Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Shen Zheng didn't quite agree.

"It's true that being convicted of theft won't hurt my reputation, but reputation is worth a few coins. Do you think that scoundrel begging for mercy really knows he's wrong?"

Xu Zhubu also shook his head: "He is just scared."

Shen Zheng looked at him seriously: "Because I am the county magistrate and you are the chief clerk, he is afraid. If it were any other ordinary woman, he would only become more aggressive after he succeeded."

"And there may be more than one woman victimized." Shen Zheng continued.

Xu Zhubu also began to face this problem at this time. Yes, he only cared about Shen Zheng's reputation, but what if the victim was not Shen Zheng, or he did not go out to look for her last night.

He didn't dare to think about what would happen.

Shen Zheng had a fierce look on her face at this moment. She really hated that kind of person who took advantage of his natural strength and used a woman's reputation as a handle to bully a woman.

"That rascal must be beaten up once and for all, so that he and others like him will never dare to do that again."

"So we must not only beat them hard, but also spread the word!"

Xu Zhubu looked at Shen Zheng in front of him and found that she was very dazzling at this moment.

He couldn't help but say, "Your Excellency is right. We will deal with that man properly when we get back."

The two constables standing by heard everything the two men said and became furious.

"Are you talking about the prisoner that Xu Zhubu brought back last night? The neighbors call him Liu Bucktooth. He is idle all day long and does not work. It's ok for him to steal petty thefts, but he can actually do such a thing!"

One of the constables said this angrily. He had already made up his mind that he would call his brothers to give that guy a beating when they returned to the county government office!

"That person is a parasite if he stays in Tong'an County. When we return to the county government, we will investigate the streets to see if there are any other victims. Then we can punish him for all his crimes!"

Another detective thought more about it and believed that it was impossible for a man like Liu Bucktooth to commit only one crime.

Shen Zheng felt warm in her heart when she saw the two detectives sincerely caring about her and the neighbors.

"Once today's business is over, we will go back!"

As the four of them were talking, they arrived at Shanghe Village, the starting point of canal digging.

At this time, the riverside was bustling with people, including conscripted laborers, their families, and nearby villagers who came to watch the fun.

Someone with sharp eyes saw the four people and immediately shouted loudly: "The county magistrate and the chief clerk are here!"

The crowd moved to the sides to make way for the four people.

A middle-aged man came towards the two of them. Xu Zhubu turned around and whispered to Shen Zheng:

"This is Wu Lizheng from Shanghe Village. He is quite knowledgeable in civil engineering. Yesterday I showed him the map you drew, and he insisted on meeting you. Digging a canal is a big deal for every village, so I notified each Lizheng to be responsible for the overall arrangement of the canal section in their village."

Shen Zheng nodded, turned around and whispered, "I'm at ease with Xu Zhubu doing the job."

"Mr. County Magistrate! Mr. Chief Clerk!" At this time, Wu Lizheng walked up to the two of them.

Shen Zheng felt a little uncomfortable under his fiery gaze, and she coughed lightly and moved to the side.

Wu Lizheng also realized that he was being rude, and bowed to Shen Zheng to apologize: "I am rude. Yesterday I saw the picture drawn by the county magistrate, it was really wonderful! I couldn't sleep at night, and I was looking forward to seeing you today!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Wu Lizheng. Let's go to the front and take a look. If everything is correct, we'll get ready to start work." Shen Zheng knew that she didn't deserve the compliment, so she didn't want to exchange pleasantries with him.

Several people walked towards the river dam. The breeze was just right today and the river surface was sparkling.

Shen Zheng looked at the river rushing in front of her and a smile appeared on her lips.

From now on, this will be the mother river of the entire Tongan County. The first step to making the county rich depends on it!

At this time, Wu Lizheng, who was standing nearby, asked the villagers to bring a table with incense burners and some fruits on it. One of the villagers was holding a big rooster.

Wu Lizheng looked at the villagers who were setting up their counters, and said to Shen Zheng and Xu Zhubu, "Sir, digging a canal is a big deal. According to custom, we must first pay homage to the river god and ask him to bless us to do things smoothly."

