Chapter 84 - Frightening

Chapter 84: Chapter 78 FrighteningZhao Song scolded Zhao Hu with a stern face, "Hurry up and get out!"

Zhao Hu snorted, "I also care about my elder brother. It’s not like we’re using your people..."

Even the usually calm and gentle Fu Tinghan couldn’t help but get angry, "Seventh Ancestor," he said solemnly, "Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life. I heard that the Seventh Ancestor is a devout believer in the Buddhist Law, so you should be even more compassionate towards people. Our ancestors worked hard to abolish the custom of burying the living with the dead. There is no need to make life difficult for others, nor to trouble Grandpa Zhao, who loved his people as his own children all his life."

Hearing this, Zhao Hu was somewhat displeased and glanced at him, "Mr. Fu, this is a matter of the Zhao Family. Strictly speaking, you, being an outsider, shouldn’t be here. However, since you are the future husband of Third Lady, exceptions were made, but aren’t you meddling too much?"

He continued, "Elder brother was born into wealth, enjoying a life of luxury. If he doesn’t take a few people with him, how will he avoid grievances in the afterlife? People have always said that Mr. Fu is filial, but what I see today says otherwise. If you were truly filial, then as the grandson-in-law, it should be your servants sent to accompany him."

Zhao Hanzhang’s expression darkened, her anger rising swiftly. She coldly chuckled at Zhao Hu, "Servants, after all, are servants. How can they be as close as family? Since the Seventh Ancestor misses Grandpa Zhao so much, why don’t we go down together to see Grandpa Zhao?"

She reached out and grabbed Zhao Hu’s hand, turning to pull him towards the burial chamber, "Grandpa hasn’t seen the Seventh Ancestor in years; he must miss him dearly. Luckily, Fifth Uncle buried a set of chess pieces with him. You can play chess with Grandpa while I serve tea on the side. Wouldn’t that be a lovely family reunion?"

Zhao Hanzhang pulled Zhao Hu into the main burial chamber, walking around the coffin, "This position is quite nice; I’ll let you have it, Ancestral Uncle. How about I accompany on the other side?"

Zhao Hu’s face turned pale, struggling vigorously all the way, but for some reason, this child, despite not looking strong, had great strength.

Seeing Zhao Hanzhang’s serious expression, Zhao Hu couldn’t decide whether she was joking. In frustration, he stammered, "You... you...", but didn’t dare to further provoke her, so he anxiously called for help, "Brother Five, Brother Five..."

Zhao Song was also startled. He didn’t expect the usually sensible and courteous Third Lady to suddenly become so fierce. It was only when Zhao Hu called out that he reacted, quickly catching up with his son Zhao Ming to intervene, "Third Lady, do not fool around with your Seventh Ancestral Uncle. Release him quickly."

Zhao Hanzhang pinned Zhao Hu onto the coffin lid, holding his shoulder so he couldn’t move. She met Zhao Hu’s gaze with a half-smile, "I see that the Seventh Ancestral Uncle is serious, and I am serious too. I have deep affection for Grandpa, wishing I could accompany him. The Seventh Uncle’s suggestion is just what I wanted. It’s just that it’s my first time accompanying someone for burial, so I ask Seventh Uncle to guide me."

Zhao Hu felt that Zhao Hanzhang was serious; his wrist hurt from her grip, unable to break free, almost crying. He regretted this. If he had known this child was so reckless, he wouldn’t have mentioned this in front of her. Good intentions indeed not rewarded.

Zhao Song stepped forward and lightly tugged Zhao Hanzhang’s hand, pulling her away. His face had turned pale by now with anger, "All of you, get out. What nonsense are you doing in the burial chamber? Aren’t you afraid of disturbing the spirits?"

He chased the two out, bowed to the coffin several times himself, and only then, reluctantly calm, stepped outside.

Zhao Ming pulled Zhao Hu, while Fu Tinghan held Zhao Hanzhang. The two stood in the middle, separating them, each coldly glancing at the other. In the end, it was Zhao Hu who first averted his pale face, evidently still frightened by Zhao Hanzhang earlier.

Uncle Cheng quietly let out a long breath, his senses slowly returning, finally realizing his back was soaked.

Uncle Cheng was momentarily puzzled, suddenly realizing how afraid of death he was. When the master first passed away, he wished he could follow, but how...

Uncle Cheng was in a daze, and the funeral continued. Zhao Cai followed in the ceremony, noticing his father was unresponsive, and hurriedly tugged at him.

Uncle Cheng returned to his senses, respectfully following the ritual, his heart filled with torment.

Ji Yuan watched everything silently, waiting until the tomb doors closed, sealing the entire burial chamber. The funeral was nearly complete.

Zhao Erlang led everyone forward to perform the rites. After the memorial, the tombstone was placed, marking the end of the funeral.

Zhao Song’s face had returned to normal by now. He said to Zhao Hanzhang, "Return to the clan first. I’ve arranged for your family’s old house to be prepared."

Zhao Hanzhang agreed and led everyone back to Zhao’s Fortress.

Wu Castle was not far from the ancestral grave, taking less than half an hour to reach. From a distance, she could see a high city wall, not much shorter than Shangcai County’s. Importantly, Wu Castle also had watchtowers.

Outside Wu Castle was a surrounding moat. It wasn’t very wide, but neither people nor horses could easily jump across. Most importantly, the moat was very deep, about three to four meters, with smooth walls, making it difficult to climb.

A bridge spanned the moat, connecting the main road to Wu Castle’s gate.

Zhao Hanzhang stood before the bridge, looking up at the iron chains attached to it, seeing them stretch all the way to Wu Castle. Clearly, this was a drawbridge, normally lowered to serve as a bridge, but during wartime, once raised, it could isolate outside enemies.

It’s a pity the moat was too narrow; if the attacking enemies were numerous and had any sense, they’d know to build their own bridge to cross.

Still, this was quite an impressive defense mechanism, and most importantly, the moat could be used for irrigation when needed.

Zhao Hanzhang tapped the bridge with her foot and asked, "Fifth Uncle, did the moat and drawbridge cost a lot of money?"

Watching Zhao Hanzhang gaze at Wu Castle, Zhao Song, who was considering boasting a bit, fell silent upon hearing this. Should he say, ’Like grandfather, like granddaughter?’

Their obsession with money was indeed identical.

Zhao Song replied, "It cost a fair amount, but with this moat, the Zhao Family has the safest fortress here in Ru Nan County."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, stepped over the drawbridge, and entered the fortress through its tall gates.

A bustle greeted her.

Inside was a bluestone-paved road, with two-story buildings on both sides, the first floor of which were all shops, and the second floor either served as additional shops or residences.

Seeing Zhao Song and others return, people in Wu Castle greeted them and went about their own business.

There were vendors on the street before shops, selling all sorts of goods.

Having heard the news of Zhao Changyu’s passing, every household had hung white hemp or streamers.

Whether they shared the Zhao surname or not, those living in Wu Castle considered themselves part of the Zhao Family. With the death of the former clan leader, they undertook mourning just as they would for national mourning, even more profoundly.

Walking down the street, one could see the road was broad and even. Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan only passed through Shangcai County without stopping in the town, but it was clear from a glance that Zhao’s Fortress was in no way inferior to Shangcai County.

Zhao Hanzhang pondered thoughtfully, "Fifth Uncle, are fortresses everywhere like this?"