Chapter 9: Loyalty

"Your Highness treats me as a man of national caliber, so I shall surely repay you as a man of national caliber. The Yan Prince Mansion Personal Army swears to follow Your Highness to the death."

Chang Wei knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

A scholar dies for one who appreciates him.

Since he joined the army, no one had appreciated his bravery, and no one had cared about his zeal.

But now, the Yan Wang, whom he had just forced to pay out military wages, not only did not hold his transgressions against him but had instead handed the Personal Army over to him.

What a level of trust this was for him.

For this trust, he would only repay it with loyalty and his life for the rest of his days.

The burning look in Chang Wei's eyes was caught by Zhao Xu.

He knew that for a man as straight and unyielding as Chang Wei, only by exchanging heart for heart could he make him submit.

Facts proved that he had done the right thing.

Reaching out to help Chang Wei up, he smiled: "A fine 'repay with the heart of a national scholar.' Nowadays, the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery run rampant, and there are Northern Di raids; Yan Commandery can be said to be like an egg on the edge of a precipice. From now on, I hope you will join me in reshaping the bright and clear heavens of Yan Commandery!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Chang Wei replied loudly, as firm as gold and stone.

Zhao Xu nodded slightly, "There is no time to lose. From now on, you shall begin the recruitment for the Personal Army. Report the amount of Silver needed directly to me, and I will have Qin Zhangfang disburse it to you."

"I shall go at once." Chang Wei felt an itch in his heart like a cat scratching; he could not wait to lead twenty thousand soldiers into battle to kill the enemy.

Cupping his fists heavily, he turned and left to tell the other guards the news.

Instantly, dozens of fervent gazes were cast toward Zhao Xu.

Since the Prince Mansion paid the back wages last night and even issued consolation money, they had changed their view of Zhao Xu.

Now that Zhao Xu was raising a Personal Army, it would inevitably be based on them, these one hundred guards.

This meant that every one of them could be promoted and get a raise in pay.

Serving a master, who does not seek to rise in the world? How could they not be happy?

But most importantly, they saw hope.

After the Yan Wang recovered, the Yan Prince Mansion was no longer a pool of stagnant water, but full of vitality.

"What are these rough men giggling about?" Liu Fu happened to return, followed by three servants.

Seeing the guards looking as if they had been injected with chicken blood, he looked confused.

"I am having Chang Wei recruit a Personal Army and have made him a Great General," Zhao Xu laughed.

"Great General?" Liu Fu's heart twitched with envy, "Your Highness, although I am a servant, I was once a scholar. After eighteen years of hard study, I also wish to sacrifice my life for Your Highness."

"You have studied?" Zhao Xu was somewhat surprised.

At present, what he lacked most were people he could use.

From the current perspective, Chang Wei was still usable in military matters.

But Zhang Han had been removed, so the position of Prince Mansion Tutor was vacant.

For a normal Prince Mansion, the Personal Army General and the Prince Mansion Tutor were the left and right arms.

Now that he had the left arm, it was time to have a right arm.

Since Liu Fu had studied, it was a pity to only let him be an errand boy.

Moreover, when Zhang Han was removed, he was the first to pledge loyalty, so he should be given this opportunity.

"Your Highness can send someone to investigate; I would never dare to deceive Your Highness," Liu Fu said.

"Hmm, then the position of Prince Mansion Tutor shall be held by you. If you do well, I will grant you the title of Tutor," Zhao Xu pondered.

Hearing this, Liu Fu was so moved that his voice carried a weeping tone, "Your Highness, I will certainly not fail Your Highness's expectations, wuwu..."

Zhao Xu understood Liu Fu's current mood.

For him, this was a turning point in his life's destiny.

Because the Great Song Gaozu Zhao Yi established the Great Song by borrowing the power of the Eight Great Influential Clans, it was claimed at the founding of the nation that he shared the world with the Eight Great Influential Clans.

To ensure the interests of the Eight Great Influential Clans in the court, the Great Song did not have an Imperial Examination but adopted the Recommendation System.

