My lord, spare his life!

Du Fang waited patiently for Xu Jin to finish crying.

Finally, they handed him a handkerchief.

Xu Jin wiped away his tears and said shyly, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, but I really, really couldn't help it. I'm ashamed of myself, Lord."

Du Fang gently lifted her eyelids.

"What, you've been having an affair behind my back?"

Xu Jin's emotions were abruptly interrupted. He looked at his friend, who had learned to tease him, incredulously and snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Then why are you crying and saying you feel guilty?"

Xu Jin composed himself and sighed as he explained what had happened in the past two days. In fact, cracking down on these gambling dens and resettling prisoners were both the responsibilities of the county government, and Xu Jin, as the county magistrate, had no choice but to bear them. It was only natural for Zhang Yang to hold him accountable for this.

Unexpectedly, the Prefect took on the responsibility himself.

Not only did he take on the responsibility, but he also personally did so much in just two days, which shows his sincerity. On the other hand, Xu Jin himself was so lazy. He didn't read the things that the Prefect had stayed up all night to write, wasting several hours.

He has wronged the Prefect!

After saying this, Xu Jin couldn't help but burst into tears again.

"You cry your heart out, I'll say mine." Du Fang, not quite understanding, handed over another handkerchief. "So that's why my soldiers suddenly had the job of jailers. Are you sure these prisoners can not only support themselves, but also earn money?"

Du Fang never treated prisoners as human beings.

He initially objected to having some of the garrison troops assigned to guard the prisoners, but the thought that these prisoners would provide washing and mending for the soldiers' clothes, and that they could also be given odd jobs and tiring tasks, made his objections fade. He came this time to ask Xu Jin for a list of prisoners and their crimes, so he could have a general idea and figure out how to arrange the soldiers for shifts.

I didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain.

Xu Jin choked, then awkwardly returned the handkerchief: "The Prefect is kind-hearted, hoping that the prisoners can support themselves during their imprisonment, and has even thought about how they will live after their release. I hope the prisoners will not let the Prefect down and truly repent and start anew."

Du Fang said, "That's hard to say."

There are always some troublemakers who don't know what's good for them.

The probability of a prisoner who has served time in jail returning is very high.

Du Fang glanced at the business plan on Xu Jin's desk and saw that it listed more than ten different professions. He said, "There are only three hundred prisoners in this batch. Even if we arrest the other inmates, it will only be four hundred. That's not enough to support such a large operation."

"What does 'East Residence' mean?"

"Should we arrest a few more and put them in jail?"

The plan stated that prisoners would also be paid wages, but these wages would be much lower than the market price. Only a small portion of the wages would be kept by the prisoners and returned upon their release. The remainder would be used for the prisoners' daily food and medical treatment.

Prisoners work the same hours as ordinary people.

In other words, using prisoners is low-cost.

Give them food and they'll keep working.

Naturally, the more prisoners the better.

In the past, to alleviate the pressure on the county dungeon, only serious crimes required imprisonment; other minor offenses could be punished by paying a fine to reduce the sentence or avoid jail time altogether. Now, however, everyone who can go to jail is going to jail—the more the merrier.

Xu Jin hurriedly stopped Du Fang, who was eager to try.

"No!"

If the more people in jail, the more money you make, then there will be more and more prisoners, to the point that even the most trivial matters will lead to jail time. No, even passing dogs will be arrested.

Thinking of this, Xu Jin broke out in a cold sweat.

"East Residence, absolutely not!"

Seeing Xu Jin looking like he was facing a formidable enemy, Du Fang naturally understood what bad scenario was on his mind: "Okay, okay, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I was just saying it, I don't really mean to do it."

Xu Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"The prisoners aren't all in the prefecture capital; aren't there also prisoners in other counties within the territory? In the mountainous prefectures and in Dongxian, there must have been a lot of chaos after the great rebellion was quelled. There are too many prisoners to catch, and the dungeons can't hold them all. We have enough prisoners; there's no need to catch any more."

Going to jail cannot really be a business.

Xu Jin pondered carefully and went to Zhang Yang to discuss how to prevent this situation from happening again. If Du Fang's first reaction was to arrest more people and make more money, wouldn't other places think the same way? As long as they could see profits, some poor places would actually do it.

Because the target's whereabouts were unknown, Xu Jin waited until nightfall before finally meeting Zhang Yang: "My lord, my lord, I have important matters to discuss with you."

Zhang Yang stopped in his tracks: "What urgent matter is it?"

Xu Jin eased his numb legs from squatting: "During the day, Dong Su and I discussed the temporary camp for guarding the prisoners. He mentioned a matter that I believe, if not resolved, will become a serious problem. If the prisoners' labor truly brings in substantial profits, won't some greedy individuals later frame innocent ordinary people?"

Imprisonment should not be turned into a business.

