Master Chen said, “The Xiongnu army won’t advance south. At most, they’ll loot around Luoyang and then leave.”

He continued, “The Prince of Donghai’s army isn’t to be trifled with either. Once his forces return to defend, the Xiongnu army will naturally withdraw. Besides, there’s also the Prince of Nanyang’s army.”

Zhao Hanzhang pondered, “By this calculation, His Majesty and the others should return to Luoyang soon.”

Master Chen sighed, “Indeed. Once the armies return to defend and the various loyalist forces arrive in the capital, we can go back to Luoyang. At the earliest, two or three months; at the latest, perhaps a year.”

Chen Erniang beside him couldn’t understand at all. “Father, since the Prince of Donghai will return within a year at most, why must we flee so strenuously?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! If we don’t flee, we’ll all be white bones within a year.”

Now Luoyang’s gates stood wide open, with three armies flooding in. Whether the Qiang-Hu forces or the Xiongnu army, their objective was to plunder wealth. If they could capture or kill the Emperor, naturally that would be good, but even if they couldn’t, looting the city of Luoyang and the palace once wouldn’t be a loss.

Even the government troops from Jingzhao Jun were likely planning the same thing.

If they remained in Luoyang, with good luck they might preserve their lives and only have their property plundered. With bad luck, being massacred as a clan or experiencing citywide slaughter wasn’t impossible. So if they could flee, they should flee.

Zhao Hanzhang’s sources of information were limited. As the head of his household, Master Chen naturally obtained slightly more information than her. She enthusiastically asked him to stay, intending to invite him for dinner.

Their dinner consisted of steamed buns as hard as stones, though they were quite fragrant when toasted—they just wore down one’s teeth a bit.

Zhao Hanzhang was young with excellent teeth, so she worked hard to break off a piece and put it in her mouth to chew. After a moment, she withdrew it from her mouth with an unchanged expression. Fu Tinghan beside her saw this and couldn’t help but lower his head and laugh for a while, casually passing her a bowl and opening his water pouch to pour her some water.

Zhao Hanzhang composed her expression and immediately had Ting He fetch two more bowls for the Chen father and daughter.

Zhao Hanzhang tossed that piece of bun into water to soak and asked, “Uncle, do you know where the Prince of Donghai intends to take His Majesty?”

“It should be to Hongnong. There’s a secondary palace there where they can rest and reorganize.”

Zhao Hanzhang murmured thoughtfully, “I wonder if Hongnong’s grain reserves will be sufficient. With so many soldiers and refugees entering… and the army’s provisions are also a concern.”

She sighed, “Uncle, you’ve also seen that I’m leading so many retainers. From here to Runan requires quite a bit of provisions. I heard that your household has someone serving in the Imperial Guards?”

Master Chen understood her implication and immediately said, “I have a cousin who manages provisions in the Imperial Guards. If I can meet him, I could certainly make connections for you, my dear niece. Buying some grain shouldn’t be difficult.”

Zhao Hanzhang immediately poured him water and even helped break up his hard steamed bun and put it in water. “The food is simple and crude—I’ve inconvenienced you, Uncle.”

Master Chen, who had lost all his luggage and was left with only the clothes on his back and scattered ornaments, indicated he felt no inconvenience at all.

The two conversed very happily, showing signs of becoming close friends despite their age difference.

Chen Erniang beside them watched with astonishment.

Fu Tinghan had long since grown accustomed to this. Zhao Hanzhang was like this—no matter what circumstances she found herself in, she could quickly become the center of attention in any group.

After eating dinner together, Zhao Hanzhang didn’t let them leave. At night, in the wilderness full of refugees, it was also very dangerous. No one knew when or for what reason someone might have their throat slit.

So Zhao Hanzhang had Chengbo arrange them within their group, surrounded by retainers—very safe.

Master Chen, who had been on edge and reluctant to take his leave, breathed a great sigh of relief and pulled his daughter away to rest.

Fu Tinghan watched him leave, then looked at Zhao Hanzhang. “You… still plan to pursue Zhao Ji?”

