Chapter 65: Value Your Own People
The door is filled with heavy snow.
This year, God seemed to want to make up for the lack of snow last year. After several heavy snowfalls, the snow on both sides of the streets in Songjiang City could no longer be piled up. The government arranged for residents on each street to send people to sweep the snow and carry it out of the city, and they were busy every day.
It was another night of heavy snow. When Gu Youan got up in the morning, all the snow on the ground in the main courtyard had been swept clean. He opened the window and saw the smooth ground outside. The cold wind was blowing outside, and there was only a chilly smell.
His nose was blown red, Gu Youan tightened his cloak and exhaled lightly. It was really cold.
Without hesitation, he turned back to the house and said, "According to the date, the caravan should be back soon. If they don't come back soon, I'm afraid they won't be back this year."
Liu Zhong stepped forward and offered hot tea: "Why don't you send someone to pick it up on the road?"
"Go ahead. Whether you come back or not, you should let people know what's going on."
It was sunny all day, and then it started snowing again at night. Gu Youan felt hot inside because of the kang. He got up and poured himself a cup of tea. He glanced at the heavy snow falling outside and guessed that Gao Jin and the others might be trapped inside the pass by the heavy snow.
I went back to sleep and slept until dawn. Xiaoyue and Xiaoju came in. Xiaoju smiled and said, "Princess, Gao Jin and the others are back."
Gu Youan was surprised: "Did you come back last night?"
"That's right. I heard they were stopped at the nearest post station to Songjiang City due to heavy snow the day before yesterday. They had thought they wouldn't have to rush since they were close to home, but who knew it would snow again last night? They simply braved the heavy snow and returned in one go to avoid the road becoming increasingly difficult to travel."
"Gao Jin and his men arrived outside the West City Gate at midnight last night. According to the rules, no one can enter the city after dark, but it snowed so heavily last night, and Zhou Jin and his men were carrying over a hundred carts of food. Coincidentally, the soldiers guarding the gate recognized them. After reporting to our government, Chief Clerk Zhou personally went to take them into the city."
Gu Youan laughed and said, "It must be hard work for Zhou Changshi to go to the West City Gate in the middle of the night."
Xiaoyue said, "Master Zhou's request wasn't entirely for this. Lord Zhang also came here yesterday with the princess's caravan."
"Master Zhang? Which Master Zhang?"
"Princess, don't you remember? Master Zhang Heng, Master Zhang and his family still live in a house outside our palace, on the first street in the north of the city."
Gu Youan remembered: "Oh, he hasn't been here for a long time, I didn't even remember him."
Originally Zhou Qi said that Zhang Heng would come after the grain inside the pass was delivered. A few days ago, the last batch of grain was delivered to Songjiang City and stored, but Zhang Heng still didn't come. Gu Youan was wondering in his heart whether he had changed his mind.
Xiaoyue handed over the twisted hot handkerchief and said, "Master Zhang may come to pay his respects to you in a while. Do you want to see him?" "Yes, go out and tell Liu Zhong. If Zhang Heng comes, just invite him in."
"Hey, I'll be there in a moment."
Zhang Heng was personally sent back to his home by Zhou Chen when he entered the city last night. After being exposed to the cold wind outside for so long, he returned to his warm home. His wife and children, whom he had not seen for a long time, were by his side. Zhang Heng rested comfortably for the night.
Following the princess's instructions, Liu Zhong sent someone to check on Zhang's family on North 1st Street early. However, the servant who went to inquire about the news came back soon and said that Master Zhang had already set off.
Liu Zhong was sitting by the fire in the room behind the gate, drinking tea. Zhou Chen walked in and said with a smile, "Who has the nerve to be so arrogant as to need Eunuch Liu to come to the gate to greet him personally?"
Liu Zhong smiled and said, "You personally welcomed the distinguished guest yesterday, don't you know?"
"Master Zhang, right? Hey, Master Zhang only arrived at midnight yesterday, and he came to our palace to pay his respects early this morning. It must have been very hard for him."
Zhou Chen said something in a fake tone, then moved closer to Liu Zhong and asked, "I heard that Mr. Zhang is the nephew of Yanzhou General Zhang Minghui. I wonder if he is loyal or not?"
"Of course I am loyal. If I had no loyalty to the master at all, I would have been driven away long ago. How could I still speak to the master?"
Zhou Chen smiled and said, "You can't judge a person by his appearance. Let me tell you, even though Lord Zhang is someone the prince has given his approval, he's new here, so we still have to be wary. It just so happens that my second nephew is a centurion. He may not have any other skills, but he does have some tricks up his sleeve when it comes to socializing. If the princess doesn't mind, why not send my nephew to try to get close to Zhang Heng?"
