“Can strategists ascend to the throne?”
At the foot of the Taihang Mountains, Yang Xiu thought, “If Yang Xiu can run away from home, then why wouldn’t he dare to take a shot at this?”
He considered the strange loop of cause and effect; last time, he challenged Qiao Yan on the street, and now Qiao Yan had thrown him a test.
With Dingzhong Temple’s evaluation of Xu Shao boosting Qiao Yan’s fame, now it was high time for Yang Xiu to shine as he successfully passed this trial!
If he could pull off this corn procurement, he’d undoubtedly earn merit under Qiao Yan’s command—talk about a legit reason to stick around!
With that thought, Yang Xiu confidently declared, “Why wouldn’t I dare? I’ll ensure Qiao Hou gets this done beautifully!”
He had worked hard to get here, and if he was sent back before even reaching Leping, his pals back in Luoyang would never let him live it down.
Besides, he came here to turn around the potential negative image from their earlier duel, so he certainly didn’t want to end up with a failure on his record.
Though he wasn’t being entirely reckless.
He had thought it through.
After pondering Qiao Yan’s mention of gold for the corn procurement, he asked, “May I ask, Qiao Hou, is this ten thousand stone corn purchase just a numbers game, or do we need to ensure that nobody knows this batch is going to Leping?”
Yang Xiu hadn’t directly lived through the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but he knew that, at least when they were leaving Luoyang, chaos was still ongoing everywhere. He had even overheard a conversation between Qiao Yan and Bao Hong about the local safety situation.
So, if they made this food supply too obvious heading to Leping, it wouldn’t be long before bandits showed up to raid it.
Yang Xiu was well aware of Qiao Yan’s underlying needs.
“If we can keep the corn’s destination to Leping a secret, that would be ideal,” Qiao Yan replied.
“Alright!” Yang Xiu said, “I’ll take on this challenge, but I need two things from Qiao Hou.”
Instead of asking for gold upfront to kick off his plan, he made Qiao Yan pleased, “Go on, what do you need?”
“First, since I’m still quite young, if I charge in alone trying to make a deal, people might look down on me, thinking I’m just a kid with gold, easy prey for them. So, I’ll need Qiao Hou and Colonel Bao to lend me a few men.”
Qiao Yan nodded, “I can lend you Dian Wei and ask General Bao for some manpower.”
Yang Xiu hadn’t seen Dian Wei’s skills yet, but his physique and imposing presence had already left a lasting impression on him during their previous encounter in Luoyang. Getting such a helper was undoubtedly beneficial for his plans.
Feeling pleased, he continued, “For the second thing, when we pass through Linfen, I might need to clean myself up properly.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but grimace.
Unsurprisingly, the soldiers around him burst out laughing at that.
Yang Xiu had always lived a life of luxury since birth—when had he ever looked so disheveled?
He was fortunate to have been discovered early; he had only spent a day in the carriage, and even the night before, after the driver fell asleep, he snuck out. Otherwise, he’d probably be in an even worse state.
But even so, he felt as if he had absorbed the scent of burial incense and spices from the carriage.
Two sleepless nights had left him drained.
If he went into a business deal looking like this, he’d surely be underestimated and would likely say something stupid.
So, naturally, he needed to rest up and present himself a little more impressively.
Others could laugh, but Qiao Yan couldn’t afford to do so at that moment. Calmly, she replied, “Once we pass through Zhi Pass, the team will indeed take a short break. I won’t forget this matter, even if you don’t mention it.”
Yang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. “Great! When we reach Taiyuan, I’ll handle this business for Qiao Hou.”
He was relieved not only because he had the chance to stay with the team but also because he could now travel along without a hitch.
He turned and bowed deeply to Qiao Xuan to show his respect and then sat down beside the driver.
Everyone watched as he clutched his newly packed belongings, leaning against the carriage, clearly lost in thought about how to procure this corn at a relatively cheap price.
Cheng Li glanced over at him and asked Qiao Yan, “What makes you think this kid can pull this off?”
Qiao Yan replied, “Yang Xiu received praise from Xu Shao as a clever talent. He does possess some quick wit.”
Cheng Li found the whole scene amusing.
When Qiao Yan praised Yang Xiu’s cleverness, it didn’t sound like she was commenting on a peer; it was more like a senior evaluating a junior, even though they were only a year apart in age.
