He had heard that Leping Academy posted students’ grades publicly.

Although he and his daughter would likely take different courses, what if they had a common subject, and their grades were posted together?

How embarrassing would it be if his grades were lower than his daughter’s?

He recalled hearing that Qiao Yan had placed Jia Xu and Jia Mu in positions where they could compare their achievements.

He found it amusing back then, but now the protagonists seemed to be him and his daughter!

Of course, he didn’t know that Qiao Yan was considering whether to appoint Jia Xu as an official in Suiyuan City.

Qiao Yan didn’t plan to have Jia Xu manage Lu Bu directly, but to use his abilities elsewhere.

This newly established city required handling numerous affairs, both agricultural and military.

Ideally, the person in charge should be capable, have stable interactions with Lu Bu, and be familiar with the northern tribes beyond the Yinshan Mountains.

There weren’t many people under Qiao Yan with such capabilities, and the most available one was Jia Xu.

With Lu Bu’s unparalleled martial prowess stationed there and the Xianbei having just suffered a significant defeat by Qiao Yan, they were unlikely to cause trouble soon.

Suiyuan City’s safety was thus assured.

Building the city walls sturdily would make it as secure as a turtle’s shell.

“Excellent! All the reasons are sound,” Qiao Yan thought to herself.

After arranging for Lu Bu to go to Leping, Qiao Yan contemplated further.

Besides assigning Jia Xu, she wrote another appointment letter.

This one was for Cai Zhenji.

Previously, Cai Yong had requested that Cai Zhenji and her husband Yang Zhu accompany him to Leping, citing his position as a scholar official in Bingzhou.

Due to the inconvenience of winter travel and the need to care for her sick mother-in-law, they had only started their journey this spring.

When they arrived in Bingzhou in March, Qiao Yan was already on an expedition beyond the border.

Upon Qiao Yan’s return, she hadn’t yet had the opportunity to visit Leping and formally meet them.

However, whenever she needed information about events in Bingzhou, there were always people reporting to her.

For example, Cai Yan mentioned that the Yang family of Mount Tai had become increasingly impoverished in recent years.

Her elder sister looked even more haggard than when she had last seen her, accompanying their father to Luoyang for Qiao Xuan’s funeral.

The locust plague and epidemic in the Central Plains were even more devastating for those in poverty.

Qiao Yan then asked Cai Yan for her assessment of Zhenji and Yang Zhu’s scholarly capabilities.

Cai Yan didn’t lie, saying, “Yang Zhu is adept at governance, and my sister is skilled in managing people.”

With this, Qiao Yan understood.

Since they had come here under the pretext of Cai Yong’s longing for his eldest daughter, Qiao Yan hadn’t planned to assign them duties quickly.

However, now there was an opportunity to involve Cai Zhenji in some tasks.

With Lu Bu’s daughter and Guo Yun’s son entering the academy, and since Lu Yuan, now her primary secretary, was busy liaising with the aristocratic families within Bingzhou, it was more suitable to appoint Cai Zhenji to teach.

Guo Huai had the potential to become a renowned general, and Cai Zhenji, who had successfully educated Yang Hu, should be able to teach Guo Huai as well.

As for Lu Bu’s daughter—

Qiao Yan didn’t know much about her, only hearing from Lu Bu that she had inherited her father’s martial spirit and was quite adept in combat at a young age.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she became a military leader.

“How about sending your son to the academy as well?” Qiao Yan suggested to Dian Wei after some thought.

Dian Wei had a wife in Chenliu when he was repaying his debt to the Tian family, which was quite normal according to contemporary views.

However, Qiao Yan found this a bit irresponsible, especially since she later discovered that his wife was pregnant at the time, though it was not yet visible.

Dian Wei himself only learned about it later.

Fortunately, after Dian Wei followed her to Leping, he brought his wife along, ensuring her safety.

She safely gave birth to their son, Dian Man.

Now that they were lowering the enrollment age, five-year-old Dian Man was just the right age to start school.

This fulfilled the promise Qiao Yan had made to Dian Wei.

Leping Academy was essentially her establishment, and Dian Man enrolling there was like apprenticing under her.

Moreover, since the incoming students were mostly children of military families, it made sense to train them in the ways of military leadership.

To this end, she also considered enrolling the eldest son of Linghu Shao, the current officer of Shuofang County.

Dian Wei, of course, had no objections and readily agreed.

However, looking at the ages—five, six, seven, eight—lined up so neatly, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but chuckle.

Fortunately, they were academy students and not official subordinates; otherwise, the average age of Bingzhou officials would drop dramatically.

Qiao Yan twirled her brush, deciding to go all in.

She wrote “Leping Kindergarten” in bold characters and also commissioned a plaque for Suiyuan City.

Education is a long-term investment, starting with a ten-year plan.

This batch of students would be ready in a decade, and she was patient enough to wait for them to mature.

Just as she could steadily advance her plans, she had enough patience to ensure Bingzhou improved year by year.

As she continued writing orders for dispatching Leping craftsmen to Baidaochuan, a light spring rain began to fall, adding a fresh touch to the flourishing fields.

Qiao Yan glanced out the window, watching the rain cascade from the eaves, creating a green and white curtain against the bamboo.

A sparrow, seeking shelter from the rain, landed on the windowsill and looked at her without fear.

Birds were rare during the famine years, but now they added a vibrant touch to the scene.

Seeing this, Qiao Yan paused her writing, a smile forming on her lips.

This was indeed a joyful rain…

Before the rain turned heavier, the fields on Baidao River had already met the cultivation goals set by Qiao Yan.

From the soldiers who had previously fought outside the border, some returned to the general camp, some stayed to guard Yanmen Pass, and the rest were assigned to the military farms in this area.

Then, the bones of the cattle and sheep brought back from outside the border were made into bone meal according to the agricultural books, and buried in this fertile land.

Before the outline of the walls of Suizhou City was completed with blue bricks, the plowing and cultivation of this land were officially finished.

For the first year’s planting, Qiao Yan didn’t plan any major changes.

Although irrigation here was easier than in most fields in Bingzhou, the decided crop was still wheat.

She walked in the light rain wearing a straw raincoat, passing through the fields, and said to Jia Xu beside her, “I entrust this place to you, sir. Please manage it according to the completed agricultural books. I want to see a higher yield here compared to other places in Bingzhou at this year’s autumn harvest.”

Only in this way could she make the people believe that the bone meal fertilizer could indeed increase production.

After all, it’s something that has to be buried in the soil before planting, and ordinary farmers wouldn’t dare to try it easily.

Jia Xu replied, “Please rest assured, General Qiao.”

Suddenly being assigned such a task was far from his initial plan of just earning a regular salary.

But he couldn’t say he couldn’t do it.

If he did, Qiao Yan might come up with a reason like “two heads are better than one” and bring Jia Mu here too, putting him in a difficult position whether he put in effort or not.

Another event this year made him realize that in these times, simply trying to stay safe might not be enough.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion was suppressed, the famous scholar Yan Zhong, who was then under General Huangfu Song, suggested that since Huangfu Song had such military power and the current emperor was so incompetent, it would be better to rebel rather than obey Liu Hong.

This suggestion was not adopted by Huangfu Song and was instead publicly announced by this loyal general.

As a result, Yan Zhong had to flee back to Xiliang in haste, living in hiding.

However, after the Xiliang rebels killed the governors of Hanyang and Liangzhou, their first attack was repelled by Zhang Wen, and Beigong Boyu was defeated.

The Xiliang army then fell into internal chaos and conflicts.

To gain higher prestige in Liangzhou, they dug out Yan Zhong and forcibly made him their leader.