Chapter 476: Chapter 477: Calculations
Mrs. Nan Wang, now over fifty, found her mind wandering for a moment as she looked at Jin Qianqianâs still somewhat youthful face.
She knew Prefect Gu wasnât old, but seeing this young face still stirred a sense of injustice in Mrs. Nan Wangâs heart.
Since she was young, she had been by her husbandâs side, enduring every step of his journey from a mere Scholar to his current position.
And now this Mrs. Gu Jin, at such a tender age, could sit with her as an equal. Who knew what great fortune awaited her in the future.
These thoughts flashed through Mrs. Nan Wangâs mind in an instant. She quickly walked over, took Jin Qianqianâs hand, and said with practiced familiarity, "Iâve long heard of the great Ancient Scholar. I never expected weâd have the good fortune to meet like this."
"Mrs. Gu, please forgive me for not inviting you to visit sooner."
...
As a madam who had navigated the social intricacies of official circles for many years, and with a sincere desire to befriend Jin Qianqian, Mrs. Nan Wang found the conversation flowing easily. The two hit it off quite well.
After the family banquet ended and she saw Jin Qianqian and her party off, Mrs. Nan Wang finally went to Prefect Nanâs study.
"How was it?"
Having been married for many years, Mrs. Nan Wang naturally knew what he was asking.
"Sheâs very clever. Not at all like the village woman of the rumors."
"It seems the information we received before was flawed. No matter what I brought up, this Mrs. Gu Jin could hold her own in the conversation."
"It looks like weâll have to send someone to Shangjing to make further inquiries from various sources. Itâs not good for us when our intelligence gets stale."
Prefect Nan said, "I also think there must be more to the Ancient Scholarâs successive promotions. Itâs certainly not that simple."
"You know, ever since the new emperor ascended the throne, heâs been very reluctant to promote civil servants."
"Iâve been in this position for so many years. If I canât take another step forward before Iâm too old, my career will likely end here."
Mrs. Nan Wang wanted her husband to advance as much as he did. "I know. Itâs just a pity we have no roots in Shangjing. Any information we try to gather is merely superficial and far too limited."
"I tried to probe a few times today, to see if Mrs. Gu Jin could help our Yueâer make some connections in Shangjing, but she deflected every time."
"Foolish," Prefect Nan chided. "This was your first time meeting. Who would agree to help with something like that?"
"Youâre being far too hasty."
"What choice do I have? Yueâer is already of age. If we donât find a match for her soon, what kind of good prospects will be left?" Mrs. Nan Wang, however, didnât feel she had done anything wrong.
"We went out of our way to accommodate that merchant from Tian Zhuang, all for the sake of connecting with the Minister of the Ministry of Justice Mansion."
"But after yesterday, Iâm sure youâve also realized, husband, that the connection between Tian Zhuang and the Ministerâs Mansion isnât as strong as we believed."
"Iâve had people ask around repeatedly about what happened. Mrs. Gu Jin doesnât give the Tian Family the time of day."
"His niece did marry into the Ministerâs Mansion, itâs true, but sheâs only the wife of one of Minister Huangâs grandsons. The gap between her and the matriarch of the house is enormous."
"Besides, weâre an official family. Associating with merchants like them is beneath our station to begin with."
"In my opinion, we would be better off befriending Prefect Gu. At least heâs young and capable. He might even be able to give us a helping hand in the future."
Prefect Nan fell silent. After a long moment, he said, "So you no longer want Yueâer to marry into a family in Shangjing?"
Mrs. Nan Wang shook her head. "She is our only daughter. I truly donât want her to marry so far away."
"Besides, are the inner courts of a prominent family really such a good place to be? Iâm afraid if something were to happen, we wouldnât be able to help her."
"If worst comes to worst, we could find a promising young man like Prefect Gu. If he manages to become a scholar and secure even a minor official post, I would be content."
Prefect Nan laughed, partly in amusement and partly in exasperation. "Do you think itâs so easy to become a scholar or an Advanced Scholar? How many people in this world are as lucky as Ancient Wen Heng?"
"But youâre not entirely wrong. As the âparents officialâ of this region, I can look for potential candidates among the scholars. As long as someone has the ambition, and we give them a little push, itâs not impossible to make something happen."
"While they are still here in Le City, you should use this time to build a better relationship with them."
That was exactly what Mrs. Nan Wang was thinking. "In that case, you need to go warn the Tian Family. I heard their young lady went looking for trouble yesterday."
She didnât get the upper hand in the end, but itâs still an annoyance.
"I will..."
...
Ancient Wen Heng hadnât expected Zhou Shixiong to be so effective. In just a short period, he had brought him over a thousand men.
âIt seems letting Ling San go was quite effective. The enemy wanted to intimidate us, to strike first and put us in our place.â
They just never expected that they would all walk right into a trap, only to be thrown onto the wasteland.
At first, some tried to resist, but Zhou Shixiongâs soldiers were already filled with hatred for these men. Now, with permission granted, they didnât hesitate to subject them to the same treatment they had once inflicted upon the people of the Rong Dynasty.
Seeing that their captors were serious this time, these cowards, who clung to life and feared death, immediately gave in.
Sometimes, before the whip in hand even swung their way, they would obediently get to work.
With these new laborers, he believed the wasteland around Lu City would be reclaimed in no time.
Although they were only fed thin, coarse-grain porridge, it added up to a significant amount over the course of a day.
âJust keeping them alive by a thread wonât work. We have to leave them some strength to work,â Ancient Wen Heng thought as he jotted down some calculations, dissatisfied with their performance over the past two days.
âTheyâre too slow. At this rate, how will we get all the seeds planted before the spring plowing season ends?â
"My Lord, Lu Cityâs grain reserves are low. We must first ensure the people of Lu City are provided for." He Gaofei, though not a man of great talent, had a good heart and was rather protective of his own people.
Others had been wary of the harsh methods employed by Ancient Wen Heng and General Zhou, some even finding them excessively cruel.
Only He Gaofei spoke up, "Kindness depends on who youâre dealing with! For years, what kind of lives have the people of the border city endured? Are you all really unaware?
"This official feels that Ancient Wen Heng and General Zhou did nothing wrong. We have a saying: âIt is improper not to reciprocate.â This treatment doesnât even amount to a fraction of what they did to us."
"Donât forget, Lu City is our home. When dealing with bandits and robbers, if youâre not thinking about getting even for our own people, how else do you propose we treat them?"
Of course, Ancient Wen Hengâs opinion of him wouldnât change because of a short speech. Rather, it was because while the man might have his own petty schemes, he had also genuinely accomplished several practical things for the people of Lu City.
Whether his motive was to secure his position as Deputy or to compete with Xiao Yuling, as long as he was useful, Ancient Wen Heng wouldnât hold it against him.
Ancient Wen Heng said, "I have already sent people to the neighboring prefectures to purchase coarse grains. Tell your men to add an extra two handfuls each time they cook the porridge."
"But the silver?" He Gaofei asked, thinking of the surplus silver in the government treasury.
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "For now, it will all come from my private account. Once the grain is harvested, the treasury can repay me."