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“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 55
At the heart of Bingzhou is Taiyuan, and it’s only natural for the newly appointed Governor of Bingzhou to head straight for Jinyang.
If Qiao Yan wants to meet this Governor Zhang, she’ll have to go to Jinyang.
However, she isn’t planning to make a big show of it.
The highest official in Bingzhou is in town, and being a newbie, he’s bound to stir things up in Bingzhou, especially with the currents lurking in Jinyang City. Just from the vibes in the city, you can gauge the situation.
She decided to observe the reactions of those around this governor first and then figure out how to approach him.
So, she set off light and easy.
On this trip, she brought along Xu Fu and Xi Zhicai.
As they rode along casually, she glanced at Xu Fu and didn’t miss the tension in his eyes. “Are you worried about bandits on the road, Yuan Zhi? Can’t you keep us safe?”
Previously, when Zhao Yun officially took the role of County Captain of Leping, he was given the nickname “Zilong.” And let’s not even get into what Chu Yan, the guy trying to claw his way up to Zhao Yun’s position, was thinking. Xu Fu, being of the same age, couldn’t help but feel a bit influenced.
Being called by a nickname means he’s recognized as an adult out there in the world, and that’s a huge compliment.
This didn’t escape Qin Yu’s notice. The next day when he came to the County Office, he announced publicly that he now had a nickname, so feel free to call him Yuan Zhi from now on!
Qiao Yan thought the timing couldn’t be better, otherwise, she’d often be tangled up wondering how to address Xu Fu.
With Leping being just a county, positions are limited, and Xu Fu, currently, serves as a household servant for the Marquis of Leping. She couldn’t exactly call him Xu Shuzi, right? Calling him Yuan Zhi sounds way smoother now.
Xu Fu chuckled wryly, “Your Highness, the fate of ten thousand households in Leping hangs on your shoulders. You’re truly valuable. And Xi Zhicai has so much wisdom that he’s indispensable in Leping. Although I’ve been a wandering knight, if bandits really come…”
He instinctively tightened the grip on the sword at his side, feeling the weight of responsibility.
But admitting he couldn’t handle it directly would tarnish the duke’s reputation, so he didn’t continue.
Xi Zhicai paid attention to Xu Fu’s expression, confirming that he was speaking from the heart, not flattering.
Initially, he admired Qiao Yan and felt the urge to imitate her, hence his willingness to help out. But now, after witnessing her actions in Leping, he saw her more as a savior, much like a lord and his subject.
He smiled, saying, “Worry not, Yuan Zhi. Let’s not forget the route we’re on is the same as the one delivering mulberry bark clothing from the Tang family. Don’t see them as a ragged family in trouble.”
This trade route is regularly patrolled, so no bandits could just pop up here.
Furthermore, the infamous Black Mountain Bandits that once plagued this area have been captured by Leping. Without knowing how Leping restricted this, usual thieves wouldn’t dare step close.
As for the unusual bandits…
The most unusual “bandits” in Bingzhou are the Xianbei and the Northern Xiongnu and Hu tribes lurking north of Yunzhong.
But they wouldn’t just decide to come barreling through Taiyuan.
“Your Highness has always been bold yet meticulous. There’s no way you’d just not take guards to avoid being noticed, putting yourself in a risky situation,” Xi Zhicai added.
As soon as he finished, Qiao Yan clasped her hands toward him, “You understand me.”
“No need to flatter me this time. If I can truly live up to your expectations by helping you navigate Jinyang, then express your praise later,” he waved his hand. “You wouldn’t think I’m just here because I’ve lingered in Jinyang before, wanting help to find a cheap place to stay, would you?”
Qiao Yan valued his sharp judgment that lay beneath his seemingly relaxed demeanor.
Moreover, since they were going to Jinyang, she certainly wouldn’t need to find a place to stay herself.
The Wang family had already sorted that out for her.
And that accommodation wasn’t tucked into the Wang family estate but rather in a row of courtyard houses near a main street in Jinyang.
