After the arranged marriage, she farms and survives under the tutelage of the villainous boss.

After thinking it over, Liu Fangshu decided not to discuss the matter further.

Something's getting increasingly wrong.

"Madam Jiang, let me tell you something funny, it's about my father."

“Isn’t my father the prefect of this area? Now the people from the Bianjing Surveillance Bureau are coming. They say they’ve investigated the Northwest, and we need to cooperate. They’re appointing some kind of patrol inspector. A new high-ranking official is coming.”

"I reckon we'll all be in trouble then."

After thinking it over, Jiang Zhiyun felt that Xie Shuheng's matter was not over and there was probably more to come. Now was not the time to go and question Xie Shuheng.

I didn't want to think about that, but Liu Fangshu's words caught my attention.

Inspectorate?

"Who is that new patrol inspector? Do you know his name?"

"I don't know. My dad is asking around. I'll tell you when he finds out."

Liu Fangshu said earnestly.

Jiang Zhiyun said, "If someone comes to investigate and it's truly a fair and just case, that's good. But I'm afraid it's just someone backing Xiao Su up. In that case, we'll be the ones who suffer."

At first, Liu Fangshu thought her father was worrying unnecessarily, that such a small matter had escalated to this point.

Now that Jiang Zhiyun has said this, I suddenly understand.

Jiang Zhiyun continued:

"Liu Jie is going to cooperate with Xie Shuheng's side, and your marriage with Shen Huichuan is also a done deal. So far, we should have a good chance of winning this game."

"But if the Emperor intervenes and gives Xiao Su a new piece, then Xiao Su might not necessarily lose."

Xiao Su was brave and skilled in battle, and extremely ruthless!

With both courage and wisdom, he was a rare talent for military command.

Liu Fangshu was completely ignorant about these things at first. It was only after Jiang Zhiyun came that she began to understand things more clearly.

"Then what should we do?" Liu Fangshu asked.

"It's up to Xie Shuheng; we can't help with that. For now, we should just focus on managing the people's food crops."

“Wars abroad are inherently costly and exhausting for the people. The people in the Northwest have been fighting for years and can no longer sustain it. The soldiers in the Southwest are now eating the grain brought from there.”

Liu Fangshu didn't speak at this moment. She had previously thought of becoming a heroine and a very powerful female general.

This idea is far too one-sided.

Previously, when her father said she was being silly, Liu Fangshu thought he was being too old-fashioned. Now she realized that things were much more complicated.

Jiang Zhiyun said, "Every decision Xie Shuheng makes affects the direction of the people. So he can't afford to make a mistake. I don't intend to talk about these trivial matters."

"I've investigated this thoroughly. I'll wait to gather more evidence."

Liu Fangshu nodded.

The group first arrived at a remote town near the fields.

We came by horse-drawn carriage, and the journey was bumpy, with many stones on the road.

Fortunately, the carriage was good; Liu Jie had prepared several soft cushions, so it was manageable to sit in it.

"arrive."

Ye Qi was riding a horse outside. He informed Jiang Zhiyun and then dismounted.

Then, standing on the edge of the field, the road was too narrow for a horse-drawn carriage to pass. The small carts pulled by sheep looked quite comfortable.

This thing is small and compact; landlords and various gentry usually sit on it to inspect their land.

“These are the rice seedlings that were planted yesterday.”

It's already March, the busy farming season. Jiang Zhiyun looked at the seedlings they had grown, and they were still very small. In comparison, the land cultivated by the people hired by the real landlords and gentry was much smaller.

The seedlings here are all bigger than theirs.

Moreover, there is so much vacant land, probably several hundred acres, which is all barren at a glance.

The best land in the Northwest was cultivated by the local gentry. The land that Jiang Zhiyun and his group were using now was either land that had been confiscated earlier, or land from some barren areas.

Many influential people couldn't stay in the Northwest and left long ago, some even abandoning their fields.

...The sources were varied, so more and more land became vacant for the government, which couldn't afford to cultivate, so the government had to rent it out at high prices. In the end, no one benefited.

The situation has remained in this stalemate, with the land lying fallow. The root cause is that no one knows who owns the land anymore.

This will continue indefinitely.

"March is indeed a good time for spring plowing."

Liu Jie, who was also there today, said to Jiang Zhiyun, "The land in front of us is barely cultivable; there are many more filthy plots. It's normal for all the crops to die in the cold winter."

“However, animal husbandry is still the main industry here,” Liu Jie said. “People would rather herd cattle than farm. There are quite a few vacant plots, which is understandable. Nowadays, there are only two or three large households, and the largest one that farms is the Xia Song family.”

Jiang Zhiyun nodded.

She knew a little about the unique features of the Northwest. After all, she had just arrived, and dust was already flying everywhere, so she unceremoniously swallowed a mouthful of sand.

Liu Jie was already used to it: "This is how it is when you come out. Today the wind is less strong in the Gobi Desert, and the sandstorm isn't too bad. Normally, it would be normal to be covered in mud."

Jiang Zhiyun couldn't help but laugh when she recalled that scene: "Now that I'm here, I'll make use of this land. Right now, we don't have nearly enough seedlings."

"It's not a problem of manpower. Even if we brought together a lot of people to work together, it wouldn't be enough to grow into seedlings."

That's true. Not only is it difficult to find enough people, but the main issue is that it's already time to plant them in the ground. If we do it too late, the plants won't mature.

“Therefore, I need the help of several high-ranking officials,” Jiang Zhiyun said. “We will pool our money to buy seedlings. When the seedlings are ready, Lord Liu Jie, as a high-ranking official, will be kind enough to present them to the Emperor for his inspection!”

Liu Jie knew that the funds used were from the national treasury, and he would have to ask the Ministry of Revenue for more money later.

"The matter is complicated, and money is a major issue. In any case, I will reconsider, but there is no need to worry about it."

That's an ambiguous statement.

Jiang Zhiyun nodded: "Lord Liu, don't think about protecting yourself. The smartest thing to do now is to go all out."

"Just go for it. When you're with me and Xie Shuheng, you'll have no other choice."

“We shouldn’t do these things here. When the inspectors come, they might arrest you on some pretext.”

Jiang Zhiyun said it on purpose to scare him.

However, such a thing is not impossible.

Therefore, Liu Jie is currently experiencing great mental anguish.

"It's a sad story, but in order to make my family a family that has lasted for centuries, I have never done anything bad."

"Looking back now, it's better to have done many wrong things before, and not be surprised when I was arrested. I wouldn't even have doubted myself, and would just think that I was wrong."