My lord, spare his life!

I agree readily, but I have a headache afterwards.

Zhang Yang rested her chin on her hand, staring at the blank bamboo slips on the table. She held a brush in her right hand, unsure where to begin. Only after the ink had dried completely on the slips did she exhale a long breath. She put down the brush, placed her hands behind her head, and leaned back, reclining gracefully.

"I can't write it down—"

Her mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts, yet she couldn't make sense of them, let alone put them into words. This asynchrony between her thoughts and her body caused her considerable distress.

Ge Zhou, who was on duty at the door, would occasionally peek into the house.

"Xidan, come here for a moment."

Although Ge Zhou's [Intelligence] stat wasn't much higher than Zhang Yang's, Ge Zhou was a reliable and honest person, and perhaps she could offer some clues. Unfortunately, Ge Zhou could only stare at Zhang Yang, shoulders slumped, hands rubbing together, and chuckling.

She blushed with embarrassment: "This humble general is not well-educated."

Ge Zhou used to be completely illiterate, and now she has completely lost her memory. It's good enough that she still retains common sense.

Even though I've been working hard to study on my own lately, learning is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It requires not only accumulation over time but also a certain amount of talent and comprehension before you can see results.

She really can't help her lord right now.

Zhang Yang held a pen in his mouth, his face expressionless as he blanked out his mind.

Ge Zhou suggested, "Why don't we summon Fan Jun and the others to discuss this?"

"No need. I took this on myself, and it's a small matter. Why bother them? They're all off duty at this hour. Making them do extra things during their working hours is no different from exploiting them." Zhang Yang began muttering words that Ge Zhou couldn't understand.

"press?"

"Observations show that this behavior is universally despised."

"Observe the sample?"

"That's what my old friends all said."

Perhaps it was because of his improved "strategy" that Zhang Yang felt his memory had improved considerably, and he could recall some everyday details from time to time.

Before this, Zhang Yang felt that every day in the game world was like a copy and paste, doing the same daily/weekly tasks and running around the same maps. Only when he opened his friend list and saw the constantly rising numbers, or opened the system log and looked at his conversations with the observation samples and his own notes, as well as the game's occasional updates on collaboration events, new game storylines, and new game maps, could Zhang Yang clearly feel that each day he experienced was different.

now--

She can recall different details without these aids.

"My friends say that when they were in school, their professors bossed them around, secretly extorted money from them as a form of 'filial piety,' sometimes made them run errands, and sometimes made them do housework and babysit. As students, these were not their duties."

Ge Zhou blinked, not understanding.

"A teacher is like a parent; isn't what my lord says the proper course of action?"

Ge Zhou had never formally attended school, but he knew how difficult it was to pursue education. It was commonplace for students to do laundry and cleaning at their teachers' homes, help take care of their children, give gifts during holidays, and even serve their teachers tea and water in the dead of winter.

That's how students should be.

"Because the circumstances are different, there are very few learned elderly people here, and lecturers are scarce. Even if children from ordinary families spend a lot of money to study, they still find it difficult to obtain quality educational resources. The key to education is the word 'seeking.' Who can stand tall when they beg for help? My friends are just going to school, and they can't even complete the minimum years of compulsory education. The local government is being criticized."

Ge Zhou shook his head: "This humble general does not understand."

She couldn't imagine things she hadn't seen before.

She believed it was perfectly natural for a middle school student to ask a teacher for help. According to the lord, when his friend was a student, the difference between him and the teacher wasn't significant. A teacher was just a teacher, and a student was just a student; there was no ethical relationship between them comparable to blood ties.

"A student's only duty is to study—to learn knowledge and to learn how to be a person. Everything else is extra. I also have friends who are ordinary people with jobs to support their families, and they are often asked to do extra work by their superiors during their off-duty hours without being paid."

Ge Zhou vaguely understood some of it: "Does the lord think that Fan Jun and the others shouldn't do the work they were on duty for after their shift? If Fan Jun and the others are forced to do so, then that behavior should be condemned?"

Zhang Yang, with a look of obvious eagerness, replied, "That's right!"

Ge Zhou asked, puzzled, "Then why doesn't the lord just give Lord Fan and the others an extra salary? Turn their low-paying job into a high-paying one."

Zhang Yang: "...Does that make sense?"

He thought for a moment and then shook his head: "No, it's too late."

Fan You and the others had been visibly exhausted from their busy work these past two days, and it wouldn't be good for Zhang Yang to assign them more tasks. No matter how high their salaries were, they needed to be alive to enjoy them; if they died from overwork, they'd have nothing left. Zhang Yang rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment, then his gaze shifted upwards, and a green-named figure appeared across the roof beam.

"Is Easter Egg Bro asleep yet?"

After a while, a response came from the rooftop: "No."

Zhang Yang said, "Let me help you out."

A third person intervened in the chat: "Why did you call him but not me?"

