When people were in Qin, they captured Zhao and questioned Qin.

Chapter 11 Confidant

The four men's expressions turned serious.

Meng Ben took a deep breath, the wound on his back throbbing with each breath, but he couldn't care less: "Please ask, young master."

Zhao Heng then slowly said, "In the past few months, regarding my private dealings with the Qin hostage, have any of you tried to stop me?"

The problem came suddenly.

Meng Ben and the other three exchanged glances. Luan Ding lowered his head, staring at the wood grain along the edge of the couch. Gongsun Yang pursed his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Ji Cheng opened his mouth, his lips moved a few times as if he wanted to say something, but then he swallowed it back. He looked the youngest of the four, and he couldn't hide anything; the hesitant expression on his face was all too obvious.

Zhao Heng paused, his gaze lingering on each of the four faces in turn, before asking, "And before the attempt to stop them... were there other reasons that ultimately led to the decision being abandoned?"

The room was deathly silent.

This time, the silence lasted even longer.

Outside the window, Zhao Su's figure moved slightly in the courtyard, as if he wanted to peek inside. However, just as he turned his body to the side, the servant by the door took half a step forward, just enough to block the gap between the door frame and his line of sight.

Zhao Su paused for a moment, then returned to his original position.

Inside the house, Ji Cheng was the first to lose his composure.

He was young and straightforward, and couldn't keep his thoughts to himself. Ignoring the pain in his back, he propped himself up and said urgently, "Young master, we did indeed try to persuade you!"

The voice was somewhat excited, and it sounded particularly loud in the quiet room.

"The day you returned from Weifeng Lane for the first time, Brother Meng said, 'Qin and Zhao are sworn enemies; you should stay away from them, sir...'"

Meng Ben interrupted him with a sharp cough. The cough was indeed real; the whip wound had aggravated his lung meridian, causing his back to arch and the ointment on the wound to crack and bleed. He covered his mouth and coughed for a while before calming down.

Ji Cheng realized he had misspoke, but since the words were already out, he continued, only lowering his voice and not as forceful as before.

"But the young master said... he wanted to inquire about the lord's whereabouts from the Qin hostage, hoping for the lord's early return. We saw that the young master's actions were all for the sake of welcoming the lord back to Zhao, and that he was full of filial piety, so we could not bear to persuade him any further."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and stopped looking at people.

Luan Ding lay on the other bed, remaining silent.

He had a long, thin face, deep-set eyes, and a somewhat gloomy appearance. Seeing Ji Cheng finish speaking, he glanced at Zhao Heng, then lowered his eyes again, his voice muffled:

"Later, when you frequented the area, we mentioned that wandering swordsmen often gathered around the East Ox Head Bridge and advised you to take a different route. But you..."

He didn't say anything more.

But the subtext is also clear: Zhao Heng himself refused to listen to advice, or rather, he listened to others and insisted on continuing the relationship.

Finally, there's Gongsun Yang.

He was the oldest, with a square face, short beard, round face, small eyes, and a wide nose. He looked harmless, like a kind old farmer. He didn't speak, just looked at Zhao Heng.

Only then did he slowly speak.

"Young master, if there are other reasons..."

He hesitated.

He stopped mid-sentence. He exchanged a glance with Meng Ben.

The look in his eyes was brief, but Zhao Heng caught it. It wasn't a coordinated attempt to fabricate evidence; it was more like a hesitation—a kind of uncertainty about whether to say something or not, or whether it was appropriate to say it.

Meng Ben received that look and gritted his teeth.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, whether from pain or nervousness, it was hard to tell: "Young master, some things... we are just guessing, without any evidence, so we dare not speak rashly."

This was said very cautiously, leaving room for interpretation.

Zhao Heng listened quietly, his face expressionless. After the two finished speaking, he didn't press further, simply nodding and saying, "I understand. Your answers are sufficient."

Sometimes, it's more useful to leave things unsaid than to pry into the details.

If you speak too bluntly, there's no room for maneuver. Leaving a veil of ambiguity, a touch of unspoken understanding, makes things easier for both of you.

Zhao Heng gestured to his servants to open two more packages.

The coarse cloth was untied again, revealing four bolts of silk. All the same white, with the same smooth texture.

The servants took out the horses one by one and placed them next to the four horses that had been there before.

Eight bolts of silk were piled up beside the couch, like a small mountain.

The four of them were completely stunned. Ji Cheng's eyes widened as he looked at Bo, then at Zhao Heng, his face filled with disbelief.

"These four horses are compensation from my family to you all," Zhao Heng said calmly.

This time, it was the eldest, Gongsun Yang, who was the first to raise his head.

He opened his eyes, looked at Zhao Heng, and asked with a somewhat confused and wary expression, "Compensation?"

"You are all retainers whom my father invited back with great courtesy," Zhao Heng said slowly. "You should have been supported by my father as scholars, with no worries about food and clothing, and with proper etiquette in your comings and goings. However, my father was forced to be a hostage in Qin, and you were left in Handan. In name, you were retainers of Lord Chunping's household, but in reality..."

