Early the next morning, news of Chang Ning’s promotion to Xiping County magistrate spread throughout all of Xiping County. Zhao Hanzhang used her commandery commandant’s seal to give Chang Ning not only an appointment letter but also wrote an announcement, directly posting it on the announcement wall outside the county office.
She personally wrote this announcement, explaining her reasons for promoting Chang Ning and expressing her thirst for talent.
Now the Xiongnu had moved south, Luoyang was besieged, and Yuzhou had also fallen into warfare. Half the year had already passed, and the Grand Administrator had shown no intention of conducting rank evaluations. Therefore, each region’s urgent need for talent could only be resolved locally.
Zhao Hanzhang stated that Runan Commandery urgently needed various talents. Talented people like Magistrate Chang could not be buried.
Therefore, she hoped that people of talent and virtue who saw this announcement could recommend themselves to her. She would then set some questions to test them and conduct interviews. As long as they could answer her questions and pass the interview, regardless of their status or family background, she would sincerely employ them all.
When the announcement was posted, the county magistrates and gentry who hadn’t yet left were shocked. So Chang Ning, who had been Magistrate Chai’s advisor and had never been ranked, had suddenly become their equal?
No, that wasn’t right. Now that Zhao Hanzhang had moved the commandery seat to Xiping, Xiping County had become the metropolitan county. His status was even higher than theirs.
Everyone looked toward Magistrate Chai with complex expressions.
Magistrate Chai was also stunned for a moment, then felt Chang Ning’s luck was just too good. Zhao Hanzhang had actually given up the position of Xiping County magistrate just like that?
While both inside and outside the county town were shocked by this announcement, Zhao Hanzhang rode out on horseback with her people, calling out to Magistrate Gao waiting at the city gate, “Magistrate Gao, let’s go.”
Magistrate Gao ran forward somewhat excitedly, looking up at Zhao Hanzhang on her horse. “Is the Commandery Commandant really going to our Suiping County?”
Zhao Hanzhang made an affirmative sound and asked, “What, is Magistrate Gao reluctant to leave?”
“No, no, no, we are leaving, we are leaving. This humble official will follow right away.”
Other county magistrates who were also about to leave the city stepped aside one after another, watching as Magistrate Gao mounted his horse and rode to Zhao Hanzhang’s side.
Zhao Hanzhang nodded to the county magistrates and instructed, “You should also return to your counties as quickly as possible to pacify the people and do well with the autumn harvest.”
The county magistrates bowed in agreement.
Zhao Hanzhang kicked her horse’s belly and took the lead.
Fu Tinghan followed, then Qiuwu and Magistrate Gao followed behind them, and the attendants also followed one after another.
Seeing that Zhao Hanzhang traveled with over twenty mounted riders, the county magistrates exchanged glances, their thoughts varied.
Twenty-some riders didn’t seem like many, but this was just an ordinary journey. Even a commandery governor would find it difficult to bring over twenty riders—most would have a few horses with a group of attendants running behind.
The former commandery commandant had died, and Zhao Hanzhang had directly moved the commandery seat to Xiping, bringing only two commandery office officials while leaving all other functionaries in Quyang.
Yet for an ordinary journey she could bring out this many soldiers and horses, showing she had quite a few horses at her disposal.
Horses, in this age, were more important than people.
If people were gone, one could just shout at any roadside—as long as you had grain to offer, you could recruit as many people as you wanted. But horses were different.
Who could shout on the street and summon a horse?
At this moment, the county magistrates gained an initial understanding of Zhao Hanzhang’s military strength and wealth.
No one dared disobey a superior with soldiers and horses.
The county magistrates exchanged glances and silently got in their carriages to leave.
Zhao Hanzhang led her people racing toward Suiping. After entering Suiping County, she immediately felt a difference.
She slowed her horse’s pace, and Fu Tinghan and the others also slowed down.
Zhao Hanzhang let her horse walk slowly forward. In the fields on both sides, green soybeans were faintly visible among the weeds. The rice in the fields also grew poorly. Most importantly, some rice paddies had been cut here and there.
This was the critical time for weeding and fertilizing, but there were hardly any people in the fields.
Just moments ago in Xiping County, there had been quite a few people working in the fields along the road.
Zhao Hanzhang saw someone in a distant field. She turned her horse toward them, and Magistrate Gao quickly followed.
Before their horses arrived, the person in the field heard the commotion, looked up, saw so many people riding horses toward him, his face changed, and he turned to run…
But how could a person outrun a horse? Moreover, their speed wasn’t fast. After running just a dozen or so steps, he stumbled and fell into the field with a splat, covered in mud.
Zhao Hanzhang jumped off her horse and, not minding the water in the field, jumped down to help him up. “Old sir, are you alright?”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him up, only to discover when she raised him that the person who had moved slowly and stumbled, appearing thin and hunched, was not an old man but a young man.
Zhao Hanzhang quickly corrected herself, “Are you injured, friend?”
The other person stared at Zhao Hanzhang with alarmed suspicion, his arm trembling slightly under her hand. His gaze moved past Zhao Hanzhang to the attendants behind her, his face turning even paler. “Who, who are you?”
Fu Tinghan also dismounted. Seeing the man still sitting in the field and Zhao Hanzhang apparently unable to pull him up, he frowned slightly and also stepped into the field, wading through the water to help pull the person up. “Are you alright?”
Zhao Hanzhang shook her head slightly at him and smiled at the young man, “We’re just passing through and wanted to ask you for directions to Suiping county town.”
Magistrate Gao wanted to say he knew the way, but before he could speak, Qiuwu pulled him back.
Magistrate Gao’s excited heart cooled, and he slowly realized—Zhao Hanzhang was investigating public sentiment.
So he said nothing more and stood honestly by the field.
The young man heard they were asking for directions and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He carefully examined Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan, especially Zhao Hanzhang, because she was a woman. His wariness decreased slightly. After standing properly, he pointed to the main road they had just come from and said, “Follow that road straight ahead. If you’re walking, turn left around evening time, then keep walking straight and you’ll arrive.”
Magistrate Gao: …Liar. Clearly you need to turn several more times to arrive. How could you possibly reach it with just one turn?
Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan helped him to the field ridge. Seeing he was soaked through, they smiled and nodded, “Thank you, friend. You’re wet—go home quickly and change your clothes.”
The young man didn’t care at all. He simply grabbed his clothes and wrung out the water, patted them, then continued wearing them. “We don’t worry about such things.”
He looked woodenly at Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan, waiting for them to leave.
But Zhao Hanzhang wouldn’t leave. Instead, she curiously looked in the direction he had run from and asked with a smile, “May I ask your name, friend? Is that field you came from yours? I see the crops are growing quite well.”
The young man frowned at them, becoming somewhat wary. Zhao Hanzhang had already waved to Ting He behind her, who immediately brought forward a small bundle.
Zhao Hanzhang took a baked flatbread from the bundle and handed it to the young man. “I see your complexion is poor, and your stomach keeps growling. Are you hungry? Would you like to eat a flatbread?”
The young man stared at the flatbread in Zhao Hanzhang’s hand, his eyes glazing over, unable to look away.
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