“Can a strategist really not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 102
Cheng Li saw the victorious figure returning from the capital and couldn’t help but smile at the reminder of the name change.
He recounted his dream of holding up Mount Tai to Qiao Yan, and her nonchalant response was enough for Cheng Li to feel reassured about his choice.
In his mind, among the ignorant masses who were unworthy of conspiracy, Qiao Yan stood out as the most deserving ruler to follow.
And she definitely didn’t disappoint; with a misstep in the capital meaning total ruin, Cheng Li didn’t know how she had strategized every move, but when the results were clear, the process didn’t seem all that important.
She had indeed proven she had the qualities to be that “sun.”
The position of Bingzhou Shepherd and the Marquis of Leping were two completely different concepts.
The Marquis of Leping meant she could establish a county-level rule, but that was merely a social elevation, a title to be called “Your Grace” by everyone.
But Bingzhou Shepherd meant being a local leader, someone with real power in hand.
This signified that the Son of Heaven had already placed her among the trusted ministers, no longer just someone who needed recognition for subduing the Yellow Turban chaos.
Thanks to Qiao Xuan’s protection, she was well on her way to developing her own independent political force.
Now, to put it bluntly, while the Black Mountain Bandits and White Wave Bandits might affiliate with her because they saw a meal on the table in Bingzhou, the poor and humble would take a chance on her, but well-educated individuals from noble families would never abandon their chances to work under her.
Unless, of course, like the Wei family of Hedong, they found themselves in a dire situation, begging for her help in a temporary alliance, or someone like Yang Xiu, driven more by competitive spirit than by foresight…
However, in an environment where noble families monopolized education, it was essential to draw people in, regardless of how risky it might be.
With the position of Bingzhou Shepherd available, no matter how long Qiao Yan could hold it, the subordinate positions held tangible political capital.
And this felt like a cloud lifting, revealing sunlight.
The name change was indeed a good omen.
Cheng Li, or rather Cheng Yu, asked another question: “Does Your Grace not fear others thinking you have ulterior motives?”
Cheng Yu was not a Han official, so he boldly asked this.
He genuinely felt that the Han dynasty was beyond saving.
With the emperor solely fixated on power struggles, he never once considered how burdensome the taxes he imposed were on the common people. Likewise, officials only cared about power dynamics within their domains, and talk of eliminating eunuchs and achieving peace was merely for the benefit of the noble class.
While the wealthy hid their populations and bandits plundered freely, with the people having no land, this wasn’t an environment that could be changed just by talking about restoring the Han!
He saw Qiao Yan’s ambition and felt an immense relief to witness such a mindset at this time.
So he was both pleasantly surprised by Qiao Yan’s achievements and concerned about any fallout from the exposure of certain matters.
But all he heard from Qiao Yan was, “Mr. Zhongde, you’ve misunderstood. If I, Qiao Yan, dare to adopt this name, it’s to embody the rising sunlight of Yanyu. With Bingzhou awaiting rebirth and the bandits needing to be dealt with, we must show the magnificence of the daylight. How can we not make this change?”
This was a sound explanation to present to the world, while also reassuring her internal audience.
Cheng Yu understood the implication in Qiao Yan’s words and replied, “Then I will faithfully follow your command, Your Grace.”
“We still need to work hard,” Qiao Yan said, handing him the paper outlining various positions to fill, sighing, “These vacancies need your and Xi Zhicai’s decisions.”
Cheng Yu took the paper and saw empty spots for officials like the personnel officer, six districts’ personnel officers, chief advisor, as well as various positions like monitoring posts and assistant officials.
As Qiao Yan said, it was definitely a situation lacking personnel.
Previously, in Leping, they felt a bit cramped, but now it felt like there was plenty of space, bringing Cheng Yu a mix of comfort and urgency.
As the assistant of the shepherd and the governor’s right-hand man, he really had to step up.
“There’s one more thing you need to pay attention to,” Qiao Yan said, showing she had no need to hide anything in this matter, “The Jia Xu I brought back from Luoyang, famous back in Liangzhou, lauded for his talent akin to Zhang Liang and Chen Ping. However, he’s always adhered to the principle of wise self-preservation, avoiding the spotlight. I don’t want to rush him into changing his ways just yet, but I’d like you to keep an eye on him.”
Qiao Yan’s slightly suspicious pause was quite telling and amusing.
Cheng Yu had an inkling of the type of person Jia Xu was; reflecting on his own long absence from service, he could take a guess at Jia Xu’s mindset. But clearly, Jia Xu was much more wary about his life.
“I’m afraid unless the situation remains stable, he won’t speak up until his life is at stake.”
