After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

She's really going to be pulling all-nighters now.

Three days!

She only has three days!

How could she possibly read through so many ledgers and letters!

......

Three days later, a large contingent of troops from the Ministry of War arrived and, without taking a break, went straight to the scene to maintain order.

Xue Fengshi, holding the imperial edict, took his seat in the high hall.

Several officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate assisted them.

They divided the work and, using the list of evidence compiled by Baili Ce, together with Lin Yuchuan, tried and convicted the wealthy merchants and corrupt officials that Qiu Jiang had tricked into coming to the county government office one by one.

If convicted, they will be beheaded on the spot or exiled and their property confiscated.

They were not given any opportunity to transfer their assets.

At the same time, it also exonerated prisoners who had been wrongly convicted.

This cleared some of the displaced people and the stigma of the Three Cities Village, and Lu Jian's edict of amnesty was read aloud on the spot.

In particular, when Xue Fengshi said that the people of Sanchengzhai could engage in business and join the army normally and participate in the scientific expedition, Baili Ce stood outside the crowd, looking relieved but listless.

Although it was more than half a month late, at least it was delivered.

"Quick! Another closing statement is due."

"Give it to me, this one is fine, please check it again."

"That's right, send it out."

"Yes"

......

The dozen or so accompanying civil servants were sweating profusely as they recorded official documents, files, and proclamations.

Then, the official seal was affixed, and the documents were sent to the capital, recorded in the county government, and made public.

The onlookers went from cheering to wailing, and then to quietly listening to Xue Fengshi and Lin Yuchuan's trial and judgment, remaining there until late at night.

Some commoners and merchants who received government compensation cried out dozens of times, "Long live the Emperor, the just and just official!"

For reasons unknown, Qiu Jiang did not leave Shucheng until five quarters past midnight, which was close to dawn.

Standing at the city gate, Baili Ce returned the old purse and bundle that had been taken from the constables to him, saying, "Keep them safe."

"Thank you," Qiu Jiang said gently and carefully, wiping the dust off the purse.

Bai Lize got goosebumps. "No need!"

How could Qiu Jiang suddenly become so kind and gentle? It's fake! Absolutely fake!

But that doesn't stop Baili Ce from learning from him.

"Don't misunderstand, although I am kind, benevolent, honest and trustworthy."

“But I’m not helping you. It’s just that now that you’ve been pardoned, no one can make things difficult for you under my watch.”

"Besides, a purse and a few old clothes aren't anything valuable, so it's perfectly reasonable for you to take them."

Anyway, I just checked, and there's really nothing of value.

The answer Qiu Jiang gave in the bundle was one that only she could understand: the person should be released.

Honest and trustworthy?

Unable to refute, Qiu Jiang could only bow deeply and say, "Then I, Qiu, will take my leave."

As night fell, Baili Ce looked at the increasingly indistinct figures and suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality.

If she were to fall to such a state again one day, would she have the same courage as Qiu Jiang to live on?

"Cough cough..." Tongniang coughed a few times as a reminder.

Bai Li Ce snapped out of his daze, took her arm, and became happy again!

"Let's go back."

"You?" Tongniang tilted her head, carefully observing her expression.

Bai Li Ce rolled his eyes. "What are you looking at?"

"Did you have a fight with him?"

"no"

Tongniang raised her eyebrows and looked back, as if she didn't believe it.

"They've just grown up."

"..." Tongniang had a look on her face that said, "You're an idiot."

"Let's go, I'm so sleepy."

Tongniang, who hadn't heard any gossip, felt like she was being scratched by a cat. "Oh, please tell me!"

"Don't~"

"Oh, dear sister, please tell me, just tell me..."

......

The ancients often said that different places have different climates.

Shucheng receives significantly more rainfall than other places.

The timing of the rain also generally aligns with some calendar calculations used in agricultural practices.

It was worth it for her to cram so much agricultural and sericultural knowledge before coming from the capital; it finally came in handy during her boring time.

For example, because the official in charge of agriculture was beheaded, she temporarily took his place and went to inspect the grain stored in the government granaries and civilian granaries.

The professor taught new methods for guarding against insects and moisture, replacing spoiled and moldy rice with other types, using it as fertilizer or feeding it to poultry and livestock.

Even in a year of famine, this rice wouldn't be unusable.

But now the county government has seized so much rice that it's overflowing the warehouses, there's really no need to let people eat this kind of rice.

For example, visiting each household one by one.