But such things became easier to digest after seeing it a couple of times, especially since he had witnessed her mentoring Xu Fu before.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
He asked again, “If it were Qiao Hou undertaking this task herself, what would be her strategy to lower the corn price to yield a more satisfactory outcome?”
Qiao Yan chuckled, “I’m assessing Yang Xiu, and now it’s time for Mr. Zhongde to assess me?”
Seeing Cheng Li’s bemused smile, Qiao Yan continued, “Pressing down current prices wouldn’t be feasible. After all, last year’s drought has made reserves scarce, even if I genuinely need them, I can’t just pull that off.”
This wasn’t a matter of ethics, but rather, since she had just arrived in Bingzhou, it couldn’t hurt to start on a good note.
There were a lot of copied behaviors in this world, and she couldn’t just waltz in with a sneaky reputation from the get-go.
She pondered and added, “In that case, we should probably find a solution from the source of the corn.”
If they sourced the corn piecemeal from local farmers, perhaps the cost would be lower, but Qiao Yan was carrying gold, not copper coins. Converting it would take time, not to mention the labor and time costs involved in collecting it.
This would essentially pit them against some locals, which was undoubtedly a recipe for trouble.
If the money was well spent but sparked other issues, it could become quite awkward.
Cheng Li evidently agreed with this viewpoint and asked, “Where do you think is the best source for this?”
Qiao Yan assessed his expression and said, “I reckon Mr. Zhongde already has an answer in mind.”
They exchanged glances and silently mouthed a single word.
The unspoken answer was—
“Wine.”
Yang Xiu thought the same.
If it was a grain shop and they were buying in bulk, price negotiations would only go so far. But what if they switched perspectives and approached it as a winery?
Yang Xiu was no stranger to wines.
The trend for fine wines during the Wei and Jin dynasties had already been taking shape as early as the end of the Han dynasty.
Last year’s poor harvest led to steep wine prices in Luoyang, something Yang Xiu had noted.
With his family background, it wasn’t hard for him to experience fine wines.
Plus, he was well-read and remembered seeing in the Book of Han something about the yield: “Two dou of rice and one dou of wheat can produce six dou and six sheng of wine.”
Using rice and wheat to make wine had over a double return rate.
Considering wine prices often exceeded those of rice, the lucrative nature of the brewing industry was easy to grasp.
Yang Xiu had heard from his grandfather about the former Emperor Xiaowu enacting a wine monopoly similar to salt and iron due to excessive profits from this industry, which lasted for only seventeen years before being repealed but left a clear tax structure thereafter.
In this context, if they wanted the brewing industry to remain profitable, they clearly had to work on pricing for the raw materials.
So, just as Qiao Yan had suspected, Yang Xiu was planning to leverage someone else’s procurement channels.
If feasible, they could directly buy up the grain supplies from the wine shop, which was quite a viable option.
But how to persuade the other party to sell?
This was the problem weighing on Yang Xiu’s mind as he sat in the carriage.
Such social nuance, or business negotiation, was definitely a tough one for him.
Qiao Yan could tell Yang Xiu was muttering about “wine” and could guess his thought process and conflicts. “I estimate he’s on the right track, but…”
“He lacks leverage in negotiations.” Lu Yuan chimed in, “He probably doesn’t want to use his identity as a member of the Yang clan from Hongnong. However, merchants prioritize profit, and they won’t make things easy for him.”
“That makes sense. As for leverage…” Qiao Yan contemplated some historical texts she’d perused, “I might just have something.”
“Have Yang Xiu come see me.”
Yang Xiu was immensely frustrated that before his plan had even begun, he had to admit to Qiao Yan that he was still short on preparations.
But upon hearing Qiao Yan validate that he was thinking along the right lines, his spirits lifted a bit.
However, the moment he saw Qiao Yan glance over, he instinctively straightened his posture.
Qiao Yan: “What’s there to gloat about with a plan that’s not even executable yet?”
Yang Xiu stubbornly retorted, “I’ve seen countless fine wines in the capital; if I get into a winery, I can definitely sniff out the flaws…”
“But how many people can afford the wines you’re describing?”
Qiao Yan’s question immediately shut him up.
In fact, wine was definitely a luxury product now; ordinary folks getting a hold of cheap wine was already quite an accomplishment. How could they dream of those fancy wines Yang Xiu had seen?
Even in this context, both the Cao Wei and Shu Han factions had implemented wine bans during the national period.
