After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Chapter 1155 - 1137: Unconscious

Fu Zhi lay in the best room at the post station. When Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan hurried over, Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan had just heard the news and were coming out. Seeing the two of them, their tears, which had barely stopped, started to flow again.

She lowered her head to wipe away her tears and turned aside, choking, "You’re here. Go in and see your grandfather."

Fu Zhi’s condition was very bad. When he wrote a letter back to Luoyang, his tone was indifferent, only saying he was gravely ill, could no longer serve as the Governor of Yongzhou, and was requesting to return home.

This was standard procedure for resigning, usually undertaken three times with a six-month grace period. So, not only Zhao Hanzhang, but also Fu Xuan and Princess Hongnong, felt that Fu Zhi’s condition wasn’t too bad.

Yet, they were still worried and decided to go to Chang’an to see him, and Zhao Hanzhang also sent an Imperial Physician along.

Who knew that when they arrived in Chang’an, they would find Fu Zhi critically ill.

Seeing his son and daughter-in-law, Fu Zhi felt some regret. He said to the two of them, "I overestimated myself, thought I could hold on a bit longer, but who knew this illness would worsen, just because of a breeze at night..."

He sighed, "Such is fate. Being able to see you all before I pass is enough for me."

But who was Princess Hongnong?

She could tell at a glance that although he said he was satisfied, his eyes were full of regret. So she asked, "Father, do you want to return to Luoyang?"

Fu Zhi remained silent.

Princess Hongnong asked again, "Father, do you want to see the eldest brother?"

Fu Zhi’s eyes moved slightly, but he still said nothing.

Finally, Princess Hongnong asked, "Father, do you want to see Zhao Hanzhang?"

Fu Zhi let out a deep sigh, the sadness in his eyes unnoticed even by himself, "I won’t live to see that, don’t force it."

That night, he left a document for Zhao Hanzhang and fell into a coma.

Princess Hongnong refused to accept fate and insisted on fulfilling his wish. She got the best medicine to keep him alive with the help of the Imperial Physician, arranged for a large carriage, hired the best drivers, and took Fu Zhi away.

During the journey, Fu Zhi did not wake up, but the medicinal decoction entered his mouth, and he miraculously survived.

The Imperial Physician stood respectfully by Fu Zhi’s bed and reported, "The illness has penetrated the bones and is hard to cure. There’s nothing more I can do."

Zhao Hanzhang sat by the bed, looking at the old man, whose hair had turned all white, and whose face was weathered by the years. In just over two years, he seemed to age by a decade, looking much older than the last time they met.

"When will he wake up?"

The Imperial Physician hesitated for a moment, then said, "I could use acupuncture to awaken him, but doing so might exhaust his energy, and..."

Zhao Hanzhang asked, "If we let him remain asleep, can his body recover?"

The Imperial Physician shook his head, "If this goes on, I’m afraid he might just quietly pass away in his dreams."

For the average elderly person, this might be a blessing, as they’d depart without suffering, but not for Fu Zhi. He surely had many things to say.

So, he was sure to wake up. The Imperial Physician believed that a person’s will could overcome the limits of death and the constraints of the body. His suggestion was, "Continue feeding him the medicinal decoction. When Governor Fu believes it’s time to wake up, he will wake up on his own."

Yet, by that time, it might be the brief lucidity before death.

Zhao Hanzhang understood, and so did the others. Everyone’s mood grew somber.

Fu Tinghan looked at Fu Zhi for a while, then turned and said, "It’s late. Everyone should go rest. I’ll keep watch here tonight."

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him, saw his insistence, and nodded, "Okay."

Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan went to rest.

The Posthouse Minister quickly arranged rooms for them. In the middle of the night, the whole post station was brightly lit. Fortunately, Zhao Hanzhang’s personal soldiers didn’t need him to prepare food; they just needed hot water and could be satisfied with the dry food they brought along.

They didn’t even need him to arrange lodging. They set up around the post station, surrounding it tightly.

After washing her face and sitting down, the Posthouse Minister personally brought a plate of vegetables and a basket of freshly heated steamed buns. The post station’s resources were not abundant, and since it was late, he couldn’t prepare anything better on such short notice. He repeatedly apologized, saying, "I’ll slaughter the chicken in the backyard now, so the Great General can have chicken soup and meat tomorrow morning."

Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand to decline, "No need to waste food. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning. Let the chicken lay eggs. How long have you been raising the chickens?"

The Posthouse Minister didn’t expect Zhao Hanzhang to ask such a question. He hesitated for a moment and then replied, "One year and two months."

"Then it can lay eggs for a few more years. Take good care of them, don’t just kill them."

The Posthouse Minister happily agreed repeatedly.

Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Are there still many refugees passing through this year? How are the nearby villagers doing?"

This post station was set up by Zhao Hanzhang after conquering Luoyang to maintain contact with Yongzhou. Besides this post station, there were three others along the route. Besides accommodating officials and merchants passing by, their main function was to transmit letters and information.

Because of the grain shortage in Yongzhou and the numerous refugees, for the safety of the post stations, she selected local veterans from the army to staff them, with a few soldiers as assistants.

The locals found it easier to gather information than outsiders, but she hadn’t expected, "There’s no one around here."

The Posthouse Minister said, "The number of refugees is decreasing. The County Magistrate and the Prefectural Governor are taking in refugees, distributing land, and supplying grain seeds, so people don’t need to leave. Mainly, even if they left, there would be no provision for them. But with few people and lots of land, this area hasn’t been allocated yet."

He added, "Our post station is some distance from the city, and the land near the city hasn’t been fully distributed. So there’s no one around here."

Zhao Hanzhang: "...I saw two villages on the road here."

"Those are old villages from the past, abandoned with no one left."

Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Aren’t you bored here?"

"Not at all," the Posthouse Minister was quite happy, "We diligently followed the Great General’s orders, and cleared the good fields nearby. We ten people planted thirty mu of winter wheat, twenty mu of spring wheat, twelve mu of rice, and thirty-two mu of beans. We’re busy every day. We’ve also raised chickens and geese. We originally wanted to raise pigs, but after asking a few times, we were told there were no surplus piglets for us, so we gave up."

Ah, a post station garrisoned by a squad of soldiers, ten people in total.

Besides grain, they also opened up three plots of land nearby to grow vegetables, each about two mu. The vegetables not only fed their men but also served passing officials and merchants.

He had only one complaint, "It’s just hard to buy meat."

The post station was too far from the county town and market, so they didn’t have meat available to entertain distinguished guests.

Like Princess Hongnong and Zhao Hanzhang, they didn’t charge for their stay at the post station and needed to be treated well, but... they had no meat, so they had to kill their own chickens.

On this night, they killed one chicken. After hosting Princess Hongnong and Zhao Hanzhang, they ate all the leftovers. Who would have guessed that after everyone had gotten to bed, such distinguished guests as Zhao Hanzhang would arrive?

Zhao Hanzhang said, "In a few years, when more people come, the area around the post station will naturally become lively. As for meat, in seasons like summer and autumn, you can prepare smoked meat for use. In winter, when meat spoils less easily, you can freeze it."