"Sit down, sit down, have some tea." Liang Zuopu was naturally kind and approachable.
"Please go in first." When they met for the first time, Jiang Yushu sat upright and drank a sip of tea somewhat stiffly.
In fact, she wasn't the only one. Liang and Wei also sipped their tea in silence, their servants standing by silently. For a moment, no one spoke in the hall, only the soft clinking of porcelain trays, teacups, and tea lids could be heard.
Xipingcang had ambassadors, special envoys, and deputy envoys. The first two were of the ninth rank, while the remaining were of the ninth rank. Although ambassadors and special envoys held the same rank, Liang Zuopu had served in government for nearly twenty years, having traveled extensively on the frontier and experienced the world, making him far more shrewd and sophisticated than the younger generation.
There are two principals and one deputy, who is the leader?
There can't be two tigers on one mountain. In officialdom, when three people walk together, whether it's based on family background, experience, or talent, the sooner they can publicly identify their superiors and subordinates, the better. Otherwise, they're bound to harbor resentment during their daily interactions.
Jiang Yushu thought calmly: Xipingcang can only have one leader for the time being. Therefore, she had already made plans and broke the silence by asking casually, "My husband told me that Lord Liang was originally the magistrate of Silu County?"
"I was lucky enough to be an official for a few years, but I did nothing. I'm ashamed, ashamed." Liang Zuopu smiled humbly, raised his hand and adjusted his brown warm hat.
Jiang Yushu smiled, "Your Excellency is too modest! If you were 'incompetent', how could you have stood out? How could you have earned the court's trust and been appointed Ambassador to Xipingcang? Alas, in truth, I am the true 'incompetent'. I was fortunate enough to be granted this official position, and I am deeply terrified, fearing that I would disappoint His Majesty's grace."
Liang Zuopu waved his hands repeatedly, smiled bitterly, and said, "No! It's obvious that Special Envoy Jiang is being too modest! When I was in Silu, I was in charge of grain and had never seen potatoes before. It wasn't until the bumper harvest in Heqin that I heard of them. You're like a frog in a well, so ignorant and uninformed. I'm truly ashamed of yourself."
"Si Lu and He Qin are quite far apart. You're so preoccupied with your own county affairs that you naturally don't have time to travel outside to investigate." Jiang Yushu began the conversation politely, slowly becoming more comfortable. She suppressed a smile and thought: Outsiders don't know. Back then, County Magistrate Pan, driven by political ambition, had secretly planned this, deliberately concealing the news until it succeeded, and then announcing it to the public.
Liang Zuopu sighed, "I arrived relatively early, and recently, taking advantage of my free time, I've visited almost every town in Heqin County. I've seen and heard everything with my own eyes, and I've noticed that many people are full of praise for you, and their words show great respect for 'Mrs. Guo.' It's clear that you have real talent and knowledge."
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "You're too kind, truly too kind. It's all because of the simple customs of the Heqin people, who diligently followed the government's instructions and worked hard to achieve this bountiful harvest. I don't dare take any credit for it."
"Special Envoy Jiang is well-known and humble. He deserves the official position he was awarded." Liang Zuopu was greatly surprised, and his appreciation gradually revealed in his polite words.
"Compared to the predecessors, it's nothing."
Jiang Yushu said earnestly, "Lord Liang is from Xicang and has served in government for nearly twenty years. He is knowledgeable and experienced. I am young and foolish, and I feel ashamed of myself and admit my inferiority." After speaking, she stood up and bowed. "If I encounter any difficult official business in the future, I hope you will give me your guidance."
"Oh, this, this——"
Liang Zuopu immediately stood up, hurriedly returned the greeting, and pretended to support them, saying repeatedly: "Please stand up, please stand up quickly! Although Liang is more than ten years older than you two, it is only in name only. I can't be considered a 'senior'."
