Chapter 27 Harvest (Part 1) The Harvest Festival has finally begun.

The news that an insider had been bribed by an outsider to steal grain and transport it out of Yunhe spread throughout the entire Yunhe County by the next morning.

It also spread to the people of the other five counties through word of mouth among the people of Yunhe.

Everyone was initially shocked: No, how could someone be so ungrateful as to steal grain to sell?!

What were they thinking? Even if they transported the grain out and sold it to outsiders, making a lot of money, they still needed to eat, and they had to pay for their own food.

After all, if you betray the goddess, you can no longer enjoy the free food she bestows.

Can they earn enough to afford two meals a day, with three dishes and a soup each time? Not to mention the super lavish breakfast!

Then came anger: From the very beginning, the people of Yunhe County, led by Elder Cheng and others, had tried their best to please the goddess.

Later, in the four counties surrounding Yunhe, plus Hulin County, which sought refuge with the goddess, everyone tacitly obeyed her. If the goddess told them to go east, they dared not go west; if the goddess told them to play with dogs, they would not bite chickens.

Everyone worked together to act well, hoping that the goddess would continue to favor them.

These guys are stealing grain and killing people in the dead of night. What if they anger the goddess and make her lose faith in them? What if the goddess thinks they're not worth it and decides to bless people elsewhere?!

Outraged and shocked, the people flocked to the square outside the county government office, shouting for the administrative office to deal with those bastards.

Zhu Youchuan stepped forward.

He assured the people that the administrative office would severely punish these traitors according to the goddess's instructions, and asked them to rest assured.

He called on everyone: the city guards will increase patrols in the future, and everyone is asked to actively report any suspicious people or things to the administrative office's "temporary mailbox" (suggestion from a provincial civil service exam interview question).

He reassured everyone: He hoped that everyone would not be affected by this, continue to do their own thing, actively prepare for the harvest festival, and express their gratitude to the goddess.

Mo Jingchun watched from the side, deeply moved.

Fang Qin glanced at her and smiled, "You don't need to feel pressured. He's been trained by the Zhu family for over ten years. If he didn't even have this much ability, how could he dare to serve as a strategist for a feudal lord?"

Mo Jingchun: "..." She touched her nose. "Mr. Fang."

Fang Qin smiled kindly and changed the subject, "But you don't have much time to be sentimental. Next is the harvest festival, autumn plowing, and winter. After spring, we will prepare to attack Anling County. We'll be very busy."

Mo Jingchun: "..."

"Has it been decided to attack Anling County after the spring?" asked Zhao Yong, the accountant standing behind Mo Jingchun.

Fang Qin said, "It's almost certainly true." He added somewhat helplessly, "This is also a way to turn defense into offense."

Zhao Yong subconsciously raised his hand to scratch his head, "Because of what happened last night?"

“We are reminded once again that someone is always waiting to swallow us up.” Gu Lanying spread her hands. “If we are not careful, we will become someone else’s meal.”

Fang Qin smiled and reminded him, "Don't overestimate yourself; all they want is a goddess."

Mo Jingchun was speechless. Nonsense, if it weren't for the goddess, why would she look at our little place and the country folk from our little place?

She coughed twice, feigning seriousness. "Last night, if those people hadn't been smuggling grain from within, but instead attacked the city from within..." A cold smile played on the girl's lips. "Then, how much would we have lost?"

The people present: "..."

Gu Lanying suddenly clasped her hands together and said devoutly, "Thank you, Goddess!"

Everyone: "..."

They all clasped their hands together and said, "Thank you for the protection of the goddess!"

Zhu Youchuan had just stepped off the stage after giving his speech when he saw his colleagues engaging in feudal superstition.

He raised an eyebrow. "Gentlemen, are you all so easily intimidated? Are you starting to pray to gods and Buddhas?"

So what if we ran into a traitor?

Mo Jingchun glanced at him and said, "We are worshipping the goddess."

Zhu Youchuan: "..."

He put on a serious expression. "Then I'll do it too."

The punishment for traitors was based on Article 17, Section 3 of Chapter 2 of the Yunhe Temporary Regulations (Version 1.0) (Draft) recently issued by Zhu Youchuan's group: flogging, repairing irrigation ditches, and reducing meals.

Zhu Youchuan himself was not satisfied, saying, "We don't have any coal mines now, it's too easy on them." These people should be directly punished by being sent to coal mines or coalfields.

"And our food is too good, can the goddess remove the fresh meat and vegetables from their meals?" Otherwise, what's the difference between them and those who haven't been punished?

He Qinglan glanced at him indifferently and said, "Do I look like I have a good temper?"

Zhu Youchuan was taken aback.

"Instead of thinking about these useless things, let's think about how to strengthen ideological education for everyone." He Qinglan tapped her head with her right index finger. "You didn't just study history textbooks for nothing, did you?"

Zhu Youchuan instantly recalled the contents of two books on modern history, and his expression became solemn. "Please rest assured."

He Qinglan glanced sideways and continued reading the thick stack of first drafts that Zhu Youchuan and the others had handed over.

She held a pencil in her right hand, sketching and marking as she looked at the text, then writing down her suggestions for improvement by drawing arrows in the blank spaces.

