Finally, the crowd could not dissuade her, and the main force marched directly towards the Prefectural Governor's Office of Beiyuan County.
She took Bai Mei, Mo Mei, Ying Yi, Ying Er, Xiao Xuan, and several guards with her, pretending to be a wealthy young lady sightseeing and visiting relatives.
Without deciding on a direction, they randomly chose a county and set off.
Of course, she wasn't without targets. Yin Yi sent over several targets for the crackdown on organized crime, and she planned to go and see for herself just how evil the local officials had become.
The first one was Heiwu County in Beizhou, a name she was familiar with.
Bai Feng discovered that the local magistrate was colluding with the man in gray to hide weapons in the mountains behind the area.
Perfect timing! She'll make the trip herself today and settle the accounts while she's at it.
The group did not enter Heiwu County, but planned to walk around and look at the nearby villages.
In Beizhou, spring plowing and planting are in full swing. The whole family is out working, weeding, plowing, planting, and transplanting rice seedlings. Lin Muzhen has already proposed this method, and it will be promoted soon.
A bustling scene unfolds as far as the eye can see.
Upon arriving at a certain target village, Xiao Zhixing, dressed in ordinary black clothing, casually found a ridge in a field and met the gaze of an old man sitting on the ridge smoking a pipe.
Xiao Zhixing smiled and said, "Grandpa, judging from the weather, this year should be a good harvest."
The old man hesitated for a moment before replying to her cautiously, "Thanks to God, the spring rains this year have indeed come just in time."
Xiao Zhixing simply went over and sat down on the edge of the field without any hesitation, chatting with him, "Grandpa, you speak Mandarin so well, are you the village head here?"
The old man's smile deepened. "Ah, it's all thanks to the villagers' kindness in recommending me for this humble village chief position. As for why I speak Mandarin so well, that has to do with that... that Northern Prefecture's governing principles."
Xiao Zhixing smiled and said, "I've heard about it too. I was curious, and seeing your extraordinary demeanor, I came to inquire."
The old man became slightly wary. "What are you asking about? Those guidelines and regulations are posted at the government office. There's no need to ask."
Xiao Zhixing, in a good-natured manner, cupped his hands and said, "Hey, I admire Prince Yuansheng, and this time I came to Beizhou to visit relatives. I wanted to see the Beizhou she governed. Along the way, I saw many strange things, and I couldn't contain my curiosity, so I took the liberty of chatting with you about them."
The old man said, "Oh, what are you talking about? Those strange things haven't been around for long, there's nothing to talk about."
"Judging from your expression, you don't seem to support these things?"
The old man shook his head. "No, that's not it. Take cement, for example. It paves roads very quickly. My fifth son came back from Beiyuan County and said that it's all paved there now. It's clean and flat. It's a good thing. In the future, the whole of Beizhou will be paved with it."
"There was also this Mandarin training. The county specially took us old guys to the county government office to give us lessons, requiring us to be able to speak it even if we couldn't write it."
"I can recite the Three Character Classic very well."
Under Xiao Zhixing's encouraging and admiring gaze, the old man gradually forgot his restraint and began to speak fluently:
"I heard that the higher-ups are going to set up free primary schools in the village, not only teaching children to read, but also teaching us to identify medicinal herbs and plants. There's also militia training, which men, women, young and old can all participate in. All these changes make me very happy."
"Furthermore, there's the reclamation of wasteland for farming, rent-free land, and low-priced seeds and tools. The newly reclaimed land belongs to the people, and new high-yield grains are being promoted. Oh, I can't possibly list them all at once. They're all good things, great things, that is..."
The old man frowned.
Xiao Zhixing asked, "What is it? Since it's all good news, why does the old man look like this?"
The old man took a puff of his pipe and sighed, "The Northern Prefecture is poor. Every single thing here costs a fortune. How can we raise a mere child like Prince Yuansheng?"
"She also has to support an army of over 100,000 people, and everyone is worried that these good things won't last long."
"Prince Yuansheng is mighty, driving the Northern Barbarians out of the pass. Now he takes pity on us. We feel guilty. Aren't we taking advantage of him?"
Xiao Zhixing was both amused and exasperated. She had thought it was a problem with the policy not being adapted to local conditions, which had caused some conflicts. She never expected it to be like this.
"Haha, don't worry, sir. The prince is not poor, and the court will support her. She can still afford to support the entire northern prefecture."
The old man glanced at her sideways and said, "Young lady, you don't know the cost of firewood and rice when you're not in charge of the household. These new policies will cost a lot of money. I just hope that Prince Yuansheng can hold on."
Xiao Zhixing chuckled, “Grandpa, actually the prince’s original intention was to enrich the people. If the people are rich, all industries in Beizhou will thrive, and there will be more tax revenue. Under this virtuous cycle, she won’t lose too much.”
The old man waved his hand, "Isn't that what we benefited from? It's her skill that the prince didn't lose out."
Finally, she breathed a slight sigh of relief, seemingly comforted by her words.
As they talked, it got to noon. When the old man heard that she was just passing by and taking a break, he warmly invited her to come to his home for a visit.
Xiao Zhixing gladly went.
"We've been chatting for so long, and I still don't know your surname, sir?"
Upon entering the six-room stone-tiled courtyard, Xiao Zhixing smiled and said, "Look at your house, it's really impressive. Your family is thriving."
"Just call me Old Man Li, young lady. Everyone in our Li Family Village has the surname Li," Old Man Li said cheerfully. "The kids are doing well, each with their own livelihood. My wife and I stay here to protect their future."
After inquiring, it was learned that he had five sons and one daughter, all of whom were successful. His youngest son had already passed the imperial examination and even his grandchildren were literate.
Xiao Zhixing gave him a thumbs up, saying, "You're a master at managing the household."
Grandpa Li was pleased with the praise, saying, "It's all because my child is so filial."
At that moment, a young girl and an old woman entered the courtyard.
The girl was covering her eyes and crying out, "Daddy, Daddy, give me some clean water! Ah, it hurts so much!"
The old woman anxiously helped her daughter up and put down the basket. "Old man, quick, Juan'er's eyes are stinging! Give her some water!"
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