When Mengde and her convoy arrived on the outskirts of Linjin County, she sent someone ahead to deliver word to the county’s administrative office.
Upon receiving news of Mengde’s arrival, the Administrator of Anding immediately decided to meet her in person.
After all, although Mengde currently held no official position, she was the daughter of one of the Three Excellencies of the imperial court—someone he could not afford to take lightly.
What’s more, a significant portion of Anding Commandery’s annual tax revenue came from the Cao family’s horse trade.
It was important to understand that Mengde hadn’t originally started the horse trade to make money.
Her goal had always been to acquire large numbers of fine horses from the north.
From the very beginning, the Cao family never really profited from the trade.
Most of the money earned had been redistributed by Mengde to various influential families across Liangzhou to build relationships.
Without those connections, how could she possibly have managed to cozy up to the Huangfu family?
On top of that, the Cao family paid taxes on their business operations openly and generously.
Unlike other aristocratic clans that tried to evade taxes, the Cao family paid promptly and in full.
Thanks to the horse trade route, every county in Liangzhou had been able to benefit from the resulting tax revenue.
Miss Mengde could truly be called the lifeline of Anding Commandery.
So both personally and professionally, the Administrator of Anding felt it was his duty to meet with Miss Mengde.
As soon as the convoy entered Linjin County’s main town, the Administrator sent someone to stop the procession and invite Mengde to the government office for a meeting.
***
About ten minutes later, the young woman—accompanied by Liu Bei—headed to the county office and met with the Administrator of Anding.
The man before her was a native of Ye City in Wei Commandery.
His name was Huo Jun, a minor historical figure whose name was little more than a footnote in the history books.
Mengde, accordingly, didn’t pay him much mind.
The two exchanged pleasantries and briefly chatted about court affairs and the Cao family’s business in Anding.
When Miss Mengde mentioned that the Cao family did not plan to further expand their horse trading operations, the Administrator’s expression clearly showed disappointment.
After all, the reason Mengde had opened the trade route in the first place was to ensure a steady supply of horses for her side in the chaos that was to come.
Now that she had achieved that goal, any further investment into the trade would simply benefit others.
And she wasn’t the type to throw money away just to help someone else profit.
***
After a while, Miss Mengde brought up what had happened with Hua Xiong on the road.
When Huo Jun heard that Hua Xiong and his men had the audacity to commit robbery—especially against the daughter of a high-ranking court official—he was instantly furious and slammed the table.
“Outrageous! Those bastards! They’re completely lawless! I’ll have them arrested immediately!”
“Hey, no need to be so hasty.”
Miss Mengde raised a hand with a smile, stopping him.
“At the end of the day, Hua Xiong and his men probably had their reasons. If the commandery had been paying them their salaries on time, they wouldn’t have been driven to roadside robbery. I even overheard them on the road. They said they only target large merchants like us and never harm ordinary civilians. They don’t kill, don’t burn or loot excessively… All things considered, it’s at least somewhat understandable. Let’s just let them off this time.”
“Well… Since you, Miss Cao, have said so, I suppose I’ll let them go—just this once!”
Huo Jun sat back down.
Mengde then asked, “So when exactly does Administrator Huo plan to pay the soldiers? Hua Xiong and his men turning to robbery—it all boils down to them not getting their wages for too long.”
“Salaries, ah… Miss Cao, you don’t know how difficult things have been for the commandery office.”
Huo Jun launched into a lengthy explanation, but when all was said and done, his reasoning boiled down to one simple truth—
They just didn’t have enough money.
Mengde cupped her hands and said, “I’ve heard that Governor Huo is quite wealthy. Now that the situation is urgent, why not use your own funds to temporarily cover the military wages for a month or two? Once I return, I’ll ask my father to submit a memorial to His Majesty, requesting an annual appropriation from the court specifically for paying the soldiers of Liang Province.”
“This…”
Governor Huo hesitated the moment he heard her words.
After all, Liang Province was notoriously poor.
His so-called “wealth” was actually the family fortune he had brought with him from his hometown.
And now, with just a few words, Mengde wanted him to use that fortune to cover the soldiers’ wages? Of course Huo Jun was hesitant.
She said “a month or two,” but who could say when the court’s money would actually arrive? If “a month or two” turned into a year or two, then Huo Jun would be bankrupt.
Seeing his reluctance, Mengde knew she needed to offer a little incentive.
She hinted at it calmly.
“I heard the governor of Le Ling Commandery in Qing Province recently retired and returned home. That post is currently vacant. His Majesty has asked the Three Excellencies to recommend someone for the role. I wonder who among the worthy might be chosen for such an important position…”
At those words, Huo Jun gritted his teeth and said, “Very well! A real man must be willing to sacrifice for the country. I’ll bring out my personal funds to help cover the shortfall in military wages.”
Upon hearing that, Mengde’s face lit up with a smile.
“Thank you so much, Governor Huo. When I return, I will certainly recommend you to my father as a true patriot who puts his country first!”
“Please, there’s no need to thank me. It’s simply my duty to serve the state,” Huo Jun replied humbly.
***
Later that day, when Mengde returned to her residence, Liu Bei immediately confronted her about what she had done.
“Miss! The post of governor in Le Ling is a public office—it’s not yours to give. How could you use it as a bargaining chip in a deal with Governor Huo?”
Mengde turned to look at him.
“A public office? Is it really a public office?”
“What…?”
“I’m asking you—do you truly believe the position of governor is still a public office?” she asked with a half-smile.
“If it is a public office, then why is such an important post openly listed for sale at His Majesty’s Western Garden? Or do you believe a so-called public office is actually His Majesty’s private asset? Does the emperor really represent all the people of this land?”
“Of course I don’t believe that!” Liu Bei replied urgently.
“It’s wrong of His Majesty to treat public offices as things to be traded, but that doesn’t make it right for you to do the same!”
“You think I shouldn’t trade it? Even if I don’t, do you think Liu Hong would just stop trading it too?” Mengde scoffed, showing no hesitation in calling the emperor by name.
“The truth is, no matter whether I use the post as leverage or not, the emperor will still make money off of it. Every official has to pay a fee to buy their position. You don’t really believe Huo Jun will get to be governor without paying, do you?”
“At the very least, Huo Jun is honest while serving in Anding Commandery. If he’s transferred to Le Ling, he probably won’t exploit the people too harshly. But if the post is sold to a corrupt official instead, then the people of Le Ling will suffer. What do you think?”
“That…”
Liu Bei found himself unable to respond.
Mengde rose onto her toes and patted his shoulder gently.
“I know what I did was wrong. But what choice do I have? If Emperor Wen or Emperor Guangwu were on the throne today, I would never dream of using a public office like this. Those emperors had at least some regard for the people—they would have appointed someone truly suitable for the Le Ling governorship. But Liu Hong? Does he even care about the people? Can he really find someone fit for the job?”
She looked Liu Bei in the eyes.
“If he can’t… then why can’t I?”
“You… Miss…”
Liu Bei looked at Mengde in stunned silence.
For the first time, he saw in her a level of ambition that was almost beyond belief.