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

"You still dare to cause trouble at this critical juncture?"

Liu Ji rubbed his hands, a rare hint of guilt in his expression: "I didn't expect that either. We can't wait until Cao's belly is big before we speak up, can we? It would sound terrible if word got out."

"Does it sound good right now?"

"Compared to that...it sounds slightly better." Liu Ji's voice trailed off.

Xiao He rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

Liu Ji hurriedly chased after him, crying out, "Hey—Xiao He! My dear brother! Can you really bear to watch me be beaten to death by Lord Song?"

"...Now you're scared? Why didn't you think about the consequences when you did this?"

"Well, I didn't expect to hit it on the first try!"

Xiao He looked at him for a while, then his tone softened slightly: "Are you sure that child is yours?"

"Confirmed." Liu Ji raised his head, unusually without his usual joking expression. "Cao Shi told me herself, and the dates match up." He then lowered his head again, as if using the direction of the seam in the bluestone slab to avoid Xiao He's gaze. "I know this is dishonest, and I will take responsibility for it."

"It's just...I wonder if Lord Song will..."

For some reason, Liu Ji felt that Song Ye was not as peaceful and friendly as he appeared.

The more amicable the other person was, the more uncertain he felt.

"You, what can I say to you? You haven't even asked Cao for her hand in marriage, and now you're already... sigh!" Xiao He sighed helplessly at the end.

What's done is done, and there's no point in saying anything more now.

...

Half an hour later, inside the county government compound.

Song was engrossed in processing official documents when Lü Zhi, sitting behind a table to the side with a scroll in her hands, looked up and asked, "Where does this passage... 'When the granaries are full, people know etiquette' come from?"

Song didn't even look up, and casually replied, "Pipes."

After saying that, he added, "If you want to read more about this, there are annotations in the scroll on the left side of the bookshelf, which are easier to understand than this."

Reading more books is always a good thing.

Reading is like robbery, and the only legal form of robbery.

The most accessible and most profitable way to change your destiny in the world.

Lü Zhi responded and got up to search.

Sunlight streamed in through the windowpane and fell on her fingers as she turned the pages of the book.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, not loud, three knocks.

Song also raised his eyes: "Come in."

Xiao He pushed open the door and came in, his expression inexplicably uneasy, with someone following behind him.

The man hid behind Xiao He, head down, trying to minimize his presence, but Song Ye recognized him at a glance by his figure and the way he hunched his neck.

"Liu Ji." Song didn't get up either. "Why are you hiding? Come in."

Liu Ji peeked half his head out from behind Xiao He, gave a dry laugh, and had no choice but to move his whole body through the door.

The moment he entered, his peripheral vision caught sight of Lü Zhi behind the side table, and he instinctively paused for a moment.

He had never met Song Ye's wife.

I heard she was a well-educated and reasonable girl, but hearing about her is one thing, seeing her in person is another.

Liu Ji blurted out instinctively, "The magistrate's wife is really beautiful—"

Before he could finish speaking, Song stepped forward and stood between him and Lü Zhi.

With just a glance, Liu Ji swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"My lord, I... have something I'd like to tell you."

"explain."

Liu Ji stood there, rubbing his hands together, and then glanced at Xiao He, as if trying to get some motivation from him to speak.

Xiao He turned his head away expressionlessly.

So embarrassing.

"Cao... that widowed Cao from Fengxiang..." He paused, "...she was pregnant with my child."

"..."

The room was quiet for a moment.

Liu Ji added, "I used to go to her place for drinks often. At first, it was just for drinking, but later..." He didn't finish his sentence, but there was no need to.

Song Ye's face remained expressionless, and his tone was much calmer than expected: "What is Cao Shi's own opinion? Is she willing to marry you?"

Liu Ji was taken aback, as if he hadn't expected the first question to be this: "She...she's willing too."

"Then let's do it."

Song also said, "As long as the Cao family is willing, you can register with the government. Has a date been set?"

"It's better to settle things as soon as possible; it'll be good for the Cao family's reputation."

Liu Ji stood there stunned for a long time before he reacted: "Sir, you're not going to scold me?"

"What did I say to you?"

Song sat back down. "What you did was indeed ill-considered, but since she's willing to marry you and you're willing to take her as your wife, it's not my problem."

After all, each monkey has its own way of being chained.

Cao Shi actually had feelings for Liu Ji, and in the established history, she was willing to bear the infamy just to give birth to Liu Fei...

It can only be said that one party is willing to give and the other is willing to receive.

In this life, I actually wished to fulfill the wishes of the Cao family.

Liu Ji was overjoyed and quickly replied, "It's settled! I'll go back and find someone to choose an auspicious date!" As he turned to leave, his steps were even lighter than when he arrived. At the door, he turned back, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

The words were still echoing inside the room when the person had already disappeared outside the door.

Xiao He didn't linger and left.

The room fell silent again.

Lü Zhi put down the book in her hand, turned around, and looked at Song Ye, her tone tinged with confusion: "My lord, why do you associate with such a rogue? How good can his character be, given the trouble he caused today?"

Have you ever heard this saying?

"What did you say?"

"Many righteous people are from humble backgrounds."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lü Zhi pondered those words carefully.

The second half of the saying "The most righteous are often the lowest of the low" is: "The most unfaithful are often the most learned."

Although Liu Ji, Fan Kuai, and Xiahou Ying were all from humble backgrounds, they had never been well-versed in classical literature and did not understand formalities; they were simply roughnecks in the martial world.

But it cannot be denied that these seemingly crude, unruly, and undisciplined people are the most sincere and righteous when faced with life-or-death situations and dangers.

It is the most precious and the most resilient to wind and rain.

In contrast, some scholars who are well-read and come from aristocratic families have studied the classics of sages since childhood and are well-versed in propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. They seem to be gentle and refined and have the world in their hearts, but too many of them are swayed by fame and fortune and blinded by the desire for power.

They are adept at scheming and are skilled at weighing pros and cons and avoiding harm. For the sake of their career advancement, wealth, and honor, they can betray their original intentions and break their promises.

They even betrayed their companions and chose to live a life of ignominy.

.......

The next day.

Today is the day Lü Zhi returns to her parents' home.

During the Qin Dynasty, on the day a woman returned to her parents' home, her family would send someone to deliver food to her husband's home to visit the new bride; this was called "giving food".

Afterwards, the groom and his new bride visited the bride's family.

Song glanced at the contents of the basket. "Let's go."

The Lü residence was not far from the county government; it was about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to walk there.

Lu Gong stood at the door, unable to suppress his smile, and stepped forward to greet him: "You're here! Come in quickly!"