Zhao Erlang pried open the bed boards and saw the neatly arranged items inside. He couldn’t help but exclaim “Wow!” His personal guards also immediately crowded around to look.
Inside the bed boards were many neatly arranged jewels, the most eye-catching being a large silver vase. Everyone stared fixedly at that large vase without moving.
But Zhao Erlang wasn’t interested in it. He preferred shiny, glittering things.
He opened a box and saw it was filled with gemstones. He couldn’t help but grab a handful and stuff them into his clothes. While rummaging through them, he saw a string of pure white prayer beads pressed underneath.
Zhao Erlang froze, pulling out the long string of beads. His guards’ gazes involuntarily shifted from the silver vase to the prayer beads. They found it difficult to describe their current feelings—they just thought it looked good, especially good.
“General, is this jade? I’ve never seen such white jade.”
Zhao Erlang had never seen it either. He felt it again and again, finally saying, “It’s not jade, but it’s like jade.”
Intuition told Zhao Erlang that this item was very expensive, and such white, such beautiful prayer beads should be paired with his sister and brother-in-law.
Zhao Erlang coiled up the prayer beads and stuffed them into his clothes. He lowered his head to search, wanting to find another string.
He turned over everything in the bed boards but didn’t see any. He frowned slightly. “Why is there only one string?”
“General, my mother once said that all the good things in this world exist only once.”
Hearing this, Zhao Erlang hid the prayer beads even deeper. He decided not to turn this item in.
The personal guards following Zhao Erlang also quietly felt for some easily hidden items to stuff into their clothes. The rest they packed into cloth bags to take to the front.
The two armies converged and began dividing the spoils… ahem, the war trophies.
Of course, it was impossible to count every needle and thread clearly. They just roughly estimated, then distributed from the things they had found themselves.
In the end, it was still Zhao Erlang’s side that took some additional items from the Western Liang Army. However, this wasn’t over yet. Both sides searched each other, finding what the soldiers had privately hidden.
Of course, they didn’t search too thoroughly. If anyone could hide things in their crotch, they didn’t search there.
Zuo Du’s gaze swept across Zhao Erlang’s chest. It was obvious he had hidden things there, and quite a lot of them, but he didn’t dare search him. So he looked toward Beigong Chun.
Beigong Chun glanced at him with displeasure and shook his head slightly. Zuo Du could only give up.
In Beigong Chun’s view, Zhao Erlang was still a child. He wouldn’t stoop to haggling with a child. Moreover, they had actually taken advantage of Zhao Erlang in this matter.
Didn’t Zhao Hanzhang know they were coming to Mount Hai’er today to suppress bandits?
But she said nothing, maintaining a tacit approval, because of whom?
Wasn’t it because of Zhao Erlang?
So Beigong Chun let it go.
Zhao Erlang successfully protected a chestful of items. When descending the mountain, he happily extended one hand to cover his chest, deeply afraid the things inside would fall out.
At the foot of the mountain, he pulled out a box of jewels, then had Lu Hu and the others lead the troops back to Xin’an with the rest.
The soldiers were very excited, asking, “General, are all these ours now?”
“We don’t have to turn them over to the Lady?”
You should know that Zhao Erlang was very keen on turning over spoils from bandit suppression to the public. Of course, Zhao Hanzhang always allocated things to them as well.
Zhao Erlang slightly raised his chin and said, “Sister said that the summer harvest is imminent. After the summer harvest, our various armies will each bear some of our own grain and provisions. So unless we’re fighting together, war trophies from other times can be kept for ourselves.”
Zhao Erlang said this proudly, adding, “However, we should still turn over some to the public. This box will go to Sister.”
The soldiers were happy, praising the general’s wisdom one after another.
Zhao Erlang listened happily and said to Lu Hu, “You watch them take the things back to camp. All these items must be recorded in registers and given to Teacher Xie.”
“Give to Teacher Xie?”
“Yes,” Zhao Erlang said matter-of-factly. “He’s my military advisor and also my teacher. If I don’t give it to him, who should I give it to?”
He said, “Sister’s money is all held by Teacher Ji and my brother-in-law.”
He was learning from Zhao Hanzhang.
Lu Hu agreed, then had people seal up all the boxes. Things that couldn’t fit in boxes, like quilts and screens, were piled together with people assigned to watch them.
Zhao Erlang had a strong impulse to return to Luoyang immediately. In the end, it was Beigong Chun who stopped him. “The sky is already dark. By the time we reach the gates of Luoyang, it will be the middle of the night. The gate guards will be in a difficult position whether to open the city gates or not. Better to rest here for the night and return tomorrow morning.”
Zhao Erlang touched his chest, then looked at the pitch-black heaven and earth. The road ahead was already invisible. He could only reluctantly agree.
The next morning, as soon as the sun peeked over the horizon and daylight illuminated the earth, he immediately called to Lu Hu, gathered people and belongings, and left.
Beigong Chun watched him in such a hurry and couldn’t help shaking his head. This child was too impatient. They hadn’t yet discussed what to do with the prisoners.
Beigong Chun absolutely wouldn’t admit he had deliberately not brought it up last night.
Zhao Erlang galloped back to Luoyang at full speed. Just as he was about to run into the city, he thought of something and reined in his horse to ask the soldiers guarding the gate, “Did my sister and brother-in-law leave the city today?”
The soldier was stunned, then quickly replied, “In response to the young general, the Magistrate and the eldest young master left the city early this morning. From their direction, they seemed to be heading toward the water mill by the Luo River.”
Zhao Erlang turned his horse around and called to those behind him, “Let’s go.”
Zhao Erlang ran to the water mill. Workers had already arrived to start work, hammering away noisily.
The people at the mill saw him and pointed the way. Zhao Erlang smoothly found them in a room.
Fu Tinghan was adjusting a newly delivered stone mill. He wanted to create a linked mill system that could turn several stone mills at once.
Zhao Hanzhang observed from the side, occasionally lending a hand. Something seemed to have gone wrong somewhere—when the stone mills turned, they weren’t synchronized. Instead, one caused another to stop. If Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes hadn’t been quick and she hadn’t released the linkage, the wooden pole would have snapped.
Zhao Erlang rushed in, loudly calling, “Sister!”
Zhao Hanzhang, who was supporting the stone mill, lifted her eyelids to glance at Zhao Erlang. After Fu Tinghan released the wooden pole, she put down the stone mill she’d been holding up. She shook out her hands and said irritably, “What are you shouting about? If my hand had slipped, your brother-in-law’s hand would be gone.”
Fu Tinghan glanced at her. Just now her hand hadn’t trembled at all, showing she hadn’t been startled.
But Zhao Erlang was frightened by Zhao Hanzhang. He quickly looked at Fu Tinghan. “Brother-in-law, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Fu Tinghan saw he was dusty from travel and had dark circles under his eyes. He asked, “Did the bandit suppression go smoothly? Were you injured?”
“Very smoothly, no injuries.” Zhao Erlang broke into a happy smile. “Sister, brother-in-law, I brought you a treasure.”
He pulled out the string of prayer beads from his clothes, spreading them out to show Zhao Hanzhang. “Sister, look.”
A flash of admiration crossed Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes as she looked at the pure white prayer beads before her. This white was whiter than jade.
Fu Tinghan touched them and was surprised. “Is this giant clam shell?”