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

Xiao He led Song Ye all the way to the county court.

Passing through the city gate, the road beneath your feet is a narrow dirt road with scattered vegetable and cloth stalls along the way. There are few pedestrians, making it seem rather deserted.

When the people on the road saw Xiao He, they all stepped aside and bowed their heads, but their eyes secretly fell on Song Ye.

It's likely that news of the new magistrate's arrival has already spread throughout the city.

"My lord, the county court is just ahead." Xiao He explained as they walked. "The main hall in the center is used for judging cases and handling affairs. Behind it is the inner courtyard where the officials live. The side rooms on both sides are the offices of the various officials."

Song nodded in response, glancing around.

The county government office was not large in scale, and it was all made of blue bricks and gray tiles.

Two stone lions stand in front of the gate; one has a missing ear, and the other has a cracked base.

Stepping through the gate, one is greeted by a neat courtyard, with patches of moss growing between the cracks in the stone slabs. The doors and windows of the two side rooms on the left and right are half-open, and one can vaguely see the figures of officials writing at their desks inside.

Xiao He pointed to the left: "This is the residence of the chief clerk and the chief clerk. They usually manage household registration and evaluate documents here."

Then he turned to the right, "That's the prison office over there, headed by Cao Can."

Song also looked over, paused, and inexplicably felt that the name sounded familiar.

Xiao He, Cao Can...

Is it a coincidence?

"Behind this courtyard are the prison and the government granary." Xiao He paused briefly, then tentatively asked, "Would you like to take a look around, sir?"

"Not for now." Song waved his hand, stood in the middle of the courtyard, and looked around. Several roof tiles were missing, and there were piles of miscellaneous items in the corners of the walls. A rope ran across the east and west sides, with a few old clothes drying on it.

The county government office was neither magnificent nor brand new, but it was well-managed.

"It looks alright, not exactly dilapidated," Song Ye commented casually.

Xiao He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

"His surname is Song."

"Magistrate Song," Xiao He addressed him politely, without asking for his name further.

......

Xiao He accompanied Song Ye on a brief tour of the county government. Just as Xiao He felt a weight lifted from his shoulders, Song Ye suddenly spoke.

"Bring out the case files from the past three months; I want to see them."

Xiao He was taken aback. "Now?"

"Now."

Xiao He originally wanted to say that since he had just arrived at his post today and was tired from the journey, he might as well rest and recuperate first.

But when she looked up at the young man's calm and composed expression, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"Your subordinate obeys."

Cao Shen quickly stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

"Lord Song wishes to review the case files from the past three months."

"Watch it now?" Cao Can looked surprised.

Xiao He nodded helplessly: "That's right."

The two men exchanged a glance, both harboring the same thought: this newly arrived county magistrate might not be the same kind of person as the mediocre and corrupt officials of the past.

Before long, piles of bamboo slips and case files were neatly stacked on the court table, layer upon layer, filling the room completely.

Song calmly sat down, but was still taken aback when he saw that it was a bamboo slip, guessing that he might have traveled to a very backward but relatively advanced dynasty.

Xiao He stood to the side with his hands hanging down, appearing calm and composed, but his palms were already damp with sweat.

He personally organized and filed all these case files, believing there were no major flaws. However, as the saying goes, a new official always finds fault and wants to nitpick. Even the most solid case files can be found to have flaws.

He was secretly apprehensive, unsure of the new magistrate's true abilities.

What I fear most is that the other party is ignorant of the law and politics, yet insists on pretending to be an expert and giving random advice. In the end, I am caught in a dilemma: should I defend myself or give in?

Song read very slowly, studying each line and sentence carefully, his fingertips moving slowly along the characters on the bamboo slips, meticulous and without the slightest perfunctoriness.

Xiao He noticed this subtle action and was slightly startled.

This is by no means a lack of familiarity with classical Chinese; it is the demeanor of someone who has truly handled practical matters and reviewed case files.

After a moment, Song suddenly paused, pointed to a record in the case file, and asked, "Why is there no record of this case?"

Xiao He's heart suddenly tightened.

The "Yuan Shu" is an essential on-site investigation record for Qin cases. The law clearly stipulates that all criminal cases must be attached to the file for archiving.

This is a neighborhood fight case from six months ago. The perpetrator fled after the incident and has not been apprehended to this day. The case file only contains the statements of the plaintiff and witnesses, but lacks the most crucial on-site investigation record.

"At the time, the clerk personally went to the site to investigate, but due to some reason, he was unable to make up the record and file it afterward..." Xiao He's words were somewhat hesitant and difficult to refute.

"Have the person in charge of the case on that day complete it immediately." Song gently set the case file aside, his tone calm but his attitude firm. "Regardless of whether the case can be solved or the criminals can be apprehended, the case-handling procedures cannot be incomplete."

"Yes, I will take charge immediately."

Xiao He quietly raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his palm, knowing that this Lord Song was truly knowledgeable in government affairs, and was by no means one of those amateur officials who only knew how to memorize laws and regulations and pretended to be knowledgeable.

I originally thought that the new official would just put on a show and establish his authority.

Song wasn't just making a show of being a new official; he was genuinely investigating the situation, getting to know the local customs and conditions in Pei County, the official procedures of the county government, and the behavior of his subordinates.

After reviewing the entire case file, Song slowly stood up.

"Come with me for a walk."

"Where does Lord Song intend to go?" Xiao He quickly followed.

"Take a stroll around the streets."

Xiao He was taken aback again.

In the past, when a county magistrate took office, he would sit in the courtroom for the first few days, waiting for his subordinates to pay their respects and for the local gentry to visit him, displaying all the proper official etiquette.

This guy, before he'd even warm his seat in court, was already out on a clandestine patrol.

Although he was full of surprise, he dared not ask any questions and silently followed behind Song Ye as they walked out of the county government.

Peicheng is not a large city. Starting from the county government, it takes only about an hour to walk back and forth along the main street.

Song also observed along the way and found that although there were quite a few pedestrians on the street, they all looked listless and lacked energy. Most of the people passing by had their heads down and hurried away, and would quickly give way when they saw someone in the distance, with a deep-seated fear and restraint hidden in their eyes.

The cloth shops, pottery shops, and general stores along the street were all deserted, with shopkeepers sitting listlessly on their doorsteps, or staring blankly or dozing off, completely devoid of the lively atmosphere of the marketplace.

At the base of the wall, a child squatted barefoot, his toes covered in black mud, and was drawing circles on the ground with a twig.

Upon seeing Song Ye and his group approach, the child merely glanced at them indifferently before lowering his head to continue fiddling with his toys, appearing numb and unlike a typical child.

Song paused slightly, then stopped in front of a pancake stall.

The stall owner was a woman in her forties with a weathered and wrinkled face. When she saw Xiao He bowing and following her, she immediately recognized that Song was also a high-ranking official. She hurriedly got up, wiping her hands on her apron, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Auntie, how much are these pancakes?" Song asked in a calm tone.