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

Pei County.

The county government has been in chaos these past few days, and Song has been extremely busy every day.

After the celestial phenomenon, countless people in the countryside were filled with fear and anxiety. Many knelt by the roadside all day and refused to get up. The task of maintaining stability in various villages and towns piled up like mountains.

Xiao He spent his days traveling to the countryside to appease the people, Cao Can led his constables to patrol the streets day and night to maintain order, and even Xiahou Ying, who was in charge of carriages and horses, was temporarily transferred to guard the city gates.

The papermaking technique, which was originally scheduled to be implemented, had to be postponed again and again.

And so, Song would get up before dawn every day to handle affairs, and often stayed up until midnight reviewing official documents.

Just when I finally got a brief respite, another troublesome matter weighed on my mind.

The matter of Lü Gong proposing marriage could not be delayed any longer.

Simply telling her to consider it will only fuel Lu Gong's hopes, and the longer it drags on, the harder it will be to resolve. Today, we must personally visit her and make things clear.

Song also made a point of setting aside half a day, prepared a small gift, and went to the Lü residence alone.

Lu Gong was waiting at the gate to greet her. As soon as he saw her arrive with gifts, his face lit up with a smile that was as radiant as a garden full of flowers in spring.

Preconceived notions led him to believe that Lord Song had finally agreed to the marriage, so he quickly stepped forward to lead the way: "Lord Song, there's no need for such formality. Please come inside and take a seat!"

Song forced a smile and had no choice but to follow him into the courtyard.

Lu Gong led her to the hall and sat her down. He immediately ordered the servants to serve her fresh tea, and was extremely attentive to her, treating her like his own prospective son-in-law.

"..."

Lu Gong glanced at the gift box on the table, his smile widening: "Judging from your arrival, sir, it seems you've come to grant my wish?"

Song did not respond. She picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and gently placed it back on the table, avoiding eye contact with him.

Lu Gong assumed the young man was just shy and hesitant to answer, and his confidence and joy grew even stronger. He turned and called out loudly towards the inner hall, "Zhi'er, come out and greet Lord Song."

A moment later, Lü Zhi slowly walked out from behind the screen.

The girl wore a light green dress, her hair was neatly styled, and two small jade pendants dangled from her ears, which accentuated her gentle features.

"Lord Song."

Lu Gong looked at the two men with satisfaction for a moment, then quietly retreated to the outside of the hall, dismissing all the servants and leaving the two alone in the room.

"..."

Only Song Ye and Lü Zhi remained in the hall. A gentle breeze drifted in through the window, and the tea on the table emitted wisps of white steam.

Empress Lü kept her head down, her mind in turmoil.

Father had been eagerly anticipating this for days, and today Lord Song personally brought gifts to the door. He couldn't help but feel a little happy, though it was a thin layer of emotion he dared not delve into, yet he couldn't suppress his excitement.

"Miss Lü, I have come here today with something on my mind that I must make clear to you."

Lü Zhi's eyes flickered slightly, and a bad premonition arose in her heart.

Song met her gaze directly, no longer beating around the bush: "I'm really sorry, but I can't marry you."

"boom--"

Lü Zhi's throat tightened, and she murmured, "Why...?"

Her voice was light and airy, yet it seemed as if she had exhausted all her strength.

Tears rolled down unexpectedly, each drop landing on her light green dress, spreading out as dark water stains.

Song had never dealt with such a situation before.

Having worked at the grassroots level in her previous life, she had seen many people cry. She could calmly soothe the grievances of ordinary people and the pressure on her colleagues.

"Don't cry. It's not your fault. I didn't mean to reject you. It's just that I... can't agree to this marriage."

The more anxious one is, the more incoherent one becomes.

Lü Zhi lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, and asked again in a muffled voice, "Then why?"

A thousand words were stuck in my throat, and I couldn't utter a single one.