After the ceremony, Jiang Yushu straightened up, standing gracefully, and asked seriously, "Alas, since you are declining, are you unwilling to teach young people? Then who should we young people turn to for guidance?"
After a few words, Liang Zuopu had a general idea of what was going on and breathed a sigh of relief. He admired the other man's manners and was even more grateful that he understood the ways of the world and was definitely not just "young and foolish." His eyes lit up with a smile, and he became even more kind. He replied modestly, "As colleagues, serving the same court, we should look out for each other. From now on, shall we all look out for each other?"
Jiang Yushu answered readily: "Okay!"
The next moment, the envoy and the special envoy looked at each other, smiled knowingly, and thought in unison: Very good, the primary problem was solved as soon as they met, and their attitudes were made clear to each other to avoid any unpleasantness among colleagues.
For a brief moment, Wei Xu opened his mouth several times, but was unable to get a word in. He watched the old man and the young man complimenting each other with frustration. After a while, he smiled and interrupted, "The ambassador is experienced and experienced, and the special envoy is well-known. However, I am a novice, having just stepped out of the study and am not familiar with worldly affairs. I hope you can give me more guidance in the future."
Neither Liang nor Jiang was arrogant, and they had no intention of snub-ing their colleagues. Upon hearing this, Liang Zuopu immediately joined in, praising them: "Brother, you are a newly minted Jinshi, full of knowledge. Given time, you will surely achieve great things!"
Oh, so he was a newly minted Jinshi. Jiang Yushu said with a self-deprecating smile, "Lord Wei is well-read in the books of sages, but I haven't even read the Four Books and Five Classics in their entirety. I'm really ashamed to say that."
Wei Xu appeared polite and courteous. "In short, I am of average talent. I beg you two to take care of me in the future." But in reality, he was resentful and angry.
Absurd, absolutely absurd. A woman who hadn't even read the Four Books and Five Classics could actually have a higher rank than a newly minted Jinshi who had studied diligently for ten years? How unfair fate was!
Jiang Yushu just treated it as a social interaction and was polite and modest. After the courtesy, she began to discuss official business, not noticing the deep resentment in Wei Xu's heart.
After a moment's thought, she turned to the ambassador and asked sternly, "The court has ordered the storage of grain. It's spring plowing season, but the granaries haven't been built yet, and there's no sign of grain. These two major issues are so complex, I wonder if Lord Liang has any good plans?"
"As we all know, there's no order without rules." As soon as they discussed official business, Liang Zuopu slowly put away his friendly smile and made a serious suggestion: "In my opinion, we should quickly agree on a set of rules. Following them on a daily basis will achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Wei Xu nodded in agreement. "Yes. We should establish some rules to avoid any confusion when the time comes."
Jiang Yushu turned her head. The servant, understandingly, untied her book bag and handed her a manuscript. Jiang Yushu took it, patted it, and confessed, "I know almost nothing about building fortifications, but I do have some experience with grain storage. So, during my confinement—ahem, in my free time—I carefully read the Yongzhou Chronicle several times. Based on the current situation in Yongzhou, I wrote a grain storage charter, hoping it will be useful. My apologies, please forgive me for the embarrassment."
"Oh?" Liang Zuopu and Wei Xu were both taken aback. Liang Zuopu held out his hand and sighed, "I didn't expect Special Envoy Jiang to be so busy with his official duties. He must be working so hard."
Jiang Yushu handed the manuscript to the maid, who respectfully handed it to the ambassador. She replied straightforwardly, "It's my duty, and I should do my best!"
"Yongzhou has just been recovered. How do you know its current situation?" Wei Xu couldn't help asking.
Jiang Yushu took a sip of tea and explained, "Yongzhou hasn't been occupied by the Northern Qi for long. The topography and climate won't change much in three to five years, so the annals can be used as a reference. Furthermore, my husband has fought in Yongzhou and traveled to many places, witnessing the current situation there firsthand. His oral account can also serve as a reference."
