“Wait a bit longer. Zhao Ji is ignorant, but Zhao Zhongyu is no fool. Let’s see if anyone comes to the clan. If so, I’ll naturally send them a letter to question father and son. If not, I have even more reason to send them a letter.” He sighed. “Suppress this matter for now and don’t spread it around the clan. The clan head is now Zhao Zhongyu. If his reputation suffers, it’s no good for the family either.”
The clan’s connections, wealth, retainers and more from Zhao Changyu’s hands had all passed to Zhao Zhongyu. If the clan broke with him, not only Zhao Zhongyu would suffer—the clan would equally be damaged. This would be mutually destructive.
Since Zhao Hanzhang was willing to step back, he naturally wouldn’t press the matter relentlessly. But what needed to be done still needed doing, and the lesson that should be taught still needed teaching.
Otherwise, if the clan head acted recklessly in future without regard for clan interests, those who would suffer would still be these clan members.
Thinking of Fu Tinghan whom he’d seen during the day, and Zhao Hanzhang’s forbearance and magnanimity, Zhao Song felt his chest ache. “Heaven does not favor our Zhao family! With Sanniang’s breadth of mind and character, how could she have been born a girl?”
Zhao Ming said, “This shows Wang Shi isn’t foolish or lacking in fortune either. Father, you all misjudged her.”
Zhao Song’s expression darkened. “What misjudgment? A high monk said it himself—her eight characters conflict with Zhizhi’s. Otherwise, with Zhizhi being so intelligent, how could he have fathered a simple-minded son?”
Zhao Ming held opposing views. “Didn’t eldest uncle have their eight characters matched before the two families arranged the marriage? At that time no one said there were problems with the eight characters. How is it that just after she gave birth to second brother, we conveniently encountered a traveling monk who calculated from afar that the second brother she bore in Shangcai was simple-minded?”
“Then you tell me—did the monk calculate correctly or not? That high monk already said a person’s fortune can change. Perhaps the match was suitable then but became unsuitable later?” Zhao Song sighed. “If Zhizhi had been willing to listen to advice and divorced her early, perhaps there wouldn’t have been later troubles. Just a common cold, yet it took him away.”
If Zhao Zhi had lived, how could the Zhao family have its current hidden troubles?
Zhao Zhongyu was one thing, but just thinking about how in a few years Zhao Zhongyu would have to hand over the Zhao family to Zhao Ji made Zhao Song’s heart clench.
This made him increasingly dissatisfied with Wang Shi.
Zhao Ming saw things differently. He felt his father and the others were completely displacing their anger. He made no attempt to hide his opinion, saying quietly, “Sanniang was also born to Wang Shi—how is she so intelligent and perceptive?”
He said, “Clearly each person has their own fate. Even if it relates to parents, the father comes before the mother. How can you blame it all on Wang Shi alone?”
Zhao Song found their views incompatible, and pointing at him, he scolded, “I won’t listen to your nonsense. Get out!”
Zhao Ming heard this and, setting down the foot he’d been wiping for his father halfway through, simply left.
The one foot that had been dried stepped back into the water basin, soaking the pant leg again. This enraged Zhao Song, who grabbed the foot cloth and threw it at him. Zhao Ming seemed to have eyes in the back of his head—he ran a few quick steps and disappeared in a flash.
Zhao Hanzhang was in her study looking worriedly at the grain consumption report Chengbo had submitted. The visiting relatives today had completely exhausted their remaining cartload of grain.
Zhao Hanzhang looked toward the steward waiting nearby. “Zhao Tong, how much grain does the manor have now?”
Zhao Tong lowered his head and said quietly, “Not much left. Only a dozen or so sacks in the storehouse. However, the tenant farmers should have some grain stored in their homes. Last year during the drought, our late master reduced rent by twenty percent and deferred another twenty percent to this year, so if the young mistress were to collect rent now, it would be reasonable.”
Zhao Hanzhang lifted her eyelids to glance at him and asked, “What’s the current grain price in the city?”
“Millet is twelve wen per dou, wheat is fourteen wen per dou.”
Zhao Hanzhang frowned slightly. “So expensive…”
She tapped on the table. With such an empty purse, she said, “First take the grain from the storehouse to use. We can’t let our guests go hungry.”
Though she planned to borrow money from the clan and was willing to appear poor, that didn’t mean she wanted people to see her at her most desperate.
Much less take grain from the tenant farmers—this was precisely the lean season when every household was tightening their belts. Who didn’t need to get by?
Fu Tinghan waited until they’d left before pulling out that jade pendant and handing it to her. “Take it and use it.”
Zhao Hanzhang looked at him.
Fu Tinghan gave her a slight smile. “This is a dead object. We can always redeem it later.”
Zhao Hanzhang reached out to take it, holding it in her palm. “All right.”
With this jade pendant, the burden on Zhao Hanzhang’s shoulders instantly lightened considerably. She handed the pendant to Zhao Ju, instructing him, “Tomorrow morning, take this to pawn in the city. Remember, it’s a live pawn. You can use your own identity or report my name—either works. While you’re at it, inquire whether any large merchant caravans have arrived recently.”
Zhao Hanzhang continued, “With Mister Ji leading so many people and such wealth, he can’t possibly move without a trace. He left before us through the west gate, perfectly avoiding the chaos. He should have reached Runan earlier than us.”
But Runan was vast. Besides Xiping and Shangcai, there were five more counties. No one knew where he might have gone.
However, she felt that with Mister Ji’s intelligence, he wouldn’t go too far from Xiping and Shangcai. Xiping had the fortified compound, while Shangcai held her largest dowry property.
If he still hadn’t come to find her after Zhao Changyu’s burial, she would need to consider how to handle unexpected contingencies.
And the families of Ji Ping and the others were all in Mister Ji’s hands. If she couldn’t find Mister Ji, her subordinates would become unsettled too.
Just as Zhao Hanzhang was pawning her fiancé’s jade pendant to struggle through difficult times, Mister Ji was currently living dissolute days at the Chuguan drinking house.
After getting the merchant clinging to him drunk, Mister Ji also picked up a wine jug and swayed out unsteadily. Upon entering the room he’d rented long-term, the drunkenness vanished from his face. He casually set the wine jug on the nearby table, sat cross-legged, and asked, “Is there any news?”
“Nothing yet from Shangcai, but someone returned from Xiping today saying that this morning the Zhao clan’s relatives all headed toward Shangcai. Word is they’re going to welcome our late master’s coffin.”
Mister Ji couldn’t help sitting up straighter. “The people have already reached Shangcai? Then how is it we received no word at all here in Quyang?”
He frowned. “Whether going to Xiping or Shangcai, they’d have to pass through Quyang. I had you watching the crossroads—did no one spot them?”
The retainer hesitated. “Perhaps they didn’t come through Quyang?”
Not through Quyang—could they have taken a huge detour and come in from behind?
But thinking of the current chaos in Luoyang with scattered defeated soldiers, Mister Ji hesitated too. It wasn’t impossible. After all, if chaos erupted and they needed to avoid pursuing troops, ending up anywhere was possible.
“First send someone to Shangcai to investigate. Report back immediately with any news.”
“Yes.”
“Is there any news about the various rebel armies and the Xiongnu forces?”
“Only some information brought by fleeing refugees. Word is they’re still looting in Luoyang city.”
Hearing this, Mister Ji couldn’t help sighing. Luoyang was about to suffer catastrophe. Fortunately they’d left one step early, and fortunately Sanniang and her group had managed to escape successfully.
—