"My lord, the firewood has been bought. Where should I put it?"
Half an hour later, Jiang Yan, covered in white snow once again, appeared before Han Mo.
"Put it in the backyard. Give them extra money and have the shopkeeper and staff stay elsewhere tonight!"
"Yes!"
Although unsure what Han Mo intended to do, Jiang Yan turned and made the arrangements as instructed.
Amidst the howling north wind, the small tavern became a temporary haven.
The snow continued to fall, but Han Mo suddenly stood up and walked to the firewood pile in the backyard.
"My lord!"
Seeing Han Mo stagger, Jiang Yan hurried forward to support him.
"I'm fine. You go and get something to eat first!"
Shaking off Jiang Yan's hand, Han Mo fumbled in the nearby woodshed and found an axe.
In the midst of the heavy snowfall, Han Mo adjusted his breathing, then slowly reached out to prop up a log. Gripping the axe with both hands, he brought it down with force.
"Crack— Snap—"
With a crisp sound, the log split into two. After readjusting its position, Han Mo swung the axe again. He continued until the log was in four pieces before reaching for another log.
As night deepened, the entire city of Suzhou was enveloped in heavy snow.
The continuous snowfall, unusual for the Jiangnan region, made Zhao Zhen increasingly uneasy.
"Someone, prepare the carriage!"
As midnight approached, Zhao Zhen could no longer sit still and directly ordered outside.
"Your Highness, the snow is very heavy. Going out at this hour might..."
"You haven't left?"
Zhao Zhen asked with surprise as Qin Hui appeared at the doorway.
"Your subordinate feared Your Highness might have other arrangements tonight, so I stayed here specifically."
"In that case, accompany me on this trip!"
After taking a deep breath, Zhao Zhen slowly spoke.
"Yes!"
On such a night, he should have brought Zong Ying. However, hearing that Zong Ying had drunk too much, Zhao Zhen felt a peculiar emotion churning within him.
Surrounded by dozens of guards, Zhao Zhen's carriage slowly pulled out from the Xuanfu Envoy's office.
"It's almost March, and the snow is still this heavy. Do the people in the city still have firewood for cooking?"
Looking at the two-inch-thick snow outside the window, Zhao Zhen asked with a frown.
"Ah?"
His sudden question truly caught Qin Hui off guard.
Since Qin Hui arrived, Zhao Zhen's daily inquiries had been about the war in Hebei and the court situation.
He had never asked about the livelihood of the people. After the incident with Wang Fu, Qin Hui's own thinking had undergone a drastic change.
He had long stopped paying attention to whether the common people could eat their fill or if the soldiers at the front could stay warm. His daily plans were merely about the overt and covert conflicts within the court.
Caught off guard by this question, he was at a loss for words.
"This... I suppose there shouldn't be any problems..."
"If you were to ask him such a question, he would answer with absolute certainty. Even if there were genuine issues, he would propose a solution!"
Glancing at the somewhat embarrassed Qin Hui, Zhao Zhen spoke again.
"Your Highness, you mean..."
The more he said, the more awkward Qin Hui felt.
"Forget it, no need to say more!"
Casting a complex glance at Qin Hui, Zhao Zhen closed his eyes again.
"Yes!"
After speaking halfway, the man no longer wished to continue. Qin Hui was utterly bewildered.
Although he was also sitting in the carriage and couldn't see how it was moving, Qin Hui, relying on his sense of direction, quickly realized that the carriage seemed to be heading out of the city.
Could it be that Zhao Zhen was planning to...
Thinking this, Qin Hui froze and quickly cast a furtive glance at Zhao Zhen from the corner of his eye.
"Your Highness, are we going to meet Lord Han?"
After considering his words several times, Qin Hui finally ventured a tentative question.
"Is there a problem?"
Zhao Zhen's voice was somewhat muffled. Though his expression remained unchanged, Qin Hui detected a hint of helplessness in his tone.
Han Mo had already arrived in Suzhou, yet he insisted on staying in the small tavern, refusing to enter the Xuanfu Envoy's office.
Qin Hui had guessed that Han Mo might be expressing his displeasure to Zhao Zhen, but he hadn't expected Zhao Zhen to be unable to endure even a single night...
"Your Highness is of noble birth. Is it perhaps a bit... to personally go and see Han Mo at this time?"
Once the seed of ambition is sown, it will continue to sprout and grow with every opportunity.
Seeing that Zhao Zhen was already eager to seek out Han Mo after only just establishing a foothold, Qin Hui felt extremely displeased.
While he couldn't be too obvious, he still probed cautiously.
"Don't say such things in the future. If the world could be at peace solely through courtesy, why would King Zhou have been forced to wander in exile?"
Glaring at Qin Hui, Zhao Zhen slowly closed his eyes again.
In these few short hours, he had replayed the matters he had been contemplating countless times. However, after ruling out Han Mo's assistance, every possible outcome seemed to be the same.
It was precisely this that made his heart increasingly unsettled, to the point where he couldn't even endure a single night.
As Han Mo had said, Han Mo at this moment was no longer the Han Mo of the past. Although Han Mo's official position was not as prominent as those in the central court, the influence he wielded made no one dare to neglect him.
How could Zhao Zhen dare to disregard someone who could decide the succession to the premiership and the selection of officials for the four capitals?
Even though their relationship was not as close as before, Zhao Zhen suddenly realized that at this moment, he not only needed Han Mo but couldn't afford to, and dared not, do without him!
If Han Mo were to be pushed towards the Crown Prince, he couldn't even imagine the perilous situation he would face.
With Han Mo's mastery of power, his grasp of the court situation, and his remarkable ability to amass wealth, if he were to truly align with the Crown Prince, it wouldn't be long before Zhao Zhen and Zhao Kai were brought to heel...
Power can drive people to madness, but fear can bring clarity, much like Zhao Zhen's awakening now.