Tiger Guards

Chapter 730 Time is running out
After nodding to his elder brothers in front of the gate, Zhao Ji stepped onto the stairs.

The gate of the Grand Tutor's Mansion had twenty-four stone steps, but fortunately these steps were flat and long, and not very high.

Zhao Ji was also visiting this place for the first time, but he recognized it at a glance as the former governor's mansion of the old city of Jinyang that had been rebuilt.

The flat, long stone steps beneath his feet... meant that Zhao Yan didn't want to expend too much labor moving earth and stones to raise the overall height of the mansion.

Otherwise, based on the width of the stone slabs at each level of the steps, the entire twenty-four-step stone staircase would be raised by more than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

This means that the original buildings in the governor's mansion had to be demolished, and a large amount of earth and stone had to be moved to form a platform before the Grand Tutor's mansion could be built on this solid platform.

This is a huge waste of manpower and time.

After all, no matter how much manpower you have, the foundation of the high platform needs to be compacted layer by layer, which takes the most time.

The reason for choosing to convert the governor's mansion into the Grand Tutor's mansion was to save money, effort, and time. That's why Zhao Yan ended up with these somewhat incongruous, flat, twenty-four steps.

Zhao Ji figured this out after walking only a few steps.

In terms of personal enjoyment, my own Grand Tutor's Mansion was converted from the Grand Marshal's Mansion. It is still built in the style of a field military camp with logs. There is simply nothing more economical, durable and easy to repair than this.

The same goes for the old man; after all, every bit of human resources is obtained by exchanging food.

The saved human resources can be invested in resource reproduction or used to generate new human resources.

In terms of cultivating and strengthening human resources, Zhao Yan is rooted in the Huang-Lao school of thought and understands the profound meaning of governing by non-action best.

The principle of "governing by non-action" does not mean leaving things unattended, but rather avoiding reckless actions and drawing resources in accordance with the normal laws of development, which will naturally lead to steady progress.

If one is short-sighted and doesn't care about how to live in the future, then killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is a ready example.

After ascending the steps, Fu Gan, the chief clerk of the Grand Tutor's office, quickly stepped forward three paces: "Grand Tutor, I have been ordered by the Grand Tutor to come and guide you."

"Ah."

Zhao Ji responded with a sound of agreement, merely adjusting the sword hanging at his left waist. All the civil and military officials who had witnessed his astonishing swordsmanship were terrified, their expressions solemn, and their postures even more upright.

Fu Gan led the way. Zhao Ji noticed something unusual on one side and turned around to see that Zhao Tieguan, who was in Chang Mao's arms, had woken up and was looking around.

When their eyes met, the little guy began to struggle: "Grandpa, save me!"

Chang Mao also looked at Zhao Ji, who nodded and said, "Let him go on his own."

"Here."

Chang Mao squatted down and put Zhao Tieguan down. As soon as he stood up, he looked back up at Chang Mao, then at Gao Yanglong and Zhao Ji, who were a little taller than Chang Mao. He immediately cried out "Mommy!" and ran to the backyard.

Zhao Ji just smiled. He wasn't a woman and couldn't imagine the emotions of giving birth to children and watching them grow up.

Years of war have made it almost impossible for him to remember what his sons and daughters look like.

Having devoted so much time to the war, Zhao Ji had almost forgotten his normal way of life.

It was during his time living in seclusion at Zhao Xing's small manor that he regained some of his humanity.

There was nothing he could do. The negative emotions brought about by war, killing, and destruction settled deep in his heart. Zhao Ji was forcing himself to endure it, gritting his teeth and bearing these things.

These negative emotions were not vented or evaporated through wanton killing or other means.

Killing will not attract vengeful spirits or disturb your mental state.

All these negative emotions stem from the contradiction between Zhao Ji's own perceptions and actions.

Zhao Ji attributed these negative emotions to overeating.

If you're too hungry, then there really won't be any moral pressure or cognitive conflict.

If one suffers enough losses during the war, how can one feel guilty or numb?
As he walked along, Zhao Ji observed various parts of the mansion. Many buildings had been renovated with wood and stone, and from the outside, they still retained the outline of the former governor's mansion. However, from the inside, it was a sturdy fortified village.

