After half a year, Zhao Hanzhang returned to Chen County.

Zhao Ming led the officials from both the Provincial Governor’s Office and the Commandery offices out of the city to welcome her, giving Zhao Hanzhang, the Provincial Governor, full respect.

When the two groups met at the city gate, both sides were excited. On Yuzhou’s side: Our Administrator has finally returned! The territory has expanded again—now the Luoyang area is all ours, and most of Henan Commandery is in the Administrator’s hands. Can Sizhou be far behind?

The people Zhao Hanzhang brought back felt like they were returning home in glory under Zhao Ming and the others’ welcome—except for Zhao Hu.

He lifted the carriage curtain and looked out, then snorted and told the driver to go ahead into the city first.

The driver wanted to but didn’t dare, so he kept his head down trying to persuade, “Great-Uncle, how about we wait a bit more? The young lady is talking with Young Master Ming.”

“Are you my family’s driver or hers? I told you to go, so go!”

The driver looked conflicted and hesitant, carefully leading the horse forward two steps. Zhao Hanzhang had already turned back, approaching with a smile. “Seventh Great-Uncle, we’ve arrived. It was a hard journey. Let’s enter the city.”

Zhao Hu snorted and told the driver, “Let’s go!”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded to the driver, who then drove the carriage past Zhao Hanzhang and the others, entering the city first.

Everyone watching frowned slightly. Zhao Ming also disapproved, discreetly glaring at Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang raised her head and smiled at him, then mounted her horse and led everyone into the city.

Wang Shi was pacing circles at home. She had also wanted to go out of the city to welcome her daughter, but Zhao Ming sent someone to say it wasn’t appropriate for her to leave the city, so she could only stay home.

Upon hearing hoofbeats, she immediately turned and strode toward the door, meeting her daughter right at the main gate. Wang Shi’s face bloomed with a brilliant smile. “Sanniang!”

Zhao Hanzhang quickly approached, carrying her riding whip. “Mother…”

Wang Shi grabbed her and looked her up and down, tears suddenly filling her eyes. “Luoyang isn’t far from Chen County. After the warfare ended, you and Erlang could have come back to visit. Do you know how worried I’ve been?”

She also complained about Zhao Hanzhang not letting her go to Luoyang—otherwise she could have gone to see for herself and been reassured.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and let her turn her around to inspect, waiting until she finished before saying, “I’m perfectly fine. I already wrote to tell you. There are still scattered remnant soldiers and bandits on the roads now. I was worried about your safety not letting you go to Luoyang. Look, haven’t I come back now?”

Wang Shi looked behind her and, seeing Fu Tinghan, quickly asked, “Tinghan wasn’t injured, was he?”

Fu Tinghan smiled and shook his head. “No, I stayed in the rear. Very safe.”

Wang Shi breathed a sigh of relief, looking around before asking, “Where’s Erlang?”

“Erlang is guarding Luoyang,” Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “We worked so hard to take Luoyang—we can’t let it be occupied by someone else.”

Actually, Zhao Erlang had stayed behind to lead people in digging mud and building irrigation channels.

Wang Shi thought about it—indeed, they couldn’t let the hard-won Luoyang be taken by others. She quickly pulled Zhao Hanzhang toward the courtyard. “Come, Mother had the kitchen make you delicious food. Erlang had someone write saying you were struggling terribly, not even having meat to eat.”

Zhao Erlang didn’t know many characters, let alone how to write them. So it was his attendant Lu Hu and Zhao Cai who wrote the letter for him. In it, he complained profusely about having no meat to eat.

This made Wang Shi’s heart ache terribly. She sent money to Zhao Hanzhang several times, but it didn’t improve their living conditions much. Zhao Hanzhang had used all that money for other purposes.

Zhao Hanzhang patted her hand. “I really did miss Mother, so I rushed back to see you first. But right now Uncle Ming and the others are still waiting for me. I need to go see them first. I’ll come back later.”

Wang Shi stopped, looking at her with heartache.

Unable to bear it, Zhao Hanzhang quickly said, “Mother, Tinghan and I only brought one set of clothes back—we’re lacking many things.”

Wang Shi’s spirits lifted immediately. “I’ll arrange everything for you. Just wait.”

With that, she called over Ting He and Fu’an who were following the two, took them and the luggage, and hurried off energetically.

Zhao Hanzhang breathed a sigh of relief before heading next door to the Commandery office on the next street to see Zhao Ming and the others.

That’s right—the Commandery office was literally just this close to her Provincial Governor’s office.

Currently, only Wang Shi lived in the Provincial Governor’s office, with official business basically all handled at the Commandery office.

Zhao Hanzhang strode toward the Commandery office. Zhao Ming and representatives from various commanderies had arrived. Xun Xiu, Mi Ce, and Wang Nie had come in person, and Ji Ping, Song Zhi, and others were also present. Seeing Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan enter, they immediately stood to salute.

Zhao Hanzhang walked to the head seat and raised her hand. “No need for excessive courtesy. Sit down and talk.”

Zhao Hanzhang sat down, and only then did everyone take their seats separately. Fu Tinghan’s position was to her lower left, directly across from Zhao Ming.

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Let’s begin. Where should we start?”

Her gaze swept around and settled on Zhao Ming. “Commandery Magistrate Zhao, you go first.”

The summer harvest had ended, and the general situation in each commandery was clear. Zhao Ming currently managed Runan Commandery and Liang State. Among them, Runan Commandery was in the best condition. Liang State was somewhat worse, but last year they had rushed to plant a crop of winter wheat, and this year the millet was also sown at the right farming time. Although there was some drought, it was still within controllable limits.

Especially in some areas where work-for-relief programs had cleared river courses and irrigation channels, timely irrigation was achieved, so the harvest was quite good.

This year they began collecting taxes, though with some reductions and exemptions.

“Taxes in both regions were reduced, and the common people paid quickly. Currently, there are no people who lost their land or left due to paying taxes.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded with satisfaction and warned everyone, “We expended great effort to gather refugees and settle them into farming peacefully. So I absolutely will not allow localities to impose excessive levies and drive the people to abandon their land and leave.”

Her gaze swept over the representatives from each commandery, saying sternly, “If I discover anyone outwardly complying but inwardly defying, during my time in Chen County these coming days will be your last chance to voluntarily confess. After this deadline, anyone I investigate and uncover will face severe punishment without leniency.”

Everyone quickly bowed in acknowledgment.

After the threat, Zhao Hanzhang’s smile returned as she praised both commandery-states for doing well and hoped other commandery-states would learn from Runan Commandery and Liang State.

Then she continued listening to reports from other commandery-states.

After hearing reports from representatives of ten commandery-states, considerable time had passed.

Zhao Ming nodded to a servant, then said to Zhao Hanzhang, “Administrator, everyone is also hungry. How about we eat while we talk?”

“Very well.”

The servants went down to bring up food.

Each table had two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and one soup. Considering most present were military men, Zhao Ming had the kitchen place a basket of steamed buns at each table.

White flour buns, pure white and flawless—just the smell was enticing.

After washing her hands, Zhao Hanzhang picked one up. Soft and springy, she felt it would be delicious even without eating it.

She bit into it with a moved expression, chewed a few times, but then sighed sadly, “Too extravagant~”

Zhao Ming, who had already reduced the meal portions again and again: …