After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 603 - 597 Cultivating Feelings

The crowd understood at once that although Zhao Hanzhang addressed her as a record keeper and chief clerk, she still respected Wang Hufeng’s status, treating her with the courtesy due to old acquaintances.

Otherwise, the two would not be seated above Zhao Erlang.

Once everyone was present, Ting He ordered the dishes to be served.

In Great Jin, dining customs were primarily individual servings, especially at banquets, typically one table for one person or one table for two persons, each eating their own portion.

The lamb spine stewed by Zhao Hanzhang and the braised lamb with beans she prepared with Fu Tinghan were divided into individual bowls and plates, served along with other dishes.

The porcelain bowls and plates were exquisite, quite unmatched to Zhao Hanzhang’s modest means. Naturally, these were not bought by Zhao Hanzhang but left behind by the Zhao Family.

Grateful to her grandfather for purchasing so many fine porcelain pieces for the family, thankful that her uncle managed to preserve these during times of war.

Anyway, tonight, with sets of porcelain on the table, her banquet didn’t appear so shabby.

The two lambs seemed abundant, but with many attendees, including several military generals with hearty appetites, the meat appeared lacking.

Yet Zhao Hanzhang’s chefs were excellent; their meticulously prepared menu made the meal appear quite lavish, even with only lamb and chicken.

Roast lamb, although only three slices per person; a large bowl of lamb spine with soup; braised lamb with beans; stir-fried lamb with garlic sprouts; and a tantalizing braised lamb that was mouth-watering just by looking at it...

Seeing the banquet table filled with delectable dishes, even Ji Yuan couldn’t help but think the envoy seemed quite wealthy.

But Ji Yuan was familiar with Zhao Hanzhang’s finances; public funds were already depleted, and no personal wealth was available...

Ji Yuan glanced at Fu Tinghan seated beside her.

Zhao Ju guarded the Yu State border, and recently, Gou Chun replaced the former border guard of Yan State, causing frequent skirmishes. Although Zhao Ju managed to keep the peace, with Gou Chun’s temperament and character, one could never predict when conflicts would escalate.

Yet, while Zhao Ju’s troops appeared abundant, they had few warhorses, and critically, not enough armor.

The elite Zhao Family Army mostly remained under Zhao Hanzhang’s control, with a small contingent led by Zhao Erlang, while Zhao Ju commanded mainly small soldiers, originally refugees integrated from Ru Nan.

Although trained for a time, and their demeanor seemed imposing, it was only superficial bluff; in real combat, they certainly couldn’t match Gou Xi’s Yan State Army, not to mention they were without armor.

Now that she had money, such things should be prepared, just in case.

Ji Yuan was resolute in his thoughts, lowering his gaze to sip the soup contentedly.

Knowing this soup was stewed by Zhao Hanzhang, he sincerely praised, "The soup is extremely delicious, without any hint of lamb odor."

An official from the Inspector Mansion, adept at fine dining, commented, "This is mutton from Shangdang; I’ve heard that mutton from north of Jinyang is tender and lacks the gaminess of Central State mutton."

This official was named Tang Ziping, a warehouse officer, assisting Ji Yuan with managing warehouse materials, a Luoyang native, and had topped the recruitment exam in Luoyang this year, invited by Xie Shi for the exam.

He was somewhat renowned in Luoyang, known primarily for a winter when his mother fell ill, needing fresh deer blood as medicine.

However, no living deer was available throughout Luoyang that year.

Deer were generally precious, reserved for nobility; even if they existed, he likely wouldn’t have access. He searched everywhere for deer to no avail, eventually venturing into the mountains with servants to catch a live deer at great risk.

At the time, the mountains were snowbound; reportedly, he nearly froze completely upon return, fell ill, and took half a year to recover.

Since then, his filial reputation spread far and wide, garnering significant fame in Luoyang.

Yet despite this, when nominated for Filial Piety both that year and the next, due to his humble family background, he still wasn’t selected.

