Chapter 51 - Hesitation

Chapter 51: Chapter 45 HesitationZhao Hanzhang returned to the Qingyi Pavilion, and finally, Uncle Cheng, who had been missing, came to find her. Upon seeing Zhao Hanzhang, he knelt to listen to her orders.

Zhao Hanzhang noticed his weary complexion, as if he had aged ten years overnight. She swiftly reached out to help him up and pointed to the wooden couch opposite the low table, saying, "Uncle Cheng, sit down and talk, and have something to warm your stomach."

She turned her head and instructed Ting He, "Go and bring another bowl of white porridge."

"Yes."

Uncle Cheng, seeing she was eating only a bowl of white porridge without even a dish of small side dishes, couldn’t help but sigh, "Third Lady, please mourn but don’t grieve excessively. Second Lady and Second Son still rely on you."

"I don’t have much appetite either," Zhao Hanzhang asked, "The personnel arrangement for our house..."

"Everything follows the lady’s previous arrangement. Qingyi Pavilion and Song’an Courtyard are now staffed with our people. They are all on the dowry list and are loyal and devoted, while others have been transferred to the front under the guise of organizing the funeral."

Song’an Courtyard is where Mrs. Wang resides, and Zhao Erlang still lives in Zhao Hanzhang’s side room. As long as they hold these two courtyards, the safety of the three of them, the mother and children, is not a problem.

Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly, "The West Corner Gate can’t be neglected either. The routes must be filled with our people."

"Yes, I know. That’s the gate that Third Lady uses to connect with the outside." Uncle Cheng paused and said, "Second Uncle’s intention is that the main focus now is to properly organize the master’s funeral, and the rest can wait until after the funeral."

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyebrow, "What does this mean?"

Uncle Cheng considered and said, "From Second Uncle’s words, it seems that due to the heavy mourning, the marriage with the Fu Family is delayed for three years. He suggested I go to Young Master’s side to help manage family affairs."

Zhao Changyu knew he couldn’t openly give Ji Yuan and Zhao Ju to Zhao Hanzhang; otherwise, anyone could tell he had secretly left assets for her. His brother wasn’t foolish.

So, he never explicitly mentioned the whereabouts of Ji Yuan and Zhao Ju but did discuss Uncle Cheng’s situation.

Uncle Cheng was formerly Zhao Changyu’s follower, and as he grew older, he became the Zhao Family’s steward, a trusted confidant of Zhao Changyu.

After Zhao Changyu’s wife passed away, Uncle Cheng managed household affairs. Whether Mrs. Wang or Mrs. Wu, they only handled the back house, and any funds needed Uncle Cheng’s approval. seaʀᴄh thё Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

It could be said that if anyone knew Zhao Changyu’s assets best, it was Uncle Cheng, even more so than Ji Yuan.

However, he was also the only one whose indenture remained with Zhao Changyu. Before leaving, Zhao Changyu handed the indenture to Zhao Hanzhang and explicitly left a will, instructing Uncle Cheng to follow Zhao Hanzhang.

So now, Uncle Cheng is nominally and practically Zhao Hanzhang’s person.

Zhao Zhongyu wants to undermine her foundation.

She chuckled and said to Uncle Cheng, "No need to worry, listen to the instructions of Uncle Ancestor. The urgent task is to prepare Grandfather’s funeral."

Seeing her self-assured, Uncle Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and stated earnestly, "Third Lady, it’s almost dawn, and relatives and old friends coming to pay condolences should be arriving soon."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, finished the white porridge in her bowl, rinsed her mouth, and headed to the mourning hall.

As she reached the courtyard, she saw Fu Tinghan, standing with his back to her at the gate, staring blankly into the distance. She didn’t know when he arrived.

Zhao Hanzhang approached him, "What are you looking at?"

Fu Tinghan came back to his senses, pointing to a nearby flowerbed, "All the flowers have fallen."

