Because of Wei Jie’s great reputation, Fu Tinghan was also very willing to stay a couple more days to meet this maternal uncle.

Wei Jie had just arrived outside Chenxian city and was waiting in line to enter when a soldier inspecting carriages saw him and, without even checking his travel permit, shouted to someone behind him, “Quickly go tell the magistrate, Wei Jie has arrived.”

The person behind ran off immediately.

People were coming and going on the street, and some who had received advance notice of Wei Jie’s arrival and had been waiting for two days straight, seeing the city gate soldiers sprint, immediately looked toward the city gate.

Before long, news of Wei Jie entering the city flew throughout the county town.

So when Wei Jie and Wang Yu finally entered the city, quite a few people had already rushed to the street, all excitedly staring at them.

The carriage had traveled less than half a street when a bold person walked up to block the carriage, laughing loudly and asking, “Is Wei Shubao of Hedong in the carriage?”

Wang Yu frowned, very displeased, and rode his horse forward to block in front of the carriage, “Who are you? Quickly move aside! How dare you block our carriage!”

“You look ordinary and have a big temper, so you’re definitely not Wei Shubao. I’m asking the person inside the carriage.” That person said loudly, “If it’s truly Wei Shubao in the carriage, lift the curtain and let us have a look, how about it?”

“The world’s beauty should be viewed by the world.”

Zhao Hu, leaning on a second-floor window sill, heard this and scoffed, casually picking up a flatbread from the table and throwing it down, hitting that person right on the head.

That person, having been hit, immediately became furious, covering his head and looking up toward the restaurant’s second floor. Seeing Zhao Hu, he became even angrier but had to suppress his anger, “Seventh Uncle Zhao, what are you doing?”

“Yu Xiao’er, you call me uncle, so I’ll teach you a lesson. Even if Wei Shubao is the world’s beauty, he’s not for your eyeballs to see,” Zhao Hu said. “He’s an honored guest my grand-niece invited. What are you making trouble here for? Get lost!”

With a bang, a window on the second floor of the opposite restaurant was pushed open, and an old man also stuck his head out, pointing at Zhao Hu across the way, “Zhao Hu, have you no shame? This is a matter for the younger generation. What are you, an old man, getting involved for?”

“I’m happy to. Is it any of your business?” Seeing him in the neighboring restaurant, Zhao Hu understood that he had bought the opposite building to compete with him. The frustration he’d been holding onto these past days was vented at him, “Yu Sanlang, all you can do is eat my leftovers. I want to open a restaurant, so you open one right across from me. If you have the ability, go open one somewhere else.”

“I won’t. I just like opening one here. Is it any of your business?”

Two old men whose ages added up to over one hundred years pointed at each other across a street, half their bodies leaning out the windows, cursing loudly.

The common people along the street wanted to look at the person in the carriage one moment, and the next moment stared wide-eyed at the people in the restaurants on both sides, busy for a while, their necks twisting back and forth.

It was the sound of approaching hoofbeats from a distance that pulled their attention back.

Everyone looked toward the direction of the hoofbeats and saw Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan riding side by side.

The common people immediately stepped back, clearing the road for them.

Yu Xiao’er shrank his neck and quickly slipped back into the crowd, acting as if he wasn’t the one who had blocked the carriage just now.

Zhao Hanzhang reined in her horse, smiling as she locked eyes with those on horseback and sitting on the carriage shaft, then dismounted.

Although Wang Yu and the others had never met Zhao Hanzhang, seeing the surrounding people’s reactions, they guessed her identity and immediately dismounted as well.

Wei Cheng, sitting on the carriage shaft, also said quietly to the inside, “Third Uncle, it seems Magistrate Zhao has arrived.”

The curtain was lifted, and only then did Wei Jie emerge.

Fu Tinghan dismounted and looked at the person on the carriage, couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows slightly. Indeed handsome. Even modern celebrities meticulously packaged couldn’t compare in many ways.

This person truly deserved to be called a star, truly like a star in the sky—dazzling yet not blinding.

