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墨書 Inktalez
Being assigned here is not a bad thing; his principle of handling matters has always been neutral, neither supporting the Crown Prince nor any other princes. As for serving the court and the people of Western Moon, he is not someone who disregards the lives of the common folk.
"Alright, Lord Mei, let's go back and arrange for personnel as soon as possible. By the way, Lord Zhou, can you dispatch familiar personnel from your side? Just like those sent by Ten Li Pu."
"Lord Zhou, you need not feel troubled. We will provide a certain wage for anyone sent, and we will also increase the dispatch of officials so that it does not delay the reconstruction of Linyi."
Zhou Bin repeatedly waved his hands. "Minister Fu, that's not what I meant. I will prepare right away; I just don't dare to take credit alone. For the sake of the people, everything is worth it."
After this meeting with Fu Zhilang and County Magistrate Zhou, they quickly finalized more detailed measures and made more reasonable arrangements.
Meanwhile, the reconstruction work in Ten Li Pu entered another phase. More than twenty days after the earthquake, the first newly built house in Ten Li Pu was completed.
"Village Chief, Miss Liu, this is wonderful!" A middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked at the neatly arranged mud bricks before him. The eaves were cleverly and elegantly designed with equal spacing.
Backed by a mountain and facing a river, the scenery was beautiful and the air fresh. The house was new and grand, with a courtyard of four hundred square meters. Three main rooms flanked by east and west side rooms were built, with a kitchen constructed between the main house and side rooms.
The wooden door was carved with simple patterns, and the windows were painted dark red. The thick window paper allowed good light to filter through; although simple, it was not rough. Liu Qingxi lightly brushed her hand over it, revealing an ancient yet elegant charm.
From the outside, the courtyard appeared tidy, resembling a traditional courtyard design with an open space reserved in the center.
Zhang Wuliang patted the sturdy wooden door and laughed heartily. "Not bad at all! Our young men's craftsmanship is getting better and better. When we have some leisure time, we should plant two fruit trees and set up a stone table; how nice it would be to enjoy meals in the summer breeze."
Just thinking about such days made one feel delighted; it couldn't be better.
Zhang Wuliang's description brought forth expressions of longing among the people as they recalled their past experiences that felt like nightmares. Now they were witnessing the first fruits of their collective efforts in rebuilding their village.
Undoubtedly, everyone felt a deep sense of satisfaction within their hearts.
"However, don't get too proud, everyone. There is still much work to be done."
"Hahaha, Village Chief, we can't help it; we, the great kids, are full of energy right now."
"Exactly, exactly, gentlemen, let's get to work quickly."
The men and women grabbed their hoes and got to work swiftly, imagining their own houses being built in the same way, feeling quite pleased.
Meanwhile, large-scale disaster relief efforts in Lingjiang Province gradually began to unfold.
This earthquake not only affected ordinary citizens but also caused significant losses for merchants.
Without even mentioning the damage to shops, the threat to people's lives after the earthquake meant that no one had the leisure to eat, drink tea, stroll around, or shop.
Thus, the impact on them was devastating; only as time passed and people's lives gradually returned to normal could their businesses begin to recover.
One month later
The seventeen counties centered around Linyi gradually returned to their former appearance as piles of rubble were cleared away, and the situation began to improve.
The houses in Ten Li Pu were almost completed, but Zhang Wuliang looked at the dwindling food supplies in his home and then at the scorching weather.
He sighed, "Since we have some free hands now, we should quickly plant the corn. Although it's a bit late in the season, planting it will yield some harvest. This year is likely going to be tougher than previous years."
At the same time, in Lingjiang Province, Fu Zhilang frowned and asked, "What are you all doing?"
The official in charge of the accounts nervously wiped his sweat and said, "My lord, the number of disaster victims is too high, and the food and silver..." He took a deep breath and lowered his head desperately. "It's already insufficient."
"What? Wasn't it predicted that things would basically return to normal in another month? How did this problem arise again?"
Fu Zhilang calculated for a moment. On the day he left the capital, he had brought several hundred thousand taels for disaster relief along with tens of thousands of piculs of grain. In just a month, they had nearly been exhausted.
He had thought that with the disaster relief strategies and construction methods proposed by County Magistrate Zhou, he could smoothly resolve this issue and return to the capital before autumn.
However, after pondering for a moment, he raised his head and asked, "How much longer can we hold on?"
"Reporting to my lord, we can still last for ten days. But during this time of year, it is usually the autumn planting season. This year has been delayed, and with several months of no harvest, I'm afraid..."
Indeed, what this official said was not unfounded. Millions of common people were waiting for food, and during those months, the consumption of grain was enormous.
As the Deputy Minister of Revenue, Fu Zhilang had his own methods for handling such situations.
He had considered this before; it was just that the aftermath of the earthquake had resulted in heavy casualties, leaving desolation in its wake. Businesses had ceased operations, leading to widespread stagnation.
It had been nearly two months since the earthquake, and things had almost recovered by more than half. The few pedestrians on the streets were beginning to show smiles.
"Lord Mei, tomorrow we will invite various merchants from Lingjiang Province to come as guests."
"My lord, is that appropriate?" Mei Hansheng's heart trembled slightly. The prominent merchants in Lingjiang Province all had their own connections and backgrounds. "If we are too forceful, I fear..."
Fu Zhilang suddenly raised his hand to stop Mei Hansheng from continuing. "Lord Mei, since we have a common goal and both want to resolve this matter quickly, we need to think of better solutions. Just go ahead with it!"
Mei Hansheng felt a sense of frustration and reluctantly complied, as Fu Zhilang was his superior.
The next day, prominent figures from Lingjiang Province were summoned to the Prefecture.
Dressed in luxurious attire, adorned with gold and silver, their hair slicked back and looking spirited, they appeared in front of the Yamen.
Among them was a round, plump middle-aged man whose eyes occasionally sparkled with mischief. He greeted others with a hearty laugh, "Hey, Boss Liu! It's been a while; you look more energetic than ever!"
"Boss Li, what a joke! With this earthquake, who among us can feel energetic?"
"True enough, but things have improved somewhat; otherwise, I would have gone bankrupt." Boss Li patted his clothing.
"Boss Li, you're being modest. If you went bankrupt in Lingjiang Province, no one would dare to run their own business!" Boss Liu's eyes flashed with calculation.
Suddenly, Boss Li leaned in closer to Boss Liu and whispered, "What does Lord Mei want us all here for today?"
The two exchanged glances; although they were both curious, neither dared to speak out or make comments.
They understood each other's intentions well. Discussing matters related to officials in front of the Yamen was risky.
Just then, a carriage slowly approached from the distance. As the curtain was lifted, a hand covered in old calluses and clear veins reached out. Following that, an elderly man with graying hair but a rosy complexion emerged. He looked robust and had bright eyes.
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