Seeing that Jiang Zhi was not satisfied and knew that she still cared about the handwritten letter, Magistrate Zhang did not beat around the bush with her anymore.
What followed was clear: "Mrs. Jiang, I have something I want to say frankly."
While your previous donation of oak seeds to aid disaster victims was commendable, it pales in comparison to the advancements in traditional medicine and agricultural techniques.
King Zhou has countless talented people around him, many of whom are strategists and advisors. A mere method is beneath his notice. If you were to simply write it down by hand now, it would be a waste of your abilities.”
Jiang Zhi frowned, already having made up her mind.
Magistrate Zhang is absolutely right.
In reality, without the use of Qinggang powder to aid the disaster victims, only the common people suffered, and it did not affect the war situation. Whether or not they could obtain the Zhou king's handwritten letter was still unknown.
Those promises were merely a consolation by Magistrate Zhang, which delayed things: "Magistrate Zhang, are you saying that the King of Zhou's handwritten letter is worthless?"
Magistrate Zhang smiled slightly: "There are no wise rulers throughout the ages, but there are famous figures throughout the ages. How can a handwritten letter compare to a ten-mile-long memorial archway and a century-old inscription!"
Jiang Zhi froze. She felt like she was facing a game NPC, someone who had come to collect quests and level up.
It's often said that the core principle of male-oriented fiction is playing video games, leveling up one level after another, and getting stronger with each game.
The core message of female-oriented novels is to fight off mistresses; after one is defeated, another will appear, and the more you fight, the more there will be.
This old, cunning official in front of me is trying to make a name for himself and is just making empty promises to advance his career!
But……
Jiang Zhi had to admit that leveling up by defeating monsters was more fun than dealing with mistresses.
That kind of memorial archway is indeed more tempting than a handwritten letter.
Before the memorial archway, scholars dismounted from their sedan chairs and military men dismounted from their horses. Even if it wasn't a letter from the Zhou king, the Zhou king himself would have to show some respect...
Memorial archways are not erected arbitrarily; they are mainly used to commend people or events that have made meritorious contributions, achieved academic success, governed with virtue, or demonstrated loyalty, filial piety, and integrity.
Erected in the ancestral hall, it serves to display the noble virtues and great achievements of the family's ancestors, and also functions as a means of ancestor worship.
If that's the case, I, a minor character, can shine brightly even if I live in the countryside, never even entering the county town, far from the royal palace, and without being involved in power.
Beside him, Errui couldn't understand what a wise and benevolent ruler was or what a famous person was, but he could understand the inscriptions on the memorial archway and the stele.
Those are things that only people with great fame can do, and she couldn't help but feel excited: "Mother, there isn't a single archway in Pear Blossom Town yet."
Not to mention Lihua Town, even Pingchuan County only has one mourning archway.
Eighty years ago, during a drought, the house caught fire due to the dry weather. The filial son refused to escape alone and instead perished in the flames with his ailing mother. His filial piety moved heaven and earth, bringing rain. The people built a new house in gratitude for his efforts.
Jiang Zhi gritted her teeth. This was a complete upgrade from rags to riches, so of course she had to do it.
However, I still need to ask for some benefits: "Thank you for your guidance, Magistrate Zhang. I am from the countryside and my vision is a bit limited."
But even doing it well is difficult. A pharmacy I opened was almost burned down by arsonists. If safety can't be guaranteed, everything I do is in vain.
Magistrate Zhang knew about the night raid on Qingquan Bay and had been sending people to investigate.
However, too much time has passed, too much evidence has been lost, and moreover, the suspect is no longer in Pingchuan County.
Jiang Zhi was unwilling to fight the villains herself and end up hurting them both; having this clue and a record was enough.
"Since we're going to have you teach us the skills, we'll naturally make sure that Chief Song ensures the safety of the area."
Furthermore, now that two years have passed, all those dozens of acres of land in Xujia Village are yours. You can come and transfer ownership at any time.
Since you need to buy people anyway, just bring a few families back to the village.
According to previous regulations, if a displaced person did not return within two years, their house and land deeds would be invalidated. Now, they will be given directly to Jiang Zhi.
