After Zhu Ping’an arrived in Shaoxing, the handover with Li Tianpet was smooth. Li Tianpet cooperated fully, transferring the official seal, government office, and documents to Zhu Ping’an. He also accompanied Zhu Ping’an to inspect the storehouses and treasury silver, confirming everything was in order. Immediately after, Li Tianpet set off for Yingtian to serve under Zhang Jing, the Governor-General of Jiangnan.
On his first day in Shaoxing, Zhu Ping’an moved into the Zhejiang Governor’s Office, officially assuming the role of Zhejiang Governor.
Although Zhu Ping’an was the highest-ranking official in Zhejiang, equivalent to a provincial governor, the position of governor at this time was a relatively new and temporary role. It was established only in provinces facing specific crises, such as rebellions, uprisings, or Japanese pirate invasions, granting the governor authority over the province’s administration, judiciary, and military. Once the crisis was resolved, the governorship would be abolished.
At this stage, the governor was essentially an envoy dispatched by the central government, akin to an imperial commissioner, and the supporting structure was not yet fully developed.
Zhu Ping’an, the nominal highest military commander of Zhejiang, was effectively a commander without a staff.
The court had not provided governors with subordinate officials.
Although the Zhejiang Chief Administrator, the Judicial Commissioner, and the Military Commander were all answerable to Zhu Ping’an, these three senior officials each had their own offices and were not part of the Governor’s Office.
Currently, the Zhejiang Governor’s Office had only a few clerks handling paperwork.
When Li Tianpet, the previous governor, held the post, he had personally hired three aides to assist with governance. Upon his departure, he took all three aides with him, leaving only the local clerks behind.
These clerks were only capable of basic administrative tasks. If Zhu Ping’an didn’t want to be buried under a mountain of paperwork, he would need to recruit aides.
The mention of aides immediately brought Xu Wei to Zhu Ping’an’s mind, and he dearly wished to recruit him to assist.
Unfortunately, during his time in Yingtian, Zhu Ping’an had repeatedly tried to recruit Xu Wei, but to no avail.
Xu Wei had his own pride. He was currently focused on succeeding in the imperial examinations, determined to take centre stage and make his mark, unwilling to play a supporting role as someone’s aide, helping another achieve greatness.
This year, Xu Wei had successfully passed the preliminary provincial examination and was eager to shine in the formal exam.
He would not accept Zhu Ping’an’s recruitment.
Only after Xu Wei faced repeated failures in the imperial examinations and gave up hope would Zhu Ping’an be able to recruit him.
Historically, Xu Wei would continue to take the exams for several more years, with each failure shattering his pride. Only after giving up did he accept Hu Zongxian’s persistent invitations, joining him as an aide and assisting in suppressing the Japanese pirates.
Although Zhu Ping’an knew Xu Wei wouldn’t accept his offer, upon arriving in Shaoxing and settling Li Shu and the others, he immediately wrote a personal letter, attached fifty taels of silver, and sent someone to deliver it to Xu Wei in Yingtian.
Xu Wei’s current financial situation was quite strained, and fifty taels of silver would give him some breathing room.
Building goodwill early and maintaining their relationship would make Zhu Ping’an the natural choice when Xu Wei eventually gave up on the exams and sought a new path.
Since Xu Wei couldn’t be recruited for now, and ordinary aides wouldn’t be up to the task, there was no point in rushing. Zhu Ping’an could only plan gradually.
For now, Zhu Ping’an would have to work harder himself.
On the same first day, Zhu Ping’an’s former superior, now subordinate, Zhejiang Judicial Commissioner Zhang Zijing, along with the Zhejiang Chief Administrator and Zhejiang Military Commander, visited the Zhejiang Governor’s Office to pay their respects to Zhu Ping’an.
“Lord Zhang, Lord Zhu rose from your office. You’ve got history with him, so you’ll have to put in a good word for us,” the Zhejiang Chief Administrator and Zhejiang Military Commander said as they walked, addressing the Judicial Commissioner.
They figured that since Zhu Ping’an had come from the Zhejiang Judicial Commissioner’s office, Zhang, as his former superior, must have a close relationship with him.
*Cough, cough.* Zhejiang Judicial Commissioner Zhang Zijing couldn’t help but cough upon hearing this.
“What’s with the coughing, Old Zhang? When Lord Zhu was under you, you didn’t give him a hard time, did you? If you did, you’re in trouble—better fend for yourself. We’ll keep our distance to avoid getting dragged down,” the Zhejiang Military Commander teased half-jokingly.
“Nonsense! Lord Zhu is young and talented, and his mentor is Elder Xu of the Grand Secretariat. Elder Xu personally wrote to me about Lord Zhu—how could I dare give him a hard time? When Lord Zhu was in my office, I fully supported his work. The Zhejiang Army under Lord Zhu was established with my strong backing. When the army’s provisions and funds were delayed, I personally wrote multiple requests for them,” Zhejiang Judicial Commissioner Zhang Zijing immediately denied.
“Then why the coughing?” the Zhejiang Military Commander pressed.
“I’m just感慨,” Zhang Zijing said with a sigh, his eyes filled with reminiscence.
“What are you感慨 about?” the Zhejiang Military Commander and Chief Administrator asked curiously.
“It’s only been half a year since Lord Zhu joined my Judicial Commissioner’s office. Back then, he was just a deputy judicial officer. In half a year, he went from deputy to acting assistant commissioner, then to assistant commissioner, and now he’s leaped to Vice Minister of War and Zhejiang Governor,” Zhang Zijing said with a sigh.
“Haha, half a year ago, Lord Zhu had to visit your office to pay respects. Now the tables have turned, and you’re the one paying respects to him. No wonder you’re感慨,” the Zhejiang Military Commander chuckled teasingly.
“They say ‘thirty years east of the river, thirty years west,’ but now it doesn’t even take thirty years—just half a year. Half a year ago, he was your subordinate; now he’s your superior, haha,” the Zhejiang Chief Administrator added, joining in the teasing.
“Lord Zhu is clearly no ordinary man. His literary talent goes without saying—being the top scholar is proof enough. He’s also skilled in military affairs. The Jining Defence, the Sea Sacrifice Battle, and the glorious Suzhou Defence all demonstrate his military prowess. With the Japanese pirate crisis so severe in Zhejiang, now is the time for Lord Zhu to shine. In another half year, who knows what achievements he’ll accomplish or how high he’ll rise? Lord Zhang, you’ve got a connection with him. When Lord Zhu rises to the central government, you’ll have a friend in high places,” the two continued.
“Indeed, indeed. If I’d known Lord Zhu would reach such heights, I should’ve supported him tenfold, a hundredfold back then,” Zhang Zijing said with some regret, thinking of the past.
“You should count yourself lucky. Back then, when Lord Zhu offended you, you didn’t kick him while he was down and even gave him some support. Be grateful for that,” the Zhejiang Chief Administrator and Military Commander said.
“True,” Zhang Zijing nodded.
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