For the current wineries, receiving improvement suggestions from affluent guests from Luoyang didn’t hold any value; the practical move was clearly to enhance their brewing techniques.
During the Northern Wei period, Jia Sixie wrote an agriculture technique book called the “Essential Techniques for the People,” detailing eight methods for making wine yeast and over forty brewing methods.
Qiao Yan wasn’t a machine; how could she possibly memorize all that?
But there was one brewing technique she vaguely remembered.
In actual history, this method of brewing named the Jiuyun Spring Wine Method was invented by a county magistrate from Qiao County in Pei State. It became known only after his death, later reaching Cao Cao, and eventually offered to Emperor Xi of Han, Liu Xie, where it was then promoted under the rule of Cao Wei.
This brewing method later gained a nickname—Supplementary Fermentation—meaning instead of adding all the raw materials at once, they were added in nine stages during a fermentation cycle, resulting in richer wine without increasing costs and providing greater competitive advantage over others.
From what Qiao Yan recalled, her father, who was the Prefect of Rencheng, had encountered this county magistrate. Although Qiao Yu wasn’t fond of wine, he was rather impressed by it. The one jar they had bought would only come out on festive occasions for light drinking.
If they intended to use the wine shop’s procurement path to buy corn at a low price, that was certainly a solid bargaining chip.
But since they had this chip on hand, Qiao Yan thought it felt a tad wasteful to use it just for a one-off grain purchase.
It would be better to seek a long-term development strategy.
In her mind, this reflection was a comprehensive consideration for the subsequent plans. Yet for Yang Xiu, this seemed a signal that he might be sent back home.
He quickly said, “If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll think of other ways!”
He definitely didn’t want to be sent back to Luoyang!
But the next moment, he heard Qiao Yan say, “No, I don’t think your direction is wrong. Mr. Zhongde and I were considering this approach too; it’s just we were a bit unprepared.”
“I need you to handle two tasks.”
Upon hearing there was work to be done, Yang Xiu sensed the possibility of sticking around. “What do you need?”
“First, I want you to procure enough food for over two hundred people for a month, and also buy enough ceramic wine vessels and grain for brewing. You can estimate the quantities yourself.”
That was essentially a math problem, and Yang Xiu could certainly handle that.
“The second task is to hire two people, preferably those with some knowledge about the brewing trade in the market.”
Qiao Yan added, “The cheaper, the better.”
While professing to think long-term, initial expenses couldn’t be too high.
After hearing those two sentences, Yang Xiu began to guess her thinking.
Yet despite that, he couldn’t help but ask again, “If I manage these two tasks well, does that mean I get to stay?”
Qiao Yan gave a very secure answer, “If your grandfather sends someone to find you, that’s another matter.”
But for Yang Xiu, that statement sufficed.
As long as the people sent by his grandfather didn’t knock him unconscious straight away, Yang Xiu felt he still had some wiggle room.
After crossing over the Houma and Linfen areas, Yang Xiu applied to Qiao Yan for funds to complete these two tasks, also keeping the books he had taken from the Grand Commandant’s residence with her.
Of course, once those books were in Qiao Yan’s hands, she swiftly passed them on to Cai Yong, claiming it was inconvenient for her to store so many texts, thereby giving him something to occupy himself with.
Perhaps she didn’t need to go through all this trouble; Cai Yong had already started pondering what inscriptions to write on the ding’s inscription for Qiao Xuan, so he surely wouldn’t find this convoluted route too boring.
Qiao Yan also thought so.
Traveling from Linfen to Taiyuan took them between two mountains; on the left was the Lüliang Mountains, and on the right stood the Taiyue Mountains. The basin between these two mountains unfolded along the Fen River tributary.
She gazed at the scenery on both sides, the Yunzhong Mountain peaks were vaguely seen, while the nearby rivers displayed a lush countryside in the summer, starkly contrasting with the scenes from Yanzhou and Jizhou—it was like a totally different world.
Though beneath this natural beauty, there were undoubtedly no singing and dancing throughout, the scenes before her eyes made it hard to feel the previously tense state she had maintained while in Luoyang.
At least there aren’t any power struggles among the factions in the court here, so Qiao Yan can save herself some headaches.
Of course, compared to her lightheartedness, Yang Xiu looked a lot more tense. The earlier procurement mission fell through, and he knew he had to handle the two remaining tasks with utmost care.
With that thought in mind, once he entered the territory of Taiyuan County, he headed straight for Jinyang, with the people assigned to him by Qiao Yan in tow.
