After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 395 Giving Lu Tong Advice
Chu Heng was dumbfounded. He nodded, turned around and went out, but just as he reached the door, he turned back and came to Shen Yi. He cupped his hands and bowed, "Your Excellency, although your second son and daughter are a bit lively, they are exceptionally intelligent and learn things very quickly. They have already finished learning the Three Character Classic in this period of time, far surpassing other children in the village."

Shen Yi sensed Chu Heng's protectiveness and his expression softened. He said, "Mr. Chu, rest assured, I know what I'm doing. Have you been able to handle things at the school lately? The village school is being built. If you have any ideas, please tell the village chief. He will definitely give them serious consideration."

"Understood! I'll think about it carefully when I get back and write a proposal, okay?"

“Excellent!”

Chu Heng smiled happily, then looked up and realized he had walked to the school gate. He chuckled to himself, said goodbye to Shen Yi, and went inside to continue his class.

Shen Yi returned home, waiting for Su Tai to finish beating the two children before he continued to discipline them.

The next morning, Shen Yi rode his horse to Zhaohua County.

Lu Tong was delighted to see him arrive and did not inquire about his whereabouts. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got straight to the point, "Lord Shen, I have carefully reviewed the situation in Zhaohua County these past few days and found that only Shenjiazhuang and Dongmen Village are the wealthiest in the entire county, followed by Zhongmen Village and Liujiazhuang, which are adjacent to these two villages. I sincerely wish to ask Lord Shen how to make the people of Zhaohua County prosperous!"

He had endured many years of hardship to finally become the county magistrate, and naturally he wanted to make a difference.

Shen Yi looked at Lu Tong’s meticulously styled hair and smiled. “Sir, the only way to make the people of Zhaohua County rich is to sell their goods at a good price. As long as they have money, why worry about them not living a good life?”

The principle is simple, but the practice is not easy. Every village has its own rules, and there are always troublemakers. Take Ximen Village for example. During the severe drought, I helped dig wells everywhere. Didn't Ximen Village know that?
No, they knew that, but the villagers had differing opinions, so the matter was left unresolved. By the time they wanted to dig a well, the best opportunity had already passed, and in the end, it was all just a lot of busywork.

Now, every family in Dongmen Village is wealthy, and Zhongmen Village is not far behind, living a comfortable life. Only Ximen Village has failed to keep up with everyone else, no matter what it does.

Moreover, they have another problem: if they listen to our advice and benefit from it, everyone is happy; but if the result is not as expected, they will cause a huge uproar. I've witnessed this clearly over the years.

Lu Tong listened attentively to Shen Yi's insights, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. He then changed the subject, tentatively asking, "I've heard that Lord Shen and Young Master Zhu have a close relationship?"

Shen Yi paused in his tea-drinking motion, slowly setting the teacup down. "Who told you that, Lord Lu?"

Lu Tong gave an awkward laugh and looked away. "Not long after I took office, Master Zhu came to visit the county government. During our conversation, he mentioned this matter to me. After all, the Zhu family is the richest family in Zhaohua County. I was just curious and asked him casually."

He could understand why the Zhu family had such a strong foundation in Zhaohua County, having prospered a century ago. However, he couldn't understand why the Shen family, with its weak foundation and poverty a few years ago, had led so many villages to prosperity. He could only understand it if the Zhu family had helped them.

Shen Yi chuckled and picked up his teacup again, saying with great emotion, "This Master Zhu is really something. Why didn't you say so earlier or later? Now that I've been promoted, you'll know that I have a close relationship with Zhu Yixuan. But please don't do anything strange in my name. I won't acknowledge it."

Lu Tong's expression changed slightly, somewhat surprised. "Does Lord Shen mean that what Master Zhu said is untrue?"

Shen Yi nodded and sighed, "I won't hide it from you, Lord Lu. My wife's younger sister was once Zhu Yixuan's concubine, the kind who was abandoned. What kind of relationship do you think I have with the Zhu family?" Lu Tong was genuinely shocked and quickly stood up to apologize, "Lord Shen, look at the mess this has made! That Zhu Yixuan is too outrageous! And Master Zhu too! How dare he make baseless accusations against you, Lord Shen! Don't worry, Lord Shen, I will definitely give the Zhu family a good scolding later!"

Shen Yi waved his hand, stood up and invited Lu Tong to sit down. "These are all private matters, so it's normal that Lord Lu is unaware of them. I'm speaking out today because I don't want Lord Lu to be used by the Zhu family. May I ask, Lord Lu, where should I go to hand over the responsibilities?"

Shen Yi didn't want to continue the topic and quickly got down to business, which relieved Lu Tong's embarrassment.

The handover went very smoothly, but then the issue of accommodation arose.

Lu Tong explained, "The area behind the county government office used to be where the county magistrate lived. I have a courtyard in the county, but I haven't moved in yet. Lord Shen can move in."

"No, no, no, I appreciate Lord Lu's kindness, but we must follow the rules. It's just a place to stay. I'll ask the yamen today and we can arrange accommodations in the next couple of days. The backyard of the county government office would be a good place for Lord Lu to rest temporarily. Oh, by the way, Lord Lu just mentioned how to make the people of Zhaohua County prosperous. I have an idea."

Shen Yi reciprocated.

Lu Tong immediately perked up, "Lord Shen, please speak frankly. No, let's go to the restaurant to talk! I'll treat you, and I'll also accompany you to the yamen. I know the county town well!"

Shen Yi declined twice before agreeing.

Inside the restaurant, Shen Yi glanced at the Zhu family grain shop diagonally across the street and said to Lu Tong, "Lord Lu, the most acceptable way for the people of Zhaohua County to make money is by selling grain, right?"

Lu Tong nodded and sighed, "That's right. A few years ago, Ma Rencai from Moshi Town got a lot of apple trees and tricked the people into planting them. We thought it was just nonsense, but unexpectedly, they actually bore fruit. Now almost every household in Moshi Town has apples planted, and the people's lives are better than in other towns. However, with so many apples, they've become worthless."

Furthermore, Master Ma has retired, making it difficult to cultivate fruit trees. There are also various other concerns, so no one is planting crabapples anymore. I considered having them plant other fruit trees, but frankly, I don't know enough about farming. Besides, the Ma family almost went bankrupt because of crabapples, so the county officials don't approve, fearing the risk.

"But there are risks involved in any business transaction. You can't expect to make money and live a stable life all at the same time," Shen Yi said incisively.

Lu Tong deeply agreed, and sighed again, "That's why I'm so worried. I'm afraid only Lord Shen in the entire county government can understand me!"

Shen Yi twitched the corners of his mouth, unsure how to respond, and said, "I do have a suggestion. A few days ago, I accompanied my wife to visit relatives in the Ice Plains. It was only then that I learned that the herders there live quite well. However, they can't grow grain there, so every year they come here in groups to exchange grain."

In the early years, not many people ventured out of the Ice Plains, and they had enough grain to collect in Moshi Town. But now that the herders are doing better, more families are buying grain in large quantities. My suggestion is that Lord Lu could send people directly to negotiate with the Ice Plains herders and sell their grain to them.

As for the trade between our village and the herders, that's a separate matter and shouldn't be confused with this."