CHAPTER 472: CHAPTER 468: ACTING WITH MODERATION

Zhao Hanzhang reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, "If you feel uneasy, write to me, and Ting Han, we can both help you."

But Zhao Erlang doesn’t know many characters.

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at Lv Hu beside him and smiled slightly, "I’ve already asked Zhao Cai to come over, in the future, tasks like letter-writing can be handled by Zhao Cai and Lv Hu as scribes."

Zhao Erlang nodded, reluctantly holding Zhao Hanzhang’s hand, "Sister, how long will I have to be the Prefectural Governor?"

"That depends on your abilities," Zhao Hanzhang said, "If you’re very capable, you’ll be recalled soon; if you’re not, you’ll also be recalled soon. The difference is whether you return in honor or disgrace."

"Erlang, you are actually a very clever child, you have compassion, as long as you strive to learn the laws and regulations, and listen to the suggestions of your subordinates, you’ll surely be able to serve as a Prefectural Governor well. Sister will be waiting for you to return to Chen County, by then, mother will also be as proud of you as I am."

Zhao Erlang was very skeptical, "Really?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded vigorously, "Really!"

In the end, Zhao Erlang sent Zhao Hanzhang off with a face full of anxiety and joy. He turned back to see Wang Nai and the others behind him, originally wanting to turn around and leave, but for some reason, his sister’s figure flashed through his mind. If it were his sister, what would she do?

Zhao Erlang stopped his steps, raised his hand to salute the various officials, saying, "In the future, Nanyang Country will greatly rely on you all."

Wang Nai and Xie Shi saw him acting like this, a light shone in their eyes, their hearts blooming with joy.

The officials of the Governor Mansion, including Yin Sheng, were also pleasantly surprised; Zhao Erlang didn’t seem foolish at all.

Truth be told, although everyone was restrained by Zhao Hanzhang’s authority from opposing her decision to make Zhao Erlang the Prefectural Governor, they were actually very worried.

There were rumors that Zhao Erlang could barely read, although he was brave on the battlefield, as a Prefectural Governor, civil administration is the most important.

With Emperor Hui as a precedent, their hearts truly hung in the air, but with Zhao Hanzhang above them, they felt that if Zhao Erlang caused any trouble, she would clean up the mess, so no one spoke out.

Now seeing Zhao Erlang conduct himself with propriety, they... were still very happy.

Everyone returned to the Governor Mansion with half a heart at ease, then went about their respective duties.

Zhao Erlang sat in the spot where his sister had previously sat, dazed for a while. Seeing no one paying attention to him, he got up, took his sword, and was about to head to the barracks.

Xie Shi, holding a pile of documents, encountered him at the door, both paused for a moment.

Xie Shi stood at the door without moving, his expression gentle as he said, "Governor, shall we handle some documents?"

Zhao Erlang pointed at himself with his finger, asking, "I need to handle them too?"

"Naturally," Xie Shi replied, "I will read the documents to you."

Zhao Hanzhang had specially consulted with him and Wang Nai, saying that Zhao Erlang’s inability to recognize characters was not due to stupidity but because he had an illness — a condition where seeing text gave him headaches and nausea. Allegedly, for someone with this illness, words appeared distorted, making it difficult to recognize characters, but his intelligence was not impaired.

Xie Shi and Wang Nai observed for a while, and having interacted with Zhao Erlang, they believed Zhao Hanzhang’s words.

However, they felt that Zhao Erlang’s intelligence was still somewhat affected; he seemed a bit behind his peers.

Zhao Hanzhang believed this was due to improper education from a young age. Zhao Changyu and Mrs. Wang incessantly made him read and recognize characters, and if he failed, they made him study relentlessly, never considering developing his intelligence in other areas, treating him like a child since he often didn’t recognize characters. So, his intellectual development was somewhat delayed compared to others.

Zhao Hanzhang believed that with focused cultivation in the future, Zhao Erlang could catch up.

Wang Nai and Xie Shi just thought Zhao Hanzhang was too confident in her brother. Ah, it’s hard to wake up a parent who believes their child is the best.

