Chapter 470 The Female Governor
In the warm spring of March, thousands of sails compete to set sail at Tianjin Port.
On the magnificent "Jingfan" treasure ship, Daiyu stepped onto the deck of a seagoing vessel for the first time.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, caressed her face and stirred her moon-white cloak.
"Is the princess settling in well?" the Tenth Prince asked with concern, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.
Daiyu smiled slightly: "It's better than I imagined. Thank you, Your Highness, for recommending me to serve as the Governor of Shixin Prefecture. I will certainly live up to this trust."
This matter caused a great uproar in the imperial court.
When the Tenth Prince requested that Daiyu serve as the governor of Shixin Prefecture, the entire court was in an uproar.
"A woman as governor? Unheard of!" The Minister of Rites was the first to object.
The Minister of War also said, "Those remote and uncivilized overseas lands have undeveloped customs; how can women possibly govern them?"
Even officials who had always supported women's political participation hesitated: "Princess Lin is talented, but the position of governor-general is no small matter..."
The Tenth Prince remained calm and composed: "Since you gentlemen all feel it's inappropriate, then I will not accept this fiefdom. Whoever thinks they can govern Shixin Prefecture well, may go!"
After these words, everyone fell silent.
Everyone knows that Shixin Prefecture was formed by the merger of more than a dozen small kingdoms, with different languages and customs, and some tribes were still in the era of slash-and-burn agriculture.
This is such a mess, we'd rather avoid it than take it on.
Seeing this, the Emperor went along with it: "Since my tenth brother insists, I grant his request. Lin Daiyu, listen to my decree: I hereby appoint you as the Governor-General of Shixin Prefecture, with full authority to govern the region. I hope you will live up to my expectations, educate the barbarians, and demonstrate the majesty of the Celestial Empire."
When Daiyu knelt to receive the imperial edict, she clearly felt the questioning gazes coming from all directions.
But she felt no fear; instead, a surge of pride welled up within her—this was the first time a woman had served as a high-ranking official in a region, and she was determined to make a name for herself!
Before setting sail, Daiyu made thorough preparations.
She specially selected female students from the Women's Academy who were proficient in medicine, agriculture, and crafts to accompany her, and also asked Yuan Hongqu to take out many practical classics from her space.
“I have translated all these books into the local language,” Yuan Hongqu said, pointing to several large boxes of books. “They contain agricultural techniques, medical knowledge, textile technology… I hope they can be of help to you.”
Daiyu said gratefully, "Don't worry, Granny, I will definitely make Shixin Prefecture a new place."
After sailing for more than a month, the fleet finally arrived at Xin'an Port, the largest port in Exin State.
The dock was crowded with locals who were watching the spectacle. They were dark-skinned, simply dressed, and curiously eyeing the female governor from the Celestial Empire.
"Welcome, Your Excellency!" A local official stepped forward and bowed in broken Mandarin.
Daiyu noticed that although these officials appeared respectful on the surface, their eyes held a hint of disdain.
She remained calm and replied in fluent local dialect, "Thank you all for your hard work."
Everyone was taken aback by his words.
They hadn't expected that the young female governor would speak their language.
In the days that followed, Daiyu displayed remarkable administrative skills.
She first toured various places to understand the people's conditions.
Discovering that the locals mostly relied on fishing and hunting for a living and that agriculture was very backward, he selected crops suitable for the local climate from the seeds brought by the fleet and taught the people how to plant them.
“This kind is called ‘potato,’ and it’s drought-resistant and can grow in poor soil; this kind is called ‘corn,’ and it has a very high yield…” Daiyu personally went to the field to demonstrate, without putting on any airs of a governor.
The local people had never seen such a high-yield crop before, and they all followed suit.
In just over a month, lush green rice seedlings sprouted in the newly reclaimed fields.
What impressed the locals even more was that the female physician brought by Daiyu cured many difficult and complicated diseases.
A tribal chief's son had a persistent high fever, and the shaman was helpless. A female physician saved him with just a few doses of herbal medicine. The chief was extremely grateful and personally led his people to submit to the tribe.
However, the road to governance has not been smooth sailing.
On this day, Daiyu was handling official business when she suddenly heard a commotion outside.
It turned out that several tribes had fought each other over a hunting ground, and more than a dozen people had already died.
“Your Excellency, this is a tricky matter.” The local official looked troubled. “These tribes have always been at odds, and we can’t persuade them to stay together.”
Daiyu, however, remained calm and composed: "Prepare the horses; I will personally go to mediate."
Upon arriving at the scene of the conflict, they found two groups of people locked in a tense standoff, with several corpses lying on the ground.
Daiyu walked straight between the two sides and said loudly in the local dialect, "We are all people of Shixin Prefecture, why do we have to kill each other?"
A tribal chief roared, "They stole our hunting grounds!"
Another leader retorted, "The hunting grounds were originally ours!"
Daiyu looked around and suddenly pointed to the barren mountainside and asked, "Why is no one cultivating this mountainside?"
Everyone was stunned.
The mountainous area was barren, and no one had ever thought of farming it.
Daiyu said, "The struggle for hunting grounds is nothing more than a lack of food. If we could cultivate this mountain land and grow high-yield crops, why would we need to fight over hunting grounds?"
She immediately ordered someone to bring potato seeds and demonstrated how to plant them in the mountains.
They also promised: "If you are willing to clear land for planting, the government will provide seeds and exempt you from taxes for three years."
This suggestion impressed everyone.
After all, hunting is full of risks. If one can live a stable life farming, who would be willing to risk their life?
A bloody conflict was thus resolved without a trace.
After achieving initial success in the coastal plains, Daiyu turned her attention to the towering mountains and deep valleys in the interior.
According to local officials, there is a tribe called "Blood Fang" deep in the mountains that still retains the barbaric practice of cannibalism and has repeatedly attacked surrounding villages.
"The Bloodfang tribe is notoriously cruel. Several nearby tribes have tried to unite against them, but all have failed. They are helpless against them," the Prefect of Xin'an advised. "It would be best for the Governor-General not to take any risks."
Daiyu, however, said, “As the governor, how can I retreat because of danger? Besides, the barbaric custom of cannibalism must be eradicated, otherwise Shixin Prefecture will never be truly civilized.”
She personally selected a team of guards, composed of those trained by Lan Su, each of whom was exceptionally skilled.
Before leaving, Lan Su tied a soft sword to Daiyu's waist: "At the crucial moment, there is no need to show mercy."
Lan Su was afraid that if she wasn't by Daiyu's side, Daiyu would relapse into her soft-heartedness.
Although this possibility is almost nonexistent, blue pigments must be resolutely eliminated!
After three days of venturing deep into the mountains, we finally arrived at the territory of the Bloodfang tribe.
But there were piles of white bones hanging on the cliff, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
The tribespeople had dark skin and strange totems painted on their faces. When they saw Daiyu and her group, their eyes gleamed with a predatory light.
"The Governor-General of the Celestial Empire has arrived. Please have your leader come out and speak," Daiyu announced loudly in the tribal language she had just learned.
A burly leader with a bone necklace stepped forward, grinning maliciously, "A delicate little girl is perfect as a sacrifice!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than several strong men from the tribe pounced on him.
The guards behind Daiyu immediately attacked, and with a flash of sword light, the two men at the front fell to the ground.
"If you dare to step forward again, kill me without mercy!" Daiyu shouted sternly, her soft sword already drawn.
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