After the first month of the lunar calendar, the craftsmen who made bricks and tiles were invited over. After several experiments, they quickly produced qualified blue bricks and black tiles.

With money in hand, whether it was hiring people or buying materials, it was all done in cash. The barracks quickly built rows of houses with blue bricks and black tiles according to Xu Di's plan. Some were used as dormitories, some as canteens and classrooms, and a large open space was left as a training ground. Because they were arranged neatly, they attracted the attention of the local people who came to see the novelty.

Not only this large area of ​​barracks, but also five courtyards with blue bricks and black tiles were built near the barracks in accordance with the original agreement. Before the busy spring season, when there were enough people, all the houses were completed by the time of Qingming Festival.

They chose an auspicious day and moved to their new home together. Xu Di's men also brought back some news for him.

Zhou Bingcheng's daughter was sent to the capital more than ten years ago. To the outside world, it was said that she had been married off to another place, but in fact she was sent to a family in the capital to be a concubine.

After careful questioning, Xu Di's men discovered that the family was actually the Duke of Ming's mansion, and that the Zhou family's daughter was a concubine of Li Ziyu, the Duke of Ming's heir.

Xu Di took out a notebook containing a diagram of the relationships between the people he knew. He followed the line from the Duke of Ming and found it to the Third Prince.

Xu Di sneered twice. So this was the root of the problem. Since they were all old acquaintances, there was no need to be so polite. Xu Di pondered for a while and decided that his next focus should be on helping the people who had lost their land to regain it. After all, land is the most important thing in the world. For many people, losing their land means losing the foundation for their survival.

Xu Di gathered Magistrate Yuan and Registrar Tong together and said directly, "My lords, I want to help the people reclaim the land that the Zhou family took from them years ago."

The two looked at each other, stunned for a long time, and said, "Sir, this is a good thing, but so many years have passed, and many families have left their hometowns. Even if we go to find those people, many of them are probably no longer alive. If we do this, what if we anger the Zhou family? They might turn around and bite us."

Xu Di waved his hand and said, "Nothing is difficult in this world. Don't be afraid of difficulties. As long as you want to do it, how can you not do it well? Our next focus is to find the people who were oppressed by the Zhou family back then. We can't do this in a big way. We have to do it quietly. If the Zhou family finds out in advance and takes precautions, we might really end up with nothing."

Magistrate Yuan said, "Sir, then tell me what to do. Tell me what to do, and I will do it as you say."

After Xu Di had been there for a few months, Magistrate Yuan had come to understand that his superior was no pushover. He was courageous, resourceful, and most importantly, he cared deeply for the people. Magistrate Yuan felt that even if it meant offending others, it was worth it to work for such a person. After all, one should do something that one can be proud of for a lifetime, right?

Meanwhile, Clerk Tong also pledged his loyalty, saying, "Sir, Magistrate Yuan is right. Just give me any instructions, and I will do them well."

Xu Di nodded and said, "I thank you both first. You must remember one thing: in this world, there are always more solutions than problems. If there are difficulties ahead, just find a way to solve them. There is no need to be afraid of this or that. We are the people's officials. If we don't stand up for the people, we might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes. Don't you think so?"

The two nodded repeatedly. Xu Di didn't want to tell them what he had found out in the capital. Telling them would be pointless and would only add to their pressure. However, he was willing to let them find the victim from back then.

After assigning tasks, Xu Di went to the Xiaowangzhuang barracks.

As the troops moved in, the environment inside the barracks gradually improved. The soldiers' favorite place was the training ground, which not only had a drill ground and a martial arts platform, but also a sandpit and all sorts of training equipment.

When Xu Di arrived, the training ground was bustling with activity. Besides those on duty at the entrance of the barracks and those planting vegetables on a large plot of land that Xu Di had designated, even Zheng Boyuan was immersed in the training ground.

When Zheng Boyuan saw Xu Di coming over, he smiled and said to the soldiers around him, "Don't look down on Lord Xu just because he looks weak and unassuming. His individual training results are better than any of yours."

The soldiers knew that this Lord Xu was the newly appointed top scholar, and when they first heard Zheng Boyuan say that his individual training was better than any of theirs, many of them were unconvinced.

Xu Di still gets up early every morning to practice boxing. Once a habit is formed, one feels uncomfortable if one doesn't do it for a day. So, even though he has been away from Yanmen Pass for so many years, Xu Di feels that if he were to return to the training ground, he probably wouldn't need much time to adapt and his training results would be excellent.

Xu Di waved his hand and said modestly, "Don't listen to your General Zheng's nonsense. I was only a few years old back then. How old am I now? I've been away from the training ground for so many years. How can I compare to you all?"

Zheng Boyuan laughed and said, "That's not right of you. If we're good, we're good; if we're not, we're not. If you keep things to yourself, won't we, a bunch of roughnecks, look down on you?"

Seeing that Zheng Boyuan wasn't going to let him pass easily, Xu Di simply marked the answer and said, "Then tell me, what do you want?"

Zheng Boyuan really wanted to have a match with Xu Di. Back then, Zheng Boyuan had trained with Xu Di and knew Xu Di's abilities very well. However, at that time, his foundation was not good, and it would be harder than climbing to heaven to beat Xu Di. Today is different from the past. How could someone who spends all day in the training field be inferior to someone who is busy with government affairs all day?

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