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

The study was filled with the aroma of tea.

Lu Shaoqing and Chu Qian stood by like two gatekeepers, watching Song Ye and Li Si exchange pleasantries.

The conversation started with the weather, then moved on to new policies, then to the harvest, then to the war in northern Xinjiang, and finally back to the recent wind direction between North Korea and China.

After exchanging pleasantries for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Song put down his teacup and changed the subject: "Your Excellency, I've come today to demand the release of a prisoner."

Li Si looked completely bewildered: "You want people?"

"That's right," Song said with a smile. "The Minister of Justice has many retainers and advisors, at least several dozen, right?"

"Since these people are idle anyway, why don't they all join in grassroots work?"

"???"

"Instead of keeping them idle at home, it would be better to send them to the countryside to gain experience."

"This is half of Lord Song's official business."

"No, that's not it." Song paused, then added matter-of-factly:

"For the sake of the Great Qin, after the great victory on the northern frontier, the border regions need capable officials even more. Personally, isn't this my way of allowing talented individuals to fully utilize their abilities?"

Li Si: "..."

It sounds so ridiculous to him.

"These people under Li Tingwei have been learning from you for so many years, I believe they are capable."

Li Si's lips twitched after hearing this.

He could tell, of course, that the girl was trying to be polite first, then resort to force.

First, they praise the abilities of your subordinates, then they say that there is a shortage of people at the grassroots level and that the Qin Dynasty needs them, and finally they put the label of "serving the people" on you.

If you don't agree, then you're disregarding people's livelihood.

This isn't about asking for people; it's about taking meat out of Li Si's mouth.

The worst part is that every word the other person says is flawless.

The public interest is the Qin Dynasty, and the private interest is the people. You can't say "I can't bear to part with people" in front of your subordinates, can you?

Li Si remained silent for a moment, then picked up his teacup and took a sip, using the opportunity to calm himself down.

"Young Master Song..." He put down his teacup, his tone complex, "You've come here today just to poach my woman?"

Song smiled even more gently: "How can this be called poaching? I'm just helping the adults out!"

"Think about it, these people have been learning from you for so many years, they can't just be your retainers forever, can they?"

Li Si: "..."

The retainers in his mansion were all people he had spent many years carefully selecting and cultivating...

Letting go so easily, what's the difference between that and cutting off a piece of your own flesh?

"To be honest, I could have spoken to His Majesty about this directly."

"But I thought that the Minister of Justice and I were officials in the same court, and our friendship was there for us."

Song paused, then his tone became more persuasive: "If those retainers truly achieve political success, then the whole world and His Majesty will know that capable ministers emerge from the Court of Justice."

"Furthermore, consider this: what His Majesty values ​​most now are capable people. If the Minister of Justice voluntarily releases someone and sends them to work at the grassroots level, wouldn't His Majesty see his sincerity?"

Upon hearing this, Li Si's expression changed slightly.

He might be unmoved by what others say.

But His Majesty the First Emperor... he really couldn't refuse.

He himself was trying to atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service. If his subordinates truly made a name for themselves at the grassroots level, His Majesty would only think that Li Si was good at recognizing and appointing people and was selfless.

This is more effective than him arguing in the imperial court for ten years.

Seeing that he had a reaction, Song immediately pressed his advantage: "If the Minister of Justice is willing, I am willing to put in a good word for him before His Majesty."

After saying that, she added, "It's not just flattery, it's the truth, isn't it?"

"Okay! It's settled then!"

Li Si, with a serious expression, perhaps realizing he had agreed too quickly, and then, in a rather obnoxious manner, said, "I have no other reason than that, as the Minister of Justice of Qin, it is my duty to share the burdens of Your Majesty and the people!"

Seeing this, Song didn't expose him and went along with it, saying, "Then I'll trouble Li Tingwei to remember this at court tomorrow..."

Chu Qian, who witnessed the whole thing: "???"

"..."

etc???

Did he just miss some crucial detail?!

.......

The next day.

Li Si took the initiative to recommend talented people from his ranks, which the First Emperor greatly appreciated. After praising and rewarding them, he finalized the arrangements: once the war in the northern frontier ended, these people would serve as reserve officials at the grassroots level.

