Zhao Hanzhang had only come down from the battlefield a few days ago. Although she felt nothing was particularly wrong with herself, she still carried an air of battlefield severity about her. The women of the family were not very familiar with her to begin with, and now, given the rumors circulating throughout the fortress about her, everyone instinctively avoided making direct eye contact.

And so everyone’s gazes turned instead toward the cheerful, lively, and adorable Zhao Erlang — only to find him looking rather dark and sun-bronzed. The aunts and cousins all felt a pang of concern and pulled him to their sides, asking, “Why have you gotten so dark?”

Zhao Erlang had already been teased about his complexion several times that day. Young as he was, he still cared about his appearance, and the repeated comments had gotten to him just a little. He puffed out his lips and stood among the crowd with a slightly sulky expression.

Wang Shi swept her gaze around the room and suddenly understood. Sanniang was different from them now — naturally, they no longer had much in common to talk about.

So she said, “Sanniang, go to the kitchen and check whether the evening meal is ready. Tonight I’m keeping your aunts and cousins here for dinner.”

She left Zhao Erlang behind to keep the guests company.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and agreed. What had begun as a welcoming visit thus turned into a family gathering where everyone stayed for a spell.

The relatives were perfectly at ease about it. They had dinner together in the old residence, chatted for a while longer, and then took their leave.

Life inside the fortress was quite safe, and the various family homes were not far from one another — most could be reached on foot. For those a little farther away, their households, seeing no one had returned, had already sent people to escort them home.

Back in their own homes, the women quietly murmured to their husbands, “I think Sanniang carries herself with even more authority than before.”

The eldest son of the Sixth Branch said, “She just won a battle two days ago. Prefect He personally agreed to let her be the master of Xiping County. Although her being a woman means she cannot petition the court for the official title of County Magistrate, from now on Xiping County will have no magistrate either — so just how much authority does she have?”

The principal wife of the Sixth Branch said, “Our Zhao clan isn’t short of magistrates — we’ve even had a Director of the Imperial Secretariat and a Director of the Imperial Chancellery. But when I look at her, she feels more like a clan patriarch.”

“After all, she was raised by her grandfather. Is it so strange that she takes after him?” The eldest son paused, then cautioned his wife, “From now on, keep a closer watch over everyone in the household. Stop bringing up the matter of Wang Shi’s ill-fated fate. And remind Mother — she should stop giving Wang Shi cold looks.”

“Before, Grandfather didn’t involve himself in the inner household affairs, and Wang Shi was only a daughter-in-law, so you all had your way with her. But now the one running the First Branch is Sanniang,” he said. “That woman is her mother — do you think she’ll just stand by while people mistreat her?”

“Right now, Erlang and Sanniang are both in Xiping County, and Wang Shi has stayed alone in Shangcai, supposedly to manage the estate there — but who doesn’t know it’s because she can’t stand the fortress?” He continued, “Although Sanniang can’t yet claim authority over the fortress itself, she already represents the First Branch, and Fifth Uncle backs her up. If she were to get angry, I couldn’t protect any of you.”

“I know,” said the principal wife of the Sixth Branch. “It’s precisely because I know that we went to the old residence today — and spent the whole time flattering her.”

She lowered her voice. “I heard that Sanniang has been taking in refugees lately and, using the recruitment orders from the Prefect’s office, has enlisted over five thousand soldiers in total — and she’s still recruiting?”

Their entire Zhao clan fortress didn’t have that many retainers — was Zhao Hanzhang trying to defy Heaven itself?

The eldest son also lowered his voice. “Which is exactly why I’m telling you to keep on good terms with Wang Shi and stop provoking her unnecessarily.”

“The way things are now, her conduct doesn’t look anything like our gentry families with their habit of always playing it safe — it looks more like those roving militia armies out there.”

Never mind Zhao Ming — even he sometimes had the unsettling feeling that Zhao Hanzhang was one rallying cry away from open rebellion.

She had assembled far too many soldiers.