In modern times, there’s a little story about qualified and unqualified employees doing the same investigation. Yang Xiu may be young, but he’s definitely of the qualified sort.
Determined to finish all the tasks in Jinyang in one go, he meticulously recorded the conditions of the rice and wine shops in the city before diving into procurement and recruitment matters.
When he returned to rejoin the group and report back to Qiao Yan, he couldn’t help feeling a bit proud of how well he could answer her questions.
After Qiao Yan wrapped up her inquiries, he introduced the people he had recruited.
Two of them were laid-off workers from a wine shop in town due to poor management, so negotiating their wages was relatively straightforward. Besides, whether they worked in Jinyang or Leping, it was all a bit far from home, and considering the cost of living, the pay he offered fell well within their acceptable range.
“And there’s one I got for free.”
Seeing Qiao Yan frown at this, Yang Xiu quickly explained, “I didn’t pull any strings or bully anyone. This guy isn’t useless; he just happens to be a drunkard who claims he can brew wine.”
Following Yang Xiu’s gesture, Qiao Yan spotted a disheveled young man with a wine flask hanging from his waist, who showed signs of drunkenness but had a spark of clarity in his eyes, clearly not the type to sell himself out while tipsy.
Perhaps it was Qiao Yan’s imagination, but she felt this guy might not just be your average drunk.
Driven by her intuition, and after Yang Xiu boasted about this person’s impressive understanding of the brewing industry, she asked, “What’s his name?”
Though curious why Qiao Yan seemed interested in a drunkard, Yang Xiu replied, “He claims his name is Zhi Cai, but he isn’t some kind of wise and talented person; he’s never earned a single character in his life. The surname is a bit rare, but I recall that in the Spring and Autumn period, Xun Shou was granted the fief of Zhi, and later generations adopted Zhi as their surname. It’s quite fitting here in the Jinzhong area.”
Zhi Cai? Now that’s a peculiar name.
But hearing Yang Xiu’s explanation, Qiao Yan chose not to pry further.
She figured once they settled in Leping, she’d jot down her recollections about the supplementary fermentation technique and leave the matter in Yang Xiu’s capable hands.
Not only would this provide him a chance to gain experience, but it would also help keep things orderly.
With Qiao Yan’s approval, Yang Xiu felt an unexpected wave of relief wash over him.
Focused as he was, he couldn’t help but entertain other thoughts.
For instance…
Even though he grew up in a noble family in Luoyang, he hadn’t had any exposure to archery or horsemanship so far, and given his age, both Yang Ci and Yang Zhen would naturally be protective of his safety and wouldn’t dare let him get involved too early.
Now that he was temporarily safe from being sent back, he thought he might as well give it a try. If Qiao Yan could ride, why should he be stuck sitting in a cart? He was falling behind her and should seize the opportunity to learn!
Bao Hong was practically overwhelmed by Yang Xiu’s whims.
Having to bring along a grandson of the current Grand Commandant already put him in an uncomfortable position, and now Yang Xiu wanted to learn horseback riding? Was he supposed to be an accomplice in this craziness?
He was just an innocent lieutenant! Why did he have to take on so much?
Casting a desperate glance toward Qiao Yan, he found her engrossed in discussions with Cheng Li, clearly oblivious to the predicament he was in.
Qiao Yan was secretly amused to pass this problem onto someone else. After all, thanks to the roundabout route they had taken, Bao Hong didn’t need to worry about an ambush from the Black Mountain Bandits, so it made sense to put his extra energy to good use.
Once they passed Jinyang, they wouldn’t be too far from their final destination, Leping, and he just had to endure for a couple more days.
Long before Yang Xiu went to Jinyang for supplies, the Taiyue Mountains had already started to trend downward along their route.
Once towering over 2,500 meters, the Taiyue mountains had given way to rolling hills as they veered eastward, leading them straight to Leping.
As they reached this point, Bao Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He could already foresee that he would be able to report the task of safely delivering Qiao Xuan’s remains to Leping as completed.
That certainly relieved some pressure.
To the south of Jinyang, the Dongwo River, which flowed west into the Fen River, almost paralleled the route they had taken. Beyond that river lay the northern mountains of Zhan County, and just beyond those mountains was Leping.
During this journey, with reminders from Qiao Yan about bandits lurking in the Taihang Mountains and discovering Yang Xiu in Qiao Xuan’s cart, Bao Hong faced an immense amount of pressure. When he saw the somewhat barren northern mountains, he felt as if he had stumbled upon a celestial paradise, almost losing his composure with excitement.
