After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 527 - 521: Hierarchy

"Yes," Ji Yuan thought the same thing. Such a good chess piece must be used at a critical point. He glanced at Fu Tinghan and then whispered, "Besides me and the messenger, only Ting He knows about this. In the future, any letters he sends will come directly to me, otherwise they will go to Ting He."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "Very well."

Fu Tinghan poured a cup of tea for the two of them and held a cup himself, acting as if he hadn’t heard Ji Yuan’s words.

The carriage moved slowly, and Ji Yuan had much more to say to Zhao Hanzhang, "At this banquet hosted by Emperor Jin, it’s necessary to confer titles upon the lady, have you thought about what you want?"

"I want Yu State and Luoyang, of course."

"..." Ji Yuan said, "I’m talking about titles."

Zhao Hanzhang humbly asked for advice, "Mr. Ji, what do you think?"

Ji Yuan said, "Given your merits, you can be conferred the title of Founding Duke."

Zhao Hanzhang silently looked at him, and Ji Yuan also lifted an eyelid to stare at their family head. The two confronted each other for a moment, and finally, Zhao Hanzhang clicked her tongue, "Sir, your ambitions are even greater than mine. You want the highest title right from the start, do you think the emperor will agree?"

In Jin State, aside from the prince of their own Sima family, the highest title that could be conferred to outsiders was the Founding Duke, abbreviated as Duke.

Her great-grandfather also made great contributions, working hard all his life to obtain the title of Shangcai Marquis. Yet, she wants the title of Founding Duke upon arrival?

She had thought that getting a marquis title from the emperor would already be quite good, considering marquises could be on par with prime ministers.

Ji Yuan stroked his beard and said, "My lady, there’s a profound science in this court. You are still young, and there’s much for you to learn."

He said, "We propose the title of Founding Duke, but our target is the Founding County Duke, which is also our bottom line."

Ji Yuan’s face turned grave as he said, "If there is no title of Duke, how can you justifiably control Yu State and Luoyang?"

She previously didn’t even have an official appointment as an inspector, yet she still managed to control the entire Yu State.

However, Ji Yuan was right. When legitimacy was achievable, one shouldn’t hesitate and must seize the opportunity.

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "We can’t ask Grandfather Fu for this; we need to approach Uncle Grandfather."

Fu Zhi would definitely not go along with her, and might even cast a dissenting vote. Zhao Zhongyu, on the other hand, would be delighted to have Zhao Hanzhang as the Regent King and naturally willing to grant her high titles.

Ji Yuan said, "There’s also General Beigong, Xun Xiu, Mi Ce, and others, you should also request awards for them."

Previously, the appointments Zhao Hanzhang made for Xun Xiu and others were all self-appointed without any court approval. Although their power remained unchanged, their reputation was significantly lacking.

So, whenever there was a chance, legitimizing them would be a good opportunity to win people’s hearts.

Zhao Hanzhang pondered, "Without Prince East Sea obstructing, many of Your Majesty’s orders can be issued. Will General Beigong want to leave for Xiliang?"

Ji Yuan: "... My lady, don’t speak carelessly. If you don’t mention it, no one will think of it."

Zhao Hanzhang: "Others might not think of it, but does General Beigong have no idea himself?"

Ji Yuan looked troubled, "But General Beigong is such a talent, are you willing to let him leave?"

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her voice, "What do you think about us sending people to bring their families to Yu State?"

Ji Yuan was stunned. This task wouldn’t be small, and the cost would be significant as well since the safety of entering and leaving the pass had to be ensured, meaning they couldn’t send too few troops.

"Soldiers are easy to come by, but a good general is hard to find. Beigong Chun is worth it," Zhao Hanzhang said, "I can’t bear to let him leave, but I can’t let my beloved general remain melancholy either."

Fu Tinghan: "Do you want to cooperate with Zhang Gui against the Xianbei?"

Zhao Hanzhang slapped her thigh, "You’re the only one who understands me!"

