The first county magistrate in history

All I saw were the sparrows covering the sky and blocking out the sun, now they were falling rapidly.

Just like rain.

In the blink of an eye, the sky cleared and not a single sparrow was left among the hundreds of thousands of sparrows.

The farmland is filled with sparrows, like a mountain.

Jin Zhiruo suddenly ran over.

After a moment, he shouted in surprise: "They are all dead!"

"All dead?" Xia Mochu was extremely shocked.

"Anything produced by Lord Qin must be of the highest quality. It is indeed so heroic." Jin Zhongren covered his heart and climbed up, unable to believe it.

His eyes were bright as he looked at Chaotianque, then at Wu Xiaoyou: "Excuse me, is this Chaotianque for sale?"

Wu Xiaoyou quickly said, "We only have this one in Hongtong County, and we won't sell it."

After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Master Jin, we are leaving!"

Jin Zhongren quickly said, "You have come from afar, and I will host a banquet for you."

Wu Xiaoyou waved his hand: "No need, our adults said that you owe him another favor!"

After that, he left.

In the woods, Xia Mochu began to grind his teeth again: "This Qin Zheng, I must let him enter the court!"

……

When the empress arrived, Jin Zhongren personally arranged the banquet.

However, even the granary of the world is not as wealthy as Hongtong County.

Moreover, the chefs in the county magistrate's mansion are not as good as the chefs in Hongtong County who were trained by Qin Zheng.

When the dishes were served, Xia Mochu lost his appetite at the sight of their colors. However, he was indeed hungry.

When the empress eats, even Jin Zhongren cannot accompany her. This is the rule.

I can only wait outside the door.

Li Qiuhan did not sit at the table either. After all, this was not Hongtong County and their status was different.

Jin Zhiruo was also waiting outside the door.

Li Qiuhan looked at Jin Zhiruo, then at Jin Zhongren, and asked, "Master Jin, how long have you known County Magistrate Qin?"

The empress wants to bring Qin Zheng into the court, so she needs to get to know him better, and Jin Zhongren is a good target.

Jin Zhongren said truthfully, "Although Guanghe County is known as the nation's granary, grain yields per acre are low. Five years ago, I was in the fields discussing with farmers how to increase grain production when County Magistrate Qin passed by. At that time, he wasn't even a county magistrate, but a well-known merchant."

"A merchant? And a famous one?" Li Qiuhan was surprised.

Jin Zhongren smiled and nodded. "His products are truly unique. For example, the plows, hoes, and sickles we use today were all invented by him. He's a truly talented man! He was the one who first introduced me to the concept of farmyard manure. At first, I didn't believe it, but after experimenting, the yield in his experimental fields quadrupled that same year. He's truly an extraordinary man!"

Li Qiuhan's eyes flickered. "County Magistrate Qin, were you the one who recommended him for the position of Hongtong County Magistrate?"

Jin Zhongren shook his head. "No, I do want such a talent to work under me. I even wanted to marry my daughter to him, but his ambitions are not here."

"Father, why are you mentioning me?" Jin Zhiruo's pretty face turned red.

Jin Zhongren laughed and said, "Okay, let's not talk about it!"

Li Qiuhan wondered, "How could he, a peddler, not agree to this marriage?"

Jin Zhongren smiled bitterly and said, "So, he is a strange man."

Li Qiuhan asked, "How did he become the magistrate of Hongtong County?"

Jin Zhongren said, "What a coincidence. Hongtong County is the poorest county in the entire Daqian Dynasty. Bandits are rampant, and the people are unruly. Officials would rather die than serve here, and some would even resign. This worried the Xuanzhou prefect Cai Bulun so much that he had no choice but to post a notice to recruit talents to serve in Hongtong County. However, none of the already successful candidates took up the notice. Instead, it was this Qin Zheng who took up the notice."

"He has no achievements, yet he dares to take down the notice? This is a capital crime!" Li Qiuhan was shocked.

Jin Zhongren smiled and said, "Yes, County Magistrate Qin was so bold. He revealed the list without any achievements, which angered the Xuanzhou prefect Cai Bulun. However, during the confrontation, Qin Zheng not only showed outstanding literary talent, but also had a unique understanding of agriculture, industry, and statecraft.

The Xuanzhou prefect was in urgent need of a new officer, so he agreed to appoint Qin to Hongtong County. At that time, Qin, the county magistrate, had signed a life-or-death agreement, promising to die if he failed to govern Hongtong County within a year.

But there is a condition.”

Li Qiuhan was extremely curious: "What are the conditions?"

Jin Zhongren said, "The condition was that the Xuanzhou prefecture would not interfere in Hongtong County's internal affairs for three years. Cai Bulun, desperate as he might, agreed. Unexpectedly, within a year, all the bandits in Hongtong County were wiped out, the people lived and worked in peace, and no more disturbances occurred. In three years, Hongtong County was transformed into a new look, and it was so prosperous that even Xuanzhou could not compare."

"So amazing?" Li Qiuhan found it incredible. "What happened next? Why did Qin Zheng and Cai Bulun fall out?"

Jin Zhongren hesitated for a moment before saying, "I also heard it from hearsay. It is said that Cai Bulun saw that Hongtong County was so rich, so he wanted his son to replace Qin Zheng. However, he was afraid that it would be bad if it got out, so he sent someone to assassinate him. In the end, he was captured alive by Lord Qin, and the plot was exposed, and they fell out from then on.

Later, Cai Bulun issued an order to dismiss Qin Zheng, but the people of Hongtong County disagreed and drove the new magistrate away. Cai Bulun was furious and sent troops to attack, hoping to seize Hongtong County by force. However, not only was Hongtong County defeated, but it also declared independence...

Li Qiuhan was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

She knew that this was not hearsay, but that Jin Zhongren did not want to offend Xuanzhou prefect Cai Bulun.

Xia Mochu couldn't eat any more after just a few bites. It was far inferior to the delicious food in Hongtong County.

After the banquet was over, she asked Jin Zhongren and his daughter to leave.

Li Qiuhan told Xia Mochu what he had just heard.

Xia Mochu was also shocked: "Is there such a thing?"

Suddenly he said, "Go and invite Hai Lao over."

Soon, An Dehai arrived.

Xia Mochu said politely, "Mr. Hai, please go to Xuanzhou. I need to bring someone back to the imperial capital..."

After An Dehai left, Xia Mochu's pretty face darkened. "Qiuhan, you just said that Qin Zheng and Jin Zhiruo are still engaged?"

"It's not an engagement. Qin Zheng didn't agree." Li Qiuhan wondered why his master was so displeased.

Xia Mochu gritted his teeth and snorted, "Virtue, he still looks down on Miss Jin?"

But I feel relieved.

How could a man who slept with me fall in love with another woman?

Li Qiuhan looked at her master strangely. Why did she look like a resentful woman?

……