As a result, the high officials in the court basically came from the Eight Great Influential Clans, while local officials in commanderies and counties were controlled by local Rich Clans.

And this meant that scholars from humble backgrounds like Zhang Han had almost no chance of ever getting ahead.

The only way to become an official was to be a retainer for a Rich Clan.

But even then, the Rich Clans did not necessarily want them; after all, the Rich Clans also cared about family status.

It is easy to imagine how excited Liu Fu was to sit in the position of Tutor.

"Get up, others will think I did something to you," Zhao Xu laughed.

Chang Wei and the guards were already watching the spectacle.

Liu Fu wiped his tears, "Your Highness, scholars from humble backgrounds have it too hard. They are full of talent and learning, but in the end, they lose to those Rich Clan descendants who don't even know a single character..."

Speaking of this, he suddenly realized something, knowing that these words violated the taboos of the Great Song, and his face turned pale, "Your Highness, I was babbling, please forgive me."

The Recommendation System was the foundation for the Imperial Clan and the Influential Clans to govern the Great Song.

To offend the Recommendation System was to offend the Influential Clans and the Imperial Clan.

"No need to be nervous, what you said is not without reason," Zhao Xu waved his hand, unconcerned.

He was a transmigrator and did not have the deep-rooted concepts of hierarchy of the Great Song.

Moreover, he indeed had plenty of complaints about this backward system of the Great Song.

After all, in his original world, this system was ended in the Tang Dynasty and replaced by the Imperial Examination.

"No need to be nervous? It makes sense?" Liu Fu was stunned.

If someone from the Rich Clans heard these words, he would be skinned alive even if he didn't die.

Yet Zhao Xu just said it so lightly and even said it made sense.

"In the world, the selection of officials should be based on ability," Zhao Xu said with a smile.

Relying on the Rich Clans was unrealistic for him, as his mother's family was of humble origin, which was why he had been bullied since childhood by those Imperial Princes whose maternal uncles were from powerful clans.

This chain of contempt was carved into the bones of every Rich Clan descendant in the Great Song.

Therefore, he was destined to never see eye to eye with these Rich Clans.

Only by uniting humble scholars like Liu Fu and the commoners of Yan Commandery could he build his own true foundation.

"Your Highness..." Zhao Xu had touched upon what was in Liu Fu's heart.

What he hated was the Recommendation System; nowadays in the Great Song, it was not the virtuous and capable who were recommended, but those with noble family backgrounds.

"Do you want to turn Yan Commandery into a place where humble scholars can become officials based on their talent?" Zhao Xu's gaze was piercing.

"I do!"

Looking at Zhao Xu, Liu Fu hesitated for a moment, then decided to gamble, just as he had when he saved Yan Wang.

If Zhao Xu was testing him, he would die without a burial place.

If Zhao Xu was sincere, then he had found a wise master.

"Good, then from this moment on, you shall take up your post." Zhao Xu patted Liu Fu on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Liu Fu bowed and knelt, kowtowing heavily three times.

Zhao Xu hurriedly helped him up, "My first order to you is to immediately recruit commoners to farm the fields of our Prince's manor, and tell them that our manor will only take one-tenth of the harvest."

"One-tenth!" Liu Fu was shocked, "Your Highness, such a low rate is almost equivalent to letting the commoners farm our land for free; the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery take eighty percent."

"How could I not know this, but how can one lose the hearts of the people for the sake of small gains? Only in this way can I win over the commoners of Yan Commandery for my own use; do not forget, apart from the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery, once summer passes, autumn will be here."

Liu Fu shuddered; autumn was when the Northern Di people would come.

Nowadays, the entire Yanzhou turned pale at the mention of the Northern Di, and he was no exception.

"This subordinate understands, I will go do it at once!" Liu Fu turned to leave.

"Wait." Zhao Xu called Liu Fu back, "The humble are by no means lowly; this world is forged by the blood and sweat of countless commoners. Also, from now on, you are to refer to yourself as 'this official'."

"This subordinate... this official understands." Liu Fu turned back, a crystal-clear tear sliding from the corner of his eye.

At this moment.

If Yan Wang told him to die, he would be willing.