After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Chapter 1273: Chapter 1240: Making Calculations

Fu Tinghan walked briskly out of the main tent as Zhao Hanzhang and her group approached the camp gate.

Although the soldiers guarding the camp gate knew who they were, they still symbolically blocked their way, inspecting their token before allowing them to pass.

Fu Tinghan greeted them with an uncontrollable smile, "Why are you here? Wasn’t there a royal banquet yesterday?"

Zhao Hanzhang replied, "I set off after attending the banquet."

Upon hearing this, Fu Tinghan quickly pulled her toward the main tent, "Did you travel all night?"

Zhao Hanzhang waved to her trusted aides to rest on their own, allowing Fu Tinghan to lead her into the tent, "Not the whole night; I rested for an hour in between."

Once inside the tent, Zhao Hanzhang removed her hat and cloak, then took off her gloves. Fu Tinghan touched her hand and found it ice-cold, prompting him to ask Fu An to fetch hot water, "Are you here to visit the workers and soldiers? Do the Little Emperor and the courtiers know?"

Zhao Hanzhang removed her armor, finally feeling at ease, "No one knows except Zeng Yue. They’ll find out when I return."

Fu Tinghan gave a bitter smile, "Why are you putting yourself through this?"

Zhao Hanzhang: "With 203,257 people managing the Yellow River here, each representing a family, I can’t be at ease without seeing it with my own eyes."

"Aren’t you worried about Luoyang? Isn’t it a crucial time now with Jiangnan just reclaimed and King Langya still in the Capital City?"

Fu An personally brought in the hot water as Zhao Hanzhang washed her face, neck, and hands, saying, "It only takes a day from Luoyang to here. If the situation changes within two days, do you think I could have done more?"

By this point, if she couldn’t even maintain this level of control over Luoyang, deposing the Little Emperor to take power herself would be nothing short of suicidal.

After rinsing and wringing out the washcloth, she hung it to dry, smiling, "We can both see if there’ll be any commotion in Luoyang this time."

Fu Tinghan: "Doesn’t this count as fishing enforcement?"

"Not really. I’m not making a scene about it. I’ve just told Zeng Yue to stay at home and refuse visitors," Zhao Hanzhang sat on the rug, exhaling a breath and finally feeling reanimated, "But I must return to Luoyang before Noon on the third day to visit my family for the New Year."

Fu Tinghan acknowledged and asked Fu An to bring breakfast.

"Will you rest after eating?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "I’ll take a nap for an hour, then go check on the workers. I need to visit every camp."

Fu Tinghan acknowledged, about to make preparations when Fu An brought breakfast over, "My lord, I’ve also brought your breakfast."

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him, "Haven’t you had breakfast?"

Fu An replied, "The kitchen staff got up late, and I slept soundly, not expecting my lord to be up early and busy all morning on an empty stomach. There’ll probably be only two meals today, combining breakfast and lunch."

Zhao Hanzhang made space and said, "Quick, quick, have your meal first, then work when you’re full."

Fu Tinghan did not squeeze in with her. Instead, he moved the pile of official documents and other items to the side and sat across from her. "You should’ve told me earlier; two days ago, when I asked you, you said you weren’t coming."

Zhao Hanzhang: "It was a last-minute decision."

"What prompted you to make this decision?"

Zhao Hanzhang: "I saw the solar eclipse calculations from you and Guo Pu and felt I needed to look at the Yellow River and check on all of you."

Fu Tinghan frowned, "The available data can’t calculate the exact time."

"What about approximately?"

Fu Tinghan paused for a long time before saying, "It should be in the first half of the year, between February and April."

Zhao Hanzhang softly said, "March, the Yellow River region will have heavy rain lasting for three months. The timing of the solar eclipse is crucial. If it’s before March, it’s manageable. But if it coincides with the rain, I will..."

After pausing, she said, "Either I or the Little Emperor must die, or the world will descend into chaos."

Fu Tinghan was shocked, "It’s that serious?"

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him, reassuring him, "Most likely, I’ll survive, but it means a few more years of harder work."

Yet she didn’t want to kill the Little Emperor.

If anomalies and natural disasters appear together, people won’t accept her so-called scientific explanations. From the courtiers to the common people, they’ll demand an explanation.

This burden either falls on her or the Little Emperor.

Hoping both can avoid it is futile; many ambitious people would use it as a pretext for rebellion, and she absolutely won’t allow chaos to return to the world.

Obviously, if she doesn’t take the fall, only the Little Emperor can.

In fact, it’s not entirely bad for her. She could use the situation to pressure the Little Emperor to abdicate, but if he steps down carrying this burden, he might not live to see adulthood.

If he doesn’t carry this burden and steps down as Emperor, the blame falls on her instead of him. As long as she refrains from action, he can live in peace until a natural death.

After understanding, Fu Tinghan asked, "If the solar eclipse appears before March, neither you nor the Little Emperor has to take the blame?"

Zhao Hanzhang uttered an "hmm" before saying, "If you can confirm it happens before March, I’ll begin shifting the blame to the natural disaster. The solar eclipse would be a sign of a natural disaster, not because of an incompetent ruler or treacherous officials. At worst, we could deflect it onto the ancestors of the Sima family."

"But if the eclipse appears after the rain, that would be inconvenient. The burden is too great, and neither the natural disaster nor the deceased members of the Sima family can bear it, leaving the living to shoulder it."

Fu Tinghan said, "I need to examine the recent months’ data on the ecliptic and the white path; once certain, I can calculate it."

"I brought them with me," Zhao Hanzhang had requested this data from Guo Pu when deciding to visit, "Today is the first day of the first lunar month, exactly at Noon. If there’s no eclipse today, the next dates are the first of February and March... Historical records mention rain in March, lasting for three months. But I know that historical records of rain and droughts are somewhat vague. Whether the first rain fell in March or the end of February, I’m not sure."

Fu Tinghan: "I understand now, even a solar eclipse on the first of March doesn’t guarantee safety. Can’t Guo Pu calculate the timing of the rain?"

"He can only deduce that this spring and summer will be rainy, requiring flood control measures."

Fu Tinghan sighed, "Calculating even this much without meteorological satellites is quite impressive."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, determined to keep Guo Pu close and not let him dream of wandering the world.

After the meal, Zhao Hanzhang took a brief nap while Fu Tinghan wrote and drew on the desk with the stack of data she’d given him.

An hour later, Zhao Hanzhang woke up automatically.

Fu Tinghan especially admired her ability to wake up at her designated time without an alarm or anyone calling her.

Zhao Hanzhang got off the bed, starting to dress, "Have you calculated it?"

"Not yet," Fu Tinghan folded the draft carefully and tucked it into his robe, following her, "I’ll go with you."

Zhao Hanzhang turned back, "It’s quite tiring to visit all the camps in one day and night."

Fu Tinghan smiled, "I’m the Chief Steward for this Yellow River management. How could I not accompany the Great General during an inspection?"

Zhao Hanzhang agreed.