After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 796 - 786 Unconvinced

He took a deep breath, deciding to leave early. The family retainer who came with him couldn’t help but advise, "General, why not endure a bit longer? If you leave now and the Great General finds out, he might be upset."

"Upset? Let him be upset. What can he do to me?" Wang Dun said, "I need to go back and rest early. Tomorrow, I’ll see if I can meet Zhao Hanzhang."

The retainer asked helplessly, "What do you intend to see Zhao Hanzhang for? Qingzhou is the closest to Yan State and Jizhou, separated from Yu State by a whole Yan State and Jizhou."

Isn’t the most important thing now to maintain a good relationship with Gou Xi?

Wang Dun said, "Zhao Hanzhang has an excellent relationship with Liu Yueshi, of course I have to pay her a visit."

The family retainer said nothing more.

Wang Dun is a passionate fan of Liu Kun. A few months ago, during the contest for Qingzhou, knowing Liu Kun’s army was near, he almost abandoned his own troops to see Liu Kun’s army. If Liu Kun himself had come, the retainer suspected he might hand over the captured territory to Liu Kun.

Of course, this was just a guess, Wang Dun would not do such a thing.

But he adores and admires Liu Kun, which also leads him to be interested in Zhao Hanzhang. Moreover, Zhao Hanzhang herself is quite intriguing; she now holds power second only to Gou Xi. Isn’t it interesting how a lady achieved this?

Wang Dun is always carefree; once he decided to leave, he took the family retainer and left immediately.

Gou Xi had many guests tonight. At first, he didn’t notice, and when he did, he was already half-drunk. Though a bit displeased, he didn’t act out on the spot, but the atmosphere worsened a bit nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Zhao Hanzhang had just ended her banquet and was seeing the guests out.

Zhao Zhongyu accompanied her to see off the guests. After the last one, Xiahou Jun, boarded his carriage and left, he turned to her, "Xiahou Jun is the Yu State Grand Middle. He has been staying in Yan State, and for the past couple of years, he’s pushed talents towards Gou Xi. I thought he wouldn’t attend the banquet. Not only did he come, but he seemed to have a delightful conversation with you."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "This isn’t just about my face, it’s also thanks to Great Uncle’s contribution. Plus, as Your Majesty intends to move the capital back, old ministers like Xiahou Jun are most keen. With Gou Xi showing signs of decline, why would he cling to one tree?"

Zhao Zhongyu advised, "I just hope our Zhao Family won’t follow in his footsteps."

He referred to Zhao Hanzhang when saying Zhao Family.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him, "Rest assured, Great Uncle, I certainly won’t act recklessly."

Thinking that she’s a lady, different from Gou Xi and the others, she shouldn’t make the same mistakes.

Just as Zhao Zhongyu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Zhao Hanzhang say, "Wei Zao also came tonight, and the two young generals who came with him were very energetic and good-looking. Great Uncle, do you think they came here by Your Majesty’s order or of their own accord?"

Zhao Zhongyu’s heart almost leapt to his throat as he said, "Probably by Your Majesty’s order. But if we’re talking about good looks, they’re no match for Ting Han. And haven’t you seen Wei Jie? How could you compare their looks?"

"Spring flowers and autumn months are different in their ways — it’s a different kind of beauty. Wei Jie is like a gentleman of jade, while Wei Zao and those two generals are stunning with a sharp edge."

Zhao Zhongyu thought she was getting a bit too much like Gou Xi these past two years and frowned slightly, saying in a roundabout way, "I heard Ting Han is also practicing martial arts; he’s both civil and martial, humble and polite, surpassing most men in the world. Don’t you think he’s more beautiful?"

Zhao Hanzhang blinked, finally realizing, and nodded, "Hmm, quite beautiful. In my heart, he’s the most beautiful."

Zhao Zhongyu looked at her with suspicion, "Really?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded firmly, "Really, truly!"

Back in her room, Zhao Hanzhang exhaled, kicked off her shoes, and sat on the couch, waiting for Ting He to bring the footwash. "Why do they all think I’ll indulge in lustful pleasures and become unfaithful? Am I that kind of person?"

Ting He adjusted the water and brought it over, smiling, "That’s because they don’t understand you, my lady. They don’t know how you and the young master get along. If they saw it often, they wouldn’t misunderstand."

Zhao Hanzhang put her foot into the water, which was slightly hot but pleasantly so. As she moved her toes to stir the water slowly, she said, "He should be in Luoyang now, I wonder what he’s busy with..."

Ting He laughed, "If you miss him, my lady, you can write a letter to ask; it’s not far from here to Luoyang."

Zhao Hanzhang was tempted, almost lifting her foot to write a letter, but after thinking about it, she held herself back, shaking her head, "In a few days, we’ll be returning as well, so there’s no rush."

Though she said that, Zhao Hanzhang still couldn’t sleep at night. Listening carefully, she thought Ting He in the side room should be sound asleep, so she quietly lifted the blanket and got out of bed.

She lit a lamp herself and, after some thought, dragged the inkstone over and began to grind ink quietly.

In reality, she didn’t have much to write to Fu Tinghan; when they were together, they mostly discussed business, let alone in letters. Mostly, the letters concerned important matters.

This time, she had no business to talk about, just wanting to chit-chat.

The world is all so gray; the houses are gray, and people, too, among the ordinary folks of Yun City. There are few bright colors, even among the upper levels.

Unlike Luoyang, which, though rundown, is colorful, Yun City seemed repressive, even the birds wouldn’t dare fly high.

Nevertheless, Zhao Hanzhang still found Yun City beautiful, Yan State beautiful, and the people here beautiful.

She told Fu Tinghan that in recent days, she occasionally went out to the streets to look for food and found a particularly delicious bowl of gnocchi soup.

Right on the street not far from the West City Gate, there was a shabby little stall. Many people passed by every day, and many queued up to eat gnocchi soup. The stall owner’s speed was fast, and the price was very cheap; she could eat two big bowls at a time.

She thought all the gnocchi soup in Yun City was delicious, but after trying a few other places, none matched up to his. She wrote, "Next time we come to Yun City, I must treat you to that gnocchi soup."

After writing her anecdotes, Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but share some secrets with him, "As soon as I arrived, I accidentally kicked Zhao Ji and broke his bone. I swear it wasn’t intentional; it was just a reflex. But after recognizing him, I was surprisingly happy. These past two days, whenever I’m free, I walk by his courtyard, sometimes going to see him. Seeing him fuming makes me very happy."

"Every time I leave, I regret it, feel I’m too petty for my grand ambitions, realize I’m not behaving well, yet I can’t help it. If you were here, would you chide me?"

Zhao Hanzhang wrote quite a lot, and after airing the sheets of paper one by one and sealing them into an envelope, she wrote Fu Tinghan’s name on it, finally content enough to go to sleep.