Song Ning just couldn't understand. She had washed her face today and changed out of her old, filthy clothes. What was he complaining about about her?

These past few days, every time someone comes over, they compliment her on how pretty she is.

Xie Linzhou was sitting not close to Song Ning. When he saw Song Ning staring straight at him, and remembering what happened in the valley, he immediately became wary.

This little girl still harbors feelings for him.

It's impossible for the two of them to be together.

Ahem, let's get down to business.

"I heard that you came up with this heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed)?" Xie Linzhou asked casually, his tone aloof and distant.

"Replying to the general, I also saw it in a book, not something I came up with myself."

Xie Linzhou glanced at Zheng Gaoyi; it was clear he didn't believe him.

Song Ning didn't offer much explanation; she simply said it was from a book, and there was nothing they could do if they didn't believe her.

The world is so big, the fact that they haven't seen it only shows their lack of knowledge.

Xie Linzhou would get down on the ground to check on things, then climb onto the kang (heated brick bed) to touch things, nodding to Zheng Gaoyi with immense joy in his heart.

With this, we won't have to worry about people freezing to death anymore.

In the past, hundreds, if not thousands, of people froze to death in winter. The problem of people freezing to death was a top priority in every region.

Now, as soon as the stove over there is lit, the kang (heated brick bed) over here gets warm, so you can cook and keep warm at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

“General, I told you, this is a good thing.” Zheng Gaoyi glanced at him, a rare serious expression on his face.

Xie Linzhou couldn't help but marvel at how useful this thing really was.

Song Ning realized that these two people wanted to spread this idea throughout the entire Yuanzhou City and even throughout all of Xie Linzhou's fiefdoms.

This is a big business opportunity.

He immediately said, "General, Magistrate, all the men in our group know how to build a kang (heated brick bed), and they can all help."

While heated brick beds are not yet widespread, they can make a profit from public funds.

Such an important matter would surely not be left unattended by these two important figures.

Zheng Gaoyi chuckled. This girl is quite shrewd.

Xie Linzhou always had some curiosity about Song Ning. If it weren't for the fact that this little girl had ulterior motives towards him, he would think she deserved his admiration.

Xie Linzhou's gaze made Song Ning feel uneasy. Now, instead of showing disdain, she was scrutinizing him. Xie Linzhou made no attempt to hide his scrutiny, examining her openly.

Did they find out that I asked the prefect for so many things last time?

Seeing that Xie Linzhou and Zheng Gaoyi were about to leave, Song Ning was afraid of being held accountable later, so he had to sound them out.

"General, wait a moment."

Song Ning had only taken two steps when she stepped directly on Zheng Gaoyi's clothes. Zheng Gaoyi lifted his leg, and Song Ning was tripped and fell.

He fell forward, desperately reaching for something to support him, but there was nothing else but Xie Linzhou in front of him.

With a "rip," all three of them froze.

Song Ning lay on the ground, clutching the torn pieces of clothing in her hand. Zheng Gaoyi was also tripped by her kick. Liu Yuelan heard the noise next door and ran in to see what was happening. She saw General Xie's face, which was as black as coal.

Xie Linzhou was wearing a black outer robe today, which Song Ning had torn at the knee. Although his trousers underneath were not damaged, they were almost torn off as well.

If my pants get pulled down, I'll be exposed.

That's it, I'm doomed.

Xie Linzhou looked down at her with a sinister gaze, and Song Ning could almost hear the grinding of his teeth.

"I said... I didn't mean it... would you believe me?"

Xie Linzhou now wished he could go up and strangle the little brat on the ground.

If it weren't for the fact that she once saved his life, he would have kicked her without hesitation.

That's simply pushing their luck.

Seeing that things were going badly, Zheng Gaoyi quickly got up, took off his coat and draped it over Xie Linzhou.

Song Ning quickly got up from the ground and apologized, afraid that the man would blame her.

Don't be fooled by his seemingly approachable demeanor; he actually has a very stubborn temper.

Her fall made Xie Linzhou avoid her like the plague.

Sure enough, they've resorted to this tactic to force him to comply.

Xie Linzhou's voice was terrifyingly deep: "I advise you to give up on this idea."

ah?

Song Ning was puzzled. What was she thinking? What did she have in mind? Right now, she only had a hollow heart.

Only after Xie Linzhou disappeared from sight did Song Ning finally straighten up and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Er Ya, are you alright? Will General Xie blame you?" Liu Yuelan asked worriedly.

"It should be alright, Mother. Don't worry, General Xie is very magnanimous and won't hold it against you."

Yes, they definitely won't hold it against her. She's still useful, and the county magistrate will help her.

The next day, Zheng Gaoyi came again, and this time he got straight to business.

Xie Linzhou indeed decided to popularize heated kang beds, which currently seem to be inexpensive and can be implemented in almost every household.

This time, the experiment was first conducted in the neighboring Jiangning County, and the county magistrate selected several people who knew how to build a kang (a heated brick bed).

"Isn't there Tianxiang Village?" Why start with Jiangning County? Shouldn't we prioritize our own people? There's only one Tianxiang Village under Tianxiang County.

Zheng Gaoyi smiled smugly: "I wouldn't dare take a village like that. I sent it back directly. It should go back to where it came from. Our Tianxiang County is just fine as it is."

Tianxiang Village was renamed back to Yaojia Village and returned to the former Jiangning County. However, after this incident, Jiangning County no longer wanted it.

But there was nothing we could do; it was the decision made by those above.

As expected of the county magistrate, he's truly upright.

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