Chapter 1035: A Different Breed (For Alliance Leader

"We forgot that when the Luoma Lake refugee farmsteads were first established, there was also constant killing. And the terrain on the east bank of Luoma Lake is relatively closed off, with large squads of household troops garrisoned there, so there wasn't so much trouble. In the Shandong area, we were careless."

"Old Ma didn't take the water route this time. He brought a dozen or so household troops and went to inspect the farmsteads one by one. That shows he's got the mindset to settle down and get things done. He handled things in Jining very well too. Leizi, your job on this trip is to send word back, and then help out as much as you can. Let him make the decisions in all matters." Lei Cai was also about to set off for Jining with the Inner Guard household troops. Before his departure, Zhao Jin gave him a few specific reminders.

Lei Cai received his orders and set out. Zhao Jin wasn't worried that Lei Cai would obey without principles. They were brothers, and Lei Cai had a very clear grasp of the rules and the greater good.

Regarding the unrest in Jining, Shandong, and the various refugee farmsteads, the most embarrassed person was Wang Zhaojing. This time, several of the Shandong farmsteads had serious trouble, and two of them were even beyond salvaging. Right now, the Righteous Braves cavalry and the militia were there, frantically arresting people and utterly overwhelmed. Although the local officials and powerful families were cooperating, some willingly and some not, this incident had still cost the Zhao Camp its face.

The reason Wang Zhaojing was embarrassed was that the causes of these troubles were all connected to scholars. Moreover, they were all people like certified students and licentiates from Xuzhou. Ever since the Zhao Camp broke the Cloud Mountain Temple, Wang Zhaojing, Ruhui, and Zhou Xuezhi had begun consciously cultivating talent for farmstead heads and managers. At the time, they hadn't thought as far ahead as they did now. However, Ruhui liked to use those experienced but suppressed young men from within Cloud Mountain Temple. Zhou Xuezhi chose the children of merchant and farming households who were willing to endure hardship and learn. Wang Zhaojing, on the other hand, preferred to use scholars. In his mind, the culture of learning in Xuzhou was not strong; there weren't even many who passed the licentiate exam. Scholars were all very frustrated, most of them stuck in the awkward status of old certified students. They had read books and understood reason. Such people would surely learn to do things faster, would surely know gratitude and how to repay kindness, and would surely outshine the people chosen by the other two. This was Wang Zhaojing's thinking.

Zhao Jin had no objections to the judgments of the three of them. But among the young men who could no longer serve as household troops due to injuries or other reasons, quite a few were also assigned to learn about managing farming affairs and personnel matters. This had been going on for a few years. In the past, these people had also been continuously dispatched to the east bank of Luoma Lake, Suzhou, the Kong Family Estate, Guide Prefecture, and other places. Because these areas were all controlled by the Zhao Camp, there were no incidents or troubles, so no one could tell who was better or worse. Wang Zhaojing continued to implement this policy; for example, those among the refugees who were literate and could read would be selected.

But in this recent chaos, in every place where the situation spiraled out of control, it was always those of scholarly background who hesitated indecisively, or deserted in the face of battle, or preached about some great moral principle, even going so far as to speak up for the refugee farmstead workers. This made Wang Zhaojing feel he had lost tremendous face, since only the people he had chosen were so utterly useless.

"Don't let your thoughts run wild. Among the people you chose, there were also those who knew about the unrest in advance and arrested people before the instigation even started. There were also those who, when the chaos erupted, hacked down three men with a blade and instantly quelled the entire scene. Weren't those men also of scholarly background?" When Wang Zhaojing came to apologize in shame, Zhao Jin consoled him with a few words.

"However, some people's brains are muddled. Who gave them food to eat? Who gave them this position managing thousands of people? Who backs them up? They can't figure this out, and they still can't understand what we're trying to do. When muddled fools like this come back, deal with each of them severely. Execute the ones who deserve execution, sentence the ones who deserve hard labor to hard labor. We don't have that much mercy to spare." Zhao Jin was also furious at these people who deserted or even fanned the flames.

