CHAPTER 313: CHAPTER 307 SHAME

"Alas, she died of illness two years ago. Even if she hadn’t, in such troubled times, it might have been just a matter of time before she was killed by marauding soldiers or starved to death. Dying from illness wasn’t bad, at least she didn’t suffer much."

Zhao Hanzhang felt a pang in her heart. She had to admit, this conclusion made her, the Ru Nan County Governor, feel quite ashamed.

She sighed and said, "I wonder if the officials in the court would feel ashamed upon hearing these words?"

Whether they would feel ashamed or not, Zhao Hanzhang didn’t know for the moment. But as for herself, she felt quite ashamed, and the deeper she went, the more ashamed she felt. Even the usually taciturn Fu Tinghan couldn’t help but remark, "The officials of Great Jin truly are nothing but gluttons and parasites."

Zhao Hanzhang: ...

County Magistrate Gao: ...

County Magistrate Gao almost burst into tears.

Wu Erlang, who was following behind them, heard Fu Tinghan’s frank words and couldn’t stop glancing at him with starry eyes.

Seeing Fu Tinghan’s serious expression, and noticing that none of the accompanying people agreed with him, Wu Erlang finally couldn’t help but speak up, "The lord is right, they are all gluttons and parasites!"

To express his indignation and contempt, he even spat disdainfully.

Zhao Hanzhang and County Magistrate Gao: ...

Fu Tinghan finally reacted, turned his head to glance at Zhao Hanzhang, and said, "You, of course, are not among them."

Wu Erlang was momentarily puzzled until they entered Sui Ping County Town and went straight to the county government, where Zhao Hanzhang sat in the central hall of the county government.

County Magistrate Gao, who had been following Zhao Hanzhang, then turned and instructed the government official, "Quickly call the County Magistrate and Chief Clerk to come and pay respects to the Ru Nan County Governor."

The government official complied and quickly ran to fetch them.

Wu Erlang’s mouth fell open in surprise.

All along their journey through numerous villages, they gained an initial understanding of the people’s situation, and with further review of Sui Ping County’s various account books, their understanding deepened.

Zhao Hanzhang sensed that the people of Sui Ping County had reached a critical point, now merely waiting numbly, and they might, as before, silently and unnoticed, pass this critical point; or, like the people of Yu Yang County, suddenly trigger and explode, directly revolting.

Zhao Hanzhang reached up to rub her forehead and asked, "What are the conditions of the grain shops, wealthy households, and merchants in the county?"

County Magistrate Gao pondered before answering, "There are still some reserves, but..."

He sneaked a glance at Zhao Hanzhang and whispered, "The government can’t requisition their property, can it?"

Zhao Hanzhang lifted her eyelids to glance at him, "Who said I want to requisition their property?"

Right now, she couldn’t even win over the commoners, so why would she want to offend these people?

As long as they abided by the law, they were all her people, and she loved them dearly.

With great affection for them, Zhao Hanzhang decided to do business with them. She immediately penned a letter and handed it to Qiu Wu, instructing him to find someone to deliver it back to Xiping, "Tell Mr. Ji to send some money; Sui Ping County needs it."

County Magistrate Gao’s eyes lit up brightly.

Zhao Hanzhang sighed at him, "Zifan, as we walked all the way here, though the people of Sui Ping are in hardship, they hold no resentment against you. I know you are a good official. I can’t do much to help you, but I hope we can work together to at least ensure the survival of the people."

County Magistrate Gao, whose name is Sheng and styled Zifan, looked back at Zhao Hanzhang with tearful eyes, immensely touched. A young man in his twenties was shedding tears as if they were of no cost. "I knew it, my lady is kind-hearted and wouldn’t sit by while the people suffer. Rest assured, I will give my all to prevent any further loss of people from Sui Ping."

In this Great Jin where a large number of refugees appeared daily, this promise bore significant weight. Zhao Hanzhang also looked at him, moved, "Good! We shall encourage each other!"

Fu Tinghan beside them: ...

He twitched his mouth, averted his gaze, and upon turning aside saw the already dazed Wu Erlang. He simply walked over to him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Let’s go and settle down first."

Ting He came forward to lead him.

To her, Wu Erlang and his three nephews and nieces were all servants purchased by the lady, naturally the same as her.

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t reside in the county government but rather stayed in the post station on the next street. She directly took them to the post station, and seeing they were still in their previously dirty clothes, she took out two strings of coins and handed them to him, "Go buy two sets of clothes, shoes, and socks for yourselves. Equip yourselves with all the necessities, clean up today, and be ready to follow orders tomorrow."

Wu Erlang finally remembered to ask, "Is our master... the County Governor?"

"That’s correct."

Wu Erlang was stunned, "Could it be that I have always been mistaken, that she’s not a lady but a lord?"

But the voice doesn’t fit either.

Ting He shot him a look and said, "Our master is indeed a lady. What’s wrong with that?"

She continued, "Our household is run by a lady; haven’t you heard before? The County Lord of Xiping is a lady!"

"But that’s a County Lord..." Wu Erlang’s eyes widened, "So our lady is the County Lord of Xiping?"

Ting He nodded, raising her chin slightly with pride, "She is now already the County Governor."

Wu Erlang clutched his chest, his eyes gleaming, "If I’d known it was her, I wouldn’t have cheated those two biscuits."

Ting He couldn’t help but shoot him another look.

Wu Erlang snapped back to reality with a jolt, took the money, and immediately dragged his three nephews and nieces out to buy clothes.

He didn’t buy expensive ones, nor did he buy very cheap ones. Instead, he opted for reasonably decent grey hemp clothing, which was slightly better than the coarse hemp they usually wore.

But he took great care in selecting shoes, especially for himself and Dazhuang. He bought good shoes, "You are getting older now, so you can run errands for the master. You need good shoes, while Erzhuang and Sanguni can just wear any old thing."

Dazhuang nodded in agreement.

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan officially moved into Sui Ping County. Fu Tinghan was sorting through Sui Ping County’s data in the Household Department, while Zhao Hanzhang, under County Magistrate Gao’s introductions, met with the county’s wealthy households, gentry, and grain merchants.

Zhao Hanzhang directly negotiated to buy grain from them. Some were straightforward in selling to her, while others hesitated, unwilling to sell, as the wealthy households and gentry were not grain merchants, and during these times, they preferred to keep the grain in their hands.

Zhao Hanzhang advised them, "The autumn harvest is near; by then, your fields will have produce again. What’s the point of holding on to these grains now?"

She smiled and said, "We farm the land not only to obtain food but also to exchange it for other good things. You are not lacking in grain and are already well-fed. Why not use it to exchange for other things and make life more enjoyable and elegant?"

Zhao Hanzhang expressed her willingness to trade paper, books, and glass for grain.

With that, the wealthy households and gentry no longer hesitated and agreed to the deal.

Zhao Hanzhang’s lips curled slightly, as she confirmed the quantities to be traded with them immediately.

Thus, each household prepared their grain.

Zhao Hanzhang then instructed County Magistrate Gao to notify each village chief to come to the county government for a meeting, "Once they arrive, we will determine the relief grain for each village. It might not be much, but it should help them get through these tough times."

County Magistrate Gao was deeply moved, "This official expresses gratitude on behalf of the people of Sui Ping County to the County Governor."