After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 856 - 842: Cutting Down Sandalwood

Zhao Hanzhang reached into her bosom and pulled out a pouch. She opened it and poured out a piece of dry food. She casually broke it apart, one large and one small piece. As if she didn’t notice, she extended her hand to the two, indicating for them to take it and eat.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at them, "I only have this bit of dry food with me. I apologize for the inconvenience to the two young princes."

There was no food in this village. They had been surviving on occasional hunted game and wild vegetables dug up by Yuan Li and a few others, having gone without rice or flour for a long time. At the sight of dry food, their eyes lit up.

Prince Yuzhang swallowed his saliva, wanting to reach out, but not daring to. He could only quietly glance at King Qin.

King Qin also swallowed, first thanking Zhao Hanzhang, then taking the smaller piece from her hand. Prince Yuzhang quickly snatched the remaining piece and also thanked Zhao Hanzhang in a low voice.

Zhao Hanzhang watched them eat with a smile.

Prince Yuzhang bit down hard; a child’s teeth are sharp, especially those small milk teeth that haven’t been replaced. Without hesitation, he bit off a piece with a crunch...

King Qin was about to put his piece in his mouth, but upon seeing Zhao Hanzhang, he hesitated and tried to break it in half.

But he squeezed until his fingers were red and still couldn’t break it.

Zhao Hanzhang looked down at him. King Qin blushed but still handed the dry food back to her, whispering, "Governor Zhao, since you haven’t eaten either, let’s share this."

Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, took it back, and effortlessly broke it into two halves, placing both in her palm and extending it to him.

King Qin didn’t hesitate, immediately taking the smallest piece again.

Zhao Hanzhang held the remaining piece in her hand, looked at it for a while, then smiled and started eating slowly.

The three of them sat quietly by the fire, eating in silence.

Xun Fan and Xun Zu sat to one side, exchanging a glance, their eyes shifting among the three, becoming more uneasy, their hearts pounding with nervousness.

Perhaps King Qin’s gesture was merely to please Zhao Hanzhang, hoping she would favor them, rather than make any statement. However, it was clear that Zhao Hanzhang was intent on making a point.

But who knows, was she more satisfied with Prince Yuzhang or King Qin?

After finishing the food, Zhao Hanzhang clapped her hands and asked, "Both of you are not young anymore. What books have you studied at home?"

Prince Yuzhang didn’t speak. King Qin, being a year older, reluctantly replied first, "I’ve only read the Book of Mao and the Analects."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, then turned to look at Prince Yuzhang, who had been keeping his head down.

Prince Yuzhang’s face turned pale, and under Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, he whispered, "Only read the Book of Mao."

Since they had both studied the Classic of Poetry, Zhao Hanzhang decided to test him on it, asking, "Can you recite ’Wei Feng’?"

Not only Prince Yuzhang but even King Qin straightened their backs, as if being tested by a father or teacher, nervously nodding, "Some parts."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Recite ’Zhi Dan’ and let me hear it."

Prince Yuzhang’s eyes were lost, and King Qin paused for a long time before hesitantly reciting, "Kankan fell the cypresses, placed on the river’s edge, the river is clear and gentle. Not sowing, not reaping, how did you get these three hundred measures of grain... in the courtyard?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly. Seeing him fumbling with his fingers for the next line, she kindly prompted, "Not hunting, not trapping..."

King Qin immediately continued, "Not hunting, not trapping, how can there be so many pheasants in your courtyard? Those gentlemen, they do not eat without labor..."

Zhao Hanzhang, who had been sitting upright, now bent one leg, tapping her fingers joyfully on her knee, listening to him stumble through the entire poem.

She smiled and asked, "What does this poem mean?"

Prince Yuzhang remained bewildered, and although King Qin had studied the Classic of Poetry, focusing primarily on the selections of "Ya" and "Song", he couldn’t recall much of the "Feng".

But his literary background was evident. He silently recited "Zhi Dan" in his mind, then softly said, "Gentlemen neither sow nor reap nor hunt, yet they have trucks made of cypresses and houses full of game."

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Xun Fan’s forehead. He quickly shifted from sitting to kneeling, bowing to Zhao Hanzhang, "Governor Zhao, King Qin is young and his studies are inadequate; hence, he misunderstood the poem’s meaning."

Zhao Hanzhang’s smile vanished even before King Qin finished speaking. She did not ask him to rise. Retracting her pleasing demeanor, she sat up straight and asked him, "Did your teacher teach you that? Or was it King Wu?"

King Wu, King Qin’s father, was quite young, only twenty-nine, and died when Yun City fell recently.

King Qin looked at Xun Fan and Xun Zu, both kneeling and pleading guilty, then at Zhao Hanzhang’s indifferent expression. He realized he had misspoken and became increasingly anxious, whispering, "I forgot my teacher’s teachings, I made it up myself."

Zhao Hanzhang pondered for a moment, sneering, "Actually, you weren’t entirely wrong. There are quite a few ministers and scholars in Jin State who pride themselves as gentlemen. These people neither sow nor reap nor hunt, yet enjoy endless supplies of grain and game."

"While the commoners starve and freeze, they can pave their floors with pearls and hang trees with silk," Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze rested lightly on him, "But why is that?"

"Is it simply because you are of noble birth, having chosen the right parents, and use cunning methods in life to seize others’ resources?"

King Qin’s lips trembled, unable to speak. Prince Yuzhang was already frightened, shrinking tightly behind King Qin, not daring to lift his head to look at Zhao Hanzhang.

It was only then that Zhao Hanzhang coldly remarked, "The poem Zhi Dan attacks greed. Those in power who are avaricious and receive rewards without merit block true gentlemen from advancement."

Having said this, she got up and left.

Once her footsteps faded away, Xun Fan lifted his head, collapsing softly to the ground. Helplessly, he looked at King Qin and said, "Great King, Zhao Hanzhang abhors those who fill official positions without serving them. Even when Grand Commandant Wang was here, she often expressed disdain for those benefiting without merit. How could you interpret Zhi Dan that way?"

King Qin felt a bit aggrieved, "I’ve almost forgotten the poem. How could I remember its interpretation? If she had asked about the ’Ya’ and ’Song’, I could have answered."

Xun Fan sighed in resignation.

It was his oversight; he hadn’t anticipated Zhao Hanzhang would test their studies, otherwise, he would’ve prepped King Qin beforehand.

The subjects Zhao Hanzhang might test are rather predictable. She is known for her kindness to the commoners. If she questioned about the Classic of Poetry, it would most likely involve the "Feng" section.

Xun Fan felt uneasy, but King Qin soon dismissed the matter from his mind. As long as Zhao Hanzhang didn’t kill him, failing to answer correctly was no big deal since he didn’t intend to become emperor.

With this thought, King Qin glanced back at Prince Yuzhang, hiding behind him, feeling sympathetic. Better him than me—it’s decided that his brother will have to be emperor, facing future hardships and potential threats to his life.

Realizing this, King Qin looked at him with growing pity.

Prince Yuzhang was oblivious, and after Zhao Hanzhang left, he continued munching on the unfinished dry food.

The dry food tasted unpleasant at first, but the longer he kept it in his mouth, the sweeter it became. He found it quite satisfactory.

Zhao Hanzhang went to inspect the camp. Yuan Li immediately brought her a piece of dry food, saying, "Everyone gathered together and managed to spare some."