Fu Tinghan was quite busy, actually. Though at this moment he wasn’t terribly busy—he was currently reading Jinyang’s local gazetteer.
A place’s county and provincial gazetteers could reveal many things: roads and transportation, mountains and rivers, cultural customs, even mineral resources could be glimpsed from county and provincial gazetteers.
Most local gazetteers could only be seen locally and were only kept in government offices.
Zhao Hanzhang could have people from other places submit local gazetteers, but not for Jinyang.
Submitting local gazetteers—even thinking with one’s toes, one would know her intentions were ill. Moreover, her relationship with Liu Kun had always been somewhere between superior-subordinate and alliance; he wasn’t completely her subordinate.
So Fu Tinghan could only look himself.
For instance, finding an appropriate excuse to go to the county office, then casually flipping through the county and provincial gazetteers when seeing them, borrowing the pretext of loving books and understanding local customs to take a look.
County and provincial gazetteers like these—when you specifically seek them out, they arouse suspicion, but when you just casually flip through them, no one takes it seriously.
Liu Kun at this moment didn’t think much of it and even smiled at Fu Tinghan, who was holding a book. “If Young Master Fu has anything he wants to know, he can ask me. Why expend such effort?”
He also hinted obliquely, “It’s rare to come to Jinyang. Young Master Fu might as well accompany Hanzhang to walk around, appreciate Jinyang’s scenery, and experience the local customs.”
“What’s seen in books is ultimately shallow; it’s not as profound as personal experience.”
Fu Tinghan’s eyes flickered slightly. He closed the book in his hand and smiled. “Alright, then tomorrow I’ll ask Hanzhang to go on an outing, looking around everywhere.”
Liu Kun felt he was receptive to advice and enthusiastically introduced several places he thought very suitable for excursions, though none were where Fu Tinghan wanted to go.
Indeed, places with mineral resources seemed to have ordinary scenery, saving him considerable indecision.
While Liu Kun was discussing Jinyang’s mountains and rivers with Fu Tinghan, Zhao Hanzhang had already escorted Xu Run back to the military camp.
Upon arriving, the gentle smile on her face diminished somewhat, leaving only a faint smile as she watched the carriage.
When Zeng Yue firmly requested Xu Run to descend from the carriage, she sat on her horse, watching coolly.
Xu Run raised his head to meet her indifferent gaze and knew this wasn’t the time to make a fuss. Otherwise, with Liu Kun not here—no, that’s not right. Xu Run looked left and right, discovering that even his attending servants were gone. His face immediately paled.
Wasn’t he like a sheep entering a tiger’s mouth, his life and death entirely in others’ hands?
Xu Run tremblingly raised his foot to descend from the carriage.
Zhao Hanzhang dismounted and quickly walked toward the main tent.
Zeng Yue turned sideways to Xu Run. “Young Master Xu, please.”
Xu Run gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
Zhao Hanzhang sat in the main seat and had someone summon the military physician.
Xu Run hadn’t expected she would really call a military physician to examine him. For a moment he was somewhat dazed, thinking she would directly arrest and interrogate him.
When the physician’s rough fingers touched his pulse, he suddenly snapped awake, his face turning deathly pale.
The physician raised his head to glance at him, his expression somewhat puzzled, not knowing why he was suddenly so frightened. But it was only for a moment—the physician had finished taking the pulse.
The physician, due to having many daily patients, had one major characteristic: speed!
Fast diagnosis, fast prescriptions, and even suturing and cutting were fast!
He’d long learned how to quickly capture effective pulse readings.
He told Zhao Hanzhang, “This young master has contracted a cold, either from eating cold things or being stimulated by cold wind or water. Fortunately, his body is strong. As long as he keeps warm and takes two doses of medicine, he’ll recover.”
He added, “His current pallor is from being frightened.”
At this point, he looked at Zhao Hanzhang with some disapproval, hinting obliquely, “Commander, not all young masters can bear to see blood and gore. You should be more mindful in daily life.”
Zhao Hanzhang: …
She immediately looked at Xu Run with a half-smile, asking, “Can Young Master Xu bear to see blood and gore?”
How dare Xu Run say he could?
This world had many perverts, especially among the nobility, with perverse incidents one after another. He feared Zhao Hanzhang also had some hobby, so he quickly shook his head.
Zhao Hanzhang curved her lips. “As Jinyang Magistrate, how can you not bear to see blood? Working under me, except for academic officials, all others regardless of civil or military must be able to handle weapons on horseback and soothe the people while implementing policy on foot. With Young Master Xu like this, I can’t easily grant an official position.”
Xu Run immediately said humbly, “Xu’s talent is meager and learning shallow, unworthy of great use. How dare I seek an official position?”
“But I saw Young Master Xu quite enjoyed being Jinyang Magistrate?”
Xu Run broke into a cold sweat, not daring to speak for a moment.
He knew—Zhao Hanzhang was settling accounts.
Zhao Hanzhang indeed was settling accounts, saying bluntly, “Young Master Xu, I am someone who speaks frankly. You are unsuitable for official service.”
Xu Run repeatedly said “Yes.” At this moment, preserving his life was most important. How dare he argue whether he was truly suitable?
Seeing him like this, Zhao Hanzhang sighed. “Your appearance and learning are both excellent, and with Yueshi’s opportunity, why would you engage in such petty behavior, without a shred of backbone?”
Xu Run felt ashamed and angry for a moment, his face flushing bright red. He finally stopped pretending to be meek. He raised his head to look at Zhao Hanzhang, his eyes full of resentment. “Commander Zhao’s actions are upright, yet why did you go to such lengths to deceive me and Inspector Liu?”
“Oh? Did I deceive you?”
Seeing Zhao Hanzhang’s infuriatingly smiling look, Xu Run’s mind went blank, nearly jumping up to point at her nose and curse.
But at the last moment, his love of life still reclaimed his rationality. He glared hatefully but said nothing.
Only then did Zhao Hanzhang say leisurely, “I promised Yueshi I would treat you well, and I will certainly treat you well.”
The smile fell from her face as she said coolly, “You lack the character and learning for official service, but your music is truly excellent. Talent should be in the right position to display its strengths—this is proper use. So I want to invite you to teach students music at the Imperial Academy.”
“My Imperial Academy students are bright and cheerful, modest and studious, loyal to their sovereign and caring for the people. I only hope that after going to the Imperial Academy, you can progress together with the students. They can learn one or two parts of your musical talent, while you can also learn from their character.”
Xu Run first froze, his heart filled with the joy of surviving disaster, then felt ashamed, provoked by Zhao Hanzhang’s words until his face flushed red.
Under her gaze, Xu Run felt stripped bare, truly seen through inside and out. This not only made him ashamed and angry but also raised goosebumps.
Therefore, he no longer displayed the gentle compliance he showed before Liu Kun. His whole body was like a porcupine wanting to strike back.
If Xu Run were a normal scholar or ordinary person, being so humiliated by Zhao Hanzhang, he would have long since committed suicide by sword. But he wasn’t, so he silently endured it.
His ability to endure was beyond Zhao Hanzhang’s expectations. Ming Yu, who’d been hiding behind the screen, felt his hair stand on end. After Xu Run was led away to recuperate, he immediately emerged and advised Zhao Hanzhang, “Commander, this person cannot be kept. To endure such humiliation—even if he’s a petty person, we should be on guard and kill him immediately!”
Zhao Hanzhang slowly shook her head. “I promised Yueshi and him. Unless he commits an offense, I will never settle old scores.”
Ming Yu wanted to say more, but seeing the insistence on her face, he contemplated briefly then showed he understood, immediately bowing. “Yes!”
—