Chapter 135: Someone Stole Our Old Hen

The Liu’s could not request Wei Yuan to resign because that would be offensive, even though the Master had originally had the intention to do so.

The best solution was to make Wei Yuan resign on his own initiative and write her a reference letter. It did not matter to whom he referred her––she was heading to Langye, anyway. The key was Wei Yuan’s being the one to mention his resignation, which would make for a win-win situation.

Jiang Pengji had not thought about that before her visit, but she could tell his plan from his expression. The Master knew what he should do. As a kind teacher, he was genuinely concerned about his student’s future.

In that era, many believed a teacher was like a pupil’s father, and they refused to alter the exclusive position of a master in a pupil’s heart. Therefore, even after some teachers had realized they could not handle their students, they would insist in continuing their lessons, not considering whether that would do more harm than good to the children.

Wei Yuan was proud like his peers, yet he was also an honest man who would give his pupil what she really needed.

“Langye… I hope it won’t be a disappointment.” Jiang Pengji opened her fan and leaned on a table with her eyes closed. A contrast to her seemingly leisure gesture was her busy brain.

That world was distinct from where she had come from. Three keys to winning the throne were food supply, people, and territories.

There were numerous ways to obtain food, such as getting it from defeated enemies.

Controlling certain territories would not be too challenging, especially when wars in Dongqing started, which would happen within a few years. She had already decided which place to conquer first.

The headache was the second point: the people. Their nurture was the most demanding, as it concerned more than the expansion of her army.

The majority of soldiers could be recruited with food and wages and could be equipped with weapons and horses, and could then take part in battles after basic training.

Absorbing military and administrative talent required more effort. Apart from the limited quality of human resources in that world that had high illiteracy, she had to gain respect from the most ambitiously talented in order to secure their loyalty.

Jiang Pengji was confident in the last part, but she was troubled by the very first step. Where could she find satisfactory candidates? Tackling the problem thus became her priority.

To her, people under her could never turn away from her. They could either work until they were too old to continue, or die in the battlefield for her, but they could in no way quit her team to serve another master.

She admitted that she was not well-tempered. She hated betrayal, and anyone who attempted it must lose his life under her hands someday. Back in the days of Corps Seven, everyone knew her style.

Apart from expertise in administration, she also needed generals to lead her soldiers. While ordinary soldiers were responsible for fighting fearlessly and cooperating in strategic forms, generals must be more than common, strong soldiers. They were the ones to swiftly map out comprehensive military strategies on the battlefield.

Jiang Pengji would lower her requirements from those she had used in the other world, but the focus would not shift.

The longer she contemplated, the more she realized what she had to do. Having fewer options of generals than administrative talent in her hand was another headache.

She guessed the best host had to aim at becoming an empress. The audience saw her smile like a cunning wolf and she hopped from the carriage before the driver brought her a stool for alighting.

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“Is Xu Ke here?” she asked abruptly at the entrance.

The servant was stunned. How did she know? Still, he bowed and replied, “Yes. He has been waiting for a while.”

“Something has probably happened.” She laughed softly. “Stay at your position. Don’t let strangers come out!”

The servant was again perplexed. Why would there be strangers coming out instead of entering?

But, like other servants, he was clever in guessing the Master’s intentions. After thinking over her words again and again, he hit his forehead, finally figuring out it was her cousin from the lady’s maiden family whom she was referring to.

The servant said Xu Ke had waited for some time, yet he was not at all impatient when Jiang Pengji saw him. He was indulging himself among books.

“What happened in the farm village?” She entered without greeting him, and sat directly in front of the desk.

Xu Ke was concentrating on a book, and was a little startled. Still, he held the book firmly in his hands and put it back onto the shelf slowly, somehow reluctant, as if it was a treasure.

He sat down again after tidying his appearance. He then shook his head and pulled a booklet out from his sleeve. It contained the records he kept, written in tiny characters merely bigger than flies. He did not want to waste the precious bamboo paper with larger handwriting.

Jiang Pengji took it and glanced over it. The characters might be tiny, yet the records were all clear and detailed. It was proof of Xu Ke’s competence in managing internal affairs; all he needed was a partner.

She then thought of the military chief hiding somewhere in Hejian, and pondered how to find him.

Xu Ke asked softly, “Langjun, what do you think?”

Jiang Pengji threw the booklet back to him and chided with a laugh, “I can’t believe you came for thieves in the village.”

Since Xu Ke concealed nothing with the figures; the problem with the records was transparent.

He was responsible for utilizing the monthly subsidies from Liu family to shop for the men’s daily necessities and ensuring the purchase was made at best prices.

A glimpse was enough for Jiang Pengji to identify the strange change in stock. Apart from some grain and clothes, they had also lost an old hen, which was meant to be a bonus for the men some days later.

Each would-be soldier was provided with several sets of clothing for every season when they commenced training, and would not need new sets within that short period of time. Additionally, the use of training material was unusual.

“Haven’t you caught him?” She wanted to laugh out loud. She had considered various reasons for his visit, except that one.

Xu Ke dropped his head and said solemnly, “Yes, my clever Langjun.”

“Oh, shut up!” She could not help but laugh.