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

"It hasn't even been a year yet." The woman's eyes were full of genuine admiration. "Throughout history, which official didn't ride in a sedan chair and patrol the streets, high and mighty? Only our Lord Song is humble and pragmatic, often going to the fields himself, teaching the people how to cultivate the land, and never complaining even when his hands are calloused."

"I have never seen such a compassionate and caring official. It is truly a blessing for the people of Pei County to have met Lord Song!"

Meng Yi felt a slight stirring in his heart. He had traveled to counties and prefectures all over the country and heard countless people praising officials. Most of them were just polite formalities and empty words.

But the light in the woman's eyes was not at all fake or deliberate.

Continuing along the long street, I randomly asked the locals along the way, and they all praised it highly.

"Lord Song is a truly good official! In the past, there were always thugs in the market extorting protection money, which made the merchants and common people suffer terribly."

"Lord Song even advised us to learn to read and understand the principles! The county government posted notices and laws, fearing that we might not be literate, so they specially assigned people to explain and interpret them."

"I learned from it when I had nothing else to do, and now I can write my own name, hehe."

Travel and listen along the way.

Meng Yi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was in turmoil.

Having served in the imperial court and inspected various regions, he had seen far too many officials.

Some are corrupt and greedy, some are mediocre and incompetent, some are diligent but lack methods, and some are intelligent but lazy.

This young magistrate Song, who had been in office for less than a year, had managed to bring peace and stability to this impoverished county, earning the gratitude of countless people. Such a capable official was a rarity in the court and among the people.

Such a capable official, with a broad vision, a heart for the people, and a pragmatic and hardworking nature, is being relegated to a small corner of Pei County, which is truly a waste.

Meng Yi walked slowly to the stone bridge, stood by the railing, and looked at the frozen river below. The yellow earth on both banks was covered with snow, and the world was quiet and elegant, just like a peaceful ink painting.

"Sir, it's getting late. Would you like to find an inn to rest at?"

"Set off for the prefectural government immediately."

The attendant was slightly taken aback, his face showing doubt: "Sir, we have not yet paid our respects to Magistrate Song of Pei County, why don't we linger a little longer?"

"There's no need to meet."

What good would it do to see it?

Say a few polite words and offer a few favors?

It would be better to let him work diligently in Pei County. If he achieves outstanding political results while in office, they will naturally meet again in Xianyang.

Meng Tian had no idea that this small city of Pei would one day become one of the many prosperous cities of the Qin Dynasty, and the hometown of the legendary female prime minister.

......

Meng Yi moved very quickly.

He didn't spend much time investigating Zhao Kang.

The man's extravagance, his faction, and the holes in his accounts were laid out one by one, providing irrefutable evidence.

Zhao Kang went from initially trying to remain calm to later looking ashen-faced in just three days.

Meng Yi didn't even use torture; he simply pushed the evidence in front of Zhao Kang, and Zhao Kang collapsed.

"Write down the charges." The man sat in the main hall of the prefectural government, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the nice weather.

Zhao Kang's hand trembled violently as he picked up the pen, and the characters were crooked and distorted. He collapsed there and cried halfway through writing.

Meng Yi watched expressionlessly, and after he finished crying, he continued writing.

Finally, Zhao Kang was put into a prison cart and sent to Xianyang to await his fate.

His staff and subordinates involved in the case have all been detained and are awaiting further action.

Meng Yi temporarily appointed a capable Qin official from among his entourage to serve as the governor of Sishui Commandery, and then wrote to Xianyang requesting the appointment of a formal successor.

From the moment I stepped into Surabaya to the moment I finished everything, it only took a few days.

On the other side, in Peicheng County.

By the time Song received the news, everything had already been settled.

"My lord, the high-ranking officials of the court have already escorted Zhao Kang and his entourage of prisoners back to Xianyang." After saying this, Xiao He finally felt relieved.

Song nodded.

One has to admit that none of Qin Shi Huang's confidants were truly incompetent.

Xiao He stood below the hall, his anxiety of the past few days vanishing instantly. "My lord," he said, "Zhao Kang has been escorted north, and the new acting prefect is a capable official personally selected by the high minister. From now on, no one in the prefecture will suppress or make things difficult for us. Won't life in Pei County be a little easier?"

"Whether life is good or bad, we still have to rely on ourselves." Song paused, then instructed, "With the end of the year approaching, the relief grain that should be distributed must be in full and in the correct quantity; not a single grain can be missing."

"Understood!"