He paused briefly before choosing to speak directly.

"In truth, our lord is far away in a foreign land, our young master is young and timid, and our mistress is a Han woman who married into the Han family from Xinzheng. Given this situation, how much contempt have you all faced if you stayed in the manor? What do people in the city say about you? What do the guests of other manor think of you? Today's incident has caused you to suffer whipping and nearly die. In the future, when you travel in Handan, you will likely face criticism and be branded as someone who 'can't even protect an eleven-year-old child.'"

As he spoke, he subtly glanced at the four people.

Meng Ben braced himself on the edge of the couch, his face showing shame. Ji Cheng's face turned bright red. Luan Ding clenched his jaw. Gongsun Yang was startled at first, then his chest rose and fell slightly.

"This grievance," Zhao Heng said, "is something that my Chunpingjun family has failed you all to do."

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Ji Cheng's eyes reddened. The young man blinked hard, trying to hold back the tears, but his eyes wouldn't obey him; the more he blinked, the more sore and swollen they became. He finally lowered his head, buried his face in the straw mat, and his shoulders began to tremble slightly.

Luan Ding clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands throbbing as if they were about to burst through his skin. Gongsun Yang closed his eyes, seemingly ashamed of his earlier petty behavior, but remained silent for a long time.

Meng Ben's lips trembled. He looked at Zhao Heng, then suddenly kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the straw mat with a dull thud.

"Young master...you flatter me." His voice was hoarse. "We servants have received great kindness from our lord, and we have no way to repay it. Staying in the manor is our own choice. Even if we are punished, it is because we are incompetent and failed to protect our lord. How dare we complain of being wronged..."

Zhao Heng shook his head.

"My father's return is uncertain, and I am but a child. I have no right to demand that you serve me as you serve my father." He walked to the bedside and looked at the four men one by one. "If you feel wronged or constrained in this mansion, or feel hopeless about your future..."

His voice softened as he spoke of this.

"The matter of the Qin hostage is settled. The manor will not interfere with your departure. If you wish to seek better opportunities elsewhere, I will ask my mother to prepare a travel allowance, and I will ensure that none of you leave empty-handed."

He looked at the four of them and added, "You need not worry that your departure will affect your reputation. Mother will tell everyone that you are being sent on official business or have other important tasks. She will never let you bear the name of 'betraying the Lord'."

That's a very thorough statement; it considers almost every possibility.

The four of them were completely stunned once again.

They looked at Zhao Heng, at the eleven-year-old boy standing calmly before the bed, and for a moment, they were at a loss for words. These words, these considerations, this thoroughness… could they really have come from a child?

But the person in front of me is clearly Gongzi Heng.

But those eyes were so deep, so unfathomable.

Can someone really be so completely different after just a few days apart?

Ji Cheng lifted his head from his arms, his face streaked with tears. He looked at Zhao Heng, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just sniffed hard.

While the others were still in shock, Zhao Heng bowed respectfully and said, "The silk has been delivered. Please take good care of yourselves."

After saying that, without waiting for the four people to react, he turned around and went straight out the door.

Outside the gate, Zhao Su was still in the courtyard.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at a clump of wild grass in the corner, as if studying the texture of the grass blades.

Hearing the door open, he immediately turned around, a smile returning to his face: "Young Master..."

Zhao Heng remained calm, stepped forward and tugged at Zhao Su's sleeve, whispering, "Meng Ben and the others are seriously injured. Please ask the steward to take good care of their food and medicine these next few days."

Zhao Su readily agreed, "Young master is kind and benevolent; this old servant will certainly do his utmost."

Zhao Heng nodded, said no more, and led his servants away.

As he walked out of the courtyard gate, he did not turn around, but he could feel several gazes behind him, as if they were closely following his back.

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"Emperor Taizu was naturally benevolent and kind, and especially adept at winning the loyalty of his men. When four of his retainers, including Meng Ben, were flogged for their transgressions, Emperor Taizu, disregarding the filth, personally went to their quarters to check on their illness. Seeing the lacerated wounds on their backs, a gruesome sight, Emperor Taizu wept bitterly. He took Meng Ben's hand and said, 'Your father is a hostage in Qin, and you are still young. You gentlemen have been trapped in Handan for so long, suffering contempt and disdain. This is a failure of our household.' After saying this, he allowed the retainers to choose whether to stay or leave, and expressed his willingness to do good and preserve their reputation."

Upon hearing this, Meng Ben and the others all prostrated themselves on their beds, unable to rise, weeping and saying, "Our lord has treated us with such sincerity; how could we not repay him with our lives?" Afterwards, many of his retainers, hearing of his arrival, flocked to him, all saying, "Although our lord is young, he possesses the qualities of Emperor Gaozu (Zhao Xiangzi), truly a wise and capable ruler!" — *Old Book of Zhao*, Volume 1, Annals of Emperor Gaozu