Zhao Hanzhang had never intended to leave out Yongzhou. In her eyes, now that Sizhou had been completely conquered, Yongzhou right next to it naturally also belonged to her—oh no, belonged to the court.
Fu Zhi was a person loyal to his sovereign and country. As long as she stood by the young emperor’s side for one day, he would remain loyal to the court she managed for one day. Rounding it off, Yongzhou was hers.
Therefore, she had also prepared Yongzhou’s portion of relief grain this time.
However, the Prince of Nanyang’s death was beyond her expectations. She hadn’t anticipated that even though she had destroyed the Xiongnu, the Prince of Nanyang, who historically should have died at Xiongnu hands, still died.
Zhao Hanzhang truly felt regretful. When she appointed Fu Zhi as Governor of Yongzhou, she had intended to transfer the Prince of Nanyang back to Nanyang, then find an excuse to send him to Jingzhou…
Ahem, weren’t the aristocratic families in the south, along with those who had fled south from the north, thinking of supporting the Prince of Langya to compete with her?
Then she would send them another prince. Although the Prince of Nanyang’s bloodline wasn’t as close as the Prince of Langya’s, his seniority was higher.
When the Prince of Langya saw the Prince of Nanyang, he would have to call him “Uncle.”
Most importantly, his elder brother, Prince Donghai Sima Yue, had once dominated the realm and served as regent for a time. To be honest, among the aristocratic nobles who had fled south, quite a few now looked back fondly on Prince Donghai.
If he went to Jingzhou and settled right next to Yangzhou, becoming neighbors with the Prince of Langya, it would certainly be very lively.
If he could move into Yangzhou itself, that would be even more exciting. Unfortunately, he had died.
Zhao Hanzhang felt regretful, then set the matter aside. After discussing with Ji Yuan and the others, she still agreed to Fu Zhi’s request, exempting Yongzhou from the poll tax while also exempting Jingzhao Prefecture from two years of regular taxes.
Because Chang’an’s situation wasn’t very good, Zhao Hanzhang even squeezed out ten carts of grain from the Zhao Family Army’s provisions to send to Chang’an.
Zhao Hanzhang’s reply letter and the grain were sent into Chang’an together. Fu Zhi’s tears soaked his clothing. Gripping the letter, he stepped onto the cart shaft and addressed the Chang’an people, whose eyes were glowing green as they stared at the grain: “This is relief grain the Great General sent. The Great General says that once Yuzhou purchases sufficient grain, more will be sent. The court hasn’t forgotten Chang’an, and His Majesty hasn’t forgotten Chang’an either.”
The people’s expressions froze slightly, staring blankly without speaking.
Fu Zhi wiped away his tears and told the people surrounding the grain carts: “Go back and bring cloth bags and your household registers. We’ll prioritize the poor over the wealthy. Households with elderly and young will receive relief grain first. I will distribute it as fairly as possible so that every household receives relief grain. If there’s not enough, when the next batch of relief grain arrives, we’ll make up the difference.”
When people heard this, they either ran toward the county office or home. Some went directly to the county office to line up, while others went back to get cloth bags. They didn’t believe in any talk about making up the difference next time. Who knew when the next batch of relief grain would arrive?
When officials spoke, you just listened. If it weren’t for the fact that the one speaking was Fu Zhi, they wouldn’t even bother listening.
Fu Zhi kept his promise. Not a single grain of the relief grain received this time was withheld—it was all distributed to the people. This made Chang’an’s officials and soldiers very dissatisfied.
But as soon as they came to his door, Fu Zhi sighed and told them: “I know why you’ve come. You’ve been wronged this time.”
The general sat dejectedly on a mat, his face ashen as he said: “The Grand Secretary cannot only care for the people and not for the military officers and soldiers. We must defend the passes and suppress bandits and rebellions. We cannot have our soldiers fighting on empty stomachs.”
“Exactly, Grand Secretary. The rice soup being cooked in the army is now so thin you can count the grains. The soldiers can’t have their fill, but at least they should get one bowl of thick porridge per day, right? Otherwise, how can everyone have the strength to work?”
The officials were also worried and told Fu Zhi: “Chang’an has not distributed salaries for three months now. We’re managing, but the lower-level officials all have families to support. We can’t delay any longer.”
Fu Zhi repeatedly agreed: “I know. However, Chang’an has suffered from famine these past years, and countless people have starved to death. This time, with the Prince of Nanyang’s death by illness, if we don’t pacify the people, Chang’an will likely fall into great chaos again. That’s why the relief grain is being given to the people first.”
The general and officials still had complaints. Fu Zhi’s expression turned slightly cold as he said: “The relief grain has already been distributed. Unless the next batch of relief grain arrives, I cannot produce any grain. However, I do have one method to raise grain.”
He said: “The poll tax decree includes all of you. For the welfare of all the officers, soldiers, and officials, everyone can take stock of your household assets and pay the poll tax according to law. I think this should somewhat alleviate Chang’an’s predicament.”
The general and officials immediately fell silent.
Only then did Fu Zhi soften his expression and tell them: “Please go and console the soldiers and officials. I will petition the court again for relief funds and grain.”
Only then did the several people rise and withdraw.
Fu Zhi exhaled a breath, his expression full of exhaustion. He took out a notebook he carried with him to write in his diary. The people of Chang’an had reached their limit. Fu Zhi felt he was also nearing his limit.
Recently, he felt physically weary and his spirits much diminished, to the point where even his thoughts were becoming muddled.
He didn’t know what the future held for the great Jin, nor what would become of the Fu family.
His sons were scattered in various places. Except for his eldest son, he had lost contact with all his other sons and didn’t know whether they were alive or dead these past years.
As for his eldest son…
Thinking of his eldest son and the princess currently detained in Shu, Fu Zhi pondered for a long time. He wanted to tear up the letter he had written long ago, yet he was unwilling. Finally, he unfolded the letter paper and wrote a new one.
He knew that Tinghan’s relationship with his eldest son and the princess wasn’t very good. There were problems in their parent-child relationship, which was why they hadn’t contacted each other or exchanged greetings for many years. He didn’t know what the future would bring, but now that Shu had detained his eldest son and the princess, they clearly wanted to use them as hostages to obtain something from Zhao Hanzhang.
Thinking of this, Fu Zhi grew even more troubled.
Fu Zhi was different from Zhao Changyu.
As Zhao Changyu lay dying, he thought of state affairs and even more of his family clan. Fu Zhi believed that descendants made their own fortunes—the clan’s rise and fall need not be forced.
He felt he had done his best in raising his sons. What the future held depended on them living their own lives. He only felt heartache for his eldest grandson, who from childhood had been treated strictly and never enjoyed parental affection.
Regarding family matters, he could think things through. Regarding state affairs, he was unwilling to easily let go.
The latter involved the life and death of millions of common people!
Fu Zhi was not a pedantic person. His loyalty to Emperor Jin stemmed from the principle that one chaos was not as good as one peace. Once Emperor Jin was lost, the realm would immediately split into pieces, with everyone able to claim the throne. Then the suffering of the common people would truly have no end.
Therefore, no matter who it was or what changes occurred, he strongly supported the Jin imperial house, because the realm needed someone exalted to hold things in check.
However, now Zhao Hanzhang’s reputation and capabilities had planted doubt in his heart. Under such circumstances, would continuing with the Jin imperial house truly be better?
Especially with Chang’an’s generals and officials being as they were, Fu Zhi was even more mentally and physically exhausted. So, should the mandate of heaven change? Only then could these people be replaced accordingly, and only then could this realm be revitalized?