The first county magistrate in history

Xia Mochu said, "First, our relationship cannot be made public for the time being. However, we must quickly come up with a way to rationalize our relationship. Once you become the Emperor's husband, no one will be able to make a fuss."

Qin Zheng nodded: "Since this is Xia Bitu's plan, he will use this method to deal with us sooner or later!"

Xia Mochu nodded: "You think of this solution."

I thought to myself, I have no other choice but to kill you!

Qin Zheng looked at Xia Mochu: "You wanted to kill me back then?"

Xia Mochu was shocked: "How did you know?"

After asking, I suddenly found it ridiculous. This guy is so smart, how could he not know?

Xia Mochu blushed: "I thought about it, but in the end I was impressed by your talent!"

Qin Zheng sighed: "It really isn't true love!"

Xia Mochu didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"

Qin Zheng said: "I mean, this matter is not difficult to handle. Complex things can be simplified!"

Xia Mochu was surprised: "Have you figured out a solution?"

Qin Zheng asked, "What's your second condition?"

Xia Mochu asked, "What solution have you come up with?"

Qin Zheng had no choice but to say, "It's not perfect yet. I'll tell you when it's perfect."

Xia Mochu was delighted. Qin Zheng was indeed clever. He had come up with a solution so quickly. She was looking forward to it.

Said: "The second condition is that I want the manufacturing technology of the Sky Thunder Cannon and the Arm Crossbow!"

Qin Zheng smiled bitterly, knowing that this condition would exist.

Said: "In the Daqian Dynasty, how many people can you absolutely trust?"

Xia Mochu understood immediately: "Are you afraid that these things will fall into their hands and become a threat?"

Qin Zheng nodded.

Xia Mochu said quietly, "To be honest, there aren't many people I can absolutely trust. Even the commander of the Royal Guards, whom I once trusted the most, defected when the Four Realms King arrived."

Qin Zheng said: "So, your second condition is a double-edged sword. Moreover, the scope of your control is only the imperial capital. This is not enough!"

Xia Mochu said quietly, "So, I want to control Liang Jin in my own hands."

Qin Zheng asked, "Do you have control over the Liangjin garrison?"

Xia Mochu's pretty face was solemn: "No, this is what I am most worried about."

Qin Zheng said, "After listening to what you said before, I now understand why the King of the Northern Territory and the Prime Minister did not react to your control of Liangjin Province."

Xia Mochu sat up straight: "Why? Isn't it because of my fake thunder cannon?"

Qin Zheng looked into Xia Mochu's eyes and said, "Besides that, they should also be wary of... you should have a top-secret trump card, right?"

A chill at the end of summer.

Qin Zheng, you can see all this?

Qin Zheng smiled and said, "It's okay, you don't have to tell me. Everyone has a trump card, and so do I. What I want to say is, since they know you have a trump card, how can they not be on guard? The deeper your trump card is hidden, the more prepared they will be. Once they launch an attack, it will be a thundering blow. Maybe, your trump card will really collapse in an instant."

Xia Mochu's pretty face changed color: "This is what I am most worried about, and this is also the main reason why I haven't taken action against them yet. Because I haven't found out their strength yet."

Qin Zheng comforted him, "It's right not to move. If you want to move, you must know yourself and your enemy. You can use this time to constantly enrich your trump cards and remain invincible."

Xia Mochu shook his head: "These are all unpredictable. Qin Zheng, if you were them, what would you do?"

Qin Zheng said without hesitation: "If I were the King of the North or the Prime Minister, and you asked for Liangjin Province, if I didn't want to give it to you, and if I was ready, I would take action immediately to dispel your idea. If I don't move, it's because I'm not ready yet.

Besides that, there's another reason I didn't move, and that's because I want to be the one who takes advantage. Wouldn't it be better if I could wait until you've built up the four pillars of Liangjin Province, and then I could take over Liangjin Province?"

Xia Mochu's pretty face turned pale: "Are you more inclined to the latter?"

Qin Zheng nodded: "You don't have to worry too much. I will help you!"

Xia Mochu felt warm in her heart: "If you were me, what would you do next?"

Qin Zheng said: "As an emperor, if you want to control a dynasty, the military strength is indispensable. However, you cannot ignore the hearts of the people! He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world, and whoever wins the hearts of the people will have peace in the world!"

Xia Mochu looked at Qin Zheng and asked, "Is this the core secret of your Hongtong County's universal military service?"

Qin Zheng nodded.

