Yuxi lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the towering city walls. Her gaze fell upon the two large characters inscribed on them: '...
Yuxi lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the towering city walls. Her gaze fell upon the two large characters inscribed on them: '兰州 (Lanzhou)'. After travelling for over a month, she had finally reached Lanzhou. Another month's journey would take her to Haocheng.
Xu Wu saw a group of people approaching through the main gate, and he recognised the man leading them. "Madam, Tan Tuo has brought people to welcome you." Tan Tuo had already received word that Yuxi was coming from Yu City. Over the past few days, he had stationed people along the road and had received a report yesterday. He had even calculated when Yuxi would arrive in Lanzhou.
Tan Tuo brought all of Lanzhou's most notable officials to greet Yuxi. The others were stopped outside by Yuxi's guards, except for Tan Tuo himself. Bowing respectfully towards the carriage, Tan Tuo ushered, "Madam, I have arranged a residence for you to rest in. May I invite you to move there?" Yuxi's status was now nothing like it had been before — in the Northwest, she could genuinely be called a person beneath one but above ten thousand1. Moreover, Tan Tuo's entire future was now tied to hers.
Yuxi planned to rest in Lanzhou for a few days—after travelling for half a month, the two children needed a proper break. She said calmly, "Lead the way." Even without looking at her, one could sense Yuxi's cool and detached temperament just from her voice. Of course, however aloof she might seem, none of Lanzhou's officials dared show the slightest disrespect. The prefect of Linzhou had once been dismissed by the Grand General simply for being rude to Han Shi. None of them wanted to repeat Yao Guangzhang's mistake and lose their black gauze hats over a small matter.
Once they had entered the city of Lanzhou, Zaozao no longer wanted to stay in the carriage; she kept trying to climb up to the window to look outside. Feeling helpless, Yuxi had no choice but to open the window and let her look to her heart's content. By now, though, Tan Tuo had clearly cleared the streets, so there was not a single pedestrian to be seen outside.
Times were no longer as they once were—Yuxi's status was completely different now, and naturally, Tan Tuo had to be extra cautious about her safety.
Tan Tuo arranged for Yuxi to stay in the former residence of the Governor of Gansu Province. The vast compound had six courtyards, each three sections deep, and was more than large enough to accommodate her entire entourage.
The main courtyard had already been cleaned and prepared, so Yuxi moved in straight away. After settling Zaozao and Liu-er, she changed into fresh clothes before meeting Tan Tuo. Although only four months had passed since they last met, Yuxi thought Tan Tuo looked far more energetic than before.
When Tan Tuo entered the room, he deliberately looked up at Yuxi. She was wearing a pale pink spring blouse, and her skin was as fair as snow. Her face was rosy and her lips were red — her complexion looked excellent. But seeing her like this made Tan Tuo uneasy. He was well aware that Yuxi had nearly died in childbirth at the end of last year, so her unusually healthy complexion after travelling for more than a month struck him as odd.
At that moment, without bothering with politeness, Tan Tuo said, "Madam, I have brought Physician Tang with me. Would you or the young misses perhaps need his services?"
Yuxi smiled. "That's thoughtful of you. Let him take a look at Zaozao and Liu-er." Zaozao was full of energy and didn't really need a physician, but Liu-er had been listless for the past two days, which had made Yuxi a bit worried. Having the physician examine her would set her mind at ease.
Tan Tuo, of course, had no objections.
Yuxi asked, "Have you got used to your new position yet?" After all, advancing three whole ranks from prefect to provincial governor was no mean feat! Most people wouldn't have been able to handle it.
Bowing halfway to Yuxi, Tan Tuo replied, "Thank you, Madam, for your great favour. It took some getting used to at first, but I've got the hang of it now."
Yuxi nodded. "Tell me about the biggest problems you're facing right now. You don't need to mention the good things—I've seen and heard enough of those along the way."
