Chapter 134 - A Talk

Chapter 134: Chapter 128: A TalkUpon receiving Fan Ying at Zhao’s Fortress, they knew that Zhao Hanzhang had captured Xiping County and driven the rebel forces out. According to the soldiers who returned, she also seized a considerable amount of gold, silver, and jewels.

However, the elders of the Zhao Family were not concerned with this; they were more interested in, "When will Third Lady bring her people back?"

Even though Shi Le had left, they still felt unsafe.

The soldier said, "The Lady General didn’t say."

Zhao Hu urged, "Then hurry and call her back, since the rebel forces are gone, there’s no point in her staying there."

Zhao Ming glanced at Zhao Hu and asked the soldier, "Who’s in charge in Xiping County now?"

The soldier answered honestly, "The Lady General is."

Zhao Ming raised his hand to rub his forehead and after a moment said, "I’ll go to the county town with you."

Zhao Hu was surprised, "What are you going to do? Our fortress is currently short-handed, and many matters await your decision."

"My father and the uncles in the clan can make decisions on matters at home; I’ll visit the county town briefly and return soon." It’s not far from Xiping County, a fast ride to-and-fro would suffice.

He was rather concerned about Zhao Hanzhang, afraid she might seize the opportunity to do something that could affect the Zhao Family’s century-old reputation.

But he couldn’t speak of such matters openly; his father wouldn’t believe him, and even if he did, he couldn’t speak in front of the elders, because if rumors spread, it would harm the reputation, regardless of her actions.

After careful consideration, Zhao Ming decided he should have an open talk with Zhao Hanzhang.

Thus, he went to Xiping County with the soldier.

When he arrived, Zhao Hanzhang was calming the populace on the street, and he saw her even without going to the county government.

Zhao Hanzhang was half-kneeling on the ground, using a cloth to bandage someone’s wound, saying after tightening it, "Carry him to the county government; his leg should be salvageable."

"Understood."

The soldiers took the man away on a wooden board.

A woman pulled her child in front of Zhao Hanzhang, kneeled, and sobbed bitterly, "I beg the Lady General to have mercy, his father died in the chaos, the house is burnt down, all property is lost, I can’t provide for him anymore, please take him, let him be a slave or a soldier, as long as you feed him while he lives."

Zhao Hanzhang looked at the boy kneeling and saw he was only eight or nine years old; she asked, "Is she your mother?"

The boy nodded.

Zhao Hanzhang reached out, touched his head, and helped the woman up, saying, "I understand your feelings, but separation from your child is a great pain in the world. Take him home for now; tomorrow the county government will open the granaries, go and collect some grain. Later, I’ll issue a decree for work-for-relief; someone will help to repair your house."

The woman was stunned, tears covering her face.

The boy realized he wouldn’t have to be separated from his mother, burst into tears, and threw himself into her arms, crying, "Mother, I don’t want to leave you, don’t leave you..."

The woman also held the child and wept.

The people nearby brightened up and no longer crowded to discuss selling themselves; instead, they followed Zhao Hanzhang’s directions, bringing out their deceased relatives with the soldiers’ help, either wrapped in mats to be buried outside the city or directly moved to the pit with unclaimed corpses.

Zhao Ming stopped and quietly watched, before stepping forward, "Third Lady."

Zhao Hanzhang turned around, saw Zhao Ming, and joyfully exclaimed, "Uncle!"

Zhao Ming’s gaze swept past the people behind her and asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhao Hanzhang replied, "The townspeople are uneasy; although the rebels have withdrawn, many have decided to leave Xiping, so I’m calming them down. We can’t let the county become an empty city, can we?"

Zhao Ming asked, "What about the County Magistrate and Chief Clerk?"

Why was she the one doing this?

Zhao Hanzhang replied, "The Chief Clerk and County Magistrate Fan died in battle, and the County Magistrate fled."

Zhao Ming said, "So... you’re in charge at the county government now?"

"Yes," Zhao Hanzhang remarked the daylight waning, then led Zhao Ming towards the county government, "Uncle, take a look. The town’s damage is severe; those people plundered and set fires, burning many houses, which need rebuilding, or they’d have nowhere to live."

Zhao Ming asked, "What are the casualties from this battle in Xiping?"

Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "From what I know, the casualties are heavy, and with the exodus, Xiping might remain desolate for a long time."

Zhao Ming mused over this, and he walked with Zhao Hanzhang to the county government, passing people carrying injured people to the county, and many townsfolk stopped their work to kneel and salute her.

Zhao Ming kept his thoughts to himself.

Only until they reached the county government gates, seeing the open space and streets crowded with people, others moved among them distributing medicine.

Fu Tinghan stood on the steps managing, meeting Zhao Ming and Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, he saluted them before being surrounded again.

Seeing Fu Tinghan arranging things methodically, Zhao Ming asked, "Staying in Xiping County, was it your decision or Fu Tinghan’s idea?"

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyebrows and candidly replied, "It was my decision."

Zhao Ming kept watching Fu Tinghan, "He’s willing to listen to you."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Since it doesn’t go against his heart, why wouldn’t he listen?"

Zhao Ming turned to look at her, "He listens to you just for that?"

Zhao Hanzhang smiled slightly, "Uncle, he’s not listening to me but to his own heart."

She looked earnestly at Zhao Ming, directly asking, "Uncle, you came here not just to see me, right?"

Zhao Ming said, "I want to talk with you."

Zhao Hanzhang also displayed sincerity, "Please go ahead, uncle." In fact, she wished to talk with Zhao Ming too; to gain Xiping County, she needed the Zhao Family’s support, and first had to overcome Zhao Ming’s hurdle.

With such sincerity, Zhao Ming had a feeling of falling into a trap.

He paused, organized his words, and said, "Third Lady, from the moment I met you again, I knew you had changed."

Zhao Hanzhang remained silent.

"You’ve always been smart, but your intelligence was confined to minor matters. This time, despite your humility, I see audacity in your actions," Zhao Ming said, "Since it’s an open discussion, I’ll ask frankly, what exactly do you intend to do?"

Zhao Hanzhang looked into his eyes and after a moment asked, "What does uncle think I want to do?"

Zhao Ming said, "I opened your grandfather’s last letter, which spoke of the happenings in the Capital City; you fell from a horse saving Second Son and nearly died. Although your grandfather didn’t say it outright, his words showed disappointment, suggesting he suspected your great-uncle’s family might be involved. He asked us to care for you and your siblings in the future, partly to protect you and partly to end this feud and prevent you from being drawn in."

The remark surprised Zhao Hanzhang; she hadn’t expected Zhao Changyu considered even this.