Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

When Zhao Kang learned of the affair, he was enjoying wine and revelry with his newly acquired concubine.

"My lord! Something terrible has happened! People from Xianyang have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kang abruptly pushed aside the concubine beside him, sat up straight, and asked urgently, "Who are they? What brings them to Sishui?"

"Their identities are still unknown, but we know they are high-ranking officials in the court, ranking among the Nine Ministers. Their entourage has already passed through Sanchuan County and is heading this way!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Kang felt a sudden boom in his mind.

The Nine Ministers were all close advisors to the emperor, holding high positions, and any one of them could easily crush him.

The sudden arrival of such a person in Sishui is by no means a good thing.

Thinking of this, Zhao Kang immediately dismissed his concubine, ordered the door to be closed, and had a private conversation with his advisors inside for a full half hour.

When the two came out, the man's face was ashen, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

"Prepare the horses! Bring all the official documents and files from the subordinate counties, especially those from Pei County, give them priority!"

An advisor cautiously approached and tentatively asked, "My lord, should we secretly send a message to Pei County?"

Zhao Kang tapped his fingertips repeatedly on the table. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Draft an official document stating that the previous discussion on the voluntary additional tax was not well considered and should be temporarily shelved for later discussion."

The staff member received the order and withdrew, then drafted the document overnight.

Zhao Kang stood alone by the window, gazing at the deep night outside, his mind in turmoil.

Who is this high-ranking official who suddenly visits?

What is the purpose?

He was not a clean person to begin with, so he was bound to be suspicious at this moment, feeling that the other party was clearly coming for him.

......

Three days later, at the Pei County government office.

Xiao He held the official document that had just been delivered to the prefectural government, his hands trembling slightly.

"My lord, a letter has arrived from the prefectural government."

Song also took the bamboo slip and began to read it. In the text, Zhao Kang changed his usual condescending and commanding tone, and his wording was humble, even with a hint of deliberate flattery.

The article states that the previous proposal of "voluntarily paying more grain" was inappropriate and should be abandoned for the time being. It also clarifies that the taxes in Pei County will still be collected according to the old practice, without the need for additional levies.

Song Ye remained calm and handed the bamboo slips back to Zhang Liang: "Draft a reply for me, just saying: 'The prefectural government is aware of this, and Pei County will naturally comply with the order.'"

Zhang Liang took the bamboo slip, glanced at her, and hesitated before speaking.

"What's wrong?" Song asked.

"The county government's change of attitude this time is too abrupt. In my opinion, it is mostly a test."

Song smiled faintly and did not reply.

Xiao He, who was standing to the side, was already scratching his head in anxiety. He said, "My lord, it's all over the place. A high-ranking official has arrived in Xianyang, and he's gone to Sishui. The prefect's sudden softening must be because he heard about it!"

"So what if I heard it?" Song said calmly. "I have nothing to fear. I have nothing to be ashamed of."

"But that official document you sent to Xianyang..."

This is clearly a direct attack on the prefectural government, equivalent to suing the prefect!

The second half of the sentence is what Xiao He wanted to say but dared not say.

"I simply reported the local situation truthfully, explained the reasons for the increased production and the burden on the people, that's all."

Anyone with a guilty conscience should take the blame.

Seeing that Xiao He still looked anxious, Song said, "What's meant to come will come, and what's not meant to come can't be forced. Instead of wasting time worrying, you should go and check the accounts of the community granary again."

Xiao He wanted to say something, but seeing the magistrate's calm and collected face, he swallowed his words back.

He discovered that this Lord Song possessed a very strange ability.

No matter how big the sky falls outside, she can remain calm.

As a result, the people below gradually calmed down.

"Yes, I will go right away." Xiao He cupped his hands in greeting, turned and left.

Zhang Liang stood to one side, spreading out bamboo slips to prepare a reply. He dipped his brush in ink, held it in mid-air, and suddenly asked, "Sir, are you really not worried?"

Song also looked out the window at the gray sky.

