Chapter 228: Return of Merit

After the last teaching session and collecting the charcoal, the charcoal making teaching is over.

The apprentices returned home.

Before leaving, Wen Yan reminded everyone: "After a while, there will be people from the government who will ask you to go to other villages and teach you how to make charcoal.

In addition, when the appropriate time for burning charcoal comes, the government will notify you, so you should follow the rules and not act on your own, or you may end up losing more than you gain."

After Wen Yanhao gave them a lot of instructions, he let them go.

Look at Xiao Hei who keeps looking back every few steps.

Wen Yan waved at him.

Xiao Hei ran back immediately.

He looked at Wen Yan expectantly: "Master, do you have any other instructions?"

Among so many apprentices, Wen Yan likes him the most.

Wen Yan thought for a moment and said, "If you have any questions about burning charcoal in the future, just go to the house where we store the charcoal and find Uncle Tian, ​​okay?"

"I understand." Xiao Hei was obviously sixteen or seventeen years old, but he nodded like a good baby.

"Go quickly. You've been away for more than half a month, and your family must be missing you." Wen Yan stuffed another small bag of preserved fruits into his hands.

Xiao Hei left reluctantly, holding the preserved fruits.

After the people at this time walked away, Wen Yan and the others also returned to the city.

After returning to the provincial capital, Wen Yan went to find the young leader Yuan.

When Leader Yuan saw Wen Yan, he couldn't help but tease her.

When he heard Yan asked him for something, he did not retort, but accepted it with a smile.

Leader Yuan had never seen Wen Yan so docile.

Not only was he not happy about winning, but he felt uneasy instead.

He held up two fingers and asked Wen Yan, "What's this?"

Wen Yan slapped his hand away: "What do you mean?"

Little leader Yuan: "You are still so fierce, you are not stupid!"

"But do you know what those people Uncle Tian sent back a few days ago were doing?"

Wen Yan took a while to react before connecting those people with the butler in fancy clothes who smashed the charcoal kiln.

"I heard his master is the largest charcoal merchant in Jinyang Prefecture?" Wen Yan asked curiously, "Is there anything else going on?"

“But there is no sequel.

Charcoal making is just the most inconspicuous of his master's many industries.

His master's surname is Zhu, and he is really rich.

The Xu family, which had not yet fallen, was only slightly better off than the Zhu family.

After the Xu family went downhill, the Zhu family became the richest family in Jinyang Prefecture."

In the eyes of leader Yuan, the Zhu family is just a walking money-spinner!

He and Meng Xiyan took advantage of the situation and brought the steward Zhu to trial on charges of disobeying government orders and laws.

Meng Xiyan's thundering methods had long spread to every corner of Jinyang Prefecture.

The head of the Zhu family was afraid that Meng Xiyan would follow the steward Zhu and take action against the Zhu family.

After receiving the news, he immediately went to the government office with his family's account books and generous gifts.

It was both an apology and the way to get Butler Zhu out.

If Butler Zhu stayed in the government office, he could become a weapon to attack him at any time.

He made amends and apologized.

Finally, at his signal, Butler Zhu confessed the truth and admitted that he was instigated by the Xu family.

He also took out the letter given to him by Xu Zhuangtou.

then.

The head of the Xu family, who had just been released, was brought back to the government office again.

Wen Yan's eyes widened when she heard this.

Unexpectedly, there was such an unexpected gain.

Wen Yan smiled subtly and said in a low voice, "Master Yuan, I have something to ask of you."

The young leader Yuan was startled: "Please, just tell me what you have to say. I am afraid of you."

Wen Yan: “…”

She returned to her usual aloof demeanor. "I've rented a warehouse for the winter coal harvest. But I'm short-staffed here, so I'd like to borrow a few soldiers from you to guard it."

"The soldiers under my command are all guards of Jinyang Prefecture. I cannot bend the law for personal gain." The young leader Yuan subconsciously made things difficult for Wen Yan verbally.

But thinking about how she spoke with a pinched throat just now, it was really scary.

He immediately changed the subject: "Well...you burn and collect charcoal for the people of Jinyang. As one of the fathers and mothers of the government, how could I not satisfy you with such a small thing?"

"Don't worry, I'll immediately transfer five people over to help you guard the warehouse."

Wen Yan thanked him repeatedly, "Anyone who helps me look after the warehouse will be given an extra 1 or 2 taels of silver per month. Of course... I don't want the people I borrowed a few days ago."

Leader Yuan glanced at Wen Yan, his mind racing, but he didn't ask any extra questions.

Wen Yan chatted for a while and then went to find Meng Xiyan.

She took out a notebook about cleaning the river.

"If you follow the instructions in the handwritten note, I guarantee that there will be no flooding in Jinyang Prefecture within ten years."

This is not Wen Yan's nonsense.

But in her previous life, she met an old water official who was one of the participants in Lan Hong's river management.

Lan Hong was eager for quick success and cut out many important steps, causing the government to spend a lot of money but the effect was halved.

Wen Yan said, "I heard that there's an old water official named Gai in Jinyang Prefecture who's very good at managing the river. Can you ask him to come with you?"

Gai Shuili was the person Wen Yan met in her previous life.

Meng Xiyan had no suspicion and immediately asked someone to call Gai Shuili over.

While waiting, Meng Xiyan casually flipped through the notebook.

It is a thick book, which contains not only text but also illustrations.

If tools are involved, some are also marked with data.

It would take several hours just to read through this notebook.

Wen Yan finished writing it in half a month, and he also had to teach people how to make charcoal all the time.

It shows how much effort she put in and how many nights she stayed up.

Soon, Gai Shuili arrived.

He quickly finished reading the catalog and exclaimed that Wen Yan's ideas coincided with his own.

Wen Yan said, "Since Lord Gai and I share the same vision, please, Lord Prefect, let him take charge of the river management."

This was originally the credit of Gai Shuili, and it is only right and proper that it should be returned to him.

"Ah?!" Gai Shuili was dumbfounded. "Your governance method is very good, so why don't you participate?"

Wen Yan then said the second thing: "I'm going back to Beijing."

Meng Xiyan frowned slightly: "Why are you leaving in such a hurry?" He had been hoping that Wen Yan would leave earlier.

When she heard that they were leaving, she was a little overwhelmed.

Wen Yan smiled and said, "Haven't you been wanting me to return to the capital for a long time? I've finally decided to leave, so why do you seem so reluctant to let me go?"

Meng Xiyan coughed lightly and said, "You really have a lot of ideas. Once you leave, I will lose a military advisor who can give me advice."

But Meng Xiyan still didn't stop him.

We also need to arrange for Brother Chen Yi to escort her.

Wen Yan quickly refused: "You are in need of people right now, and you can't delay them because of me." Wen Yan waved his hand and ran away.

"Wait." Meng Xiyan was afraid that she would run away, so he quickly called her, "That Situ Ming has been detained in the government office for several days..."

Wen Yan pursed her lips and said seriously, "Although I traveled with him for a while, we were just acquaintances. Lord Meng must not bend the law for personal gain."

Meng Xiyan: “…Okay.”

He helped Huo Yaoxing sell grain at a high price in Jinyang Prefecture. Although it was not very moral, it did not violate the law.

Being locked up for so many days is already overstepping the boundaries.

That evening.

Situ Ming was released from the government office.

Situ Ming was always feeling uneasy, always feeling that something big had happened, something beyond his control.

After returning to the mansion, washing and getting ready, he prepared to go to the farm outside the city to take a look and comfort his mind.