"Jiangnan is lovely; of all, I remember Hangzhou most..."
Fan Zhongyan stood by the Qiantang River with his hands behind his back, his words filled with endless emotion.
It was already the autumn of the third year of Huangyou. Fan Zhongyan had served in Hangzhou for more than two years, much longer than he had originally been meant to. But no matter how long he stayed, the time to leave would eventually come. An imperial transfer order had arrived from Jingcheng before the New Year, promoting him to Vice Minister of Revenue and reassigning him as prefect of Cheongju.
Cheongju lay within Jingdong East Circuit, near Hebei. At this point in the original timeline, Fan Zhongyan's health had already been quite poor. Unable to endure the northern cold, he had served there for a time before petitioning Zhao Zhen to appoint him to Yingzhou. He then took up office while ill and ultimately died of illness in Xuzhou.
But Fan Zhongyan was still in excellent health now, thanks to two reasons. One was Wang Yan, and the other was also Wang Yan.
First, Wang Yan had helped Fan Zhongyan restore his health and taught him methods for exercising his body, supplementing him with nourishing food and medicine until he was thoroughly recuperated. Second, all authority in Hangzhou rested with Wang Yan, leaving Fan Zhongyan, the prefect, as little more than an assistant. His workload was light. Moreover, what Wang Yan had done in Hangzhou was precisely the reform and strengthening Fan Zhongyan had long wished for—and it had succeeded. His spirit had risen severalfold at once, and his vigor had returned.
Now that he was about to leave, he actually radiated a fierce, ambitious drive.
Wang Yan said with a smile, "Seeing Lord Fan's ambitions rekindled is truly a wonderful