Zhao Hu stood by, chuckling quietly, but Zhao Song frowned and gave him a sidelong glance, asking, "As for Zitu, since he didn’t leave the palace, why isn’t he waiting in the back hall? Does he still refuse to come back to take office?"
The smile disappeared from Zhao Hu’s face.
Zhao Cheng and He Xun were together; despite only meeting the day before yesterday, they had quickly become good friends.
One was benevolent and humble, the other upright and courteous. Zhao Hanzhang sometimes felt that watching them together was like looking in a mirror, and yet they always had countless things to say.
At this moment, they were sitting in a corner of the palace, debating back and forth over one of Confucius’ sayings.
Zhao Zheng searched around before finally finding his father. He quickly stepped forward to salute and reminded them, "Mr. He, Father, the palace banquet is about to start. Allow me to lead you to your seats."
Zhao Cheng and He Xun reluctantly agreed, planning to continue their discussion the next day.
He Xun said, "How about going to Taotie Building tomorrow? The wine there is excellent; I’ll treat you, Zitu."
Zhao Cheng pondered for a moment and then turned to Zhao Zheng, "What’s the name of the tavern your grandfather owns?"
Zhao Zheng replied, "There are several, but Taotie Building is just one of them."
Zhao Cheng then told He Xun, "I should treat you."
He Xun was surprised, "Taotie Building is your property?"
Zhao Cheng shook his head, "It’s not mine; it belongs to my father."
Zhao Hu and his group also came from the back hall. He glanced around, seeing his son and grandson slowly ambling over, he waved them over.
Zhao Zheng had to remind Zhao Cheng twice before he and He Xun parted ways, reluctantly coming to Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu glared at his son, disappointed, and let Zhao Zheng sit beside him, "With the new emperor’s ascension, there will certainly be great rewards for ministers. You trained so many students for her and managed schools across the land; that itself is a great achievement. Yet now you want to resign. With this exit and re-entry, who will remember you? It’s uncertain whether you’ll receive any rewards."
Zhao Cheng didn’t mind, simply asking his father, "How much of a discount do I get when I eat at the tavern?"
Zhao Hu retorted in exasperation, "You needn’t pay. Besides, do you have any money? Everything you eat and wear comes from my money!"
Zhao Zheng hastily said, "Grandfather, Father’s salary has been saved."
"His bit of salary is good for nothing. Don’t think I don’t know; he privately supports many students. The court’s salary hasn’t even warmed in his hands before it’s sent off to those students," Zhao Hu said. "It’s not expected for you to earn money for the family; just serving in office well would be a glory to our ancestors. At your age, you’re even less accomplished than your son. I truly don’t understand, what’s wrong with Third Lady being the emperor? What can’t you get over?"
Zhao Cheng replied, "It’s not that she’s bad. Enough, even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand."
Zhao Hu was angry, lowering his voice to rebuke, "How do you know I wouldn’t understand if you don’t tell me?"
Sandwiched between them, Zhao Zheng glanced at his grandfather, then his father, then silently lowered his head, trying to shrink into a ball without making a noise.
Alas, he felt so innocent, so helpless.
Fan Ying, sitting not far away, noticed and sympathized with him, then called Zhao Kuan, who was conversing with Chang Ning, gesturing for him to look at Zhao Zheng.
Zhao Kuan turned his head and saw, apologized to Chang Ning, and went forward to pull Zhao Zheng along, "Cousin Zheng, it’s been a while since I last saw you. You’re doing well as the Luoyang County Magistrate; I’ve heard praise for you even in Qingzhou. Seventh Ancestor, may I borrow my cousin Zheng for a moment..."
With that said, he led Zhao Zheng away.
Zhao Zheng breathed a long sigh of relief.
Zhao Kuan then said, "On such a good day, why are you sitting with the elders?"
Zhao Zheng replied, "I’m just a County Magistrate; even at grand ceremonies, I can only stand in the corner, let alone having a seat at the palace banquet. How do you think I got into the palace? I’m a relative of Marquis Taozhu, so naturally, I followed him to sit."
Zhao Kuan: ...Forgot that the teacher resigned.
A bronze musical tune played, signaling silence. Zhao Kuan quickly grabbed Zhao Zheng, pulling him back to his seat, whispering, "Sit with me."
Zhao Dong, leveraging his son’s status, entered the palace to attend the banquet, and at this moment, was smiling broadly. Zhao Zheng looked at Uncle Dong, then Aunt Dong, and decisively bid farewell, "I would rather sit with Grandfather."
