CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 91: QUESTION

Fu Tinghan looked behind him and chuckled lightly, "Perhaps you could ask the beauty herself."

Zhao Ming turned his head and met Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze. Startled, he immediately sat up straight, looking very serious, "Third Lady, when did you arrive?"

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at his expression, noticing his eyes were blurry and clearly drunk, "When the cousin was discussing beauties."

Zhao Hanzhang picked up the wine jug and sniffed the wine, finding the aroma quite pleasant. She sat cross-legged on the other side of the low table, took a cup, and filled it herself.

She tasted it and nodded in approval, "This wine is good."

Zhao Ming:...

He looked at Fu Tinghan sitting opposite, who showed no concern and even refilled her cup.

"It’s rumored that Fu Zhongshu is upright and rigid, but I didn’t expect his grandson to be quite different."

Fu Tinghan said, "That is a misunderstanding by the world. My grandfather isn’t that kind of person."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded in agreement, "If Grandfather Fu were as the rumors said, he wouldn’t have let Mr. Fu accompany me to escort the coffin back home."

Although bringing Fu Tinghan back to Ru Nan was a decision made without prior consent, even Zhao Zhongyu had sent people to collect debts, yet Fu Zhi hadn’t sent anyone to take Fu Tinghan back, showing his tacit approval of Fu Tinghan staying in Ru Nan to mourn.

Zhao Ming saw her about to drink and reached out to stop her, "Third Lady, although the heavy mourning period has passed, you are still in mourning, so you shouldn’t drink."

Zhao Hanzhang withdrew her hand and asked curiously, "Does the cousin have worries? Why drink in the day?"

Zhao Ming shook his head, "No worries, just felt like drinking."

Saying this, perhaps feeling awkward, he paused and then laughed heartily, pushing the cup back to Zhao Hanzhang, "Forget it, forget it, mourning is about the heart, not about actions. Drink if you want to."

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t move.

Zhao Ming filled his own cup with the wine jug and drank it in one gulp, twirling the cup and sneering, "Mourning? Nowadays, etiquette is degraded; who cares about mourning or not?"

Zhao Hanzhang: "Cousin says so, now I dare not drink."

Zhao Ming waved his hand, "Not you, I know you are good. Seeing you protect your grandfather’s coffin during your escape shows your filial piety."

Zhao Hanzhang lifted her cup and took a sip, "Cousin, if there’s anything troubling you, it might be helpful to talk it out."

Zhao Ming saw her drink after speaking, with a slight smile, "You’re straightforward, not hypocritical; a true honest person!"

Zhao Hanzhang: "...Cousin, I’ve only had two sips, that doesn’t make me a bad person, does it?"

Zhao Ming snorted, "Don’t think I don’t know, you’re up to no good."

"If you were a gentleman, for the sake of the Zhao Family’s stability over the next hundred years, I’d stand with you to reclaim the clan leader position from the Second Branch but you’re a lady," Zhao Ming glanced at Fu Tinghan sitting opposite with a complicated expression, "I don’t know if your future husband is truly naive or pretending to be noble."

"But whether it’s the former or the latter, I won’t support you," Zhao Ming said, "The clan sympathizes with your loss of paternal support during childhood, and I don’t mind occasionally helping you, but wanting me to stand with you against the Second Branch, or to acquire more property from Zhao’s Fortress is impossible."

Zhao Hanzhang looked at Fu Tinghan in surprise.

Fu Tinghan shook his head slightly at her; he hadn’t mentioned her once since he came here, they just discussed wine—oh, and a bit about beauties.

"It’s not what he said, it’s my guess," Zhao Ming asked, "Why did you come back in person this time?"

"Cousin is sharp," Zhao Hanzhang said, "Much sharper than my elder cousin. Did Grandfather never consider passing the clan leader position to you?"

Zhao Ming raised his eyes briefly to glance at her, "Sowing discord, threats and bribery? That doesn’t work on me. The clan leader position can only come from your legitimate branch, even if Zhao Ji isn’t competent, there’s still your brother. Quickly marry him off and have children, cultivate him to maturity."

Zhao Hanzhang: "...You all prefer to choose a baby who hasn’t been born yet as clan leader, rather than a ready-made, smart, capable one?"

Zhao Ming looked at her curiously, "That’s the clan rule, the clan leader has always been from the legitimate branch, what’s strange about that?"

In a family estate division, the eldest legitimate son gets seven-tenths, and the rest are split among the other children.

It’s the same for clans.

Thus, the legitimate branch repeatedly enjoys the majority of the family’s assets and resources, naturally taking on the greatest responsibility.

Whenever there’s trouble, it’s the legitimate branch that bears the brunt.

Zhao Changyu is this person.

The inside and outside estates of Zhao’s Fortress, both the first and second branches occupy nearly half; and that’s just two branches—keep in mind, there are thousands of Zhao Family clan members.

They possess the largest property; aside from household tenants and servants, more land is leased to clan members with little land, with only a small rent collected.

Additionally, the clan supports the elderly, weak, women and children annually, all primarily funded by Zhao Changyu.

Not to mention major matters like building Fortresses are mainly financed by Zhao Changyu.

So, is the property controlled by Zhao Changyu truly his?

Both yes and no.

Yes, because it’s under the legitimate branch; no because it’s actually the entire Zhao Family clan’s.

And due to Zhao Changyu’s consistent contributions, from top to bottom, the Zhao Family firmly believes the clan leader should come from the legitimate branch.

If Zhao Ming dared express interest in being clan leader, he wouldn’t need the clan to speak—his father could scold him to death.

However, he and his father—and even most of the clan—think differently, at the depths of Zhao Ming’s heart lies doubt, "Can Zhao Ji truly become a good clan leader?"

He leaned closer to Zhao Hanzhang, eyes fixated, staring directly into her heart, asking word by word, "Third Lady, can you really not mind, not mind their abandonment of your entire family, not mind how they once endangered your life?"

Zhao Hanzhang looked steadily back at Zhao Ming, gaze firm, unmoving, the two locked eyes for a while before she tilted her lips in a slight smile, "You guess?"

Zhao Ming stared at her for a while longer, sat upright, looked at her with a half-smile, "I guess you can’t."

Zhao Hanzhang poured wine for herself and him, raised her cup and lightly clinked glasses with his, "Cousin, your concerns are valid, can Zhao Ji truly be a suitable clan leader?"

Zhao Hanzhang drank her wine, twirling the cup, "There’s another thing you said right, mourning is judged by the heart. I promised grandfather to protect my mother and Second Son. I also know, aside from Second Son, what most weighs on his heart is Zhao Family."

"Thus, for grandfather’s sake, I won’t harm Zhao Family, not one bit."

Zhao Ming pondered.

Zhao Hanzhang put down her cup and stood up, "Cousin is drunk, so Mr. Fu and I will leave first. By the way, cousin may not know drinking in the garden today, my uncle sent an advisor to manage the family’s assets, Uncle Five might be looking for you now."