The snow has stopped, but a thick layer of snow has accumulated on the eaves. Occasionally, a chunk of snow falls down, shattering with a soft thud.

"What are you worried about?"

"What if the high-ranking officials who came all the way to Sishui weren't here for the prefect, but for Pei County?"

"It's even better if Chongpei County comes; it'll show everyone what we've accomplished in the past six months. The people's lives have improved; what can't we show off?"

It seems so.

Zhang Liang remained silent.

"Have you finished writing the palindrome?"

"It's finished."

Song glanced at it and nodded: "Send it out."

Zhang Liang took the bamboo slips and went out, leaving Song Ye alone in the courtyard.

As my thoughts drifted away, I heard footsteps in the courtyard.

Liu Ji, wrapped in an old cotton-padded coat and hunching his shoulders, walked in from outside. He saw the leader standing at the door, paused for a moment, and then approached with a grin.

"Sir, are you enjoying the snow here?"

Song also looked him up and down. "Chief Liu, why aren't you on duty at Sishui Pavilion? What are you doing back at the county government?"

"It's cold outside, so I came back to get a brazier."

Liu Ji rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Besides, I heard some important people have come to Xianyang, so I had to come back and find out what's going on."

"My lord, if that high-ranking official were to come to our Pei County, shouldn't we all make preparations?"

"What are you preparing? Just put away that carefree attitude of yours and don't embarrass Pei County."

Liu Ji surprisingly did not refute.

If someone else had said that to him, he would have retorted long ago.

But Magistrate Song said he didn't know why he just couldn't stand up to him.

Song turned and went back into the house, leaving behind the words, "Go back to your shift and stop worrying about things that aren't your concern."

Liu Ji stood in the courtyard, watching the young man's figure disappear behind the curtain, and muttered, "This guy really isn't flustered at all."

The cold wind of December is as sharp as a knife, scraping across people's skin with a bone-chilling pain.

At this moment, Meng Yi, dressed in a worn sheepskin coat and wearing a commoner's coarse felt hat, had shed the blue-purple official robes and imposing demeanor of the court. He blended into the crowd entering the city without standing out.

He was followed by only two men in plain clothes, dressed as merchants, who did not show any sign of official power.

This inspection of the administration of Sishui by imperial decree is known to the court and the public.

However, Meng Yi deliberately deviated from the planned itinerary and instead of heading to the prefectural capital first, he took a roundabout route and went straight to the small county of Pei.

He was curious about just who this minor county magistrate, Song, was.

Although the city gate of Peixian is not particularly grand, it is always bustling with people and full of life.

After entering the city, Meng Yi walked slowly along the main street. The stone-paved road that ran through the entire city was flat and clean, without any snow or silt, which showed that it was cleaned and maintained by someone every day without any care.

I stopped in front of a small pancake stall. The stall owner was a woman in her forties, who deftly flipped and baked the pancakes, the steam carrying the aroma of wheat.

Meng Yi took out a few copper coins, bought a hot pancake, and casually asked, "Auntie, seeing how bustling the city is, life here must be pretty good, right?"

The woman continued working, smiling as she replied, "Whether things are good or bad depends entirely on the context. Compared to the meager harvests of previous years, things are worlds apart now."

"Oh? How could things have changed so much?"

The woman looked him up and down, and seeing that he was a stranger from out of town, she was completely unguarded: "Since this is your first time in Pei County, you naturally don't know, but we've met a magistrate who's one in a hundred years. Ever since Lord Song took office..."

"This autumn harvest, she personally taught us how to deep plow, fertilize, select seeds, and cultivate seedlings. Now, every household has increased grain production, and we have much more food and clothing."

"The cakes you just bought were made from this year's new grain; they must be very fragrant with wheat, right?"

Meng Yi took a bite of the hot pancake, and the rich wheat aroma melted in his mouth.

It's really delicious.

He nodded slightly and then asked, "How long has this Magistrate Song been in office?"