I was kicked out of the house, and I was reborn and became the emperor

Mr. Lu smiled bitterly and replied, "Most of them fled because they could not bear the heavy taxes and years of war in Jiuyuan. If Lu Dongxun had not sent troops to block the city gates to prevent people from escaping, Jiuyuan County would have become an empty city long ago."

"It's shocking to hear that Lu Dongxun can be said to be the most vicious county magistrate in history! But now that Lu Dongxun has been eliminated, those exiled people will hear the news and should return to their homes, right?" Fang Yi asked again.

Mr. Lu frowned slightly and said, "Most of the first people to flee Jiuyuan were wealthy families and local prominent families. They may have settled down in a foreign land. But they have deep feelings for their hometown. If ordinary people hear the news, they may hope to return."

Fang Yi sighed softly, staring at Jiuyuan Prefecture on the map, and suddenly came up with an idea.

"In this case, I can spread a notice in Yanzhou that anyone who wishes to live in Jiuyuan will be exempted from taxes and grain for one year, and will be provided with housing, good farmland and rice seeds free of charge."

"Your Majesty, your idea is brilliant. It is not easy for poor people to make a living outside. If Your Majesty can show kindness to the people, not only the people of Jiuyuan, but also refugees from neighboring areas will come to you in droves." Mr. Lu nodded in approval.

"Great! The worry about population can be solved with money. Nothing in the world can be accomplished without money!" Fang Yi's face was full of joy.

Mr. Lu stroked his beard and pondered, "My Lord, what you said makes sense, but have you calculated how much it will cost?"

"How much silver do you need? Isn't the gold and silver left by Lu Dongxun enough?"

"Let me do the math for you, Lord. First, we need to solve the accommodation problem. Although our county is large, there are many abandoned houses. However, most of them have fallen into disrepair over the years and need to be repaired..." Mr. Lu said as he turned his abacus. "It costs at least eight taels of silver to repair a house. If there are three to seven people, if 400,000 people come in, the initial cost of resettlement will be about 600,000 taels."

"Six hundred thousand taels!" Fang Yi blurted out in surprise. In his hand, he only had the 100,000 taels of silver notes given by Emperor Taining.

"In addition, rice seeds also cost money. But Jiuyuan is a vast area with a sparse population and countless idle fields. We are fortunate that we don't have to spend extra money." Mr. Lu put down the abacus and looked at Fang Yi with a smile.

"Lu Dongxun must have plundered at least 600,000 taels in the past few years. He was the prefect for four years and the county magistrate for three years, and he must have amassed a lot of wealth during that time."

"Indeed, according to a rough estimate, the value of those boxes of treasure is no less than two million taels. But my lord, don't forget that you have promised to distribute the profits to the wealthy and the common people. In the end, there may not be much left, at most three hundred thousand taels."

"Three hundred thousand taels against the one hundred thousand taels in my hand is still not enough. Besides, the daily expenses of the huge county government and mansion cannot be underestimated..." Fang Yi rubbed his temple with a worried look on his face.

"I have a plan. Most of the wealth and property obtained by Lu Dongxun came from those clans, wealthy merchants and big families, and most of these families have moved elsewhere. My Lord, you might as well issue a notice. Only if these clans, wealthy merchants and big families return to Jiuyuan can their embezzled property be returned..."

"If they don't come back, the money will naturally belong to me!" Fang Yi shouted excitedly.

Mr. Lu nodded with a smile, his eyes gleaming with wisdom, "That's right, this plan not only solves the immediate problem, but also takes into account the long-term, it can be said to kill two birds with one stone, solving the dual dilemma of population and food in one fell swoop."

"Great! This is a great plan!" Fang Yi cheered excitedly, and Xiao Rou, who was sleeping on a chair nearby, was awakened and blinked her confused eyes.

At this moment, Mr. Lu bowed his hands respectfully and continued, "My Lord, I have another thought that I would like to present to you."

"Appreciate further details!"

"Over the years, Lu Dongxun has extorted nearly 500,000 taels of silver from me. I am willing to present this money to you as a reward for your great kindness in saving my Lu family and the people of Jiuyuan."

"This... I am extremely honored. Your Excellency has given me a mansion and a huge amount of money. It really makes it difficult for me." Although Fang Yi said it modestly, he was overjoyed in his heart.

