CHAPTER 332: CHAPTER 326: I WANT TO REUSE

Zhao Hanzhang’s face also showed some surprise, then she looked innocently back at Zhao Ming. If she said that all of this was just a coincidence, she wondered if Uncle Ming would believe her?

Zhao Ming didn’t believe it. He felt like he had been used by Zhao Hanzhang once again, so he angrily pushed aside the scrolls in front of him and got up to leave.

Zhao Hanzhang watched him leave, sighed softly, and said, "Uncle Ming’s temper is getting worse. Should we call a doctor to take a look?"

Ji Yuan glanced at his lord, lowered his head to continue reading the scrolls, and ignored her.

Fu Tinghan said, "Stop provoking him."

Wu Erlang, who was kneeling behind the curtain, cried gratefully. Beside him, Ting He watched anxiously. When her words didn’t work, she simply pulled him, "Stop crying. The Lady General is working inside. Don’t disturb the master, or you’ll lose your dog’s life."

Wu Erlang was even more moved. Inside the curtain, it was always quiet, and the Lady General neither scolded him nor ordered him to be dragged away.

He knew he was not yet a qualified servant, many of his actions were wrong, but Zhao Hanzhang was always tolerant towards him. As long as he didn’t make obvious mistakes, she wouldn’t scold him.

At this moment, Wu Erlang secretly resolved that he must learn how to be a servant and then serve Zhao Hanzhang wholeheartedly!

He wiped away his tears while sobbing, kowtowed to the people inside the curtain, and then was dragged away by Ting He.

Ting He dragged him to the courtyard and pointed to a corner against the wall, saying, "Go cry there. Finish crying, wash your face, clean yourself up, and come back. In front of the master, you are not yourself, but the master’s servant. Don’t just cry at the drop of a hat, understand?"

Wu Erlang wanted to retort, but as he was about to speak, he remembered the vow he just made, and obediently agreed, running to the wall to calm his emotions.

He was so quiet that it caught Ting He’s attention several times.

Inside the room, after hearing Wu Erlang leave, Ji Yuan raised his head to look at Zhao Hanzhang and asked, "Where does the Lady General want to place him?"

Zhao Hanzhang: "I want to place him by the teacher’s side."

Ji Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Matters like trade are both significant and trivial. I have many major matters that require the teacher’s attention, and I don’t want them to take up too much of your energy. So, I want him to handle some of the trivial tasks for you."

Ji Yuan: "Currently, the Lady General maintains many soldiers, and the daily consumption is huge. Taxes from various places are insufficient even to be submitted, let alone withheld for local finances. That means the income from our household’s workers and tenants is handed over to the public, but almost half of the consumption still needs to be purchased from outside."

"Especially items like cloth, shoes, and socks for the military, are basically all bought from outside. The people handling these matters are all our household’s trusted aides. If the Lady General places him by my side, mere loyalty is not enough," Ji Yuan’s eyes were deep. "He must also be honest, knowing that some things cannot be touched."

Ji Yuan said, "Mr. Ming and I have the same view on him; this person’s mind is too active."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "But I feel that what I need now is someone with an active mind."

She said, "He has a kind heart. Even though his eldest brother wasn’t good to him, he would still help his nieces and nephews in distress, even when he himself was struggling. He has principles and is smart, knowing to preserve himself first and how much to help them."

Zhao Hanzhang gave a specific example: "He once tricked two and a half cakes from me, then gave half a cake to his nieces and nephews to share, saving the other two for later. He even went to pick green seedlings from the village chief’s house. I asked him, and he said that he and his nephews had been hungry for two days and couldn’t go on. To survive until the autumn harvest, they had to eat green seedlings. He planned to steal some from the village chief’s house, eat a bit of his own, and save the rest for when the harvest came, hoping for some yield."

"He also planned to take the grain after the autumn harvest and leave, to dodge taxes directly," Zhao Hanzhang said with a smile, "You see, how clever he is. He even thought about where to go."

Ji Yuan said, "...Don’t forget, he was evading your taxes."

Zhao Hanzhang nonchalantly waved her hand and said, "If the people under my rule can’t survive, let them evade taxes. To stay alive, I allow them to evade taxes."

Ji Yuan remained silent.

Zhao Hanzhang sat up slightly, leaning forward a bit, and looked at Ji Yuan with clear eyes, "Teacher, the people we are using now, though honest, lack ambition. They only obey orders, and everything requires us to direct them, which is not feasible."

"Such people can only be clerks, not managers. Currently, we are not dealing with one or two counties, but the entire Ru Nan County. Matters are complex; if everything needs my and the teacher’s instructions, how tired would we be?" Zhao Hanzhang said, "Especially the teacher; you are exceptional, and I can’t do without you by my side. If you get worn out, I’m afraid I would feel too ashamed to bear it."

Only then did Ji Yuan stop opposing. Smiling slightly, he said, "After the Lady General has tamed him, send him to me. I’ll train him."

Zhao Hanzhang happily agreed.

Fu Tinghan listened throughout and, seeing that they all returned to normal, finally let the goosebumps on his arm subside. He handed Zhao Hanzhang the scrolls he had reviewed, saying, "These three are usable. The others I think should be eliminated."

Zhao Hanzhang was surprised, "Eliminating so many?"

She reached out to take them.

The individuals who came to apply were of varied quality; some only knew a few words but came to take the exam. Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan didn’t mind, because they were also very short of clerks. As long as the person’s attitude was correct and their character was sufficient, they didn’t mind bringing them in first and slowly training them.

But some people were there just to speculate and take advantage, which was evident from the scattered content they wrote.

Why did Zhao Hanzhang begin with the essay prompt "fulfill one’s duties"?

Wasn’t it to filter out the current view among the aristocracy that renowned scholars should live free-spiritedly and not bother with mundane affairs?

In plain terms, she was selecting those who would work and who were capable of working. If one despises mundane tasks, they should leave early.

Zhao Hanzhang flipped through the scrolls in her hand and found no fault with Fu Tinghan’s review. She handed them over to Ji Yuan, "I think Tinghan classified them correctly. Teacher, take a look."

Ji Yuan handed her the scrolls he had reviewed, saying, "Zhao Yunxin’s and Sun Linghui’s scrolls are both here with me. I find both of them usable."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang immediately looked through their scrolls.

Indeed, both of their answers were better than most of the applicants.

Especially Sun Linghui, who surprised Zhao Hanzhang. Although her scroll was obviously unfinished, it was because she wrote too much.

On the essay "fulfill one’s duties," she wrote, "Officials must dare to act, dare to take responsibility, each performing their duty, then the world will be stable."

She said, "The world is unstable today because those in high positions do not fulfill their duties, whereas those not in such positions seek to control affairs..."

Zhao Hanzhang read with delight, "I want to put this person to great use."