Ji Yuan was taken aback, frowning in confusion, "Xianbei?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded happily.

Fu Tinghan explained, "Since we want to earmark Luoyang as our territory, we must be wary of attacks from the Xianbei and Xiongnu."

He said, "The Xiongnu are in the north, Xianbei are in the northwest, with our Yu State safely in the east, and Chang’an is in the west, considered Jin land."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded repeatedly, "There’s no proper reason for Jin ministers to attack each other, and Prince Nanyang, who guards Chang’an, has a reputation without brains, so he wouldn’t dare, nor would he come to attack Luoyang. Therefore, we need to be wary of the Xianbei and Xiongnu."

"There’s no need to mention the Xiongnu, and the Xianbei, over the years, our Jin State’s relationship with them has been uncertain—they might raid Chang’an and Luoyang on one hand while helping Liu Kun restrain the Xiongnu on the other."

"Among all of this, at least half the credit goes to Zhang Gui; without his restraining the Xianbei in Xiliang, they would have long seized the areas of Chang’an and Luoyang."

Indeed, after the father and son of Zhang Gui passed away, the Xianbei began to grow rapidly, eventually dividing the Northern Land with Liu Cong’s Xiongnu and Shi Le’s Jie Clan.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "It’s a pity Xiliang is too far from Yu State. I can’t personally meet Zhang Gui. If we could seize this opportunity to connect with him for mutual assistance, it wouldn’t just retain Beigong Chun as a mighty general but also form an alliance with Xiliang."

Fu Tinghan nodded.

Ji Yuan couldn’t help but look at Fu Tinghan and laughed, "Mr. Fu is indeed a good strategist; no wonder General Beigong always remembers you fondly."

At least he hadn’t thought of that point.

Perhaps he would consider it in the future, but certainly not this quickly.

As soon as Zhao Hanzhang mentioned it, Fu Tinghan grasped her meaning; this strategic insight indeed surpassed his own.

Fu Tinghan, accustomed to praise since childhood, habitually gave Ji Yuan a smile, then said to Zhao Hanzhang, "If you want Beigong Chun to stay willingly, I suggest you use Huang An as an envoy."

Zhao Hanzhang had been hesitating, but with Fu Tinghan’s suggestion, she made up her mind, "Alright, Huang An will be the envoy. By the way, where is Wu Erlang now?"

Ji Yuan replied, "He seems to be in Xiang City. He’s been running around with a caravan and it’s unclear where he is now."

"Have him prepare and go as an envoy with Huang An. Since we are going to cooperate with Xiliang, there will be more exchanges in the future. Let him open up the trade routes between the two sides; if he needs men and horses, have him speak with Beigong Chun," Zhao Hanzhang said, "I think General Beigong surely wants unobstructed exchange between the Central Plains and Xiliang as well."

"Yes." Ji Yuan bowed his head in agreement.

The carriage arrived at the palace gate. At this moment, the guards at the gate were all Zhao Family Army, so upon seeing Zeng Yue leading the way and Ting He sitting on the coach board, they let them pass without questions.

The carriage entered the palace city, rumbling towards the main hall. Inside the Imperial Palace, ministers and noble children were also making their way to the main hall in pairs. Seeing the carriage, they stopped and stepped aside, silently sighing, as the Imperial Palace had never allowed the horse-drawn carriages of outer ministers to enter. No longer would they switch steeds and carriages with each new prince in power.

Now, it was quite something, directly replacing it with two people.

Besides Zhao Hanzhang, Gou Xi also entered the palace on horseback, oh, and it was half an hour before Zhao Hanzhang’s arrival.

The carriage stopped in front of the main hall, and Ting He, who had already dismounted, laid down the carriage stool and respectfully lifted the curtain.

Fu Tinghan rose to get off the carriage, but Ji Yuan stretched out his hand to stop him with a smile, "In Yu State, you let me be but here you can’t be so casual anymore."

Having said that, he bent down and got off the carriage first, then stood waiting by the carriage for Fu Tinghan to alight.