Learn about more than a dozen inexplicable taxes that do not exist in the imperial accounts, such as "rat and sparrow tax," "bridge toll," "land rent," and "festival tribute."

Then, in front of the farmers, they used the money and grain seized from their homes to refund taxes.

For example, they actually went to the fields and villages, measuring the land, assessing the soil quality, and investigating water sources with other officials.

Observe the crop growth and analyze whether the newly allocated land should be left fallow or suitable for planting something else...

In short, everyone is exhausted.

Even Tongniang, because she was literate and a native of Shucheng, was forced to work alongside them for more than a month, like a conscript.

The learned and talented head of the Wang family should not be let off the hook.

After all, with Lu Jian's cunning, how could he easily let him return to Lincheng?

Bai Li Ce was naturally delighted with this.

He was the one who had been watching her all along, and now he deserved to be watched by Lu Jian's people.

So Lin Yuchuan requisitioned the inn.

Shortly after, Xue Fengshi and other officials, using the excuse that they were not feeling well and could not overwork themselves, checked into the inn.

They would frequently "invite" Wang Qingyan to help them with things they were "not good at".

As a result, for more than a month, although everyone lived under the same roof, they rarely spoke.

If the innkeepers hadn't seen how tired they were and brought their meals to each room, Baili Ce wouldn't have even wanted to eat.

At this point, Tongniang stopped pretending.

After all, she now has to lead dozens of people back and forth in Shucheng every day.

After returning, she didn't want to walk another step. She pushed open Baili Ce's door and slept with her.

After another ten days or so, the major and minor matters in Shucheng were finally mostly resolved.

After lying in the inn like a dead dog for five or six days, Lin Yuchuan, Xue Fengshi, and some other officials returned to the capital first.

The rest of the troops stayed behind to restore order, train the yamen runners, revise the county annals, and restore people's livelihoods.

And so, the inn, which had been bustling for nearly two months, fell silent again.

"what--"

Another day of sharing a bed. Tongniang yawned, stretched, got out of bed, and put on her shoes. "I'm finally alive again."

“Yes,” Baili Ce stretched his arms and legs, preparing to get up as well.

Are you going to the county government office again today?

By the way, with her extraordinary learning ability and terrifying social skills, Tongniang gloriously became a female clerk.

The monthly salary is as high as one tael!

Tongniang gulped down half a pot of water, then said, "I'll go collect my monthly salary and leave."

As she spoke, she glanced to the side and exclaimed, "It's gone up by three hundred coins this month!"

"Wow! You're capable!" Baili Ce clapped his hands in congratulations.

She immediately got out of bed, combed her hair, and washed up. "Hey, let's go shopping!"

"That's what I thought!"

"Let me tell you, there's a jewelry store in Willow Lane that has really beautiful jewelry."

"I did the boss a small favor a few days ago. He said I wanted to look at jewelry and he could give me a discount."

"Then what are we waiting for! Let's go~" Baili Ce had already dressed faster than Tong Niang.

"What's the rush? Let's eat breakfast first before we go."

"Oh, what's there to eat? Let's go to that wild vegetable dumpling soup place on the street."

Tongniang thought for a moment, "That makes sense!"

"Hey, the other day the landlady said she wanted to have some new clothes made, why don't we ask her to join us?"

"Sure, I'd like to buy some new clothes too."

"Then... how about we invite Young Master Wang as well?"

As soon as Tongniang asked the question, she immediately changed her mind, "Never mind, I'm still afraid of him."

"Sisters going shopping, why are you calling men over?"

If Wang Qingyan is around, they definitely won't have fun.

Besides, she had finally managed to distance herself from him, so why would she want to provoke him again?

Tongniang was overjoyed, "Hehe, I think so too~"

"Hey, why don't we invite Xiao Cui along too?"

"Let's all try to talk her out of it, so her dad won't worry all the time that she might do something rash."

"Okay, after we finish shopping, I'll rent a horse-drawn carriage and we'll go outside the city for a barbecue."

"Alright, alright, I'm tired of eating at the inn all the time..."

......

[Note: Currency conversion varies from dynasty to dynasty. In this article, it is set as follows: 100 wen equals 1 qian, 12 qian equals 1 liang, which means 1200 wen equals 1 liang.]

One wen was roughly equivalent to three pieces of gold in later times (after considering the material standards of the Tang Dynasty, one wen was actually equivalent to six pieces of gold – that's a lot!).

Therefore, Tongniang's income, converted to cash, was over 4, which was a very good income for ordinary people in ancient times.