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

The lazy cicadas in the yard began to chirp. Hua Duo served tea to the two of them gently, then stood aside, took out his own enlightenment book, and began to learn to read.

"What did Lord Jiade say?" Shen Zheng asked while drinking tea.

Yu Shizhang sneered: "He said cement is poisonous."

"......" Shen Zheng was speechless for a moment, "Who did you poison?"

After careful consideration, Jiadebo and Cui Xiang's insistence on the "toxic cement" may be a good way to prevent the construction of the Huihe Dam.

The "poison" was not put there by them.

The "toxic project" was not supervised by them.

The victims of the “poisonous river dam and poisonous water” will only be the people and crops in the suburbs of Beijing.

"This is indeed not something that Jiadebo would come up with." Shen Zheng laughed, "Pushing the people to the front, using people's livelihood as a banner, and inciting the people's hearts, it is neither dirty nor slanderous, and it is indeed like Prime Minister Cui's style."

Yu Shizhang was immediately furious when he saw that she was not only not angry but was actually interested in analyzing her opponent's tactics.

"They are about to step on our faces, and you are still smiling."

Shen Zheng coughed lightly and suppressed her smile. "What did Gardeber say specifically? He couldn't just say that cement is poisonous."

"He said that after the carriages carrying cement raw materials left the city, they inevitably spilled some of them when passing through the suburbs of Beijing. These spilled raw materials 'poisoned' many wild flowers and weeds on the roadside. When the flowers and plants were pulled up, the roots were still black and had already died. He also said that this raw material is so toxic to flowers, plants and trees, let alone humans."

Shen Zheng listened in silence, "What a stealth concept."

Wouldn't excessive farm manure also "poison" crops? Why doesn't anyone say that feces and urine are poisonous?

"Switching the concepts?" Yu Shizhang seemed to understand, but he didn't quite understand. He said, "I guess it's because the plants came into contact with lime. You showed before in Tong'an County that lime can generate heat when it comes into contact with water and corrode leaves. Now the roots of those crops are rotting, so I guess it's the same reason."

After saying that, he looked at Shen Zheng, waiting for Shen Zheng's approval.

"He was definitely burned to death." Shen Zheng praised, "You thought of it immediately and were able to draw inferences from one instance. Did you fight back on the spot?"

Yu Shizhang sipped his tea. "I haven't even opened my mouth yet, but Yue Zhenchuan has already hit back. Although it worked, His Majesty deliberately didn't agree with what Jiadebo said, wanting to let the matter go, but you and I both understand that Huihe River is related to the people's livelihood in the suburbs of Beijing..."

In other words, if Cui Xiang and Jiadebo wanted to stop the dam project rashly, they would surely displease the emperor.

So they put the people first.

There are countless farmlands in the suburbs of Beijing, all of which need Huihe River for irrigation, and the people in the suburbs of Beijing also rely on Huihe River Dam for their survival.

If the people are incited by them and they panic, they may collectively protest against the Huihe Project. As long as they can stop the progress of the project and force Shen Zheng to return to Tongan County, then if she wants to be promoted, she will have to wait until the next time she goes to Beijing.

"Pah, pah, pah, pah—"

Shen Zheng clapped her hands. "Your Highness's methods are indeed good. His Majesty didn't accept the challenge this time, so they might have some tricks up their sleeve. But we know best whether the cement is poisonous or not. This will be our biggest support. What we need to do is to prevent them from 'making something out of nothing'."

Yu Shizhang nodded. "I will send people to keep an eye on the suburbs of Beijing and the raw material wagons in the near future. You should also pay more attention to the dam. The project should be pushed forward as quickly as possible to avoid any more trouble."

Shen Zheng nodded after pondering.

Now that the diversion channel has been dug and the river dam has been cleared, the first batch of cement will be used today.

If Prime Minister Cui wants to take action, it will probably only take a few days.

After talking about cement, Yu Shizhang started talking about the printing house.

"I've already seen the land. It's a hundred steps west of the Western Suburbs Official School. The land used to belong to the imperial court, but was allocated to the official school. Do you want to rent it or buy it? Renting is easier, just sign a deed. If you want to buy it, you may need to get approval from the Ministry of Rites."

The land allocated by the imperial court to official schools was usually regarded as "public land" and in principle was not allowed to be bought or sold.

But Shen Zheng is an official and the printing house has the emperor's support, so if he wants to buy the land, it is not impossible.

Shen Zheng thought for a moment and made a decision, "Let's rent it first. The printing house is also a business in the county. When I return to the county, I will ask the county school and the Chamber of Commerce for their opinions, and then I will decide whether to buy it or not."

After Yu Shizhang left, Shen Zheng went directly to the dam.

Compared with before, there were obviously more people watching outside the dam today. After seeing her get off the car, they gathered together and whispered.

Zeng Tongshi had also heard about what happened in the morning court session. When he saw her coming, he went straight to greet her.

"Lord Shen..." He looked worried.

The cement for the Ministry of Industry was developed by him and Lord Shen, so he knew best whether it was poisonous or not.

Even if cement is really poisonous, he should be the first one to be poisoned, right? But he is clearly standing here in good health.

Besides, Lord Shen is such an honest and upright person, how could he poison tens of thousands of people in the suburbs of Beijing for the sake of a temporary political achievement?

"Don't worry, Master Zeng." Shen Zheng smiled and comforted him: "If you are upright, you have nothing to fear. We should do what we should do."

Zeng Tongshi glanced outside the dam and said, "When I came to the dam today, these people were already there."

Shen Zheng also turned to look.

When they met their gazes, the people subconsciously stopped talking and looked around uncomfortably.

"The people living in the suburbs of Beijing rely on the river for their survival, so it's normal for them to be worried." Shen Zheng thought for a moment, "I'll write a notice and hang it outside the dam to dispel rumors."

No matter what means Prime Minister Cui will use next, she still has to give this "reassurance pill" to the people.

In just two quarters of an hour, a notice was hung on the pole outside the dam.

The white cloth with black words swayed in the wind, and the people rushed forward.

Zeng Tongshi stood beside the notice, his brows gloomy, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

The people asked, "Sir, what does this notice say?"

“Is it related to the cement used on the dam? Is cement toxic? If we drink water from the Huihe Dam in the future, will the toxicity in our bodies accumulate until we get sick and die?”

"Will our crops really be poisoned by cement water? Is even the ground poisonous? Will everything we plant die?"

Zeng Tongshi listened with a frown, then suddenly raised his eyelids and asked the person who first mentioned "cement": "How did you know that the thing used to build river dams is called 'cement'?"

The citizen who was asked shuddered and stammered, "Everyone knows it. Everyone said so yesterday. All the flowers and plants that came into contact with cement on the roads outside Beijing died. If this isn't poisonous, what is it?"

"Yes, sir!" Another commoner said, "It's just a name. I knew it the day before yesterday, and it spread all over the suburbs of Beijing yesterday. Is this cement poisonous? You have to give us an explanation. This is a matter of life and death, and we are afraid!"

When someone started fighting, the fear in the people's hearts was greatly reduced, and they started to talk in a mess.