So Wang Nai and Xie Shi could only respond to Zhao Hanzhang with a smile.

Although they didn’t believe Zhao Erlang could catch up to his peers in terms of intelligence, they still had to follow Zhao Hanzhang’s orders and teach Zhao Erlang about governance affairs.

Xie Shi and Wang Nai drew lots, and since Xie Shi lost, he was the one bringing the documents over to instruct Zhao Erlang today.

He pulled out a document, opened it, skimmed over it quickly, and then began reading the memorandum to Zhao Erlang.

Zhao Erlang listened until he felt his head swell; he... understood hardly anything.

Xie Shi knew as much, and so after reading, he explained in plain language, "The County Magistrate of Bowan County seeks assistance, saying there are many refugees in the county. According to the Governor’s decree, settling refugees requires significant funds and provisions, and he hopes the Governor Mansion can provide some support."

Only then did Zhao Erlang’s head no longer feel dizzy, he asked, "How much does he want?"

"Ten thousand bushels of grain, and two hundred thousand in currency."

Zhao Erlang replied, "Does my sister’s money grow on trees? Tell him, no way!"

Zhao Erlang knew that his sister and brother-in-law often worried about money and provisions; one county making such a large request, with so many counties in Nanyang Country, they wouldn’t make that much even by selling him.

Xie Shi maintained his composure, adapting well. At least he didn’t directly say "Give it to him," right?

Xie Shi taught him, "You mustn’t flatly refuse, but you can’t meet all his demands either. You should ask him to tally the refugee numbers in the county and his plans for settlement before discussing resources. Our Governor Mansion can support with a part; since it’s aid, naturally the majority of the solution must come from their own county."

Zhao Erlang asked, "Then how much do you think we should give?"

"About one thousand bushels of grain or an equivalent amount of money would suffice. We can’t give nothing at all, or they might think our refugee policies are just talk. The Governor is not in Nanyang Country now; without the Governor’s intimidation, they might neglect governance."

Zhao Erlang tilted his head, thought for a moment, then said, "Sister said, for someone in office who neglects their duties, it’s dereliction; the punishment is situation-dependent, they might be dismissed or even executed directly. You tell him if he dares to ignore my orders or shirk work, I’ll come cut him down."

Xie Shi:... The threats from these siblings are as consistent as ever.

Still, he agreed.

Xie Shi wrote down the handling suggestion, set it aside, and opened another memorandum, "This is a public document from Biyang County, reporting that a group of mountain bandits have recently been harassing travelers near the county. The County Magistrate of Biyang requests provisions to suppress the bandits."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Erlang’s eyes lit up, he exclaimed, "Suppressing bandits, I’m familiar with that, let me personally lead troops there. Is Biyang County far from here?"

Xie Shi replied, "Quite far."

He glanced at the details in the document, squinted slightly, then looked up and smiled at Zhao Erlang, "It’s good for the Governor to personally lead the troops. After subduing the bandits, you can also inspect Biyang County’s situation."

Zhao Erlang nodded vigorously, he liked bandit suppression.

Xie Shi added, "Take Wang Nai with you."

By the time Wang Nai learned of this, Zhao Erlang had already ordered troops to be assembled.

He was bewildered, "Why send troops to suppress bandits now? As the Prefectural Governor, he should stay and oversee Lu Yang County."

"Our Governor is different," Xie Shi said, "Compared to Wencheng, he’s more fitting to exert influence on the counties through military power."

He continued, "Though Nanyang Country has been subdued by the Governor, their allegiance is to the Governor, not to Erlang. Once the Governor is absent, the atmosphere changes immediately. Who would trust Erlang to be a competent Prefectural Governor?"

"Let him lead the troops out once, so that they see blood and behave themselves."

Wang Nai, after some contemplation, nodded, but halfway through, he realized, "Why am I the one accompanying him out? The last time he went to suppress bandits, I was with him. If it’s someone else’s turn, it’s yours."

"You’re already familiar; why switch personnel and make him adjust again?"