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

The 28th year of King Zheng of Qin's reign was destined to be a year of turmoil and numerous events.

The emergence of new techniques, the undercurrents of assassination, court infighting, and power struggles—countless events intertwine and swirl, stirring up the entire political landscape of the Qin Dynasty.

This year also marked Song's fourth year of serving and governing in De'an County.

As soon as the words were spoken, the scene suddenly shifted and changed.

A pair of delicate hands reached into the thick wood pulp, gently scooping up the fine paper pulp. The bamboo curtain was lifted lightly to drain the excess water, and one by one, flat and thin sheets of paper slowly took shape and were carefully peeled off.

Under the bright sunlight, pages filled with neat handwriting are quietly drying, and a gentle breeze makes the scrolls sway softly.

Finally, the image freezes on a slightly yellowed old paper roll.

The edges of the pages are slightly curled, and the ink stains accumulated over the years have faded to a light brownish-yellow, but the handwriting throughout is neat and clear, without the slightest damage.

After the first batch of coarse paper was successfully produced, Song immediately approved its full-scale use. All county government documents, household registers, agricultural records, and government decrees were replaced with the new paper, achieving a simultaneous upgrade.

[It was also in this year that De'an County took the lead in completing the reform of official documents, completely bidding farewell to the heavy bamboo slips that had been used for thousands of years, and entering a new stage of governance based on paper.]

The new policies and new atmosphere quickly shook the surrounding counties and prefectures.

Officials from all over the country flocked to De'an to observe, emulate, and learn from its experience.

Upon learning of this remarkable reform, Li You, the prefect of the region, immediately compiled a detailed report on De'an's new papermaking policies and Song Ye's achievements in governance, and urgently submitted it to Xianyang.

Before long, the imperial edict of promotion from the central government reached De'an County.

Wait, Li You?

That sounds familiar...

While on the road, Meng Yi suddenly pulled on the reins, and the galloping horse neighed loudly, rearing up on its front hooves and coming to a stop on the official road.

Upon seeing this, the elite guards accompanying them all reined in their horses and stopped, falling silent.

Li You...

Meng Yi's eyes flickered slightly, his thoughts racing, instantly connecting with his memories.

If I remember correctly, the governor who was transferred from Xianyang to Sishui County two years ago was named Li You, right...?

Could it really be a coincidence? Once or twice.

Thinking of this, a deep, dark light flashed in Meng Yi's eyes. Without further hesitation, he immediately ordered his men, "Move at full speed and head to Pei County immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked the reins, and the horse galloped off, raising a cloud of dust.

Meanwhile, in the Sishui Prefecture.

Li You had long since stopped listening to any of Tianmu's subsequent words.

Each keyword, like pebbles falling into his ears, settled deep into his heart, unlocking his long-buried memories.

Earlier, the county magistrate surnamed Song in Pei County submitted a document requesting improvements to the writing material to replace the cumbersome bamboo slips.

At the time, he had only glanced at the case file and thought it was just a routine local reform attempt. He casually wrote "can be tried" and had someone send the document back to Pei County. Afterwards, he put it back in the archives and didn't pay much attention to it.

Every year, various minor reforms were reported in Sishui County. Some people improved agricultural tools, some regulated the tax system, and some optimized writing instruments. It was already the norm, and he never felt that there was anything special about it.

But now, a series of hidden threads have instantly connected two seemingly unrelated details.

At one end of the line is Song Ye, who is surveying the sky.

On the other end was Magistrate Song of Pei County.

The two places were initially misaligned, but the measures were unified. Two things that were originally unrelated are now slowly converging and overlapping.

The tangled clues slowly came together, and a bold idea suddenly took root, impossible to suppress any longer.

"Prepare the horses, let's go to Pei County!"

Upon hearing this, all the officials present were taken aback.

Li You didn't offer any further explanation, but instead turned and walked away.

