My lord, spare his life!

"Gurgle—"

Zhang Dami was captivated by the repeated calls of "Mi-kun".

Even when someone dared to touch its fur, it didn't scold them.

At first, everyone was worried that they had mistaken Mimi for someone else, but seeing the other party's gentle and friendly attitude, they knew that this big insect was indeed the Mimi they had been longing for. They all knew that Zhang Dami had gone to war with the army and that her return date was uncertain, but they never expected to run into her today.

Mimi is back, does that mean Lord Fu is back too?

Everyone looked around.

There was only Zhang Dami in the same spot, with no sign of its master.

"Wait, there seemed to be someone next to Mimi just now."

In the blink of an eye, how come everyone has disappeared?

Could it be that I'm seeing things?

"I remember there were indeed people there, quite a few."

However, none of those people were as tall or physically imposing as Mimi, so they overlooked her. Zhang Dami was also dumbfounded, looking around but not seeing Zhang Yang and the others. Unfortunately, she couldn't speak, and even if she wanted to explain, she had to strain her voice so as not to frighten anyone.

After Zhang Dami paid a heavy price to extricate himself from the crowd's enthusiasm, Zhang Yang and the others were already sitting in the prefectural government office drinking tea.

Zhang Yang has returned today, and the prefectural government began cleaning and tidying up early this morning.

Tianyue County Magistrate Du Guan and Puyang Kui both waited all night at the county government office. When they saw Zhang Yang, covered in dust and grime, stride through the gate, even the rational Du Guan couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. His throat felt like it was stuffed with downy feathers, and his voice was hoarse as he struggled to suppress his feelings.

"Yuan Yi, I'm back."

Zhang Yang greeted everyone as usual.

So natural, as if he hadn't left the house for months.

"The changes inside and outside the county seat are huge. I almost didn't know how to get around after I entered the city. There are seven or eight more new houses than before I left, and there are more children in the county seat." Some insects are attracted to light, and refugees in chaotic times are also attracted to safety. Wherever the soil is fertile, wherever the security is good, wherever they can find a way to survive, the refugees will bring their families and head there.

Tianyue County, a poor and remote rural county, continuously attracted refugees, demonstrating that she had been working diligently during Zhang Yang's absence. She may not have been unwaveringly loyal to herself, but she certainly had a heart for the people.

This is exactly what Zhang Yang needs most.

"There used to be a curfew, but now it's being gradually lifted?"

Zhang Yang's series of words calmed Du Guan's emotions somewhat. She turned her head to take a deep breath to calm herself, then turned back to her usual composed demeanor: "Your Majesty, it's not a gradual lifting of the curfew, but merely a temporary measure. After winter sets in, the days are short and the nights are long. Commoners outside the city bring their crops into the city to sell, but before they can sell them, it's already dark. Staying in the city costs money, and leaving the city at this time is unsafe, yet many still prefer to leave in the dark. They then get up early the next day to carry their unsold crops into the city. The county magistrate, Xu Jiusi, received 29 reports in a month of people going missing or injured while walking at night. I discussed this with Jun Du and others, and we found a place to accommodate these people, providing them with free temporary lodging."

Even though ordinary people's lives are gradually improving, walking out of the city at night in the cold is still very dangerous. In some remote areas, one might encounter hungry wild animals or unscrupulous criminals. One or two criminals wouldn't be so bad, but the real danger lies in encountering groups working together and protecting each other. Xu Jin recently led a team to investigate a major case, arresting half a village.

Sometimes it's no wonder that outsiders look down on Tianyue as a poor and remote place.

There are indeed many such bold and wild things.

"Twenty-nine items? That many?"

The surface of the face was slightly hot.

The lord didn't return alone this time. Besides the familiar junior brother Shu Yan and Xiao Xiuying, everyone else was a stranger. Needless to say, these were all new recruits the lord had subdued in the mountain prefectures. Du Guan, who could barely be considered a former follower of the lord, had managed the rear while the lord was away, yet he still had so many cases to handle, and now he'd been caught red-handed by a group of newcomers…

Even those who are emotionally stable and don't fight or compete feel ashamed.

The joke has been made into a living joke.

She said, "Things that have been around for a long time become rotten, and things that have been going on for a long time become corrupt. The problems that have accumulated in a place are not the result of a single day's cold; they are chronic diseases that have been built up over time. Tianyue was still suffering from the problem of annexation and exploitation more than half a year ago, and it was deeply rooted. Not to mention the various prefectures and counties, even the unhealthy practices among the people have not yet been corrected. Now, Weiyin has a dense population, and 29 cases a month is not too many. We still need to proceed step by step."

In the past, ordinary people dared not report cases to the county government when they had problems.

Now at least we know which way the gates of the county and prefectural governments face.

Zhang Yang did not intend to question him.

She only cared about one question: "Have all the cases been solved?"

