Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 420: Three Plans

Turning around to see Song Zhang, who was taken aback, Qin Yao hesitated for half a second and decisively handed the broken bow to him, "Add another good bow on top of that!"

Song Zhang squinted slightly in disbelief, hiding the joy in his eyes.

So, she agreed without even asking what he wanted her to do?!

Qin Yao sat back down, her eyes smiling, "I know you want to do something in this position."

This time, Song Zhang was truly surprised, unable to hide his expression.

He sat down excitedly, carefully placing the broken bow aside to take back for the craftsmen to study later.

"What do you know?" he asked.

Qin Yao said, "I can see that you want to be a ’good County Magistrate.’ As long as you stand with the people and work for their benefit, they will naturally support you."

"But I must remind you, you only have one year. After one year, when the new magistrate arrives, will he continue to uphold the rules you set?"

Song Zhang exclaimed, "That depends on whether Miss Qin and I can completely eradicate the evils in Kaiyang County within a year!"

The conversation reached this point, and Song Zhang stopped holding back, suppressing his excitement, he said:

"I have three plans: Firstly, to establish five new free schools in Kaiyang County."

"Secondly, to cleanse the government office."

"Thirdly, to eliminate the bullies."

Thanks to Qin Yao’s help, the second and third tasks are already halfway done.

As for the first point, he had recently made some small achievements by breaking through the monopoly of knowledge held by the local wealthy gentry.

Once the schools are set up, the selection of teachers can come from the Ding Family.

Qin Yao glanced at the spirited Song Zhang and said frankly:

"Time is tight and the tasks are heavy, I’m afraid your three plans cannot be completed within a year."

The internal situation of the government office is chaotic, and someone has to replace those who are removed.

The reality is that a petty official removed by the magistrate has to go through a long process, first reporting, then getting approval for disposal, and then applying for replacements. By the time suitable personnel arrive, eight out of ten people already transferred by Song Zhang would have left.

Qin Yao asked him, "Are you after superficial political achievements for a promotion? Or are you truly wanting to rid the people of harm?"

Song Zhang was honest, "Both."

Qin Yao pondered for a moment and added a requirement, "I won’t help you kill anyone."

"Also, as for the abandoned houses in the village, after lunch at my house, let’s call the village chief to take a look and decide."

Her address changed, going from informal to addressing him with respect, creating some distance.

But achieving this outcome was already beyond Song Zhang’s expectations.

He originally thought someone with her outsider nature would disdain worldly affairs.

Now he realized he misunderstood her too deeply.

She cared about the people’s matters as much as he did.

Qin Yao thought to herself that this was because she was one of the people he talked about!

Who would take care of their own matters if they didn’t care? Wait until disaster strikes to beg the gods?

If Song Zhang proves capable, then the next time she buys an estate, she wouldn’t have to deal with someone like Jin Chan Chu.

Although the estate she now had her eye on in Kaiyang County wouldn’t be snatched by anyone, the difference between being proactive and passive was significant.

At lunchtime, Liu Ji didn’t come out; he asked Ah Wang to bring food directly to his room.

In less than a cup of tea’s time, the empty bowl was brought out, showing the urgency of his work, not wanting to waste a moment even during meals.

Otherwise, when Gongliang Liao arrives, he’ll have a terrible fate!

Song Zhang asked curiously once more, "Miss Qin, is your husband really alright?"

Qin Yao finished two bowls of rice before resting for a moment and waved her hand at him, "No worries, his time will come in three days."

Seeing Song Zhang’s strange expression, Qin Yao laughed, "Ignore him; let’s eat and talk about dealing with the bullies first, that’s easier."

"...Alright." Song Zhang glanced towards the back courtyard again before clearing his mind to focus on discussing strategies with Qin Yao.

According to Song Zhang, we could replicate the Jin Chan Chu case to deal with Wang Mawu and Beauty Pan.

Qin Yao sternly reminded him, "I won’t kill anyone for you."

"Besides, what Jin Chan Chu case? I don’t know." Qin Yao said with an innocent face.

Song Zhang coughed awkwardly, thinking that everyone in the county knew she did it.

But since she refused to acknowledge it, he had to be tactful and not bring it up again, swiftly changing the topic.

"Miss Qin, in your opinion, how should we deal with these two remaining individuals?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Song Zhang lamented, "After the New Year, the government office received five new lawsuits, all accusing gambling houses and pawnshops of colluding to deceive people into mortgaging their properties or taking loans, even selling daughters or wives, leading to family destruction."

There’s also the case of Beauty Pan. From Lingnan, a tactic called ’Immortal Jump’ is spreading, ensnaring countless victims with no recourse.

Though those visiting gambling houses or brothels aren’t exactly virtuous, being scammed still feels deserved.

Yet their families are innocent.

And those honest folks whose family members fell ill and needed money, ended up scammed into selling land and becoming tenant farmers, generations of efforts wasted.

Song Zhang personally judged five or six such tragic cases.

If he hadn’t tried them himself, the victims might have been counter-sued for slander, beaten, or incarcerated.

Even as a County Magistrate personally trying these cases, the situation was like this. Song Zhang could only imagine the muddling outcomes if left to his clerks.

However, these personal trials did have some effect, and now the gambling houses, pawnshops, and brothels were more restrained.

Qin Yao didn’t expect so many things happened outside, "I thought Wang Mawu and others would hold back after seeing Jin Chan Chu’s downfall."

Song Zhang smiled bitterly, clearly she overestimated them.

But now with a different situation, Song Zhang sincerely said, "With Miss Qin’s help, I think their restraint will be much greater."

Qin Yao told him not to flatter her and suggested, "Why not try shutting down the gambling and brothel houses first and observe their reaction?"

Song Zhang laughed heartily, as that was exactly his intention!

He came to Qin Yao to seek an Amulet for his own protection.

After all, cutting off someone’s livelihood is akin to killing their parents, and he feared meeting an untimely death.

Qin Yao nodded in understanding, "Then after selecting the abandoned houses, I’ll personally escort you back to the government office."

Naturally, a conversation without discussing the abandoned houses of Liu Family Village prompted Song Zhang’s curiosity, so he asked what she planned to do with them.

Qin Yao finished a big bowl of soup, elegantly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and stood at the doorway, gazing at the beautiful small village in the light rain, earnestly declaring:

"To build Kaiyang County’s most beautiful tourist village, leading the village to prosperity!"

Ah Wang quietly turned to look at Song Zhang, whose eyes were filled with tears of excitement.

Oh no, he really believed her nonsense!