But Aunt Dong had already noticed Zhao Zheng, her eyes lighting up as she pulled him over, saying, "Zheng’er, I saw many young, attractive female officials. You haven’t betrothed anyone, have you?"
Zhao Kuan was startled, quickly interjecting, "Mother, Cousin Zheng is still young, there’s no rush."
"Compared to you, of course, he’s young. But at his age, it’s just right to get engaged. And you, if you don’t settle soon, you’ll be considered old. Moreover, the court is imposing a bachelor tax; as an official, you’ve already exceeded the age limit, yet you do not set an example..."
Zhao Kuan also regretted it, nudging Zhao Zheng, "Enough, enough, go sit by your grandfather."
Fan Ying couldn’t bear to watch any longer and motioned for Zhao Zheng.
Zhao Zheng eagerly darted forward.
Fan Ying said, "Sit with me."
Zhao Zheng joyfully agreed, "Thank you, Sister Fan."
Below Fan Ying’s seat was Zhao Zheng, and below Zhao Zheng was Sun Linghui. Across from them sat Chen Si Niang. Diagonally above was the Jingzhou Governor Wang Yifeng, whose sister, Wang Hufeng, was with Zhao Hanzhang.
Zhao Hanzhang introduced her to Mrs. Wang, "Mother, she’s the Chief of the Imperial Court, holding a third-grade official rank. From now on, all matters of the Imperial Court will be managed by her. She is also your female official. If you have any matters, you can approach her."
Mrs. Wang clicked her tongue, asking, "Isn’t the Chief of the Imperial Court always a part of the harem? I remember it’s always been around the fifth grade."
Zhao Hanzhang replied, "That’s because the Imperial Court has always relied on the Empress, as they govern the state together, with the Empress as the mother of the nation. Her officials may have lower ranks, but Ting Han’s interests and strengths do not lie in the Imperial Court, and I do not wish to burden him with these mundane tasks. Therefore, I plan to separate the Imperial Court’s industry for independent management."
Her assets had always been scattered, with some managed by Ji Yuan, some by Fu Tinghan, and some by herself.
And now that the state has been founded, Ji Yuan, as the Imperial Attendant, is evidently not suitable to manage her private accounts anymore. As for Fu Tinghan, in the past, due to lack of alternative, no one could match his adeptness, so he had to expend his efforts.
But now that the state is established, she can justifiably employ some talents to manage these assets, allowing Fu Tinghan to focus more on his tasks at the Ministry of Personnel.
In the future, once she has more talents, she might even free him from the Ministry of Personnel’s affairs, so he can focus solely on research.
The couple has envisioned this future more than once, and Zhao Hanzhang has even promised him to build a mathematics hall for him in the future, dividing it into areas for physical mathematics, biological mathematics, and chemical mathematics, enabling him to fully explore and understand this world.
Ahem, of course, that’s something far off in the future. What Zhao Hanzhang can do now is extricate Fu Tinghan from a heap of private accounts.
Zhao Hanzhang whispered to Mrs. Wang, "Mother, you are now the Empress Dowager. Visiting officials’ families and similar matters will fall upon you. She was the former Crown Princess Consort, well-versed in knowledge. Should you have any doubts, feel free to consult her."
"National policies are often challenging to implement directly and require efforts from the inner courtyard, and this is where we need you, Mother."
Mrs. Wang was enlightened and nodded repeatedly, "This I understand, rest assured."
Zhao Hanzhang was relieved.
Fu Tinghan came over, "It’s time."
Zhao Hanzhang straightened up and said to Wang Hufeng, "Take care of the lady tonight."
Wang Hufeng bowed her head, responding with "Yes."
Zhao Hanzhang then assisted Mrs. Wang, alongside Fu Tinghan, walking through a corridor and entering indoors, then circumventing a wooden screen to reach the grand hall.
As soon as the three appeared, the courtiers immediately knelt and thrice hailed ’Your Majesty.’
Mrs. Wang’s heart tightened, and she couldn’t help but tightly grip Zhao Hanzhang’s fingers.
Zhao Hanzhang comfortingly patted her hand, helping her settle into a position on the left, before standing in the central position, signaling everyone to rise.
Fu Tinghan sat on her right, while Wang Hufeng sat behind Mrs. Wang on the left. This position allowed her to whisper to Mrs. Wang at any time, in case she was needed as an advisor.

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