When Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan returned to the county office, they went straight to the study.

Ting He brought in a basin with burning charcoal and placed it under their platform.

Zhao Hanzhang sat cross-legged on the platform writing the Thousand Character Classic. After rubbing her legs, she remembered something. “Didn’t we say we’d make tables and chairs? Why haven’t I seen any sign of them?”

Fu Tinghan answered without looking up, “The carpenters weren’t available.”

“But now that we’ve entered winter, there’s no outdoor work to do.”

Fu Tinghan thought about it and realized she was right. Looking up with raised eyebrows, he asked, “Should we have them try?”

Making tables and chairs wasn’t difficult. The carpenters knew how to make platforms, barbarian stools, and low tables. The tables and chairs Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan wanted were just taller and larger—the craftsmanship was the same, only the dimensions differed.

Fu Tinghan drew them diagrams, and the carpenters could make them from those. Moreover, because they had recently repaired the city walls, there were many leftover scraps of wood that could still be used after planing.

In just three days, the carpenters delivered the finished tables and chairs.

Zhao Hanzhang was very satisfied and had them placed in her rooms. She even had them installed in the front office of the county hall.

The low tables and floor seats in the main hall of the county office were removed and replaced with high tables and high chairs. A set of tables and chairs was also placed at the lower end for receiving guests and allowing clerks to sit while recording.

In this era, the main hall of the county office served more as a reception room than a place for trying cases.

Speaking of trying cases, Zhao Hanzhang suddenly remembered, “Since I took over the county, it seems no cases have occurred. Is our Xiping County really so upstanding?”

Fu Tinghan knew even less about this. As they stared at each other, it was Chang Ning, who had come to watch the excitement, who couldn’t stand it anymore and explained, “Only major cases go to court. Trivial matters can be resolved by the village head. Only those who don’t accept the village head’s judgment, or cases that are too serious, get reported to the office.”

After Zhao Hanzhang took over Xiping County, she had been obsessed with building up the county town, keeping everyone busy. She didn’t even spare five-year-old children, sending them to glean in the fields. With everyone so busy, even if there were conflicts, people resolved them on the spot. Who would take the trouble to go to the county office?

Zhao Hanzhang felt a bit regretful. Although it was good that the common people were worry-free, she didn’t get any sense of being a county magistrate at all.

She had wanted to experience the thrill of presiding over court.

Chang Ning didn’t know what she was thinking. Looking at the tables and chairs she had set up, he frowned and asked, “Why replace them with these barbarian stools and tables?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Don’t you think, Chief Administrator, that high tables and high chairs are more convenient? At least we don’t need to change the floor mats as often. Most importantly, sitting this way is more comfortable.”

Chang Ning’s expression grew somber. He turned to look at Fu Tinghan. “Would Master Fu please sit down and try it?”

Fu Tinghan looked confused but found a chair nearby and sat down.

Chang Ning’s expression worsened. He shook his head directly. “Sitting like that resembles squatting on one’s haunches—inelegant, inelegant. Both the young lady and Master Fu come from aristocratic families. Why would you be as careless about propriety as common people?”

Fu Tinghan looked utterly bewildered, and Zhao Hanzhang also gaped.

But Fu Tinghan genuinely didn’t understand, while Zhao Hanzhang quickly caught on. She said helplessly, “Master, I never thought this would be improper.”

Chang Ning’s expression improved somewhat. Speaking earnestly, he said, “Young lady, although the barbarians do have some admirable qualities, they still fall far short compared to us Han people, especially in matters of etiquette. There’s really no need for you to learn from them, young lady.”

“Some etiquette is excessively complicated and can certainly be discarded. In my view, many barbarian practices are more suitable for current times, so there’s nothing wrong with learning from them and making improvements.”

“While sitting posture may seem like a small matter, it could also become a major issue,” Chang Ning said. “Why would you give others ammunition against you at this juncture, young lady?”

Hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang had originally planned that if the front office found it inconvenient to change, she would just send the furniture back to the fortified estate for personal use. But when Chang Ning said this, she immediately made her decision. “Keep them in the front office!”

Chang Ning was speechless.

He looked at Zhao Hanzhang with incomprehension and shock.

In his mind, Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t a rebellious person. On the contrary, she was very good at listening to others’ suggestions. For matters she wasn’t familiar with, even if they contradicted her original plans, she would accept others’ opinions and make changes.

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Xiping County needs only one voice.”

She would use this small matter of changing furniture to test the voices within Xiping County.

Chang Ning immediately understood. After glancing at the transformed front office, he raised no further objections.

After he left, Fu Tinghan asked, “What’s wrong with how I was sitting?”

“There are three ways to sit on floor mats: one is the cross-legged sitting position we commonly use—casual and comfortable, just fold your legs. Another is kneeling, used to show respect before superiors and elders. And there’s an even more casual way.”

Zhao Hanzhang sat in the chair across from Fu Tinghan and swung her legs. “Just like sitting in a chair now—sitting with legs sprawled out. Scholars consider this improper, but most people in the world sit this way.”

Because compared to any other class, which could match commoners in sheer numbers?

Zhao Hanzhang glanced outside and said, “Right now we need to rely on the Zhao clan and Xiping County’s aristocratic families, but I don’t want to depend on them too much. Later, when we expand our influence, it will be the same—within our sphere of influence, there needs to be only one voice.”

Fu Tinghan asked, “Yours?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “Yes, mine!”

Fu Tinghan smiled and nodded. “Good.”

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t specially promote the tables and chairs. She merely sent a set to her old residence and to her close Fifth Grand-Uncle and a few others.

No one paid much attention to these tables and chairs—it was just a gift from a grand-niece as the winter solstice approached.

That is, until the winter solstice drew near and more and more people came to Xiping County. Some stayed directly at the fortified estate, while others took lodgings in Xiping County town.

After entering winter, the county town, which had been quiet all along, finally became somewhat lively.

Some people brought visiting cards to call on Zhao Hanzhang.

Chief Administrator Chang received them and invited them to the front hall. When the guests entered the front hall, they didn’t react at first, but when they looked for seats to sit down, they were bewildered.

How were they supposed to sit without floor mats?

Chang Ning had received quite a few such guests in recent days. Once again cursing Zhao Hanzhang in his heart, he smiled and demonstrated for them.

He sat cross-legged on the high chair.

That’s right—Chang Ning wasn’t accustomed to sitting with his legs hanging down either. Although he came from a commoner background, ever since he set his mind on scholarly pursuits, he had been learning aristocratic etiquette. Twenty-some years of ingrained habits couldn’t be changed overnight.

Fortunately, these high chairs were made wide enough that he could sit cross-legged on them.

Seeing this, the other guests also sat down cross-legged, though these seats were rather high.

After talking for a while, one guest asked, “Is County Magistrate Zhao not in the office?”

Although Zhao Hanzhang hadn’t been granted an official title, because she had received personal recognition from Prefect He, everyone tacitly acknowledged her as county magistrate.

Chang Ning called over a clerk and asked, “Where is the young lady now?”

“She should be at the mill.”

That wasn’t far—right next to the county office. Chang Ning generously took them to see.

—