Madam Wang stared blankly, still in a daze.
Zhao Erlang endured and endured, but could no longer hold back. He tugged at Zhao Hanzhang’s sleeve and said pitifully, “Elder Sister, can we eat now? I’m hungry.”
Looking at the innocent and unaware Zhao Erlang, Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand. “Eat, eat.”
Zhao Erlang immediately returned to his seat and eagerly picked several large pieces of meat for Zhao Hanzhang, saying enthusiastically, “Elder Sister, you vomited earlier. All of this is for you.”
Zhao Hanzhang stared at the large pieces of meat in her bowl without speaking, feeling her head ache again and her chest tighten, nauseous and wanting to vomit.
Madam Wang quickly picked the meat away. “Your elder sister doesn’t want to eat it. You eat it yourself.”
She looked at Zhao Hanzhang with concern. “Third Lady, why don’t you have some plain porridge? Look, your face is pale from vomiting.”
The vast memories flooding her mind had mostly merged, and Zhao Hanzhang’s head no longer hurt much, but her appetite was still poor. She nodded in agreement.
She sat watching as Madam Wang picked food for Zhao Erlang, who ate with great relish, devouring everything placed in his bowl.
Zhao Hanzhang found it amusing and asked him, “Did you eat this well in the Ancestral Hall too?”
Zhao Erlang shook his head pitifully. “There was no meat, only steamed buns.”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded in satisfaction. That was more like being punished.
While Qingyi Pavilion had quieted down, the Main Courtyard was anything but calm.
Aunt Qing knelt and tearfully recounted everything, only rising after receiving permission, then bowing and quietly retreating.
By the time she left the courtyard, her back was soaked with sweat.
Zhao Changyu sat cross-legged on the couch, motionless. Cheng Bo brought a bowl of tea and said softly, “Lord, tonight the Second Branch indeed overstepped their bounds.”
Zhao Changyu sighed. “It’s not just the Second Branch overstepping. Third Lady overstepped too.”
Before Cheng Bo could speak, he continued, “But it’s understandable. I’ve always known Second Brother harbored some resentment toward me, but I never imagined it had affected Zhao Ji to this extent. While I’m still here, he can treat Madam Wang like this. Once I’m gone, where will the orphaned mother and children find their footing in the Zhao Family?”
“I didn’t realize the situation had become so dire,” he sighed. “Do you think Third Lady’s actions were merely to vent her grievances? She was forcing me to make a choice.”
Zhao Changyu smiled at this point. “She is clever indeed…”
Cheng Bo remained silent. The criticism came from you, and the praise came from you too. In any case, you always find ways to defend your granddaughter.
He silently placed the tea bowl in front of Zhao Changyu.
Zhao Changyu picked it up and took a sip, pondering. “In truth, there is no room for choice. I… am not a man of great righteousness.”
Cheng Bo hurriedly said, “Why does the Lord belittle himself so?”
Zhao Changyu, however, was frank. “This is the truth. If I were righteous, for the long-term development of the family, I should send you to reprimand Third Lady now.”
“Only when the family’s strength is united can it help the Zhao Family advance further. And now, in these troubled times, we should not disperse the family’s power. Yet,” Zhao Changyu sighed, “what I must do now is divide the family’s power.”
Since speaking with Third Lady, Zhao Changyu had been wavering. How much should he leave for her?
According to the original plan, he had no intention of dividing the family’s power for her. In fact, aside from Cheng Bo, he hadn’t planned to leave anyone for the main branch.
The grandson was a fool. Even if he was unwilling to admit it, Zhao Erlang was indeed intellectually impaired. A twelve-year-old youth who could communicate normally in daily life, yet his mental capacity was no different from that of a six- or seven-year-old child.
A six- or seven-year-old could already recognize a hundred characters, but after six years of schooling, the number of characters he knew could be counted on two hands.
With Emperor Hui as a cautionary example, Zhao Changyu naturally could not entrust the family estate to him.
Thus, he had always intended for the Second Branch to inherit the family business, entrusting the main branch to their care.
