Zhao Hanzhang was startled and instinctively looked at Xiahou Ren. Could this person be Zhao Ming’s close friend, the kind where one day apart feels like three autumns?

But she saw a flash of surprise on Xiahou Ren’s face, which then returned to normal as he also grasped Zhao Ming’s hand with an excited expression.

Zhao Hanzhang almost thought she had seen things, but she chose to trust her eyes and intuition.

Her gaze slid back and forth between the two men as she smiled silently.

Zhao Ming pulled Xiahou Ren aside with an excited expression and exchanged pleasantries for quite a while before turning to Zhao Hanzhang. “This is Xiahou Zitai. You should call him uncle.”

Zhao Hanzhang raised her hands in salute and respectfully called out “Uncle,” while thinking to herself: Who is Xiahou Zitai?

She couldn’t find him in her own memories, but did find some clues in the family genealogy within her inherited memories.

Xiahou, ah… the Xiahou who made Zhao Ming so nervous.

She smiled as she looked at Zhao Ming, hoping he would give her more clues.

Zhao Ming had already pulled Xiahou Ren’s hand and asked: “Is General Xiahou well? Is Duke Pei well?”

Zhao Hanzhang then understood. Ji Yuan had mentioned to her that this year’s Grand Rector of Yuzhou was Xiahou Jun, the General Xiahou that Zhao Ming spoke of, and she was somewhat related to him.

Xiahou Ren had come for Zhao Hanzhang, so Zhao Ming’s enthusiasm couldn’t divert him from his purpose. He looked at Zhao Hanzhang. “Isn’t Sanniang joining the garden for the banquet?”

He smiled. “Sanniang’s demeanor far surpasses all the renowned scholars. To speak honestly, we men still lack Sanniang’s courage and talent. Shi Lei has been rampaging through the Jizhou area with few opponents, yet Sanniang managed to repel him. We fall far short of you.”

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyebrows slightly, glancing at Zhao Ming before saying calmly: “Uncle flatters me. Whether repelling Shi Lei or managing Xiping County, none of this was Hanzhang’s achievement alone. It all depended on Uncle Ming’s and our clan relatives’ support and assistance.”

Everyone wore understanding expressions. So it was the Zhao family that actually controlled Xiping County. They just didn’t know why the Zhao family pushed forward a woman like Zhao Hanzhang as a shield instead of using other clan members.

Zhao Ming, secretly implied to be the mastermind behind everything: …

He glanced at Zhao Hanzhang and pulled Xiahou Ren along. “Sanniang is in mourning, so she won’t enter the garden. Since Zitai has come to Xiping, you must see the talented youth of our Runan. Next year is the ranking year. I hope Zitai will speak well of us before General Xiahou.”

Xiahou Ren pondered without speaking.

Zhao Hanzhang then smiled. “Since Uncle has come to Xiping, you must stay for several days. Hanzhang will keep you company and show you the landscape and people of Xiping.”

Only then did Xiahou Ren smile and nod. “Then I’ll trouble Sanniang.”

He finally followed Zhao Ming into the garden to rejoin the banquet.

Zhao Hanzhang watched him enter, then turned back to her carriage. “Let’s go back.”

Zhao Erlang was playing at home, and Zhao Zheng was also there. The two were taking turns with wooden swords in the courtyard—actually, Zhao Erlang was letting Zhao Zheng strike at him. No matter how forcefully Zhao Zheng attacked or from which angle, he could always block it.

Seeing his sister return, Zhao Erlang applied a bit more force, deflecting Zhao Zheng’s sword, and jumped over. “My sister’s back. I won’t play with you anymore.”

He ran to Zhao Hanzhang’s side and thrust his head before her. “Sister, look at my jade crown. Someone gave it to me.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and asked: “What kind of generous person was this?”

Zhao Erlang thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know them. Zheng-didi and I met them on our way back. He asked my name, I answered, and he gave it to me.”

Zhao Hanzhang then looked toward Fu’an on the side.

Fu’an immediately stepped forward. “This humble one asked. That young master’s servant said they were from the Xiahou family.”

Zhao Hanzhang then knew who it was. She patted Zhao Erlang’s head. “It’s quite nice. That’s your uncle. Since an elder bestowed it, you should wear it.”

Zhao Zheng stood quietly to the side. Hearing this, he asked: “Third Sister, was the crown giver from the Pei County Xiahou family?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “Yes.”

“I heard Father say that this year’s Grand Rector is General Xiahou.”

Zhao Hanzhang found his serious demeanor at such a young age quite adorable, so she led them to sit in the corridor and asked with a smile: “What, does little Azheng also want to be ranked?”

Zhao Zheng’s face reddened slightly. “I’m still young. But my father is at the right age.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “Uncle’s character and talent are both superior grade. If he participates in ranking, his grade won’t be low.”

“But now ranking primarily considers family background first.” Zhao Zheng said worriedly: “Third Sister, my ancestors… You have ties with General Xiahou. Could you speak well of Father?”

Zhao Hanzhang: “Clever child, how do you know your father is willing to be ranked, willing to enter service?”

“Perhaps he wasn’t willing before, but isn’t Father now working for Third Sister?” Zhao Zheng said: “You’ve given the clerks from the county office and the squad leaders from the military camp to Father to teach, and had Father teach them military strategy.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him in surprise. “You really are very clever. Are you truly only eight years old?”

Zhao Zheng’s expression darkened. “Third Sister, I’m already eight!” Not eight months—how could he not understand such things?

Nearby, twelve-year-old Zhao Erlang couldn’t understand. He hadn’t grasped their meaning at all. Seeing his newly-made good friend pleading with his sister, he joined in: “Sister, please help Zheng-didi.”

Zhao Hanzhang lightly tapped his head. “Do you even know what this is about?”

“But this matter isn’t difficult for me.” Speaking well of someone—she was quite good at that. But whether others listened wasn’t within her control. However… “Is Uncle truly willing to be ranked? Zheng-didi, this concerns Uncle’s future. You’d better ask him directly.”

Zhao Zheng said: “Father dislikes asking favors of people. I wanted to give Father a surprise.”

“Better it’s not a shock,” Zhao Hanzhang knew he was clever and simply gave him a hint. “Do you know why Uncle and Seventh Grand-Uncle have such a poor relationship?”

Zhao Zheng lowered his eyes and said quietly: “Because of my mother…”

Zhao Hanzhang tapped his head. “What nonsense are you thinking? What does it have to do with your mother?”

She said: “It’s because your grandfather was unreliable. Though juniors shouldn’t discuss elders’ faults behind their backs, to prevent future generations from making the same mistakes, what needs to be said must be said.”

“Your grandfather’s values were completely different from your father’s. This is one reason why father and son couldn’t see eye to eye. The second reason is that your grandfather tried to control your father, wanting Uncle to completely follow his arrangements.” Zhao Hanzhang said: “But Uncle, though a son, is also a person—an independent person with his own thoughts. His actions should be controlled by his own heart, not come from a second person.”

“Zheng-didi, do you now want to control your father’s actions like your grandfather did?”

Zhao Zheng’s face turned pale with fright, and he waved his hands repeatedly. “I, I didn’t mean to, Third Sister. I just wanted to give Father a surprise…”

Zhao Hanzhang stroked his head to comfort him, saying gently: “There are many ways to give surprises. This is the most wrong one. If you truly want to help your father in this regard, you should first ask him whether he really wants to enter service, wants to be ranked.”