Hearing this, Zhao Song was delighted. “Quickly invite them in. Their house hasn’t been lived in for over half a month—it’s not convenient to stay there. Have them stay at our place.”

Seeing the messenger beside him, he said: “It just so happens the clan leader’s messenger is here. Let her meet him too.”

Zhao Song said to the messenger: “Sanniang has always worried about the clan leader being caught in the war zone. Now that she can see you, she can feel at ease.”

The messenger was one of Zhao Zhongyu’s trusted confidants and knew about Zhao Ji abandoning the first branch. Hearing this, he felt extremely awkward.

Zhao Hanzhang still decided to stay at her family’s old residence, but she put down her luggage and came over with Fu Tinghan to pay respects to Zhao Song, clearly treating him as a close elder.

The messenger saw the two and immediately stood up, moving to the side. After they had finished paying respects to Zhao Song, he came forward to greet them. “Tan pays respects to Sanniang and Fu the Young Master.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him and with effort dredged him up from her memory to match a name to the face. “It’s Scholar Tan. Why aren’t you at my grand-uncle’s side? How did you come here?”

Tan Zhong lowered his eyes. “Tan has come on the master’s orders to resolve some matters.”

“I wonder what matters?” Zhao Hanzhang’s face was full of concern. “Right now the court is displaced, the common people in turmoil. My grand-uncle labors for the country and the people. It wouldn’t be good to trouble him further with family matters. Though I’m young, I still have a few capable people around me—all left by Grandfather. Perhaps they can help somewhat.”

Tan Zhong, seeing her utterly sincere expression, didn’t know if she was being truthful or false. After all, the relationship between the two families was… rather delicate.

Zhao Song looked at Zhao Hanzhang with a gratified expression. “This is exactly as it should be. Blood relatives of one clan should be harmonious and help each other. If you have this intention, that’s already very good. Your grandfather would be very pleased to know.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled modestly. “So what did the messenger come for…”

When people weren’t around, it was one thing, but now that she’d come, she had to make an effort. If she didn’t, it would be too unworthy of her ambitions.

Zhao Song didn’t hide it either, passing the list at hand to Zhao Hanzhang. Tan Zhong couldn’t stop him in time and could only watch helplessly as Zhao Hanzhang took the list.

Zhao Song said: “Your grand-uncle is having Scholar Tan return to handle these properties.”

With a kind expression, he said: “I heard from Scholar Tan that your grand-uncle gave you and Erlang quite a few fields on the list. This way, your two families’ fields are mostly adjacent. Since you’re willing to help, why not help him look after those fields? He’s currently serving the court, and he can’t spare people. We certainly can’t have Scholar Tan delayed here over such small matters.”

Hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang’s eyebrows rose slightly. She swallowed the belly full of words she’d prepared and directly agreed. “Alright.”

Zhao Hanzhang took the list in her hand and looked toward Tan Zhong with a half-smile. “Scholar Tan, how does my grand-uncle want to handle these fields and shops?”

She smiled. “When I exchanged the properties and shops in Luoyang for ones here, he did say these counted as ancestral property and would absolutely not be sold outside the family. Has my grand-uncle changed his mind now?”

“Of course not. This is ancestral property—how could it be sold?” Scholar Tan worked hard not to look at Zhao Song’s suddenly stern eyes, looking only at Zhao Hanzhang with a smile. “It’s just to check on this year’s harvest, and also to inquire about the clan’s situation and visit Fifth Great-Grandfather, as well as Sanniang and Erlang.” Scholar Tan said: “Sanniang and Erlang went missing. The master was extremely anxious. Though he’s already received word that Sanniang and Erlang are safe, he still wanted me to come confirm it once more so the master can feel at ease.”

Tan Zhong spoke a bunch of empty words but just wouldn’t pick up on the suggestion to hand the second branch’s properties to Zhao Hanzhang to manage. Zhao Hanzhang was also too lazy to exchange pleasantries with him. She memorized the locations of the fields and shops on the list, then rolled it up and handed it to him. “I’m also back to check on this year’s harvest. How coincidental. Why don’t we go together to the fields tomorrow to look?”

Tan Zhong glanced at Zhao Song, then smiled and agreed, politely taking his leave.

