Gou Chun was very angry, but he still had to suppress the fury in his chest. Then he repeatedly urged Yuncheng, demanding that Gou Xi quickly make a decision—fight or not fight. He was being held back here and was about to die of frustration.
Zhao Ju’s archers had prepared themselves, but the aggressive Yanzhou army stopped again.
After waiting a long time and seeing that the Yanzhou army really wasn’t making a move, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had people continue their vigilance, then continued writing to Zhao Hanzhang, urging her to quickly make a decision. If they did fight, how far could they go? Could they really not kill Gou Chun?
He really wanted to kill him. Even now, Zhao Ju still harbored resentment over Gou Chun’s sneak arrow attack on Zhao Hanzhang.
At this time, Zhao Hanzhang was squatting by a fire pit, turning and roasting a rabbit while pondering methods to calm both sides’ anger.
Ji Yuan had specifically come from the city to the military camp and had spent the entire afternoon watching her train troops. Now that she finally had a moment free, he sat down on the grass beside her, his fan swaying back and forth. “Did Nulang hunt this rabbit?”
“The soldiers are constantly running back and forth training here—where would there still be rabbits?” Zhao Hanzhang raised her chin, pointing at Zhao Erlang who was wrestling with someone up ahead. “He brought it when he came.”
Ji Yuan looked up ahead and couldn’t help but smile. “Has Erlang handed all military affairs over to Xie Shi? Why does he keep running to Luoyang every few days?”
“As long as he’s training troops and they keep making progress, I don’t care how he trains them.”
Ji Yuan nodded and asked, “Has the Governor decided how to handle the Yanzhou matter?”
Zhao Hanzhang lowered her eyes, turning the rabbit. “Master Ming’s condition has stabilized. Have them escort him to Luoyang.”
She said meaningfully, “Since Zhao Ju said they crossed the border to rescue Yuzhou common people, then it was to rescue Yuzhou common people. However, my accepting Ming Yu has damaged my relationship with him, so I want to send him some things to calm his anger.”
Ji Yuan nodded. He had been thinking the same thing. “However, Gou Xi has seen all kinds of treasures. What does the Governor plan to send?”
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Zhao Hanzhang said with distress. “The treasures I previously seized… collected have all been turned over to the merchant caravans. Now the treasury only has copper coins. I really can’t think of what I could send.”
If Gou Xi’s temperament was like it had been earlier—at least somewhat considerate of the people—she could perhaps send him something like a water mill. He would be happy, the common people would benefit, and it would promote her craftsmen along the way. How wonderful.
Unfortunately, he was now immersed in pleasures. Sending such a thing would probably not even merit a glance from him.
Since the goal was to calm his anger, the gift naturally had to touch his heart.
Ji Yuan said, “I’ve heard that in the past six months he’s taken on five or six hundred servants and more than ten concubines. Why doesn’t the Governor select one or two beauties to send him?”
Zhao Hanzhang answered without thinking, “Sending objects is fine, sending people is not.”
For others it might be acceptable—she could select some willing people to send, she would have sent a gift, the recipient would be happy, and those sent would gain opportunities. Everyone would be happy.
But Gou Xi…
He was too strict. Even servants who made small mistakes could be executed. So she’d rather not create this karma.
Zhao Hanzhang turned the rabbit while thinking. After a while, she gritted her teeth. “Otherwise, let’s spend money to buy something. There should still be good items in Luoyang city.”
Seeing her in such pain, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but smile slightly before putting on a serious face. “Ming Yu is worth the Governor spending so much. Gou Xi is losing popular support now. Someday, the things you send out will return to your hands.”
Zhao Hanzhang could only comfort herself this way.
Then the next day, the Zhao residence put out word that she wanted to buy treasures. If any family had items comparable to tribute goods, they could invite her to take a look. She didn’t mind spending a large sum.
Originally, if she searched slowly, the price would be much less, but the border situation didn’t allow her to search slowly. She could only make a high-profile announcement.
If they really fought, the losses would be even greater.
As expected, once the Zhao residence made a high-profile announcement, many people came. Quite a few families secretly brought items to see Zhao Hanzhang. Of course, Zhao Hanzhang didn’t see everyone—Ting He screened them first.
She was now not only Zhao Hanzhang’s personal maid but also her head steward. Her eye for quality had been trained since childhood, and her aesthetic sense was stronger than Zhao Hanzhang’s. So items first passed her scrutiny, and only when she thought they were good would Zhao Hanzhang look.
Many people came to the door, but there were few items worth viewing.
It wasn’t until the evening of the second day, when Zhao Hanzhang was frowning and about to write to Yuzhou to have Zhao Ming find a solution, that Ting He finally entered to report, “Nulang, the Pei family has brought something.”
“What is it?”
“A jade ruyi scepter.” Ting He paused before saying, “It’s the finest I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Ting He’s life was still short, but she had seen quite a few good things. If she said it was the finest, it must be excellent. So Zhao Hanzhang put down her brush and went with her to the front hall, asking, “Which Pei family?”
Ting He said, “The son of former Central Documents Director Pei Kai—Northern Regional Commander Pei Xian.”
“Oh, I know him,” Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “Let’s go meet him. He surely didn’t come just for money, did he?”
Zhao Hanzhang knew of Pei Xian, not because he was particularly famous in history—actually, she didn’t really remember this historical figure. She only remembered his father.
His father, Pei Kai, was a renowned scholar who could be mentioned in the same breath as Wang Yan. People at the time often compared the two, believing Pei Kai was comparable to Wang Yan.
However, this was a good reputation with no malice. Zhao Hanzhang felt Pei Kai was far superior to Wang Yan—a true scholar.
Wang Yan was skilled at rhetoric—no one could out-argue him. Pei Kai was someone of generous character who understood people and principles well, and was called a renowned scholar of the imperial court.
He was much older than Wang Yan. Though compared together, they weren’t from the same era. However, both were very handsome. Especially Pei Kai—supposedly he looked like a jade figure, unable to hide his distinguished appearance and brilliance even when disheveled.
She was curious what his son would look like.
Oh, back to the main point—she knew of Pei Xian not just because he was Pei Kai’s son, but because… she had seized his position as Regional Inspector.
Hahaha, that’s right. Pei Xian was the court-recognized (former) Yuzhou Regional Inspector.
After Inspector He died, the court didn’t recognize Zhao Hanzhang. At that time, Prince Donghai had appointed a Regional Inspector for Yuzhou—that was Pei Xian.
However, Zhao Hanzhang was domineering. She took the position of Inspector herself and controlled the Yuzhou army. Although Pei Xian had the appointment letter, he didn’t dare take office. Prince Donghai had no choice but to give him another position as Northern Regional Commander.
However, he didn’t remove his Yuzhou Regional Inspector title, so he held both positions. Until this spring, he had always been the court-recognized Yuzhou Regional Inspector. It wasn’t until Zhao Hanzhang came to Luoyang to rescue the Emperor and officially received her appointment that she legitimately replaced him as Inspector.
Everyone might not have noticed this point, but Zhao Hanzhang knew she had seized his position and still paid some attention to it.
She asked curiously, “Was he in Luoyang before? How come I didn’t hear about it?”