Wang Zhaojing gave an awkward, bitter smile. "Big Brother, these scholars can't figure things out. They study to gain official rank and fame, but they have to actually be able to gain it first. They see the glorious and successful official careers of others and think they should have the same. Big Brother, you give them food, clothing, and a job, but they compare it to the wealth, rank, peace, and prosperity of those officials. It's not strange that they're so muddled."

As he spoke, Chen Sheng, Ji Xiang, Liu Yong, and Ruhui were all present. Chen Sheng was expressionless. Ruhui was just flipping through account books over there. Liu Yong kept his head lowered. Ji Xiang, however, offered a cautious suggestion: "Big Brother, a territory as large as Shandong is no smaller than Huai'an Prefecture. We need to station household troops there to guard it."

Everyone understood the self-recommending implication in Ji Xiang's words, but Zhao Jin did not take the bait. He merely laughed and said, "Those certified students and licentiates who stare enviously at others' wealth and rank have muddled minds. Yet among those who are already wealthy and ranked, there are clear-sighted ones. That Kong Zhang, isn't he a descendant of the Sage? He's actually seen which way the wind is blowing and wants to place a heavy bet on our side. This man is a bit interesting. Zhaojing, tell everyone about his background. You can pick up on a lot from it."

Ji Xiang was long used to Zhao Jin changing the subject like this. Moreover, he knew the possibility of him being posted outside was honestly very slim. It did, however, pull Wang Zhaojing out of his earlier embarrassment. Wang Zhaojing smiled and nodded, then spoke: "The news arrived just half a shichen ago. This man Kong Zhang's background isn't hard to inquire about; there's plenty of it on the open record..."

Anyone familiar with the Kong family genealogy knows that the Kong clan descendants truly listed in the clan registry, whether from the main line or a branch line, as long as they have a recognized lineage, invariably have a two-character given name. Moreover, the characters used are always very rare and peculiar. The reason is simple: with a heritage spanning over a thousand years and being the paramount sect of Confucianism, they stress reverence for ancestors and require the avoidance of naming taboos, and so on and so forth. Naturally, the names cannot be simple. A name like Kong Zhang, when heard by someone in the know or a local commoner of Qufu, would immediately lead to a judgment: this is a servant of the Kong Manor, or simply someone with the same surname or even a different surname clinging to the connection—like that man at the Kong Family Estate, who is also surnamed Kong.

Yet Kong Zhang's situation was not like that. Here in Qufu, if one put in just a little effort to inquire, it was very easy to get information on this man. The Duke of Yansheng's Kong Manor had already been passed down for over two hundred years in the Great Ming. The Kong family had countless branches and leaves; there was no telling how many Kongs had status and dignity. A random member of the Kong clan was not so easily remembered by everyone.

Some say Kong Zhang is the illegitimate son of this generation's Duke, while others say he is the son of the Duke's younger brother. This generation's Duke of Yansheng is already gravely ill and near death, while the Duke's younger brother passed away in his youth due to an incident. This generation's Duke of Yansheng has very few heirs; he only had his first son at the age of forty. This Kong Zhang was brought back when the Duke was around thirty. At the time, many rumors circulated, saying that the Duke's wife and concubines likely could not bear children, so the Duke made a contingency plan. However, the Duchess of Yansheng also came from a powerful clan in Shandong and had considerable means. Throughout his childhood, Kong Zhang suffered several severe illnesses and inexplicably encountered "bandits" several times. But he was still somewhat fortunate; the illnesses were treated in time, and the villains never managed to kill him in time. Just like that, he weathered the turmoil and reached adulthood.

