Chapter 205

Chapter 205

With Han Zhang backing him, the Han family naturally wouldn't look down on Jiang Liu's background. Thanks to Han Zhang quietly slipping them money, Han Qinfeng and Jiang Liu's wedding went off without a hitch.

On the wedding day, with the two thousand taels in silver notes Han Zhang had secretly slipped them as a cushion, plus the Han family's official betrothal gifts thrown in on top, everything was fully covered.

Sure, Jiang Liu's dowry wasn't as flashy or impressive as Shen Qinglan's or Shao Langzhou's had been when they married in, but it was still put together neat and proper, nothing to be laughed at.

Plus, marrying Jiang Liu into the family wasn't just about scoring a hidden SSR card of an agricultural genius—it also quietly toned down the spotlight from the earlier Han-Shao marriage alliance.

All in all, on the surface, it looked like the Jiangs were marrying up into the Han family, but in reality, the hidden perks the Hans got were just as good as marrying into any of the local gentry.

Since Han Zhang had privately clued the Han grandparents in on how important Jiang Liu was, when Han Qinfeng and Jiang Liu served tea the morning after the wedding, they naturally weren't given a hard time.

The Han elders stayed just as warm and friendly, and had the same cloud-lock token of a Han daughter-in-law ready for him—no different treatment at all.

Shen Qinglan and Shao Langzhou were both easygoing and open-minded—as long as you played along, they were a breeze to get along with.

The younger Han kids were all sharp cookies, each one sweeter-talking than the last, and even the quiet ones were well-behaved and sensible.

A family like this—elders kind, kids filial—made Jiang Liu, who'd walked into her in-laws' home with her heart in her throat, feel deeply grateful and lucky.

Her parents were right—she was just lucky, or how else could she have landed such a perfect match as the Han family?

Since Lord Han said he liked her farming skills, she'd work extra hard from now on and take good care of all those seedlings and crops he'd assigned her!

There was no comparison between being forced to work and actually wanting to work.

After Han Qinfeng and Jiang Liu tied the knot, to repay Han Zhang for playing matchmaker, the couple barely stayed at the residence two days before moving to Jiang Family Village for a long stretch, burying themselves in studying all kinds of grain crops, completely hooked...

Han Qinnian and Shao Langzhou, after attending their big brother and sister-in-law's wedding, didn't hang around long either. They soon headed back to the military camp, keeping up their hard training to get ready to take over Old General Shao's forces...

With both his younger brothers married off, Han Zhang now had more time and resources to plot his rebellion.

Shen Qinglan didn't know Han Zhang's real plans, but now that he knew about the private salt operation, he naturally wasn't about to stay lazy.

He started seriously playing the supportive spouse, taking the private salt business entirely off Han Zhang's hands. Using the business smarts he'd inherited from his mother, within a few months he'd turned that income stream into a booming operation with money rolling in.

Han Zhang had always known his husband was good at business, but he hadn't expected him to be this good—his talent blew way past what Han Zhang had imagined.

In that case, there was no way he could let his husband's talent go to waste.

Han Zhang, barely hesitating, pulled out the two great "money-printing machines" of ancient times—white sugar and glass.

Shen Qinglan: ...

Now it was Shen Qinglan's turn to be floored!

Husband, what other surprises do you have up your sleeve that I don't know about?

But despite the shock, Shen Qinglan was so under Han Zhang's spell that he believed every word—so he didn't question the whole "pledging allegiance to another master" story.

Instead, he was thrilled. The more money his husband sent to the "master" up top, the bigger the credit when things worked out, and sooner or later he and his husband would ride back to the capital in glory!

Meanwhile, Jiang Wencheng, who was slowly getting a look at Han Zhang's money-making schemes, grew more confident every day in Han Zhang's plan to "back a young lord and run the whole court."

It wasn't that he was too gullible—it was just that every business Han Zhang had brought out—white sugar, glass, private salt—was insanely profitable!

Run right, it'd be enough not just to prop up a young prince, but to bankroll a full-on rebellion!

After all, money wasn't everything, but with that much gold and silver flying around, Jiang Wencheng could guarantee at least eighty percent of officials below the fourth rank would flip sides.

Don't ever underestimate these mid- and lower-tier officials—

Sure, the court could keep running without its top-tier ministers, but lose these hardworking rank-and-file officials, and the whole bureaucratic machine would grind to a halt.

The grassroots are the bedrock—they look ordinary, but they're absolutely essential.

Time slipped by, quiet on the surface while things churned underneath.

"Year One in Office"

Han Zhang locked down power in Yunyang with an iron fist, married into Old General Shao's family, and turned Yunyang Prefecture into his own private fiefdom;

And by cutting tenant rents, he won over the common folks' hearts, rolled out all kinds of governance projects, set up test fields, and pushed malaria cures...

"Year Two in Office"

Han Zhang quietly got the rich clans and gentry of Yunyang and Quyang on board, using their connections and cover to spread the three big businesses—private salt, white sugar, and glass—across several prefectures of Zhao, with silver pouring in like water.

On the surface, he introduced better papermaking techniques and set up official paper mills, which boosted the locals' livelihoods and won even more popular support.

Meanwhile, a few survey crews quietly fanned out into the mountains of Yunzhou, marking one mineral deposit after another. Under the cover of Han Qigu, Han Bagu, Han Jiuguye, and other allied forces, they mined in secret, getting ready to make gunpowder and weapons later...

