Elder Li couldn’t help glancing at his sons, then asked with a smile, “I wonder who it is, and what message?”

Elder Li’s smile became somewhat strained after Awei spoke. He thought seriously for a moment, then asked, “I wonder what relationship Seventh Young Master Gu has with that Lady Zhao?”

Awei answered earnestly and sincerely, “We are friends.”

Awei meant this literally. After all, the relationship between a benefactor and a thoroughbred was just his own speculation for now. He would tell his family but wouldn’t speak carelessly to outsiders.

But Elder Li read between the lines, assuming that Zhao Hezhen had allied with the Gu family of Wusui County. Now she had come to him—was it to demand an explanation for the earlier matter, or to discuss other affairs?

Moreover, he didn’t know of the Gu family of Wusui County. But since that lady chose to ally with the Gu family, their power must be considerable—at least for the present.

Perhaps, like Wu Yongfu, there was some capable person among them who had rallied part of these tens of thousands of refugees.

Elder Li wanted to glean more information. Unfortunately, Awei was watertight (not really), and regarding that Zhao Hezhen, he wouldn’t say a single word. Instead, he let slip quite a bit about the Gu family.

The Gu family should be a large clan with flourishing descendants, hence many brothers.

Elder Li’s mind flashed to those cold, stern eyes Zhao Hanzhang had when she looked at him. Before she killed Wu Yongfu, they had made eye contact. He didn’t know what she was thinking in that moment, but at the time he had no intention of allying with her or killing Wu Yongfu.

He was just… somewhat reluctant, somewhat worried. Reluctant that more innocent people would be persecuted by Wu Yongfu. Worried that Wu Yongfu’s growing power would become uncontrollable, even endangering them—people who had come together from the same county.

But with just that one glance, Zhao Hanzhang was certain that if she came forward carrying Wu Yongfu’s head, he would definitely protect her and prevent Wu Yongfu’s remaining forces from causing trouble for her on the spot.

Having finally suppressed the Wu clan’s dissatisfaction and temporarily settled this matter, should he risk meeting with Zhao Hanzhang again?

Elder Li hesitated only briefly before making up his mind. He raised his head and smiled at Awei. “Please convey my message—this old one will go. Please ask Lady Zhao to wait a little longer.”

Awei, having received confirmation, immediately took his leave.

He returned excitedly to find Zhao Hanzhang, just as she was leaning against Fu Tinghan, the two of them tearing apart locusts to eat.

The strapping young man shuddered directly and hurried forward. “I brought food.”

He pulled out bean cakes from his bosom, apologizing to Zhao Hanzhang awkwardly. “I was going to give these to you, but I forgot for a moment.”

He tried his best not to look at the locust in her hand, presenting the cakes. “Try these.”

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at the bean cakes carefully wrapped in a handkerchief and knew his food was also hard-won. She shook her head in refusal, smiling. “I’m not very short on grain. Keep these bean cakes for yourself.”

Awei: “You’re eating insects when you’re not short on grain?”

Zhao Hanzhang raised the roasted locust in her hand. “This is meat, high in protein—a good thing. Want to try some?”

Awei shuddered and shook his head repeatedly. “No, I can’t eat it. These locusts were brought by the plague god—they’re the embodiment of misfortune. We can trample them to death, beat them to death, but we absolutely cannot eat them.”

Zhao Hanzhang was momentarily stunned, then said with regret, “That’s truly a shame. Their ancestral insect did cultivate under an immortal’s seat, after all. The tens of billions of descendants it produced all carry some divine power. People who eat them only gain benefits.”

She rattled off nonsense with complete conviction: “Some become clever and quick-witted, some strong and robust with extended lifespans, and some accumulate merit benefiting their next lives.”

In any case, there were only benefits, no drawbacks.

Awei, who had never heard such a theory in all his years, asked, “Really? Aren’t they misfortune?”

When the deceived person asks “Really?” they’re already half-convinced.

Zhao Hanzhang felt not the slightest psychological burden as she grinned at him. “Of course it’s true. They’re not misfortune—they just follow orders to bring misfortune. When they arrive, the misfortune descends and spreads everywhere.”

Zhao Hanzhang’s enthusiasm grew as she asked with a smile, “Do you know why locust plagues occur?”

Awei said, “Because of drought.”

He continued, “Prolonged drought will certainly bring locust plagues.”

Zhao Hanzhang sighed. Humans truly were peculiar—on one hand saying such superstitious things as “locust plagues are misfortune brought by the plague god,” while on the other hand stating natural laws like “prolonged drought brings locust plagues.”

So Zhao Hanzhang decided to learn from them as well. She said, “Locusts are merely one among the myriad things in this world, existing reasonably. They build nests along riverbanks and in fields. Originally, if the weather were favorable with wind and rain, they would be drowned as egg sacs or die from sun exposure. But when drought occurs, they don’t die when they should—this creates disaster.”

Having said this, she winked at him playfully. “Of course, it’s also possible that the ancestral locust took advantage of the imbalance in the heavenly way during a great human catastrophe, when various immortals descended to undergo tribulation and had no time for other concerns, so it also secretly descended to wreak havoc on the people.”

Awei was still immersed in the earlier scientific explanation when he was suddenly pulled into a divine theatrical production. Somewhat dazed, he asked blankly, “So immortals have descended?”

Zhao Hanzhang leaned against Fu Tinghan, smiling. “Who knows?”

Awei struggled for a moment, then still moved closer to her, asking in a low voice, “The imbalance in the heavenly way you mentioned—is it because of the appearance of a fatuous ruler?”

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at him with great interest. “What makes you say that?”

Awei spoke quietly, “My father doesn’t let us talk about it. When my great-grandfather was alive, he often said that the current chaos in the realm is because the emperor’s family obtained their position improperly—heaven is punishing them.”

“Where is your great-grandfather?”

“My great-grandfather passed away a couple years ago.”

Zhao Hanzhang: “What’s your family background and wealth like?”

“Family background? I don’t have any particular background—just farming folk from the countryside. I learned some characters following my great-grandfather and father and learned martial arts,” Awei was most satisfied with his martial skills. “My martial arts are very good—none of my family brothers can match me.”

Zhao Hanzhang then sighed. “If your grandfather had such insight, you can see how unpopular they’ve become.”

Awei’s eyes sparkled brightly upon hearing this. He leaned even closer. “So, Lady Zhao, are you going to follow Xiping’s Zhao Hanzhang in raising an army to compete for the realm?”

Zhao Hanzhang: …I haven’t, I’m not.

Zhao Hanzhang looked doubtful. “I… I recall that Zhao Hanzhang is a loyal and righteous person. How could she be connected with competing for the realm?”

“That’s all false,” Awei said. “My father said that if she had no desire for power, how could a woman from her position reach where she is today? She’s also from a prestigious family—not lacking in food or drink.”

Zhao Hanzhang: “She… is still quite loyal to the monarch and loves the country.”

Awei: “That’s just expedient tactics, just like the Cao family back then.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked dazed. So her, Zhao Hanzhang’s, ambitions were known to all passersby as well?