A deathly silence hung in the center of the hall, like a thick, high wall, impossible to avoid or overcome.

Lu Zhi waited in vain for an explanation before slowly suppressing her surging tears and looking directly at Song Ye: "My lord, if I cannot marry you, my father will surely betroth me to Liu Tingzhang, Liu Ji. He is more than ten years older than me, and I really do not want to marry him."

She paused slightly, her voice carrying a desperate plea: "I just want to find a safe path for myself while I still have a choice. I don't want to end up in that situation."

As she finished speaking, a resolute glint flashed in her eyes, which quickly welled up with tears. Her voice was soft and almost humble: "Lord Song, if you have any unspeakable difficulties, I will never force you. I am willing to share all the hardships with you, no matter what they are, I am not afraid."

"I only ask that you... don't push me to marry someone I don't want to marry."

Looking into the girl's tear-filled eyes, Song felt a mix of emotions at the thought of such a good girl marrying that old Liu Ji and suffering.

Empress Lü Zhi took a step back, humbling herself and yielding: "I only ask that Lord Song grant me a title, so that I can avoid Liu Ji, and that will be enough."

It's a good thing Liu Ji wasn't here, otherwise he would have shouted: "What a scheming woman! How can she be so good at flattering the powerful and belittling the weak?!"

Looking at Lü Zhi's tear-streaked face, Song also saw the clarity and shrewdness in her tearful eyes that far surpassed those of her peers. The girl before him knew what she craved, and she understood how to humble herself and fight for a way to protect herself step by step.

"What if I can't give this girl happiness in my entire life?"

"So what?"

"Things between men and women."

"So what?"

After she finished speaking, Lü Zhi understood.

A look of understanding flashed quickly across the depths of those eyes, which were still glistening with tears.

She didn't ask any questions. Her gaze first fell on Song Ye's flushed cheeks, then slowly moved down, quickly and naturally sweeping over Song Ye's lower body, before casually looking back without revealing a trace.

Song Ye: "...?"

Is there some misunderstanding?!

Lü Zhi's eyes were still red, with traces of crying, but her tension and fear had completely dissipated.

Like a person walking alone through a long night, finally able to see through all the fog ahead by a sliver of moonlight and find the only way out.

"My lord, I have said that no matter what difficulties you may have, I will stand by your side."

"That statement will always stand."

Song stared at her blankly, unable to utter a single word.

This girl is a hundred times more capable than I imagined.

...

Song Ye had just stepped out of the gate of the Lü residence.

The tears on Lü Zhi's face instantly disappeared, and her previous tearful, weak, and helpless appearance vanished. Her expression was calm and indifferent, as if the pleading and tears had never happened.

Lu Gong hurriedly poked his head in from outside the door, his face beaming with barely suppressed smugness: "Lord Song is gone?"

"Yes, I'm leaving." Lü Zhi's voice was calm and even, without the slightest inflection.

Lu Gong rubbed his hands together and strode into the hall, his eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of his successful scheme: "Brilliant! I was initially afraid of Lord Song and reluctant to agree to the marriage, but I never expected that your proactive efforts would actually succeed!"

He became more and more satisfied as he thought about it, and exclaimed, "I was worried that I wouldn't be able to handle this young magistrate, but I didn't expect you to be even more capable than I thought."

"She is a good person."

"What did you say?" Lu Gong didn't hear him clearly.

"Father, have someone prepare."

Lu Gong was overjoyed and readily agreed, then turned around and rushed out to arrange the wedding.

Only Empress Lü remained in the hall.

The girl was well aware of her choice, the special nature of this marriage, and the completely different, unpredictable path she was about to embark on.

Fate forced her to bow her head and kneel, so she nourished the land beneath her feet with her tears.

Tears seeped into the soil, watering her long-dormant seed.

I, Lü Zhi, was born to break free from constraints and grow into a towering tree that shelters from the wind and rain.

We will never surrender or bow down.