Chapter 412 - 406 Indulgence
Unfortunately, the timing had already been lost, so Fu Zhi suggested that the emperor take control of the gates of the Capital City, then shut them firmly and refuse entry to Prince East Sea.
The emperor hesitated. Although he currently had twenty thousand troops, there were more people left in the Capital City by Prince East Sea. He didn’t think his forces could defeat them, and when the time came...
Upon thinking this, the emperor became timid and thus did nothing, allowing Prince East Sea to return to the Capital City. Naturally, the newly drafted imperial edict was intercepted by Prince East Sea again.
What a joke! If the emperor appointed Zhao Hanzhang as the Yu State Governor, what would that make the person who only just fought a battle with her?
Therefore, Zhao Hanzhang’s official appointment disappeared again. In front of the civil and military officials, she, as the Yu State Governor, wasn’t a legitimate one, allowing anyone to attack her under the guise of quelling a rebel.
Leaving aside people from other states, even within Yu State, there were quite a few who were eager to act.
However, most of them were merely harboring rebellious intentions; they were not daring enough, after all, Zhao Hanzhang was someone who could defeat the Xiongnu.
But the downside of not having an official appointment gradually became evident. Except for Chen County in Liang State, Ru Nan County controlled by the Zhao Family, Ruyin County without a governor, and Yingchuan County, which she had paid special attention to before, other counties and states were not very obedient to her orders.
When Zhao Hanzhang’s orders were issued, they accepted them but did not follow them, and some counties and states directly returned her official documents and blatantly expressed their non-compliance.
Receiving the returned official documents, Zhao Hanzhang was not anxious and, after putting them aside, focused on governance within the four counties and states she had thoroughly mastered and incidentally subdued the relatively obedient Nanyang State, which was caught in the middle.
The five counties and states once controlled by He Ci Shi were Liang State, Ru Nan County, Ruyin County, Yingchuan County, and Nanyang State, while the remaining five counties and states were pulled over by other forces, especially Gou Xi.
Although nominally belonging to Yu State, they were practically under Yan State’s command.
Zhao Hanzhang, after taking over Yu State, had been probing the intentions of various counties and states, and by this time, she had found out.
The counties and states that He Ci Shi hadn’t mastered, she couldn’t grasp in the short term; whereas those that He Ci Shi had already controlled, she still needed to subdue.
Among them, Nanyang State, which always peacefully stayed in its corner, caught Zhao Hanzhang’s eye.
This county and state were interesting; He Ci Shi ordered various counties to support Chen County, and it did send troops, but only a small number to idle at the rear, led by a deputy.
Oh, Nanyang State was the fief of Prince Nanyang.
Zhao Hanzhang then recalled this and understood why it was always so aloof.
Nonetheless, since Prince Nanyang wasn’t within the fief at the time but in Chang’an, Zhao Hanzhang sent a letter to the governor of Nanyang State, asking him to pacify the people and provide famine relief like other counties and states, bringing any difficulties to her.
Of course, whether she would agree and to what extent was another matter.
With Zhao Hanzhang’s orders came her grain and money aid to various counties and states, and she was exceptionally generous, generous enough to deplete all the money in her hands.
Ji Yuan and Fu Tinghan, vaguely guessing something, remained silent, waiting for her reaction.
Jin State’s corruption went from top to bottom; there were those who served the people, but more were self-serving officials.
With Zhao Hanzhang’s massive supplies issued, they directly helped her identify a batch of useless people.
She said nothing, seemingly unaware that her relief supplies were being embezzled by those below, and remained in Xin Song County.
As the first snow fell, half of Xin Song County’s houses began to rise, even children aged five or six ran daily to the construction site to move bricks.
Though small in stature, as long as they were willing to come, the county government employed them, keeping a registry, and once a certain amount of work was completed, they could receive food. They didn’t receive copper coin, but as it got colder, children under ten got a set of clothes and shoes and socks.
When they received clothes and shoes and socks, the children were shocked, repeatedly confirming it was for them and wouldn’t be taken back, and they immediately took off their ragged clothes, hurriedly putting on new ones, then layering their shabby clothes atop...
When they finished dressing, they kicked off their straw shoes, first put on the socks, then put on the shoes, and a group of children grinned foolishly at each other.
Soldiers who issued the clothes saw them wearing them properly and immediately waved them off, "Shoo shoo, don’t block the way here. Come, everyone look over here, Treasure Pavilion has ready-made clothes and shoes for sale today. Anyone who participated in work-for-relief programs can come to buy with a token, prices are favorable, limited quantity, first come first served."
"All children leave, don’t block the road here."
The kids scattered, but didn’t go far, standing aside to watch.
Soldiers moved out one large box after another, took out sets of gray or blue clothes from inside, placed many large shoes and socks beside them.
Immediately, adults clutching copper coins came forward to ask for prices.
Zhao Hanzhang seemingly wanted to open Treasure Pavilion throughout Yu State. In Xin Song County, her selling spot was called Treasure Pavilion, specializing in selling food, fabrics, shoes, and socks.
It was merely a spacious wooden shed with goods displayed in front of it, only moved inside the shed at night or during rain and snow, particularly simple.
Zhao Kuan and others didn’t understand where Zhao Hanzhang got the nerve to name such a place Treasure Pavilion.
Yet the refugees easily accepted it because it had food; where else would be a treasure pavilion?
It was the busiest place after work daily, even if not buying food, just seeing bags of grain in the shed could put them at ease.
Seeing there really were adults buying clothes, the children craned their necks to listen.
The soldier said, "This set of linen clothes is twenty cents a piece, pants ten cents a pair, shoes eight cents a pair, socks are cheap, five cents for three pairs."
"This set is pricier, warmer, twenty-five cents a piece..."
Children with good memories soon remembered the prices and turned to run.
He ran all the way to the brick kiln, shouting to the workers still working overtime, "Treasure Pavilion has cold-proof clothes for sale, the cheaper ones are twenty cents a piece, pricier ones twenty-five cents a piece, limited quantity, first come first served!"
Workers who were firing bricks heard and immediately ran out to ask, "Are they ready-made clothes?"
"They’re ready-made," the child loudly said, "It’s made by the women workers from Ru Nan County, fine stitching, good fabric, very durable. Hurry if you want to buy."
Some couldn’t spare time and had no one at home, immediately did a quick sweep among the children, picked one he knew, and pulled him over, counting money from his pocket, "Buy me a set of clothes, just the cheap ones will do, most importantly shoes and socks, buy me two more pairs, I’ll give you one cent as a reward."
The child agreed at once, remembered what he had to buy, then asked other people, "Anyone else want to buy? I can only buy five sets!"
He could only remember so much; he couldn’t remember more.
The magistrate said that he should study in the future, after studying he could recognize numbers, and remember more, so he had to save money for education!