Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 468: Chapter 435: A New Era

June 18th.

Yang Zhenshan received a bulletin from the Capital City detailing the posthumous name and temple name granted by the court to Emperor Chengping.

Chen Zhaowu, Emperor Rong Chongzong, Revered for Heavenly Piety, Embodiment of the Dao, Benevolent, Enlightened, Sincere, Venerating Cultivation, Solemn in Warfare, Ultimate in Virtue, Vastly Filial, Resolute Emperor.

The moniker Chongzong carries connotations of grandeur and prosperity; evidently, the court also recognized Emperor Chengping’s meritorious deeds in revitalizing the empire.

Following this was the ascension of the Crown Prince to the throne. The ministers urged the enthronement, a threefold persuasion, and a threefold refusal, to manifest filial piety and magnanimity. The Crown Prince, Chen Jianzhi, ascended the throne on September 26th, and in the following year the era name was changed to Yanping, signifying the continuation of peace.

The bustling of the court had little impact on Yang Zhenshan, and not much on Chongshan Town either.

Chongshan Town continued to develop according to Yang Zhenshan’s plans.

And the Yang family smoothly passed through the 35th year of Chengping.

The 35th year of Chengping was a turning point for many.

With the passing of Emperor Chengping and the ascension of Emperor Yanping, the court ushered in a new era.

Yang Zhenshan took charge of the General Mansion in Chongshan Town, assuming military and political control, signaling a new era for Chongshan Town.

Yang Zhenshan was ennobled as a Marquis, and the Yang family became the emerging nobility of Da Rong. The rise of the Yang family thus entered a new phase.

For Yang Zhenshan himself, this year was also particularly unique.

Firstly, he was ennobled, and then he broke through to the Innate Realm, elevating his status, position, and cultivation to new heights. One could say his gains were plentiful.

Besides this, the rest of the Yang family also reaped many rewards.

Yu Qingyi refined Innate True Qi with the help of Three Yellow Plums, entering the Half-step Innate Realm.

Lin Zhan’s name was listed in the gold register, fulfilling his father’s last wish, stepping onto the path of officialdom.

Yang Mingzhi was promoted to Assistant General of the North Road Fuzhou Guard in Chongshan Town, assuming an independent command.

Yang Chengye began his military training while his marriage was also settled, with the wedding date set for the fifth day of the fifth month in the first year of Yanping, soon to start his own family and career.

And for the rest of the Yang family, whether through advancement in cultivation, promotion in office, or bearing children, they all exhibited a flourishing prosperity.

...

As the cold winter approached and the end of the year neared,

At the General Mansion’s government office, Yang Zhenshan had just returned from the barracks outside of town and hadn’t yet entered the main hall when he saw Zhou Ren coming to meet him.

”Subordinate pays respect to the Marquis!”

”It’s so cold out, why are you standing outside? Go inside and warm up first!”

Yang Zhenshan gestured to him and walked directly into the study to the left of the main hall.

The stove in the study was always lit, exuding warmth as soon as one entered.

Zhou Ren scurried behind him into the study.

Yang Zhenshan removed his heavy outerwear, and Zhou Ren quickly came forward to help him hang it on the clothes rack.

”Is there something you need?”

”Marquis, this is the grain ration collected by the Governor’s Office this year!” Zhou Ren took out a thick register and placed it before Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan, leaning by the stove, opened the register and began to read.

The grain ration, that is, the harvest from the garrison’s farmland, indicated how much grain and fodder the General Mansion would have at its disposal for the coming year.

The register detailed the amount of grain and fodder delivered by each garrison.

Chongshan Town also counted this year as a bumper harvest, with more grain collected than in previous years; the reason for the surplus was due to the initial successes of reclaiming wasteland in Fuzhou City.

Of course, these successes were not from this year’s reclamation efforts but were the outcomes of the past six years, the achievements left over from Ji Feiyu’s governance of Chongshan Town.

However, Yang Mingzhi surely played a part in this as well.

Yang Zhenshan skimmed through the register, calculated roughly in his mind, and then nodded, ”Has all the grain been stored?”

”It has been stored. The Governor’s Office took sixty percent, and the remaining forty percent went to the General Mansion!” Zhou Ren said.

