Fortunately, the master had good judgment and immediately attached himself to the princess, so he would have the princess as a powerful protector in the future.

Hehe, he can now roam freely in Xianyang County.

Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Zhao Xi's smile was practically overflowing, which made Sheng Lingwei chuckle. "Zhao Xi, is there anything else?"

Zhao Xi shook his head and said, "Your Highness, I have no other questions for the time being."

Sheng Lingwei nodded. "If there's nothing else, you can go now. By the way, the people from Gancao County will probably arrive in Xianyang County tomorrow. Make sure they are settled properly, and make sure they receive the necessary resettlement allowance and farmland."

Settlement allowance?

Zhao Xi's eyes widened suddenly.

"But Princess, the treasury of Xianyang County is completely empty. Those who confiscated property had nothing in their homes. Even rats would weep at the sight of it. Where would they get any money?"

Sheng Lingwei: "..."

Okay! These are all her masterpieces.

She had forgotten about that, so it seems she'll have to take some out of her pocket.

"Alright, it's no big deal. I will pay for all the money myself, and I will also donate some money to Xianyang County to improve people's livelihoods and carry out post-disaster reconstruction."

Zhao Xi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly shouted with a look of reverence and excitement, "This humble official thanks the princess for her righteousness. Long live the princess!"

Sheng Lingwei: "..." Luckily, she has a thick skin.

Hmph, don't think she doesn't know this kid is flattering her.

"Alright, go and do your thing!"

"Yes, Princess."

After Zhao Xi left, the bearded man's eyes darted around, and he quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "Princess, I have completed all the tasks you assigned to me."

"Oh? All those children have been reunited with their families?"

Sheng Lingwei's eyes lit up; she hadn't expected the bearded man and his brothers to complete the mission so quickly.

“Yes, Princess.” The bearded man chuckled and turned to look at Zheng Yishu. “This matter is all thanks to Lord Zheng’s help.”

After saying that, he winked at Zheng Yishu in a fawning manner, which, combined with his bearded face, was truly an eyesore.

Zheng Yishu: ...

I'm notoriously stubborn; don't even think about getting me to put in a good word for you.

snort!

He forced a smile and bowed to Sheng Lingwei, saying, "Princess, I didn't help much. I just took those children to the iron mine and held a family reunion. Fortunately, most of the three hundred children were children of the local people in the mine, which saved us from some trouble."

The bearded man sighed inwardly. He was ultimately a nobody, not even worthy of being mentioned in front of Lord Zheng, which was why the lord didn't want to speak well of him.

Fine, if you don't want to say, then don't!

The bearded man comforted himself for a moment and then quickly chimed in, "Yes, Princess, the remaining children are all from ordinary families in Xianyang County. Thanks to the efforts of my brothers and me, they have all found their families. Congratulations!"

Sheng Lingwei nodded, "Yes, thank you for your hard work these past few days."

The bearded man grinned and waved his hand, saying, "It's no trouble at all, it's my duty. Does the princess have any other instructions?"

Sheng Lingwei shook her head, "There's nothing else for you to do right now, but your brothers have to obediently go to the mines to work. As for you..."

The bearded man's body tensed, and he looked at Sheng Lingwei with a nervous expression, praying in his heart that the princess would not let him go mining.

Time ticked by, and the bearded man broke out in a cold sweat, growing increasingly nervous. He was more anxious than if he were about to be beheaded.

Sheng Lingwei smiled faintly, her sharp gaze fixed on the bearded man.

"Given your excellent performance during this period, I have decided to take you to Yucheng County. With me, you only need to do one thing: be loyal and never betray me. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

The bearded man's eyes lit up, and he immediately roared loudly, his excitement almost causing him to have an epileptic seizure, leaving everyone both amused and exasperated.

Immediately afterwards, Sheng Lingwei took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve and threw it to the bearded man.

"This is the antidote. Take it and share it with your brothers. Tell them that people have to pay the price for what they do."

"It is already an immense act of mercy of me to spare their lives. I warn them not to even think about escaping. I will send people to supervise them at any time. Once they are in the mines, they should work hard. If they behave well, they will regain their freedom in just a few years."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The bearded man was overjoyed, carefully holding the porcelain bottle in his large hands, his heart filled with emotion, almost to the point of tears.

Waaaaaa x﹏x

Her Highness is truly kind; she must have been showing leniency towards his brothers because of him.

He'll definitely brag about it to them later, hehe!

Sheng Lingwei: "..." Imagination is a good thing, but please don't overdo it!

After the bearded man left, Zheng Yishu stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Princess, the money you entrusted to me has all been distributed to the miners. They wish to express their gratitude to you in person."

Sheng Lingwei smiled and shook her head.

"There's no need for a face-to-face thank you. The extreme cold weather is over now, and they don't need to stay in the mine any longer. Let them choose for themselves whether to stay or leave."

If they wish to stay in Xianyang County, they should go to the newly arrived Prefect Zhao, who will arrange their resettlement; if they wish to go elsewhere, they may do so, but they should be reminded to be careful.

In addition, one-third of the grain from the mine was kept, and the remainder was distributed to each household according to their population size.

Zheng Yishu respectfully accepted the order, and then continued, "Princess, many people want to follow you to Yucheng County to settle down. I wonder if you agree?"

"Follow me to Yucheng County?" Sheng Lingwei was surprised. "Yucheng County is a barren land, also known as the City of Villains. Haven't they heard of it?"

Zheng Yishu smiled helplessly, "Princess, of course they have heard of the fearsome reputation of Yucheng County, but they said that they don't trust anyone else now, only you, Princess. Even if it's a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, they are willing to go with you."

They even said, "Your Highness, you are a god descended to earth, and they are willing to be your most loyal servants, never to betray you for all eternity."

Sheng Lingwei couldn't help but smile. These people were quite perceptive, asking, "Have you counted the number of people? Approximately how many are there?"

"Your Highness, there are more than 12,000 people who wish to follow you."

"More than 12,000 people?" Sheng Lingwei's tone suddenly rose; she was shocked by the number.

She glanced at Yue Mingxi and the others in the hall; they all wore expressions of shock, clearly not expecting so many people to be willing to follow her.

Zheng Yishu nodded solemnly, “Princess, the number of people is definitely several thousand. I have counted them several times and there is absolutely no mistake in the count.”

"Alright, I understand."

Sheng Lingwei sighed deeply and looked at Jing Qingyun for help.

"Xiao Yunzi, what do you think about this? If it were just a few hundred people, I would be willing to take them with me, but the key is that there are more than ten thousand people. There are too many people, and I don't even know what to say."