Du Guan: "All the cases were solved within seven days of being reported, and the prefectural government's review also found no errors. However, there wasn't enough space in the prison, so the prisoners were transferred to a neighboring county. The new prison is still under construction."

Zhang Yang then asked, "Was there any murder involved?"

Du Guan: "Yes, there are six murder cases out of the twenty-nine cases, with thirteen people killed. Four of them died because the news of the incident reached the villages of the deceased, and someone from the village led the able-bodied men to seek justice. The two villages fought and four people died, and thirteen were injured. The mastermind was brought to justice."

Zhang Yang: "..."

Everyone knew why the lord had that expression. When the lord wasn't out, there weren't so many cases. The newly arrived refugees didn't dare to act recklessly, and the local commoners dared not be arrogant either, because the lord really would patrol around with Zhang Dami every day to deter them.

Once she left, some troublemakers turned into rascals.

"Over the past six months, the number of refugees coming to seek refuge has been increasing daily. Even though the government has provided them with land, houses, and wells, people are still not satisfied. Whether it's two villages with adjacent fields or two families with adjacent fields, there are always some who are dissatisfied. It's nothing more than the locals feeling that these refugees are taking advantage of them, or the refugees feeling that they are being bullied and discriminated against, and that they cannot live peacefully without sticking together... Some wandering migrants are unwilling to be controlled by the government and would rather rob people on the road." Du Guan said, pausing for a moment, "If my lord has some free time tomorrow, he can go and take a look at the fields in some mixed villages outside the city."

Zhang Yang frowned: "Look at them fighting?"

Goodness, they're all incredibly strong.

You can act all innocent in front of her, but she could kill you in the blink of an eye.

Du Guandao: "Ahem, look at the paddy field ridges."

Zhang Yang: "What's so interesting about the ridges between the rice paddies?"

Du Guandao said, "Before the lord distributed the land, he had the fields measured and arranged their size and shape, and the width of the ridges between the fields was also adjusted. However, now some of the ridges have been broken."

The prefectural government took immediate action to stop the situation as soon as it was discovered.

An investigation revealed that this was a common occurrence.

"They broke the paddy field ridges? Both farming families want to dig more land?" Zhang Yang thought for a moment and guessed why. She opened her mouth, suddenly feeling a sense of empathy for the observation samples of self-proclaimed middle-aged corporate slaves. Parents who have been away on business trips for months, dragging their tired bodies home, are not greeted by harmonious children, but by unruly kids jumping around with toys, smashing pots and pans, and overturning tables and chairs.

Are brothers friendly and respectful, and sisters harmonious and loving?

The brat didn't know his own strength and beat the boy black and blue.

Zhang Yang closed his eyes, not daring to open them.

Du Guan didn't want his lord to hear such unpleasant things as soon as he returned, so he nervously curled his fingers and looked at Fan You with a pleading gaze. Actually, in Du Guan and the others' eyes, these were all trivial matters; they wouldn't even warrant mentioning the governor's mood, let alone affecting his mood. Village brawls? Highway robbery? This wasn't like a few dozen or a few hundred people had become bandits.

However, for the lord, it was a catastrophe.

Zhang Yang: "Is the land not big enough? Not enough for one family to make a living?"

Du Guandao: "Neither."

In Weiyin County, registered commoners were allocated farmland according to their population, and with the fertilizer provided by the lord, farmers could not only eat their fill after paying taxes but also have considerable wealth. For those in dire need, local county governments would provide interest-free loans and various grain seeds.

Compared to the days before, how could we not make ends meet?

Zhang Yang: "..."

Du Guan said, "My lord, do not worry about this."

The ruler probably thought that as long as hope was presented, everyone would become as obedient and docile as sheep, living their lives peacefully, getting along well with their neighbors, and obeying the law. They believed they could become rich through hard work and have enough to eat, drink, and wear.

But people aren't like that.

Everyone has their own temperament. Some are inherently kind, some are inherently evil, and some fall somewhere in between. A kind person may not remain kind forever, and an evil person may not always break the law. Those in between may be swayed by a moment of kindness or a moment of malice, leading them down a path of no return…

Zhang Yang was silent for a moment, then asked, "We still need to make them read more. Won't they be lazy and refuse to learn to read?"

Zhang Yang allowed himself to procrastinate on his homework.

But she wouldn't allow her children to slack off on their studies.

They all breathed a sigh of relief: "No, not at all."

Not only did it not happen, but the results were surprisingly good.

During Zhang Yang's absence, literacy campaigns continued throughout Tianyue County, with Wei Yin at the center of the classes, radiating outwards to surrounding counties. Adopting Du Fang's suggestion, the county adopted the military competition format, allowing villagers with the fastest learning progress to compete in the city, showcasing their achievements. The top ten received honors as role models and rewards from the county government, including chicken, duck, fish, meat, beef, and mutton. This approach effectively encouraged learning without attracting greedy individuals to disrupt the campaign.

