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

This carriage looks ordinary. If you look at it from the outside, you would think it is just an ordinary merchant's carriage. But once you step inside, you will not think so.

The ebony carved ceiling, brocade hangings on the walls, the sandalwood small table, the exquisite tea sets, and the bronze carved incense burner all speak of the owner's nobility.

Shen Zheng secretly compared this carriage with Yu Shizhang's car, and had to admit a heartbreaking fact - Yu Shizhang, the Earl of Yongning's car, was not even as good as others!

The little maid Huang Jin had been secretly watching Shen Zheng. After getting permission from the nanny, she put out all the snacks in the car in one breath.

"Master Shen, try some snacks!"

She secretly placed her favorite snack in front of Shen Zheng and looked at Shen Zheng with her bright little rabbit eyes.

Shen Zheng couldn't pretend not to see such a "burning" gaze. She could only pick up a piece of dessert and put it in her mouth and chew it slowly. "Delicious, thank you."

Huang Jin smiled secretly and poured another cup of tea for Shen Zheng, "Master Shen, have some tea!"

Finally, she couldn't refuse the kindness, and under Huang Jin's gaze, Shen Zheng took another sip of tea.

I have to say that the old lady is a person with great taste. The fragrance of tea and flowers blend together, and after one sip, the aftertaste is endless, and even your nostrils are fragrant.

Despite the bumpy ride in the carriage, the old lady still sat upright and dignified, as if this sitting posture had been engraved in her bones.

"My surname is Cang." The old lady looked at Shen Zheng with a smile.

The next moment, her eyes were attracted by the brand on Shen Zheng's waist, and she asked, "Sir Shen, your brand is so special, so clear, I wonder what material it is made of?"

Huang Jin and the nanny looked over.

Shen Zheng also lowered her head and looked at her waist.

It is said that wealthy people know what is good and can tell the difference at a glance.

Shen Zheng took off the lanyard of the colored glass tablet and handed it to Madam Cang. "When I have free time, I like to tinker with little gadgets. This thing is something I made recently. It is made by melting a variety of minerals."

Without waiting for the nanny to extend her hand, Old Lady Cang took the glass plate from Shen Zheng.

Huang Jin held up the curtain for them. The old lady leaned slightly sideways and looked carefully at the object in her hand in the bright sunlight.

She looked through it for a long time before she sighed, "I have never seen such a material before. It looks like jade and ceramics, so exquisite. Lord Shen, does this thing have a name?"

Shen Zheng hesitated slightly.

——Old Madam Cang is from Shangjing, and she is also a prominent figure in Shangjing. She will return to Beijing soon. If she lets the glass leak out first, there may be trouble later.

To be on the safe side, Shen Zheng did not tell the truth, but only said: "This thing is difficult to make, so I haven't had time to name it yet."

The old lady nodded slightly, and then she looked at it for a while before handing the glass tablet back to Shen Zheng. She also said, "I hope that when I see you next time, Lord Shen, this item will have been named. If there are still some left, I would like to buy some from you."

Shen Zheng paused slightly as she was tying the tag.

This old lady...is she so sure that they will meet again?

She didn't show it on her face, and smiled, "To be honest, I really want to bake more, so... I'll take advantage of the old lady's good wishes."

The old lady nodded slightly with a calm look in her eyes.

Just when Shen Zheng thought she would not speak again, she asked another not-so-peaceful question.

"In Lord Shen's eyes, what kind of person is the present?"

"Cough cough——" Shen Zheng was choked by her saliva in surprise.

This feeling... is like someone is telling you what a nice weather it is one moment, and the next moment asking you how much money you have in savings and if they can lend you some.

Even Huang Jin and the nanny looked surprised.

They didn't expect that the old lady would ask so directly without even the slightest preparation.

Shen Zheng endured the discomfort in her throat and looked at the old lady, "Why do you ask that?"

Madam Cang's expression remained unchanged. "Sir Shen is the first female official in the Great Zhou Dynasty. I came here because of your reputation. So I want to know, as the first female official, what do you think of the Great Zhou Dynasty today, and how do you think of the current emperor who has opened up the imperial examination system?"

Shen Zheng was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly, "I still don't quite understand what you mean. Your Majesty is the king, and I am the minister. If Your Majesty hadn't opened up the imperial examination, I wouldn't be where I am today. Therefore, in my eyes, Your Majesty is a wise, intelligent, benevolent and open-minded king."

If the person sitting in front of her was Yu Shizhang, she might have had a good chat with him, but this was just the second time she had met this old lady...

Too many words are wrong.

Madam Cang smiled and shook her head. "It is I who am being abrupt. To be honest, someone in my family works in the Ministry of Revenue, so I know a little more than others..."

Huang Jin, who was standing by, widened her eyes quietly upon hearing this.

Madam Cang continued, "Since your majesty came to power, the treasury has not been as full as before. Many people in the Ministry of Revenue have complained about your majesty. Lord Shen, do you know why?"

To be honest, Shen Zheng knew, but didn't want to know. She even wanted to jump out of the car.

She finally understood why this old lady invited her to get in the car.

So they wanted to get her to take sides and ask her to help lobby His Majesty!

"I don't know." Shen Zheng forced a smile, "Madam, I'm just a seventh-rank county magistrate. It's inappropriate for you to talk to me about this, right?"

Madam Cang seemed to have guessed that she would refuse, and smiled as she looked out the window: "If Lord Shen is unwilling, then what I said in Tongan County will only stay in Tongan County. Outside of Tongan County, I have never seen Lord Shen again."

Seeing that the other party didn't want to let her get off the car at all, Shen Zheng sighed and said, "Old Madam, no matter why you said this to me, whether it is today or in the future, I have only one position."

The old lady looked over.

"The Ministry of Revenue manages money and taxes. The reason why some people are dissatisfied with Your Majesty is because Your Majesty cares about the people and reduces taxes and levies. I understand the hard work of the Ministry of Revenue, but I know even better how difficult it is for the people."

"In the eyes of the Ministry of Revenue, taxes are only a little bit per household, and corvée is also one person per household, which seems to have little impact on a family. But I live with the people day and night, and I see everything. What the Ministry of Revenue thinks is 'a little bit' is not 'a little bit', and what the Ministry of Revenue thinks is 'one person' is not 'one person'."

"Your Majesty is only doing what a wise ruler should do. It is easy to conceal the suffering of the people, but it is difficult to deceive the will of heaven. Old Madam, if you want me to go to the capital to speak for the Ministry of Revenue, I am sorry that I cannot comply."

Ignoring the surprised looks of Madam Cang and the others, Shen Zheng lifted the car curtain and got out.

"parking!"

Mei the coachman and Luluo heard about 70% of the conversation in the car. When they turned to look at Shen Zheng, their eyes were complicated.