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

When Shen Zheng woke up, it was already bright, and he estimated that it was almost noon.

She lay on the bed, staring at the bed curtains in a daze.

Most of the quilt had been kicked off the bed, so she only had enough to cover her calves.

She was wondering whether she should go to the Ministry of Industry or the Ministry of Revenue first today.

But no matter which way she goes first, she still has to think about the blast furnace drawings she will give to the Ministry of Industry.

The blast furnace in Tongan County is just a small one, which is not too difficult to cast, so the function of the furnace is also very simple, and it is enough for the main purpose.

But the blast furnace of the Ministry of Industry is not enough. This one not only needs to be comprehensive in functions, but also needs to be able to keep up with mass production.

If she only relied on her own hand-drawn drawings...

Shen Zheng felt a little uneasy. After staring at the bed curtains for a while, she turned over and got out of bed.

As soon as she made the slightest noise, there was a knock on the door, and Pei Yu's voice came: "Are you awake, sir?"

"Come in." Shen Zheng squatted on the ground and rummaged through the boxes he brought.

The door was pushed open.

Pei Yu walked in quietly and saw Shen Zheng, who was only wearing underwear and squatting on the ground looking for something.

"Ah..." She cried softly, and quickly picked up a coat from the plain clothes rack, trying to put it on Shen Zheng, "Sir, the dew has just faded, it's still a little cold..."

"No problem." Shen Zheng knew her body well. "What time is it now?"

"It's exactly noon." Pei Yu stood beside her holding her coat, looking down, not daring to look at the cage she was rummaging through.

Shen Zheng took out a homemade folder from the box and asked, "Have you had dinner?"

Pei Yu was slightly stunned. "The servants have all finished their meals. Wu Dan went to get some hot water. Gan Tang is instructing the adults on their breakfast. Sister Mu Qing and Nanny Gu are together in the main hall..."

Speaking of this, Pei Yu seemed to not know how to describe it.

While looking through the blueprints, Shen Zheng asked, "What are you doing in the main hall?"

"Accept..." Pei Yu frowned slightly, "Accept the gift."

"Accept gifts?" Shen Zheng stood up. "Whose gifts are they?"

"Madame Gu said that most of the families in the capital would send you a gift of a new house." Pei Yu counted on her fingers and recalled, "After you went to bed yesterday, a man came to your house. Madame Gu said he was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Later, the Xu Mansion, General Lin's Mansion, General Zhongwu's Mansion, and..."

Pei Yu didn't remember everything, she just said: "Many families had people coming. After they heard that the master had gone to bed, they said they would send people again today, and then early this morning, the front of the mansion was full of carriages carrying gifts."

Pei Yu didn't know whether she should accept this gift.

But she knew that when she was at home, her mother would carefully record all the interpersonal relationships in the family.

Which family will return the gift in the future and which family still owes her family a gift are all clearly recorded in the account book.

Although it is the family that is receiving the gift now, the principle of returning the gift should be followed...it shouldn't be too different, right?

The process of returning the gift is usually unpleasant. For example, her mother was cursing inwardly while preparing to return the gift.

She glanced at Shen Zheng secretly.

There was no joy or unhappiness as imagined. The person in front of him had a calm expression and just said, "I'll go take a look."

After saying that, Shen Zheng put down the blueprint and put on his official robe.

"I'll change your clothes for you." Pei Yu quickly put down her casual clothes.

"No need." Shen Zheng lowered her head and adjusted her sleeves. "Pei Yu, from now on, I don't need to wait on you when I get up, and you don't need to wait outside."

Pei Yu suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with panic and fear, "Sir, this servant..."

Did she say something wrong just now and make the adults unhappy?

Will the adults... not want her anymore?

Before Shen Zheng could say anything, Pei Yu had already knelt down, and there was a dull sound when her knees touched the ground.

Shen Zheng was startled. "Get up! What are you doing? Have you forgotten what I said yesterday?"

Pei Yu raised her head with red eyes, "I dare not..."

"If you don't dare, get up."

"I dare not get up." Pei Yu's voice trembled, "My lord, I was wrong, I will change, please, please don't send me back..."

"..."

Shen Zheng secretly cursed the harm that slavery had done to human nature.

Where is this?

She clearly spoke to Peiyu in a kind voice, but Peiyu felt that it was the calm before the storm. Peiyu didn't even know where she was wrong, but the first thing she said was "I was wrong."

Her words "No need to serve you" directly turned into "I don't want you anymore, haha, I'm going to throw you away and let you go back to be beaten" in Peiyu's ears.

On the surface, the two people's conversation is irrelevant and a bit funny.

But after realizing the underlying situation, Shen Zheng couldn't laugh at all, and only felt bitterness in her throat.

For the first time, she truly felt that the lives of the maids and servants in the mansion were like the thin ropes in her left hand, and in her right hand, she held a pair of sharp scissors.

She didn't even need to use any strength. Just lightly passing the rope over the scissors would take half the lives of Pei Yu and the others.

Slaves have no human rights.

"Pei Yu." Shen Zheng squatted down in front of Pei Yu. "I don't want to send you back. Whether it's you, Mu Qing and the others, or anyone else in the mansion, as long as you don't do anything that harms the world, I will not abandon you, nor will I kill you. You have to remember, your name is Pei Yu, your last name is Shen, Shen Pei Yu."

Pei Yu still buried her head, but her shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably.

Shen Zheng sighed, "I really don't need you to take care of my daily life, such as dressing and washing. You don't have to wait outside at night for orders."

Pei Yu had just felt half relieved, but she became worried again after hearing what he said.

The master doesn't need them to serve him in anything, so what else can they do by staying in the mansion?

"I have something more important for you." Shen Zheng pulled her up, tilted her head slightly to look at her, and asked, "Do you want to learn to read?"

"Recognize...recognize words?" Pei Yu thought she had misheard.

Shen Zheng nodded, "Learning to read, and arithmetic, etc. I really don't need you to serve me, but I need a left and right arm."

She has too few people who can be used.

Before in Tongan County, the only people who could help in the business world were Xu Zhubu, Wang Guangjin, and Mo Qingwan.

After she came to the capital, she was afraid that she would be even more short of money when hiring people.

Yesterday she was thinking about how to train Pei Yu and the others.

After all, he is a gift from the Emperor, so there must be no problem with his brain, so... make the best use of him.

Pei Yu was stunned by this huge surprise.

Tears were still on her cheeks, but her eyes were filled with unspeakable joy. "I want to learn to read and count. I dream about it!"

Before, my younger brother was the only one in the family who could read books, and he was also the only one who could touch my father’s writing.

For the six sisters, even a single look at him was a luxury.

"If you want to learn to read and count, you have to listen to me from now on." Shen Zheng took out the belt and tied it with her head down. "I will talk to Gu Mama later and ask her to hire a little teacher for you. Don't look at the little teacher's age. He is very strict when teaching people. You have to study hard, understand?"

Pei Yu couldn't stop nodding.

Outside the door, both Wodan and Gantang had tears in their eyes.