But when he turned to look at Qiao Yan, he noticed that the usually composed Marquis of Leping seemed a bit restless, likely due to the impending arrival in her own domain.
This certainly added a touch of realism to the situation.
Indeed, Qiao Yan felt a ripple of emotion as they approached Leping.
Beyond the northern mountains lay the territory she now held. No matter how composed she tried to appear, it was impossible to remain completely calm at this moment.
This was her land.
East of the northern mountains, west of the Taihang, north of Shangdang, and south of Yangquan.
This was Leping.
As the mountain path twisted and turned, the landscape of Leping finally revealed itself to Qiao Yan.
It was undeniably a land that, compared to Jinyang, was a bit less bustling, yet still radiated a sense of hope.
Leping…
Originally a county seat, the highest official in Leping was the county magistrate.
But since Qiao Yan was bestowed the title of Marquis of Leping, following the tradition of establishing fiefs at the county level in the Eastern Han, Leping could also be referred to as Leping County State. Besides the Marquis having the highest authority within the fief, the executive head of this place would be upgraded from county magistrate to State Chancellor of Leping County.
This position, Qiao Yan intended to hand over to Cheng Li, who was quite capable in internal affairs.
Of course, it wasn’t simply about her making the appointment and calling it a done deal.
Whether due to the Marquis founding a state or inheriting it, this position required loyalty to the Han Dynasty first and foremost.
Just like the State Chancellors of the Jinan and Jibei, who were directly appointed by the central government with a salary of 2,000 dan.
While the salary of a Chancellor of a County State was slightly lower, it shouldn’t be overlooked—managing a county with thousands of households was no joke, so the appointment certainly couldn’t be made carelessly.
Otherwise, if the Marquis appointed someone without experience or competence just because they had a good relationship with them, it would likely lead to public outrage without accomplishing much good.
However, Qiao Yan’s situation was relatively special—Liu Hong had recognized her talents, and given that Leping was not particularly large, she received special permission from Liu Hong before leaving Luoyang.
She could propose candidates for consideration and appoint the State Chancellor in a manner similar to the Recommendation for Filial Piety and Integrity.
Fortunately, given Cheng Li’s contributions during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, securing this position shouldn’t be too difficult.
In Qiao Yan’s view, it was only by granting the Chancellor position that she could accept Cheng Li coming to Bingzhou Leping with her instead of remaining in Yanzhou to make use of his talents.
Moreover, beneath the Chancellor, the original military affairs of the county were handled by the county captain. Now called the County State Captain, this official and their subordinates formed the local law enforcement and defense forces.
Naturally, this position also needed to be submitted to the court for approval.
However, compared to the Chancellor, Qiao Yan found this position a bit more complicated.
If she were to consider combat power, the strongest warrior around her would undoubtedly be Dian Wei. But Dian Wei was more suited as a bodyguard rather than a commanding officer over the lower ranks.
Asking him to decide who should patrol and who should capture criminals on this vast territory was honestly a little unfair to him.
Fortunately, that wasn’t a decision that needed to be made immediately.
Aside from the Chancellor and the County State Captain, the other positions were those Qiao Yan could directly decide, including the places for her household retainers, house administrators, and representatives for diplomatic outreach, as well as positions responsible for managing the treasury and official documents.
In short, these retainers made up the core workgroup under Qiao Yan’s jurisdiction in Leping, dispersing to handle the taxes from the local citizens.
Qiao Yan had likely assessed the people she brought to Leping for these roles.
But before matching people to positions, she had to face the issue of transferring power once she arrived in Leping.
The former county magistrate, deputy magistrate, and county captain all had their positions shifted due to her arrival, with seals and yearly accounts already collected in the main hall.
The former county magistrate, from Qiao Yan observed, seemed entirely unfazed by the reassignment; in fact, he appeared somewhat relieved.
Noticing this slightly unusual smile, Qiao Yan kept it to herself, simply listening as the magistrate said, “You’re quite fortunate, Lady Qiao. Leping has a registered population of 9,400 households, with another 600 residing up in the mountain villages. If Leping’s own population had exceeded 10,000, that would have been a real bother.”
This was easy to understand—noble titles in the Eastern Han were not assigned based on the actual population of counties, but rather the number of people the court decreed.