At this time Wei Jie was only twenty-four years old, in the prime of his youth. Standing among several people, he was so pale he seemed to glow, like a jade carving. He raised his eyes to meet Fu Tinghan and Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, smiled faintly, then supported himself on his servant’s hand to descend from the carriage. Then he and Wang Yu both raised their hands first in salute, “Wei Jie of Hedong pays respects to Magistrate Zhao.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled with pursed lips and returned the salute, “Maternal uncle is too polite. Mother sent Hanzhang to watch for you early on. As soon as I received the news, I immediately came to meet you. I haven’t startled maternal uncle, have I?”

Wei Jie had long grown accustomed to this and shook his head slightly.

Zhao Hanzhang then smiled and looked toward Wang Yu.

Compared to Wei Jie, Wang Yu was much taller and more robust, but he also had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a fair complexion, and an heroic bearing. Zhao Hanzhang felt he looked somewhat familiar.

But there was no time to think more about it at the moment. Zhao Hanzhang invited them to board the carriage, and she would lead them back to the mansion.

The common people on both sides of the road had been stunned by Wei Jie’s appearance when he descended from the carriage and for a moment were quiet as chickens. As Wei Jie walked away, the others were fine, but the young ladies watching couldn’t help but cover their mouths and let out low screams.

One young lady directly pushed aside the person in front of her and shouted loudly to Zhao Hanzhang, “Magistrate Zhao, are you going to grant Master Wei an official position?”

Zhao Hanzhang had already mounted her horse. Hearing this, she smiled and asked, “What if I am, and what if I’m not?”

How could the young ladies still hear the second half? Their minds were filled only with the first half. They immediately screamed and said, “I also want to enter officialdom! Magistrate, Governor, My Lady, let me work alongside Master Wei!”

Wei Jie’s spine stiffened, and his movement of boarding the carriage paused. He couldn’t help but turn his head to look at Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang, sitting on her horse, couldn’t help but laugh heartily, saying cheerfully, “Very well! As long as you can enter officialdom, compete for it with your own abilities.”

As soon as these words were spoken, countless screams came from both sides of the street and from the restaurants on both sides. Not only women, but even men couldn’t help but feel their hearts surge with excitement.

If they could work alongside Wei Jie, just looking at him every day would improve their mood greatly.

Everyone has a love of beauty.

Zhao Hanzhang raised her hand toward Wei Jie with a gesture, indicating he should board the carriage.

Wei Jie nodded at her and bent down to enter.

Fu Tinghan’s gaze swept back and forth between Wei Jie, Zhao Hanzhang, and Wang Yu, finally knowing who they resembled. He smiled at Zhao Hanzhang, “The three of you look somewhat alike.”

Zhao Hanzhang was stunned, “Us?”

Fu Tinghan nodded, “And Erlang too. Especially your eyebrows, eyes, and skin—you all have heroic eyebrows and very fair skin. Your features are also somewhat similar, it’s just that Wei Jie is the most outstanding. Wang Yu and Erlang look most alike.”

Zhao Hanzhang fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, temporarily setting this matter aside, and first escorted Wei Jie and the others back to the mansion.

She quickly glanced up at the restaurants on both sides. Yu Sanlang was very polite to Zhao Hanzhang. Seeing her look over, he smiled and raised his hand in salute. Zhao Hu just snorted but also became obedient and stopped arguing across the space with the opposite Yu Sanlang.

Since they were relatives, Zhao Hanzhang directly had people prepare guest quarters in the Governor’s Mansion where they were staying and invited them to move in.

Wang Shi had been waiting and was anxiously pacing in circles in the room. Hearing the commotion, she immediately walked out the door to greet them, and saw a jade-like person approaching. She paused slightly, then immediately stepped forward to exchange greetings with Wei Jie.

Her relationship with Wei Jie was relatively close—they were maternal cousins. Only then did she greet Wang Yu.

Wang Shi was very excited but also somewhat sad, “I haven’t seen my cousin for many years either. I didn’t expect you’ve grown so much, and you actually resemble your cousin somewhat.”

Wei Jie smiled and asked, “Is cousin referring to Cousin Zhizhi?”

Wang Shi nodded with tears in her eyes.

