Chapter 15

Zhang Rang's position in the Han Dynasty was beyond doubt, and Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, directly referred to him as "Zhang Rang, My Lord," which meant he was regarded as a father. His power was overwhelming. Especially in the aspect of selling official positions, Zhang Rang's reputation made his door always bustling with visitors.

This man knew no bounds, and his residence was built to the specifications of the imperial palace, which was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations. Of course, it wasn't just Zhang Rang who did this; other eunuchs and attendants, as well as the Yuan family, who claimed to be upright and noble, did the same.

Liu Hong had already been misled by Zhang Rang and others, not only refusing to leave the palace but also, despite the high-rise buildings in the palace that could overlook Luoyang, he was convinced by the idea that a wise ruler should not climb high. He actually believed it.

The officials at the prime minister's door were of the seventh rank, so one can imagine how imposing the gatekeepers at Zhang Rang's residence were.

The best way to deal with such people was to show off one's status if one had it, or to bribe them with money if one didn't. To make the gatekeepers and Zhang Rang take him seriously, Zhang Hao directly took out a 'miracle' lighter and had the gatekeeper deliver it to Zhang Rang.

That night, Zhang Rang sent someone to invite Zhang Hao to his residence for a talk.

In the magnificent side hall of Zhang Rang's residence, Zhang Hao met the legendary figure, Zhang Rang. Regardless of the titles of treachery and villainy, and regardless of his character, Zhang Rang, though somewhat effeminate, was still dignified and handsome, and despite his age, he still looked like a handsome uncle.

This made Zhang Hao somewhat speechless and even depressed. "Why are you, a eunuch, so handsome?" Zhang Hao felt somewhat inferior.

To be honest, Zhang Hao's appearance was ordinary, with a somewhat cold and stern face, barely considered a tough and handsome young man. But modern girls clearly preferred pretty boys. If Zhang Rang were brought to the modern era when he was younger, he would definitely make many girls scream. Of course, even now, the effect would not be bad.

How unjust! Zhang Hao cursed in his heart, then became cheerful again. After all, no matter how handsome he was, he was still a eunuch! Useless!

Facing Zhang Hao, the powerful Zhang Rang couldn't help but put on an air of superiority.

Zhang Hao, who claimed to have returned from abroad, didn't waste words and directly displayed the 'treasures' he brought, such as glass mirrors, crystal crafts, and music boxes. These items made the well-informed Zhang Rang's eyes widen, and he immediately lost his air of superiority, becoming very friendly.

Such valuable gifts, coupled with Zhang Hao's words about wanting to honor his ancestors and help the 'Emperor,' naturally made Zhang Rang understand what Zhang Hao was seeking.

However, as Zhang Hao had previously worried, Zhang Rang found it difficult in this aspect, but the treasures Zhang Hao brought made it hard for him to refuse. In the end, he gritted his teeth and promised Zhang Hao that he would think of a way and inform him when there was a result.

Zhang Hao waited for three whole days. During these three days, he didn't idle. Luoyang was the capital, and the information here was undoubtedly the most up-to-date. Zhang Hao was also very curious about how many famous people were in Luoyang at the time, and he needed to carefully supplement his plan and prepare a backup plan.

For some reason, since he went to Zhang Rang to buy an official position, Zhang Hao always felt something was wrong. At first, he thought it was just his anxiety, but after careful consideration, it didn't seem to be that. He always felt he had overlooked something important or done something wrong, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

In such a situation, Zhang Rang sent someone to invite Zhang Hao to his residence.

When he saw Zhang Rang, Zhang Hao noticed his expression and had a bad feeling. It seemed that Zhang Rang had not succeeded in his task.

If even Zhang Rang couldn't manage it, it meant there was no hope for this matter.

The situation wasn't as bad as Zhang Hao had imagined, but it wasn't good either. According to Zhang Rang, for someone in Zhang Hao's situation, it was impossible to immediately reach a high position, even in places like Youzhou and Liangzhou, which were currently in turmoil.

The court would rather leave the positions vacant than allow someone without any reputation to take them. After all, there were tens of thousands of students and members of the Hongdu Gate School in Luoyang waiting for official appointments.

Zhang Rang said he could help Zhang Hao arrange a position like a county magistrate, but even a county magistrate was very difficult to arrange, unless it was in a remote and poor area.

