CHAPTER 273: CHAPTER 267: INTENT AT YU YANG

Successfully collaborating with Shangcai County marks a crucial step towards future grand endeavors, Zhao Hanzhang happily returned to Xiping.

Upon arriving in Xiping, Zhao Hanzhang immediately sought out Zhao Kuan.

So many talents cannot all be cooped up in Xiping; it would be too wasteful.

Now that Zhao Yunying and her sister have joined the school, many girls in the Zhao Family have become restless, and are pleading with their families to also attend school.

Hence Zhao Hanzhang wants to dispatch several reliable and steady members like Zhao Kuan to Shangcai. Of course, it cannot be said as dispatching them, because until now, she and the Zhao Family are still in a cooperative relationship.

Individuals like Zhao Kuan are not directly managed by her, so currently, she is merely persuading.

"Go to Shangcai?" Zhao Kuan was surprised.

Zhao Hanzhang nodded.

Zhao Kuan asked skeptically, "What can we do in Shangcai?"

"Do everything I’m doing in Xiping right now," Zhao Hanzhang said, "Brother Kuan also mentioned that the livelihood of the people involves tedious matters? But after all, it’s all talk on paper. I want you brothers to truly experience what people’s livelihood is and what actions the County Magistrate must take to be deemed as parental officials."

Zhao Kuan stood slack-jawed for quite some time before he asked hesitantly: "You... are you planning to replace County Magistrate Chai?"

Zhao Hanzhang replied: "Brother Kuan has thought too much. Am I that kind of person?"

She said: "Now Shangcai and Xiping are brother counties, and I and County Magistrate Chai are siblings! Oh no, siblings!"

Zhao Kuan looked at her with suspicion, and in the end wasn’t sure if he believed her. He pondered for a long time and did not immediately give a response, "I need to think about it."

Zhao Hanzhang said: "Think about it. I will give you two days. If you are unwilling, it’s nothing serious; I’ll find someone else."

She sighed: "Xiping also dearly needs Brother Kuan. Xiahou Ren’s drafts and manuscripts still need you, and the school can’t do without you..."

The scales in Zhao Kuan’s heart tilted towards Shangcai County.

Not that he loathed Xiping County’s two jobs, but an eighteen or nineteen-year-old young man, having done one job for a long time, would always want to switch jobs.

Though he said he would consider, Zhao Kuan did not think independently but directly sought out Zhao Cheng and told him about this matter.

Zhao Cheng paused briefly before asking: "Have you ever considered pursuing a career in officialdom?"

Zhao Kuan folded his hands and said: "Yes, I aspire to achieve merits."

He said: "I don’t seek to be ranked among the highest like our granduncle, receiving titles of nobility, but at least leave something behind in this world by accomplishing a venture."

Zhao Cheng nodded and said: "Then go ahead."

He said: "Since you have decided to pursue officialdom, start earnestly from the beginning. Don’t follow the likes of Wang Yan in court, holding official positions yet looking down on practical affairs."

Zhao Cheng said with a serious face: "Should you make such a mistake in future that endangers the country, neither I nor the Zhao Family will tolerate it."

Zhao Kuan solemnly agreed.

Zhao Cheng sighed, saying: "Listen to Hanzhang more often. Though your third younger sister has a silver tongue and rarely speaks honestly, in terms of carrying out practical affairs for the populace, I believe few in the court can match her."

Zhao Kuan acknowledged each point.

With Zhao Cheng’s consent, Zhao Kuan contemplated further and still went to see Zhao Ming.

Without any deliberation, Zhao Ming said: "Work hard, don’t let down the years of guidance from Uncle Cheng."

Zhao Kuan couldn’t help but ask this actual helmsman of the family: "Uncle Ming, aren’t you afraid that the Third Lady makes too many enemies outside?"

Zhao Ming sighed and said: "Do you think she has her sights set on Shangcai?"

Zhao Kuan was puzzled, "Isn’t that the case?"

Zhao Ming shook his head and said: "County Magistrate Chai of Shangcai, although not very bright, is easily influenced, swaying like grass on a wall without any sense of responsibility, but he has two virtues."

Already like this, what virtues could there be?

"One is that he has compassion for the people;" Zhao Ming said, "He’d rather risk the government offices’ uprising to use officials’ salaries to buy grain seeds. He isn’t bad, just not bright."

Zhao Kuan instinctively translated this to what Zhao Ming really wanted to say—stupid!

"The other is that he is willing to take advice," Zhao Ming smiled and said: "This means he’s easily influenced. This way, he becomes the type of person the people around him are."

Therefore, when he had Chang Ning by his side, although Shangcai was tough, it peacefully lasted many years;

Now he has Ji Yuan by his side, one can imagine that the future of Shangcai County would be Zhao Hanzhang’s assistant, following her orders.

"So why should Hanzhang replace the obedient yet compassionate County Magistrate Chai with you, a cousin with little management experience and doesn’t listen well?"

Zhao Kuan was stunned, eyes wide, and after a long time finally asked: "Then, then what should I do in Shangcai?"

Zhao Ming shifted the chess piece in his hand and suddenly placed a white piece between two adjacent black pieces, slightly south in the center.

Zhao Kuan looked to see the piece wasn’t on the point, but crookedly fell on the edge of a grid, not like a mistake, but the position was...

His gaze moved back and forth between the two black pieces, and when he once again settled on the white piece, Zhao Kuan suddenly widened his eyes and mumbled: "Yu Yang..."

Zhao Ming heard his whisper, a slight tilt at the corner of his mouth, and said to him: "Go to Shangcai and do well, be attentive. Though you lack experience, you can listen more to Ji Yuan’s opinions."

"He is a great strategist, able to navigate the court alongside your granduncle, and also stay reclusive in the countryside with Hanzhang. Whether in insight or breadth of mind, he surpasses many of you."

Zhao Kuan seriously acknowledged.

Only then did Zhao Ming wave his hand and said: "Go, bid farewell to your parents, and keep the matter of the chess pieces to yourself, do not spread it until it succeeds."

Zhao Kuan agreed, and retired respectfully.

Yet he was very puzzled in heart, Yu Yang is a higher county; how exactly does Zhao Hanzhang plan to enable him to assume the position of County Magistrate of Yu Yang?

Isn’t she herself merely a County Magistrate?

Oh, still an unofficially acknowledged County Magistrate, only gaining private endorsement from the Yu State Governor.

Zhao Kuan agreed, and several family brothers who usually followed Zhao Kuan also readily joined him.

Thus Zhao Hanzhang packed them off to Shangcai Manor, allowing them to work alongside Ji Yuan.

Zhao Hanzhang provided the funding, while County Magistrate Chai actively contacted grain merchants and some distinguished gentry, purchasing quite a bit of grain from them.

When the first batch arrived in Shangcai, the previously quiet Shangcai County suddenly became lively. Each village chief was instructed to inform villagers to take their grain bags to the county government and collect the relief grain and distributed seeds for this spring.

The relief grain wasn’t a lot, but it was still something. With frugality, it could sustain families for about ten days based on their existing grain stores.

Before they could settle these grains, the county government suddenly issued labor orders again, but this time unlike before, it wasn’t unpaid but compensated.

It was rumored to be work-for-relief, upholding voluntary principles. People were paid daily for working on irrigation projects, land reclamation, and weed removal, with the earnings enabling them to purchase grain at lower prices from the county government.

Although the grain prices were just two or three cents cheaper than ordinary grain stores.

But such small savings meant a lot to them.