Liu Zhong suddenly realized that Zhou Changshi had become smart now, and was beating around the bush just to curry favor with the princess.
Liu Zhong smiled and said, "What you said makes some sense. Why don't you go and talk to the princess in person?"
Zhou Chen quietly stuffed a sachet into Liu Zhong's sleeve and whispered, "You are the princess's right-hand man. How can my words be as effective as yours?"
Liu Zhong calmly pushed the sachet back and said, "I am just a servant in front of the master. Master Zhou thinks highly of me."
Liu Zhong refused to accept Zhou Chen's advances and left without hesitation. He was not afraid of the cold and just stood on the steps outside the gate waiting.
Zhou Chen gritted his teeth secretly. Hey, this eunuch is now taking him less and less seriously.
Liu Zhong stood at the door for a while, then he saw a handsome man, eight feet tall, dressed like a military general, walking towards him with a tiger stride from the other side of North First Street.
"Is this Mr. Zhang Heng?"
As soon as Zhang Heng looked up, Liu Zhong knew that he must have been there.
Liu Zhong walked down the steps and greeted him with a smile: "I am the eunuch in charge of the princess. The princess knew that Master Zhang went to the city last night. She said that you are a capable person and might come to the mansion today, so she asked me to wait for you at the door."
Zhang Heng was flattered: "Your Highness is so kind. Thank you for all the trouble you have taken."
"That's not true, Master Zhang. The prince values you very much. You are an honored guest of our Prince Qi's Mansion, and we should come and greet you."
Liu Zhong was a man of such cunning skills that he could say anything nice as long as he wanted to. Zhang Heng naturally knew this in his heart, but he was also very pleased to be flattered by such people.
The two men walked in one after the other. Zhou Chen hadn't left yet, standing at the gatehouse watching. Liu Zhong introduced Zhang Heng casually, "This is the chief official of our palace. His surname is Zhou."
Zhang Heng said, "Meetings, Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Chen half-turned aside, not daring to accept it completely: "Master Zhang, you are too polite."
Seeing Zhou Changshi being so polite to him, Zhang Heng felt a bit more at ease. The eunuchs in charge of the princess and the powerful chief clerk of the palace all addressed him as "Master Zhang". The benefits given to him by Prince Qi must have been significant.
Zhang Heng arrived at midnight yesterday and came to the palace this morning. This was because he was careful in his actions and valued the palace, but he cared more about whether the promise made by Prince Qi could be fulfilled. He couldn't wait for a day and wanted to know today.
Gu Youan met Zhang Heng in the warm room in the front yard. Gu Youan talked to him with a smile. Before he finished two cups of tea, Gu Youan had roughly guessed Zhang Heng's personality and temperament.
Zhang Heng was probably a man of some ability, but was suppressed and frustrated. He gave up everything to come to Songjiang City, hoping for a bright future.
Gu Youan was not sure whether Zhou Qi would rebel or not. As for Zhang Heng, it seemed that he was betting on the day when Zhou Qi would conquer the world.
Gu Youan: "The prince values you, and I, the princess, know that you are a capable person. However, since you are new here, you need to spend some time getting along with your colleagues. I want you to lead the city defense army and start as a second-level general. Are you willing?"
Zhang Heng already knew the hierarchy of officials in Songjiang City. He immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, "I will lead the troops well and familiarize myself with all matters as soon as possible, so as not to disappoint the prince and princess."
Gu Youan hummed, then continued, "My job is important, but I also have to take care of my wife and children at home. Songjiang City isn't busy in the winter, so come home more often when you have free time."
Gu Youan suddenly called Liu Zhong: "Are the fresh vegetables on the farm ready to eat?"
"It's ready to eat."
Gu Youan smiled and said, "That's perfect. You can personally take people to pick a basket and send it to Master Zhang's house. Master Zhang's family is reunited, and he might want to treat his subordinates to a feast later. Sending some vegetables there will be enough for two tables of banquet."
Zhang Heng bowed in thanks, "Thank you, Princess, for your reward."
Prince Qi and Princess Qi were the heavens of Songjiang City. The reward Princess Qi gave him wasn't just a dish; it was face. With the princess giving him face, his future tasks would surely be much easier.
Liu Zhong stood aside, knowing full well the trust the prince and princess had in Zhang Heng. Zhou Chen wanted to use Zhang Heng to curry favor with his master, but that was unlikely to work.
