An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Aunt Wei wiped her eyes and smiled, "How could I not remember? These two kids talk about you every day! Knowing they can see you in Jiangnan, they finally stopped making a fuss."

Xiao Deyuan patted Xu Zize on the shoulder and said with satisfaction: "Xiaokang, you did a great job." Xu Zize could only smile awkwardly. He was extremely happy to see his relatives. Both of them looked at the four close people.

Aunt Wei touched Jing Chunxi's head and said with admiration, "You've grown taller and more beautiful." But when she stretched out her hand and wanted to touch Xu Zize, she paused, "The eldest prince..."

Then he was speechless, with tears in his eyes.

Xu Zize's throat moved slightly, and he suddenly took a step forward, lowered his head and leaned on Aunt Wei's shoulder, and said softly: "Aunt, Xiaokang... misses you too."

"Xiaokang misses his aunt so much, he has to touch me hard." Xu Zize was playful for once, and took the initiative to nestle in Aunt Wei's arms, rubbing and rubbing his nose on her shoulder.

Seeing Jing Chunxi tactfully give up his seat, Aunt Wei smiled and ruffled his hair: "Good boy, your aunt is here."

"Our Xiaokang has grown up, and aunt is happy." He burst into tears again, which made Ah Heng and Ah Yue hug him from their side, and the family hugged each other tightly.

"Finally, all the hard work has paid off. Aunt Wei and Brother Xiaokang should be happy."

Jing Chunxi tried to smooth things over, looked around, and then suddenly said, "Where are the two Masters Tao? Why didn't they come with us?"

Aunt Wei wiped her tears and smiled, "They are ambitious now."

It was only then that Xu Zize realized that his two cousins ​​Tao Chengrui and Tao Chengzhi were not there.

Xiao Deyuan explained, "The emperor restored the Tao family's title of Duke of Dingguo. They said they wanted to pass the imperial examination based on their own abilities, so they stayed in the capital to prepare for the exam."

"The original mansion and property in the capital have been returned in full. The old general and the old lady also said that Qingshuihe Manor was originally given to the Tao family by the late emperor, and they also gave them the land deed."

Jing Chunxi nodded and smiled, "That's how it should be."

Aunt Wei wiped away her tears, looked at Jing Chunxi gratefully and said, "They also said that they have grown up and will definitely support the Tao family again."

Xu Zize smiled slightly, his eyes far-reaching: "Alright, we can meet again after they pass the imperial examination."

Qiantang County and Pingjiang County were in a state of disrepair. Xiao Deyuan was so busy as soon as he arrived that he didn't even have time to think about how to settle down.

He got up before dawn every day and reviewed documents by candlelight until late at night. The mountains of files on his desk almost covered his thin figure.

It was not just the people of the two counties who suffered. Jiangnan, once the most prosperous area of ​​Daqing Kingdom, now had dilapidated city walls, a depressed market, and people displaced. As the first governor of Jiangnan, he shouldered the heavy responsibility of rebuilding his homeland.

After days of traveling, the soles of his official boots were worn out. His attendants urged him to get a new pair, but he waved his hand and said, "Some people still walk barefoot, so why should I wear worn-out boots?"

On the day he arrived, at Xu Zize's strong invitation, he had no choice but to let his wife and children stay with Jing Chunxi and others in the former private residence of Prince Yan, now the royal villa.

He moved into the Qiantang County government office with a few followers. Fearing he would forget his original intention, he chose a simple wing room in the back of the government office, deliberately installing only a hard bed and a desk in the room, with almost nothing else.

His followers, feeling sorry for him, secretly bought him some comfortable bed curtains and bedding, but he rebuked them: "The people are still starving and freezing, how can the government enjoy themselves first?"

The new government began to gather the available yamen runners and resumed normal work. In addition to counting the number of people still alive in each household and distributing grain according to the number of people, they also began to distribute grain to the granaries.

Xiao Deyuan personally designed a detailed household registration book and required yamen runners to register every household, not only recording the population but also noting the special skills so that people could be fully utilized during future reconstruction.

When the granaries were opened to distribute grain, he would be present in person, watching the golden rice being distributed accurately to every household of the disaster victims. When a yamen runner tried to secretly withhold some, he was given 30 strokes of the cane on the spot as a warning to others.

He also issued official documents asking the people to identify officials and bullies who had committed heinous crimes but had not been punished by law, and to arrest, interrogate, and report them. The number of people in prison waiting to be executed in the autumn gradually increased.

In the court, Xiao Deyuan was impartial and fair, and those officials and bullies who had bullied the people in the past knelt and trembled in fear.

There was a wealthy tyrant who was known as the "Tyrant of Qiantang". He relied on his connections in the court and tried to argue, but was left speechless by the evidence written in blood produced by the people.

He glanced at the sword that the eldest prince had placed beside the gavel in the hall. Xiao Deyuan waved his red brush and said, "Execute immediately!" The people watching outside the hall all applauded.

What was most needed was for him, the Governor-General of Jiangnan, to do the work personally, mainly by making incognito visits and conducting preliminary investigations, and selecting and reporting on the officials who could be used by government offices at all levels in Jiangnan.

He often disguised himself as a traveling merchant or teacher, wandering the streets and listening to the people's concerns. Once, in a teahouse, he overheard several scholars discussing current affairs. Among them was a scholar named Zhou Mingde, who had unique insights but had been unlucky and had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. After personally examining him, Xiao Deyuan made an exception and promoted him to the position of magistrate of He County.

As official documents were submitted one after another, more than twenty officials at all levels of the two armies were directly appointed by the court. They were recommended by the people and after assessment, they were reported to the eldest prince Xu Zize for approval. There were more than one hundred minor officials promoted on the spot.

Xiao Deyuan personally annotated every memorial submitted, outlining the person's strengths and weaknesses. He often said, "Employing people is like using medicine; you must prescribe the right medicine for the right condition." Those young men from humble backgrounds who were promoted were filled with gratitude and vowed to devote themselves to the cause.

The lives of the people in the south of the Yangtze River have gradually stabilized, and green buds have sprouted in the land as far as the eye can see. However, Xu Zize and Jing Chunxi have become much more relaxed.

The spring sun gently shone on the rebuilt eaves. In the fields, farmers bent over planting rice, outlining the outlines of hope. The market was bustling again, with the cries of vendors echoing one after another. Children were already studying aloud in the school.

Xu Zize stood on the city wall and looked into the distance, a smile unconsciously rising from the corner of his mouth. He felt that this was the scene that Jiangnan should have.

"Aunt, how about we go to Qiling Temple tomorrow? I heard it's very effective there." Seeing that her nephew Mingze was talking to her but looking at Jing Chunxi with smiling eyes, how could she not understand his intentions?

As Xu Zize said this, his fingers unconsciously stroked the jade pendant on his waist, which was the birthday gift Jing Chunxi gave him a month ago.

The sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on his handsome profile, making the tenderness in his eyes as he looked at Jing Chunxi particularly clear.

Aunt Wei felt even more relieved that "my son has grown up."

Jing Chunxi also looked at the handsome man in front of him who was more than a head taller than him, and remembered that when he first met him, he was still a young man with hatred in his eyes and a gloomy face.

Now, his every move and gesture showed the demeanor of a crown prince, and he treated people with gentleness and kindness, especially his unconcealable tenderness towards her, which made her both happy and frightened.