As soon as he left, Zhao Hanzhang turned to ask Zhao Song: “Fifth Grand-Uncle, did my grand-uncle send Tan Zhong back to get money? Surely he doesn’t really want to sell the ancestral property?”

Zhao Song glanced at Fu Tinghan, then smiled. “Of course not. Our family isn’t desperate enough for that. With the fortress here, who would sell ancestral property?”

Fu Tinghan understood that with him present, they couldn’t discuss deeper matters, so he found an excuse to step out.

Walking into the courtyard, he looked around and discovered nowhere to go. He looked at the density of the buildings, then turned and headed in one direction where the houses were less dense—that should be a garden.

Sure enough, after walking a short while and passing through two screen walls, he saw the garden.

Zhao Ming was sitting cross-legged in a pavilion drinking alone. Looking up to see Fu Tinghan, he called out with a smile: “Is Fu the Young Master visiting alone, or accompanying Sanniang back?”

Across half the garden, Fu Tinghan called back loudly: “Accompanying Sanniang back.”

Zhao Ming, seeing him unconstrained by etiquette, regarded him somewhat differently and simply beckoned: “Come over and drink with me.”

Fu Tinghan went forward.

In the front hall, Zhao Hanzhang was asking with a concerned expression: “Could it be that my grand-uncle encountered some trouble outside?”

“Nothing happened,” With Fu Tinghan gone, there was no risk of airing family troubles to outsiders. Zhao Song said directly: “The clan leader and the earl are displaced with the court and are somewhat strapped for funds, so they sent someone back to get money.”

However, their two branches’ cash was mostly in Luoyang. In Xiping, they didn’t openly have much ready silver. The properties were difficult to liquidate immediately.

This was equivalent to Zhao Zhongyu asking Zhao Song, the acting clan leader, for money.

Zhao Zhongyu was the clan leader, and Zhao Ji was the earl. The family’s resources should naturally favor him. Zhao Song had no objection to taking money from the clan to fill the second branch’s needs, but Zhao Zhongyu wanted to take back all the properties and hand them over to his advisors to manage, which he very much objected to.

Those were advisors—outsiders. How could they be as devoted as clan members?

He’d been managing clan affairs for Zhao Changyu for twenty years and had never heard Zhao Changyu say he wanted to take the properties back and hand them to Ji Yuan and the others.

To say Zhao Song had no complaints was impossible. He asked Zhao Hanzhang: “The properties crossed out on that list are what you exchanged with the clan leader?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, explaining: “Erlang and I need to escort Grandfather’s coffin back home. We may not necessarily return to Luoyang in the future, and the properties Grandfather gave me for my dowry are mostly in Luoyang, which is ultimately inconvenient, so I exchanged with my grand-uncle.”

Zhao Song understood and nodded. “I see. Tomorrow when Scholar Tan goes to the fields to check on the summer harvest, you should accompany him.”

Zhao Hanzhang readily agreed, the corners of her mouth curving slightly upward.

Zhao Zhongyu’s foundation in the Zhao clan wasn’t stable. He didn’t have Zhao Changyu’s prestige. Wanting to control the Zhao clan from afar wouldn’t be easy.

Zhao Hanzhang lit a metaphorical candle in her heart for this grand-uncle of hers, then happily took her leave to find Fu Tinghan.

A servant said: “Fu the Young Master went toward the garden earlier.”

Zhao Hanzhang turned and headed for the garden.

Zhao Ming tilted back his head to drain the wine in his cup, then held up the empty cup to examine it repeatedly, sighing: “Such a delicacy in this world! What a pity there’s not much left.”

Fu Tinghan took a sip of wine. Though fragrant, the alcohol content wasn’t high, but it had a slight sweetness. He set down his cup. “You enjoy drinking?”

“I do. In this world, only wine is the most beautiful thing—more beautiful even than a beauty.” He looked up at Fu Tinghan and suddenly smiled, shaking his head. “You’re still too young—you probably can’t appreciate this wonder. Fu the Young Master, do you find my niece beautiful?”

Fu Tinghan looked at him. Seeing he had no contemptuous intent, he nodded. “Beautiful!”

“Fine wine is even more beautiful than her,” Zhao Ming poured himself another cup, making an analogy: “In this world, one beauty equals one cup of wine. Just think—this pot of fine wine could equal how many beauties.”