Previously he assisted Zhao Kuan, now he assisted Zhao Erlang.

Actually, he had no opinion about assisting anyone. What he had an opinion about was: why was being an official now so different from before?

In the past, he only needed to work half-days and could leisurely drink wine and admire the snow. Luoyang had already had its second snowfall, yet this year he hadn’t appreciated the snow at all. He hadn’t had a rest day in two ten-day periods and worked overtime until the hour of Hai every day…

If not for Luoyang becoming livelier day by day and the General coming to praise them periodically, he really wanted to resign.

Fine, for his bright future.

He was rated sixth rank and could normally only reach sixth-rank positions at most, but under the General, as long as he was useful, Chief Clerk Yu felt he could advance further. Perhaps he could reach third or fourth rank.

Fourth rank was equivalent to a provincial governor, and third rank could already serve as a regional administrator—this was a matter of bringing glory to the ancestors.

Chief Clerk Yu, with a deadpan expression, encouraged himself. He could do this, he could do this. After putting in so much effort, if he resigned now, wouldn’t he just be making way for those who came after?

He wouldn’t do that.

The county magistrate was the General’s younger brother. Luoyang County was his training ground. He would eventually leave. Chief Clerk Yu had an internal ledger and knew that after Zhao Erlang left, Zhao Zheng would likely succeed him.

As chief clerk, he could also move up. With Zhao Zheng’s talent and status, he wouldn’t stay in Luoyang County very long either—perhaps five or six years at most, or two or three years at minimum—and then he’d leave. By then…

Luoyang County magistrate would be a sixth-rank position.

In the past, this was as high as he could go.

It was this thought that convinced Chief Clerk Yu, nearing thirty, to work overtime until the hour of Hai alongside a group of energetic youngsters in their teens.

He would become county magistrate, he would become county magistrate, he would become county magistrate!

Chief Clerk Yu convinced himself and dutifully went to work overtime.

Zhao Erlang also sat in the main hall, taking a document and struggling to read the characters. Halfway through, he was irritated by a repeatedly appearing character. He pointed and asked Lu Hu, “What character is this?”

Lu Hu glanced at it. It looked familiar, but he didn’t recognize it. So his gaze slid forward, and seeing two characters together, he recognized them. “Ji. It says ‘Jingji,’ Young Master. It means the area around Luoyang.”

Zhao Erlang couldn’t help muttering, “Of course I know Jingji means near the capital. Why must they write Jingji? Just saying ‘Luoyang area’ would work fine. I recognize both characters in Luoyang.”

Though he couldn’t really write them.

Having identified this character, Zhao Erlang reluctantly continued reading, but soon gave up and tossed it to Lu Hu. “Read it to me.”

Lu Hu unfolded it and read it word by word.

This was sent from the Ministry of War, a report on this round of land reclamation, road leveling, river dredging, and construction of canals and reservoirs by the four major military camps in the Jingji region.

Of course, the Ministry of War wouldn’t report these things to Luoyang. They listed these items because they wanted money from Luoyang County.

Besides the tasks the court required of them, they had done extra work. The Ministry of War indicated they wouldn’t ask Luoyang County for wages, but could they please settle the food expenses for the additional work?

After listening, Zhao Erlang took the document and carefully counted. “There are twenty-eight characters I don’t recognize in total. Return it and say I can’t understand it. Have them rewrite it using the simplest characters.”

Delay it one day at a time.

Lu Hu agreed.

Only then did Zhao Erlang handle other documents.

By the time he finished, it was already dark.

Zhao Erlang rolled up his sleeves excitedly. “Bring up the prisoners!”

Lu Hu advised, “Young Master, it’s late today. Why not hold court tomorrow?”

“No way. Tomorrow I need to go into the inner city to handle property encroachment cases between various families and the Cui family, collect debts, issue marriage certificates—I’m very busy. Where would I find time for interrogations?”

Zhao Erlang said, “This is a theft case. I’ll interrogate first and publicly announce the verdict later.”

He had the bailiffs fetch the prisoners.

Lu Hu hesitated before saying, “Other times are fine, but today Master Fu returned to the city. Won’t you go home?”

Zhao Erlang froze. “Brother-in-law is back? How come I didn’t know?”

Lu Hu replied, “I reported it as soon as I received the news…”

But you were probably absorbed in catching people and forgot.

Zhao Erlang stood up. “Going home!”

Zhao Erlang ran all the way home. Only the dim pathway lights were still lit. Oh, and his sister’s courtyard was also lit. Zhao Erlang stood at the intersection scratching his head before finally tiptoeing over.

The personal guards around the courtyard silently watched without blocking him or speaking.

Zhao Erlang carefully peeked into the courtyard, straining his ears to listen but heard no movement.

“Erlang~” A voice suddenly sounded behind him. Zhao Erlang was so frightened his heart jumped to his throat. He turned with a terrified expression and saw it was Ting He. He patted his chest. “Sister Ting He, you nearly scared me to death.”