“That’s alright,” Qiao Yan was quite tolerant toward this strategist known for his cunning, “What’s needed in Bingzhou now is his experience in governance, not his strategizing skills. We have plenty of time ahead.”
Hearing Qiao Yan say this made Cheng Yu feel relieved. “Then I’ll take him off your hands.”
Even if Jia Xu seemed to be slacking off in light of his talents, Bingzhou was starved for talent, and he couldn’t alleviate the workload. Sooner or later, he’d coax out the old fox’s true colors.
If all else fails, he could always grab a couple of Jia Xu’s sons to help out.
In Qiao Yan’s mind, Jia Xu’s eldest son, Jia Mu, had also come to Leping; having served in several county governor roles and even briefly as the governor of Hedong, he seemed to have some talent for management, so starting from a junior position wouldn’t be out of the question.
When Xi Zhicai arrived in order, he saw Qiao Yan at the table, pen in hand yet hesitating, as if contemplating something.
Previously, she was strategizing to navigate the political landscape; now, she was figuring out how to utilize people to her advantage, and it looked significantly more relaxed.
Of course, when Qiao Yan mentioned appointing Xi Zhicai as her chief advisor, right under Cheng Yu, Xi Zhicai felt much more at ease.
When he had suggested the meritocracy system, he lamented that the salary of about six hundred stones was barely enough, but now…
The position of shepherd had replaced that of governor, and the salary was higher than that of a governor—now truly two thousand stones at par with the princes, and as his assistant, Cheng Yu’s position was about twelve hundred stones, very much inferior to two thousand. The chief advisor, equal to the Chancellor’s long advisor, was one thousand stones.
Qiao Yan’s appointment not only granted him a legitimate office but also nearly doubled his salary.
Moreover, as the second-in-command under the shepherd, the personnel authority that came with the position would often bring in substantial benefits.
“`html
That doesn’t mean Xi Zhicai has to pull any shady moves; it’s just that a province that’s too clear of water has no fish. Unless every Prefect in the county has been swapped out for Qiao Yan’s people, there’s bound to be some profit from these exchanges.
It’s easier for his superior to get promoted alongside him than for him to strive for it himself.
Unfortunately, tasting this kind of sweet deal again anytime soon seems rather unlikely.
Xi Zhicai collected his thoughts and spoke to Qiao Yan seriously, “This time, the Marquis of Leping getting the Bingzhou Governor position had some strokes of luck involved. If you want to make this position last, you need to remain vigilant even in peace.”
“Previously, the Marquis was just the Count of Leping, stuck in a county and often acting recklessly. The Yanzhou Qiao family was eager to put distance between themselves and her, cautiously observing her situation. Occasionally, they’d send letters with careful wording, keeping their distance while appearing respectful, which shows they have hopes for the family but dared not send someone over in case it backfired on the Marquis.”
“But now, it’s a whole different ball game. The Marquis has the Emperor’s favor and is appointed as the head of a province; even if the Qiao family isn’t in Bingzhou, they should recognize the winds of change. His Majesty holds the Marquis in high regard, and they must confirm that the Marquis still represents the Qiao family, standing proudly as a beacon of their lineage rather than a lone wolf.”
“This relationship needs to be maintained but not too close; otherwise, the Marquis would no longer be the Emperor’s loyal minister. The way the Marquis handled the past was pretty good—neither too close nor outright rejecting, but never truly seeing herself as a lone minister severing ties. The past three years of mourning served as a reasonable excuse to limit interactions, but now, she can’t cut off connections completely.”
“I won’t meddle too much in family matters; the Marquis knows what’s best.”
Qiao Yan nodded, replying, “Rest assured, sir.”
During the Han Dynasty, splitting up families was actually encouraged to boost tax revenue from the common folk, so if Qiao Yan wanted to reduce connections logically, it wouldn’t be hard.
But as Xi Zhicai said, this refusal didn’t mean total severing of ties.
Family ties are part of social dynamics, and they add some warmth to the ruler’s persona.
“Currently, in terms of official positions, the Qiao family only has Qiao Zhao and Qiao Rui. However, Qiao Rui has joined the Yuan clan as a lieutenant, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to interact much. I intend to write to Qiao Zhao, asking if he’d be willing to send his younger daughter to Leping for schooling, to be a companion to Zhaoji, what do you think, sir?”
Xi Zhicai replied, “That’s a graceful move, Marquis.”
This is both a gesture of goodwill while keeping the connection loose.
“Also, I have a task I’d like to entrust you with.” Seeing Xi Zhicai approve of her previous action, Qiao Yan continued, “Previously, we only focused on Leping and didn’t need to be familiar with the strong clans in Bingzhou, but that’s not the case anymore.”
