She slightly lifted the corner of her mouth and asked maliciously, "Now, isn't Zhao Family still under Uncle's control?"
Zhao Ji's face changed, and Mrs. Wu and the three children looked at Zhao Hanzhang with surprise, not expecting her to say such words directly.
Mrs. Wang couldn't help but look at Zhao Hanzhang in surprise and lightly tugged her sleeve.
Zhao Hanzhang pretended not to notice and kept a smile on her face while looking at Zhao Ji, waiting for his response.
Zhao Ji calmed down his emotions, quickly reining in his anger, and said calmly, "Third Sister just woke up and doesn't remember the household matters, hence the misunderstanding. I'm doing this for the peace of the estate. If the servants are allowed to spread rumors, even the best masters can be manipulated by them."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly, "What Great Uncle said is right, indeed there should be a thorough investigation. Although I don't remember much, I've gained quite a bit of knowledge since waking up. It seems the outside rumors all originate from outside the main house. If we are to investigate, we should get to the root of it. How about this, let Aunt and my mother investigate together. My mother will check the main house, Aunt will check the second house, and find out which servants are sowing discord. Then we can send them all away. What does Great Uncle think?"
Zhao Hanzhang grew up under his watchful eye, and he knew the child was smart, but she had always been gentle and obedient. This was the first time she directly challenged him.
However, facing Zhao Hanzhang's unfamiliar gaze, Zhao Ji couldn't even get angry and could only reluctantly agree.
The visit to the sick eventually ended without conclusion. They left the medicinal materials they brought and didn't say much before leaving.
Walking briskly out of Qingyi Pavilion, Zhao Ji suddenly stopped and looked back at Qingyi Pavilion under the dim light.
Mrs. Wu, who was briskly following him, was startled and stopped along with the three children, bowing their heads in silence.
Zhao Ji said expressionlessly, "She is not pretending; she truly lost her memory."
Mrs. Wu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I hadn't seen her earlier, and thought she was pretending too. But today, it seems she genuinely lost her memory."
Third Sister used to be occasionally rebellious but was always steady in her actions and maintained good relations with the second house outwardly harmonious, regardless of what she thought internally.
Today's rude questioning was unprecedented.
Zhao Ji got a headache realizing that pretending amnesia was bad, but truly losing her memory was even worse for them.
Having forgotten means no emotion, no fear, and everything previously cultivated disappeared instantly.
Moreover, tonight...
Zhao Ji thought of her confrontation just now and felt pain in his chest, blocked up, "Do not spread what happened earlier."
Mrs. Wu whispered, "Even if we don't speak of it, it will spread to the main courtyard, won't it?"
Of course!
As soon as they left, Zhao Hanzhang had the kneeling servants get up, dismissing them all, leaving only Qing Gu and said, "The doctor hasn't arrived yet, Qing Gu, go to the main courtyard and tell Grandfather I've woken up. I am just dizzy and nauseous, which is no longer a big deal, but Mother is so angry that her heart hurts."
She asked, "If Grandfather asks why Mother is angry, you know how to respond, right?"
"How else to respond? Naturally be upset by the second house's provocation."
Qing Gu cautiously glanced at Zhao Hanzhang, remembering Third Sister's previous teachings, and whispered, "Say it's Third Sister causing the upset, that Third Sister was disrespectful to the Great Uncle..."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly, "Just say, Third Sister has completely forgotten the manners and morals of the past, and Second Lady is very upset."
Mrs. Wang: ... She wasn't actually that angry; previously among their family of three, she was the only one angry with the second house people, her son was too foolish to be concerned, her daughter, though shrewd, always urged her to be patient, saying that anger should be reserved for important times, if you flare up too often, no one will pay attention when you really need to.
The rare occasion for her daughter to get angry at the second house, Mrs. Wang only felt refreshed.
She hesitated, "Is it not bad to say this, what if your grandfather gets angry with you?"
"Anger is inevitable, but I think Grandfather is not most angry with me." Zhao Hanzhang smiled faintly and tapped her knee, "Over the years, the main house has nurtured the second house's ambitions, the Great Uncle's family is too arrogant, they consider the title already in their pocket, how can such arrogance not lead to downfall?"
She said, "I am certain that the matter of drawing Second Son out of the city was done privately by Eldest Sister and them, and Great Uncle's family was unaware, otherwise they would have stopped it. They certainly wouldn't think Grandfather would pass the title to Second Son. It is because of this certainty, even knowing that our siblings' injuries are connected to Eldest Sister and her actions, they aren't worried, and even covered up for them, refusing to acknowledge, since Grandfather won't pass the title to Second Son anyway."
Mrs. Wang said sorrowfully, "Why not give it to Second Son, Second Son is his own grandson."
Zhao Hanzhang, "…Mother, Second Son can barely write his own name, how can he be a competent Family Head? A title to him is not a good thing, rather a life-threatening misfortune."
"Then why did you speak to the second house like that? Didn't you always tell me to be patient before?"
Zhao Hanzhang: "Times have changed, at that time I thought since we were of one lineage and grew up together, there would always be some feelings."
She said, "Even the upper and lower teeth can clash, the family bickers now and then, which is normal. For trivial matters, be patient, but now it seems, their ambitions are too great and their feelings too shallow, it's impossible to rely on them anymore."
Mrs. Wang was stunned, "If we don't want the title and can't rely on them, then we…"
"Mother, the title is just an honor, there are many good things in the world. We do not want that dazzling title, but that doesn't mean we don't want other things," Zhao Hanzhang said, "And those things are still in Grandfather's hands."
Mrs. Wang's eyes lit up, "Money?"
Her father-in-law was known for being frugal and for his expertise in management; his hands must have a lot of money.
At this moment, only the three of them and Qing Gu were left in the room, Zhao Hanzhang said meaningfully, "Money is secondary."
The most important are the people under Zhao Changyu's command!
In troubled times, money and food are important, but so are people.
Whoever has people under command and grains in hand can survive and even live well. Now the whole Great Jin is in chaos, even Luoyang, which seems stable now, has been through bloodshed, and chaos occurred every few months before, the city of Luoyang was washed in blood again and again. Without some manpower, Zhao Hanzhang felt she wouldn't dare step out of the door.
So she coveted the people under Zhao Changyu.
Qing Gu instantly understood and knew what to say, she also shrewdly wiped her eyes to make them red, then kneeled to Zhao Hanzhang, "This servant will not fail Third Sister's trust."
She turned and left.