Ting He: “…”

She respectfully showed a smile and asked, “Since Erlang is here, why not go in?”

Zhao Erlang glanced at the lit room and asked, “I see brother-in-law’s courtyard isn’t lit. Is he asleep or at Sister’s place?”

“He’s with the young lady. Do you want to go in?”

Zhao Erlang hesitated before finally entering.

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan were huddled over a table looking at a diagram. Ting He led Zhao Erlang in. Zhao Hanzhang looked up briefly and asked casually, “You’re back? Have you eaten?”

Zhao Erlang responded, then moved closer to Fu Tinghan. “Brother-in-law, I didn’t know you were returning today, so I didn’t go to meet you.”

Fu Tinghan smiled. “Official business comes first. Besides, I’m not an outsider. No need for formalities.”

Zhao Erlang grinned and relaxed considerably. He glanced at Zhao Hanzhang and quietly complained to Fu Tinghan, “I’m so busy. Sister has me doing so many things.”

Fu Tinghan also glanced at Zhao Hanzhang, patting his shoulder in comfort.

“You ate at the county office?” Fu Tinghan quietly told him, “Your mother saved food for you. The household slaughtered a lamb today. Do you want to eat some more?”

Zhao Erlang’s eyes lit up, but he glanced at Zhao Hanzhang and said nothing.

Zhao Hanzhang finally looked up from the diagram at him. “What’s wrong? Why so guilty?”

Zhao Erlang said, “Sister, the Ministry of War is asking me for money, but I have no money.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked back down at the diagram. “This is your county office’s business. You don’t need to tell me. Handle it yourself.”

“…The county office treasury is completely empty. Sister, shouldn’t the Ministry of Revenue allocate us some funds? You promised me back then that if the county office had urgent needs, you’d allocate funds back to me.”

Zhao Hanzhang frowned, looking deeply thoughtful, as if deliberating.

But Fu Tinghan, who understood her, could tell at a glance that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to give—she had no money.

Fu Tinghan asked him, “How much do you need?”

Zhao Erlang’s eyes brightened. He held up two fingers. “Two hundred thousand coins.”

Fu Tinghan raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and said, “Tomorrow afternoon, have someone come home to get it.”

Zhao Erlang looked at him with starry eyes, wondering if it was too late to add another finger.

Zhao Hanzhang also looked up at him and asked, “Where did you get money?”

“When I was in Xiping and Chen County, Seventh Uncle-Granduncle tried to recruit me. Though I didn’t agree, I did take money to buy shares in his merchant convoy. Not much, but after several years there should be quite a bit accumulated.”

Fu Tinghan had never requested distributions, so with accumulation over time, there should be more.

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes grew starry too, full of anticipation. “How much did you initially invest?”

Fu Tinghan smiled. “Not much, just two hundred thousand coins.”

So although he didn’t know how much he’d earned over the years, at minimum the two hundred thousand was definitely there.

He actually had money?

Zhao Hanzhang tried hard to remember. In Xiping, she still had money. After all, she had her dowry and the treasure her grandfather left behind. The glass workshop had also begun earning her large amounts of money, so she’d been quite generous, giving Fu Tinghan money every month.

But she could guarantee that after expenses, little of that money would remain, let alone after reaching Chen County when she’d already become poor, trying to stretch every copper coin into two. Fu Tinghan had supported her and also had no money.

So, “Where did you get two hundred thousand for capital?”

Fu Tinghan replied, “I earned it from Seventh Uncle-Granduncle.”

He explained, “In Xiping, I improved his kiln’s temperature and control. He wanted to pay me, but for me it was just a small favor, so I didn’t take money. Porcelain is something that endures in China. Though his kiln wasn’t famous, it sold well to the middle and lower classes in Yuzhou, so I directly had him give me half a percent of the kiln’s shares.”

At that time, the kiln’s annual income wasn’t even one hundred thousand coins. After all, except for occasional fine porcelain that could sell for around a hundred coins, most bowls, dishes, plates, and vases ranged from two to twenty coins.

After deducting transportation costs, sales costs, and production costs from these prices, the profit Zhao Hu could make wasn’t much.

Giving away half a percent of the profit was equivalent to giving Fu Tinghan five thousand coins annually. Honestly, Zhao Hu treating Fu Tinghan to one meal was worth that much.

So at the time, he didn’t take this matter seriously at all.

Zhao Hanzhang’s glass workshop was so profitable. Compared to her workshop, his kiln was completely insignificant.

Having Fu Tinghan improve his kiln was more about maintaining the relationship and using the benefit to entice him—he also wanted to open a glass workshop.

Unfortunately, conflicts broke out one after another afterward. Zhao Hanzhang, the Xiping County magistrate, first became the acting commandery governor of Runan Jun, then leaped to become Yuzhou Provincial Governor.