Though the Han dynasty’s neighborhood system in Luoyang is similar, Jinyang’s streets are slightly wider but the overall vibe remains the same.
In such an environment, if she wanted to keep tabs on the streets from her room, staying in such a place was a no-brainer.
As for why Wang Yang, the head of the Wang family, was so keen on arranging Qiao Yan’s stay—it all stemmed back to his own interests.
Scholar gentry and noble families don’t always stand on the same side, so he needed to gauge Zhang Yi’s attitude towards Bingzhou.
Let’s not forget, the previous Governor of Bingzhou, while technically an administrative head, was mostly a martial general. Such folks are easier to deal with and simpler to read.
But Zhang Yi? He had no military leadership experience and didn’t exactly stand out in his political career like the other governors.
Seemingly ordinary, overthinking things might as well be a preventive measure.
Hearing that Qiao Yan also wanted to evaluate Zhang Yi, Wang Yang was clearly all for it.
Qiao Yan had already demonstrated during negotiations for Hero’s Wine that her sights extend beyond just Leping. She had also caught wind of the Southern Xiongnu crisis in Xihe Commandery and proven her talent for clarifying relationships and reading people’s minds. Thus, her assessment of Zhang Yi naturally held weight.
Additionally, Zhang Yi had never interacted with Qiao Yan. This meant he could easily overlook the scrutinizing eyes watching him.
The Wang family’s servant, tasked with helping Qiao Yan settle in, bowed and retreated quietly.
Qiao Yan then cast her gaze into the courtyard and spotted a two-story building by the outer road.
She climbed up, pushed open a side window, and the sight outside entered her view.
This was the very road connecting north and south through Jinyang City.
The street before her was bustling with merchants, travelers, and the local inhabitants, all passing through this area, making it feel livelier than other streets in the city. From the faces of the passersby, Qiao Yan could easily glean their general identities.
In March, Jinyang had finally shaken off the last gasps of a harsh winter, adding a breath of life to the faces of those moving about.
March…
In the flurry of Leping, she hadn’t even realized…
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Suddenly it hit her—
It had been a whole year since she arrived in this world.
A year ago, she was in Yanzhou, barely surviving in a place overrun by refugees, nearly starving to death, and now, a year later, she was a County Marquis, enjoying the privileges of her status in Jinyang City, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of city life.
This contrast made her feel quite disoriented.
But that brief moment of confusion faded quickly, unnoticed by Xu Fu and Xi Zhicai, who were keenly watching her every move. She withdrew her gaze from outside and said, “When we received the news, Zhang Yi had just entered the Taihang Mountains. His travel time from Linfen to Jinyang should be slower than ours.”
Qiao Yan reached out to Xu Fu, who handed her the scroll from his bundle.
It was indeed a scroll, not a bamboo slip.
During those winter months, while the Tang family continued selling mulberry bark clothing to various places in Bingzhou, Leping had made considerable progress in mulberry bark paper production.
With Cai Lun’s improvements to papermaking and the selection of mulberry bark as the main material, creating usable writing paper rather than the thick garments it used to be was just a matter of time.
Although the smoothness of the paper wasn’t perfect yet, at least it was no longer so fragile that it fell apart at the slightest touch, making it fit for Qiao Yan’s use.
If it weren’t for the need to prioritize life-saving clothing made from the bark, there would surely be more available now.
“Who told you these are my accounting books?” Qiao Yan chuckled, shaking her head. “I’m sitting here in this street-side pavilion, enjoying the lively spring scene of the market. I might as well indulge in a little leisure with some light reading. Don’t think I’m as forgetful as some people when it comes to duties—unlike Zhongde, who would do such a thing.”
Xi Zhicai settled down opposite her. Noticing she hadn’t rejected him, he casually picked up one of the scrolls and opened it to reveal Cai Yan’s handwriting.
“What’s this?”
