Indeed, Qiao Yan, as Bao Hong observed, was stirred by the imminent arrival in Leping.

Beyond Beishan lay the land she currently possessed.

Even if she tried to appear calm and collected, it was difficult for her to completely calm down at this moment.

This was her territory.

To the east of Beishan, to the west of Taihang, to the north of Shangdang, and to the south of Yangquan.

This was Leping County.

As the mountain road curved back, revealing the unobstructed view ahead, Leping County unfolded completely before Qiao Yan.

Undoubtedly, it was a land that lacked the bustling prosperity of Jinyang but was filled with hope.

Leping…

Originally, Leping County was governed by a county magistrate as its highest official.

However, after Qiao Yan was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Leping, following the custom of the Eastern Han Dynasty where counties could be elevated to county states,

Leping County could also be referred to as the State of Leping.

Apart from enjoying the highest authority within the fiefdom, the chief executive of this territory changed from the county magistrate to the Chancellor of Leping State.

For this position, Qiao Yan favored Cheng Li, who had considerable skills in domestic affairs.

Of course, this wasn’t something she could directly assign.

Regardless of whether it was due to the elevation to county state or the inheritance of a commandery state, this position required allegiance to the Han Dynasty above all.

Just like the Chancellors of commandery states like Jinan and Jinbei, who were directly appointed by the central government and received a salary of two thousand stones granted by the court.

Although the salary of the Chancellor of a county state was relatively lower,

One must understand that governing a county with tens of thousands of households was not child’s play,

And one couldn’t be too hasty in deciding on the administrative officials.

Otherwise, if the Marquis could arbitrarily appoint anyone, even someone with no skills or experience in handling political affairs, it would only lead to resentment without any benefit.

However, because of Qiao Yan’s relatively special situation—Liu Hong had already recognized her abilities, coupled with the fact that the scope of Leping County was indeed not large—so before she left Luoyang, she obtained permission from Liu Hong.

She could nominate and report herself, in a manner similar to recommending an outstanding candidate for a merit-based position, to appoint the Chancellor of the county state.

Fortunately, due to Cheng Li’s merits during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, confirming his position wasn’t too difficult.

In Qiao Yan’s view, only by offering Cheng Li the position of Chancellor could she confidently accept his decision to accompany her to Leping in Bingzhou,

Rather than staying within the original territory of Yanzhou to demonstrate his abilities.

In addition, below the Chancellor, the military and security affairs of the county were traditionally handled by the County Chief, now called the Chief,

But as the Chief of the county state.

The officials in this position, along with their subordinates, formed the internal law enforcement and defense force of the county state.

Of course, this position also required approval from the court.

However, compared to the Chancellor, Qiao Yan was relatively conflicted about this position.

If judged by martial prowess alone, undoubtedly, the highest combat power around Qiao Yan was Dian Wei.

But Dian Wei was more suited to be a bodyguard rather than a leader above all other officials and subordinates.

Assigning patrols, apprehending criminals, and delineating territories on the land of tens of thousands of households would indeed be a challenge for him.

Fortunately, this wasn’t a position that required an immediate decision.

Apart from the salaries provided by the central government for the Chancellor and the Chief of the county state, the rest of the positions were directly decided by Qiao Yan herself.

These included positions within the Marquis’s household such as stewards, junior officials, as well as envoys representing foreign affairs of the county state and those in charge of managing finances and documents within the state.

In short, these household officials formed the core working group of Qiao Yan, the Marquis, governing Leping County, before extending to the common people who needed to pay taxes to her.

Qiao Yan roughly estimated the positions needed for the people she brought to Leping.

But before matching people with positions, upon her arrival in Leping, she would face the issue of power transition.

The original county magistrate, deputy magistrate, and county chief had already been reassigned in their duties due to the arrival of the Marquis.

Seals and records of accounts and lawsuits from previous years had all been stored in the hall.

Observing the county magistrate’s expression, Qiao Yan sensed that he didn’t seem displeased with his transfer, but rather relieved.

Though finding his peculiar microexpression odd, Qiao Yan didn’t inquire further, just listened as the county magistrate spoke: “Marquis Qiao is quite fortunate. There are a total of 9,400 households registered in Leping, with another 600 households scattered in the mountain villages towards Aifang.

If Leping itself had a population exceeding ten thousand, it would be troublesome.”

This statement is not difficult to understand.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, enfeoffments were not based on the actual population of counties but on the number granted by the court.

In such a situation, if the original population of Leping County exceeded ten thousand households, Marquis Qiao could not simply claim these people as her own.

Instead, she would have to divide them according to the number of households corresponding to her own fiefdom.

If the surplus households were still significant, the original management team of Leping County could remain in place,

but they would have to assign a new name to the residents under their jurisdiction.