“With the new Governor in place, influential folks will certainly come to pay their respects, but we need to establish who’s an ally and who’s an enemy—who should go first and who should stay behind. We can’t let this province turn into a social parlor.”
Since it’s the management of people in the office, assigning this to him would be a job perk.
Upon hearing what Qiao Yan said, Xi Zhicai didn’t explicitly accept or refuse but simply chuckled, “To be honest, before I came here, someone mentioned that if the Marquis needed assistance, she could be of help. Since the Marquis has this contention, then why should she shrink back?”
Qiao Yan could guess who he meant and, deep in thought, said, “Have… have Lu Yuan come see me.”
Since she had settled her position, it was also time to inform Xi Zhicai during his relay to find someone.
When Lu Yuan entered, Qiao Yan saw her looking bright and clear-headed, unfazed by the idea of sharing her concerns with her.
Initially, Qiao Yan had intended for her to be a clerk, but now temporarily occupying the position of chief scribe, clearly, she was not misassigned.
Before discussing the reception procedures, Qiao Yan first saw Lu Yuan bowing to her, saying, “I shouldn’t have hidden this from the Marquis earlier, but it doesn’t matter now. I hail from the Lu clan of Wu County, specifically the Huating Lu family.”
“Your family elders are…?”
“My father is Lu Jining.” Seeing that Qiao Yan still looked puzzled, Lu Yuan continued, “My father’s name was Kang. Years ago, he was recommended for his talents by the Yanzhou governor and served as the magistrate of Gao Cheng County, which is in Ji Province where he arranged my marriage to the deputy man of Xiaquyang.”
“During the Guanghe years, my father was repeatedly promoted to the Governor of Wuling, later serving in Guiyang. He was dismissed after making suggestions to the Emperor regarding the bronze statues, and then, due to the chaos in Lujiang, he was reinstated as the Governor there. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, I was worried about my father’s reputation, so I never mentioned it.”
Qiao Yan didn’t feel pressured by Lu Yuan suddenly revealing her background as Lu Kang’s daughter, the elder sister of Lu Zhu and the aunt of the famous general Lu Xun; she simply shook her head and sighed, “Why would you do that?”
Lu Yuan replied, “Indeed, I shouldn’t be burdened by thoughts that tarnish the family’s honor. That’s why I’m here today, asking the Marquis to entrust this matter to me, and I will handle it properly.”
Her determination made Qiao Yan clap in amusement, “Alright, with your ambition, I will certainly support you. I’ll return to Leping for now, and within three days while Lord Cui organizes his gear, I need to know what sort of personnel I should acquire, but after three days, I want to see an answer.”
Since she’s going to do this, she had to bring enough skill to the table.
Lu Yuan didn’t hesitate and immediately agreed.
Having delegated a significant task, Qiao Yan felt a sense of relief. The next person she needed to meet was…
Just as she was pondering this, Xu Fu’s voice called from outside, “Marquis, someone is asking to see you, claiming they want to self-recommend.”
Self-recommend?
“I just told Zhongde I needed more hands, and here someone is volunteering.” She chuckled with Lu Yuan and stood up, heading outside.
This self-recommendation, whether the person had planned this earlier or was just drawn to it now that she held the Bingzhou Governor title, it didn’t matter as long as the person was genuinely talented.
As she walked, she asked Xu Fu, “What do you think of this person?”
Xu Fu replied, “This person claims to be from Wuyuan.”
Given the distance between Wuyuan and Taiyuan, it didn’t seem likely they’d just decided on a whim to come over, so they must have thought this through beforehand.
Thinking of this, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but regard him with a higher opinion.
Seems like this person has some insight.
But hearing “Wuyuan” also triggered a vague sense of unease or suspicion in her.
Xu Fu remained oblivious to Qiao Yan’s thoughts and continued, “He claims his name is Lü Bu and that he has the strength to lift a tripod and fight five tribes. After seeing you defeat the Xiu tribe, he was deeply impressed and immediately resigned from his minor official position to seek military service under you, Marquis.”
“His claim doesn’t seem unfounded; given his physique, he truly does look like someone who can fight tigers and chase wolves. If you worry he might be exaggerating, just send someone to test him.”
Qiao Yan instinctively came to a halt.
Hearing the name Lü Bu, she knew that if there was any lying going on, there wasn’t; this guy’s claim of fighting five tribes might even be an understatement.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but think at that moment—
Thank goodness she doesn’t have a chief scribe position open under her, or she would have had to play the role of Lü Bu’s foster father!
“`