Soon we came across the section on marriage and family.

He Qinglan wrote in the blank space, "Marriage between men and women requires the consent of the individuals themselves, and no one may force others to marry." She paused, looked up, and gazed thoughtfully at Zhu Youchuan.

Are you familiar with Ning Huai'an?

Zhu Youchuan asked, puzzled, "We're not very familiar with each other, what's wrong?"

He Qinglan said, "You can develop a friendship with him; you two could become in-laws in the future."

Zhu Youchuan: "???"

He was both amused and exasperated. "Goddess, I'm not even married yet. Isn't it too far off for children and in-laws?"

The goddess's gaze turned meaningful. "Is that so?"

However, Zhu Youchuan was reminded of something, and he looked at He Qinglan expectantly, "Goddess, you know the past and the future, can you tell me about my destined wife..."

He Qinglan immediately refused: "I can't tell you that."

Zhu Youchuan: "..." You really knew?

He looked shocked: "Why can't you tell me?"

He Qinglan: "Because I hope that you will be together in the future because of love, not because of destiny."

Zhu Youchuan sharply retorted: "But you just said that Ning Huai'an and I will be in-laws through our children's marriage!"

He Qinglan: "Will you tell your child about this?"

Zhu Youchuan University is speechless.

"Have I offended you recently?" the young man asked with a mournful expression.

"Alright, you go ahead and do your work. I'll have Qiutang send it over once I'm done making the changes here."

He Qinglan started to shoo people away.

Helpless, Zhu Youchuan got up, said goodbye, and left.

Cheng Hui and his men received the newcomers who had just arrived at the city gate.

Although people enter the five counties of Yunhe every day and become one of them.

But like Hulin County, where the entire county came to vote...

Cheng Hui squinted at the dozen or so "representatives" in front of him.

The leading representative respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.

They said that when the people of their county heard that the entire county of Hulin had surrendered to the goddess and received her blessings, they united, stormed the county government, subdued the magistrate and a host of officials, and took control of the entire county.

"We are willing to pledge our allegiance to the Goddess and obey her every command. We beg the Goddess to grant us a way to live!"

Originally, the people of their county could endure hunger and oppression from officials, struggling to survive.

However, they saw that people just like them, who were poor, were blessed by the goddess and were eating white rice and fresh vegetables!

Glug glug.

How could they possibly tolerate it?

People with insight immediately investigated the situation in Hulin County and the five counties of Yunhe, and then mobilized and inspired the people through propaganda.

"Everything is for the sake of survival!"

It's already autumn, and winter is just around the corner. Many of them probably won't live to see spring.

But if they could receive the goddess's favor and have hot meals every day, wouldn't they have a chance to survive?

The people of the entire county were incited and mobilized, and under the organization and leadership of some individuals, they stormed the government offices.

They won.

They quickly arranged for people to come to Yunhe County to seek the goddess's protection.

Cheng Hui wore a kind smile, but was inwardly startled.

Hulin County is not an isolated case, so in the future... such incidents will likely become more and more common.

He Qinglan would certainly not refuse those who came to her for help.

She didn't care exactly where the county was.

She simply nodded in acceptance, and then the people from the administrative office liaised with them to arrange for them to nominate personnel to form a temporary administrative office.

"Prepare a performance, participate in our harvest festival, and then prepare for autumn plowing," Cheng Hui relayed the goddess's command.

other side:"?"

Yes, the most important event right now is still the Harvest Festival.

In addition to their daily work, each department is preparing programs.

The opera singer practiced his hand movements and stage positions meticulously.

The dancer swayed her waist stiffly as she danced.

The children in the choir sang with great enthusiasm.

The lion dancers are training and preparing their costumes at the same time.

The girl who was doing the bamboo pole dance screamed and rubbed her ankle, which had been hit by the bamboo pole.

The person explaining agricultural products was diligently memorizing their script.

The harvest festival host stood at the city gate and enthusiastically began to sing.

...

Mo Jingchun and her team were extremely busy.

Planning the area, setting up the stage, and arranging the venue.

Write the program flow and script.

Coordinate with other departments.

Ensure security and logistical support.

Choose suitable agricultural products.

...

Many things seem easy, but when you actually do them, you'll find a lot of troubles, and there will always be unexpected situations that need to be dealt with.

Mo Jingchun wished she could split the twelve hours into two days!

In addition to their daily training, the city guards and soldiers also increased their workload on their own.

They patrolled day and night, conducted intelligence work, and set up anonymous mailboxes.

The squad assigned to Mo Jingchun was focused on security preparations. The traitor incident had put everyone on edge, fearing someone might cause trouble.

Cheng Hui... Cheng Hui then connected with two more people who came to bid from the county and half-county.

Hulin County has made a good start.

He followed the same tactic, having the other party set up a temporary administrative office to prepare for the next step of their work.

Amidst everyone's tension and anticipation, the harvest festival finally began.

"Harvest Festival?"

Yun Youning stood in front of the carriage, gazing at the distant Yunhe County town, and smiled brightly, "That's wonderful, we've come at just the right time!"

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Author's note: Yun Youning: It wasn't easy, I finally arrived at Yunhe [helpless]. I thought you had forgotten about our whole family.