“Governor, the aristocratic officials in Yuncheng don’t lack money. What you consider excellent wine house fare is merely ordinary in their eyes, because they can eat it frequently. Compared to Gou Dajiang’s spending, they won’t think you’re being very sincere.”
In their eyes, Zhao Hanzhang and Gou Xi were equals. They didn’t understand Zhao Hanzhang’s daily life, so they would use Gou Xi’s lifestyle as a reference.
Zhao Hanzhang thought spending big money to take them to restaurants showed she valued them, but in their view, Zhao Hanzhang had only treated them to an ordinary meal.
So rather than pursuing luxury, it was better to pursue elegance.
Ming Yu put it simply and bluntly, “Governor, you are now the third person in Dajin. Aside from His Majesty and Gou Xi, you are second only to one and above ten thousand. Therefore, whatever you personally present, if you say it’s priceless, then it is priceless.”
Zhao Hanzhang understood. “So the tea I bring is rare in this world and invaluable. The tea set I present is a rare complete set, also invaluable. Osmanthus cake represents refined vulgarity becoming elegance, and peach blossoms represent rustic charm.”
Ming Yu smiled and nodded. “Precisely.”
Zhao Hanzhang was enlightened. “Impressive, Master Ming. You’re truly skilled at reducing expenses.”
The two exchanged glances, both smiling like foxes.
Ting He hurried in, bowing as she reported, “My lady, Tan Shen and Zheng Xiao, whom we met this morning at the Grand General’s Mansion gates, have delivered their calling cards. They’re currently at the gatehouse.”
Zhao Hanzhang’s smile faded as she nodded. “Invite them in. I’ll receive them here at Master Ming’s quarters.”
Ting He acknowledged and left.
Zhao Hanzhang explained to Ming Yu, “When I went to the Grand General’s Mansion today, these two happened to be seeking an audience with the Grand General as well. I saw they looked haggard, as if they had some difficulty.”
Ming Yu said, “Governor, this is Yuncheng. I know you’re kind-hearted, but you must also be cautious. Not everyone who comes seeking service brings genuine intentions.”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “That’s why I’m asking Master Ming to help me discern.”
Ting He led two middle-aged men over. Upon entering the room, before Zhao Hanzhang could speak, both men knelt down, their foreheads touching their hands, respectfully saying, “We pay our respects to the Governor.”
Zhao Hanzhang was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, “Please rise. Sit down and speak.”
This was the Jin Dynasty. The kneeling bow was a very heavy courtesy, typically reserved only for facing the sovereign, one’s parents, or deeply respected elders. Ordinary people wouldn’t perform this ritual.
However, Tan Shen and Zheng Xiao didn’t rise. Instead, they lifted their heads and, still kneeling with legs together, bodies leaning back, and hands on their knees, sat in this kneeling position.
Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help glancing at Ming Yu, pointing to the mat across from her. “Come sit here. It will be easier to talk.”
Tan Shen and Zheng Xiao exchanged glances before rising and respectfully kneeling on the mat opposite her.
Zhao Hanzhang didn’t waste words, saying directly, “Please speak, both of you.”
Seeing that Zhao Hanzhang didn’t even express a hint of doubt and directly allowed them to state their case, both men’s eyes simultaneously reddened. Their hearts felt both sour and bitter, yet deeply moved. Why hadn’t they encountered Zhao Hanzhang at the beginning?
Tan Shen steadied his emotions before saying, “In response to the Governor, this humble one is Tan Shen from Le’an County in Le’an Commandery. Our Tan clan is a minor family in Le’an. Thanks to our ancestors’ legacy, the clan has sacrificial fields to support a school, allowing clan children to read and write, but that’s as far as it goes.”
His face flushed red with embarrassment, but he continued, “Our Tan clan descends from horse slaves. Our ancestor was a horse slave in the imperial stables during Emperor Heng’s time. Later, he was fortunate enough to redeem his freedom, and by chance arrived in Le’an County, where he worked in the county office tending horses. Because of this background, our clan’s children have never been able to obtain official rank evaluations. When we attend rank evaluation banquets, the Minor Prefect won’t even see us, let alone the Middle Prefect or Major Prefect.”
