After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 561 - 555 Sleepless

As they approached the doorway, Zhao Hanzhang stopped and said in short, "Back then, Cao Shuang took the Emperor outside, and Sima Yi rebelled in Luoyang. But with the Emperor outside, Cao Shuang could easily label him as a traitor."

"Sima Yi deceived Cao Shuang by swearing by the Luoshui, promising that if Cao Shuang handed over military power, not only would he guarantee his life, but also grant him a title," Zhao Hanzhang said. "Cao Shuang believed him and returned with the Emperor."

"But just days after his return, Sima Yi captured Cao Shuang’s trusted aides, tortured them to extract confessions that implicated Cao Shuang in a rebellion with eight clans, leading to the extermination of their families."

Those eight people were all ministers and trusted aides of Cao Wei, yet they were foolishly exterminated along with their families.

Fu Tinghan slightly tilted his head, "Charges fabricated?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "If Cao Shuang truly intended to rebel, why wait until returning to Luoyang, within Sima Yi’s encirclement, to plot? Before his surrender, he was outside Luoyang, holding the Emperor, the Grand Minister seal, and military power. It made more sense to rebel outside."

"Sima Yi broke the oath at Luoshui, deceiving his political foes twice," Zhao Hanzhang scoffed. "He didn’t believe in oaths. Honestly, I don’t either, but an oath is not meant to bind oneself to heaven but to hold oneself accountable."

"He never intended to keep his word from the beginning, and many believed him at the time. He broke it, so his credibility vanished. Later, others followed his example, naturally scheming at will," Zhao Hanzhang said. "We honor our ancestors to learn from their virtues, yet he set a terrible precedent."

"Alas, had he been merely a family head, it would only have tainted his own family. But Sima Zhao killed the Emperor in the street and seized the throne, so their family’s credibility became national credibility, and their family’s ethos became the national ethos."

Fu Tinghan finally understood why she needed to self-reflect; she couldn’t err, aiming to correct this ethos.

Fu Tinghan gazed at her firmly, softly saying, "That would be difficult, right?"

Zhao Hanzhang curled her lips and said, "Yes, it’s difficult, but no matter how tough, I must try. I can’t just keep looking down on them, despising them. If I treat them this way, they’ll react the same to me, just like the Sima Family did to them. The Sima Family schemed and they became unmotivated; who knows how they’ll react if I despise them too?"

"So I want to treat them sincerely, hoping they’ll return sincerity to me as well."

Fu Tinghan couldn’t resist placing his hand on her head, "Then you must persevere; don’t withdraw your sincerity at the first setback."

Zhao Hanzhang could foresee the initial difficulties, so she grinned at him, showing her teeth, "Don’t worry, I’m not so easily defeated."

Fu Tinghan laughed softly, withdrawing his hand, "Now go to sleep, it’s already very late."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded.

It was indeed late. Besides the two of them, probably everyone in the city was asleep. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Zhao Hanzhang pushed the door open and entered. Ting He was already asleep on the couch. Zhao Hanzhang moved lightly, intending to lift her onto the bed, but as soon as she touched her shoulder, Ting He woke up.

Seeing Zhao Hanzhang, Ting He was shocked, "When did you return, my lady?"

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said, "Just now. Hurry back to your room to sleep. Lying like that, your arm won’t move tomorrow."

Ting He was dismayed, "I didn’t even hear it." It was indeed a dereliction of duty. As a close maid, she should have noticed even if her mistress merely turned over.

Even though the lady never required her to keep watch at night, she shouldn’t lose this skill.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "I was keeping my steps light, and you are tired from a long day. Go back and sleep now."

Ting He reluctantly agreed, but with regret in her heart, determined to regain this skill.

Ting He did not leave immediately but took out the warming stone from the quilt, then assisted Zhao Hanzhang in removing her outer garment and hairstyle before seeing her lie down and leaving.

Zhao Hanzhang lay down in the warm quilt and couldn’t help but sigh in comfort. Sleeping was indeed pleasant, especially in the neither cold nor hot season of Spring and Autumn.

In just a moment, hearing the sound of Ting He opening and closing the door of the adjoining room, Zhao Hanzhang gradually closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Although Zhao Hanzhang slept late, she slept well. Far away a thousand miles, Emperor Jin went to bed early, yet remained awake.

They received news today that Shi Le killed all the members of the imperial family, officials, and scholars he had captured, including Prince Xiangyang and Wang Yan, leaving no one alive.

Although those people supported the Prince East Sea, Emperor Jin couldn’t help but shed tears quietly. So many of them had died.

At this moment, Emperor Jin felt a kindred sorrow.

It was said that only Prince Xiangyang and Wang Yan had their bodies intact; the others were killed by swords, an appalling sight.

The Emperor wondered, after relocating the capital to Yun City, could he truly quell the rebellion and bring peace to the land?

From deep in his heart, he felt powerless. While contending with the Prince East Sea, he still had some resolve, believing that defeating him and regaining control of the court would restore peace to the realm.

But now, Shi Le alone was able to defeat the Prince East Sea’s army of more than 200,000, who was once considered insurmountable by him, couldn’t stand a chance against Shi Le; what about Liu Yuan who stood behind him?

Liu Yuan still had many great generals; could he defeat them?

Moreover, he hadn’t been able to assert control over the court yet.

Gou Xi and Zhao Hanzhang outwardly showed respect, but who truly listened to him?

Emperor Jin couldn’t help hugging his quilt and shedding tears, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.

Not far from him, Gou Xi was also awake, filled with anger and sorrow.

So many members of the imperial family, officials, and scholars met their end in Shi Le’s hands, causing Gou Xi to gnash his teeth in hatred. He blamed it entirely on the Prince East Sea, who took so many people when leaving, causing Great Jin to lose so much talent.

Gou Xi didn’t doubt Zhao Hanzhang, but he couldn’t help thinking of her. By now, she should have returned to Luoyang. He wondered how long she would stay there, as the Yu State was her true foundation.

With the Yu State and Yan State bordering each other, conflicts would be numerous in the future. He needed to quickly settle Your Majesty in Yun City and gain the people’s recognition, to then curb Zhao Hanzhang in Your Majesty’s name.

Thinking about this, Gou Xi couldn’t sleep. He got up and summoned his trusted aide, asking, "Where is Zhao Ju now?"

"He has advanced his troops to the border of Yan State and is stationed there."

Gou Xi replied coldly, "He’s fast... Have Gou Chun lead 5,000 more men to meet people retreating from the four prefectures and try to relocate clan members into Yan State."

"Yes."

Gou Chun was sleeping soundly; upon receiving the command at dawn, he angrily tossed off his quilt and kicked the messenger soldier out of the room, "Not sleeping in the middle of the night and coming at this hour to deliver orders? Get out!"