It wasn’t until Zhao Hu died and came down to the underworld that he learned Zhao Changyu’s dream-giving back then was to curse him, not thank him.

Before he could reach out to take Zhao Changyu’s hand and reminisce, he was led away by ghost officers to Yanluo Hall for judgment.

Zhao Hu’s legs went soft. He directly hugged Zhao Changyu’s leg and wailed: “Elder brother save me, elder brother save me…”

Zhao Changyu felt he was losing face to death. He tried hard to pull his leg out but couldn’t.

Zhao Zhongyu expressionlessly moved his eyes away, feeling this scene hurt his eyes terribly.

Finally it was Zhao Song who came forward to pull Zhao Hu away: “Stop crying. After death everyone must pass through Yanluo Hall to judge life’s merits and faults. If guilty, punishment. If innocent, wait to reincarnate.”

Hearing this, Zhao Hu again knelt down and clutched at Zhao Changyu’s leg: “Elder brother save me—”

Zhao Changyu sneered: “So you also know you’ve had no merit and many faults in this life. Seems you do know right from wrong.”

In this world, aside from the very few with naturally antisocial personalities who didn’t know good from evil or right from wrong, who wouldn’t know?

But this didn’t prevent them from doing evil, choosing in life what benefited themselves.

Only after coming to the underworld, reviewing their own lives, did they dare face their inner hearts. But their admission of wrong at this time wasn’t necessarily true admission – mostly pure fear, still for benefit. Like Zhao Hu now hugging Zhao Changyu’s thigh and wailing endlessly.

Seeing Zhao Changyu’s heart was hard as iron, Zhao Hu decisively turned and hugged Zhao Song’s thigh: “Fifth brother, save me!”

Zhao Song’s face was full of struggle. His heart softened, but his soft-heartedness in the underworld was useless – he was just a ghost.

The ghost officer at the side had already given much leeway for Zhao Changyu’s sake. If it were another ghost, they would have been dragged away long ago. Daring to delay like this, they dared to break the ghost’s hands and feet.

Seeing Zhao Hu so tactless, not only delaying time but trying to engage in illegal activity before their eyes, they immediately took action, pulled and locked him, and directly dragged him away.

Zhao Hu was dragged away wailing. The ghosts nearby were already accustomed to this – every newly dead ghost went through this ordeal.

Seeing him again was three months later.

Zhao Hu’s entire ghost spirit was dispirited, miserable and desolate. As soon as he saw Zhao Song and the others, he rushed over crying: “Elder brother, fifth brother, eighth brother, I thought I’d never see you again.”

Zhao Changyu looked curious: “Only three months – seems you didn’t do much evil.”

Zhao Hu’s crying stopped. Zhao Song quickly explained for him: “Elder brother, our Zhao clan’s family rules are strict. We absolutely don’t allow any criminal activities to exist.”

Zhao Changyu: “You’re not a worm in his stomach. When he secretly does bad things, can you know them all?”

Zhao Song had nothing to say, because Zhao Hu was indeed that type of person.

Zhao Changyu thought briefly then guessed: “Could it be merits and faults offset each other? You have some merit toward the state and the people?”

Only then did Zhao Hu say: “Elder brother, when Her Majesty founded the nation, I put in great effort too. She raised troops, took in and comforted refugees, and after founding the nation provided disaster relief – I gave money every time. Whenever the treasury lacked funds, I also lent silver to her. Not only did I lend, I also vouched for her. Yanluo Hall said all this counts as my merit.”

Zhao Changyu nodded: “That you could still be punished three months – seems when you earned money you were quite dishonest, or you did other evil deeds that harmed lives?”

Zhao Hu’s face flushed red. He didn’t speak.

Zhao Changyu also didn’t press to the bottom. They were already dead. Settling accounts was Yanluo Hall’s business. Why should he settle mortal realm accounts?

He only asked: “When will you reincarnate?”

Zhao Hu looked conflicted and asked carefully: “Elder brother has been down so many years – why don’t you go reincarnate?”

Zhao Changyu: “I’m waiting for Sanniang.”