In recent years, with the shifting political situation at court, the conflict between the main branch and the Second Branch had deepened day by day. Watching this unfold, Zhao Changyu grew anxious in his heart, which was why he sought to provide the main branch with an additional safeguard.
That was why he began searching for a high-status marriage for his granddaughter. He had power, wealth, and connections at his disposal. He wanted to arrange everything for Third Lady before his departure, so that in the future, she could rely on her husband’s family to support her mother and younger brother. Little did he expect that as soon as he showed the slightest hint of this intention, rumors would spread throughout the estate, and Erlang and Third Lady would meet with misfortune.
Tonight, was it truly the Second Branch forcing the main branch’s hand?
It was clearly Third Lady forcing him to make a decision.
Although Zhao Changyu knew she had dug a pit for him… he had no choice but to step into it.
After pondering for a long while, Zhao Changyu made his decision and said to Cheng Bo, "Tomorrow, have Zhao Ju and Ji Yuan come see me."
Cheng Bo bowed and replied, "Yes."
Zhao Hanzhang thought Zhao Changyu would need to struggle with the decision for some time. After all, her grandfather was historically renowned as a capable minister, praised as a "thousand-zhang pine" and a pillar of the state.
A man like this, even if he wanted to show favoritism, would likely wrestle with the choice for a while. Between the grand plans of the clan and the bloodline of his own family, most scholars of this era would choose the clan—how much more so for a far-sighted man like Zhao Changyu?
She did not expect that by noon the next day, just as she was about to have lunch, Cheng Bo would bring someone to fetch her. "The Lord is concerned about the Young Lady, so he sent me to bring you over for a chat."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded. It was only after sitting in the sedan chair that she realized Cheng Bo had not called her Third Lady but had addressed her as Young Lady.
She couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl upward, and the smile remained even as she entered the Main Courtyard.
This time, she called out to the middle-aged man sitting in the courtyard without any psychological burden, "Grandfather."
Zhao Changyu nodded to her and, as she approached, introduced the two men beside him. "You’ve come at just the right time. Come and greet your Grandfather Ji."
Zhao Hanzhang looked over. Facing the fair-skinned, beardless, gentle-looking man who appeared to be only in his thirties, she couldn’t bring herself to call him "Grandfather."
Seeing her stare blankly, Zhao Changyu frowned slightly. "Third Lady."
Zhao Hanzhang immediately bowed and said, "Mr. Ji."
Ji Yuan’s eyes lit up, and he nodded slightly. "The Young Lady looks quite spirited today."
Zhao Changyu glanced at Zhao Hanzhang in surprise but did not correct her. Instead, he continued with a smile, "She’s been lively since childhood. Ziyuan, you know this. Zhi’er left behind only two children. With Erlang as he is, I couldn’t help but raise her like a son."
Ji Yuan fell silent.
Zhao Changyu did not need him to make an immediate decision. He turned to Zhao Hanzhang and said, "Third Lady, Mr. Ji is your grandfather’s right-hand man. In the future, you must regard him as you would me."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang’s expression turned serious. Leaning on the sedan chair, she struggled to stand up and then bowed deeply to Ji Yuan. "Grandfather Ji."
Zhao Changyu: "…That wasn’t entirely necessary."
Ji Yuan, however, was overjoyed. His eyes brightened as he reached out to support her. "Good child, you’re injured. There’s no need for such formalities. Please, sit down quickly."
"If Grandfather does not sit, how dare Third Lady take a seat? Please, sit quickly as well."
Zhao Changyu's temple twitched, and he hurriedly interrupted the two, "This is Zhao Ju, your grandfather's right-hand man."
Zhao Hanzhang looked over—his height was quite modern, likely around one meter eighty-two or eighty-three, robust and strong. It was still spring, and the temperature in Luoyang remained low, yet he wore only simple barbarian attire. The fabric clung to his body, revealing the strength beneath.
Zhao Changyu said, "He commands the private troops of our household."
Zhao Hanzhang's heart stirred—one for civil affairs, one for military matters. Was Zhao Changyu planning to hand over the family's entire foundation to her?