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

When leaving, Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang rode together.

It was drizzling outside and the curtains of the car could not be opened, but the air filled with the smell of rain kept pouring into the nostrils of the three people.

"Jia Debo and Yan Jijiu were wrong from the beginning." Shen Zheng said: "To this day, they still don't understand why we founded Tong'an Bookstore."

Shen Zheng felt extremely insulted to have such a stupid and arrogant enemy.

Yu Shizhang was deeply concerned, but Diwu Nazheng did not quite understand: "Sir Shen, the Imperial College wants to win over the Shangjing family, which is obviously against Tongan Bookstore. Why do you still support them to open a reading building?"

From a businessman's perspective, this is "competing for the market" and "attracting high-end customers". If it can be stopped, then of course they will try their best to stop it.

Shen Zheng smiled and shook her head: "The Fifth Master doesn't quite understand either."

Under Diwu Nazheng's puzzled gaze, she slowly said, "When Tong'an Bookstore was first established, its target audience was not the rich and powerful, but ordinary scholars and common people. My uncle and I have never thought of using the bookstore to win over anyone. It is understandable that the Imperial College wants to oppose us. Since they have the ability, then let them do it."

Yu Shizhang nodded and continued, "Let's take a step back. Even if you don't sell the shop to them, can't they find a shop? They want to buy the shop, but they just have trouble finding it for us. You might as well rip them off."

The shop was originally being sold for one thousand taels, but now they asked for two thousand taels. Should Yan Fengci buy it or not?

In order to make them unhappy, you have to buy it even if it means breaking your teeth.

"But we are not unhappy at all." Shen Zheng said with a smile: "They are willing to give out books, how can it not be a good thing? If he takes a book, we can ask someone to borrow one, and the one we borrow will be ours. Since it is ours, it also belongs to Tong'an Bookstore."

"..."

Diwu Na's face shuddered and his expression almost went out of control.

Lord Shen is so...carefree when doing things?

Shen Zheng grinned, "Master Fifth, didn't you expect me to be so shameless?"

"No, no..." Diwu Nazheng snapped his fingers, "It's not that I'm shameless, I just feel that Lord Shen is so..."

He paused for a moment, racking his brains to think of a compliment: "You can succeed in anything you do this way."

Which of the scholars he knows doesn't care about face?

There are really not many people who can achieve what Shen Zheng has done, otherwise how could she walk from the countryside to the capital?

Shen Zheng opened the car window and stretched out her hand to catch the raindrops.

"To put it bluntly, I am shameless. But what's wrong with being shameless? As long as I can get more books for Tong'an Bookstore, how much is my face worth? Jia Debo and Yan Fengci certainly didn't expect me to be like this, so I am not afraid of them opening a reading building at all. On the contrary, I am looking forward to it."

She was not afraid of being alienated from those "literati" who were seeking fame and reputation. She just wanted more and more people in the Great Zhou to be literate.

Looking at her profile, Diwu Nazheng was shocked.

This time, the fifth family... followed the right person.

Yu Shizhang patted him on the shoulder and asked in a fake tone, "Are you scared?"

afraid?

The fifth Na was chuckling.

He has lived for decades, and has been afraid of many people and things, but doesn't he still have a life?

"I am indeed a little afraid, but being afraid blindly will only lead to failure." After saying this, he took out a deed from his pocket and said, "If the shop is rented to Tong'an County, it will be ten taels of silver per year."

The deed was presented intact in front of Yu Shizhang, with the rent already clearly stated on it.

Although Shen Zheng didn't know the housing prices in Shangjing, he knew that "annual rent of ten taels" was the price that the fifth family paid to Tongan County, and it was a comminuted fracture.

Yu Shizhang took the deed and said as he read it, "You are very generous, old man. What about now? Now that we don't want this shop, how much silver are you prepared to sell it to the Imperial College?"

"Five thousand taels." Diwu Nazheng looked extremely serious.

"Cough cough cough——" Shen Zheng choked on her saliva.

Based on the annual rent of ten taels in Tongan County, five thousand taels... would be enough to rent Tongan County for five hundred years...

According to her understanding, the rental-to-sale ratio of shops in Beijing is about twenty to one.

She coughed until her face turned red and her veins swollen, but she still raised her right hand and gave Diwu Nazheng a thumbs up.

"The price of that shop is about 1,600 taels." Diwu Nazheng said, "Sell it to them for 5,000 taels. If they don't want to buy it, it's not that I can't find a buyer. But the Tong'an Bookstore..."

He was wondering which shops in Beijing were suitable.

Just as she was thinking about it, Shen Zheng suddenly said, "I want to go to the Western Suburbs Official School to take a look."

"Western Suburbs Government School?" Yu Shizhang thought for a moment, "Where is Deng Jinghe?"

"Master Deng..." Diwu Na was thinking for a moment and said in embarrassment, "The location in the suburbs over there is not very good. The Diwu family doesn't have a store there..."

But if you think about it carefully, the western suburbs... seems to be a good place to go.

Mr. Deng from the Western Suburbs has been promoting women's education for many years. Last year, he was appreciated by Your Majesty and turned the private school in the Western Suburbs into an official school, which is no longer subject to the control of the Ministry of Rites.

Looking across the capital, there is no more suitable ally than the Western Suburbs Official School.

......

The western suburbs were the outskirts of the city, and were just as lively as Shen Zheng had imagined.

Fine threads of rain streaked across the gray sky. The old man picking vegetables tightened his raincoat and walked slowly past the carriage.

In the residential streets and alleys, the smoke rising from the chimneys was wrapped in rain and fog, becoming soft and moist, and in an instant, it merged with the clouds in the sky.

The carriage jolted twice and suddenly stopped.

The driver's panicked voice came: "My lords, the wheel is stuck. Please sit for a moment while we lift the wheel out."

Shen Zheng opened the car curtain, and a drizzle of rain hit her face.

“How far is it?” she asked.

"It's not far away." The driver pointed to a place where the smoke was thickest. "That's it. My lord, just stay in the cart. You don't have to get off. We can carry the cart quickly."

Shen Zheng was silent for a moment.

The carriage was not light to begin with, and with the weight of three grown men added on, how could it not be difficult to lift it?

But the driver was used to it.

"No need. My uncle and I will go ahead. Take good care of your master. Carry him out and come find us at the official school later."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huaduo came from behind the car holding an umbrella.

She stood with her back to the carriage and said to Shen Zheng, "I will carry you on my back."

Looking at her posture, it seems like she wants to hold an umbrella with one hand and carry someone on her back with the other.

This was a completely new posture that Shen Zheng had never thought of.

"......No need, no need." She took out an umbrella from the car and got off by herself.

Fortunately, she was wearing thick-soled shoes today, so when she encountered a puddle that she couldn't avoid, she could tiptoe over it.