Interestingly, at this very moment, Song Ye's most trusted subordinate submitted a document requesting to return to his hometown to visit relatives. After that, the man vanished without a trace and never returned to his post.

Not long after, the First Emperor made his second eastern tour. When he arrived at Bolangsha, he was attacked by villains who sent strongmen to assassinate him with iron spikes, but the attempt failed.

As soon as he finished speaking, Song immediately identified Comrade "Zhang San".

If others didn't know who assassinated Qin Shi Huang, how could she not know?

The origins, hometowns, family backgrounds, and career history of everyone in the county government, from top to bottom, were all clearly documented and verifiable, except for two individuals.

One is herself, whose origins are unknown.

The other one is Zhang San.

So, Liu Bang's strategist and mastermind was right beside him...

Zhang Liang noticed her gaze, turned his head, and asked, "My lord, what's wrong?"

Song smiled and said, "It's nothing. You look tired standing there."

Zhang Liang didn't ask any further questions and turned back to continue looking at the sky.

Then, Song Ye's gaze swept around the courtyard, where Cao Can, Fan Kuai, Lu Wan, Zhou Bo, and Xiahou Ying were all present.

If all else fails, there's always my brother-in-law, Lü Ze.

There are enough people.

Even if this "Zhang San" wanted to run away, he would have to get past these hurdles first.

We'll discuss this "villain" and the assassination attempt in the next episode.

In May of the same year, Song also led a group of his subordinates to Xianyang to attend court.

[The group arrived safely in the capital mid-month and soon received an imperial edict to ascend the throne and pay homage to the First Emperor.]

After that, the scene on the screen changed.

The sky was still dark, and the morning mist was thick.

The dark eaves were covered with cool night dew, and the entire mansion was still immersed in quiet darkness.

The camera descends from a height, sweeping past the upturned eaves and corners, and slowly sinks into the interior.

The woman stood tall and straight, her arms outstretched naturally, allowing Lü Zhi to attend to her and adjust her clothes.

Qin officials favored black, and their court attire was predominantly black. The clothing was upright and solemn, with neat tailoring and no superfluous decorations, fully demonstrating the dignified and austere administration of the Qin Dynasty.

The camera slowly pans down, flowing upwards from the neatly trimmed dark brown hem and plain shoes. It passes over the cinched waist and the upright shoulders and neck, finally settling on the woman's face.

Song also appeared calm and composed.

Behind her, Lü Zhi carefully combed her hair, tying it up in the standard Qin official style, making it neat, tidy, and meticulous.

Dressed in the official robes of the Qin dynasty, her hair neatly styled, she shed her former gentle and approachable demeanor, instantly losing all traces of femininity. In its place stood the upright, dignified, calm, and capable spirit of a young man, resembling a minister capable of standing in the court and governing a region.

That year, Song was 21 years old.

The scene shifts again, the camera angle suddenly rises, and it focuses on the magnificent and solemn Xianyang Palace.

As dawn broke, golden light bathed the vermilion palace walls, revealing the majestic halls rising in layers, solemn and imposing.

The civil and military officials, all dressed in black court robes, lined up in neat rows and walked slowly into the main hall, ascending the high white jade steps in an orderly fashion.

Among them, Song also accompanied the procession of officials. It was his first time entering the court, but he showed no sign of the unease or panic one would expect when first entering the capital. He walked silently at the very end of the procession, neither arrogant nor impatient.

But such a young, handsome, and distinguished new official was ultimately too conspicuous.

Many civil and military officials along the way turned their heads to look at, scrutinize, speculate, and sized up this young newcomer.

No one really took her seriously; they just considered her a young official who had been promoted through a special talent.

Despite the scrutiny of the civil and military officials, Song remained calm and composed, his expression showing no emotion whatsoever.

No one could have imagined that this green newcomer, walking at the very end of the procession, would one day rise above all officials, tear apart conservatives, engage in factional struggles with Legalists, slaughter noble families, and become the most powerful figure in the court.

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