Chapter 62: Settlement

The two ward names suggested by Cousin Zhao carry heavy meaning; they are, of course, not a blessing for Wen Gu, but for the Zhao Clan.

Nowadays, the ward names in the city are either for warding off evil and bringing good fortune, or for bestowing blessings and prayers—there are plenty of names like Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity, Joy, Auspiciousness, and Peace. But for the Zhao Clan Young Master to personally choose the names and write the calligraphy shows that these are key areas of focus.

The wards currently being planned in Xinzhou City are certainly not like those old names from before.

Those luxury wards near the core area were named by the head of the Zhao Family personally, but most of the wards further out were named by the subordinate scholars and officials, and were simply approved after being reported up.

Although these two wards Wen Gu wants weren't named by his uncle personally, they were named and inscribed by Zhao Shaozhu, which makes them quite different from those ordinary wards!

Wen Gu had just returned to his courtyard when he was called over by his aunt to keep her company during her meal.

Without delay, Wen Gu called for Tietou and went over to his aunt's place to share a meal.

The Diling was burning in the room, making it warm and cozy.

Tietou sat to the side, eating incessantly; nothing else concerned him.

There was no one else here at this time, and the aunt-nephew relationship had progressed rapidly over the past two days, making their conversation even more intimate and casual.

Lady Shen asked, "I heard from your cousin that you want to be a Ward Chief?"

Wen Gu nodded.

It must have been when it was first mentioned earlier that his cousin told his aunt. His aunt couldn't have known about what happened at his cousin's place just now so quickly.

Therefore, Wen Gu told her about the management rights for the two wards that had just been finalized and his cousin's calligraphy.

Lady Shen didn't pay much attention when she heard about the management rights for the two wards, but she only broke into a smile when she heard that each ward had given Wen Gu two house compounds and that Zhao Shaozhu had personally named and inscribed them.

"The houses over there are all small; the courtyard here will be kept for you. Come over and stay for a few days when you're free, and keep me company," Lady Shen said.

"Alright, as long as you don't mind."

Wen Gu's eyes lit up when he saw a maid bring in a small tripod.

Lady Shen placed great importance on the food she consumed; it didn't have to be exquisite, but certain dishes had to be hot. For stewed dishes, the lid was only opened after they were brought over.

The small tripod brought in at this moment was just that; the lid was only opened after it was set down.

What interested Wen Gu was its design.

There was no one else here, so he didn't stand on ceremony and reached out to flick the animal-shaped latch on the small tripod.

This is a pressure cooker from the ancients!

It saves time and firewood, and the ingredients cooked in it are also much softer and more tender.

Seeing this, Lady Shen smiled, assuming Wen Gu still possessed some youthful playfulness.

"What else do you need over there?" Lady Shen asked.

Wen Gu thought for a moment: "A furnace, or other Danfang equipment."

Lady Shen's brows furrowed, and a hint of majesty appeared in her eyes. She was worried that Wen Gu might listen to the slander of some rogue Daoists and go astray.

Seeing the change in Lady Shen's expression, Wen Gu repeated what he had said at his cousin's place—about the Daoist refining fine salt, and taking refuge in Jinwu City.

"I just want to refine some useful things; I'm not really interested in things like pills. My cousin also agreed to let me build a Danguan within the ward," Wen Gu said.

Upon hearing this, Lady Shen's expression softened.

"Very well, I will keep an eye out for you. Your cousin and uncle killed a batch of bewitching, evil monks and rogue Daoists earlier; it seems many of their tools were kept."

This was also a reminder to Wen Gu that upright and law-abiding monks and Daoists were fine. But if one were to stray from the path and commit a taboo, those two, father and son of the Zhao family, would show no mercy.

Wen Gu nodded with an honest look on his face: "Yes, Cousin also reminded me."

He then said with a smile: "Once the equipment is ready, I will have that Daoist refine another batch of premium fine salt; even Cousin said it was good! Not just salt, but also Sugar—it will definitely be more refined than the Sugar in the kitchen!"