His arithmetic skills were excellent, management and coordination skills similarly strong, and since taking over as warehouse officer, Ji seldom disturbed Fu Tinghan anymore.

Zhao Hanzhang always treated talent with kindness and amiability; she nodded and smiled, saying, "Indeed, this mutton is from Shangdang."

She said, "There’s a merchant caravan, audacious enough to procure goods from Bingzhou."

Zhao Kuan, upon hearing this, immediately lifted his head to glance at Zhao Hanzhang, realizing she was aware of this merchant caravan.

Not only Zhao Hanzhang knew, but many present attendees also knew, for Luoyang truly lacked meat.

And in the past two months, numerous merchant caravans arrived in Luoyang, hailing from Yu State, Shu region, areas near Luoyang, and even from Liangjiang and Jiangnan, but none from Northern Land.

This caravan was already making its second entry into Luoyang, bringing goods from Bingzhou, drawing inevitable attention.

Xie Shi expressed concern, saying, "Envoy, Bingzhou is currently under Han Kingdom’s control; if merchants are allowed to travel through Bingzhou into Luoyang, it might be difficult to prevent Han Kingdom from deploying spies."

"But Bingzhou is still Great Jin’s land, Liu Yueshi remains in Jinyang, with many Jin people present; we cannot simply abandon them. As for spies," Zhao Hanzhang glanced at Zhao Kuan, "I believe County Magistrate Zhao should be able to manage Luoyang, ensuring such incidents do not occur, right?"

Zhao Kuan straightened up, solemnly affirmed his duty, yet he mentioned having insufficient personnel, requesting Zhao Hanzhang to allocate additional aids.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Select the personnel yourself, if you find suitable candidates, I shall assign them to you."

Zhao Kuan’s current deputy was Wang Yifeng Wang Si Niang, but there remained a crucial vacant position, that of County Magistrate.

For Luoyang, the County Magistrate post was significant enough to capture the interest of many present.

Chen Wu, however, was indifferent; he merely listened to their talks for amusement; his purpose here was to establish rapport with Zhao Hanzhang and enjoy the food and drinks. If Zhao Hanzhang agreed to provide the funds and grains for the month sooner, that would be ideal.

Yet, observing the undisguised ambition on many faces, he couldn’t help but envy slightly—Zhao Hanzhang indeed had a wealth of capable individuals. Actually, pledging allegiance to Zhao Hanzhang perhaps wasn’t a bad choice.

He gnawed on lamb spine while sneaking glances at Beigong Chun, noting even Beigong Chun was willing to follow Zhao Hanzhang, whereas he was merely a self-proclaimed general of Qihu Army...

However, with only desire without Zhao Hanzhang mentioning it, he couldn’t very well broach the subject himself, could he?

Apparently, his subordinates were still too few; if he had a strategist with thick skin, they ought to have emerged to negotiate submission to Zhao Hanzhang now.

Chen Wu suppressed his inner thoughts, deciding to address the matter later, as haste would not suffice. He could devise a plan gradually.

Among attendees, quite a few were still in mourning; consuming meat was permissible, but alcohol was not, especially the Wang Sisters, who were still in the profound mourning period, so Zhao Hanzhang refrained from serving wine.

Everyone simply ate, drank the soup, Zhao Hanzhang encouraged them to accompany their families on an outing tomorrow for the Dragon Boat Festival, bask in the sun, dispel toxins, while contributing to the socio-economic development.

Of course, this also offered a channel for establishing rapport.

For Luoyang, Zhao Hanzhang was something of an outsider, with officials down to clerks, government officials, and village elders all newly chosen, lacking mutual familiarity.

Zhao Hanzhang’s banquet served as an ideal opportunity for them to build relationships, facilitating more swift and efficient dealings within the hierarchy and across various departments.

Thus, after dining, everyone could stroll the garden, enjoy tea and snacks the chefs prepared.

Beigong Chun specifically sought Zhao Erlang to cultivate camaraderie.