One county magistrate even compiled a literacy booklet with more than 500 characters, with illustrations next to each character to make it easy to recognize.

The other party also plans to compile an advanced version. They are soliciting articles from within Tianyue County, requiring them to be simple and easy to understand, profound in their ideas, and inspiring, rather than cynical. It is said that the process is progressing smoothly.

Actually, aside from these unpleasant things, the overall situation in Tianyue is positive.

"Yuan Yi, let me introduce you to this person."

Zhang Yang realized that she had been so focused on talking to Du Guan that she hadn't introduced anyone, neglecting Lu Yuan and the others. She temporarily put her worries aside and excitedly introduced (showed off) to Du Guan. She had gained two more daughters on her trip.

Each of the adopted daughters is also filial and ambitious.

They were all healthy and capable, and Lu Yuan even made her her grandmother.

Du Guan: "..."

Isn't having one enough to satisfy a mother's curiosity?

Now, her generation has even been upgraded from mother to grandmother!

Du Guan secretly gave Xiao Sui a wink.

Xiao Sui secretly raised her sword fan to cover her eyes.

Du Guan gave Fan You a meaningful look, his eyes carrying a hint of reproach—if the lord didn't understand, how could he, as the lord's strategist, not understand? How could he allow the lord to adopt daughters? The lord was still young and had no biological children; according to propriety, the three adopted daughters had inheritance rights. If something were to happen to the lord, leaving him without heirs, the family fortune he had built would be shared among the three of them.

Although the possibility of something happening to the lord is unlikely, what if it does?

What if their power grows too great and these three develop ulterior motives? What if, at a crucial moment, their selfishness leads them to fuel the flames and harm their lord?

Neither Fan Shuyan nor Xiao Xiuying are reliable.

Du Guan's expression darkened slightly.

She was always restrained, and those who didn't know her well wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Zhang Yang introduced his three daughters one by one: "My third daughter is named Chao Tan, courtesy name Xiaoyu. She is currently in charge of the various counties in the mountains for me. You will have the opportunity to meet her in the future. Xiaoyu is an introverted and steady girl, a bit old-fashioned. She should get along well with Yuan Yi."

They all suppressed their emotions and remained noncommittal.

Zhang Yang then introduced Guan Siwang Qi.

These two were not strangers; she was naturally familiar with them. However, she keenly noticed that their demeanor was not as arrogant and domineering as before, and they seemed to have a subtle intention to protect their lord. The change in their attitude was so significant that she assumed their lord had completely subdued them over the past few months.

"This is Xidan, her name is Ge Zhou."

Ge Zhou has an honest and simple appearance; it's as if the word "honest" is written all over his face.

Du Guan initially had the highest level of affection for her.

"Fulong and Feiye did not come into the city with us; they stayed in the army to manage things." Zhang Yang actually wanted to bring the two of them along, but the army needed people to stay and guard it. Both of them felt that it was late at night and there was nothing to see in the county seat, so they politely declined Zhang Yang's offer.

Du Guan: "We're all colleagues, there's no need to rush."

She paused for a moment as she spoke.

"The name 'Fulong' sounds somewhat familiar."

I just can't remember it for the time being. Besides, there are many people in this world with the same character, and it may not be the one that everyone recognizes.

"Fulong once studied at Mingde Academy."

Du Guandao: "That's it."

If you count on your fingers, there are quite a few people who came from Mingde.

Zhang Yang: "We're all alumni, what a coincidence."

Du Guandao said, "At its peak, Mingde Academy had a thousand students enrolled at the same time. During the gathering of renowned scholars, more than two thousand students would come from all over the country. I don't know everyone, but I heard that there was a rather arrogant exchange student named Han. He offended many people in just six months at the academy. However, he was also very capable. Whether it was the Six Arts or other subjects, no one could gain an advantage over him. Some people wanted to get revenge, but he had already finished his exchange and returned to his own academy."

"If the surname is Han, then it should be the same person."

Seeing that Zhang Yang showed no fear, Du Guan relaxed his brows and eyes.

She also marveled at the coincidence.

However, when I met the real person the next day, I found that the gender didn't match.

It seems they just share the same surname and given name, rather than being the same person.

When alumni talk about their school, it's the quickest way to build rapport. When Du Guan mentioned that an exchange student looked a lot like Han Wo, Han Wo asked her which year that exchange student went on exchange.

I can only give a vague number.

After all, different regions are accustomed to using their own era names, and in times of chaos and national turmoil, power shifts rapidly, making it difficult to record time.

Han Wo said, "The person that the Chancellor is talking about is probably me."

Du Guan blinked, looking at Han Wo dressed in women's clothing. Not only did he wear women's clothes and speak in a female voice, but his appearance was also top-notch.

His speech and behavior did not appear out of place as a man dressed as a woman.

"Back then, I did indeed go to Mingde as a man in exchange."

Du Guan: "..."

Where has the cruel hand of time left its mark on him?

? ?(?w?)

Fix a plot bug.