Xiao Zhixing smiled, and kept smiling.
In the end, Murong Wanli personally wrote a letter and put it together, emphasizing that Feng Yong should read his letter first, and that the imperial physician should be on hand before opening the article.
May the Three Pure Ones be above, Amitabha Buddha.
After Murong Wanli finished reading, he kicked her out, wanting to avoid seeing her.
Xiao Zhixing smiled and personally put the letter into the eagle's little pocket, watching the falcon disappear into the horizon.
Well, she kindly wrote a letter to Feng Zhen'er as well, mentioning the matter briefly, so that if Old Man Feng really got angry and fainted, she would have an explanation to give her.
Putting that aside for now, she immediately convened the highest political meeting of the Northern State.
She hasn't seen anyone these past two days, so everyone is waiting in the prefectural governor's mansion.
Except for Lin Muzhen, whom she had already met, all the other county magistrates came, firstly to welcome her, and secondly to attend the meeting.
In Dasheng, a prefecture is comparable to a province, a county is comparable to a city, a neighborhood is comparable to a county, a town is a town, and finally a village.
The officials in towns and villages were not appointed by the imperial court, but were determined by local authorities.
That is, they are appointed by the county magistrate and the village head.
This demonstrates the immense power of county magistrates and village chiefs.
In some places, there are no towns; instead, villages are directly established.
The northern prefecture is vast, comprising ten counties. The six counties in the south and central parts are relatively small, while the four counties in the north are large.
For example, Beixiong County, where the Yanshan Palace is located, covers an area of 46,200 square kilometers and extends northward to Guixiong Pass.
It's sparsely populated, flat as a pan, mostly plains and wastelands, where horses can run fast because there are roads everywhere, but it's also troublesome to manage.
At 3:45 AM, Xiao Zhixing entered the council hall and gestured to everyone that there was no need for formalities.
Since An Ziji's family was tragically killed in the yamen, Qi Danhe disliked the old place for being unlucky, so he built a temporary yamen next to it, and the old place next to it was to be demolished and rebuilt.
The new government office is a brick and wood structure, tall and imposing, with a futuristic ancient style.
The council hall is divided into two large and small sections; the large one can accommodate a thousand people.
Xiao Zhixing walked into the small hall.
After taking his seat, his gaze swept over the three unfamiliar county magistrates. Black Crow County was currently without a county magistrate; the position was vacant.
The area has been purged by Li Sandi, and the officials there are almost all gone, so naturally no one came to the meeting.
Ji Bai, Qi Wuyi, the three sons of the Jiang family, and Ning Jin were all acquaintances, and Li Wenxiu had also officially taken up his post as her assistant.
As for the military officers, Su Zhen, Xiao Bei, and Xiao Dong were also old comrades.
Everyone looked at her with great excitement.
"I don't like to go on and on. I'll report one by one. Lord Qi, you go first."
Qi Danhe's transition from a military officer to a civil official made him the envy of all military officers in the Great Sheng Dynasty. He lived a comfortable life and even gained weight.
Knowing Xiao Zhixing's style, he dared not waste words and only said the key points: "After taking office, I followed the prince's instructions and kept a close eye on the household registration. By taking advantage of the policy of reclaiming wasteland and building farms, I have cleared out 10,000 households and nearly 70,000 people who were hiding in the area."
"Regarding the geomancy and road construction, the straight road from Beiyuan County to Xincheng is wide and straight. People worked tirelessly day and night during the winter and it was connected two months ago. From now on, it will only take three to four and a half days for a fast horse to reach Xincheng."
"We are advancing simultaneously on straight roads in the east, south, and west directions. We have already passed two counties and will reach the neighboring prefecture in about a month."
"The cost of road repairs, excluding the price of cement, was less than 100,000 taels of silver."
Xiao Zhixing asked, "With such a low expenditure, could it be that the cost of civil service work was embezzled?"
Qi Danhe's smile deepened. "Your Highness is wise. This humble official would never dare to withhold wages from the laborers. The fact that the expenses were so low is entirely due to the support of the people."
"They participated spontaneously, contributed their own strength, brought their own food and supplies, without spending a penny of the imperial court's money. Furthermore, wealthy and influential people from all walks of life generously donated money one after another, which is why such a rare thing happened."
Since ancient times, the mere mention of military service has caused people to tremble with fear. To avoid military service, ordinary people have used every ingenious method imaginable to escape it.
Unexpectedly, everyone is now eager to participate, while the officials have been relegated to menial tasks and logistics, only responsible for marking routes, pointing directions, providing technical guidance, and supplying cement and explosive powder.
"This 100,000 taels is just what I felt bad about, so I paid them their wages."
Unexpectedly, this unintentional act has yielded positive results, and the people have become even more enthusiastic.
The wealthy from various places also joined in, giving the laborers money, white rice, and bolts of cloth.
The current scene is one of joy and happiness, with officials, ordinary people, and wealthy families all beaming with delight.
"People from all over the country have joined together to petition for the straight road to be built through ten counties and connect all directions. They may not have anything else, but they have plenty of strength."
Xiao Zhixing smiled. "Not bad."
Who doesn't understand the benefits of smooth roads?
In particular, the wealthy and noble families who travel to and from various places understand very well how much trouble a flat, safe, and clean road can save them and reduce countless wasted times.
Qi Danhe grinned at the praise, then quickly said modestly, "It's all thanks to the support of these young masters. They pooled their wisdom and efforts to help this old, rough man like me out of countless troubles."
Ji Bai and the others quickly cupped their hands and said they dared not.
Xiao Zhixing laughed and said, "You have all made contributions. I have seen all your hard work. Since you can't be promoted for the time being, how about rewarding you with something mundane like a house or some gold?"
Su Zhen laughed, "A good deal."
Ji Bai smiled and said, "Perfect, I don't need to look for accommodation anymore."
Xiao Zhixing called on him, "It's your turn. Tell me about the progress."
Ji Bai was nominally the magistrate of Beiyuan County, but he actually acted as the governor of a prefecture. Qi Danhe was the person in the public eye, but he was the real mastermind behind the scenes.
Ji Bai handed the thick stack of reports in front of him to Li Wenxiu, who then passed them on to Xiao Zhixing.
Seeing that Xiao Zhixing had begun to look through the documents, he said, "I have been implementing various policies in accordance with the guidelines and instructions, prioritizing them according to their importance and urgency. Reclaiming wasteland and cultivating land is the top priority. The preliminary work of demarcating the boundaries has been completed."
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