Chapter 61: Jiang You and the Zhao Family

  Zhaojia Village, located in the eastern part of Jiangyou, is about twenty miles away from the county town. The village is surrounded by lush green mountains and clear waters, with rows of elegant houses and well-organized fields. In the pavilion, elderly men are leisurely playing chess, while in the private school, children's voices can be heard reciting loudly. The innocent voices of the children add a touch of vitality to this beautiful village. It can be said that the elderly have something to rely on, and the young have something to learn. All of this is thanks to the efforts of the old patriarch of the Zhao family: Zhao Yuqing.

  A good family must have a surplus of blessings, and Zhao Yuqing's name is derived from this. The "good" is also a reflection of the Zhao family village. Old Zhao respects the elderly and loves the young, and has a high reputation in the clan. Whenever there is something to be done in the clan, he handles it in the ancestral hall with his own status and prestige, without even needing to enter the county government gate. The whole village is full of people from the Zhao family. Zhao Yuqing is both the clan leader and the village head. He is usually frugal and helpful, and his days are spent in leisure. However, today Old Zhao's brow is furrowed, and he appears to be deeply troubled.

  "Dad, are you okay?" Just as Zhao Laozu was pacing back and forth in the main hall, a girl about 14 or 15 years old with a delicate face, elegant temperament, and tall stature walked in, saying this with a bit of petulance.

  When Old Master Zhao was thinking, no one dared to disturb him easily, because the old master liked quietness. At this time, there were not many people who dared to enter the door, and those who dared to enter without knocking in advance were only Old Master Zhao's daughter, Zhao Min.

  As soon as he saw that it was his own beloved daughter, Zhao Laozu's face broke into a smile, and he gently stroked Zhao Min's head, saying with some doting: "You're all grown up now, but you still like to be so reckless and impulsive, rough and tumble - I wonder who would dare marry you."

  Old Patriarch Zhao was also a charming figure in his youth, and perhaps it was under his leadership that the Zhao clan developed and prospered. With three wives and four concubines, he naturally had many romantic interests. Unfortunately, his family line was sparse, and only at the age of nearly sixty did he have a daughter, whom he treasured like a precious gem. She was the sole offspring of a thousand acres of land. Zhao Min was clever and beautiful from a young age, and sometimes when she spoke or acted, she showed hints of her father's youthful charm. Therefore, Old Patriarch Zhao doted on her even more.

  "Father" Zhao Min stomped her foot and said somewhat displeased: "You're teasing your daughter again."

  Seeing his daughter acting like a little girl, Old Man Zhao chuckled and then asked anxiously: "Min'er, what do you want from your father? Are you thinking of going out to play again? Father has already said no! Now the outside world is chaotic with war and horses, it's even more dangerous for a young woman like you. You don't need to go anywhere, just stay at home obediently. If you want to eat something or play with something, just let the housekeeper arrange it for you."

  "No, Father, I heard that you were feeling unwell and came to see you especially." Zhao Min said, somewhat curiously: "Father, what's going on? Just now, seeing you frowning could have pinched a fly to death."

  The daughter is not an outsider, and Zhao Laozu also doesn't hide it. The daughter has been clever since childhood, and sometimes she also has unique insights. Upon hearing this, he smiled wryly and said: "Last year, the Later Jin crossed the Liaodong defense line and took the capital city directly, putting pressure on our Great Ming dynasty, causing a great impact. Not only was the emperor furious, but it also brought disaster to the people. Now that they have retreated, they are preparing to regain their reputation, marching and fighting, consolidating the defense lines... all of these require money and silver. The Ministry of Revenue is being pressed by the emperor and the officials who are demanding money, to the point where they are almost going crazy. They even issued an order for the people of Great Ming to pay a year's worth of taxes at once, and on top of that, they also want to collect the Liaodong tax. Yesterday, the new county magistrate publicly announced that he wants to reduce the burden on the people, borrowing money and grain from wealthy families in the county, and using official land as collateral. Now, we've just received news that our Zhaojia Village is his first stop, and he'll be arriving in about half a time unit. I estimate that within another half time unit, this county magistrate will arrive at my Zhaojia Village to collect funds. Can you say that I'm not worried?"

  Zhao Yuqing thought he was low-key enough, but unexpectedly, he still caught the attention of this new county magistrate.

  Although the Zhao family was in seclusion here, it did not mean that Zhao Yuqing would turn a blind eye to what was happening across the street. On the contrary, the Zhao family had their own intelligence sources all along. Just like when Lu Haoshan stepped out of his house and prepared to visit Zhao's village, he already knew about it before he even arrived on this side. The intelligence was not only accurate but also transmitted at an extremely smooth and rapid speed.

  "Dad, didn't you always teach us to do good and accumulate virtue? Jiangyou County has had three consecutive years of poor harvests, and now the taxes are being collected by force. The common people definitely can't afford it. I didn't expect this county magistrate to have some sense of responsibility, willing to take care of the people's troubles. This is a good thing, and it also saves face for the county magistrate. Even if we give them some money and grain, it's not a big deal." Zhao Min said somewhat disapprovingly.

  After finishing, Zhao Min added: "As for the official fields being mortgaged, it's not a bad thing in my daughter's opinion. The remaining official fields in Jiangyou are all good fields under the name of the four major charitable organizations, which are fertile land and convenient to irrigate. If they were mortgaged to us, we could have people cultivate them, which would be beneficial. As the saying goes, 'antiques in a prosperous world, gold in a chaotic world', in my daughter's opinion, food in a chaotic world is more valuable than gold. Moreover, our family also has idle young men who can be sent to manage them, so they won't wander around and cause trouble. It can be said that it's a win-win situation."