Qiao Yan responded, “Mr. Bojie has an extensive collection of books. He came to Luoyang in a hurry for a funeral and didn’t have any with him. He has no intention of staying in Leping long and didn’t send any books from the Tai Mountain Yang family, but Zhaoji memorized dozens of them. The ease of writing on this mulberry bark paper allows us to bind them into books, with each scroll taking up no more space than two volumes. It’s a great way to go over the material and enrich Leping’s book collection.”
“…”
If it weren’t for Qiao Yan’s young age, Xi Zhicai would’ve wanted to roast her for exploiting child labor.
But on second thought, having some reading material to pass the time wasn’t so bad. Why stress over it?
“Alright then, with these books to kill time, waiting for the Governor shouldn’t be too torturous.”
But much to Qiao Yan’s surprise, just as she was waiting for the Governor of Bingzhou, another familiar voice, loud enough to reach her ears, caught her attention as dusk approached. The name she heard made her pause in her reading.
The voice exclaimed, “Zhang Liao, wait for me!”
Zhang Liao?
Qiao Yan subtly shifted her gaze from the scrolls to the sunset-lit streets of Jinyang, observing two young men approaching.
The one ahead looked a bit younger, probably around fifteen or sixteen, just like Zhao Yun and Xu Fu.
The one following seemed to be in his twenties, perhaps better labeled as a young man, still carrying a hint of youthful exuberance in his features.
When Zhang Liao spoke, it confirmed Qiao Yan’s guess.
She had keen vision and spotted the slight frustration on the younger boy’s face as he paused and turned around to reply, “Why are you following me? The Prefect’s residence said they won’t take anyone underage. You’re old enough, so why don’t you stay behind?”
As he paused, the older youth rested a hand on his shoulder, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.
They both wore the usual attire of martial artists from Bingzhou, looking quite plain but now adopting a brotherly posture.
Qiao Yan heard the so-called Zhang Zhishu jovially respond, “What kind of talk is that? We’re each from Yunzhong and Yanmen, just ran into each other halfway and can’t stand the attitude of those prefects over there. Since we’re getting a new governor, it’s a perfect time for some high-stakes fun. If you can’t get in due to your age, what’s the point of me going in alone?”
He chuckled and added, “Besides, since we’re both surnamed Zhang, who knows if we branched off from the same family hundreds of years ago? That makes us practically cousins!”
As they continued chatting, they reached the bottom of the building nearest to Qiao Yan, allowing her to clearly see the reluctant expression on Zhang Liao’s face.
His conflicted look—seemingly wanting to say something but holding back—was rather amusing on his otherwise mature and composed face.
But if this was indeed the Zhang Liao she suspected, his hesitation made perfect sense.
After all, his real surname wasn’t Zhang. He was a descendant of Nie Yi from Mayi’s plot, who had to change his surname to Zhang to avoid trouble. So he couldn’t really be considered of the same clan as that Zhang youth beside him.
As for the other Zhang Zhishu…
Qiao Yan was not too familiar with his name, but now that he was with Zhang Liao, narrowing down the identity to his role in Bingzhou’s government was easy.
This was indeed the famed Zhang Yang, who once served as Bingzhou’s Military Officer and was later honored as Grand Marshal for escorting Emperor Liu Xie back to Luoyang!
This guy clearly fit the typical martial general profile and didn’t even pick up on the subtlety behind Zhang Liao’s expression. He was patronizingly saying, “No worries if you can’t serve in Jinyang. With your skills, you could easily rally a team to combat bandits and make a name for yourself. After all, us Bingzhou folks let our fists do the talking!”
“If that doesn’t work out, we can always head to Leping. I heard the County Marquis there is young and the County Captain isn’t any older either. They wouldn’t care about age…”
The two had walked past the window, and their voices faded.
But Qiao Yan caught that last bit clearly.
She raised her eyebrows and immediately closed the scroll she was holding.
History books described Zhang Yang as lacking vision, “He governed regions without true talent, ultimately falling to mere mortals, lacking wisdom to boast of,” but to her, —
This guy had quite the keen eye!
