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

Caught off guard, the woman had never encountered an official asking her price before. She hesitated for a long time before timidly replying, "Two for one qian."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xiao He, with remarkable foresight, took out his money.

Song continued walking forward while slowly chewing on his bread.

Xiao He quickly caught up and whispered, "This is Wang Ao. Her husband was conscripted for labor three years ago and has not returned since. She raises her two children alone and barely makes ends meet by selling pancakes."

Upon hearing this, Song swallowed the bread in his mouth and finally realized which dynasty he had transmigrated to.

Qin Dynasty... Pei County.

No wonder the names Xiao He and Cao Shen sounded familiar; weren't they founding fathers of the Han Dynasty?

If that's the case, then Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was also there?

After wandering around for a while, Song turned around and returned to the county government.

Xiao He followed closely behind, but could never figure out what the young magistrate was thinking.

Returning to the county government gate, Song paused and looked back at the entire street, only two words remaining in his heart—truly poor.

Extremely poor.

It was even more barren and dilapidated than expected. The people on the street had a gray, lifeless look in their eyes, like a stagnant pool. This was not just poverty from not having enough to eat, but also numbness and despair from seeing no hope day after day.

Having spent his previous life working in poverty alleviation in mountainous areas, Song had seen countless such looks, and each time he saw one, his heart felt heavy.

As night fell, the county town gradually fell silent, with only the chirping of insects rising and falling all around.

Song sat at his desk in the inner quarters, with a complete map of Pei County spread out in front of him. The map clearly marked the boundaries of the county town, townships, pavilions, and villages, and the sides were densely annotated with details such as the number of households, people, and acreage of land.

She stared at the map quietly for a long time, gradually sorting out a clear picture.

The first thing is to rectify official corruption. Today, after reviewing case files and inspecting the county government, I have discovered many problems.

The case files were poorly filed, the case-handling procedures were incomplete, the accounts were unclear, and the county government was rife with problems such as receiving salaries without working and perfunctory performance of duties, making its foundation extremely weak.

Secondly, we must appease the people and save their lives. The people of Peixian need a way to survive and hope.

Song slowly rolled up the map, blew out the lamp on the table, lay down on the couch, and stared at the dark beams, his thoughts churning.

In a daze, it felt like I had returned to the days when I first entered the impoverished mountain area in my previous life. There were so many things to do, and I didn't know where to start.

But we've always managed to get through the toughest challenges step by step.

This lifetime is also possible.

She closed her eyes and silently encouraged herself.

Song Ye, you can do it.

......

The next day at Mao Shi (5:00 AM).

Before dawn, Song was woken up.

The one who came to report was Old Zhao, an old servant of the mansion, who was over fifty years old, with a slightly hunched back, and walked silently.

"My lord, it's time to get up."

Song opened his eyes, stared blankly at the unfamiliar roof beams above him for a moment before coming back to his senses.

"Come in."

Old Zhao pushed open the door and entered, placing hot water on a wooden shelf, and then handed over a bowl of millet porridge and a piece of coarse bread.

Song glanced at it; the porridge was so thin you could see your reflection in it, and the pancakes were even drier and harder than the ones he bought on the street yesterday.

...

At 3:45 AM, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

When Song Ye entered the courtroom, Xiao He was already at his post, arranging bamboo slips with his head down.

Upon seeing her enter, Xiao He quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "My lord."

Song raised his hand to indicate that formalities were unnecessary, walked to the head seat, picked up the duty roster beside him, and asked, "Are all the subordinates on duty today present?"

Xiao He took out a bamboo plaque engraved with people's names and pointed them out one by one: "Cao Can is in charge of counting the people in the prison, Xiahou Ying is on duty at the stable, Ren Ao is patrolling the prison, and the rest are also performing their duties."

"Where are the constables outside?"

"They are all waiting in the courtyard."

Song also got up and walked into the courtyard. A dozen or so constables lined up on both sides. Some were full of energy, while others were still sleepy and couldn't help but yawn.

She glanced indifferently at everyone, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the prison in the backyard. Xiao He quickly followed.

The prison was located at the deepest part of the county seat, consisting of a row of low earthen houses with small windows and rusty iron doors.

Upon seeing the county magistrate arrive, the jailer on duty immediately straightened up and became quite reserved.

Upon entering the prison, the light was dim, and a musty smell mixed with foul odors assaulted the senses.

Song remained calm as he inspected each cell. There were only seven or eight prisoners in total, all of them disheveled and huddled in the corners.

Some people, upon seeing the official, immediately knelt down and cried out for justice, while others remained numb, head bowed, motionless.

Song stopped and pointed to one of the prisoners, asking, "How long has this person been detained?"

The jailer bowed and replied, "Sir, it has been three months. The crime is stealing oxen."

"Has a trial been held and a verdict reached?"

"After several interrogations, the prisoner refused to confess, so he has been detained ever since."

Song also turned to look at Xiao He.

Xiao He looked rather grim and explained, "There is currently insufficient evidence in this case, making it difficult to reach a decision."

Song didn't ask any more questions and continued to look ahead.

After inspecting the prison, the group went to the official granary.

The warehouse manager was already waiting at the door, clutching the key tightly, his hands trembling slightly.

Song also ordered his men to open the warehouse door and inspect it. The warehouse was nearly empty, with only a third of the grain stored inside, and many grain bags were noticeably shriveled.

...

Before they knew it, it was Chen Shi (7-9 AM), and they were in the courtroom.

Song also sat down, with a stack of backlogged case files in front of him. "Bring the case that has been shelved the longest."

Xiao He took out a scroll and presented it to Song. Song unfolded it and examined it closely. It was a land dispute case between neighbors that occurred half a year ago.

The plaintiff, Zhao Daniu, and the defendant, Qian Ertian, have adjacent land, separated by a field ridge.

Zhao Daniu accused Qian Er of illegally moving the field ridges and encroaching on three feet of his own land.

Qian Er argued that the position of the field ridge had always been like this, and accused the other party of deliberately extorting money.

Both sides have their own version of events, with no bystanders to witness the story and no complete land deed.

The former magistrate held court twice to question the two men, but each time he could only give them a few lashes and send them on their way, and the dispute was never resolved.

Song closed the case file and said, "Summon the plaintiff, the defendant, and relevant personnel. The court will convene in half an hour to adjudicate the case."

Xiao He was slightly surprised: "Interrogate now?"

"Process immediately."

Half an hour later, the court convened to hear the case. Zhao Daniu and Qian Er each gave their own version of events, and neither could produce a land deed as evidence.

Song then took them to the fields to check the soil and crop growth, and invited local farmers to identify the old boundaries, quickly clarifying the situation.

The court ruled in public that the field ridge should be restored to its original position, ordered Zhao Daniu, who had overstepped his bounds, to pay the other party two years' worth of grain rent, and warned the two not to cause any further disputes.

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the group returned to the county government.

Once the judgment was drafted, both parties signed their names in turn, and the case, which had been pending for half a year, was finally resolved.

After Song checked the accounts submitted by each department that morning, and found that every item was clear and without any errors, he signed and filed them.

She then summoned Xiao He and ordered: "Issue the order that all officials in the county, as well as the village officials and the heads of the pavilions, must immediately assemble at the county court."

"Does everyone have to come?"

"That's right. Those who need to take leave should report in advance, and everyone else must be present." After saying that, Song rubbed his temples.

My heels ached all day.