Jinyang had a basin with fertile land. Liu Kun not only distributed land to the incoming refugees but also had soldiers farm through military agricultural colonies. Apart from him and the military generals, no one knew exactly how much grain and provisions his treasury held.

Liu Kun agreed very generously.

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes narrowed slightly. She became curious about Jinyang’s finances.

Since he was so generous, did this mean the storehouses held abundant grain? Then how did he manage to lose so many people?

What the common people of this era sought was nothing more than stability and food security, wasn’t it?

With matters settled, the atmosphere became strange again. Zhao Hanzhang sat without moving. Liu Kun really didn’t want to stay any longer. With Zhao Hanzhang present, he couldn’t say many of the words he wanted to tell Shi Lei. The emotions he had painstakingly cultivated earlier had completely dissipated.

Liu Kun quickly found an excuse and left.

The room instantly held only Zhao Hanzhang, Ming Yu, and Shi Lei’s family.

Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze swept over Shi Hu again. She smiled at Shi Lei and said, “Congratulations to General Shi on being reunited with your family. Today let’s share a meal together. I’ll have people set up another tent next to your command tent for your mother and nephew Huzi to stay in.”

Shi Hu was tall and large, looking about the same age as Zhao Hanzhang. This address of “nephew” made Shi Hu glance at her several times.

Shi Lei wanted to ask Zhao Hanzhang whether Shi Hu was related to her previous prophecy, so he agreed.

Shi Lei’s mother had been feeling uneasy throughout, remaining very reserved and quiet through the meal. After returning to the military camp and settling in, she immediately pulled Shi Lei aside. “You’re under that female general’s command? Then didn’t I do wrong by praising you to Magistrate Liu? I heard that the female Inspector of Yuzhou came to rescue Jinyang. Could that female general be that female Inspector?”

Shi Lei nodded.

Shi Lei’s mother recited a Buddhist phrase and said anxiously, “I didn’t know you already had a good lord. I even recommended you to Magistrate Liu. Did I ruin things for you?”

“No,” Shi Lei comforted her. “Mother, Envoy Zhao is magnanimous. She knows my intentions and won’t think too much of it. You can rest easy.”

Shi Lei’s mother still felt uneasy. Just then, Fan Ying arrived with twenty young women and said to Shi Lei, “These are newly arrived refugees. The Envoy has kept them in the army to help with work. The Envoy asks you to choose two from among them to care for Madam Shi. When you return to Luoyang and buy servants, you can return them to the army.”

Zhao’s Army frequently sheltered women, selecting suitable ones to train as female soldiers while distributing the rest to work in the medical corps, logistics, and kitchens.

Therefore, though women were few in Zhao’s Army, they weren’t uncommon.

Shi Lei knew these female soldiers, though here to care for and serve, were similar to the guard soldiers in the army. They both looked after the general’s daily life and protected the general.

They had military status, received monthly military pay, and could be promoted if they achieved merit.

Zhao Hanzhang’s personal guard now included three female soldiers who could accompany her to battle while also caring for her needs.

By assigning such guards to his mother, she showed great respect for Shi Lei’s mother. Moreover, the women had just been selected for the army, meaning they hadn’t yet been converted, so if he chose them, they might eventually become his people in the future. He needn’t fear they were spies planted by Zhao Hanzhang.

It was extremely thoughtful.

With her being so considerate, Shi Lei felt even more uneasy. After choosing two people to hand over to his mother, he went to find Zhao Hanzhang. When she had no one around her, he asked directly, “Envoy, can you truly divine the future?”

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyes and looked at him steadily. She didn’t answer his question but instead said, “Shilong, do you know why, among so many Hu generals, I only accepted your surrender? The Wang Mi brothers also surrendered to me, but I still killed them.”

Shi Lei wanted to say, wasn’t it because I controlled over a hundred thousand troops and occupied a large territory?

If he were just a lone individual, would Zhao Hanzhang tolerate him?

But meeting Zhao Hanzhang’s serious gaze, Shi Lei had a moment of confusion, feeling that even without these things, she would still consider keeping him. So after a moment of silence, he shook his head.

Zhao Hanzhang said solemnly, “You’re different from them. You also killed many Han people, but you didn’t torture them to death. You didn’t kill for pleasure. You killed to survive, to pacify your troops. Though I grieve over it and detest it, I can understand.”

“Wang Mi and the others are different. They kill because they’re cruel by nature, because they take pleasure in it, competing in murder,” Zhao Hanzhang said gravely. “To take pleasure in killing—they’re worse than beasts.”

“And Shi Hu, I observe he is the same,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “Today is the first time I’ve met him. No one in Zhao’s Army knew you still had a nephew and mother alive in this world, so naturally they wouldn’t have investigated before deceiving you.”

Shi Lei’s heart sank. He said nothing.

“I’m not asking you to deal with him now,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “Regarding physiognomy and such, I don’t fully believe in them. I’m someone who judges by actions, not intentions. So I won’t condemn him without cause, much less kill him without reason. But I need you to remember that under my rule, no matter who it is, everyone must follow the law. Not just Shi Hu—even you, Shi Lei, must obey the law.”

Shi Lei asked, “The Envoy’s meaning is…”

“If he kills someone and commits a crime in the future, I won’t be lenient. I also hope you won’t create a rift between us because of it.”

After a moment of silence, Shi Lei agreed. He bowed and was about to withdraw when he suddenly stopped and asked, “The Envoy took Xu Run away—was it because you calculated that Xu Run would harm Jinyang and Liu Kun?”

Zhao Hanzhang only smiled without speaking.

Shi Lei understood. His eyes brightened as he asked again, “Then did the Envoy calculate long ago that she could ascend to the highest position?”

Zhao Hanzhang’s expression became stern as she said coldly, “General Shi is overthinking.”

But Shi Lei felt her expression told him he wasn’t overthinking at all.

Regarding this point, he was half-believing, half-doubting.

Shi Lei didn’t want to believe that someone in this world could truly calculate future events, yet he was also somewhat superstitious. There were always mysterious and inexplicable things in this world. Perhaps it really was ordained by Heaven?

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that someone like Zhao Hanzhang appeared in this world?

When Shi Lei couldn’t figure something out, he liked to discuss it with Zhang Bin.

Zhang Bin frowned and, after thinking it through several times, asked, “What kind of person is this nephew of yours?”

Shi Lei frowned. “We were separated when he was seven. It’s been eight years since then. I don’t know what his temperament has been like these past years, but when we were back in our homeland, he was very lively. But that was just childish mischief at most.”

Zhang Bin carefully inquired about specific instances of his mischief. Only after asking did he fall silent—Shi Lei had actually categorized things like throwing stones at people’s heads and kicking people into rivers as “childish mischief.”

He rubbed his forehead and said, “My lord might want to observe him more. I see the young master is still young and not very good at concealing things. His character will become clear from watching his actions.”

Zhang Bin lowered his voice. “If he truly is as Envoy Zhao prophesied—that he would kill your entire family—his character must be cruel. When the time comes, it won’t be too late to deal with him. However, this matter absolutely must not be told to a fourth person. Only the three of us should know. Otherwise, once it reaches his ears…”

Shi Lei indicated he understood.

—