts boldly. Following her brothers’ style of bowing isn’t wrong either.”

Wang Shi was taken aback. If this had been in the past, when Sanniang bowed like this, she as the mother would be scolded for not raising her daughter properly—after all, failing to educate one’s daughter well was the mother’s fault.

But now…

Even though she’d already experienced many shocks this half-day, she was still stunned by their tolerance and flattery, unable to come to her senses for quite a while.

—