Tan Tuo responded, "Madam, the biggest problem right now is that the treasury is empty, and we lack capable people." Without money and manpower, it was as if one's hands and feet had been tied. Fortunately, those who had been promoted were all competent, and despite the heavy workload, no one complained. It was not that Tan Tuo was crying poverty — the local administration really had no funds. Although Yun Qing had seized a great deal of wealth, he had sent it all to Haocheng, leaving nothing for the provinces. The fact that Lanzhou remained stable and the good seed had been sown in time, half the credit belonged to Tan Tuo.
Yun Qing came from a family of military officers and had lived among soldiers for a long time, sharing their hardships and experiences. He had therefore always been deeply troubled by the difficulties they endured and by the number of soldiers who had died on the battlefield due to a lack of proper weapons. So, when Yun Qing came into wealth, the first thing he thought of was replacing the soldiers' equipment and distributing pensions to the bereaved families.
Understanding Yun Qing's mindset, Yuxi did not strongly oppose his actions; instead, she offered him some sensible advice. After a moment's thought, she said, "You can use the one hundred and twenty thousand taels of gold we obtained from Linzhou the other day." A hundred and twenty thousand taels of gold — that should be enough to cover several months of local expenses, as long as there were no natural disasters.
Tan Tuo was overjoyed. "Many thanks, Madam." Many places in Gansu needed funding, and he could only ask Yuan Ying for it. In Yuan Ying's eyes, most officials were corrupt. Consequently, every time Tan Tuo requested funds, he was met with sarcastic jibes and deliberate obstruction. Even when the money was finally granted, it was heavily discounted, leaving Tan Tuo in a state of bitter distress. It was only his devotion to the people and knowing that Yuan Ying was only temporarily handling government affairs that enabled him to endure it all.
Yuxi reminded him, "I once heard my Dage2 say that the Imperial Court's administration is rotten — officials in the capital form cliques and pursue their own interests, while the provincial officials are corrupt and bribery has made the air thick with black smoke and miasma3. Tan Tuo, I don't want to see such things happening in the Northwest."
Tan Tuo reacted calmly, "Madam, I can't speak for others, but I, Tan Tuo, would never do such a thing." If he had such intentions, he would not be living solely on his salary with no private savings.
Yuxi did believe in Tan Tuo — her earlier words were merely meant to warn him. "The northwest is in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt, so every penny must be spent on the edge of the blade4, understand?"
Tan Tuo replied, "Rest assured, Madam, I will put every single tael of gold to good use." Very few people knew about Yuxi's collection of the one hundred and twenty thousand taels of gold in Linzhou.
After a pause, Tan Tuo continued, "Madam, I have an idea. The bureaucracy is overstaffed — it would be best to streamline it and cut down on expenses."
Yuxi was very interested in this, as with the finances so tight, it was indeed necessary to open up sources and restrict the flow5. As for increasing income, Yuxi hadn't yet found a good way, but reducing expenses was necessary. She asked, "Why do you have this idea? Tell me in detail."
Tan Tuo considered this in his mind for a long time before speaking: "Madam, in Shaanxi and Gansu, there's no need for both provincial governors and administrative commissioners — one prefect in Lanzhou would suffice. In future, the other Gansu prefectures could be placed directly under the jurisdiction of officials in Haocheng."
Yuxi fell silent for a moment before responding, "I'll think about it." The decision to abolish the governor and administrative commissioner posts in Gansu was something she had to discuss with Yun Qing.
Tan Tuo showed no disappointment — what he had suggested was no small matter. If Yuxi had agreed on the spot, that would have been more worrying. He said, "Madam, I've heard that Haocheng is still recruiting soldiers. There are already more than two hundred thousand troops. If we continue to recruit, I'm concerned that the Northwest's taxes may not be sufficient to support this many soldiers. Moreover, if all the able-bodied men go to war, there will be fewer people left to cultivate new land." In essence, Tan Tuo was saying that they must stop recruiting soldiers — doing so would only burden the people and hinder long-term development.
However, Yuxi shook her head and replied, "It is absolutely necessary for us to recruit soldiers. If we don't have enough troops, we won't have the forces needed to resist the Imperial Army when they attack." Since there was no war taking place at the moment, they naturally had to hurry to conscript men for training. Otherwise, if they had waited until the war began, they would have suffered heavy losses.