  Zhao Laozu shook his head with a bitter smile and said: "Min'er, you're very perceptive, but you haven't thought it through thoroughly."

  "Min'er is willing to listen to Father's teachings." Zhao Min was a studious person and immediately humbly asked for guidance.

  "In a year of famine and disaster, it's easier to get rich, taking grains from the fire is a path of adventure; but taking advantage of others' misfortune and looting is the way to prosper. Big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp, this is the natural order of things. According to what I know, the big merchants and wealthy landowners in the county are all preparing to take advantage of this disaster to make a big profit, to swallow up more land, for land is our foundation. However, the magistrate of Lu County has secretly prohibited the buying and selling of land, those official lands are good, but there are too many people with designs on them, no need to become a target. With the wealth of our Zhao family, we don't even look at such small gains, besides, the price is also a problem, if you lose, you'll suffer in secret, if you gain, your reputation won't be good either, it's better not to do it."

  Zhao, the old clan leader, sighed and continued: "As for donations, it's also a tricky matter. If we donate too little, our reputation will suffer if word gets out. But if we donate too much, even though we don't care about it ourselves, how will other wealthy families look at us? Will they dare to donate less? When the time comes and they're forced to donate more, won't they blame us for showing off and dragging them down with us, making them bleed more money? This Magistrate Lu has really given me a headache."

  Zhao Min listened and a hint of displeasure flashed across her eyes, then she said wisely: "Dad, it seems that the first stop of Lu County's fundraising is in our Zhaojia Village, obviously not with good intentions. He sees very clearly that we are kind-hearted and won't refuse such things. Secondly, as the parent official of this place, he should be given some face. And most importantly, we are outsiders, and our words don't carry much weight, so it's easy to bully us. As the saying goes, 'the first pot is thick, the second pot is thin', if we don't handle things well, I'm afraid he won't let us off easily, right, Dad?"

  "That's right," said Zhao Laozu with some relief as he looked at his daughter, "Not bad, my child has grown up and is more thoughtful."

  "Father, although we are in hiding here, those relationships still exist. Is it possible that a small seventh-rank county magistrate would not be enough?"

  "Min'er, those relationships are hard to come by and can't be easily used. They must be reserved for when they're most needed. There's a saying that goes 'a local official is not as good as a current manager'. For something as trivial as this, there's no need to mobilize the troops. This just makes us appear incompetent."

  Zhao Min's eyes rolled around and she suddenly smiled, saying: "Dad, I've got an idea."

  "Oh, tell me about it."

  "Father doesn't need to show up, just let Min'er handle it and that's all. Zhao Min looked at her father's encouraging gaze and continued: "As long as Father doesn't show up, there will be room for maneuver later on, and he is a dignified first-class county magistrate, bullying a weak woman, which would also sound bad if spread out, thus making his plan fall through."

  Zhao Lao didn't immediately nod in agreement, but instead curiously asked: "Min'er, regarding the matter of donating how much, how do you plan to handle it?"

  "Isn't the county magistrate a jinshi? Those who can pass the jinshi examination naturally have good learning, so when the time comes, my daughter will give him a few difficult questions. The more he answers, the more we'll donate. It all depends on his ability to take it. This way, if he gets little, he can only blame himself for not being skilled enough. If he's exceptionally talented, we'll donate a bit more money and grain, and other local gentry and wealthy merchants won't have anything to say."

  When saying this, Zhao Min had a confident and composed face, with even some pride in her words. Her confidence came from her abilities, as the old patriarch of the Zhao family had hired famous teachers to instruct her since she was young. Zhao Min was clever and intelligent since childhood, often able to learn one thing and infer three, mastering all aspects of music, chess, literature, and painting. According to her previous teacher's words, if Zhao Min were a man, she would definitely be able to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar-official. There were also several young people in the clan who excelled in both moral character and learning, and had some reputation in Jiangyou, but when they encountered Zhao Min, they were always left in the dust.

  Zhao Min had made up her mind that if this County Magistrate Lu was not annoying, she would give him a way out and end things quickly. But if he made any light moves or looked displeasing to the eye, she would have to make him slink away from Zhaojia Village with his tail between his legs. He shouldn't think that this place was his personal money box, where he could just come and stretch out his hand whenever he wanted to use it.

  "Alright, since you're so confident, I'll leave this matter to you. At that time, I'll make excuses and avoid meeting with them due to a cold. You must handle this well and don't let emotions get in the way, understood?" Zhao, the old clan leader, thought this idea was good, it could be used to attack or defend, and he would have room to maneuver as long as he didn't show his face.

  Besides, one's own daughter is something one knows about oneself, and Zhao Min has enough ability to handle this matter.

  "Yes, Father. I won't let you down." Hearing that her father agreed to leave it to her to handle, Zhao Min was overjoyed and quickly replied with a smile.

  After the two finished discussing, Old Master Zhao was still worried and exchanged a few more words with his daughter about some possible things that might happen, so as to avoid any trouble. Zhao Min also listened carefully and learned from him. They didn't talk for long when a servant came to report that Jiangyou County Magistrate Lu Haoshan had arrived to pay a visit.

  "Min'er, this matter is now left to you. Remember, if you encounter a difficult question, you can say that you don't know or that your father is not at home and you dare not take liberties on his behalf. He will have nothing to say."

  "I understand, Father. You can rest assured." Zhao Min said confidently: "Your daughter will not disappoint you."

  Zhao Laozu nodded and didn't say much, leading his men to retreat to the backyard to hide, leaving his daughter alone to face them.

  After Old Master Zhao left, Zhao Min said to her personal maid beside her: "Chunmei, let's go and meet this unscrupulous Magistrate Lu of the land."

  "Yes, miss."