After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

The others, who were not directly involved, only listened to the story. Based on the narrative, there seemed to be no issues with Zhao Hanzhang’s handling of the case. Especially since she dragged the Seventh Ancestor into the conversation, the clan members sensed the importance of the matter, though they didn’t share the Seventh Ancestor’s resentment and anger.

Together with Sanjin, they praised Zhao Hanzhang, "I said this child is good, she cherishes old ties yet acts justly, just like her grandfather."

"Indeed, like the old Clan Leader. In the future, when encountering such matters, you must be careful. When the old Clan Leader was around, he was fair and impartial. If trouble is caused outside, I believe Hanzhang will act just like the old Clan Leader."

"There’s no need for Hanzhang to take action; Zi Nian is not just for show."

"By the way, where’s Zi Nian? With Seventh Uncle causing such a big scene, did Zi Nian not show up?"

"It seems... not at home?"

As soon as they heard Zhao Ming was not at home, everyone relaxed, "It’s fine if he’s not at home, the matter isn’t that big, and Hanzhang has handled it."

"It’s fortunate that it landed in Hanzhang’s hands. If it were in Zi Nian’s hands..."

"Hanzhang belongs to a younger generation after all. She holds an official position outside and doesn’t manage the clan’s affairs, so naturally, she can’t act too absolutely."

"A 20% discount on negotiations, and those glass greenhouses and glass windows sound very valuable."

"I know, I also went to the Treasure Pavilion. It’s truly transparent, though not cheap either."

"Did you ask about the price?"

Someone mentioned a price, and everyone thought it wasn’t expensive, "It’s not very expensive after all."

"A single window isn’t expensive, but if you replace all the rooms in an entire house, just think about how much it would cost."

Someone good with numbers calculated and immediately gasped, "Based on my house, replacing all the windows with glass would cost two hundred thousand coins."

Everyone was astonished, "That much?"

"I visited the Treasure Pavilion the day before yesterday and saw a set of ink wash smoke and cloud glass cups. They were clearer than Hetian jade and as lustrous as jade. I couldn’t part with them. Do you know how much the set costs?"

"How much?"

"Eighty thousand coins!"

"There happened to be a Xun Family descendant there, and the leader bought it without blinking an eye."

"I heard too; today, he took the set into the garden to compete in a drinking game with others."

"Do you think with so many treasures in Hanzhang’s Treasure Pavilion, how much money do they make daily?"

"She earns a lot, but spends a lot too. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have touched the treasure the old Clan Leader left her."

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The conversation gradually deviated towards more interesting topics to everyone. Someone lowered their voice, gathered everyone’s heads together, and whispered, "Do you think the Clan Leader knows about the treasure the old Clan Leader left to Hanzhang?"

"I bet he doesn’t know, do you want to bet?"

"I bet he knows!" Someone said, "I bet he certainly knows, if not, let’s write a letter and ask him."

Everyone: ...

Nobody was foolish, they directly rebuffed, "The Clan Leader, for the sake of face, would swallow his pride before admitting he doesn’t know."

The conversation continued to digress, but Sanjin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then silently withdrew.

Returning home, Sanjin went directly to Zhao Hu to report what he just did.

Zhao Hu frowned, "Why did you deliberately promote this matter, isn’t it embarrassing enough?"

Sanjin urged him, "Great-grandfather, don’t be angry. Third Lady was right, in such matters, we judge by deeds, not intentions. Indeed, he was the one who first paid the deposit; now we got the benefit. Third Lady even personally ordered the craftsmen from Shangcai to come over, showing how much she values you."

"I’m just angry about her threatening me at the end!" Zhao Hu huffed, "Wasn’t she threatening me at the end?"

Sanjin continued to persuade, "Haven’t you always known, Third Lady holds a prejudice against you?"

He whispered, "You always say she intends to set an example of you."

Zhao Hu, "But that was before, I’ve been good to her this past year. She lacked grain, I provided grain; she lacked cloth, I provided cloth..."

"...Great-grandfather, Third Lady paid for those, it’s a normal transaction."

"It’s not normal at all. If I sold to other traders, the price could at least be half more."

"But weren’t you unable to sell them? Mr. Ming made the decree, who dares to disobey?"

Zhao Hu grunted twice.

Sanjin continued to persuade, "You’re afraid of Mr. Ming because he manages clan affairs; many family matters rely on him. You fear Third Lady because she commands troops and displays enough bravery. Why not deepen your fear of them both?"

"Today’s incident, if Mr. Ming were to handle it, you’d likely not have had the chance to speak," Sanjin whispered, "Haven’t you always said Third Lady is scarier than Mr. Ming? Then why provoke her?"

The anger in Zhao Hu’s heart slowly calmed down. Upon seeing this, Sanjin smiled, "That’s right, you act too hastily, calm down, and all will be well."

The relationship between Zhao Hanzhang and the Zhao Family has not worsened, though her reputation for respect as a talent in Xiping began spreading among the aristocracy.

After Zhao Song learned about this, he gave a piece of gold to reward Sanjin, stating, "Thank goodness for Sanjin by Old Seven’s side, otherwise he would have ruined the household long ago."

Even Zhao Ming, returning from the mines, praised, "Sanjin is not bad."

Zhao Ming had no intention of letting external people laugh at them, so upon his return, he immediately rectified the clan’s behavior. He called all the house leaders for a meeting, stating, "Once back home, restrain each household and individuals, do not cause trouble outside. If anyone breaks the rules, our Zhao Family will not bail them out and will deal with them severely. Dreaming of using the Inspector’s connections is futile unless you step over me!"

"Influence nurtures principles, our Zhao Family relies on righteousness for our foundation. If Zhao Hanzhang dares to favor the clan or perform unjust acts, I will be the first to expel her from the clan."

Everyone lowered their heads and silently complied, not daring to speak up.

After reprimanding them, Zhao Ming stated, "She will soon leave Xiping, and when she does, Ru Nan County will be under my control. Let me make this clear now, anyone who abuses power outside — unless they’re sure they can hide it from me for life — I will cut off their hands!"

Knowing that Zhao Ming meant what he said, everyone kept their heads bowed and assented.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu felt utterly despondent, "This is truly a case of a wolf in front and a tiger behind. He was already so arrogant before he was Prefectural Governor, and now he’s even more so."

Having secretly shared Zhao Ming’s misdeeds with Sanjin, Zhao Hu then asked, "How is that glass greenhouse being built by Fang Jing coming along?"

"I heard more than half is done, almost finished."

"And ours?"

"Following your instructions, they set aside the window replacement work and focused on building the greenhouse. It should be finished around the same time as Fang Jing’s."

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