In fact, Lu Dingwen had something in mind that he wanted to give to Fang Yi, and he wanted to take this opportunity to mention it. However, after thinking of Fang Yi's engagement with the daughter of the Grand Commander of Yanzhou, which required a wife to be the main wife even if he took a concubine, he temporarily gave up the idea.

Lu Dingwen was quick-witted. After a moment's hesitation, he smiled and said, "My Lord, as a businessman, I regard this 500,000 taels as an investment. I bet that under your wise leadership, Jiuyuan will be revived quickly. When the sea trade is opened, I will surely win more wealth. This is a win-win situation."

"Mr. Lu, oh no, you should call him Mr. Lu. I never thought that in such a small place like Jiuyuan, there would be a Confucian businessman like Mr. Lu who has both knowledge and business strategy." Fang Yi excitedly shook Mr. Lu's hand, feeling full of emotion.

Mr. Lu quickly stood up, bowed deeply, and said humbly: "My Lord, thank you for your praise. I am not worthy of the title of 'sir'. If you have any questions, I will teach you everything I know."

Afterwards, the two continued to study the drawings at their desks and discussed strategies for governing the county all night long.

Fang Yi stared at the ancient map, and the former scene of Jiuyuan Prefecture came into vivid view: in addition to the central city, there were four towns, thirteen villages, and a port around it.

But now, only one county and six villages remain, and the rest have been abandoned. What's worse, the vital mines are occupied by the Purple Gold Bandits, and the ports without heavy guards may be looted by pirates at any time.

Therefore, rebuilding Jiuyuan Prefecture is not an overnight task.

Fang Yi decided to visit these key areas one by one to investigate the current situation. Overnight, both Lu Yuanwai and Fang Yi had dark circles under their eyes, and Xiaorou had already fallen asleep in the chair.

At dawn, Mr. Lu looked out the window, stood up and said, "My Lord, I will take my leave now. I will issue a call for you in all parts of Yanzhou to call back the displaced people."

"Alas, with Mr. Lu's departure, there will be one less adviser by his side. We can't ask Master Lin about everything." Fang Yi smiled bitterly, knowing full well that talents are more valuable than people at this moment.

"My Lord, my daughters are all good at math, especially Qingxue. She has been with me in the business world since she was young and is quite knowledgeable about business. In the great cause of rebuilding Jiuyuan, Qingxue may be able to lend a helping hand to my Lord."

After Mr. Lu finished speaking, a smile appeared on his face, which was meaningful.

"Miss Lu is indeed a woman of both talent and beauty. I must visit her and ask for advice someday. Mr. Lu, I will take you out of the city!" Fang Yi wanted to help Mr. Lu out.

"Your Excellency is too kind. Jiuyuan is very busy with affairs. Please don't send me off."

Mr. Lu bowed quickly and pointed to the back of the county government office. "My Lord, my daughter started checking the accounts and clearing the stolen money yesterday. There should be results by now. If you are free, please go to the account office to check."

"Okay, Mr. Lu, have a safe journey and make a lot of money." Fang Yi bowed and said goodbye to Lu Dingwen.

"Thank you, sir. Please stay!" Lu Dingwen bowed again.

Fang Yi turned around and went back to the county government office, but Mr. Lu stopped in front of the door, looked at the tightly closed door, and sighed softly: "Daughter, this is all your father can do for you now..."

After Lu Dingwen drove away, Fang Yi walked into the accounting office and saw Lu Qingxue sleeping at the desk, holding an abacus tightly in her arms, surrounded by account books and documents.

As Fang Yi flipped through it, he was amazed that Lu Qingxue could manage the accounts and the stolen money so clearly on her own.

Fang Yi made a rough count and found that, not counting what Lu Dongxun had squandered over the years, the remaining wealth alone was as high as 280,000 taels of silver. This corrupt official really had a big appetite!

However, this amount of money is enough to be distributed generously. If the families, wealthy people and gentry who have long since moved away have no intention of returning to their homeland, more funds can be used to benefit ordinary people.

He quietly placed the account books and documents on the table, but accidentally disturbed Lu Qingxue who was sleeping soundly.

"My lord, why are you here?" Lu Qingxue stood up hurriedly and bowed gracefully.