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

Pei County, Feng Township.

"Have you heard? A new magistrate has been appointed to the county!"

"What's their background?"

"I don't know, I only know that he's being transferred from another region, and he should arrive in the next couple of days."

"I hope he's not another one who plunders the people's wealth."

"Who says otherwise? The previous one left in a rather shady way, and even secretly took two bags of grain with him before he left..."

Several elderly men squatted against the wall on the street corner, chatting animatedly.

The woman selling pancakes nearby listened intently, kneading the dough with her hands, and casually remarked, "Whether it's good or bad is another matter, as long as there are no new taxes, I'll be content."

These words resonated with everyone, and they all sighed in unison.

At the busiest alleyway in Fengxiang, there is a liquor store.

It was just two mud-brick houses, with a tattered cloth curtain hanging at the door as a sign.

The shop owner was a widow in her late twenties. She had fair skin, and her eyes curved when she smiled, making her exceptionally beautiful.

There weren't many customers in the shop, but one person lingered there every day: Liu Ji.

At this moment, the man leaned against the table, one hand supporting his chin and the other holding a wine bowl, his gaze fixed on the proprietress.

"Liu Ji, if you try to get any more credit today, don't even think about leaving this house!" The widow's words were stern, but her eyes held a smile.

Liu Ji grinned: "How could I renege on the debt? I'll just put it on the tab."

"Your ledger is already three pages full."

"Doesn't that just prove I'm a regular customer?" Liu Ji said, tilting his head back to take a sip of wine, smacking his lips. "I love the taste of your wine; it's incomparable to anything else."

The widow rolled her eyes at him, turned around to clear the dishes from the neighboring table, and her figure drew Liu Ji's attention again.

Lu Wan, who was drinking at the same table, couldn't stand it anymore and tapped the rim of her bowl with her chopsticks: "Tone it down, your eyes are practically glued to people."

"What do you know? This is called appreciation!" Liu Ji withdrew his gaze and took another sip of wine.

Stop making excuses, it was just me playing around.

As the two were joking around, a man walked in from outside. He was dressed in a gray robe with a cloth belt around his waist and walked with a steady gait. It was clear at a glance that he was not an ordinary person.

Liu Ji squinted at him, then greeted him with a smile, "Oh, Xiao Gongcao, what brings you here today?"

Xiao He didn't reply, but walked straight to the table and sat down, his expression not good.

Seeing this, Lu Wan tactfully shifted her position to make room for her.

"What's wrong? Who upset you?"

"The new magistrate will be taking office soon," Xiao He said in a low voice.

"It's already spread throughout the streets." Liu Ji said nonchalantly, "Let them come, it's not like it's the first time they've changed officials."

"You're oversimplifying things." Xiao He frowned. "I've served in the county government for many years and have seen four different magistrates. They all made grand promises when they took office, but in the end, some were greedy and corrupt, some were incompetent and ineffective, and some even governed haphazardly."

"The previous one was even worse; he stole grain from the government granary before leaving."

Liu Ji laughed and said, "As the chief clerk in charge of personnel, why didn't you stop him then?"

"The other party is the head of a county, and I am just a subordinate official. How can I stop him?" Xiao He became more and more frustrated as he spoke. "I'm afraid this newcomer is also unreliable. If his performance evaluation at the end of the year is poor, the prefectural government will investigate, and the entire county government will be implicated."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Shen walked over slowly, sat down next to Xiao He with a wine bowl in his hand, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Why worry before they even arrive?"

"When things come to this, how can one not be worried?"

"Worrying won't help," Cao Shen said casually, taking a sip of wine. "Whether it's clear or turbid, we'll know when the person arrives."

"If he really is a corrupt and incompetent official, then the few of us can work together to gradually bring him to power."

That's what they say, but it's just talk.

Xiao He remained silent, his brow furrowed with lingering sorrow.

Liu Ji, however, didn't care at all. He glanced at the landlady and said with a grin, "I'm quite curious about what kind of person the newcomer is."

"What are you curious about?"

"I just hope they're not the kind of person who's aloof, rigid, and boring; it's too tiring to be around them."

Cao Shen scoffed, "He's a county magistrate; why would he need to entertain you with drinking and games?"

"That's not necessarily true." Liu Ji finished his drink, wiped his mouth, and said, "He might be a connoisseur of wine."

Xiao He stood up and straightened his clothes. "I can't talk anymore. I have to go back to the county government to make preparations."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Liu Ji asked.