However, with both parties in the same region, friction due to jurisdictional issues was inevitable.

The difference between the county state and the county administration would also result in variations in tax payments,

which could lead to unequal distribution, a common problem in the world, and could escalate into something more serious.

If the surplus households were few, incorporating them into neighboring counties in Taiyuan or Shangdang would pose some difficulties.

The terrain of Taiyuan and its surroundings was peculiar, with the Taihang Mountains to the east, Wutai Mountain to the north, and undulating hills to the south and west.

This unique geographical isolation was not suitable for transferring a portion of the households to other county administrations.

So, when the county magistrate mentioned “fortunate,” he meant it.

Qiao Yan also considered herself fortunate.

During her journey from the Taihang Mountains to Leping, she observed landscapes different from those of Yanzhou, Jizhou, and Luoyang.

Although not bustling with urban prosperity, in such turbulent times, having fields to cultivate and mountains to rely on was already a rare and precious thing.

Regardless of the county magistrate’s mindset, he seemed eager to complete this handover.

By organizing all the registered documents before her arrival, he undoubtedly saved her a lot of trouble.

Qiao Yan signaled to Cheng Li, the unofficial but practically appointed Chancellor of Leping, to review these documents and files, while she addressed the county magistrate:

“It’s thanks to His Majesty’s favor on my youth that I’ve been given a place of peace. However, I still need your help in noting down the important figures and matters that need attention for proper governance of Leping County.”

Although the former county magistrate had heard of Qiao Yan’s ascension to the Marquis due to her merits during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he couldn’t help but secretly admire her prudent handling of affairs at this moment.

Seeing that Qiao Yan, despite being a Marquis, didn’t act arrogantly or put on airs of her title in front of him, but instead wanted to smoothly navigate through this transition, he couldn’t help but genuinely smile a bit more.

“Marquis Qiao has such intentions, as for Leping…”

Before he could finish his sentence “Leping’s fortune,” a county official hurriedly entered, interrupting their conversation.

The official said, “There are two people outside claiming to be old friends of Marquis Qiao, requesting an audience.”

“Old friends?”

Qiao Yan didn’t have many old friends.

The only possibility was perhaps Xu Fu, whom she had likely informed of her decision before heading to Yingchuan to visit her mother.

Now that she had received her mother’s approval, Xu Fu might have come here.

As for why there were two people, it could be that he brought along another acquaintance from their hometown, or perhaps his mother also wished to come to Leping and had joined him.

If it was the latter, it would undoubtedly be good news for Qiao Yan.

Although Xu Fu had little education in literature and was only familiar with a few characters, Qiao Yan valued his character and temperament more than his intellectual abilities, which was somewhat influenced by his upbringing due to the early loss of his father and the influence of his mother.

Qiao Yan had been pondering how to educate individuals like Yang Xiu, who were intelligent but deviated from the right path.

Cai Yong was a good teacher in terms of imparting knowledge, but he was not a qualified life mentor, as his personal relationships were often fraught with animosity.

With the presence of the Black Mountain bandits, Qiao Yan didn’t have much time to spare.

On the other hand, if Xu Shu brought his mother, it might be a potential “educational expert.”

Qiao Yan’s mind quickly turned, but she didn’t reveal any clues on her face.

Instead, she said to the county magistrate, “Since they are my old friends, I will go and see them first.”

She walked out and indeed spotted Xu Fu’s figure just outside the county office.

As soon as Xu Fu saw Qiao Yan, he stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Marquis Qiao, please forgive me. I brought my mother along this time, so we traveled a bit slower. Thankfully, we arrived safely.”

Qiao Yan glanced behind him but didn’t see his mother.

Instead, she noticed a young man with handsome features and a confident demeanor, standing with a spear in hand. She asked, “May I know where is your mother?”

Xu Fu replied, “My mother is in the carriage behind. Upon hearing that Marquis Qiao had entered the county, she urged me to hurry.”

After his explanation, Xu Fu turned to lead Qiao Yan towards the young man and said, “Allow me to introduce someone to Marquis Qiao.”

“We encountered bandits near Changzhi during our journey, and it was this righteous man who saved us.

He hails from Changshan County in Jizhou, with exceptional skill in spear techniques.

As he mentioned having urgent matters to discuss with the county magistrate here, I invited him to come along.”

When Qiao Yan heard “Changshan County in Jizhou,” her heart couldn’t help but stir.

As Xu Fu finished speaking, the young man, who was only about fifteen or sixteen years old, stepped forward to bow and confirm Qiao Yan’s suspicions with his words.

He bowed and said, “I am Zhao Yun from Changshan. I have met the Marquis.”