Based on Zhao Ji's understanding of the old man, it's likely that even when planning the construction of the drinking water and sewage canals at various levels and along the east-west axis of Jinyang City, the old man had already sent people to dig secret passages, and there was definitely more than one.

They soon arrived at the backyard. Only Gao Yanglong and Chang Mao followed Zhao Ji inside. Of the Grand Tutor's staff, only the chief clerk Fu Gan accompanied them, responsible for leading the way and providing guidance.

The Grand Tutor's office did not have a chief clerk, not because Zhao Yan had no one, but because he did not want to appoint a chief clerk or head outside of his own office.

Within the government offices, the chief clerk, chief secretary, merit officer, and director can be seen as embodiments of various wills; among them, the chief clerk is in charge of confidential matters, the merit officer is in charge of evaluating merits, and the director is in charge of discipline, all of which are highly specialized single functions.

While the chief clerk could certainly carry out the lord's will, he was involved in everything and had an overly close relationship with the other officials.

It can be seen as either an alter ego of the superior or an embodiment of the collective will of the various officials and bureaucrats of the government.

In other words, the chief secretary of the Grand Tutor's office will become the spokesperson for the official faction within the Grand Tutor's office.

However, Zhao Yan did not appoint a chief clerk, thus denying the officials the opportunity to gather opinions and reach a consensus.

This approach came at a cost: Zhao Yan himself had to perform the duties of the Chief Clerk. While this strengthened his authority and improved the efficiency of the various departments, it also prevented potential factional conflicts that might arise from successive Chief Clerks.

However, this also kept Zhao Yan busy with work, leaving him with severely insufficient personal rest time.

Fortunately, the Zhao family has developed and passed down its lineage for so many years, and its bloodline has been optimized enough that even though Zhao Yan is nearly seventy years old, he can still handle various government affairs with a clear mind.

In a few months, it will be Zhao Yan's 70th birthday.

At this moment, Zhao Yan, leaning on her cane, watched Zhao Ji stride towards her. There were no other women here, only Zhao Xing, who had come with her two children to keep her company.

Zhao Xing also served as Zhao Yan's cook. In such a high-ranking mansion as the Grand Tutor, Zhao Yan only ate the food prepared by Zhao Xing.

Although it wasn't really that delicious, compared to the family's great achievements and the lives of more than two hundred people, young and old, Zhao Xing's cooking... wasn't unbearable.

"Grandpa."

Zhao Tieguan huddled behind Zhao Yan's legs, tugging at his clothes, and peered at Zhao Ji and his two companions walking towards them... As for Fu Gan, who was eight feet tall, he seemed rather insignificant among the three of them, as if he didn't exist.

"Grandfather is well."

Zhao Ji stepped forward and bowed deeply with his hands clasped. Gao Yanglong and Chang Mao knelt on one knee and held their hands in front of their foreheads, saying, "Grand Tutor."

"Get up quickly."

Zhao Yan looked at Zhao Ji and the other two. Seeing that Zhao Ji's face was fair and his skin was like that of a woman who had been resting at home in winter, Zhao Yan couldn't help but smile: "It seems that Yuan Si has recovered well."

Apart from Zhao Ji, Gao Yanglong and Chang Mao still had tanned skin because they had to lead troops on the front lines.

"Yes, I spent a few days in Pingyang, and when I traveled north by boat, I didn't see the sunlight, so my face became much paler."

Zhao Ji spoke casually, then glared and pouted fiercely at Zhao Yan, who was hiding behind Zhao Tieguan's legs. Just then, Zhao Tieguan peeked out, and their eyes met. He was immediately terrified and burst into tears. He turned and ran to Zhao Xing, who was standing under the eaves: "Auntie~!"

Zhao Xing bowed slightly to Zhao Ji in the corridor and smiled, "Aji."

"Sister, I'm back."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he took out a pair of jade ornaments that he had prepared in advance from his sleeve pouch and waved to his nephew and niece who were standing on either side of Zhao Xing.

My niece is three years old and doesn't know Zhao Ji at all. She stood there, too afraid to move.

My nephew, who is seven years old, has already been given a name, Pei Ang. He understands some things, but he still doesn't dare to move.

Zhao Ji simply smiled and waved, signaling his niece to come over first, followed by Pei Ang.

(End of this chapter)