The rise of the poor

Upon receiving news that Zhu Pingan had ordered the Zhejiang army to take leave before his arrival, Zhao Wenhua was satisfied and very pleased with Zhu Pingan.

"Zihou, Zhou Chong is not capable of managing the governorship. He doesn't have the ability. His presence in office will do more harm than good to the cause of suppressing the Japanese pirates."

Zhao Wenhua and Zhu Pingan launched into a long, scathing attack on Zhou Chong before finally returning home hand in hand.

Zhu Pingan remained unmoved.

The next morning, Zhu Ping'an finished washing up early, ate a simple breakfast at the inn—a bowl of porridge, two meat buns, and a plate of side dishes—and then, under the protection of Liu Dadao and others, went to the governor's office to pay his respects.

Don't think you're early; there are always those who are even earlier. Zhu Ping'an thought he had arrived early, but when he arrived at the Governor's Mansion and was led to the waiting room by the steward, he found that many officials were already waiting there, about seventy or eighty people in total. Almost all the officials at the prefectural level and above had come to pay their respects. Among them were many familiar faces, including his old superior, Zhang Zijing, the Zhejiang Provincial Judicial Commissioner, and Tan Lun, his former superior and now subordinate.

Oh, by the way, there's a rumor that Tan Lun is about to be transferred from the position of Prefect of Taizhou to the position of Vice Commissioner of the Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commission.

"Minister Zhu".

Good morning, Lord Zhu.

Zhu Ping'an was no longer the naive man he once was. Although young, he held a high official rank. When the officials in the waiting room saw Zhu Ping'an arrive, apart from a few people like Tu Dashan, Zhang Zijing, Tan Lun, and others stepped forward to greet him.

Zhu Pingan returned the greetings one by one, exchanged brief pleasantries with them, and then stepped forward to greet the senior figures such as Tu Dashan.

Tu Dashan, relying on his seniority, replied to Zhu Ping'an, this rising star, with a single, economical word: "Okay."

"You're busy." Zhu Ping'an didn't want to be rude to him, so he just nodded and turned to leave, satisfied with the polite gesture.

"Where is the commander-in-chief?"

Zhu Pingan looked around the waiting room and found that apart from Zhao Wenhua and Hu Zongxian, who had not yet arrived, there was not a single military officer in sight. The room was full of civil officials, and there was not a single military officer. He couldn't help but ask Zhang Zijing and the others out of curiosity.

"Yesterday, Governor Zhou inspected the military camp and ordered a group of generals to accompany him. Generals from near and far rushed to accompany him at the first opportunity. They must be with Governor Zhou now. I heard from the steward of the mansion that they are on their way back with Governor Zhou and should arrive at the yamen in about an incense stick's time."

Tan Lun explained softly.

Tan Lun was well-informed and had a superficial acquaintance with the newly appointed Governor-General Zhou Chong. Their acquaintance stemmed from shared interests; both loved opera and had served in official positions in Jiangnan. Tan Lun had visited Zhou Chong's residence twice before Zhou became governor-general, and the steward there recognized Tan Lun, from whom he learned of these events.

Sure enough, after about an incense stick's time, we heard footsteps outside, and it sounded like a lot of people.

Then, a middle-aged man with gray hair, dressed in the robes of a governor, and full of vigor, led a group of generals into the waiting room, among whom were Yu Dayou and others.

Although the middle-aged and elderly people have gray hair, their noodles are rosy, they are energetic and full of vitality.

With so many people coming in, the living room suddenly became crowded.

"My lords, I am the newly appointed Governor-General Zhou Chong. I inspected the military camps yesterday, and it was too late, so I stayed outside the city. I am deeply sorry to have kept you waiting. Today at noon, I will host a banquet to apologize to you all." As soon as Zhou Chong entered, he bowed to everyone and expressed his apologies.

"Your Excellency is too kind. Your Excellency's inspection of the military camp is also for the sake of the great cause of suppressing the Japanese pirates, to report to the Emperor, and to bring peace to the people."

"Your Excellency is too kind to us."

"Governor"

Everyone stepped forward to pay their respects, showering him with praise and echoing his sentiments. Zhu Ping'an was no exception.

“This space is a bit cramped. Please follow me to the main hall.” Zhou Chong led the group to the main hall.

The crowd spontaneously arranged themselves according to their official rank and seniority, and together they escorted Zhou Chong toward the main hall.

Soon, everyone arrived at the hall, which had already been furnished. Rows of chairs were arranged on both sides of the hall, leaving a passageway in the middle. Everyone took their seats according to their official rank, seniority, and department.

"Everyone."

Seeing that everyone was seated, Zhou Chong, who was in the head seat, stood up and was about to give his opening remarks when he saw that someone else had arrived.

Leading the group was Zhao Wenhua, followed closely by Hu Zongxian, and behind them were several other officials, all of whom were well-known Yan faction officials from Jiangnan.

"I apologize. I spent the whole night yesterday discussing how to quell the Japanese pirates with Merlin and the others, so I'm late."

Zhao Wenhua casually cupped his hands in greeting to those around him, saying "sorry" in a nonchalant manner. However, his face and behavior revealed no embarrassment whatsoever; in fact, he appeared somewhat arrogant.

"Your Excellency the Governor-General." Hu Zongxian and the others, standing behind Zhao Wenhua, bowed to Zhou Chong, who was seated at the head of the table.

This was Zhou Chong's first time summoning important civil and military officials from the Jiangnan region since taking office, but unexpectedly, Zhao Wenhua deliberately arrived late, giving Zhou Chong a show of force.

This is tantamount to a public slap in the face.

Zhou Chong, standing above, frowned in displeasure. Zhao Wenhua and the others had shown him no respect, making him lose face.

"Take a seat."

Zhou Chong waved his hand with displeasure, gesturing for Zhao Wenhua and the others to take their seats.

When Zhao Wenhua arrived, everyone offered him their seats, spontaneously moving back to let him sit in the first seat below the stage. Even the veteran Tu Dashan had to stand up and move his seat back.
Zhao Wenhua is currently riding high. Regardless of whether the methods he uses are dirty or not, he has already impeached Zhang Jing. Now, no one dares to provoke Zhao Wenhua, and no one wants to follow in Zhang Jing's footsteps.

Zhu Pingan and Hu Zongxian sat in the same row, with Zhu Pingan on the left and Hu Zongxian on the right.

The two men greeted each other.

"Alright, everyone's here, so let's cut to the chase. I've been entrusted with the Emperor's trust and appointed Governor-General. My sole mission as Governor-General is to quell the Japanese pirate raids!"

Zhou Chong stood up at the head of the table, his eyes like torches, scanning the crowd below the stage intently.

"I know that you all come from different departments and have different responsibilities, but from this day forward, regardless of whether you are a civil or military official, regardless of which department you come from, or regardless of which power you belong to, everyone's first priority is to quell the Japanese pirates! We must do our utmost to quell the Japanese pirates! Only in this way can we live up to His Majesty's trust and the people's expectations!"

As Zhou Chong spoke, his gaze swept over everyone, and when he mentioned their respective factions, his eyes lingered on Zhao Wenhua for a second, the meaning of which was self-evident. (End of Chapter)