Shen Zheng nodded in understanding. At times like these, it was better to just trust the truth. Moreover, in her previous era, even before a construction site started, an expert had to be invited to take a look.

If ghosts and gods really exist, it is a respectful act. If not, it will give everyone peace of mind.

After the villagers had set up the table, Wu Lizheng took out the incense on the table and handed three sticks to Shen Zheng and Xu Zhubu respectively.

The man holding the rooster at the side also raised his knife and cut the rooster's neck. The rooster struggled for a while in his hand and then became motionless. Then he bent down, holding the rooster with a bleeding neck, and walked around the three people and the table.

The vermilion rooster's blood slowly dripped onto the ground, just circling the three people and the table.

Shen Zheng and the other two at the table lit the long incense sticks with the candlelight and held them high above their heads. Wu Lizheng shouted devoutly towards the wide river:

"May the country be peaceful and prosperous, and the weather be good!"

The three of them bowed sincerely towards the river in front of them.

"Second bow, may the crops be abundant and the whole family be healthy!"

The three bowed again.

"Three bows, everything goes well!"

The three bowed again.

"It's done!"

They respectfully inserted the long incense sticks in their hands into the incense holder.

Wu Lizheng smiled happily. The river god must have accepted the incense they had offered. He said to Shen Zheng, "Sir, we can start working now."

Shen Zheng cleared his throat and looked at the crowds of people on the dam, all waiting for the order to start work.

She said loudly: "Today is the day when Tongan County starts digging canals. This concerns the livelihood of our county. I hope everyone will take it seriously!"

"Okay!" The people on the dam responded to Shen Zheng enthusiastically. Their voices were so loud that they shook the sky.

"Start work!" Shen Zheng waved his hand, and the most important thing in Tongan County today - digging the canal - officially began!

There were 500 recruited laborers plus 26 refugees who were registered as villagers in Shanghe Village, excluding a pregnant woman, for a total of 525 laborers. Two constables also joined the labor team hoping to do some work.

Wu Lizheng divided the laborers into five large teams, and each large team was divided into ten small teams.

Each team, led by a team leader, is responsible for a part of the project, and everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Shen Zheng and Xu Zhubu walked along the dam. They looked at the enthusiasm on every worker's face and were genuinely happy.

It is really not easy for Tongan County now to provide jobs for hundreds of people.

"Lord Shen! Master Xu!" At this time, someone nearby called the two of them.

Shen Zheng looked closely and found that it was Li Hongmao and his companions.

Although their bodies were still very thin, the spirit and energy they exuded was very different from the first time I met them.

Shen Zheng asked, "Mr. Li, are you getting used to Shanghe Village now?"

Before Li Hongmao could speak, the other new villagers started talking.

"Get used to it! Wu Lizheng is very kind to us. He even asked the brothers and uncles in the village to help us build the shed!"

"Yes! They even sent us food!"

Li Hongmao also smiled and said: "Thanks to Wu Lizheng for his appreciation, I can be your team leader."

When Shen Zheng heard this, she realized that Wu Lizheng was not xenophobic, so she felt relieved.

At this time, Wu Lizheng sent someone to find Xu Zhubu, saying that he had some matters to discuss with him, so Xu Zhubu followed the man.

While Shen Zheng was chatting and laughing with Li Hongmao and others, she felt something tugging at her sleeve.

She turned sideways and saw the two brothers Zhao Shui and Zhao Tu.

The two young men looked ashamed and did not dare to look up at Shen Zheng. They just stuffed the handkerchiefs in their hands into her.

Although this handkerchief is old, it can be washed very clean.

Shen Zheng picked up the handkerchief and pinched it. It seemed that there was something wrapped inside. She asked the two brothers in confusion, "What is this?"

"You will know if you open it and take a look!"

After saying that, the two teenagers ran away. Although they were on the labor list, they were not yet grown up, so Wu Lizheng asked them to help in the public kitchen.

Before Shen Zheng could open the handkerchief to take a look, a cry for help came from the river dam nearby.

"Help! Help!"