Xu Jin hadn't thought things through properly; he hadn't considered the Du family's floor.

Zhang Yang was taken aback by the question: "You can do that?"

The way she looked at Xu Jin had changed.

These humans are terrifying. What kind of NPCs have ever seen anything like this?

Xu Jin: "..."

"Isn't imprisonment meant to make prisoners pay the price for their actions, to repent and start anew?" Zhang Yang suggested that they take jobs in industries that could generate income, in order to save on manpower waste, alleviate financial expenditures, and incidentally give prisoners a chance to reintegrate into society and start anew. But Xu Jin's words opened her eyes. "They can actually exploit prisoners like this?"

Xu Jin said awkwardly, "Actually, this is considered merciful."

What kind of exploitation is this?

If you really want to exploit prisoners, there are plenty of ways to do it.

Convicts were made to do odd jobs for the county government and serve as laborers for corvée labor, which were considered easy jobs. During wartime, convicts were also conscripted to work as laborers transporting grain, washing clothes for the army's logistics, or rushing to the front lines or serving as vanguard soldiers to deplete the enemy's morale with arrows, logs, stones, and so on. Most importantly, these convicts did not receive a single penny in compensation if they died.

A prisoner is dead, that's it.

If Zhang Fujun's calculations were strictly followed, these were all laborers capable of earning money, far more valuable than being sent to the front lines as expendable resources, and they wouldn't die in a senseless manner. Xu Jin's only concern was that if the business became too profitable, ordinary people would also be arrested and imprisoned.

It's never been about worrying that prisoners would be exploited and worked to death.

Zhang Yang said expressionlessly, "Humans really scare NPCs."

Xu Jin: "..."

Since it was Zhang Yang who made the suggestion, she couldn't ignore it. Zhang Yang lowered her eyes and pondered for a long time, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her: "The observation sample said that whoever has money on their hands is more likely to have a dirty backside. Jiu Si is worried that the county government might do something outrageous because of money, so we should just stay away from it."

"Does Your Excellency mean to hand over the profits?"

Zhang Yang nodded: "Mm."

"Then, how will these prisoners be cared for?"

The root of the problem is that there are too many prisoners and we can't afford to support them.

Zhang Yang said, "After the revenue is handed over to the central government, the funds for prisoners' meals, medical care, lodging, hiring people to teach them skills, and the repair and construction of the prison will all be allocated and distributed uniformly. Oh, right, and the salaries of the prison guards as well. In this way, the county government cannot use its own interests to coerce the prison guards into doing anything to the prisoners, which is much better."

It can also reduce the probability of torture to extract confessions.

Xu Jin tentatively asked, "Is this money to be given to the prefectural government?"

Was the unified allocation of funds distributed to the county government or the national treasury?

Lord Zhang's ambitions should not be limited to this.

Zhang Yang said, "Even the prefectural government won't do."

Xu Jin's smile became more meaningful, indicating that he had received a hint from Lord Zhang. Completely reassured, he bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Zhang. I have learned a great deal."

The cost of guarding prisoners was a considerable burden on the county government; not keeping them in prison was not an option, but keeping them in prison for too long would strain the finances. Although Zhang Fujun's idea indirectly weakened the county magistrate, it was still more beneficial than harmful to the county government as a whole, and Xu Jin naturally would not disagree.

"Please settle the people I invited in properly, Jiu Si."

These were all invited by Zhang Yang, who personally visited each of them.

She could see the data panel, so she didn't need to spend a lot of time finding out who had good character or solid skills. Once she identified her target, she could compare them one by one, and finally visit them in person to ask them to come out of retirement. At first, these people were reluctant. How could they easily pass on their skills that they used to make a living? Even if the skill threshold was not high and the process was not complicated, it was still better than teaching others and having them compete with them.

Upon hearing Zhang Yang introduce himself, they were all stunned, with similar thoughts swirling in their minds—could such insignificant people as them be regarded as talents by the Prefect and invited to come and invite them?

They only learned the characters because of the prefect.

Unable to fight on the battlefield for the Prefect, nor able to save the people and bring peace to the country, they were invited to this place simply because they had some rudimentary skills? They would never dare to do such a thing in their wildest dreams.

Some people couldn't help but slap themselves. The burning pain on their faces made them realize they weren't dreaming.

Zhang Yang assumed they were worried about wages and benefits, and repeatedly assured them that everything would be open and transparent, and that both parties would sign a contract. She added that if they discovered the work didn't match the description after construction began, they could file a complaint with the county or prefectural government, and she would definitely accept the case.

Everyone agreed.

Zhang Yang said, "Jiusi has too many stereotypes about them. He thinks they're hiding something. I think they're just honest, ordinary kids, not the type to cheat or do anything wrong. I asked them if they were willing to teach me everything they know, and they all said no problem."

It's also Xu Jin's fault for instilling too many wrong impressions in her.

