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

Song also sized up the man in front of her.

When this person is awake, he looks much better than when he collapsed on the roadside.

Although his face was still as pale as paper, his eyes were surprisingly bright, not at all like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.

He's reasonably good-looking, but I wonder if he's smart enough.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liang was also secretly observing her.

The "young master" before them was slender, with fair and handsome features and an extraordinary demeanor. He didn't seem like an ordinary subordinate, but rather someone in charge.

"This is Peicheng." Song Ye pulled over an old wooden stool, sat down, casually crossed his legs, and asked directly, "Why are you lying on the roadside? Did someone beat you up? Or did you try to scam someone and fail?"

"..."

Zhang Liang's lips twitched suddenly.

"Stealing an accident?" That didn't sound like a nice thing, but he could roughly guess what it meant and could only offer a helpless explanation.

"A while ago, my whereabouts were discovered by my enemies, and I was chased all the way. I finally managed to shake them off, but my injuries couldn't hold up, and I collapsed and died by the roadside."

"Being hunted down?" Song raised an eyebrow. "Did you offend someone important?"

"I'd say we're... enemies," Zhang Liang said vaguely, clearly unwilling to elaborate.

Song Ye could tell at a glance that he was hiding something, but she didn't press him for details.

"Okay, as long as everyone's alright." Song waved his hand.

Zhang Liang leaned forward slightly, about to express his sincere gratitude.

"Don't thank me yet," Song interrupted directly, his face earnest. "If you're going to thank me, then do something real. Do you have a thousand taels of gold? If not, five hundred taels will do."

"......?" A big question mark appeared above Zhang Liang's head.

"I...I am penniless."

"Jade pendants, jewelry, or anything of value?"

Zhang Liang subconsciously reached for his waist, only to find it empty; he had lost all his valuables during his escape.

Song looked at him and sighed softly, like a helpless stall owner who had just received counterfeit money: "So you're just a complete pauper!"

Zhang Liang took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

My savior, I must endure.

"Although I have no money to repay your kindness, I can offer my services. If you do not mind, I can serve as your advisor or run errands to repay your life-saving grace."

Song raised an eyebrow and glanced at him up and down, the meaning in her eyes was clear: Look at your weak appearance, with delicate skin and tender flesh, what kind of physical work can you do?

Zhang Liang could easily see through that look. He took a deep breath and patiently said, "Although I'm not good at manual labor, I've read quite a few books and have some knowledge of strategy. If you don't mind, sir, I can stay by your side and help you out."

His words were a deliberate attempt to be modest, concealing his true abilities.

But Song remained calm and unmoved, as if he had only heard trivial gossip.

Seeing this, Zhang Liang felt uncertain.

Ordinary officials would be intrigued to hear that he was skilled in strategy, but this man was unusually calm.

"Name," Song said succinctly.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Liang deliberately concealed his real name and casually replied, "My name is Zhang San. May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

Song paused for two seconds, then repeated softly, "Zhang San."

"Exactly."

"Your own father named it?"

Zhang Liang nodded reluctantly, "Yes."

Song looked at him, his face expressionless, but his eyes seemed to say: Comrade, who are you trying to fool?

a long time.

"Okay, Zhang San, right?"

"My surname is Song, and I am the newly appointed magistrate of Peicheng."

Zhang Liang's pupils contracted slightly, and he was startled.

The thin, young-looking man in front of me is actually the magistrate of Pei County?

"So it's Lord Song. I've been rude."

And so, Zhang Liang—who is now known as "Zhang San"—officially remained in the county government.

Song's thinking was simple: the people had been saved, so they couldn't be sent back out.

This person may look thin, but he is literate and can read. Keeping him in the mansion to copy documents and do odd jobs is a good way to make the best use of him.

For the first two days, Song didn't ask much of him, only instructing him to behave himself and not cause trouble.

She instructed Xiao He to assign Zhang San to the Clerk's Office, where his daily work consisted of copying official documents and organizing household registration files—jobs that anyone who could read could do.

But by the third day, Song realized something was wrong.

He casually tossed the man a pile of messy, backlogged land tax ledgers, intending to let the newcomer slowly get a headache while he himself could have some peace and quiet.

To everyone's surprise, the account books were returned after only half a day.

Not only were the accounts meticulously organized, but problems were also clearly marked on the side: which income and expenditure items did not match, which households were suspected of concealing their land holdings, and which data from previous years differed.

Song Ye flipped through the annotations, then looked up at him: "Have you done this kind of job before?"

Zhang Liang lowered his eyes and said in a flat tone, "I know a little bit."

In the following days, Song also made arrangements for other matters.

On the fourth day, he even allowed the public to hear the verdict. After a minor case involving a dispute between neighbors over a drainage ditch was settled, Zhang Liang privately pointed out that the plaintiff's witnesses' testimonies were contradictory. He hadn't pointed it out at the time, presumably for other reasons.

After observing for several days, Song gradually got a sense of what was going on.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and she had already gotten used to having this person by her side.

He always handled assigned tasks meticulously and thoroughly, even surpassing Xiao He in his attention to detail.

The other person can think of many details that I might not have considered. They never interrupt, but only offer a few words of advice when asked.

Privately, Song also specifically asked Xiao He, "What do you think of this Comrade Zhang San?"

Xiao He was used to his leader occasionally throwing out some fresh phrases. After a moment's thought, he replied, "He is steady and meticulous in his work, speaks little and doesn't compete for anything. But I always feel that this young master is not an ordinary scholar."

"What's different about it?"

"Just by his demeanor, you can tell he's a man who has seen the world."

Song seemed to be deep in thought.

Everyone, regardless of their worldly experience or lack thereof, should come together to work for the happiness of the people!

After that, Song also assigned Zhang Liang more and more tasks, from copying documents and checking accounts to attending court hearings and drafting government orders. At night, when reviewing official business, Song would also habitually have Zhang Liang help him to consider and revise.

In just half a month, Song also clearly felt that the burden on his shoulders had been greatly reduced.

She used to handle all the tasks—trials, inspections, and document processing—all by herself, leaving her exhausted every day.

Now that Zhang Liang is helping out, I can finally find a moment to rest in the afternoon.

Worth it! This was a really great deal.

There was only one thing that caused Zhang Liang endless torment.

Song also casually called him "mistress".

When Zhang Liang first heard this title, he assumed it was a slip of the tongue and didn't take it to heart.

But being called that repeatedly made me feel uneasy.

Within a few days, the news spread throughout the county.

When Xiao He asked him for the household registration book, he immediately mentioned his mistress.

When Cao Shen came to deliver a message, he also called her "Xiao San" (a derogatory term for a mistress), and everyone called her that.

Every time Zhang Liang heard this, he felt extremely uncomfortable. He prided himself on coming from a prestigious family with ancestors who had held high positions for generations and were once respected by others. Now, however, he was being called a mistress, which was extremely awkward.

He once mentioned it tactfully: "Lord Song, my surname is Zhang. You can call me Xiao Zhang or A-San, but Xiao San just feels a bit strange."

Song didn't even look up, staring at the official document in his hand: "Is there a difference?"

"Of course there are..."

"Alright, then Xiao Zhang, take this document to Xiao He."

Zhang Liang had just breathed a sigh of relief when, to his surprise, Song forgot again the next day and started calling him "mistress" as usual.

He repeatedly comforted himself: the other party was his savior and his superior, and he was just an exile living in anonymity. It was just a matter of address; he could just bear it.