Wealth and glory seek stability

Snowy.

Jian Xi thought that based on Qing Zhuzui's personality, he would definitely trip her up on the road.

I didn't expect that the journey would be safe and secure.

What she didn't know was that Qingzhuzui had already offended his greatest reliance, and there were still many difficult days to come.

When we arrived at the northern grasslands, it was almost the end of the year.

As soon as you get off the carriage, you will see endless white snow.

I heard that a new commander has arrived to take office.

Several days in advance, the person in charge of the Saibei grassland was waiting at Shiziyuan for the response.

After Jian Xi showed the empress's warrant and her official seal, the officials in charge greeted her one by one.

The northern grasslands border the Xia Kingdom, and the customs and culture are very similar to those in the Central Plains.

"Your humble servant greets the Grand Minister of Agriculture."

"Your humble servant greets the Grand Minister of Agriculture."

"Please get up."

"Thank you, sir."

The Lion Temple was the entrance to the northern grasslands. Jian Xi looked around but did not see the office.

"I wonder where this office is?"

An old man with a mustache who looked very shrewd stood up and said, "Your Excellency, I am Tang Qian, the chief clerk here. Because of the war in the northern part of the border over the past two years, the people were displaced, and the government offices were also dismantled by the soldiers and used as tools for throwing stones, so..."

Jian Xi: .....

So she is just a lone commander?

But she still held on to her last hope: "Then are there any population fish scale books or maps here?"

A man who seemed to be the youngest among the group of leaders stood up, holding two thin books in his hands. "Here are the fish scale book and the map, please take a look, sir."

Jian Xi felt a little upset when she looked at the population list which was only about two fingers thick.

As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice. With such a small population, even if she wants to develop people's livelihood.

Without even the people, what is the point of development? !

No wonder when she went to the Ministry of Revenue to withdraw money for grain planting before leaving, those people provided it so smoothly. In addition to the tacit approval of Her Majesty the Empress, they probably also felt that she could not cause much trouble.

The Shiziyuan was quite empty, and the place where everyone met her was the largest official post station in the Shiziyuan.

The decoration inside the post station was simple, which was a far cry from the magnificent decoration that Jian Xi had seen in Kecheng before.

Looking at the officials who were greeting her opposite, everyone's clothes were so washed that they looked a little pale.

The last few people were still covering their sleeves, perhaps because there were patches on their sleeves.

So poor!

Jian Xi sighed slightly and could only comfort herself in her heart that this was only the first year and she believed that things would get better in the future.

"Well, the New Year is coming in ten days, let's go back to the capital."

"Sir, we are here to welcome you. You are tired from the journey, so please have some wine before going to the capital." Tang Qian asked respectfully. Although the silver in the account of the Saibei Office had been greatly reduced, since it was the first time for their boss to come, each of them had contributed money.

Jian Xi looked at the embarrassed look on everyone's faces and wondered why they would still want to treat her. She waved her hand and said, "Okay, we have some ceremonial items from various places in the back of our carriages. Let's find a place and hold a bonfire party tonight. Let's have a good time."

There was a look of surprise in Tang Qian's eyes. There was actually such a good thing?

Looking at the servants behind Jian Xi carrying all kinds of fine wines and wild animals, Tang Qian swallowed his saliva. He hadn't eaten anything greasy for a long time.

"Thank you very much, sir." Thinking of this, he agreed unconsciously.

Jian Xi's lips curved up, "You're welcome. We'll all be colleagues from now on, so we should help each other. They are the subordinates I brought from the imperial capital, so you can get to know each other."

Qi Si and others stood behind Jian Xi, looking at the line of officials opposite them who seemed to be dressed simply, with some surprise.

Although not all officials in the imperial capital wear gorgeous clothes, they don't dress as shabbily as Tang Qian and others.

Tang Qian remained calm in the face of the emergency, and the officials behind him also had the same unshakable temperament. They did not feel that their faces were dull because of their shabby clothes.

The reason we are able to hold on under such conditions is just for that thin population booklet.

Officials with connections had long been transferred to relatively prosperous capitals in the surrounding areas. They did not want to leave. Saibei was where they grew up, and they did not want to see it decline.

"Hello, Lord Tang. I am Qi Si, a female official in charge of ceremonies. This is Wu Zhan from the Wu clan, and this is Zhang Da, an official in charge of grain and wheat seeds, and..."

Qi Si received a lot of care from Jian Xi along the way. Jian Xi intended to train her to be her deputy, so this was a good opportunity for her to gain some training.

After everyone got to know each other, Jian Xi secretly rubbed her aching lower back and said, "Let the kitchen prepare. I want to go change clothes first."

Her belly is almost seven months big, and anyone can tell that Jane Xi is pregnant.

Hearing this, everyone naturally had no objection.

Jian Xi brought two little girls, Lingbao and Baizhi, into the room. Everyone thought they were Jian Xi's two maids, and apart from being a little younger, there was nothing special about them.

Inside the room, everything is kept simple.

There is only a big bed in the middle and a set of tables, chairs and benches.

Jian Xi untied her outer cloak, but she couldn't hide the tiredness on her face. Although she had taken the pregnancy-preserving pills given by Zhang Cen'er, the drowsiness and laziness brought by the pregnancy always accompanied Jian Xi.

She didn't know what other women's pregnancies were like, but the thought of worse situations than her current one made her feel a little overwhelmed.

In this life, it is enough to have only one child.

Her brain no longer wanted to work. She just wanted to close her eyes and pass out. She didn't want to think about anything else.

Jian Xi was lying on the bed alone. Lingbao and Baizhi had already gotten used to Jian Xi's daily routine. Unless there was anything unnecessary, both of them would sit in the room and read the book left by their master.

The two kids watched very attentively.

Ling Bao was always bullied by Mo Chuan along the way because of his lack of skills. He vowed to memorize all the Xuanmen techniques by heart, become the real leader in the future, and be proud of himself by surpassing his senior brother.

Bai Zhi knew that the Saibei grassland was relatively close to the Divine Doctor Valley and she would soon meet her master, so she could not hide her excitement. She thought that Guo Xiu would definitely test her on her studies when they saw her, so the closer she got to Saibei, the harder she worked and she did not dare to relax even a little.

During this time, Mo Chuan would regularly deliver food to the two of them. "Just read your books and don't disturb the girl's rest. If you meet a bad guy, just shout for help. I live next door to you."

"Oh, I see, Senior Brother, you say this every day, my ears are going to get calluses."

Lingbao took the tray from Mo Chuan.

The door closed with a bang.

Mo Chuan looked at the rough paper on the table in the room where Lingbao was calculating and the right hand with the black index finger holding the pen.

He couldn't help but wonder if he was pushing this little sister too hard.