Chapter 26 - Falling Rocks

Chapter 26: Chapter 20 Falling RocksWith the reputation of Fu Zhi and Zhao Changyu, asking Prince East Sea to be a matchmaker would not be too difficult.

Zhao Changyu only hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Very well."

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t particularly like Prince East Sea, but seeing Zhao Changyu readily agree, she remained silent.

Zhao Zhongyu frowned slightly, glancing discreetly at Zhao Changyu.

Fu Zhi cheerfully exchanged birthdates and seals with Zhao Changyu, wanting to discuss the children’s marriage in more detail, such as the upcoming arrangements and dowry requirements. But before he could speak, a servant quickly entered and bowed, saying, "Master, the Angel is here with an imperial edict."

Fu Zhi held his tongue.

Zhao Changyu stood up and said to Zhao Hanzhang, "You have an injury, so there’s no need to receive the edict. Please escort the esteemed guest to the Xingzhi Institute and be a good host."

Zhao Hanzhang stood up and agreed.

Zhao Changyu spoke to Fu Zhi, "My apologies for today."

Fu Zhi laughed and said, "You should hurry; there’s no need for such formalities with me."

Zhao Changyu then called for Zhao Zhongyu, "Come on, let’s receive the edict."

Mrs. Wang felt bitter inside, reluctantly following them out. Zhao Hanzhang patted her hand and gave Qing Gu a look, instructing her to keep an eye on Mrs. Wang.

Zhao Hanzhang watched them leave, then turned back to Fu Zhi and Fu Tinghan, smiling, "Please, Professor Fu."

Fu Zhi had been observing her expression and noted that she showed no change in her demeanor, silently commending her. Even her mother couldn’t remain indifferent, yet she could remain unaffected, showing her temperament.

Fu Zhi was even more satisfied and happily followed her to the Xingzhi Institute.

However, he was very considerate; seeing his grandson constantly looking at her, after arriving at the Xingzhi Institute, Fu Zhi casually claimed, "I remember your family grows roses. It’s a unique season to cut some branches and arrange them in vases."

Zhao Hanzhang then took Fu Tinghan to cut flowers.

Fu Zhi stood by the window, watching them walk away, stroking his beard with a smile, "Good, good."

The steward standing behind him craned his neck to see, "Third Sister Zhao’s leg has healed?"

Fu Tinghan also went to look at her leg.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Much better now; if I walk slowly, it’s unnoticeable. In a couple of days, it should be completely fine."

"But you just came over in a sedan chair."

Zhao Hanzhang looked at his head, "Where did the bandage you had wrapped yesterday go?"

Fu Tinghan lightly coughed, touched his head, and looked away, but then turned back confidently, "I did this to achieve your goal; I came injured to gain your grandfather’s consent for the marriage?"

Zhao Hanzhang pointed to her own leg with a smile and said, "I did it for our benefit too; being injured can get us more things, though we don’t know when we can go back, we need to accumulate resources."

Upon hearing this, Fu Tinghan began to ponder, "It sounds like you have a considerable dowry, but I don’t seem to have any private property."

Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand and said, "It’s not mine, ultimately, it has to be left for the original owner’s mother and brother. What we need we still have to earn ourselves, but we can leverage their resources for now."

Zhao Hanzhang casually grabbed a red branch of roses, snapped it with a click, and asked, "Do you want to go to the city gate to check where we landed? Who knows if time travel has specific requirements for locations. We must investigate thoroughly before we leave Luoyang."

"Why do we have to leave Luoyang?"

Zhao Hanzhang said, "We have no choice but to leave; Luoyang will become chaotic, unsuitable for living."

Fu Tinghan knew this was a tumultuous era but was not very familiar with the history of this period. He asked Zhao Hanzhang, "War chaos? Didn’t the emperor just ascend to the throne?"

Zhao Hanzhang said, "You don’t understand; in this era, apart from the relatively stable south, there is no place in the north that can remain stable for a long time. Luoyang, the capital of the Great Jin, is even more chaotic."

"Therefore, I want to determine whether time travel is related to the location."

Fu Tinghan reached out to accept the roses she cut, "Do you sincerely believe we can return?"

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyes to look at him, they stared at each other silently for a moment before she pursed her lips and said, "We have to try."

Here, she felt no sense of belonging.

Fu Tinghan gazed at her, after a long while, he nodded, "Alright, I’ll go take a look, but I have little expertise in this field, I can only say I’ll do my best."

Zhao Hanzhang extended her hand to him, "Then we’ve reached an understanding, cooperating to find our way back, hopeful for a successful collaboration."

Fu Tinghan looked down at the hand in front of him, and extended his own hand to shake hers, "Successful collaboration."

Zhao Hanzhang gazed at the quietly poised Professor Fu, and wondered, "Professor Fu, have we met before?"

Fu Tinghan raised his eyes to her, "Of course, we were colleagues at the same school. Even if not in the same department, we would have crossed paths, especially with Teacher Zhao spending so much time in the library."

Zhao Hanzhang stared at his face, feeling something being pulled from deep within her memory. She shook her head, "No, in that case, I should only recognize Professor Fu’s voice, but I feel I should have seen you before, before I lost my sight."

Fu Tinghan looked at her still gripping hand and reminded, "Teacher Zhao."

Zhao Hanzhang looked down, and immediately withdrew her hand, "Sorry."

Fu Tinghan smiled at her, wanting to use this opportunity to pass over the topic.

However, Zhao Hanzhang felt intrigued and wished to continue her inquiry, but her ears caught a strange sound.

Zhao Hanzhang tilted her head to listen, then began searching the ground.

Fu Tinghan lowered his head to watch, "What are you looking for?"

Zhao Hanzhang, "A stone."

Fu Tinghan, looking puzzled, dug out a stone the size of a baby’s fist from under the rose bushes, "It’s a bit small, is it okay?"

Zhao Hanzhang took it with a smile, "It’s sufficient."

She weighed it in her hand, not appearing to exert much force, and the stone gracefully flew out, drawing a beautiful arc in the air before landing with a thud behind the distant rockery.

Accompanying the sound was a cry of pain, followed by a chorus of startled exclamations.

Fu Tinghan: ...

Zhao Hanzhang dusted off her hands and waved to Ting He, who was trailing behind them, "Call for the sedan chair to be brought, saying I sprained my ankle from fright, adding to my injuries, and then go to the storeroom for some precious medicine."

Ting He cheerfully responded, "Yes," and tiptoed to see the person behind the rockery.

The person behind the rockery didn’t emerge for a long time, Zhao Hanzhang frowned and was about to send a servant to check, when eventually a trembling young maid emerged from behind the rockery, kneeling on the ground, not daring to move.

Zhao Hanzhang noticed the bloodstains on her collar but saw no injuries on her, knowing the real person was not her, and concluded that the person behind the rockery should be someone from the second branch.

Zhao Hanzhang studied her for a moment and asked, "Who else is behind the rockery?"

The young maid replied nervously, "N-no one else, just the servant."

Zhao Hanzhang did not make things difficult for her and nodded, "You may leave. It rained a few days ago, and the stones on the rockery have loosened. Be careful when you pass by, don’t let the falling stones hurt you, or you won’t be as fortunate next time."

The young maid hadn’t expected Zhao Hanzhang to release her so easily, after a moment of shock, she repeatedly kowtowed, "Yes."