Forty-Eight Years

602: Forty-Eight Years

The forty-seventh year of the Sacred Reign came to a smooth close. The Zhang Family had expanded its sphere of influence to Five Lotus County and was now doing everything it could to digest its newly occupied Haiqu County.

Of course, as far as the formal procedures were concerned, they still had to slowly haggle with Zhao Kingdom's court.

Zhao Xiangyu was becoming more and more adept at the ways of an emperor. The Zhang Family had now become one of the rising powers in his eyes, something he could use to balance those old Aristocratic Clans.

Moreover, the Zhang Family now stood on the front line blocking the Han Family's advance northward. They could not be weakened lightly, but neither could they be allowed to develop too quickly.

Zhang Mingshu left Zhang Yu, Liu Xiulin, and the others to guard the new government office of Five Lotus County beneath Black Tiger Mountain.

He himself hurried back to Baishi Village before the New Year. Then, through the teleportation formation, he appeared directly in East Sea County.

This year's New Year sacrifice was the first held in the ancestral hall of their new home since the family had migrated there.

Moreover, many people were away and could not make it back.

The second generation's Zhang Wushuang, Zhang Xi, Zhang Yu, and the others were all away. Instead, their wives had made time to return.

Qu Ziyi held Zhang Yanqi, who was only barely three years old. Zhao Siqi and Lü E brought along Liu Shiyuan, Meng Qiuyan, Wen Yuhan, Fan Ruohua, and Zhu Qimeng, leading a large group of children arranged according to age.

Zhang Yanhua followed at Zhang Mingshu's side. The thirteen-year-old boy, now entering the New Year, already had to shoulder many of the family's affairs.