When Zhao Hu came to Luoyang, Zhao Hanzhang gave him great face. She not only had someone invite Zhao Cheng and his son back for a meal but also called over Zhao Kuan and the others, planning an evening gathering of Zhao clan members.
Zhao Hu was very satisfied with this. He liked being held up and respected.
Unfortunately, among the clan members in Xiping, aside from the younger generation, there weren’t many in Zhao Cheng’s generation who feared him. It was all Zhao Ming’s fault for constantly causing him trouble, making his prestige in the clan plummet.
Thinking of this, Zhao Hu’s mood soured a bit. He said to Zhao Hanzhang, “Changning in Xiping is too domineering and tyrannical. If this continues, clan members will have complaints about you. Better to replace him.”
Zhao Hanzhang said, “Changning hasn’t made any mistakes. How can I dismiss a county magistrate without cause? I have countless officials under me—disappointing them would be bad.”
Zhao Hu said, “If you can’t dismiss him, then promote him and transfer him away.”
He gave Zhao Hanzhang an idea, “Otherwise, select a clan member to become Xiping’s county magistrate? That way when we have matters, it’s easier to discuss with him.”
Zhao Hanzhang smiled and asked, “Just like when Uncle Ming was in charge of Xiping?”
Zhao Hu immediately stopped talking.
When Zhao Ming was in Xiping, he was even less courteous to them. Whenever Zhao Hanzhang and the Zhao Family Army had matters, they had to pay up.
Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him and sighed, “I know—Changning strictly enforces fairness and has uncovered many long-term workers and tenant farmers that clan members had hidden. In the past, I would naturally stand on the side of my great uncles. After all, the court’s taxes were not only heavy but also arbitrarily added for various reasons every year. If we didn’t hide households, everyone’s lives would be unbearable.”
“But since I took over Xiping, it’s been three years now. Every year we either exempt taxes or reduce levies—there’s never been a case of adding taxes. The hidden households are also willing to come out, so why should my great uncles obstruct them?”
“You haven’t added taxes, but whenever your Zhao Family Army needs grain and funds, doesn’t the clan help you raise them?” Zhao Hu said, “To put it bluntly, just in these three years, the money I’ve given you is enough to pay twenty years of taxes from before.”
“Yes, so Hanzhang’s achievements today have the clan’s contributions within them,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “That’s why my personal troops are called the Zhao Family Army. They exist to protect Yuzhou, but more so to protect Runan. They will protect the people under our governance, but more so protect the Zhao clan.”
Zhao Hanzhang stated directly, “The Zhao Family Army is my Zhao Family Army, but also the Zhao clan’s Zhao Family Army. If one day I die in battle, who will take over?”
Naturally, it would be Zhao Ming.
Zhao Hu lowered his eyes. Or it would be other outstanding members of the Zhao clan. It certainly couldn’t be Zhao Erlang. Having him serve as a general in the Zhao Family Army was one thing, but actually letting him command the entire Zhao Family Army and manage all of Yuzhou and Luoyang—just thinking about it was a disaster.
Zhao Hu’s temper suddenly calmed down, and he rarely said, “Fine, releasing hidden households is releasing hidden households. This way, with more people paying taxes, you can take less money from us.”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded repeatedly with a smile, “Exactly! With many hidden households and fields, taxes are low, and even the soldiers recruited are few. The soldiers guard Yuzhou and the Zhao clan—we can’t let them go hungry.”
“When the army lacks grain and supplies, and taxes can’t be collected, in the end doesn’t it still require my great uncles to contribute?” Zhao Hanzhang said, “So why hide households and fields? Better to set an example and let other families follow suit in clearing hidden households and fields. Fairness can’t only target our one clan, right?”
“Exactly!” Zhao Hu’s spirits lifted, and he immediately sold out his損friend, “You know Yu Sanlang, right? The Yu family is hiding quite a few households, and they seem to have privately raised a militia unit too, right there in the Pingyu area. Hmph, I vaguely heard their family also wants to build a fortified village. What a useless fortified village—do they think fortified villages are so easy to build? Now that Yuzhou is stable with the Zhao Family Army’s protection, do they need to build fortified villages?”
Zhao Hu gave her advice, “Have the Pingyu county magistrate investigate. One investigation and you’ll find everything. Not only should you collect taxes, but also fine them, making them pay back the taxes they owed for the past two years.”
Zhao Hanzhang listened in astonishment and couldn’t help asking the attendant serving tea at the side, “Did Great Master Yu the Third offend Seventh Great Uncle?”
The attendant smiled, “Last autumn, someone discovered hot springs in the mountains outside Xiping—three of them! Great Master Yu the Third got wind of it first and went to buy them from the county office.”
At that time, Zhao Hanzhang was short of money. Yuzhou was being rebuilt everywhere, precisely when large amounts of funds were needed. So Changning put out word that the land would be divided into three sections, one hot spring per section, with the highest bidder winning.
Zhao Hu relied on his kinship with Zhao Hanzhang and only greeted Changning, wanting him to reserve one hot spring, but refused to make a firm price offer.
Changning truly went with the highest bidder.
Great Master Yu the Third bought all three hot springs at high prices, infuriating Zhao Hu to the point he almost went to smash the county office. In the end, Zhao Song stepped in to suppress him.
Changning wasn’t afraid of Zhao Hu. That time when selling the hot springs, he didn’t withhold a single wen—all the money went to buy grain for Zhao Hanzhang to support other commanderies and counties in Yuzhou.
So Zhao Hu always wanted to bring down Changning. Their relationship was very poor.
The attendant hinted, “But our master is even angrier with Great Master Yu the Third. He wanted to build a garden on the mountain. At that time, there were only a few thatched huts, but the thatched huts enclosed the hot springs. Inside, bathing pools were built with jade stone—three in one thatched hut with nothing else inside, just two screens separating them. This winter, Great Master Yu the Third invited famous scholars and literati to the mountain to bathe in the springs and discuss philosophy, which became quite the talk of the town.”
His prestige instantly overshadowed Zhao Hu’s, stealing all the reputation he had just accumulated from showing off wealth.
So Zhao Hu was very angry and nearly broke off friendship with Yu Sanlang. They hadn’t officially broken off because both had money and both wanted to make money from each other—they had always maintained a superficial friendship.
Thinking back to when Zhao Hu first obtained glazed products, the first person he thought of was to turn around and sell them to Yu Sanlang at a high price to make a quick profit.
Zhao Hanzhang looked at Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu didn’t mind the attendant’s hint at all. He was holding his tea bowl, savoring the tea with relish. When the attendant finished speaking, he even asked Zhao Hanzhang, “Do you have any other rare items here? Something I could show off with.”
Zhao Hanzhang racked her brains thinking, then after a moment gave up and instead advised him, “Seventh Great Uncle, resources are limited now, so we advocate frugality. Look at me—I only wear one piece of jade with no other accessories. My clothes are also plain. Even my household meals emphasize simplicity. I heard Uncle Ming in Chen County doesn’t even host friends or drink wine anymore. So I don’t compete with Yu Sanlang in extravagance—we can compare frugality instead.”
Zhao Hu looked her up and down and saw that her outer robe was actually made of coarse hemp, with only the inner garment—judging from the bit of collar showing—appearing to be made of fine hemp. He immediately felt disdainful.
“Earlier I was only focused on looking at the water mill and forgot to look at you. How have you come to live so poorly now, not even having one decent set of clothes?”
—