That position, that power—it was like riding a cloud shooting upward.

Thanks to Zhao Hanzhang’s fortune, Zhao Hu’s commercial territory also expanded rapidly with her influence. Under these circumstances, Zhao Hu didn’t want to antagonize her, so he remained in a state of wanting to recruit Fu Tinghan but not daring to make major efforts.

And where he couldn’t see, his hardworking and clever craftsmen had already, inspired by glass, fired new porcelain.

This porcelain was called crackle glaze. Its glaze surface was covered with small cracks—some sparse, some dense, some thick, some thin, some long, some short, some curved, some straight—like cracked or ice-cracked patterns.

Initially, this appeared because after Fu Tinghan improved the kiln temperature, craftsmen couldn’t control it properly. The porcelain came out with cracked glazes. This was originally a defect, but because it cracked beautifully, the craftsmen couldn’t resist studying it, figuring out how to fire better cracks to form natural harmony with the glaze.

Later they succeeded and tentatively put it among the porcelain for sale.

It turned out that more than one person had an eye for discovering beauty. Chinese people’s aesthetics were highly unified to a certain degree.

Crackle glaze was very popular, becoming the bestselling porcelain from Zhao Hu’s kiln at one point, with high prices and thus high profits.

Combined with expanding using Zhao Hanzhang’s influence, the kiln business was booming.

Of course, Fu Tinghan didn’t know this yet. He said, “In Chen County, I worked with craftsmen to improve his loom and accounting methods. At that time, part of the money earned in Chen County went to support your army. The remaining two hundred thousand coins I put into his merchant convoy. His convoy has been doing well these past years. I think it should have earned quite a bit.”

Fu Tinghan thought the kiln money might not be much—half a percent over several years would be seventy or eighty thousand coins at most—but the convoy should have earned substantially, since his capital was already two hundred thousand.

That’s what he thought and what he said, and he comforted Zhao Hanzhang, “I’ll give you the extra money. Over two years, the convoy’s return rate should exceed thirty percent. I’ll withdraw it all.”

“No,” Zhao Hanzhang looked at him intently. “You only withdraw the returns, or tell Seventh Uncle-Granduncle to reinvest the returns as shares too. Don’t withdraw. Calculating it, you haven’t received distributions these two years. The money owed to you should also count toward the convoy’s capital funds.”

Zhao Erlang, hearing his sister wouldn’t let them withdraw money, immediately panicked. “Sister, the county office really lacks money. If you don’t give money, I’ll lose face.”

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at him. “Why are you panicking? I didn’t say I wouldn’t give you any.”

Face? Hers was long gone!

However, looking at her brother’s still-tender face, Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t bear to let him lose too much face. She told Fu Tinghan, “Withdraw the kiln’s returns.”

Fu Tinghan asked, “That doesn’t have much, does it?”

Zhao Hanzhang said faintly, “That has plenty. You haven’t been paying attention and don’t know. These past years, Seventh Uncle-Granduncle’s kiln has become renowned, nearly dominating the Central Plains kiln market. Just withdraw the kiln’s returns. If you can’t get two hundred thousand, have him show you the account books!”

Zhao Hanzhang had made up her mind—if Zhao Hu dared to withhold Professor Fu’s money, she’d dare to have Ming Yu audit the accounts.

With Ming Yu on the case, who would dare falsify accounts?

Fu Tinghan was half-believing, half-doubting. That small kiln had developed this well in just over three years?

He called Fu An over. “Tomorrow morning, deliver a calling card to Seventh Great-Granduncle for me, saying I want to withdraw the kiln’s accumulated returns.”

Fu An agreed and went to prepare the card.

The room suddenly quieted. Zhao Erlang scratched his head, looking at his sister in confusion, then turning to look at his brother-in-law. He didn’t understand—why had they both stopped talking?

Hadn’t the money issue been resolved?

According to his understanding, shouldn’t they happily cheer “Yay!” at this point?

Where was Sister’s “Yay!”?

Fu Tinghan looked at the silent Zhao Hanzhang and asked, “You’re very short of money?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, pointing at the diagram. “Building a port is no small expense.”

Fu Tinghan fell silent. He could help with the county office’s expenses, but filling the entire national treasury—he felt he lacked that capability.

Returns all needed time. Even minting money required a process…

Fu Tinghan’s mind stirred, and he couldn’t help looking at Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and nodded at him, confirming his thoughts. “I want to have ‘Zhao’ character coins completely replace old coins. I’ll find more copper mines, refine more copper, and make the treasury wealthier.”

Fu Tinghan was silent for a moment before saying, “It’s not impossible. These are copper coins, not paper currency. They have inherent value, like gold and silver…”

He paused here because he saw Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes light up like the rising sun breaking over the mountaintop, her whole being brightening.

“You…”

—