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

The carriage passed by, kicking up a cloud of dust, and the carriage was completely silent.

Shen Zheng placed the paper back on the small table and looked at Luo Bizhi, who was looking down and silent. "Master Luo?"

Luo Bizhi came back to his senses and looked through the carriage door towards the western suburbs.

"I have heard that the Tongan Printing House is located in the western suburbs and can print a large number of books, a hundred books a day?"

Shen Zheng followed his gaze and asked, "Sir, do you want to...print these essays into a book?"

Who should I give it to after it’s printed?

To the officials of the Ministry of Justice?

still......

"That's right." Luo Bizhi's words confirmed her suspicions. "To be honest, the Ministry of Justice intends to compile these essays into a book and distribute it to provincial and municipal governments to supplement the deficiencies in 'Evidence of Murder Cases' and 'Essential Techniques for Catching Murderers.' This concerns people's livelihoods, so there's no time to delay."

"Government offices in various places?" Shen Zheng was slightly surprised and subconsciously asked, "Does the county government also have a role?"

"Of course." Luo Bizhi nodded, but couldn't help but add a few more words: "There is also one in the Tongan County Government Office, and the seal of the book will also be inscribed with your name and Li Shiyuan's name."

Shen Zheng was in a trance for a moment, as if she had seen the printed book - co-authored by Shen Zheng, Li Shiyuan and the Ministry of Justice.

hiss--

It’s published by the imperial court, how prestigious.

She pretended to refuse: "Your humble servant and Doctor Li only did what was required of us. How can we be so embarrassed..."

"......." Luo Bizhi pursed his lips into a line, not wanting to continue. Instead, he said, "There are thousands of government offices in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and there are also thousands of books that need to be printed. If the printing house can take on this business, the Ministry of Justice will complete the compilation and send the original to the printing house."

After a pause, he continued, "The printing price is determined by the printing house, and the Ministry of Justice will not bargain. But if the printed book does not meet the requirements of the Ministry of Justice..."

As his gaze swept over, Shen Zheng's voice became dry: "...If the requirements are not met, the Ministry of Justice won't give a single penny?"

I thought it was the rich man coming to visit, but it turned out to be Party A.

Luo Bizhi was stunned by such straightforward words.

"Exactly."

Shen Zheng pursed her lips, looked in the direction of the printing house and said, "Please tell me your requirements first. The Shangjing Printing House has just been established, and many aspects are still being explored. I dare not make any rash promises and delay the Ministry of Justice."

Luo Bizhi nodded, his tone unquestionable and serious: "First, paper must be durable. If the book is to be sent to the northwest, it must be able to withstand wind and sand. If the book is to be sent to the southeast, it must be able to withstand humidity, heat, and insects."

Shen Zheng rubbed her fingers subconsciously, her mind racing.

Ordinary paper would not be enough to meet the Ministry of Justice's requirements.

The best way to resist both wind and sand, as well as humidity and heat, is to coat the paper with film. However, since Da Zhou lacked the technology to do so, the only option was to apply tung oil or soak it in alkali.

Paper covered with tung oil is resistant to dryness and moisture, while paper soaked in alkali can not only prevent insects from infesting, but can even repel insects.

It just so happened that the fifth family’s paper mill was in Shangjing, so this small request was not difficult for them.

That's it...

After some consideration, Shen Zheng confirmed again: "The cost of this kind of paper is relatively high, about three to five times that of ordinary bamboo paper. You..."

She was not actually afraid that the Ministry of Justice would not give the money, but that the Ministry of Revenue would not approve the money.

Luo Bizhi looked helpless: "...The Ministry of Justice will not accept credit. You have to pay first and receive the goods later."

Somehow, he always felt that he saw the shadow of Ji Benchang in Shen Zheng.

After receiving his promise, Shen Zheng chuckled and said with a businessman's face: "I wonder if there is anything else you would like to request?"