Yang Zhenshan pondered and then said, ”I’m afraid the General Mansion’s grain reserve might be insufficient.”

”What does the Marquis suggest?” Zhou Ren asked cautiously.

He was afraid Yang Zhenshan would allocate the Governor’s Office’s grain for his own use, which would make it difficult for him to explain to Ning Qinghe when he returned.

The Governor’s Office had a planned budget for retaining sixty percent of the grain reserves; before Zhou Ren came to the General Mansion, Ning Qinghe had made clear that this grain must remain in the hands of the Governor’s Office.

This wasn’t to say that Ning Qinghe intended to oppose Yang Zhenshan, but rather that Ning Qinghe had his own vision and wished to contribute to the development of Chongshan Town.

After a moment of contemplation, Yang Zhenshan said, ”Forget it, just don’t ask me for grain next year from the Governor’s Office.”

”What about the money?” Zhou Ren blinked.

Yang Zhenshan couldn’t help but chuckle, ”Don’t worry, I’ll still provide what’s due.”

Although Chongshan Town’s development momentum was good this year, in reality, this year was just a beginning. Next year, Chongshan Town will enter a period of rapid development.

The Ying River channel has been cleared, and by next spring, the river will be navigable by boats. Consequently, the construction of official roads will begin, and the demand for manpower and resources will be even greater.

Moreover, the construction of Black Cloud City has been halfway completed. Next year, Pang Tang will request refugees from the court to populate Black Cloud City, and settling these refugees will require a large amount of money and grain.

Thus, next year will be the year when Chongshan Town truly spends money like water.

”Hehe, then this subordinate can rest assured!” Zhou Ren laughed awkwardly.

Before, he was the head steward for Yang Zhenshan at the government office, naturally, he had to consider everything for Yang Zhenshan, but now things are different, he is the clerk of the Governor’s Office, and he needs to think on behalf of the Governor’s Office.

Yang Zhenshan would not blame Zhou Ren for this, after all, Zhou Ren did nothing wrong; on the contrary, he was dutiful in his post.

”Alright, you go back and tell Mr. Ning that there is no problem on my end, and let him be at ease!”

”Yes!” Zhou Ren left cheerfully after receiving Yang Zhenshan’s reply.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhenshan picked up the official documents on his desk to read.

This document was sent by Xie Yuan, concerning the Wuliang Hu Clan.

Xie Yuan currently controls the West Road of Chongshan Town, and his greatest achievement over the past year was stabilizing the situation in the West Road of Chongshan Town, bringing peace back to the region.

In order to prevent a surprise attack from the Wuliang Hu Clan on the West Road of Chongshan Town, Xie Yuan has been paying close attention to the movements of the Wuliang Hu Clan.

Beiyuan Town has been fighting the Wuliang Hu Clan for a full year; although no full-scale war broke out, the battles were extremely intense, with daily skirmishes and major battles of over ten thousand people erupting every ten to fifteen days.

Both sides had victories and losses, each suffering damages, but overall Beiyuan Town held the advantage since the Wuliang Hu Clan had lost eighty thousand troops on the West Road of Chongshan Town.

And so far, the Wuliang Hu Clan has shown no signs of invading the West Road of Chongshan Town again.

Yang Zhenshan contemplated for a while after reading the document, then authorized Xie Yuan to keep an eye on the Wuliang Hu Clan, and it would be best to dispatch scouts to probe the movements of the Wuliang Hu Clan in the western and northern regions of Chongshan Town.

Chongshan Town is currently in a stage of development and should not engage in war with the Wuliang Hu Clan.

And on the court, Emperor Yanping has just ascended the throne; he certainly does not wish to see a large-scale war breakout, and it will likely take a year or two before Emperor Yanping can stabilize the court.

Therefore, Yang Zhenshan has no intention of waging war against the Wuliang Hu Clan; he simply wants to be prepared against their invasion.

After dealing with the documents sent by Xie Yuan, Yang Zhenshan picked up other official papers to process.

It wasn’t until the bell for the end of the official duties rang that Yang Zhenshan put down the brush in his hand.

Standing up, he donned a thick cloak and left with his Personal Followers to return to the Marquis Mansion.