"So that's how it is." Wei Xu thought thoughtfully.
Liang Zuo Pu flipped open the manuscript, glanced through it, and after a quick read, he ordered his servant to pass it to the deputy envoy for review. He said happily, "What a coincidence! 'Yongzhou as the main body, Xicang as the auxiliary', coincides exactly with my idea."
Jiang Yushu smiled in surprise, "Really?"
"That's exactly what I planned. I've also written a charter, but it's unfinished and sloppy. Compared to yours, it's truly a disgrace." Liang Zuopu, excited, tilted his head and ordered, "Bring me my copy immediately!"
The servant bowed and replied, "Yes."
Nearby, Wei Xu glanced across at the man opposite him, then silently flipped through the pages, examining the beautifully written manuscript. He felt a mixture of surprise, confusion, annoyance, and bewilderment. Was she really the one who wrote this? What kind of woman was she?
Not long after, Jiang Yushu also briefly flipped through Liang Zuopu's handwriting. After reading it, her eyes lit up, and she slapped the manuscript with her right palm, saying excitedly, "What a coincidence! It's such a coincidence!"
"Hahaha, you and I both used to worry about food day and night. It's not surprising that we have similar ideas."
Jiang Yushu's eyes were bright and full of anticipation as she spoke eloquently, "Xicang has many mountains and forests but few plains. There's not enough arable land, so it's difficult to cultivate land. Yongzhou, on the other hand, has flat land, with vast expanses of fertile fields. With proper care, a normal harvest is estimated to be enough to fill Xiping's granaries!"
"Yes!" Liang Zuopu was excited. He leaned forward involuntarily, facing the special envoy, and said with full energy: "Spring plowing has begun. The government in Xicang is in charge of the overall situation. We just need to distribute it, and the government will hand over the stored grain when the time comes."
Wei Xu was competitive by nature, never willing to fall behind in anything he did. He had no knowledge of agriculture, so he racked his brains and replied, "The problem is Yongzhou. It's in ruins, with all the fertile land abandoned. There's a lack of manpower, grain, and farm tools—literally, everything is missing. Even the county government hasn't been fully rebuilt. It's useless for us to just worry. It's the local government's responsibility to cultivate farmland and store grain. We can only supervise them."
Jiang Yushu sighed, sympathizing, and said slowly, "Right now, Yongzhou is really short of everything it needs. It's obvious that they won't be able to catch up with the spring plowing, and they'll be lucky if they can catch up with the summer planting. This year, let alone stockpiling food, they probably won't even be able to provide enough food for themselves."
When Wei Xu heard her agree with him, he couldn't help but smile proudly.
"Frankly, I didn't expect Yongzhou to hand over grain this year," Liang Zuopu said with a serious expression. "But the emperor ordered the construction of Xiping Granary, and explicitly stipulated that both Xicang and Yongzhou must find ways to collect grain. Yongzhou is undoubtedly facing difficulties, but we cannot shirk our responsibility to cultivate land. I believe that missing spring plowing is unavoidable, but summer planting should not be missed. Regardless of the harvest, we should first plow the abandoned farmland for next year's spring plowing."
Jiang Yushu nodded. "That makes sense. We have to farm anyway, so it's better to start sooner rather than later. According to customary practice, the imperial court and the government will find ways to settle immigrants in the border areas and quickly increase the population of Yongzhou. Once we have enough manpower, farming will be easier."
Wei Xu stared intently at his beautiful colleague, who was beaming with energy. His mind suddenly heated up, his blood boiling with inexplicable passion, and he blurted out, "I also agree with 'Yongzhou as the main, and Xicang as the auxiliary'! In that case, without further ado, why don't we split up and act separately? Lord Liang is experienced and wise, so he should stay in Xicang and oversee the construction of the granary. Let's go to Yongzhou together and supervise the farming. How about that?"
The author has something to say:
Ambassador Liang: Let's go together? Young man, your wording is not very good.
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