The next day, Chen Yuan washed up early, dressed, and went to the government office. When he arrived, he saw several other colleagues already standing in front of the gate.

The bailiffs invited the gentlemen to a room where there was a long wooden table with chairs on both sides. At one end of the table were several covered bowls with writing brushes and ink on the sides. Chen Yuan and his colleagues stood in the room looking at each other in bewilderment.

Zhang Shitong hurriedly came in from outside, holding several pages of paper covered with writing. He invited Chen Yuan and the others to sit down. A servant had already brought a steaming copper kettle and reopened the tea leaves in the covered bowls, setting them aside.

After the servants finished their work, Zhang Shitong spoke up, saying, "Gentlemen, it's harvest season and official duties are very busy. I insisted on inviting you all here because there are some things I need to tell you."

Upon hearing Zhang Shitong's words, the group sat up straight. Zhang Shitong waved his hand and said, "There is pen and ink on the table. If you find what I say interesting, you can write it down and take it with you."

Chen Yuan saw the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table, and quickly rolled up his sleeves to grind the ink while looking up at Zhang Shitong.

Zhang Shitong looked at the paper in his hand, put it down, pressed his hand on the paper, and said, "A couple of days ago, I went to Luzhou to visit Lord Xu. After a conversation with Lord Xu, I was deeply inspired and have some thoughts that I would like to share with you all."

Chen Yuan was a little puzzled as to why Zhang Shitong would say such things, but he still listened attentively. He heard Zhang Shitong say, "Our Lord Xu is a top scholar. From the Hanlin Academy to Dengzhou, and then to our Miaozhou, everything he has done along the way has been good for the country and the people. I am the same age as Lord Xu and have always thought that Lord Xu is a genius. But after having a heart-to-heart talk with Lord Xu, I found that this is not the case."

This intriguing statement only fueled Chen Yuan and his colleagues' desire to hear more. Zhang Shitong picked up a covered bowl from the table, gently lifted the lid, took a sip, and then slowly said, "After leaving the Six Ministries, I was unsure how to handle many things. After consulting Lord Xu, he told me that when dealing with daily affairs, one should not shy away from tasks that seem tedious. Much experience is gained from one's own actions."

The more Zhang Shitong spoke, the more he admired Xu Di. He then recounted his conversation with Xu Di in detail, concluding, "Lord Xu has been stationed in Luzhou for our safety. As the rear guard of Luzhou, we must ensure stability. The weather is unpredictable at this time, and the wheat harvest is like snatching food from the mouth of the heavens. After you return, you must be vigilant and lead the people to harvest the wheat in the fields. We cannot let this year's hard work go to waste. We must harvest as much grain as possible, and once the grain is stored in the granary, we will send it to Luzhou so that Lord Xu can lead the soldiers of Luzhou to guard our border."

Chen Yuan was thrilled by what he heard. Since taking office, he had only met Xu Di once and knew that this young prefect was from Dengzhou. The daily affairs of the Miaozhou government were handled by the assistant prefect Zhang Shitong. Sometimes Chen Yuan thought that this prefect, who was focused on repairing waterways and roads, was neglecting his duties. Who knew that he was stationed in Luzhou to guard the border? Only then did Chen Yuan remember that when he was young, he had been in Hexi with his elders to resist the invasion of the Northern Di. He even defeated the Northern Di in Hexi and prevented them from fighting for decades. Such a person was truly someone to look up to.

After returning, Chen Yuan summoned all the yamen runners, constables, and constables from the county government, relayed the meeting he had held at the Miaozhou Prefecture government, and then divided them into several teams according to the number of villages under the jurisdiction of Yun'an County. Each team was assigned a team leader, and finally, the villages were distributed equally among the teams according to their geographical location.

Later, the registrar was invited over to inquire about the remaining amount of money in the county's accounts. The former magistrate and his clerk had amassed a considerable fortune, and this money remained in the accounts even after their arrest. Chen Yuan hadn't paid much attention at first, but now, hearing that there was still so much money, he was pleased. He assured the constables that once the wheat harvest was over, he would distribute silver as rewards based on their actual work performance. He also set aside a sum of money as contingency funds, so that if they encountered elderly, weak, or women in distress during their inspections, they could apply for funds to hire helpers to harvest the wheat.

This arrangement shocked everyone. Chen Yuan, who seemed like a very honest and simple man, had unexpectedly made such a plan for the people. Even the registrar thanked Chen Yuan profusely.

Chen Yuan was a little embarrassed and said that these were all instructions given by the Assistant Magistrate during the meeting, and that the Prefect taught him the methods when the Assistant Magistrate consulted with the Prefect.

The Prefect of Miaozhou was no stranger to the people of Yun'an County. They all knew that Xu Di was the son of Doctor Chen, who had helped them fight the plague last year. Ma Guang, in particular, was happy to see that he had stayed in Zhoujia Village with Doctor Chen for more than ten days and had witnessed how this nobleman from the capital led his men to take care of the sick and how he treated the people without fear of getting dirty or tired. When they learned that Xu Di had come from Dengzhou to take up the post of Prefect, Ma Guang and the other officials of Yun'an County were very happy.

As Ma Guang led his men outside, a constable beside him said, "I never expected that our Lord Xu would be so considerate of the people. Brother Ma, do you think that Miaozhou will one day become like Hexi, a place where people can live a good life and be envied by all around?"

Ma Guang smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare say that. But our Lord Xu is a very thoughtful man. Lord Chen just mentioned that Lord Xu is currently in Lüzhou guarding against the Great Yan people. We can't go there to help right now, so we'll stay here and help the people harvest the wheat. Once the wheat is harvested, Lord Xu won't have any worries and will naturally be able to lead the soldiers of the Lüzhou garrison to fight against the Great Yan."

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