Luo Bizhi straightened his expression. "Secondly, the diagrams in the book must be accurate and flawless. For example, diagrams of footprint depth and wound shape are crucial for autopsies and case resolution. The Ministry of Justice requires that when printing the book, the proportions of each diagram must be calibrated according to the 'Ministry of Works Copper Scale'; not even a fraction of a millimeter can be tolerated."

This requirement is certainly high, but it is by no means aimless.

Shen Zheng had heard about it long before - several years ago, in the "Evidence of Murder" sent to the Northwest, there was a diagram of the murder weapon that was misdrawn, and the Northwest coroner also misjudged it and almost missed the important case.

Catching a murderer is no small matter, so she immediately agreed: "The printing house will carve a special mold for the diagram. If the mold doesn't meet the requirements, the printing house will... hand-paint it. If there are any errors or omissions, the loss will be borne by the printing house."

Luo Bizhi's eyes flashed with appreciation, "Don't you think your request is too high?"

"I don't mind." Shen Zheng said sincerely, "For the printing house, this is just a temporary hardship. But for the government offices across the country, it will be a great help in solving cases in the next few years, or even decades. I think it's worth it to use a temporary hardship to exchange for a wrongful conviction."

Of course, hand-drawn illustrations are available at an additional cost.

Who made the Ministry of Justice so rich?

"In that case, the Ministry of Justice has a third request." Luo Bizhi took out a copy of "Examination of Evidence of Murder" from his arms and showed Shen Zheng the spine of the book.

"Books on catching criminals are the most commonly used books in government offices across the country. They are frequently read and often carried by officials and coroners, so they inevitably wear out. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice requires that each book be bound with three strands of hemp rope and a layer of mulberry paper added to the spine."

Looking at the spine of the book, Shen Zheng frowned slightly.

Seeing that she was silent, Luo Bizhi asked, "What's the problem?"

His words were confused and his eyes showed bewilderment.

It is obvious that the first two requirements are higher and more difficult to implement, but Shen Zheng agreed to them all.

Why did she frown when faced with this rather simple binding requirement?

"It's not difficult." Shen Zheng said.

——It’s disgust.

"I know of a binding method that is more durable and more cost-effective than three-strand binding or adding paper to the spine."

It's not that she wants to challenge Luo Bizhi, but the three-strand binding method is cumbersome to operate and easily tears the paper pages, and it has long been...outdated.

To put it bluntly, any book casually bound by a printing house is probably stronger than this three-strand binding.

Fortunately, Luo Bizhi was not a stubborn person and took the initiative to ask: "What is the binding method?"

The persuasiveness of objects is always greater than that of words. Shen Zheng was not good at performing without objects, so after some thought, he said, "Your Excellency, do you think this is feasible? Tomorrow, I will send a book to the Ministry of Justice, and you will see what I am thinking. If you think it is inappropriate, the printing house will follow the Ministry's requirements and make a three-strand binding with mulberry bark covering on the spine."

Luo Bizhi nodded in agreement, feeling that talking to smart people was so worry-free.

The two discussed the details of printing the book again. Then the officials from the Ministry of Justice came and Shen Zheng tactfully excused himself to leave.

After getting off the car, she watched Luo Bizhi's carriage leave, but she stood there for a long time without moving.

She was thinking about Luo Bizhi.

After what happened today, she realized that the other party was not as cold and heartless as the rumors said. On the contrary, he was even a person who "valued love and friendship".

.......

After finishing work at the river dam, she took a car to the printing house. Before she even entered the door, she heard Yu Shizhang's powerful voice.

"Not bad! Not bad! Not bad!"

Three consecutive "good"s showed that he was in a really good mood.

Then he praised loudly: "A good teacher produces good students. I think you have a bright future!"

“.......” Shen Zheng understood.

She thought it was a good thing, but it turned out that Yu Shizhang was just "using praise instead of encouragement" again.