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

Old Master Liu was stunned for a moment, and the county magistrate's special visit to his door was truly unexpected.

Upon hearing the noise, Liu's mother came out of the house. When she saw the official standing at the door, she assumed that her son had caused a great disaster outside.

"Lord Song, what brings you here today?" Old Master Liu asked, his voice tinged with nervousness.

Song Ye didn't stand on ceremony. He pulled up a stool and sat down, dusted off his clothes, and sighed deeply, his expression full of helplessness: "Grandpa, Grandma, I've come to tell you two some honest words from the bottom of my heart."

The couple exchanged a glance, their hearts immediately pounding.

"I have been in Peixian County for less than a month, and I have been busy every day, with only one thought in mind: to make the lives of the local people better."

Old Master Liu nodded repeatedly: "Lord Song is a rare good official, we have all seen it."

Song sighed again: "But there are difficulties everywhere in doing things. There are prefectural and county officials above to supervise, and the people below to watch. I dare not slack off in the slightest. But some people hold official positions but are unwilling to do their jobs conscientiously. They are lazy and shirk their duties on weekdays, and they go around drinking and wandering around during their shifts. Many people have complaints about this."

Upon hearing this, Liu's mother's face darkened, and she glanced quietly at her husband beside her.

Old Master Liu frowned: "What you're referring to, sir, could it be...?"

Song also looked troubled and said frankly, "To be honest, it is your Liu Ji. As the head of Sishui Pavilion, he has duties to perform, but in the past half month, I have heard him drinking while on duty several times."

"I just passed by the pavilion today and saw him squatting by the roadside playing chess with someone..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Man Liu's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Liu's mother slapped her thigh repeatedly in anger: "That good-for-nothing! I've told him time and again that when you're on duty, you have to do your job properly, but he just won't listen!"

"Please don't get angry, both of you." Song's tone softened, as if he were speaking frankly. "I didn't come here today specifically to complain, but you know Liu Ji's temperament better than anyone else."

"As my superior, I am not in a position to punish him severely right away, for fear of damaging our relationship. But if I ignore it, it will be difficult to carry out any tasks in the future."

"So I wanted to ask you two to help persuade him."

Old Master Liu took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to Song Ji: "Rest assured, sir, I will definitely discipline this rascal when he returns!"

Standing to the side, Liu's mother was even more indignant: "Sir, don't be angry. Tonight I'll have his father teach him a lesson! We've finally found a good official who works for the people, how dare he hold us back!"

"Don't do anything, you have to persuade them gently!" Song blinked and said.

Xiao He, who witnessed the whole thing: (speechless)

These words were clearly a subtle way of harassing Liu Ji, appearing polite on the surface but actually having him completely under their control.

He said he didn't want to punish anyone severely or hurt anyone, but then he complained to his family, which made Liu Ji's parents very angry.

But Lord Song's attitude was sincere, and he seemed to be concerned about the future of the other man's son. No one could find fault with him. They could only secretly admire the young magistrate's insightful mind and ingenious methods.

That evening, before Liu Ji even stepped into the courtyard, he sensed that something was wrong.

The lights in the courtyard were dazzling. Father Liu Taigong sat on the threshold, holding a thick wooden stick in his hand, his face frighteningly dark.

Liu's mother stood to the side, one hand on her hip and the other gripping a broom, her face full of anger, seemingly intending to teach him a lesson.

Liu Ji stopped abruptly, his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sensed that something terrible was about to happen.

"Father, Mother, what's going on?"

"You bastard, kneel down!" Old Man Liu roared, his voice shaking the roof tiles and causing dust to fall from the eaves.

Liu Ji's legs went weak, and he knelt down on the spot with a "thump".

This was an instinctive reaction from being disciplined and coached since childhood, leaving him no time to think.

"I ask you, what did you do on duty today?" Old Man Liu stood up and slammed his wooden stick heavily into the ground.

Liu Ji's mind raced, and he forced a smile as he replied, "What else can I do? Just patrol the territory as usual and handle my official duties."

"Nonsense!" Madam Liu raised her hand and struck him on the shoulder with a broom. "Lord Song has personally come to our door! You still want to hide it from us?"

Liu Ji's eyes widened instantly, and he was startled.

Lord Song actually came to our door?!

Before he could react, Liu Taigong swung his wooden stick, which landed squarely on his back.

"Ouch!" Liu Ji cried out in pain.

"How dare you shout like that!" Old Master Liu scolded as he hit her. "Lord Song has only been in office for less than a month, and she's already repaired roads and bridges, rectified taxes, and thought of the people in every way. Who in the whole city doesn't appreciate her kindness? But you, you've been slacking off and cheating on your duties, you've completely disgraced the Liu family!"

"Dad, stop hitting me! I know I was wrong!" Liu Ji covered his head and dodged around in the yard.

Liu's mother swung her broom at him repeatedly, scolding him incessantly: "Is it enough that you know you're wrong? Lord Song said that if everyone were as lax as you, official duties would be impossible to carry out."

"The villagers have finally found a good official; do you want to drive him away?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji's dodging movement slowed down by half a beat, filled with confusion.

It was just taking some time to play a game of chess and have a few drinks, how did that become forcing the magistrate to leave?

When did I become so capable?!

"Mother, please let me explain!" Liu Ji protested as he dodged, "I was just having some fun for a moment, it's not that serious, that's a huge exaggeration!"

"You dare talk back!" Old Man Liu struck him on the shin with a stick, causing him to howl in pain.

"If we anger Lord Song and he leaves, and then another official comes along to oppress the people, how will our family survive?" Mother Liu grew angrier as she spoke, swinging the broom rapidly. "Today I'm going to teach you a lesson for your laziness!"

Liu Ji could only hide in the courtyard, pleading for mercy, but his heart was full of grievances, and he secretly complained about Magistrate Song countless times.

I was just slacking off for a while, so why am I being labeled with such a big accusation?

What exactly did that guy surnamed Song say to his parents?

That night, Liu Ji's wailing and screams echoed throughout the entire village.

The neighbors peeked out, but quickly retreated back inside.

Disciplining one's son is a family matter for every parent, and it's not appropriate for outsiders to interfere. Besides, everyone knows that Liu Ji is usually lax in his work, so he deserved to be reprimanded this time.

A single lesson can be etched into one's memory.

Moreover, Song also fined him half a month's salary.

At this point, Liu Ji truly became honest.

On this day, Song also began to think about something new.

Roads have been paved, bridges have been opened, and markets have been reorganized, but these alone are far from enough to truly improve people's lives.

If no grain can be grown in the fields, everything else is just empty talk.

She had spent many years in the mountains, participating in poverty alleviation work year-round, and knew a thing or two about all sorts of odd jobs.

I'm not an expert in farming, but I know the basic agricultural techniques like: deep plowing increases yield, manure is more fertile than wood ash, and soaking wheat seeds in warm water before sowing makes them germinate faster and grow stronger.

These methods weren't exactly unique tricks, but Song noticed that the people of the Qin Dynasty didn't know about them and hadn't tried them.

then......