After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Chapter 1280: Chapter 1247: Intervening

Zhao Hanzhang hadn’t finished speaking when Mrs. Wang hurriedly shook her hand, saying, "No, no, I can’t."

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t press further. Although Mrs. Wang was a bit more confident than before, she still felt intimidated by the clan members of the Zhao Family. The rumors from earlier years had greatly affected her.

She can now proudly face the Zhao Family members, but she still doesn’t actively get close to them.

The clan members surrounding her now all approach her, while Mrs. Wang passively accepts.

However, she doesn’t accept everyone. If she gets along with them, she treats them as relatives, if not, she finds excuses to refuse. With Qing Gu by her side, no one can make her suffer grievances.

With Zhao Hanzhang as her backing, she now has the right to be willful.

Zhao Hanzhang also didn’t want to make things difficult for her. Having endured grievances in relationships for many years, it wouldn’t make sense for her to continue being wronged.

So, if she is unwilling, Zhao Hanzhang doesn’t press her.

Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze sweeps over the two round tables. She always tried to minimize her involvement in the affairs within the Zhao Family. If she needed help from the Zhao Family, she directly discussed it with Zhao Song and Zhao Ming, letting them act as the bridge.

Unconsciously, she excluded herself from the Zhao Family’s decision-makers. If it weren’t for her mother’s reminder, she might not have realized that her sense of responsibility and authority within the Zhao Family was imbalanced.

The wealthy kin led by Zhao Hu invested much and reaped benefits from her, but ordinary clan members have also helped her as much as they could.

She knew that the proportion of common people in the country determined their great power, so why did she forget that ordinary clan members also made up the majority of the clan?

The Zhao Family has over two thousand clan members in total, only a few are affluent like Zhao Hu.

In making major decisions for the clan, other members also have rights and responsibilities.

Zhao Hanzhang turned to leave. She didn’t discuss the arrangements for these clan members face-to-face but quietly called Uncle Cheng and said, "Go find out how many people like Zhao Wan are in the Capital City, what strengths they have, and what their temperaments are."

After pausing, she said, "Also find out if anyone is doing bad deeds under the Zhao Family’s name. I’ve been focused on big figures like the Seventh Ancestor and neglected the dark corners. You and Qing Gu, one focuses inside, the other outside. Since you’re responsible for outside matters, keep an eye out for my mother and me."

Uncle Cheng quickly bowed and accepted, then took advantage of the large crowd present today to go investigate.

There were quite a few clan members like Zhao Wan who followed Zhao Hu, Zhao Song, Zhao Qing, and Zhao Dong to the Capital City. They mostly managed shops or worked as accountants or other roles in relatives’ shops.

Unlike modern thinking where companies can’t hire relatives, in this era, people rely more on relatives, especially clan members.

For management positions like managers and accountants that require vision and capability, it’s hard to find suitable candidates among slaves, so most are family members and clan members.

Take Zhao Dong, for example. His family is well-off. After following Zhao Song and Zhao Hu to the Capital City, he eagerly bought several shops. His son Zhao Kuan is an official and doesn’t have time to manage the shops; his daughter is also an official and likewise has no time.

He himself is too busy and doesn’t have enough capable servants around, so what can he do?

He hired a clan member, Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng only manages one of the shops. Other than not being of servant status, his treatment is the same as other managers.

They signed an employment contract specifying the responsibilities and duties of both parties.

In large families, there is a complete set of regulations for employing clan members, and there are rules that everyone tacitly follows.

Overall, employing clan members is less risky than hiring outside commoners. Of course, in terms of risks and benefits, signed slaves are more cost-effective.

However, among servants, those with vision and ability are scarce, and there’s always a feeling of not having enough.

This is why some people always want to turn good people into slaves.

For powerful clans, land and slaves are untouchable assets. The ancestor like Wang Mang, who seemed like a time traveler, failed mainly because he touched these two.

Zhao Hanzhang also touched them, but what set her apart from Wang Mang was that her methods were fair; she merely limited their acquisition rather than stripping from their existing assets.

Wang Mang attempted reforms in a peaceful environment, whereas she is reestablishing order amid chaos. Frankly, though it’s difficult, it’s somewhat easier for her.

From the Yellow Turban Rebellion until now, over a hundred and twenty years have passed. Though there have been brief periods of peace, the country hasn’t been unified.

This is the worst of times, and the best of times.

This era is plagued by war, natural disasters, and man-made calamities, yet precisely because of these, people’s minds are open, thoughts are active, and scholars are unrestrained yet open-minded and tolerant.

The relationships between ethnic groups are gradually moving from sharp opposition to inclusiveness, and societal prejudices against women are improving.

In such harsh conditions, common people no longer mind women setting up female households and being in charge.

Because in this era, as long as one can survive, it doesn’t matter how—survival itself is a victory.

The scholarly class is also reflecting, not merely focusing on their interests. Most are thinking about stabilizing and unifying the country, enabling people to live and work in peace, rather than competing for land and slaves.

Due to the chaos, they lost much of their capital once held. Now, having returned to the Northern Land alive, no one complains about the court reclaiming abandoned lands and previously discarded slaves. Everyone is quietly starting anew.

They have confidence that as long as the world is stable, and the court offers them fair opportunities to exercise their aspirations, they can definitely bring glory back to their families.

Therefore, Zhao Hanzhang’s talent recruitment exams remain strong even after the court stabilized, with many supporters.

Because of the chaos, most former power holders are dead. Now, what’s left are mainly branches of noble clans, known only by their nominal fame.

Zhao Hanzhang is evidently not someone who loves fame, so they can’t seduce her. In terms of popular esteem, no one in the entire Great Jin can rival Zhao Hanzhang now;

Regarding her prestige among scholars, the Zhao Family has Zhao Cheng and Zhao Ming, so no one can make her compromise with reputation.

Currently, the most powerful clan in Great Jin is the Zhao Family. The only ones that can still maintain their clan strength and reputation are the Wang, Lu, and Cui families.

If they truly followed the previous system for official selection, the court would surely be controlled by these three families, and the already declining noble clan branch members would have no chance to rise.

So they all support the talent recruitment exams.

Although many of the court’s policies seem unrelated, those who participate in the talent recruitment exams understand the connection among several major policies.

The talent recruitment exam is tied to the current education system. Now, Zhao’s School has blossomed everywhere, and people prefer to call it the government school because the school funds are directly managed by the county government, and student enrollment is linked directly to the County Magistrate’s political performance.

The education system is also connected to the current land system, taxation, etc. At every level, they are interconnected.