Xia Mochu understood and saw the unity and people's will in Hongtong County, but he asked, "How can we achieve this?"

Qin Zheng said: "Education!"

Xia Mochu said proudly, "I'm already planning educational reforms. I'm going to build more colleges across the country and popularize nine-year education. It's just that money is insufficient, so the development of Liangjin Province is a top priority!"

Suddenly seeing Qin Zheng's teasing look, her pretty face flushed immediately, and she said embarrassedly: "The plan is what I learned from your governance methods, and the textbook is from your Hongtong County College. But I didn't steal it, it was Uncle Yuan."

Qin Zheng was speechless. They were indeed sisters, selling out Uncle Yuan without mercy?

Now these are no longer a problem because Qin Zheng has decided to help the empress.

"This is just the popularization of cultural education, skills education, and ideological education, aimed at improving the quality of the entire population. But there should also be education and training of cadres, economic talents, and national defense talents."

"Cadre talents, economic talents, national defense talents?" Xia Mochu heard new words again.

Qin Zheng patiently explained...

After listening to Qin Zheng's explanation, Xia Mochu was fascinated.

But: "It's not that easy, I don't know how to do it."

Qin Zheng looked at Xia Mochu's cunning eyes and said helplessly: "I'll do it!"

Xia Mochu suddenly smiled.

Said: "Let Mo Ning handle the universal education and business. You have to help her and train her. My sister only knows how to play."

Qin Zheng laughed and said, "You want to give her a golden plating so that she can become emperor in the future?"

Xia Mochu rolled her eyes, looking very feminine: "Hey, why are you being so blunt?"

Suddenly, he pretended to be casual and asked, "How many Tianlei Cannons are there in Hongtong County?"

Qin Zheng was speechless. The empress still had a special liking for the Tianlei Cannon!

Said: "Not much, we are short of iron ore."

Xia Mochu wondered, "The Daqian Dynasty doesn't have many iron ore mines, but there are a decent number of copper mines. Can't we use copper to make things?"

Qin Zheng said, "Comparatively, copper cannons are easier to manufacture, but their strength, bore pressure resistance, and wear resistance are not as good as iron cannons. The inner barrel of an iron cannon wears less during use and can withstand more shots. Copper cannons are more likely to explode."

Xia Mochu's eyes flickered. "I want a thousand cannons. I'll take care of the iron ore. How do you think?"

Qin Zheng thought to himself, you are good at doing business.

But, that’s okay.

You don't even know how much iron ore is needed for a single Sky Thunder Cannon. I can just ask for multiple times the iron ore. If I make you a thousand cannons, I'll also make at least a thousand, or maybe two thousand!

"To make an iron cannon, it needs to be highly purified, and the ore consumed is several times that of ordinary ironware. Is there so much iron ore?" Qin Zheng asked.

Xia Mochu thought for a moment and said, "Let's make as many as we can!"

Qin Zheng said: "The Sky Thunder Cannon alone is not enough, we also need shells. You also need to provide saltpeter and sulfur."

Xia Mochu was stunned: "What are saltpeter and sulfur?"

Qin Zheng knew that people in this world didn't know about these two things, so he brought them up because he wanted to...

"They are two indispensable raw materials for artillery shells. Let me send someone to look for the ore. Once I find it, you hand over the mining rights to Hongtong County to prevent it from being taken away by others."

Xia Mochu looked at Qin Zheng: "Can I trust you?"

Qin Zheng smiled calmly: "Do you want the Sky Thunder Cannon?"

Xia Mochu smiled: "It's a deal!"

Qin Zheng was overjoyed: "It's a deal!"

The thing I wanted to do most was solved. Xia Mochu was very happy. My man is still very good to me!

The two chatted for a long time and talked about a lot.

Suddenly, Xia Mochu's stomach growled.

Xia Mochu's pretty face flushed: "It's so late, I forgot to eat!"

Qin Zheng hadn't eaten either: "I'm hungry too."

Xia Mochu quickly said, "Go back and eat. We can't have too much contact right now. It would be bad if others knew you were eating at my place."

Qin Zheng glanced at the garden: "Is this garden absolutely safe?"

Otherwise, Xia Mochu would not dare to lie in his arms.

Xia Mochu said helplessly: "Okay, we'll eat in the garden, but you're not allowed to stay overnight!"

Qin Zheng: “…”

Standing up: "No need. Actually, the reason I stayed so long was to let some people daydream. The more they think, the more time we have."

