It's better to be an empress than a county magistrate

If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. Master Guo understands this principle all too well.

"Because there are not only iron mines but also coal mines on Niutou Mountain."

"We can use the coal mines directly to smelt iron."

Lu Xingchen talked about his plan.

Master Guo had no time to think and nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, Master is right, let's do it this way."

"We will still run it the same way as before, handing it over to capable gentry or merchants, and we will collect taxes from them."

"They can have their own profits, but we want the lion's share, and the goods are important to us. Sign a contract with them first, and don't blame us for being rude if they violate it."

Master Guo already understood Lu Xingchen's thinking.

Country gentry or merchants have free rights to exploit and use the land, but the ownership belongs to the government.

The government has priority right to use the mined items, so the price must be reasonable, but the price to the outside world is different.

In this way, the government saves the trouble of mining and management. As long as they get the results they want, the rest is up to the merchants and gentry.

This tests the management and mining capabilities of merchants and gentry.

"Okay, let's do it according to the county lord's instructions."

"Okay, I'll leave first. You are old, so you should go to bed early. Drink less tea at night to avoid insomnia." Lu Xingchen stood up and said.

Master Guo glared at him unhappily.

"You just want me to stay awake tonight, so you tell me all these earth-shattering news at this hour."

Lu Xingchen did not deny it. He smiled and waved to Master Guo, then left his courtyard.

The spring breeze blows, and the air is filled with the fragrance of jujube flowers.

The next morning, after Lu Xingchen had breakfast, he went to the yamen to meet Lu Yunfeng.

"Why did Second Uncle come so early?" Lu Xingchen walked in and asked with a smile.

Lu Yunfeng quickly stood up and greeted her.

"There's a lot to do. What brings you here?"

Lu Xingchen asked someone to carry in the wooden seeder.

Lu Yunfeng looked puzzled. He stepped over the table and walked out, observing the new gadget in front of him with curiosity.

"What is this?" Lu Yunfeng looked at her and asked.

"Seeder..." Lu Xingchen replied.

"Just put the seeds in the wooden frame above, and then have animals pull it in front, and the shovel below will slide into the soil, and the seeds will enter the soil along this channel..."

Lu Yunfeng's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

Lu Yunfeng has farmed before, so he knows how hard it is.

The land needs to be turned over first with a plow pulled by an ox, and then leveled with a harrow.

Then they use a hoe to dig a trench, and people bend over and scatter the seeds into it. Someone else has to cover it with soil and wait for the seeds to germinate.

I can’t believe how much work this seeder saves.

"Where did this thing come from?" Lu Yunfeng asked.

"If someone asks you, Second Uncle, where this thing came from, just say that I invented it." Lu Xingchen gave Lu Yunfeng a sly smile.

Lu Yunfeng naturally understood this principle, but he really wanted to know where the seed drill came from.

“Uncle, I have other things to do, so I’ll leave this to you. Take some people to the fields and try it out.

Let the common people know how good this seed drill is, and then hand it over to the carpenter shop and let them make it. I have the blueprints here..." Lu Xingchen left the blueprints and the seed drill for Lu Yunfeng to admire alone.

She took Ling Xiao to meet Jia Wanhe.

Jia Wanhe had hardly slept the whole night and felt uneasy being alone in the room, so he got up early in the morning and came to see Lu Kui.

Lu Kui and Jia Wanhe had breakfast together.

"Don't worry, Old Jia. My son is a man of his word. If he promises to help you solve the problem in Song County, he will definitely solve it. Just wait patiently." Lu Kui persuaded.

Yesterday, Lu Xingchen had the news blocked so that Lu Kui wouldn't know that the problem in Song County had actually been solved.

Jia Wanhe sighed, his face full of worry, "Brother Lu, how can I not be anxious? That is where I live and work. I have struggled in Song County for so many years..."

"I understand how you feel. We are all in the same situation." Lu Kui looked as if he felt the same way.

After breakfast, Jia Wanhe showed no intention of leaving. After taking his medicine, Lu Kui sat down with Jia Wanhe to play chess.

Jia Wanhe had no intention of playing chess, he just wanted to kill time.

Fortunately, Lu Xingchen brought Ling Xiao in.

When Jia Wanhe saw Lu Xingchen, he instantly dropped the chess piece in his hand into the chess bowl, stood up and quickly walked towards him.

"Nephew, how is the situation in Song County going?"

Lu Xingchen had a faint smile on his face, "Uncle, it has been resolved."

Jia Wanhe was overjoyed, "Nephew, you are so awesome, thank you."

"Brother Lu, I'll leave first."

Jia Wanhe waved at Lu Kui and was about to go out.

As a result, as soon as he reached the door, he bumped into Ling Xiao.

"County Magistrate Jia, why are you so anxious? What are you going to do?" Ling Xiao looked at Jia Wanhe coldly.

"Of course we have to rush back to Song County." Jia Wanhe looked as if he had no idea what was going on.

At this moment, his mind was filled with the fact that the issue in Song County had been resolved.

"County Magistrate Jia, it would be unkind of you to leave like this. We have contributed our manpower and effort to solve your problem, and now you just say thank you and leave." Ling Xiao's voice was cold.

Lu Xingchen sat next to Lu Kui, seemingly ignoring the conversation between Ling Xiao and Jia Wanhe. Instead, he asked Lu Kui with concern whether he slept well last night and how he was feeling.

Lu Kui answered Lu Xingchen's words casually, but his mind was on Jia Wanhe.

He felt that Lu Xingchen would not let Jia Wanhe go so easily.

"I am a man of my words. When I return, I will prepare generous gifts and visit you again to thank Brother Lu and my nephew for their help." Jia Wanhe said to Ling Xiao.

"You're just empty talk. How can we believe what you say?" Ling Xiao said.

Jia Wanhe paused, as if realizing something, and turned to look at Lu Xingchen.

"Nephew, I will prepare a generous thank-you gift when I return."

"Uncle, affection is affection, and business is business.

We have contributed manpower and effort, and our brothers have also suffered damage. You can't just give us a generous gift to get away with it.

It would be better to write down in black and white how much compensation is required and how generous the gift is. " Lu Xingchen said in a light tone.

Jia Wanhe finally realized that things were not as simple as he thought.

So he set his eyes on Lu Kui, "Brother Lu, we have been friends for so many years..."

Lu Kui coughed a few times and stood up tremblingly. "Brother Jia, you should talk to my son. My body is really useless. I need to find a place to lie down for a while."

Lu Xingchen helped Lu Kui to stand up, then walked him to the door and handed him over to the maid and servant who were serving him personally.

Lu Xingchen turned back and looked at Jia Wanhe indifferently.

"Uncle Jia, I saved your entire family's lives, saved Songshan County, and saved your life twice. Do you think how much these are worth?" Lu Xingchen sat down and tapped the table lightly.