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

Looking back, the Taoist had an ordinary appearance, no different from any street vendor. With a little disguise, he could transform into any form and disappear into the crowd...

Thinking of this, Fang Yi quickly pulled out the bronze mirror hidden under his pillow and looked at the mysterious treasure map on the ground again, wondering what the mysterious Taoist priest's intentions were and who he was.

Fang Yi pondered for a moment, then put the bronze mirror away properly again and asked Xiaorou beside him to clean up the debris scattered on the ground.

"My lord, in accordance with your instructions, the treasure map has been properly repaired and the rat poison has been properly stored. I really can't guess what your intention is?" Xiaorou asked in confusion.

"Don't worry. We still have a lot of important things to do today." Fang Yi said as he straightened his clothes.

The first priority is to check the accounts and settle the illegal gains so that the money and property can be returned to the people as soon as possible. Delaying this will not only fail to win the hearts of the people, but will also arouse their anger.

Later, Fang Yi would order people to post notices in the county town and the six surrounding villages, and mobilize all the servants to assist the two sisters of the Lu family in completing this matter. After all, in Fang Yi's mind, the only people who were completely trustworthy, proficient in arithmetic, and good at accounting were the two sisters of the Liu family.

Although women in ancient times were not allowed to show their faces in public, the Liu sisters had already become familiar faces in the local area, thanks to their experience of traveling around with their father, Mr. Lu, since they were young. Their savvy and sophisticated temperaments were quite popular. In addition, as the daughters of Mr. Lu, the people were mostly blessed by the Lu family, so they could do things smoothly without any obstacles.

After that, Fang Yi began to select candidates for key positions such as county magistrate, county magistrate, chief clerk, squad leader and old clerk. Fortunately, Lu Yuanwai left a list of recommendations before leaving, so Fang Yi could arrange candidates to temporarily take over the positions based on this list.

However, most of the people recommended by Lu Yuanwai were elderly. Although they enjoyed great prestige in Jiuyuan and had extensive connections, they were too conservative. Fang Yi knew that a more suitable successor would need to be selected in the future.

Just as Zhang Wenyuan said, it is not a good idea to do everything yourself. You should delegate trivial tasks to people you trust so that you can have more time to deal with more important matters.

In the next few days, Fang Yixu will visit various places to inspect the four towns, thirteen villages and the abandoned port under the former Jiuyuan Prefecture.

"Xiao Rou, pack up and we'll set off immediately! In addition to visiting various villages, we also need to survey the surrounding resources - mineral veins, forests and even the seashore. Only by visiting every piece of land in Jiuyuan can we plan a blueprint for development."

"But the first prerequisite is sufficient population, which is what the Marquis said as labor force and productivity, right?" Xiaorou added with a proud smile.

"Xiao Rou, it's great that you can remember these. You have made real progress. If I am granted the title of Duke or Prince in the future, you will be the most outstanding steward in the palace." Fang Yi said with a smile.

"Tsk, I don't want to be a housekeeper." Xiaorou pouted and snorted, but she was happy in her heart.

Xiaorou originally thought that she was destined to spend her whole life lamenting over a dull young man, and then to take care of the marquis until the end of his life.

However, since Fang Yi showed extraordinary wisdom and seemed to have been reborn, her life trajectory has also been rewritten...

Xiaorou is very satisfied with her current life. Even though she is often in danger and faces many difficulties, as long as she can be with Fang Yi, all the suffering will turn into sweetness.

Seeing Xiaorou fiddling with her braids, Fang Yi flicked her forehead gently: "You are so confused all day long, what good things are you fantasizing about?"

"My Lord Marquis always criticizes me like this. How can I become smarter?" Xiaorou covered her head and pretended to be angry.

"You won't become smarter if I don't warn you. All right, put your things away and let's go to the county government office!" Fang Yi rolled up the Jiuyuan map and stood up while speaking.

Xiaorou rubbed her stomach and said pitifully, "Aren't we having breakfast? I'm so hungry that I'm almost starving."

"I just know how to eat!"

"I'm just in my growth spurt." Xiaorou said aggrievedly.

Fang Yi turned around, his eyes gentle: "Then you should eat more papaya."

"Then eat more pig's trotters, which can also help strengthen your brain." Fang Yi said with a smile.

After breakfast, Fang Yi went to the county government office and arranged various matters for the Lu sisters and the yamen runners. He also sent several people with letters of appointment to hand them over to the person recommended by Lu Yuanwai, ordering him to go to the county government office to take up his new post the next day.

Everything was settled, Fang Yi and Xiao Rou rode on horseback, holding a carefully drawn map of Jiuyuan Prefecture, aiming to visit the remains of the four small towns under the former Jiuyuan Prefecture.

Unexpectedly, on the way, Fang Yi suddenly realized that Xiaorou beside him had disappeared. A moment later, he saw her slowly riding a horse to catch up.

"Why are you so slow? I thought you were lost." Fang Yi said with a smile.

"It's not that I'm slow, it's that the Marquis's horse is too fast and didn't even wait for me to ride along." Xiaorou pouted and complained.

Fang Yi smiled proudly, "Of course it is. This horse was ridden by Lu Dongxun when he escaped. Even Zhuge Jingqi's mount 'Xueying' could not catch up with him in the past."

"My Lord, you are truly blessed. Since Miss Zhuge Jingqi's horse is named 'Xueying', what is the name of your beloved horse?" Xiaorou asked with a smile.

"Since we haven't given it a name yet, why not call it 'Red Shadow'?" Fang Yi said as he whipped the horse. The maroon "Red Shadow" let out a long whistle and rushed out like an arrow.

"My Lord, you are cheating! Let me join you!" Xiaorou was left far behind and shouted loudly.

At noon, Fang Yi had arrived at a small town in the west of Jiuyuan County, today's Anping Village, one of the six villages in Jiuyuan, a peaceful and harmonious place.

Under the city gate, Fang Yi realized that although this city was not as vast as Jiuyuan County, it was well preserved. The streets and alleys looked neat and orderly, but nine out of ten houses were empty and the residents were sparse. Compared with the prosperous past, the population had dropped dramatically. Fortunately, the streets were clean and there were a constant stream of pedestrians, and the vitality was even better than Jiuyuan County.

"This small town is Anping Village, the most peaceful of the six villages. Because it is located in the west, it avoids invasions from northern barbarians, eastern Japanese pirates and southern mountain bandits. The name 'Tai'an' is very apt." Fang Yi explained.

"No wonder it's not as desolate as other places." Xiaorou nodded in agreement.

"Looking around, we are surrounded by forests. In the woods in the village, wild vegetables and mushrooms flourish. Villagers do not need to farm, and can feed themselves by hunting wild animals. This is truly a blessed land. How about we go into the village and take a look?" Fang Yi suggested.

The two men led their horses into Anping Village. When the people saw the Marquis in person, they saluted and saluted, and some even knelt down to worship him.

"Everyone, please stand up. No need to be polite. When we meet in the future, just bow."

Fang Yi hurriedly supported everyone and asked, "Where is the head of Anping Village?"

"I am the head of Anping Village. My surname is Sun..." An old man in hemp clothes walked slowly forward in the crowd and answered.

"Sun Lizheng, I want to tour around and hope you can guide me." Fang Yi wanted to use the old village chief as a guide to explore the village situation.