Chapter 476 - 477: Calculations
Chapter 476: Chapter 477: Calculations
Mrs. Nan Wang, now over fifty, found her mind wandering for a moment as she looked at Jin Qianqian’s still somewhat youthful face.
She knew Prefect Gu wasn’t old, but seeing this young face still stirred a sense of injustice in Mrs. Nan Wang’s heart.
Since she was young, she had been by her husband’s side, enduring every step of his journey from a mere Scholar to his current position.
And now this Mrs. Gu Jin, at such a tender age, could sit with her as an equal. Who knew what great fortune awaited her in the future.
These thoughts flashed through Mrs. Nan Wang’s mind in an instant. She quickly walked over, took Jin Qianqian’s hand, and said with practiced familiarity, "I’ve long heard of the great Ancient Scholar. I never expected we’d have the good fortune to meet like this."
"Mrs. Gu, please forgive me for not inviting you to visit sooner."
...
As a madam who had navigated the social intricacies of official circles for many years, and with a sincere desire to befriend Jin Qianqian, Mrs. Nan Wang found the conversation flowing easily. The two hit it off quite well.
After the family banquet ended and she saw Jin Qianqian and her party off, Mrs. Nan Wang finally went to Prefect Nan’s study.
"How was it?"
Having been married for many years, Mrs. Nan Wang naturally knew what he was asking.
"She’s very clever. Not at all like the village woman of the rumors."
"It seems the information we received before was flawed. No matter what I brought up, this Mrs. Gu Jin could hold her own in the conversation."
"It looks like we’ll have to send someone to Shangjing to make further inquiries from various sources. It’s not good for us when our intelligence gets stale."
Prefect Nan said, "I also think there must be more to the Ancient Scholar’s successive promotions. It’s certainly not that simple."
"You know, ever since the new emperor ascended the throne, he’s been very reluctant to promote civil servants."
"I’ve been in this position for so many years. If I can’t take another step forward before I’m too old, my career will likely end here."
Mrs. Nan Wang wanted her husband to advance as much as he did. "I know. It’s just a pity we have no roots in Shangjing. Any information we try to gather is merely superficial and far too limited."
"I tried to probe a few times today, to see if Mrs. Gu Jin could help our Yue’er make some connections in Shangjing, but she deflected every time."
"Foolish," Prefect Nan chided. "This was your first time meeting. Who would agree to help with something like that?"
"You’re being far too hasty."
"What choice do I have? Yue’er is already of age. If we don’t find a match for her soon, what kind of good prospects will be left?" Mrs. Nan Wang, however, didn’t feel she had done anything wrong.
"We went out of our way to accommodate that merchant from Tian Zhuang, all for the sake of connecting with the Minister of the Ministry of Justice Mansion."
"But after yesterday, I’m sure you’ve also realized, husband, that the connection between Tian Zhuang and the Minister’s Mansion isn’t as strong as we believed."
"I’ve had people ask around repeatedly about what happened. Mrs. Gu Jin doesn’t give the Tian Family the time of day."
"His niece did marry into the Minister’s Mansion, it’s true, but she’s only the wife of one of Minister Huang’s grandsons. The gap between her and the matriarch of the house is enormous."
"Besides, we’re an official family. Associating with merchants like them is beneath our station to begin with."
"In my opinion, we would be better off befriending Prefect Gu. At least he’s young and capable. He might even be able to give us a helping hand in the future."
Prefect Nan fell silent. After a long moment, he said, "So you no longer want Yue’er to marry into a family in Shangjing?"
Mrs. Nan Wang shook her head. "She is our only daughter. I truly don’t want her to marry so far away."
"Besides, are the inner courts of a prominent family really such a good place to be? I’m afraid if something were to happen, we wouldn’t be able to help her."
"If worst comes to worst, we could find a promising young man like Prefect Gu. If he manages to become a scholar and secure even a minor official post, I would be content."
Prefect Nan laughed, partly in amusement and partly in exasperation. "Do you think it’s so easy to become a scholar or an Advanced Scholar? How many people in this world are as lucky as Ancient Wen Heng?"
"But you’re not entirely wrong. As the ’parents official’ of this region, I can look for potential candidates among the scholars. As long as someone has the ambition, and we give them a little push, it’s not impossible to make something happen."
"While they are still here in Le City, you should use this time to build a better relationship with them."
That was exactly what Mrs. Nan Wang was thinking. "In that case, you need to go warn the Tian Family. I heard their young lady went looking for trouble yesterday."
She didn’t get the upper hand in the end, but it’s still an annoyance.
"I will..."
...
Ancient Wen Heng hadn’t expected Zhou Shixiong to be so effective. In just a short period, he had brought him over a thousand men.
’It seems letting Ling San go was quite effective. The enemy wanted to intimidate us, to strike first and put us in our place.’
They just never expected that they would all walk right into a trap, only to be thrown onto the wasteland.
At first, some tried to resist, but Zhou Shixiong’s soldiers were already filled with hatred for these men. Now, with permission granted, they didn’t hesitate to subject them to the same treatment they had once inflicted upon the people of the Rong Dynasty.
Seeing that their captors were serious this time, these cowards, who clung to life and feared death, immediately gave in.
Sometimes, before the whip in hand even swung their way, they would obediently get to work.
With these new laborers, he believed the wasteland around Lu City would be reclaimed in no time.
Although they were only fed thin, coarse-grain porridge, it added up to a significant amount over the course of a day.
’Just keeping them alive by a thread won’t work. We have to leave them some strength to work,’ Ancient Wen Heng thought as he jotted down some calculations, dissatisfied with their performance over the past two days.
’They’re too slow. At this rate, how will we get all the seeds planted before the spring plowing season ends?’
"My Lord, Lu City’s grain reserves are low. We must first ensure the people of Lu City are provided for." He Gaofei, though not a man of great talent, had a good heart and was rather protective of his own people.
Others had been wary of the harsh methods employed by Ancient Wen Heng and General Zhou, some even finding them excessively cruel.
Only He Gaofei spoke up, "Kindness depends on who you’re dealing with! For years, what kind of lives have the people of the border city endured? Are you all really unaware?
"This official feels that Ancient Wen Heng and General Zhou did nothing wrong. We have a saying: ’It is improper not to reciprocate.’ This treatment doesn’t even amount to a fraction of what they did to us."
"Don’t forget, Lu City is our home. When dealing with bandits and robbers, if you’re not thinking about getting even for our own people, how else do you propose we treat them?"
Of course, Ancient Wen Heng’s opinion of him wouldn’t change because of a short speech. Rather, it was because while the man might have his own petty schemes, he had also genuinely accomplished several practical things for the people of Lu City.
Whether his motive was to secure his position as Deputy or to compete with Xiao Yuling, as long as he was useful, Ancient Wen Heng wouldn’t hold it against him.
Ancient Wen Heng said, "I have already sent people to the neighboring prefectures to purchase coarse grains. Tell your men to add an extra two handfuls each time they cook the porridge."
"But the silver?" He Gaofei asked, thinking of the surplus silver in the government treasury.
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "For now, it will all come from my private account. Once the grain is harvested, the treasury can repay me."