Zhao Hanzhang looked over to see the roses had dropped to the ground. Even the branches and leaves looked withered. She looked for a moment and asked, "Have you eaten?"

Fu Tinghan nodded, "I have. Guests should be arriving soon, so I came to look for you."

Zhao Hanzhang withdrew her gaze from the flowering tree and turned to leave, "Then let’s go."

Zhao Hanzhang instructed Ting He, who was following behind, "Have someone keep an eye on these flowers and check who might have been near them from yesterday to today."

She wanted to see if it was a natural phenomenon or a human cause.

Ting He agreed, paused, and only after they walked away did she turn to find someone to carry out the task.

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t hide her instructions from Fu Tinghan. He looked at her, "Do you suspect it’s human intervention?"

Zhao Hanzhang rubbed her forehead, "Perhaps I’m being sensitive, but it’s good to be cautious."

Fu Tinghan nodded.

"I have something to discuss with you." Zhao Hanzhang halted, her gaze fixed on the distant mourning hall.

Fu Tinghan stopped as well and looked at her, "Go ahead."

Zhao Hanzhang straightforwardly said, "Let’s get married during the mourning period."

Fu Tinghan almost choked on his own saliva, staring at Zhao Hanzhang with wide eyes, his ears turning red, "Are you... are you serious?"

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes roved over his ears and neck. Unexpectedly, he was so easily embarrassed. She thought for a moment, but her face remained composed, "This is the quickest and best way to legalize the inheritance. Of course, if you don’t want to..."

"I do," Fu Tinghan interrupted her quickly. After realizing how hasty he was, he paused and softly added, "Our wedding was initially planned for June. My family has prepared, and the betrothal gifts are ready; if we want to proceed, we can."

"Moreover, during the mourning period, the wedding will be simple, so the previous preparations should suffice," Fu Tinghan added. "I’ll mention it to Grandfather when he arrives later."

Zhao Hanzhang suddenly wondered if she was making a mistake. If Professor Fu continued like this, whether they could return or not, their relationship would likely never return to what it was.

She didn’t worry much for herself, being used to rough ways, but she feared wronging Professor Fu.

Fu Tinghan seemed to sense her hesitation. The heat in his ears subsided slightly, and he earnestly said, "Don’t overthink this; it’s a temporary measure. In the future, if you want..." He caught sight of Uncle Cheng standing nearby and swallowed the words "divorce." "I’ll listen to you."

Uncle Cheng looked at the pair with bright eyes, marveling inwardly. He wondered how Third Lady managed to make Mr. Fu so compliant in such a short time.

But their Third Lady was quite beautiful; perhaps Mr. Fu was smitten?

Yet, would someone so frivolous change his heart in the future?

Uncle Cheng’s mind filled with concerns, and before he could sort them out, seeing Zhao Zhongyu and Zhao Ji approaching from the other side, he immediately lowered his gaze and softly reminded the couple, "Third Lady, Second Uncle and the Princely Heir are here."

Zhao Hanzhang composed herself and solemnly faced Zhao Zhongyu and Zhao Ji with a bow, "Uncle Ancestor, Uncle Father."

Zhao Zhongyu nodded. Seeing her slightly pale face, he sighed, "Let’s go; the mourning hall is ready and visitors will arrive soon."

He looked at Fu Tinghan, his expression considerably softened, "Changrong, you’ve been a great help these past few days."

Fu Tinghan glanced at Zhao Hanzhang before replying, "It’s what a junior should do."

Fu Tinghan didn’t treat himself as an outsider at all; at the mourning hall, he stood by Zhao Hanzhang’s side, ready to thank the mourners who arrived.

Zhao Changyu had a good reputation and personal ties, and as soon as the house doors opened, mourners began arriving. Looking at Zhao Hanzhang and her younger siblings standing by, everyone sighed inwardly.

With Zhao Changyu’s death, the Zhao Family’s main household was in decline.