The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

Lu Linlang heard about the victims' plans. She had this idea in mind long ago, so she set off for the county town.

County Magistrate Zhao was resettling the second batch of disaster victims. These victims did not come from the areas occupied by the Tatars. They came from the Central Plains. Their hometown was south of Changzhou. They originally thought that with the help of the imperial army, they could live a stable life.

However, they did not expect that these court officials were the real villains. Every month, the court asked them to send food and money in the name of dealing with the Tatars. However, they had just paid taxes, and the remaining food in their homes was used for the whole family to survive the winter. Naturally, they were reluctant to give it away, as their family members would starve to death if they gave it to them.

However, those soldiers were armed, and anyone who dared to say no would be captured and beheaded in front of everyone, saying that they were traitors who refused to pay taxes.

As a result, everyone had no choice but to hand over the food and money in their homes. However, just after they handed over one batch, the next batch came. They said that the government wanted to collect food and recruit soldiers, and that all men over thirteen in each family had to go to the battlefield.

No one had the money to pay, and they also had to send their children, so the people from these counties fled silently under the cover of darkness without any discussion. The journey was arduous, and in the winter, many elderly people could no longer walk, so they had no choice but to stay where they were. They knew that few of those who stayed would be able to hold on, and they had completely lost their families.

They fled south like this. Some people saw the prosperity of the south of the Yangtze River and simply stopped going, preferring to beg for food there rather than continue walking. Some people did not dare to stop, fearing that they would encounter another den of wolves, so they just kept going.

One day they arrived in Hezhou and heard that there was a county town called Chongshui under Hezhou. The official there was a good man, and the local gentry was also a kind-hearted person who ensured that the victims had enough food, so some people ran to Chongshui.

When Lu Linlang arrived, County Magistrate Zhao had just distributed a round of porridge. He looked worried and didn't know if there would be more victims coming.

The prefect issued a clear order, requiring officials in all counties to properly resettle the victims and prevent rebellion. Now that the court is divided, everyone is waiting and watching. There is no need to send food to the regent before the outcome is determined. Otherwise, if the regent loses, they will be liquidated.

County Magistrate Zhao was worried. If more people came, they would not have enough food. If the victims started making trouble, how many people in their yamen would be able to resist those angry victims?

"Miss Lu, if those disaster victims are willing to stay and become Chongshui residents, that would be great. There are still many barren hills left by the county government. If they are willing, we can give them those barren hills and let them build their own houses and live there. In the spring, they will have wild vegetables to eat and there is no need to worry about any disturbances for the time being."

When County Magistrate Zhao heard about this, he was also very happy. If these disaster victims only stayed temporarily, he would have to worry about the stability of Chongshui. But if they were willing to stay, they would become the people of Chongshui. With land as a guarantee, those people would not cause trouble, and the population of Chongshui would be increased. This would be his political achievement.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll go back and explain it clearly to them. They originally belonged to the same village. If they reclaim the barren mountain, there won't be any trouble. If they cultivate the land, they'll have food to eat and truly become Chongshui people. If the situation stabilizes in the future and they want to return, the reclaimed land can be sold to the people, and the government will always make a profit."

"That's the truth. I hope the other disaster victims will stay. That way, Chongshui will have more wasteland to reclaim next year, and more land to pay taxes in the future. But now another group of disaster victims has arrived. Miss Lu, do you still have room for servants? The other gentry's places are all full and can't accommodate these people."

"Sir, I don't have many people here, but I think you can let these people stay. The government office should still have food. These disaster victims just want to have a meal every day so they don't starve to death. The government office might as well let these people come and work. As long as they are willing to work, they can be provided with a meal every day. That way, they won't have to guard the city gate all day."

"Work? What kind of work can they do?" County Magistrate Zhao didn't understand what work she was talking about, but if these people continued to stay here, they would indeed need to be fed every day to prevent them from causing trouble. If there was really work to do, they would not have the energy to cause trouble.

"Sir, our Chongshui is rich in water, and these waters will flood in the summer. I heard that Chongshui has had several heavy rains in the past, which almost submerged the rice. It was only you who saved the situation and organized people from all villages to dig a river channel.

Although this summer has been good, we cannot guarantee such good weather every year. So now that there are more people, you can let these disaster victims dig rivers, build reservoirs, and repair bridges, etc. They will not only have food to eat, but also have reservoirs and more bridges that benefit the people. It can be said to be a good thing that kills three birds with one stone.

We can still grow vegetables in this winter. Your Excellency can mobilize the people or gentry who respect the flood to donate some vegetables to provide these disaster victims with a daily meal. I think everyone should be willing to donate. I can also be the first to send some cabbage from my farm, all round cabbage."

When County Magistrate Zhao heard this, his eyes lit up. He had planned to build reservoirs and rivers as Lu Linlang had mentioned since he took office, but he had no manpower and money, so he could only levy labor to carry out minor repairs every year. However, the foundation was not laid, and annual repairs would not help much.

There is no shortage of manpower now. These people just want to have food to eat every day and are willing to work without pay. So won’t there be people to do things like chiseling stones and digging canals?

"Miss Lu is so talented, why didn't I think of it? Instead of sending people to watch them all day, it's better to let them work directly. With more people, even if they are chiseling stones, chiseling a little every day, or digging a little water in the reservoir every day, it will add up to a lot. Okay, let's do it." County Magistrate Zhao laughed. The problem that had been bothering him for so long was solved just like that. Miss Lu was really his lucky star.

"Your Excellency was simply too worried about the safety of the disaster victims and the general public, and didn't consider this for the time being. However, I believe that with your intelligence, you will eventually come up with this solution. I'm just talking about it on paper. The actual repairs to the reservoir, bridges, and manpower deployment are the domain of Your Excellency and your people."

"Miss Lu is so modest. Don't worry, I will let Li Zhubu handle the household registration of those people. Let them work with peace of mind. From now on, they will all be the people of Chongshui, and there will be no more disaster victims."

"Yes, thank you sir."

As soon as she returned home, Lu Linlang received a letter from He Yue. In the letter, he said that there was a shortage of food in the northwest, and he sent gold and silver, wanting Lu Linlang to help find a way to sell the food.

Buying food? This is indeed a troublesome matter. The Jiangnan region is now controlled by the regent's men. Buying food from there is almost impossible and will also make them target you. You can only buy from the south.