"Forget it, you reek of alcohol, don't offend the new lord."

"That's called being down-to-earth, you know?"

Xiao He indicated that he didn't want to understand and simply turned and left.

Cao Shen also stood up and instructed, "Drink less wine, lest you neglect important matters."

"What important business could I possibly have?" Liu Ji spread his hands.

Cao Shen shook his head helplessly and followed Xiao He out of the wine shop.

Watching the two walk away, Liu Ji poured himself another bowl of wine, looked in the direction of the proprietress, and muttered to himself, "I wonder what kind of person the new magistrate is."

Never mind, we'll talk about it when they arrive.

......

Day two.

Officials were already standing at the gate of Pei County.

Xiao He arrived at this place before dawn, standing at the forefront, his clothes neat and tidy, even his beard was specially trimmed.

Behind him stood Cao Shen, Xiahou Ying, Ren Ao, and other county officials, all standing upright with solemn expressions.

"Has the person arrived?" Cao Can asked.

"Not yet." Xiao He's expression was calm, but the bamboo slip in his hand was slightly wrinkled from being gripped. He was feeling uneasy, fearing that he would encounter a difficult boss and that his future tasks would be difficult.

At the back of the crowd, Liu Ji strolled over leisurely.

He wasn't on duty today and had no intention of coming, but he couldn't resist his curiosity.

I drank until late at night at a liquor store last night, and I have a hangover this morning. I originally planned to catch up on sleep at home, but Lu Wan dragged me here to join in the fun.

"They're here! A carriage is approaching in the distance!" someone in the front row shouted a reminder.

Everyone looked up at the same time.

An old horse-drawn carriage pulled up, its wheels kicking up clouds of dust. The curtains were tightly shut, obscuring the view inside.

Liu Ji stood with his arms crossed, secretly thinking: No matter who it is, I'll make a few jokes to find out who they are.

If you are easygoing and short-tempered, you'll have more fun in the future.

The carriage came to a steady stop beneath the city gate. The coachman jumped down first, smiling obsequiously as he lifted the curtain. The newcomer was dressed in a dark robe with a leather belt around his waist. He was slender with fair and handsome features.

Although he looks like a young boy, his back is straight and he exudes a sense of righteousness.

Liu Ji was about to make a joke when he suddenly stopped himself from speaking.

After the newly appointed magistrate got out of the carriage, he ignored the people who were waiting to greet him, and instead turned around and reached out to grab the person behind the carriage.

Immediately afterwards, they saw the county magistrate dragging a man down with him.

The man was limp and powerless, as if he had lost consciousness. His long hair was disheveled and covered his face. He was being dragged along the ground, his feet kicking up two trails of dust.

Everyone: "..."

Liu Ji nearly bit his tongue, swallowing back the joke that was on the tip of his tongue.

Xiao He and Cao Can were stunned on the spot.

The officials were dumbfounded, standing there stunned, their hearts filled with utter astonishment.

The newly appointed county magistrate was accompanied by an unconscious man on his way to take office.

He doesn't look like a local official at all; he looks more like a bandit blocking the road.

Song casually brushed the dust off his hands, straightened his sleeves, and then turned to look at everyone, giving a slight nod: "Thank you all for waiting."

Xiao He hurriedly snapped out of his daze, wanting to say a few polite words of welcome, but his mind went blank. He subconsciously looked at the gray-clad man on the ground, his heart filled with doubts, but seeing Song Ye's calm and composed expression, he ultimately dared not ask any questions rashly.

If the boss hasn't brought it up, the subordinate naturally shouldn't ask too many questions.

Song appeared calm on the surface, but was actually a little nervous inside.

Xiao He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed: "This humble official, Xiao He, greets the magistrate."

Song also looked at him and casually said, "Comrade Xiao, I've heard so much about you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao He was stunned, completely puzzled, but the words sounded strangely warm to him. "You're too kind, Magistrate."

Song realized after speaking that the term "comrade" was not appropriate at the time.

But since the words were already out, he simply pretended nothing was wrong, glanced at everyone, and said directly, "Where is the county government? Lead the way."

In the Qin Dynasty, the place where the county magistrate worked was called the county court. The word "ya" originally referred to a military camp or military tent, but it gradually came to refer to local government offices after the Han Dynasty. It became widespread during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, and after the Tang and Song Dynasties, "county ya" became the common and popular term.

Xiao He quickly came to his senses and stepped aside to lead the way: "Please, sir."

The group marched in a grand procession toward the county government.