There's no such thing as outdated, harmful ideas that are passed down only to those who don't.

Xu Jin moved his lips, wanting to refute.

It's not that he has a stereotype; it's clearly the Lord's problem!

Xu Jin originally thought that at most, Lord Zhang would only send a trusted confidant to invite someone, but she never expected that she would personally come. Who could withstand that? Put yourself in her shoes: if a craftsman who earns a meager income to support his family suddenly had a famous and powerful warlord with tens of thousands of elite soldiers appear at his door one day, treating him as an honored guest, providing him with food and lodging and giving him generous money, and the other party's only request was that he pass on his skills.

Tell me, who wouldn't agree?

As for passing on the craft to future generations?

That requires one to live peacefully and have descendants.

Xu Jin swallowed his rebuttal and said awkwardly, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have had such arbitrary ideas about the artisans."

Zhang Yang was satisfied: "This young man is teachable."

Of all the county magistrates, Xu Jiusi was the one he was most satisfied with.

If the other party performs well, they can be promoted to Prefect of Tianyue County.

Zhang Yang spent the whole day hiring people and the evening writing and drawing at her desk. She still had plenty of energy and didn't need sleep, but Wang Qi was finding it hard to keep up. The monotonous errands bored him, and he leaned against Zhang Yang's desk, his eyelids starting to droop.

"Mountain spirit, what are you doing now?"

"The papermaking process should be illustrated with pictures and text."

This way, the craftsman won't find it difficult to work.

Wang Qi yawned, the military treatise he was holding hanging limply at his knees, looking listless: "...Boring."

"Go to sleep if you're tired."

"...I can't lose."

Wang Qi muttered to himself, and Zhang Damiao echoed him quietly.

Not only were the people listless, but the leopard was listless too. Zhang Damiao tilted its head, its eyelids drooping, its large head resting on Wang Qi's lap, its long tail curled around an ink stick, unconsciously grinding ink on the inkstone. Zhang Yang: "But your yawning infected me."

Wang Qi didn't answer; he was getting sleepier and sleepier.

He propped his head up and fell asleep.

When Guan Si arrived, he saw Zhang Da Miao resting her head on Wang Qi's knees, while Wang Qi rested his head on Zhang Da Miao's large head. Zhang Da Miao had to be careful not to let Wang Qi slip down, while also controlling her tail to grind ink for Zhang Yang, her whole body concave into a circle.

Zhang Damiao had already smothered the military treatise under her body.

Guan Si: "..."

Is this how you talk back to yourself?

Guan Si ignored Wang Qi and walked straight toward Zhang Yang.

The carpentry workshops in the prefecture were all working overtime to produce waterwheels and new-style spinning wheels, with orders booked until the end of next year. Under these circumstances, Zhang Yang still wanted to spare people to set up a paper mill, but naturally, he couldn't. Guan Si then made a trip.

"A hundred people, is that enough?"

Zhang Yang looked at the roll of names that he had thrown at him.

"Where did you recruit these people from?" Weiyin County has a large population, but labor is scarce, and almost everyone has work to do. It's not easy to find a hundred hardworking young men in a short time. "Could they be from the Hundred Ghost Guard? That's a waste of talent."

Guan Si: "Not from the Hundred Ghosts Guard."

Zhang Yang looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Guan Si: "They are some elderly people who were kind to me back then."

More accurately, they were some former patrons of brothels.

When he had the means, he went down the mountain to relocate and repair his mother's grave. There, he encountered an old friend secretly offering sacrifices at her old grave. Those who frequented brothels rarely lived long; their bodies were severely depleted by the daily torment. Prostitutes suffered greatly from frequent pregnancies and abortions, and male prostitutes contracted serious diseases due to their unspeakable abuse of their bodies. Few lived to a ripe old age.

Guan Si was also surprised to see an old friend.

"...I thought they were all dead."

However, since we've already bumped into it, we can't pretend we didn't see it.

Guan Si found them a secluded place in the Dongfan Mountains where they could live in seclusion, and everything about the brothel was a thing of the past. In addition to these old acquaintances, Guan Si also sent those he had taken in to settle here. Only those with talent and ability were kept by his side to be trained as the Hundred Ghost Guards.

"Easter Egg Guy is so kind."

Guan Si's features appeared much gentler in the candlelight, lacking the ruthlessness and coldness of the daytime: "In a place like that, it's very difficult for a frail woman to give birth to and raise a child on her own. She still needs the compassion of those around her."

His old associates inevitably mediated and covered for him.

"After all, I do have a good-looking face."

Zhang Yang does not deny this point.

Otherwise, why would Eggman's nickname be Eggman?

His model is just too outstanding!

Wang Qi was so angry that he pretended he couldn't sleep anymore.

"Loading cargo, why are you pretending to be pitiful!"

? ?|??w?`)