Tan Tuo argued anxiously, "Madam, without enough able-bodied labourers, not only will agriculture fail to develop, but the population won't be able to grow either. If all the young men join the army, who will have children? We won't be able to make progress even in ten years because of this."
Yuxi smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about that — I'll handle it." She had already thought about this issue before. The desolate areas in the Northwest presented the perfect opportunity to establish large-scale garrison farms to supply the armies. However, she needed to discuss the matter with Yun Qing first, so she hadn't mentioned it to Tan Tuo yet.
Tan Tuo let out a sigh of relief. "As long as Madam has a clear plan in mind, I'm at ease." Talking with her was truly effortless — no matter what he said, she understood it right away. It wasn't like dealing with Yun Qing or Yuan Ying, where he would have to explain things for hours. The person explaining had no complaints, but those listening were impatient. Once, Yuan Ying got so annoyed that he called him an annoying whiner. Alas, talking about this thing with them brought him nothing but tears!
Yuxi, unaware of Tan Tuo's inner thoughts, brought up another matter: "Each region holds quite a few prisoners. Instead of keeping them in prison and feeding them for free, I think it would be better to send them out to cultivate new land. What do you think of this idea?"
Tan Tuo's face lit up with delight, and he exclaimed, "Madam, that's an excellent idea! There must be over ten thousand prisoners across the Northwest. In a year, they could reclaim a great deal of land and increase the harvests significantly!" Needless to say, all of the newly cultivated land would belong to the state.
Yuxi's lips curved into a faint smile. "You think it's a good idea, too? Then I'll mention it to the General when I get to Haocheng." The last time she met her husband, they only had half a day together, which was far too short to discuss anything in depth.
On the subject of prisoners, Tan Tuo suddenly remembered Xu Chong and said, "Madam, Xu Chong has already been executed and his head displayed to the public." Deserting in wartime was considered particularly heinous, so when Yun Qing heard of it, he ordered the man's immediate execution.
Yuxi thought that for someone like Xu Chong, even his death could not atone for his crimes. "Xinping City didn't fall into chaos at the time — that was all thanks to Fu Minglang. What do you think of him? Can he be trusted?" Due to her concerns, Yuxi was still hesitant about employing Fu Minglang.
Tan Tuo hesitated for a long time before answering, "Fu Minglang is capable, practical, and upright, but his family is in Fengtian. He's not like me. My parents are gone, and I have no siblings. I only have a wife and children. As I have no family obligations, I can serve with all my heart. But Fu Minglang's family is under the control of the Imperial Court. If they threaten him with his family and he gives in, it could cause endless trouble in the future."
Yuxi pushed the thought aside and smiled as she said, "The 120,000 taels of gold I gave you came from the Zhou family, the richest household in Linzhou. They still have seven children — make sure they are all properly provided for." Having taken their money, she naturally had to keep her word. However, Yuxi didn't plan to keep the children with her forever. The Zhou family had been destroyed by Yun Qing, who knew if these children harboured hatred in their hearts?
Tan Tuo couldn't help but laugh softly as he assured her, "I'll make sure those children are well looked after." Settling a few children was indeed a small matter.
Footnotes Full List
- 一人之下,万人之上 (yì rén zhī xià, wàn rén zhī shàng) — a classic Chinese idiom meaning "second only to one person, superior to all others," implying near-supreme power or influence.
- 大哥 dàgē: eldest brother
- "乌烟瘴气 (wū yān zhàng qì)" — literally "black smoke and miasma," a metaphor for a foul, corrupt, or chaotic atmosphere.
- "花在刀刃上 (huā zài dāo rèn shàng)" (spend on the knife's edge) — metaphor meaning "to spend money where it matters most" or "to use resources wisely and efficiently."
- "开源节流 (kāi yuán jié liú)" — literally "open up sources and restrict the flow," meaning "to increase income and reduce spending."
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