Then Song also stepped forward and proposed sending the princes and nobles to Baiyue for training.

She also plans to personally travel south to Baiyue to search for wheat varieties that can be harvested three times a year and to conduct on-site investigations into the local conditions in southern Xinjiang.

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor felt a pang of reluctance.

Of course, don't get me wrong.

This reluctance was directed at Song Qing.

"The land of Baiyue is hot and humid, rife with miasma, and teeming with poisonous insects and bandits; the journey of a thousand miles is fraught with peril..."

Song assumed he was worried about his children and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the princes and princesses have lived in the deep palace of Xianyang for a long time and are unaware of the hardships of the common people. Going to Baiyue will not only appease the local tribes, but also temper their character and give them a firsthand understanding of the difficulties of governing a region."

After saying this, the man frowned and said, "I am referring to Minister Song. The journey to Baiyue is treacherous; if something were to happen to you on the road..."

Song hesitated for a moment, then said, "But Your Majesty, it is difficult to see the truth based solely on reports submitted by local authorities. Furthermore, if I can find high-yield grain varieties and promote them in Guanzhong and the Central Plains, the famine in the country will be greatly reduced. It is worth the risk."

After a long silence, His Majesty the First Emperor finally relented: "Very well, all the princes and princesses will accompany you south."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I will allocate another five hundred elite guards to accompany you."

"OK."

"Song Qing should also bring Xia Wuqie along."

"OK."

"I hereby order the Imperial Medical Academy to prepare more medicinal herbs for dispelling miasma and detoxifying..."

"......OK."

The entire court: ...Why do I feel like I'm seeing a worried male mother for no reason?

Finally, the First Emperor instructed her: "Go early and return early."

Song bowed solemnly: "Your subject obeys the decree."

...

Night falls at Zhangtai Palace.

When the princes and princesses learned that they would be going to Baiyue with Song Ye for training, it was as if the sky had fallen.

Who doesn't know what Baiyue is?

The area was humid and hot, rife with poisonous insects, wild and untamed, and inhabited by various tribes. Compared to the luxurious and peaceful imperial palace of Xianyang, it was a world apart.

Thinking of this, a large group of princes and princesses, with mournful faces, headed straight for Zhangtai Palace to wail and cry to their father.

"Father! Baiyue?! What kind of place is that?! It's full of miasma and poisonous insects, and I've heard that you can't even understand what they're saying..."

"Father! Your son will not go to Baiyue!"

"The miasma in the southern borderlands is too severe; I fear I will not be able to adapt to the local climate and water!"

"The mountains and forests are remote and rife with bandits; they are far too dangerous. I beg Father to rescind his decree!"

"Your subject is willing to stay in Xianyang to repair roads and manage affairs, and will never dare to slack off. I only beg not to go to the southern frontier!"

The princesses had red eyes, and the princes had bitter faces. They all tried to refuse and beg for mercy, each of them extremely unwilling to go to the wilderness for training.

The hall was filled with cries and pleas for help.

Yet Ying Zheng, sitting on the dragon throne in his high position, remained silent throughout the entire ordeal.

"Father?" Jiang Lu called out tentatively when he saw that Jiang Lu hadn't responded for a while.

Ying Zheng then came to his senses.

He raised his head, looking at his children who were wailing and crying throughout the hall, and frowned slightly: "Have you made enough of a scene?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the children fell silent.

"I sent you to Baiyue to gain experience, not to exile you." His tone was calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever. "Look at Han Xin and Xiang Yu; they were only fourteen or fifteen years old when they had to don armor and fight for their country."

"What have you done at the same age?"

"You princes and princesses enjoy all the riches and honors, yet what have you done for the Qin Dynasty?"

There was no harsh rebuke, just this simple question, yet it was more unbearable and hurtful than any harsh criticism or interrogation.

The princes and princesses were utterly humiliated by the questioning and fell silent, heads bowed.

In the deathly silence, a young princess timidly raised her head, her eyes still streaked with tears, and weakly retorted with an understanding ingrained in her from childhood:

"But...but we were born as Father's children, and we should be more noble than anyone else in the world. Why should we suffer even more?"