What, do you look down on his level of education?

Guan Si merely scoffed at this.

Wang Qi retorted indignantly, "So what if you know a few more words? You've read a lot of books, but I haven't seen you make any name for yourself in this field."

Guan Si completely ignored him.

He only asked Zhang Yang, "What do you want to do?"

Since there are so many things to sort out, let's sort them out one by one.

Zhang Yang briefly recounted the events of the day, but Wang Qi retorted, "They're just over three hundred prisoners. The mountain spirit didn't kill them; they should be grateful. Why are they repaying kindness with enmity and making you worry about them? You wait, I'll chop them all down!"

If solving the problem is too costly, then just solve the problem directly with the people involved.

Guan Si said calmly, "You brute."

This is hardly a solution to the livelihood problem of more than 300 prisoners.

If we just keep these prisoners and make them work for the county, what kind of corvée labor is lacking? Bo Yuan is clearly thinking about the livelihood of ordinary people! Now there are few people and much land. As long as we take back the land and give it to ordinary people, then three or four generations of ordinary people can indeed make a living by farming. But what about when there are more people? When there are more people, there will be more mouths to feed, and there won't be enough land to go around.

Even if they keep cultivating wasteland, they can't keep up with the rate of reproduction.

Naturally, people need to be given other options.

Wang Qi: "Who are you calling a brute?"

Guan Si glanced at him indifferently, not getting angry with Wang Qi.

Wang Qi: "...I hate people like you who act like shills the most!"

He Ning was troublesome enough, and Wang Qi could send He Ning away to get out of his sight, but he couldn't get rid of Guan Si. This Guan Si was like a dog, always hanging around the mountain spirit, squatting on the rooftops near the mountain spirit all day long. He was never seen sleeping, let alone studying. Wang Qi made up his mind to secretly study hard and surpass the deadbeat in both literature and martial arts.

Guan Si still ignored Wang Qi.

It's as if Wang Qi is an immature, unruly kid.

"Boyuan, tell me, I'll write it down, and then I'll organize it one by one."

"I can too."

"What can you do? Just cause trouble?"

"Guan Siyin, I've put up with you for far too long!"

The two men knew their limits and didn't fight, even tearing the roof beams off. Before dawn, the three of them, along with Ge Zhou, stealthily appeared near a farmer's pigsty. Wang Qi climbed over the pigsty and carried a pig out. Pigs are naturally clever, and Wang Qi's menacing aura terrified them, leaving them speechless. Wang Qi, enduring the stench, whispered boastfully, "Mountain Ghost, this is the pigsty with the most pig bristles."

Zhang Yang also lowered his voice and said, "Let me see."

She reached out and touched the bristles on the back of the pig's neck. This pig had been raised for some time, and the bristles were thick and prickly at the roots. She estimated the length in her mind and felt it was about right: "This pig's bristles are good."

Wang Qi took out a rope and tied up the pig's trotters.

He lifted the pig with one hand and knocked on the farmer's door.

The farmer was awakened by the noise, and the first thing he saw was a towering, dark figure. Thinking it was a robber, he nearly had a heart attack. But then he saw the large, fat pig the figure was carrying on its shoulder, and the farmer's instinct to protect his property overcame his fear. That is, until the figure explained its purpose.

Wang Qi frowned: "I want to buy your pigs, not your life. Why are you making such a fuss? Are you going to take the money or not?"

The farmer felt the silver in his hand was frighteningly heavy. Only after a moment did he realize that he had been saved from death, and his anger and sorrow turned into great joy.

Unexpectedly, the other party came to buy pigs.

The farmer identified which pig in the pen it belonged to and said, "Sir, this pig is kept for breeding, so the meat is a bit tough."

The prefectural and county governments frequently issued recipes, indirectly boosting various livestock farming businesses. His family's pigs became highly sought after, with orders placed even before they reached market weight. Wang Qi's pigs were breeding stock, with tough meat and a foul odor; buying them would be a disappointment.

What if he gets angry and comes back to smash his pigsty?

Wang Qi: "I won't eat it."

The farmer asked, "Want to buy it for breeding? If so, this one is a bit too big. You could pick a younger one."

Wang Qi said, "No, we need to pluck pig bristles."

Farmer: "..."

In his nearly complete life, this was the first time he had ever heard of someone buying a whole live pig just for some pig bristles. Wasn't that wasteful? The farmer thought to himself, but dared not offend anyone, and cautiously asked, "May I ask what the esteemed guest needs the pig bristles for?"

Wang Qi said impatiently, "Why ask so many questions?"

The farmer tensed up in fright and stammered, "If you only want pig bristles, sir, you can get some shaved off; you don't need to buy a pig."

Wang Qi said, "We can't have it shaved; the quality is poor."

Farmer: "You can also pull them out."

He was mainly worried about the breeding pigs.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qi returned the pig to the farmer.