His gaze swept over Zhao Dian and the others, and he said in a low voice, “Zhao Zhongyu is with the army. If you meet him, will you still be able to keep these retainers?”

“So I plan to send a squad leader to conduct the transaction while we take a detour to Runan.” Zhao Hanzhang frowned. “Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with the routes. Yingchuan blocks the way in between, and it’s suffered natural disasters. This stretch of road probably won’t be easy to travel.”

Fu Tinghan thought for a moment, then said, “I saw a map of Dajin at Fu Zhi’s place. Although it wasn’t particularly detailed, it had the main roads, mountains, rivers, and major towns all marked. I can draw it out, then we can avoid the disaster-affected areas on the way to Runan.”

Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow slightly. “Professor Fu memorized it all?”

Fu Tinghan replied, “Seventy or eighty percent. Didn’t you say you wanted to leave Luoyang for Chang’an or Runan? During that time, I was thinking about how to get there faster and more efficiently. When I saw he had a map there—a military map no less—I couldn’t help but study it for a while longer.”

Studying it for a while and memorizing seventy or eighty percent?

Zhao Hanzhang gained a deeper appreciation for his memory. She’d heard classmates discuss how that prodigy at Twenty-Second Middle School had an incredible memory—supposedly having photographic recall. He could memorize Chinese texts after reading them once, and was even better at mathematics. In any case, in his first year of the Mathematical Olympiad, he took first place in the entire province, while she had fallen just slightly behind.

Zhao Hanzhang immediately called for Ting He and asked, “Do we still have writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone in our luggage?”

Zhao Erlang, who had just been treated with medicine by the fire, stiffened his spine and immediately lowered his head.

Ting He went to search and then said, “We still have an ink stick and paper and brush, but no inkstone.”

She glanced at Zhao Erlang nearby and said quietly, “Erlang used it to hit someone and broke it.”

“No matter. Get a bowl.”

Zhao Hanzhang ground ink for Professor Fu and dragged over the only remaining intact box for him to use as a surface for drawing.

The sky grew completely dark, and the clamor gradually faded. The wilderness slowly quieted down, with only occasional voices and sobbing sounds. Today had been filled with terror—some had lost husbands or wives, some had lost parents, and others had lost children. But tomorrow they still had to continue fleeing, so they could only force themselves to rest quickly.

Yet their emotions fluctuated wildly with various worries and fears. Their bodies wanted to sleep, but their minds were beyond control.

Chen Erniang couldn’t settle her mind. She was still young, leaning against her father’s side. Opening her eyes and seeing he was still sitting motionless, she leaned closer and asked quietly, “Father, will the Zhao family’s Third Miss really send us to catch up with the army?”

“She will,” Master Chen opened his eyes and looked down to comfort her. “She is a person of noble character and high integrity. Since she’s promised us, she’ll certainly do it.”

If only for provisions, she would send him there.

Look at these retainers—over a hundred people, each one strong and robust. Without sufficient provisions and benefits, how could she keep them?

Zhao Ji truly discarded the precious and kept the worthless, yet Zhao Hanzhang remained so filial. Their entire branch had been abandoned, yet she still worried about Zhao Ji’s family.

Chen Erniang was curious. “I’ve never heard Father mention the Zhao family before. Do we have a good relationship with them?”

Master Chen replied, “I would like to have a good relationship with their family, but one must be able to reach so high. That was the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. I only saw him before.”

Chen Erniang’s eyes widened. “Then why is she so cordial to us, even saying we’re neighbors…”

Master Chen gently patted his daughter’s head. “Being separated by two streets still makes us neighbors, silly child. When you grow a bit older, you’ll understand—this is human relations and worldly wisdom.”

In any case, these half-day dealings with Zhao Hanzhang had been very pleasant. Zhao Hanzhang had righteousness; naturally, he couldn’t be without loyalty. Once he caught up with his family, even if he couldn’t buy provisions from the Imperial Guards, he had ways to procure a batch of grain for her.

—