"Yes!" Xiao He replied readily, then turned and strode out.

The matter of Zhao Kang is over.

New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

Peixian town was bustling from morning onwards, with the crackling of firecrackers one after another. Children in new clothes chased each other through the alleys, while adults were busy pasting peach charms and hanging reed ropes. Steam rose from the chimneys of every household, and the aroma of cooking meat filled the streets.

Song stood by the window in the backyard of the county government building, watching the sky gradually darken.

Outside the courtyard wall, faint laughter and toasting voices could be heard, along with the distant sounds of children playing. Each sound pierced the ears like needles.

I usually find it noisy, but today those sounds seem to be getting farther and farther away, as if they were from another world.

She was busy in her past life, but at least she could go home during holidays and have a reunion dinner with her parents.

This life is terrible; I don't even know where my home is.

Will I ever see my parents from my past life again in this life?

The thought popped into Song's head, but he quickly suppressed it.

I don't want to think about it anymore; thinking about it too much makes me uncomfortable.

Old Zhao from the kitchen went home in the afternoon.

Before leaving, I stewed a pot of meat for Song Ye and made some pancakes, enough for her to eat for several days.

Xiao He also came and invited Song Ye to his home for the New Year, but Song Ye declined.

Liu Ji also sent a message, saying that the widow had some good wine and asking if she wanted to go, but Song didn't even reply.

"..."

The sky outside the window had completely darkened.

Song sat alone by the brazier; the room was so quiet that the crackling of the charcoal in the brazier could be heard.

She knew this was the price of time travel.

Those relatives, friends, and colleagues from my past life will never be seen again.

It would be a lie to say I don't want to, it's just that I'm usually too busy to think about it.

Today, having some free time, all my emotions welled up and felt stuck in my chest, making me feel suffocated.

"Song Ye, what are you being so dramatic about?"

She muttered something to herself under her breath.

In a daze, Song seemed to hear a knock on the door.

Who would come at this hour?

Song also got up, walked to the door, unlatched the door, and opened it.

A cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in, and a large group of people stood at the door.

Uncle Wang stood at the front, followed by many other people, each carrying something in their hands—some holding bowls, some carrying baskets, and some carrying jars.

Their faces were flushed, whether from the cold or nervousness, they stood at the door, looking at each other, neither of them daring to speak first.

"you......"

Uncle Wang was at a loss for words under her gaze. He rubbed his hands together, coughed, and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Sir, well... we were worried that you would be lonely spending the New Year alone, so we all got together and thought we'd bring some good food from each family to give to you to try."

He turned around and pointed to the people behind him: "These were all made by everyone themselves. They're nothing special, just a small token of our appreciation."

"Sir, this is what I wrapped."

"Sir, this is my family's cured pork. It was cured last month, and the flavor should have penetrated it by now."

"Sir, my wife steamed some cakes. Please eat them while they're hot."

"My lord, this is the wine I brewed. Although it is not as good as fine wine, it tastes good."

Everyone chimed in with their own simple and honest opinions.

Song stood at the door, looking at the simple, anxious, and nervous faces, and suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her eyes well up with tears.

She wanted to say something, but it felt like something was blocking her throat, and she couldn't squeeze out a single word.

It's not that I have nothing to say, it's that I have too much to say and don't know which sentence to say first.

This is the belief I've always held onto.

Song took a deep breath, forcing back the tears welling up in her eyes, and stepped aside to make way for the doorway, her voice a little hoarse: "Come in, all of you come in."

"Honestly, you guys are really something. There's so much food, how am I supposed to finish it all by myself?"

The people looked at each other, none of them daring to take a step.

"Sir, we're not going in. We just came to deliver something..."

"Come in!" Song raised his voice. "It's the New Year, don't leave me sitting alone. Come in and eat with us."

Uncle Wang was the first to step inside, and the others followed.

The county government's backyard, though small, was quickly filled with people and became quite lively.

The brazier was moved to the center of the room, and everyone sat around it. One person brought a bowl, another brought a plate; if there weren't enough chopsticks, they used their hands; if there weren't enough bowls, they took turns using them.

Song was surrounded in the very center, his bowl overflowing with cured meat, cakes, and several other things he couldn't name.

"That's enough, ma'am."

"Adults, eat more meat!"

Holding that "mountain," Song was both amused and exasperated: "Fellow villagers, are you trying to feed me like a pig?"

"So what if you're fed like a pig? You're just too skinny, sir! Look at your arms, they're thinner than my hoe handle!"

"Eh—"