His entourage of Personal Followers still amounted to twenty people; serving him was quite an easy task. If he was dealing with official business in the study, only five Personal Followers were needed to assist–pouring tea, lighting the brazier, receiving documents, announcing visitors and the like, all doing miscellaneous tasks.

When he went out, he would be accompanied by ten Personal Followers.

Actually, in terms of the abilities of these Personal Followers, serving as a thousand commander in the Camp would be a waste of talent. These twenty Personal Followers have been with him for nearly ten years, and without boasting about their other capabilities, just in terms of strength, each one has a cultivation at the Postnatal Seventh Layer.

Yang Zhenshan once asked them if they wanted to serve as a thousand commander in the Camp, but they all declined.

As for the reason?

Hehe, now who doesn’t know that the closer they are to Yang Zhenshan, the faster their cultivation improves.

Although the existence of Spiritual Spring Water has not been exposed, many have guessed something.

And regarding this, people did not have too much speculation, only assuming that Yang Zhenshan was adept at guiding others in Martial Arts.

In fact, Yang Zhenshan did often guide those around him; with his current cultivation, he always hit the nail on the head during instruction, and receiving his guidance was naturally beneficial for one’s training.

On the one hand, these Personal Followers pursued higher levels of Martial Arts, and on the other hand, they remained loyal to Yang Zhenshan, so they willingly gave up official positions and salary to serve Yang Zhenshan as Personal Followers.

In fact, not just them, the soldiers of the Personal Guard Camp were also among the best of the best, and both their cultivation and strength were not weak, but they preferred to serve in the Personal Guard Camp rather than as a thousand commander or Bazong in the Camp.

Of course, Yang Zhenshan did not treat them poorly; their salary was comparable to that of a thousand commander, and their benefits were even better than those in the Camp. Just the Spiritual Spring Water they drank and the medicinal materials prepared for them by Yang Zhenshan were not things a mere thousand commander’s position could match.

Rarely is anyone foolish; perhaps loyalty can be cultivated, but if Yang Zhenshan did not treat them well, their loyalty would surely diminish.

It is precisely because Yang Zhenshan treated them well that they were able to maintain absolute loyalty to Yang Zhenshan.

”The New Year is coming soon, Housekeeper Wu has prepared holiday gifts for you all. Remember to take them when you go home later!”

On the way back to the mansion, Yang Zhenshan said to several Personal Followers beside him.

The Personal Followers grinned and asked, ”Marquis, will there be Hundred Herbs Brew this year?”

”Yes! Not just Hundred Herbs Brew, there’s also peach blossom wine, apricot blossom brew, plum brew, etc., enough for you all to drink!” Yang Zhenshan said with a smile.

”Thank you for the Marquis’ reward!” Several Personal Followers beamed with joy.

Yang Zhenshan smiled and entered the Marquis Mansion, while the Personal Followers went to find Wu Hai.

As soon as Yang Zhenshan entered the mansion, two servants came up to greet him.

”Marquis, the young master from the Liang family is here!” a servant said.

”The young master from the Liang family? Who?” Yang Zhenshan didn’t react immediately.

”It’s the brother of your Third Wife!” the servant said.

Yang Zhenshan suddenly understood; it was the son of Mr. Liang, Liang Xiu.

Speaking of which, it has been several years since he last saw Mr. Liang.

Over the years, the Liang family has been in Ningzhou City. Although the family did not expand, they lived very comfortably.

As relatives by marriage to the Yang family, no one in Ningzhou City dared to provoke the Liang family, and the rebellion by Prince Qing and Ji Feiyu did not affect Ningzhou City.

Thus, the Liang family has had a very peaceful few years.

Yang Zhenshan could meet Liang Xiu every year, usually on festivals as Liang Xiu would come to the Yang family to offer holiday gifts.

It seems this time Liang Xiu has come to deliver holiday gifts as well.

”Where is he?” Yang Zhenshan asked.

”He’s in the rear hall. The young master from the Liang family has already seen the Third Wife, but he wanted to meet the Marquis, so Housekeeper Wu let him wait there for the Marquis to finish his official duties!” the servant said.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly and then headed towards the rear hall.