Zhao Hanzhang held her tea in a daze. Wasn’t that her father?

Because of this resemblance, Wang Shi and Wei Jie conversed very pleasantly. Knowing his health wasn’t good, Wang Shi didn’t have him talk too much and said gently, “I’ve had people prepare the guest quarters. Both cousins should go wash up and rest first. We’ll chat more this evening at dinner.”

Wei Jie quickly glanced at Zhao Hanzhang, who then stood up smiling, “Maternal uncle, let Tinghan take you down to rest.”

Fu Tinghan nodded at Zhao Hanzhang and took them down to rest.

Zhao Hanzhang waited until they left before turning to look at her mother, “Mother, does Wei Jie really look like Father?”

Wang Shi wiped her tears while glaring at her, “Have some manners. Call him maternal uncle.”

She said, “Yes, very much alike. Especially that sickly appearance—he looks even more like him.”

Zhao Hanzhang held her tea worrying, “Just now Tinghan said Erlang looks like Wang Yu, and I see it too.”

Wang Shi didn’t think it was a big deal, “You all have Wang family bloodline. Isn’t it natural to look alike?”

She said, “Our Taiyuan Wang family is famously good-looking. Moreover, your maternal great-grandmother of the Zhong family was even more renowned for beauty that moved the world. Your fair skin is inherited from her, your eyebrows and eyes are from our Wang family, and your features resemble your grandfather.”

Zhao Hanzhang said seriously, “In the future, our family’s descendants shouldn’t marry anyone from the Wang family or families with marriage ties to the Wang family for at least three generations.”

Wang Shi, upon hearing this, was unhappy and asked, “What’s wrong with the Wang family? Our Wang family is good-looking and talented. In terms of family status, we’re not inferior to other aristocratic families. Of course, your maternal grandfather’s family isn’t worth mentioning, but there are still several other thriving branches of the Wang family. Why can’t we intermarry?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Mother, marriages between people with blood ties too close isn’t good. You and Father were maternal cousins—the bloodline was too close.”

“How is it close? We have different surnames and aren’t direct maternal cousins. There’s a layer between us,” Wang Shi muttered. “I previously regretted this layer between us, which resulted in too little time spent with your father.”

Seeing Wang Shi cry, Zhao Hanzhang immediately swallowed her words and teased her, “Since you say maternal uncle looks like my father, in the future you can often go see him, and it’ll be like seeing Father.”

“Bah, you just like to talk nonsense.” Wang Shi said, “Although they have some resemblance, their personalities are completely different. Your father was sickly, but he loved to laugh and was very mischievous. In this respect, Erlang is somewhat like him.”

Zhao Hanzhang imagined a person with Wei Jie’s face and Erlang’s personality and shivered, immediately standing up, “Mother, I’ll go see Uncle Ming first. Later I’ll come back to ask maternal uncle and the others if they’ll follow me to Luoyang or stay in Chenxian.”

The entire Chenxian county was excited because of Wei Jie’s arrival. Seeing this change, Zhao Ming couldn’t help but smile slightly and said to Zhao Hanzhang, “This is a true celebrity. If you could invite more celebrities, perhaps you wouldn’t need to worry about Chenxian’s economy. Merchants and travelers would flock here of their own accord.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Uncle Ming is right, which is why I want to take them to Luoyang.”

Zhao Ming frowned, “Luoyang?”

He said, “Conditions in Luoyang are very harsh right now. Would they be willing?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Where isn’t harsh now? Since Wei Jie has taken the step to return north, I think he can endure this bit of hardship.”

Zhao Ming swirled his wine cup, “You want to use him and lure him to Luoyang?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “If Wei Jie shines brilliantly in Luoyang, won’t people who fled south and are restricted everywhere want to return north?”

To put it bluntly, even if Wei Jie did nothing, Zhao Hanzhang would support him and use him like a calling card to attract as many people as possible.

Zhao Ming pondered for a moment and didn’t object.

Zhao Hanzhang drained her cup in one gulp, set down the wine cup, and said, “Tomorrow let them rest for a day, then we’ll travel quickly back to Luoyang.”