Perhaps to prevent Zhang Hao from thinking he was not doing his job after receiving money, Zhang Rang carefully explained the various rules of the late Eastern Han bureaucracy to Zhang Hao, emphasizing that although the starting point might be low, he could guarantee that Zhang Hao would reach a high position of 2,000 stones within two years.

Listening to Zhang Rang's various unknown pieces of information, Zhang Hao listened very carefully. At the same time, he thought about what to do. Suddenly, the vague disappointment he had felt before disappeared, and Zhang Hao suddenly understood why he had felt something was not quite right for the past few days.

From the beginning, Zhang Hao had made a mistake. Infiltrating the organization, becoming an official, and accumulating power might be a very suitable method for many time travelers, but it was different for Zhang Hao. He needed to use the excuse of descending from heaven to revitalize the world. Since he was packaging himself as a celestial being, becoming an official was somewhat inappropriate.

Because becoming an official meant recognizing the dynasty and losing the grandeur and dignity of a celestial being. Even if ordinary people might overlook or not care about this, the elites would likely have their doubts.

Of course, this concern was necessary but not unsolvable, as there were more people in this world who knew how to adapt to the times.

Moreover, he could find an excuse, such as wanting to prevent the suffering of the people by supporting the Han Dynasty, but finding the Han Dynasty unable to be supported, he had to start anew.

This excuse also had problems, such as why not show his special abilities and help the emperor directly instead of taking an official position?

Well, these issues no longer needed to be considered.

Regardless of whether becoming an official was appropriate or not, the biggest problem now was that Zhang Hao could not directly become a high-ranking official. Without a territory, what was the point of being an official? He wanted to use the Han Dynasty's name to recruit talent and accumulate power, not to be a small official controlled by others.

Zhang Hao believed that Zhang Rang's promise of two years was credible, as the eunuch had a good reputation in this aspect. But Zhang Hao couldn't wait, not to mention the many variables involved, and Zhang Rang couldn't control everything. Moreover, the timing was not suitable, as Emperor Ling of Han would die next year, and Zhang Rang would soon fall out of favor. What use would his promise be then?

Additionally, to advance, he would have to move around in various places, which was not conducive to establishing a foundation.

These thoughts flashed through Zhang Hao's mind, and he made a decision.

First, he expressed his gratitude for Zhang Rang's efforts, then Zhang Hao stated that he just wanted to be a high-ranking official to show off, and felt that being a small county official was too boring. So, he decided to give up and focus on business instead.

To prevent Zhang Rang from overthinking, Zhang Hao also requested that Zhang Rang take care of his business caravan in the future and specifically asked for help in smoothing relations to allow him to purchase ships from various shipyards for his business.

This was something Zhang Hao had already thought of, but at the time, he had planned to establish shipyards himself after becoming an official. Now, he had to smooth the relations himself. After all, as an outsider, the official shipyards would not build ships for him. As for the private shipyards, they could probably only produce small boats.

Whether in office or in other choices, Zhang Hao wanted to develop a navy, as the convenience of shipping was undeniable, whether for military or commercial purposes.

Zhang Rang naturally agreed to Zhang Hao's request and even wrote a recommendation letter on the spot, stamping it with his private seal.

Leaving Zhang Rang's residence, Zhang Hao hurried back to the inn and discussed the situation with Huang Zhong.

The idea of becoming an official and accumulating power was now shattered, and the previous plan was scrapped. He could only refine the backup plan. The backup plan was to rebel, but of course, he couldn't rebel directly. The basic requirements for rebellion were money, grain, and personnel, which required time to accumulate power.

In Zhang Hao's backup plan, he intended to accumulate money and grain through business and recruit and train displaced people to form his own starting army.

Huang Zhong had no objections to this and still expressed that as long as Zhang Hao decided, he would support him.

Zhang Hao felt somewhat helpless. Huang Zhong's martial skills were excellent, and he had read military strategy, so he was not a mediocre talent. However, in the overall picture, he could not provide much help to Zhang Hao. But it was fine; no one was perfect, and Zhang Hao himself was also average.

After discussing for a while, Zhang Hao took out a map of the late Eastern Han Dynasty printed from modern times, looking at the map while thinking about how to refine the backup plan. Regardless of other matters, the most important thing now was to choose a base.

After a sleepless night, Zhang Hao finally adjusted the plan. Whether it was perfect or not, it was the best he could do.

He still felt a bit regretful. Without a legitimate official identity, Zhang Hao's idea of recruiting future famous generals when they were in low positions was dashed. He wondered what kind of interactions he would have with these famous generals in the future.