Lady Shen said happily: "Fine, I'll have someone look for them as soon as possible; I'll be waiting for your premium fine salt and Sugar."

After the meal, Wen Gu and Tietou left.

Lady Shen sat there, quietly thinking about what Wen Gu had just said. The maids had all gone out, and a woman came over with a tea bowl and handed it to her. She was a maidservant whom Lady Shen trusted deeply.

"Is the Madam dissatisfied that the young master is only serving as a Ward Chief?"

Lady Shen shook her head, "Given his current status, it is not a good thing to receive a high-ranking official position the moment he arrives.

"A Prime Minister starts from the local departments, and a fierce general emerges from the ranks of soldiers. Being able to keep his composure at such a young age is quite good."

On her maiden family's side, many of the Shen clan relatives had come to seek refuge, asking for official positions and benefits, only to be suppressed by Zhao Shaozhu shortly after, and then they would come to her crying.

What use is crying?

In this world, there are plenty of people who want to get ahead; if you don't have real ability, you won't be able to hold onto things even if they are given to you! Who can you blame?

Even those surnamed Zhao don't get any favors, let alone you who aren't surnamed Zhao!

Although the imperial examinations have stopped, it is only temporary.

As more and more people come from the south, I fear a similar selection system will emerge soon.

In fact, up until now, the true positions of power are all in the hands of the confidants of that father and son. Other positions are just handed out to appease people.

That Wen Gu was able to find another way made Lady Shen surprised, and even more satisfied.

Having only met for two days, how many people could get Zhao Clan Young Master to personally inscribe and name things for them?

Lady Shen smiled leisurely and said to the maidservant beside her:

"I see he quite likes that copper pot; go to the storeroom and pick one out to send over."

Thinking again about Wen Gu saying he wanted to live outside, Lady Shen said:

"He probably won't be staying in this courtyard for many more days. When he moves outside, you follow him and take a look to see what he is lacking."

On the other side, Wen Gu, having returned to his courtyard, took out his Notebook and began to write his development plan.

His cousin had also had someone send over the blueprints for those two wards. Wen Gu needed to plan them out carefully.

He had to hurry!

Winter had arrived; the next period would be the peak of the southern households migrating north, and it was also the time for the major clans to make their profits—naturally, he had to scrape together as much as he could!

The next day, Wen Gu went to his new territory.

He also had people bring over the team that was being quarantined outside.

Excluding the nearly one hundred people who had their hearts set on farming and raising chickens, the remaining four hundred were all brought over.

Wen Gu was currently in the first ward, inside his newly acquired residence, having called several key members of the group over.

This set of residences was something the big shots looked down upon, but to people at the bottom like He Da and the others, it was something they envied to no end.

"First, regarding the distribution."

Wen Gu had He Xiaodi take notes.

"The Daoist Priest will go to the opposite ward; a Danguan will be built there when the time comes. The Daoist Priest enjoys Alchemy, and Alchemy produces Dangi, so it is not suitable for ordinary people to be too close."

Qingyi Daozhang ultimately could not resist the temptation and had followed along today. Hearing Wen Gu's words at this moment, he looked expectantly toward the opposite ward, even though he could not see it.

"Regarding the ward names."

Wen Gu took out two sheets of paper, each inscribed with "Jingxing" and "Qingyun" respectively.

Which one is Jingxing, and which one is Qingyun?

He Da spoke first: "Let's call our side Qingyun!"

I don't understand anything about auspiciousness or lack thereof; I only know about rising above the blue clouds!

Qingyun sounds just like "blue clouds"!

Let's call our side Qingyun Fang!

The others nodded as well.

Yes, yes, it sounds very auspicious.

However, Qingyi Daozhang also said at this moment: "I pinched my fingers to calculate, and this name has an affinity with me."

He truly felt that this name had an affinity with him.