Not just for a county — even a full commandery might not field six thousand men. Yet Zhao Hanzhang, presiding over nothing more than one small, battered county, had taken that recruitment order and used it once, then used it again.

Back at the old residence, Wang Shi had finished washing up and was seated on the edge of the bed, talking to Qinggu. “Did you see it today? They were all trying to curry favor with me.”

Qinggu lifted the corner of the bedding and helped Wang Shi settle in, smiling as she said, “My lady, you’ve said that eight times already. Yes, I saw — they were all flattering you.”

Wang Shi lay back against the pillow, her hands folded over the covers, staring up at the canopy above. “It really is something. When Father-in-law was still clan patriarch and Director of the Imperial Secretariat, his prestige in the clan was unchallenged. And yet they still weren’t afraid — they looked down on me just the same, and who knows how many times they cursed me in private.”

“And now, after Sanniang led troops out just twice, they’ve completely forgotten that I was supposedly cursed to doom husband and son,” Wang Shi said, the rims of her eyes growing faintly red. She reached up and dabbed at the corners.

Qinggu knelt on the footstool and reached out to take her hand, murmuring softly in comfort, “My lady, please don’t take their nonsense to heart. Cursed to doom husband and son — that was nothing but jealousy talking.”

“You and the master were perfectly in harmony together, Sanniang was born clever, and Erlang was born healthy and strong — how many families in the entire clan can match the blessings you have? And as for the master — that was illness, nothing to do with you. Have you forgotten what he said to you when he was leaving?”

“All that talk about curses — put it out of your mind. If you ask me, they’re simply bullies who only fear the strong. Before, the master didn’t involve himself in these matters, so they had free rein. Now that Sanniang has made something of herself, they’re keeping themselves in check.”

Wang Shi nodded, dried her tears, and asked quietly, “Do you think I should move back and help Sanniang?”

She said, “There’s nothing I can really do in Shangcai. If I came back here, at least I could look after things for Sanniang — and if there were any news from within the clan, I could let her know promptly.”

Qinggu smiled. “It would be wonderful if my lady is willing to consider that. But my lady dotes on Sanniang, and Sanniang dotes on my lady — how could she bear to have you come back to the fortress and put up with unpleasantness?”

Wang Shi said, “I had no intention of returning before. But seeing their attitude today — I don’t think I’d be suffering for nothing anymore.”

Qinggu understood at once. This was what it meant to return home in glory. Now that Sanniang had achieved such distinction, the attitudes within the clan had shifted entirely. If Wang Shi didn’t come back to experience it firsthand, it would be like wearing fine silk robes in the dead of night — all that splendor, and no one to see it.

Mistress and servant exchanged a glance, and the decision was made on the spot. “It’s settled — I’ll stay and help Sanniang!”

Qinggu was delighted. She tucked the covers back around Wang Shi snugly. “My lady, sleep well tonight, and tomorrow morning you can tell Sanniang the good news.”

She said, “Once Sanniang and Erlang know that you’ll be staying in Xiping with them, they’ll surely be overjoyed.”

Wang Shi agreed, closed her eyes, and tried to sleep — but before long she opened them again, turned onto her side, and looked at Qinggu. “I can’t fall asleep. Why don’t you come up and keep me company?”

Qinggu didn’t refuse. The two of them had grown up together from childhood and had shared a bed more than a few times.

So Qinggu slipped off her shoes and climbed in.

Wang Shi made room for her and let out a long sigh. “It’s one thing that the others are treating me better — but why has Fifth Uncle been a little warmer toward me than before as well?”

Qinggu smiled. “Perhaps he doesn’t want to make things difficult for Sanniang.”

Zhao Song had indeed been thinking along exactly those lines.

Zhao Ming, thinking back to how Zhao Hanzhang had rushed home so eagerly earlier that day to welcome Wang Shi, couldn’t help but bring it up near the end of their deliberations in the study. “Father, we ought to rein in the clan a little. Talk of eminent monks and high Daoist masters — that sort of thing — should be dropped going forward, lest it breed resentment among the family.”