"Year Three in Office"

Using "bandit suppression" as an excuse, Han Zhang secretly folded all of Yunyang's mountain bandits into his private army and ran covert military drills;

On the surface, under the slogan "revive Yunyang," he lured tons of craftsmen from nearby prefectures to come find work, then picked the right ones for secret training in making guns and cannons.

He also set up public schools all over, picking smart, trustworthy poor scholars to groom as future management talent;

He also expanded the orphanage, taking in abandoned babies, orphans, and beggars, and ran a deeper program to groom loyal insiders...

"Year Four in Office"

With iron mines, craftsmen, and cash all lined up, Han Zhang finally finished building the secret base's weapons factory and put workers on assembly-line production of guns and cannons!

For a whole year, the factory ran day and night without a break, finally cranking out a solid batch of guns and cannons.

Plus there were upgraded crossbows with more punch, supply carts, catapults... and other tools of war.

"Year Five in Office"

With weapons and supplies ready, Han Zhang straight-up forged a fake imperial edict to "suppress pirates," tricking Old General Shao into leading troops out to sea as the vanguard to hit the neighboring pirate island.

By the time Old General Shao had fought through most of the front-line battles, Han Zhang would show up with his "modern army," rolling forward with overwhelming firepower.

They butchered the whole little island nation, leaving no one alive!

At that point, Old General Shao finally knew something was off. Shocked and terrified, he dragged Han Zhang into his tent and demanded:

"Little Han! Tell me the truth, old man here is asking—what the hell is going on? This pirate suppression, this pirate suppression..."

"That's right, the pirate suppression edict was a fake."

Han Zhang waved off his personal guards, casually straightened his sleeves, and admitted it without a hint of shame.

"You—you..."

His total lack of shame nearly sent the old man into a rage.

Old General Shao pointed at Han Zhang, his finger trembling, his throat making gurgling noises, unable to get out a full sentence for a long moment, his chest heaving violently.

After a lifetime in government and the military, once Han Zhang showed off his private army and heavy weapons, how could he not figure out what Han Zhang was up to?

This kid actually wanted to rebel!

No, not just wanted to—he was already doing it!

Han Zhang looked at the old man, whose forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and said helplessly:

"Rebelling is rebelling. As the saying goes, 'A man dies, birds fly to the sky; if he doesn't die, he lives ten thousand years.' You know better than I do what the Zhao Imperial Clan is really like, don't you?"

"How did your son and grandson die? They nearly wiped out your family line, and you're still clinging to that ruler-subject loyalty and righteousness?"

"Forgive my bluntness—at this point, if you still cling to the old ways, that's not loyalty, that's blind stupidity!"

Old General Shao was so mad at his blunt words that his face turned red.

This kid was way too outspoken!

At his age, how could he not get these principles? His sons and grandsons had died one after another from court intrigues and 'accidents' at the border—how could he not hold a grudge?

But rebellion was a huge deal, not something to be taken lightly!

Old General Shao took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but it was no use—he still couldn't help glaring at Han Zhang and cursing:

"You damned bastard! Don't give me all that high-sounding bullshit. You've been scheming against me, right? You cursed bastard, actually using your own brother to pull the honey trap!"

Han Zhang: ...

Why get so worked up? A man in his sixties—what if he couldn't catch his breath?

Han Zhang had a thick skin and didn't seem the least bit bothered, saying calmly:

"What's wrong with the honey trap? It only works if your grandson takes a liking to him, right? Besides, isn't my second brother sincere in his feelings for Zhou Geer?"

"My second brother has stayed faithful to Zhou Geer all these years of marriage, and even gave his son to your Shao family to carry on the line. He's no different from a live-in son-in-law. Tell me, where else could you find such a great grandson-in-law?"

Old General Shao's face turned red: "..."

He really couldn't argue with that. Han Qinnian had indeed treated his grandson exceptionally well and was also filial to him as the great-grandfather-in-law.

Seeing the old man's resolve weakening, Han Zhang softened his tone but spoke with weight:

"Old man, at this point, do you still have a way out? Marrying into a rebel's family, 'unauthorized' deployment of troops overseas, slaughtering the Wa island... Forging imperial edicts, starting border conflicts without permission, privately colluding with border generals—if you don't board my ship, I'm afraid the nine clans of the Shao family won't have enough heads to chop off!"

Then, he leisurely poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of the old man, smiling:

"Whether Emperor Taixuan would show leniency to the Shao family out of respect for your past merits and your sons' and grandsons' sacrifices for the nation, I wouldn't presume to say."

"But if I succeed, your Shao descendants will carry half my Han family's blood in their veins, making them royalty too. Isn't that good?"

The best partnership is one where interests and lives are bound together.

The tent fell silent, with only the wind whining past the canvas.

Old General Shao slumped down, staring at the steaming cup of tea, his heart in turmoil.

The accumulated resentment toward the imperial family, the fear of clan extermination, the concern for his great-grandson's future, and the marital ties with the Han family that could no longer be severed...

After a long while, Old General Shao let out a heavy sigh, reached out and grabbed the cup of tea, tilted his head back and drank it all in one go. Then with a "bang," he slammed the cup down on the table and glared at Han Zhang, grumbling hatefully:

"I've truly had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to have run into a ruthless, black-hearted bastard like you!"

He had no choice now but to see this through to the end.

Han Zhang smiled shamelessly: "Old General, you flatter me."