Liu Zhong knew what was going on, but he didn't mention it to Zhou Chen. Zhou Chen didn't convince Liu Zhong, so he didn't dare to talk nonsense in front of his master for fear of making things worse. So he just pretended that nothing happened.
In the afternoon, Liu Zhong personally went to Zhang's house to deliver vegetables back to the mansion. When he heard that Zhou Chen had gone to inspect the granary outside the city, he laughed.
Zhou Chen, ah Zhou Chen, he, the chief historian of the royal palace, has now become as timid as a rat.
"Eunuch Liu, can you send these two baskets of vegetables to the back kitchen?"
"Send one basket there and leave one basket behind. We will send it to the Gu family later."
The gatehouse servant smiled and said, "The princess went to the Gu family this afternoon. If Eunuch Liu leaves early, he might be able to come back with the princess in a while."
"The princess's caravan is back, it's only natural for her to go and take a look." While saying it was natural, Liu Zhong hurriedly asked people to carry the vegetables on the carriage to Gu's house.
Liu Zhong rushed to Gu's house. As soon as he entered, he saw the coachman from the palace feeding the horses. He asked, "Is the princess coming back?"
The groom hurried over and bowed, saying, "Xiaoyue, who is with the princess, has come to tell her that she will have dinner at the Gu family before returning home. There is no need to leave now."
Liu Zhong nodded and hurried to the second gate of the Gu family.
At this moment, Gao Jin Gang finished reporting the news he had gathered in Luoyang City. Gu Youan lowered his eyes in thought. Zhou Qi was truly a man of perfect calculations. Even more impressive than his perfect calculations was the fact that he had capable people under him who could ensure that events unfolded in accordance with his calculations.
Before Gao Jin arrived in Luoyang, he heard that the imperial court said it would cut the food and wages of the northern border defense forces. When he arrived in Luoyang City, heavy snow outside the pass froze many cattle and sheep to death, and the Tartars were short of food and went south to plunder.
When Gao Jin left Luoyang, officials from the court wrote letters to advise him, and the food and wages for the garrisons on the northern border had already been delivered.
Gao Jin said, "On our way back, we encountered a caravan heading south from the north. We heard that the Tartars might really be heading south, and many wealthy families near the border are trying to find ways to move south."
Whether to fight or how to fight, Gu Youan couldn't find out even if he wanted to. He could only wait for news from Zhou Qi.
Gu Youan looked at Gao Jin and asked, "Do you want to escape from slavery?"
Gao Jin was delighted, but then he quickly controlled his excitement and said, "I will obey my master's orders."
Gu Youan thought carefully and said slowly, "You are the son of an official, talented in both literature and martial arts, and loyal to me. Asking you to only manage the caravan is a waste of your talent."
Gao Jin's breathing became tight as she waited for her master to pronounce the verdict on her.
"Let others take care of the business. Gao Jin, practice your martial arts well. You can take the military officer examination next spring."
"Thank you for your kindness, Master. I, Gao Jin, will be your servant for the rest of my life."
"I bought you, saved you from suffering, and gave you an identity and a future. Gao Jin, if you dare to betray me, I will take back everything I gave you and make you pay it back a hundredfold."
Gu Youan's lips curled up slightly, his tone was calm but oppressive, and Gao Jin had no intention of betraying him.
"I dare not!"
"It's good that you don't dare!"
Gu Youan wanted to use Gao Jin and control him, but she couldn't bear to be cruel to Guo Su and her sisters who came to her for refuge.
Without waiting for Guo Su to plead, Gu Youan smiled and said, "If you are willing, you can take the military officer examination next spring. As long as you pass, I will give you an official position. Even if you fail, it doesn't matter. As long as you are loyal to me, there will naturally be a place for you in the Qi Wangfu guard."
Guo Su laughed heartily: "I told you, An An will definitely want us."
"Then shall we take the military officer exam?"
"Take the test, take the test. Doesn't Gao Jin have to take the test too? We've been practicing martial arts since we were young, so why should we be afraid of him?"
"Maybe we can't really compare. I heard from them that Gao Jin is making rapid progress and is very strong."
"What are you afraid of? Whether we succeed or not, we can still serve the princess. We must compete and not suffer any loss."
A group of girls were chattering. Gu Youan was annoyed by their noise and told them to go home and prepare first. After all, it was after the New Year and there was no rush.
"Princess, we are leaving now."
"Let's go."
"Let's go." He waved his hand and told them to leave quickly.
Xiaoyue smiled and said, "After they enter the palace, the princess must have someone teach them the rules first."
"It's time to teach."
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