Magistrate Zhang did Jiang Zhi a favor by giving him the dozens of acres of land, and didn't forget to promote the sale of displaced people.
Giving away thirty acres of land directly is a huge investment!
This time, Jiang Zhi agreed, not only to buy people, but also to bring some refugees back to the village.
Migrants were not allowed to enter Pingchuan County. Those who fled the war were gathered in a village three miles away from the city.
Magistrate Zhang told Jiang Zhi to choose for herself, saying that buying people was a lifesaver, and it would be even better if more people could be brought to settle in Xujia Village.
More than a year later, Jiang Zhi saw those refugees fleeing famine again.
In June, Bavaria was already hot, but hundreds of people still gathered in an open space in the village to build shacks, where they were bitten by mosquitoes and stank in the sewage.
These refugees kept arriving and being resettled; they had escaped the war, but their suffering was far from over.
Not everyone who fled famine could enter the capital to do business and become rich; the vast majority of people simply found a safe village to settle down in.
Unlike Tian Gui and his group, who were all locals of Ba County, Tian Gui and his group were only frightened and hungry by the chaos of war. They settled down as soon as they had food and shelter at the medical tent.
Most of the migrants today are from other places. They have traveled thousands of miles and are exhausted. When they first arrive in Ba County, they cannot speak the language, eat the food, or even adapt to the climate.
The dampness and sweltering heat of Bavaria County meant that the refugees were sick everywhere.
Despite the large pots of medicine prepared by the county government and the thin porridge donated by some kind-hearted people, these refugees still had a hard time.
Pi Shi and Er Rui, who accompanied Jiang Zhi, had different expressions.
Pi gestured excitedly and said, "Oh dear, it's even more difficult than when we were outside Yuzhou Prefecture."
When we first arrived outside Yuzhou City, at least we had rice and grain, we all lived together, and we could even go into the city to buy and sell things. But then…then a war broke out!
Two years ago, Pi followed the whole village to the outskirts of Yuzhou Prefecture. It was only a few hundred miles away. Not only were they safe because they were surrounded by familiar people, but they also had the protagonist's halo protecting them, so they didn't suffer too much.
However, when Yuzhou Prefecture became a battlefield, they scattered, some died of illness, and a number of others perished in the chaos.
Errui no longer showed sympathy for the refugees: just as his mother said, whether they stayed or left, they were all trying to escape for their lives.
Although my mother and I stayed in the same place, we went through many hardships and almost died.
He was only worried about one thing: "Mother, these people are sick or injured. What if we take them back and they can't work?"
Ms. Pi was also worried: "Aunt Jiang, what if these people die after we take them back?"
She was initially surprised that Jiang Zhi wanted to buy people, but later she felt it was the right thing to do.
Aunt Jiang's pharmacy needs to hire more people. If bad guys target it again, and Xiaoman can't fight them off alone, it would be too dangerous.
Xu Gensheng is currently buying medicinal herbs from two sources: a pharmacy and a mosquito coil shop. He is essentially working for Aunt Jiang and receiving wages. Naturally, he hopes that Aunt Jiang's business will flourish.
When Jiang Zhi came to select people, the minor official in charge of guarding the refugees strongly supported it: "These refugees have come from afar. Even though they are sick, they are still in good health. You village chiefs should assign them to each village."
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Half of our village is now homeless. All the old houses were burned down, so it's not convenient to resettle any more refugees!"
She knew that Magistrate Zhang wanted to have the villages near the county seat take in the refugees.
Because this place is a bit more affluent, it's easier to manage.
People come from afar and certainly don't want to stay in remote, impoverished mountain areas. They're unfamiliar with those places and will either starve or be oppressed.
Therefore, when Jiang Zhi complained of poverty, Magistrate Zhang did not forcefully arrange for refugees to be sent to Xu Family Village.
Now, Jiang Zhi can decide for herself how many refugees to take.
“Sir, we want to buy people!” Errui spoke up first.
The clerk was immediately delighted when he heard about buying people: "Buying people is even better, the government can still collect taxes!"
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