Even the farmers who raise pigs dare not pluck their bristles, fearing they might anger the pigs and die in the sty. Wang Qi, however, had no such worry. His arrival froze all the pigs in the sty in fear. Not only could he not pluck their bristles, but even if he broke their hooves, not a single pig dared to resist him. When Wang Qi left, all the pigs in the sty were completely bald.

Wang Qi disdainfully tossed the cloth bag to Zhang Yang.

"You want pig bristles? I really don't know what you need those for."

They had better materials, but they insisted on using pig bristles.

Zhang Yang said, "To make toothbrushes."

Her greatest talent is saying whatever comes to mind.

Not long ago, while tidying up with Guan Si, Zhang Yang suddenly remembered that if the skills training classes couldn't be held, she could have the prisoners make some daily necessities. This kind of craft was simple and had no high barrier to entry. The teeth cleaning tools used by Fan You and others were a little different from ordinary people; they used willow twigs to clean their teeth, but they weren't particularly sophisticated.

Zhang Yang thought of a toothbrush.

Toothbrush handles can be made of wood or bamboo, but what about the bristles?

That can only be obtained from animals.

Too soft is no good, as it won't clean effectively; too hard can easily damage the mouth. The best material is animal hair that is neither too soft nor too hard.

It's either horsehair or pig bristles.

Zhang Yang didn't go looking for a horse, but instead went looking for a pig.

If prisoners were to actually make toothbrushes to generate income, a large-scale source of animal hair would be needed, either through private purchases or by raising their own. Prisoners can't raise horses, and Wei Yin doesn't have that capability, but raising pigs is possible, and they can also purchase pig bristles from the public.

You can process these pig bristles and make them into toothbrushes.

Pig bristles can be plucked repeatedly, and well-raised pigs can be sold.

If you calculate the costs, these prisoners can make money.

Zhang Yang prepared to hand the cloth bag to Xu Jin.

Once you have someone arrange the pig bristles according to length, dissolve the grease, remove the odor, and bundle them neatly, you can make toothbrush bristles. Explain the process clearly, and other craftsmen can do it too. Each step isn't particularly complicated, it just requires patience.

The one thing prisoners have in abundance when they're in jail is time, and they also have plenty of patience.

"Did you understand everything I said?"

Zhang Yang squatted at the head of Xu Jin's bed, looking down at him.

Xu Jin: "..."

He never dreamed that he would be woken not by a rooster's crow, but by Lord Zhang. Lord Zhang held a thick stack of papers covered in writing in his left hand and dragged a large cloth bag in his other. A foul stench emanated from the direction of the bag. Xu Jin tried to take a deep breath to calm himself and determine if he was dreaming, but he inadvertently inhaled a large waft of the stench, and his face suddenly turned ashen.

"Why has the Prefect arrived?"

"Here you go. I've almost finished writing everything down. If you have any questions about any of the steps, just let me know. I'll go and invite the people we need today. Let's try to get a basic outline out in the next couple of days. I thought about what you said yesterday, and I realized I was a bit inappropriate, so I've made some changes. We'll break it down into several steps, creating an assembly line, and let the prisoners be mainly responsible for one or more steps. This will improve efficiency. If the prisoners perform well, they can go for further training."

"Everything is as Your Excellency wishes." Xu Jin was secretly glad that he was sleeping in the study today. He gripped the corner of the blanket with both hands, covering his neck completely. "But I am not in a very elegant position right now. May I ask Your Excellency to wait in the next room for a moment so that I can wash up?"

Zhang Yang looked at Xu Jin's face.

In the end, they didn't find out anything indecent.

After she left, Xu Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly got out of bed, grabbed his clothes and put them on. He didn't even bother to call the servants for help, and finished washing up as quickly as possible. Finally, he picked up a stack of plans and a cloth bag of pig bristles that Zhang Yang had left behind.

However, Zhang Yang was nowhere to be found when they came out.

"Where has the Lord gone?"

"Reporting to Lord Ling, the Prefect said he went to fetch someone."

Why didn't you invite the Prefect to sit down and have breakfast?

Xu Jin walked quickly, but couldn't find Zhang Yang anywhere. He sighed and had no choice but to go to the county office for his duties. Before the sun had even risen directly overhead, a county official came to announce that several commoners had come to report, claiming to have brought a token from the prefect. Xu Jin was completely taken aback.

Did they mention their identities?

"have."

There were embroiderers, umbrella makers, bamboo weavers, and tailors...

Xu Jin blinked, and it took her a while to process it.

Looking at the project plan on the table, which I hadn't even looked at much, I felt ashamed.

The Prefect has been running around to so many places all morning, inviting people over, and I have been so negligent. I have truly failed the Prefect's grace!

What Du Fang saw was Xu Jin crying his eyes out.

Du Fang: "..."

What happened to Xu Jiusi again?