In such circumstances, if Leping’s original population exceeded 10,000, Marquis Qiao wouldn’t be able to claim ownership of all of them but would have to split based on her entitled proportion of households.
If the surplus households were still too many, the existing management team in Leping could stay on, but they might need to assign different names to the residents under their jurisdiction.
However, if both parties are within the same region, friction might arise due to jurisdictional issues. The differences between the County State and county governance could potentially lead to discrepancies in tax duties, and it’s easy for contention to result from unequal treatment.
If the surplus households were not numerous, reallocating them to neighboring Taiyuan or Shangdang might present difficulties, given that the topography in Taiyuan was quite peculiar—East of Leping were the Taihang Mountains; to the north lay Mount Wutai, and south and west were undulating hills, making it impractical to transfer households across county lines.
So, the magistrate was correct; she was lucky.
Qiao Yan felt fortunate too; the scenery she had encountered while traveling from the Taihang Mountains to Leping was distinct from that of Yanzhou, Jizhou, and Luoyang. While it wasn’t bustling, to have arable fields and mountains to rely on in such turbulent times was indeed a rare treasure.
And regardless of the magistrate’s motive, he had organized all the necessary records before her arrival, saving her a lot of trouble.
Qiao Yan exchanged a glance with Cheng Li, the newly appointed State Chancellor of Leping, allowing him to peruse the documents while she addressed the magistrate, “Thanks to His Majesty’s kindness towards my youth, he granted me this safe haven. However, I must trouble you to inform me of the key individuals and important matters to manage this County State effectively.”
Though the former county magistrate had heard of Qiao Yan’s rise to power through her contributions during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, witnessing her practical approach only deepened his admiration.
Realizing Qiao Yan, despite her title, did not act proud or aloof, but rather sought a cooperative atmosphere for this transition, a genuine smile spread across his face.
“With your heart, Lady Qiao…”
Just as he was about to finish his statement with “the people of Leping are fortunate,” a county clerk rushed in, interrupting their conversation.
The clerk said, “There are two people outside claiming to be old acquaintances of Lady Qiao, requesting to see you.”
Old acquaintances?
Qiao Yan didn’t have many.
She had a hunch that the only possible visitors were Xu Fu, who had gone to visit their mother in Yingchuan after their previous encounter. Having conveyed his judgments, he had likely received her approval and come here now.
As for why it was two people, either he brought a friend along or his mother had decided to accompany him.
If it was the latter, that would undoubtedly be good news for Qiao Yan.
Though Xu Fu hadn’t excelled academically and only knew a few words, what she valued most about him was his character, which undoubtedly stemmed from his family upbringing.
Losing his father at a young age meant his mother had heavily influenced him.
Qiao Yan had previously pondered how to guide sharp but mismanaged minds like Yang Xiu’s.
Cai Yong was a decent educator, but undoubtedly not a qualified life mentor—just look at how his interpersonal relationships ended up! With bandits like the Black Mountain Bandits lurking, Qiao Yan didn’t have extra time to spare.
On the other hand, if Xu Fu had brought his mother along, that might serve as a potential “educational specialist.”
With her thoughts spinning but not revealing anything on her face, Qiao Yan simply said to the county magistrate, “If they’re my old acquaintances, I’ll go see them.”
She stepped outside and immediately spotted Xu Fu.
As soon as he saw Qiao Yan, he hurriedly approached and bowed, saying, “Lady Qiao, please don’t mind. I brought my mother along, and we took longer on our journey. Thankfully, we arrived safely.”
Qiao Yan glanced behind him but didn’t see his mother. Instead, a young man stood there holding a spear, exuding a certain radiant confidence, and she asked, “Where is your mother…?”
Xu Fu replied, “Mother is in the carriage behind. Hearing you had just entered the county, she wanted me to hurry.”
After speaking, he gestured toward the young man and said, “Please allow me to introduce someone to you.”
“Earlier, my mother and I were near Changzhi when we ran into bandits, and it was thanks to this righteous man that we were saved. He hails from the Changshan region in Jizhou and has true mastery of spearmanship. He mentioned he has urgent matters to discuss with the local magistrate, so I invited him along.”
Upon hearing “Jizhou Changshan,” Qiao Yan’s heart leaped.
As soon as Xu Fu finished speaking, the young man, merely fifteen or sixteen, stepped forward and formally greeted, “I am Zhao Yun of Changshan, honored to meet you, Lady Qiao.”