“So the most accomplished person in our clan is my cousin Tan Jian. He served as a clerk in the county office, merely a lowly unranked official. Because he performed his duties well, the Le’an County Magistrate promised him that when the Deputy Magistrate retired, he would let him take over as Deputy Magistrate,” Tan Shen said. “For this, his family spent considerable money, nearly depleting their resources. The clan felt terrible about this and voluntarily took on the expense.”
“We spent over two million six hundred thousand coins and finally secured the Deputy Magistrate position. But just after he took office, new tax assessments were distributed from above, including three newly added taxes. Spread across each commoner, each person had to pay ninety-eight coins more than in previous years. For a family of five, that meant an additional four hundred ninety coins, and most families had more than just this many people.”
“This tax was too heavy. The common people simply couldn’t afford it. Tan Jian spoke with the County Magistrate, saying we should appeal to higher authorities to reduce this portion of the tax.” Tan Shen’s eyes reddened as he spoke. “But these three taxes were personally demanded by the Governor. How would the County Magistrate dare to protest?”
“The county office personnel demanded that each neighborhood chief collect the taxes. This humble one, though lacking in ability, am precisely such a neighborhood chief, overseeing the people under my jurisdiction. Some families sold their daughters, some fled overnight with their belongings, and two families, truly desperate with no way out, the entire household hanged themselves…” Tan Shen said, “They’re all neighbors, including relatives from our own clan. Truly having no alternative, we paid on their behalf first.”
“We passed the checkpoint for our neighborhood, but what about other places? I’m merely a neighborhood chief and can’t manage so much, but Tan Jian was the Deputy Magistrate—he couldn’t ignore it.”
“He finally persuaded the County Magistrate, and together they went to find the Commandery Governor. But the Commandery Governor was also unwilling to offend the Provincial Governor, so he didn’t agree to the tax reduction. By coincidence, during that time the Provincial Governor was hunting nearby in Le’an Commandery. The County Magistrate took Tan Jian to find the Governor. On this trip, neither of them returned.”
Tan Shen wept. “The Governor somehow heard about my paying the taxes on behalf of neighbors and said we used clever words to gain favor, harboring malicious intentions, and wanted to confiscate our entire Tan clan. Finally, we scattered all our family wealth, begged people close to the Governor to speak for us, and presented treasures to the Governor on our behalf. Only then did the Governor believe we weren’t paying taxes on behalf of neighbors—we had merely loaned them money to get through the crisis temporarily, and we charged high interest. We weren’t trying to win people’s hearts.”
Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help grinding her teeth, asking, “And then?”
Tan Shen smiled bitterly. “When Magistrates Wang and Liu attacked Qingzhou, rebellions broke out everywhere in Qingzhou. The Governor retreated again and again, happening to retreat to Le’an Commandery. He was convinced our Tan clan would also rebel, so he sent troops to surround us, intending to annihilate us as rebels.”
Zhao Hanzhang’s face had become expressionless. She asked, “How did you survive?”
“I gave him all the Tan clan’s fields, residences, and shops, plus our Tan clan had two trade routes and three merchant caravans that could continue earning money. Only then were we ‘pacified.’ However, the Governor wouldn’t allow us to continue living in Le’an and relocated our entire clan to Yuncheng.”
Tan Shen said, “On the road, whenever we encountered enemy troops and they engaged in battle, we tried to escape. But with so many people, we couldn’t all flee together. Once scattered, roughly half managed to escape, though their fates are unknown. Of the remainder, aside from those who died on the road from warfare or illness, eighty-two people arrived in Yuncheng with the Governor.”
“I originally wanted to petition the Grand General to show mercy and allow us to return to our ancestral home in Le’an,” Tan Shen bowed deeply. “But now, I wish to petition Governor Zhao to take pity on us and allow us to relocate to Yuzhou.”