Chapter 685: What Is Ambition?

But after the courtyard gate was opened and they stated their purpose, Sun Chuanting and his party were still very tense. The several guards he brought clearly looked ready to fight. Nie Hei, however, had been instructed by Wang Zhaojing and explained things plainly in advance, saying that my master merely wished to meet a friend and there was no need for tension or vigilance. If a fight broke out, not to mention whether they could escape, once word spread, the position of Yongcheng county magistrate would be lost. After weighing the matter, everyone knew what to do.

"That man called Sun Chuanting had an extremely unpleasant expression and was unwilling to come see the master. It was only after that Mister Tian and the guards beside him persuaded him that he agreed. The guards accompanying Sun Chuanting seem to be of the border army style." Nie Hei made a point of adding this, and after speaking, he glanced at Niu Jinbao standing behind Zhao Jin. The meaning was clear enough: Sun Chuanting might have some issues, but he could not stir up any trouble here.

After Nie Hei left, Zhao Jin pondered for a moment and said, "This man is, after all, of official background. When I saw him back then, he seemed quite full of scholarly idealism. Zhaojing and I will see him; there's no need for everyone else to show themselves. Dasheng, take a squad to the border between Xuzhou and Yongcheng and keep a close watch."

Once the arrangements were made, Sun Chuanting and his group were led over. Zhao Jin was about to rise, but Wang Zhaojing smiled and said, "A visitor met by chance, big brother need not go out to greet him. I will bring him in."

Those six guards and household servants naturally could not be brought in. They still wanted to argue a few words, but someone from the Zhao Camp said coldly, "Even if you came in, what could you do? If we wanted to make a move, could you stop us?" The words were so blunt that the guards were left speechless. Moreover, they had now seen up close what the Zhao Camp's personal guards truly looked like. Besides household troops in iron armor with long weapons, there were also some clearly skilled jianghu experts. Whichever kind, they were opponents the guards could not handle.

Sun Chuanting remained silent the whole time, his expression indifferent. Mister Tian, however, could see the irritation in his young master's eyes, so he spoke up to reassure and soothe him, and together with Sun Chuanting, they entered the courtyard.

"... just a greenwood thug..." Sun Chuanting walked behind the guide, turning aside to speak to Mister Tian. Mister Tian shook his head slightly.

As they walked, Sun Chuanting kept scrutinizing everything around him—the household troops and guards of the Zhao Camp, the layout and scenery of this residence. As he looked, a look of astonishment appeared on his face. According to Sun Chuanting's assumptions, no matter how plain and honest Zhao Jin had appeared in the capital, since he was carrying out such unlawful deeds in Xuzhou and possessed such strength and influence, he must be living in the utmost arrogance, extravagance, and debauchery, and his trusted subordinates would naturally be arrogant and domineering. Yet from what he saw along the way, none of this was evident.

Everyone was very serious, but never arrogant or bullying. The residence was neat and tidy, but had nothing to do with extravagance. Even Wang Zhaojing, who came from an official family background, could be described as plainly dressed. Then what exactly was he aiming for by building all this up? Seeing this did not make Sun Chuanting feel any relief; instead, his heart grew even heavier.

"I never expected to meet Brother Sun in Xuzhou. Truly a rare guest." Although he did not leave the courtyard, Zhao Jin still waited in front of the house door, smiling and cupping his fists in greeting.

To Zhao Jin, Sun Chuanting was an interesting guest. They had met during the metropolitan examinations in the capital, and he had thought it was a chance encounter with no possibility of meeting again. How could he have imagined that this Sun Jinshi from Shanxi would come to Yongcheng as county magistrate, a place right next to Xuzhou? Even more unexpected was that this Sun Boya, serving as county magistrate, would actually risk losing his official post to come to Xuzhou. As for his purpose in coming, it was truly of little consequence.

Zhao Jin wore a knee-length short robe with a black sleeveless jacket over it, both made of coarse homespun cloth. The workmanship was decent, the stitching fine and tight. From a distance, it was passable, but up close, the material was obvious. Such attire was commonplace throughout the Zhao Camp, but when Sun Chuanting saw it, he was again stunned. Zhao Jin was not draped in silks and satins either; the only thing he wore was a short blade at his left waist, resembling a Japanese-style sword, and not the kind of fine piece a wealthy household would buy for decoration—it looked like something regularly used.

Seeing all this left Sun Chuanting even more speechless. To be honest, Zhao Jin's attire was not even as good as that of the Sun family's head guard. Facing Zhao Jin's greeting, Sun Chuanting even forgot to respond, staring at Zhao Jin somewhat rudely. The clothes fit well, and the wear at the cuffs was visible, showing that Zhao Jin had not just found a set of clothes for the occasion. In truth, Sun Chuanting already knew that this plainness and practicality was precisely the style of the Zhao Camp. From entering Xuzhou to arriving at He Village, everything he had seen and heard along the way confirmed this. Yet Sun Chuanting did not believe it—or rather, he did not want to believe it.

The silence was brief, but long enough to be rude. Mister Tian, standing behind him, frowned again and nudged Sun Chuanting forcefully. In his mind, his young master possessed a composure far beyond his peers; why was he so utterly discomposed here?

The nudge brought Sun Chuanting back to his senses. Flustered and somewhat embarrassed, he cupped his fists in return and said, "I have come presumptuously and truly imposed upon you."

Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing exchanged a glance, both somewhat puzzled, but they still ushered the guest into the house. Sun Chuanting was clearly a bit distracted. Upon entering and seeing Niu Jinbao standing to the side, he was so startled that his body trembled. Only after taking his seat did he regain his composure.

"When we first met in the capital that day, I truly never imagined Brother Zhao would be such a hero. I had eyes but failed to see; I was truly remiss." Sun Chuanting's tone was somewhat off.

Before Zhao Jin could answer, Mister Tian coughed and stood up, cupping his fists and bowing with great solemnity. "Master Zhao, my master has come this time to request your help, regarding the Yongcheng Liao stipend..."

Mister Tian laid out the request directly: they asked Zhao Jin's permission for Yongcheng to publicly claim that the blocking of the Liao stipend was led by County Magistrate Sun Chuanting. If Zhao Jin required any compensation, they asked him to state it.

As this was said, Sun Chuanting lowered his head in embarrassment. No matter what he said or thought, this visit ultimately came down to asking Zhao Jin for help. Everything he had seen and heard along the way made this request feel deeply shameful. After Mister Tian finished speaking, although his face was calm, his heart was also quite uneasy.

"That can be done. If there is anything else you need help with, just speak." To the surprise of both Sun men, Zhao Jin agreed crisply and without hesitation.

Sun Chuanting was about to speak but was again cut off by Mister Tian, who knew his young master had lost his composure and that it was better to settle the main business first. "Master Zhao, this request is somewhat shameful. Since the matter of Yongcheng not collecting the Liao stipend was decided by Master Zhao, could we trouble Master Zhao to also send word to the six offices and the yamen in Yongcheng, asking them to cooperate with my young master so the truth is not leaked?"

Zhao Jin smiled and nodded, saying to Wang Zhaojing beside him, "Zhaojing, remember to send someone to pass the word."

Wang Zhaojing, seated to Zhao Jin's right, agreed with a smile. At this point, even Mister Tian was stunned. How could he agree so quickly? Sun Chuanting finally could not hold back and asked, "Brother Zhao—no, Young Master Zhao—why do you obstruct the Liao stipend? This is the court's royal law and decree..."

At this, Mister Tian again stopped him with a look. Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing exchanged a glance, and Zhao Jin answered directly, "Brother Sun comes from an official family and has now become a county magistrate; you surely know the harm the Liao stipend inflicts on the localities. Zhao is a man of Xuzhou and naturally unwilling to see his homeland and neighboring areas suffer such torment, so I stepped forward to block it. I gave it no further thought."

These words quelled the agitation that had instinctively risen in Sun Chuanting. He sat there, pondering briefly, then asked again, "Provincial officials govern the people on Heaven's behalf, yet here in Xuzhou, Brother Zhao has taken up the governing of the people. Why is that?"

Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head. "Zhao does some business and acquires property, and occasionally helps the officials in the yamen with certain matters. What talk is there of governing the people? Brother Sun speaks far too grandly."

Without waiting for Mister Tian to interrupt or signal, Sun Chuanting merely nodded where he sat and did not press further. After a moment of silence, Sun Chuanting stood, cupped his fists, and said, "Many thanks for Young Master Zhao's consideration this time. Sun will surely repay this in the future. Sun has already broken the rules by coming to Xuzhou and must hurry back. I hope fate allows us to meet again someday."

This farewell seemed abrupt no matter how one looked at it, but after only a few exchanges, the two sides truly had no more topics to continue. Zhao Jin smiled and stood to return the courtesy, exchanging a few polite words. The atmosphere was indeed strange; even Niu Jinbao, standing there without betraying any expression, was somewhat surprised.

The two parties walked out of the house in silence. Zhao Jin would not see them out of the courtyard; the courtyard gate was where they would part. Just as they were about to say goodbye, Sun Chuanting hesitated, disregarding Mister Tian's attempts to stop him, and asked solemnly, "Young Master Zhao, with such great talent and ability, what great ambition do you harbor? Would you be willing to tell Sun?"

Mister Tian sighed inwardly. In the end, it was still youthful pride. What they had seen and heard along the way was already enough to guess many things, and those things were all taboo. Yet here, on the other party's territory, he insisted on asking outright. Was this not asking for trouble? It might even invite disaster...

"Great ambition? Zhao's ambition..." Zhao Jin also paused to ponder. At this moment, even Wang Zhaojing turned his attention over.

But Zhao Jin did not ponder long before smiling and saying, "My father and my late uncle both asked me this before, as did several other elders. Zhao has always had the same answer: I want to leave my name in history, to be firmly remembered by later generations!"

He spoke these words in a manner drawn from memory; Zhao Jin rarely spoke like this anymore. Sun Chuanting and Mister Tian did not quite grasp it at first, but the meaning of the words was easy to understand. Sun Chuanting nodded slowly and said, "This is what it means to leave a name in the annals of history. With Young Master Zhao's great talent and ability, if you served the nation, how could leaving a name in history be difficult? This realm may seem peaceful now, but in truth, undercurrents surge in the dark. It is precisely a time when men of talent are needed, a perfect opportunity for Young Master Zhao to serve the country. If Young Master Zhao's household troops could be used in the Liaodong region, what would the Jianzhou caitiff slaves even matter!"

Zhao Jin kept a smile on his face and merely nodded. After Sun Chuanting finished his impassioned speech and saw Zhao Jin's reaction, he said no more. He merely let out a long breath, cupped his hands in farewell, and took his leave. Mister Tian's attitude, however, was extremely respectful and courteous.

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