Xia Mochu was surprised. It turned out that this was what he thought.

"The Shao Shi Mansion is allowed to have 3,000 guards. I will send some soldiers over and you can take them back!" Xia Mochu said.

Qin Zheng waved his hand: "No need, I don't trust you. I will transfer some people from Hongtong County. Also, for now, I can only give you ten Tianlei Cannons and one hundred rounds of artillery shells. Once the iron ore is transported to Hongtong County, I will build you the thousand cannons!"

Xia Mochu stood up suddenly and asked in surprise, "Really?"

Qin Zheng smiled and said, "You are my woman. From now on, I will protect you!"

Xia Mochu's eyes were filled with tears, and she really wanted to throw herself into this man's arms again.

Qin Zheng suddenly asked: "You haven't completely trusted me yet?"

Xia Mochu was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what Qin Zheng meant.

She looked into Qin Zheng's eyes and asked seriously, "Do you want to hear the truth?"

Qin Zheng sighed: "I can understand! So, I don't want to get married, and I don't want to enter the court!"

After saying that, he waved his hand and turned away.

Xia Mochu looked at Qin Zheng's lonely back and her eyes turned red.

She hurt this man!

But, she is the empress, and she cannot and is not allowed to truly trust someone.

Including her husband!

Xia Mochu felt mixed emotions.

That was all she could do.

Looking at Qin Zheng's back, Xia Mochu really wanted to keep him and explain everything to him, even if he already understood.

After this exchange, just this conversation, Xia Mochu felt that he benefited a lot. All the problems that he couldn't figure out before were now clear to him.

The previously vague future plans also became clear.

Xia Mochu admired Qin Zheng's talent from the bottom of his heart!

She felt that no difficulty could stump this man!

She is now certain that she cannot control this man!

But she is willing to believe that this man is worthy of trust!

An Dehai personally escorted Qin Zheng out of the palace.

Along the way, neither of them spoke.

When they were almost at the palace gate, An Dehai hesitated for a moment, but decided to warn Qin Zheng: "Your Majesty is the ruler of a country, and your reputation must not be tarnished!"

Qin Zheng glanced at him and said, "I know what to do."

Suddenly he asked, "Are you very good at martial arts?"

An Dehai was very humble: "Not bad, I can protect Your Majesty!"

He thought Qin Zheng was concerned about this.

Unexpectedly, Qin Zheng pointed to the moon in the sky and asked: "Can you climb to the moon?"

An Dehai shook his head and smiled bitterly: "...I can't."

Qin Zheng said seriously: "I can!"

After saying that, he walked out of the palace.

An Dehai stood there, looking a little disheveled.

He is the one who brags about this!

If you can reach the moon, I can travel through the universe!

But An Dehai understood that Qin Zheng meant that he could protect the empress better than him, the eunuch chief!

Outside the palace gate, Wu Xiaoyou and others were getting anxious.

When they saw Qin Zheng coming out, they all surrounded him.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"Is His Majesty not giving you any trouble?"

Qin Zheng said apologetically: "I'm sorry, I forgot about you!"

Everyone: "..."

"Sir, have you accepted it?" Wu Xiaoyou stared at Qin Zheng's young master's uniform and asked in surprise.

Qin Zheng sighed: "You will know later."

"Sir, the carriage has been repaired. Let's go back quickly. I guess Xiaoman is very worried." Wu Xiaoyou lifted the curtain of the sedan chair.

"I guess she cried out of anxiety!" Qin Zheng got into the carriage.

At the entrance to the Shaoshi Mansion, Su Xiaoman sat on the steps, wiping away tears. "It's all my fault. I ruined the Master's robes. Something must have happened to the Master."

"Xiao Man, the adults are so kind. Good things will happen to people. Nothing will happen to you!" Hong Wu comforted.

She found that she was actually very anxious.

"We're back!" Hongwu heard the sound of a carriage.

Su Xiaoman stood up quickly.

Sure enough, the horse-drawn carriage unique to Hongtong County arrived.

Qin Zheng just got off the car.

"Sir!" Su Xiaoman rushed over, hugged Qin Zheng, and cried loudly.

Just like a child who hasn’t seen his parents for a long time!

Qin Zheng rubbed her hair: "I'm sorry, Xiaoman, I was negligent. I should have sent someone back to tell you earlier. I'm sorry for making you worry!"

Xiaoman cried even louder.

Hong Wu was stunned. Qin Zheng actually apologized to the maid?