A long time ago, when he was apprenticed and given a name, he wanted to name himself Qingyun, using "Qing" as the start.

It was just that "rising straight to the blue clouds" was too straightforward and too flashy. At that time, he had neither ability nor reputation, so he chose to be a bit more low-key and took the first stroke of the character "Yun".

Now that he had yet to make a name for himself, he still needed to be slightly low-key and take a homophone.

Qingyun suits my wishes perfectly!

"I once thought that when I built a Danguan, I would name it Qingyun Temple!"

As for how long ago this "once" was, there was no need to let others know.

With Qingyi Daozhang having spoken, the others dared not argue.

Within the entire group, in terms of prestige, Wen Gu was first, and the Daoist Priest was second.

Wen Gu did not argue, and since the Daoist Priest had spoken, the others could only endure it.

Yu Er nudged He Da with his elbow.

He Da also did not dare to fight with the Daoist Priest.

Wen Gu said: "Then the opposite ward shall be called Qingyun Fang. Besides building the Danguan there, I also plan to put the iron smithy there; you blacksmiths, including you, Yu Er, will go over to that side."

Wen Gu looked at Yu Er and asked: "Are you following your brother, or?"

Yu Er immediately said: "Blacksmithing requires helpers, and both my friend and I can help, so we will go to Qingyun Fang with my brother!"

Seeing Wen Gu agree, Yu Er looked triumphantly at He Da:

Bye-bye to you! I am moving to Qingyun... Qingyun Fang!

He Da: Damn you!

He wanted to say that he would go over too, but he still did not dare to speak and quietly waited for the distribution.

He could not help but mutter in his heart: You crooked Daoist Qingyi, you are guilty!

Wen Gu continued to distribute the personnel.

Most people were still assigned to this side, Jingxing Fang.

As for the two residences here, Wen Gu kept one for himself to live in within the ward, and the other served as a temporary office location.

Everyone present looked at Wen Gu.

"Ward Chief, are you living here too?" He Da asked.

"Since I am the Ward Chief of these two wards, of course I am living here," Wen Gu said.

"What about the Zhao Family..."

"During the New Year or if there are other matters, I will stay there, but usually, I will live here. There are residences on both sides, and there is also a courtyard kept at the Zhao Family mansion."

"Oh, oh! Then that's fine."

A false alarm; the backer is still there!

Wen Gu swept his gaze over them and continued to explain the use of the other house, as well as the affairs that needed to be handled on a daily basis.

The others nodded in understanding: Understood, that place is the small yamen for the two wards, and all official business is handled there!

Wen Gu looked at the layout drawings of the two wards in his hands and felt that many things were missing.

He still needed to have a layout map of Xinzhou City in his hands.

What he saw at his cousin's place was only a part of it, he could not recognize all those markings, and he did not have a photographic memory.

But it does not matter, watch my great summoning technique:

"Cheng Zhi!"

"I am here, Ward Chief?"

"I am giving you a task. Settle down and rest today; tomorrow, you, Head Guard Lin Biao, Zhou Shan, and He Da and the others will go together to stroll around Xinzhou City and understand the layout of the markets in the city."

"Understood!" Cheng Zhi responded excitedly.

Although this was an unfamiliar place and there were many nobles in the city, as long as they were careful themselves and did not court death, there was no need to worry.

Their Ward Chief has a backer!

Wen Gu looked at everyone: "For now, let us settle down first. The conditions are limited at the moment, and the residences are simple, but there is no need to be afraid; once you can live securely, first take care of your health. Everyone must believe that things will get better and better!"

"What if someone causes trouble?" Zhou Shan asked.

"First, protect yourself well; if necessary, take emergency evasive action."

Wen Gu raised his hand and pointed toward the Neicheng wall not far ahead.

"The City Defense Army is there; if something happens, just whistle."

If you can't whistle them over, then that means it's a competition between people with connections.

(End of this chapter)