Some also say that those so-called "severe illnesses" and "bandits" were the doing of the Duke of Yansheng's concubines and another younger brother of the Duke. Some wanted to frame the Duchess to elevate themselves, while others wanted this generation's Duke of Yansheng to be left without an heir so their own family could inherit the title. But all of this is just hearsay. The Duke of Yansheng didn't seem to pay much attention to this child anyway. After bringing him back, he didn't raise him inside the Kong Manor. Instead, he arranged a separate villa, bought servants to attend to him, and had him study alongside the second-class clan members of the Kong family. No particular importance was evident. Once this generation's Duke of Yansheng had two sons of his own, everyone stopped thinking much about it.

The career paths for Kong Manor descendants were mostly managing the Kong Manor's various properties across Shandong. Official positions and noble titles with court rank were only for the main line and major branches to contend for. Everyone else went to manage the various farmsteads and shops. The next tier down went to work at these places. At the age when Kong Zhang could go out and work, the Duke of Yansheng, who had not inquired about him for a long time, made arrangements again, giving him two paths to choose from: one was to manage the commercial shops in Jining, and the other was to look after the residence in the capital.

Once this arrangement was announced, the Duke of Yansheng's manor was again in an uproar. One must understand that for descendants who could not become officials or inherit titles, these two career paths were the best positions available. Jining was prosperous and wealthy; the Kong Manor's trading companies and warehouses there would not be harassed by the authorities or the underworld. It was a place to sit back and amass a fortune in comfort. As for the capital, every year, all communications and dealings between the Duke of Yansheng's manor and every facet of the capital passed through this post. Not only was the squeeze substantial, but one could also build connections and incur favors with many people in the inner court and outer court, leading to endless future benefits. How could such positions be given to an outsider of unclear origin?

Disputes arose one after another. When Kong Zhang was out and about, he was even nearly "struck" by a carriage, and his residence caught fire several times. The clan members of the Duchess of Yansheng's family came over to make a scene twice. Kong Zhang met with the Duke of Yansheng once, and then left Qufu. For a person like this, as long as he wasn't competing with everyone for a share of the benefits, it was fine if he left. No one cared anymore. However, less than two years later, news came back to Qufu. It was said that this Kong Zhang had gone to serve as a private advisor. At first, he was merely an assistant to the secretary of the Deng-Lai Military Defense Circuit. Later, because he was intelligent, eager to learn, and capable in handling affairs, he began directly managing the accounts for the Deng-Lai Military Defense Circuit's funds and provisions. After a year of this, he was recommended to serve as a private advisor to a certain Department Magistrate, where he also earned a reputation for shrewdness and competence.

People cannot stand to see others do well. Kong Zhang wasn't fighting everyone for positions and benefits anymore, but everyone still couldn't stand seeing this man spread his wings out in the wider world. Why should all of us be stuck here in the Kong Manor and the Kong family feeling stifled, while you get to go out and have the sky as your limit? And besides, the Military Defense Circuit is responsible for the funds and provisions of Dengzhou Prefecture and Liao Garrison. How much profit passes through his hands in a year, and how much can he pocket for himself? And now he's gone to be this Department Magistrate's private advisor, which means he can freely skim from the funds and provisions of an entire department. In these few years, he's probably amassed several lifetimes' worth of benefits. No, this cannot be borne!

As a result, gossip and slander began to stir here in Qufu. It escalated until, in the end, several highly respected Kong clan elders went to speak with this generation's Duke of Yansheng. They argued that the Kong family is the lineage of the Sage, a household of the purest nobility and prestige. How could someone from such a family engage in the lowly trade of a funds-and-provisions private advisor? Others might do it, but the fact that Kong Zhang did it disgraces the Kong Manor and disgraces the Sage. If word of this spreads to the capital in the future, the Kong family will lose face. Does the court's failure to bestow enough awards and stipends on the Kong Manor mean it can't even support a single Kong clan descendant? Wouldn't that be saying the imperial court is treating us shabbily?

Third watch of the night. The double monthly votes period is probably about to end. This extra chapter is to thank the new Alliance Leader, old friend "The Long Road."

Thanks to old friend "Qi Sanwen" for the tip, and thank you all for your subscriptions, monthly votes, and tips.