Zhao Hu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as reincarnation wasn’t a trap, that was good. He became happy and said: “The ghost officer said my reincarnation time is scheduled six months from now. I don’t know what kind of womb I can enter in my next life. It would be great if I could still be born into our Zhao clan.”

Zhao Changyu examined him up and down, then after a moment moved his gaze away and changed the subject: “Come, let’s hold a welcoming feast for you.”

Zhao Hu was a new ghost, full of curiosity: “Does the underworld still have wine and delicacies?”

“What do you think the fine wine and five sacrificial animals you prepare for worship each year are for?”

Hearing this, Zhao Hu’s eyes brightened. He recorded this in his heart: “When I reincarnate again, I’ll prepare five sacrificial animals and fine wine for elder brother and our ancestors every year. Elder brother and ancestors must receive my gifts and bless me well.”

“Your ancestors already reincarnated long ago. As for me, we’ll see after you reincarnate – if you still remember me then.” And have money.

Zhao Hu felt he would definitely remember.

Because Zhao Hu would go reincarnate before long, he just stayed temporarily in Zhao Changyu’s mansion without separately building another house.

When daylight was bright and the ghosts and monsters all went back to sleep, only then did Zhao Hu have time for private words with Zhao Song: “Fifth brother, why aren’t you going to reincarnate either?”

Zhao Song: “I want to keep elder brother company longer.”

Zhao Hu: …He was redundant to ask this question.

“Can you reincarnate whenever you want?”

Zhao Song nodded: “As long as you’re willing to spend money.”

The stranded ghost population in the underworld was nearly cleared out. Now was precisely the time of population explosion in the mortal realm. Every day massive numbers of ghosts queued at Naihe Bridge waiting to jump. Zhao Changyu had calculated for him – based on the current reincarnation rate, in another four years and eight months, the flow between underworld and mortal realm would return to normal. Reincarnating then, not only would life in the mortal realm be better, but the number of children between each small family would also be fewer, about two and a half on average.

That is to say, he would likely be born an only child, or into a family with at most three children. Thus the resources he enjoyed would be relatively more, and life would be better.

He had originally wanted to tell Zhao Hu these things, but at the time he was crying too miserably. In his anxiety he forgot. Later when dragged away, and when he came out again, Zhao Hu had already taken his number to queue for reincarnation. Zhao Song couldn’t bring it up again, lest he know and feel unbalanced, and reincarnate carrying resentment, which wouldn’t be good.

Obviously, Zhao Song wasn’t the only one with this thought. Everyone tacitly concealed this matter and didn’t tell Zhao Hu.

Zhao Hu happily queued up. Six months later he went to drink Meng Po’s soup and queue to jump the bridge.

Zhao Song stayed in the underworld accompanying Zhao Changyu for a very long time. Under his protection, he lived very comfortably in the underworld, occasionally even able to visit the mortal realm and see his son and grandson.

And great-grandson. After Zhao Song passed away, Zhao Ming found three children in the family and adopted them all to Zhao Shen at once, then personally taught and raised them.

Zhao Song couldn’t persuade Zhao Shen to marry and have children his whole life. As soon as Zhao Song passed, Zhao Shen used observing mourning as an excuse to resign from office and went to cultivate immortality.

Zhao Ming didn’t force him. He had no obsession with continuing the bloodline. He believed that compared to bloodline, he more wanted to have a child who could inherit his thoughts. Unfortunately, Zhao Shen was not that child.

So this time, he personally selected three children to be grandsons, personally teaching and raising them, hoping they could inherit his thoughts and morals. If one of the three worked out, that would be enough.

Zhao Song went to see his son several times and gradually came to terms with it. After Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan came down one after the other in short succession, he happily went to queue and take a number to reincarnate.

“This time I’ll be the same generation as Sanniang and Tinghan, hahaha…”

Zhao Changyu glanced at him, not understanding what he was happy about. Hanzhang and Tinghan were both exceptionally intelligent people. What was there to be happy about being their peers?

He was different. Either he’d be their grandfather, or he’d be their junior and enjoy the benefits from ancestors and the dynasty.