Chapter 678: Chapter 680: Borrowing a Person

Jin Qianqian was a bit hesitant. "Actually, my people already told me we could lease out shops. I was just being stubborn about it."

Ancient Wen Heng smiled and shook his head. "Remember to tell your people to ask about the local market rates. We can’t be seen as taking advantage of others."

Jin Qianqian naturally understood. "I’ll make it clear to them. And I’ll definitely oversee the process personally.

How are things at your government office? You’ve been so busy running in and out lately. Have you still not found a solution?"

"The local officials here are simply too lazy," Ancient Wen Heng said. "They handle everything according to precedent, going strictly by the book. If I want to make any changes, it probably won’t be that easy."

This was Ancient Wen Heng’s biggest headache. The place had been this way for decades, yet neither the local people nor the officials had any inclination to change.

"It’s because there’s no silver in the public coffers, isn’t it?"

Jin Qianqian pursed her lips. Liu Xuan was already in prison. ’I don’t know what the higher-ups are thinking,’ she thought. ’Instead of quickly recovering the hundreds of thousands of taels that were lost, they’ve just gone quiet.’

’Besides, even if they did recover it, it probably wouldn’t be up to Wenheng to decide what to do with the funds.’

"Heh," Ancient Wen Heng scoffed. "It’s not just that there’s no silver. We’re actually deep in debt.

The tax silver from past years hasn’t been paid in full, and the subordinate government offices are saddled with old debts.

The Emperor must really think highly of me, saddling me with a mess like this."

Jin Qianqian immediately shot him down. "If it wasn’t a mess, it probably wouldn’t have been your turn.

Just you watch. There will definitely be more of this in the future."

Ancient Wen Heng gave his wife a mournful look and said plaintively, "So it’s my fault, is it? A man as outstanding as me just can’t keep a low profile."

Jin Qianqian was speechless. "...That’s the spirit. Please, keep it up."

Ancient Wen Heng’s gaze fell on the drawing on the table. He asked suddenly, "Did Minghai draw this?"

"Of course. He seems to have a real talent for this sort of thing. The navigational charts and maps of the islands along our sea route were all drawn by him.

Didn’t I tell you about this before? Have you forgotten?"

"I haven’t forgotten," Ancient Wen Heng said. "I just want to borrow him for a while."

Jin Qianqian looked up at him. "Don’t you have any complete maps at the Inspectorate Office?"

"Those only show the general topography," Ancient Wen Heng replied. "I want something more meticulous and detailed."

Jin Qianqian was puzzled. "What for?"

"You’ll find out in a while. I’m not certain about it myself yet." Ancient Wen Heng wasn’t trying to be mysterious; he just needed to investigate thoroughly before he could draw any conclusions.

"Alright then, we have a deal," Qianqian said. "You’re just borrowing him for a while. I still want Minghai to help me manage my enterprises here."

"Don’t worry," Ancient Wen Heng assured her. "I’m just borrowing him, not trying to take him from you.

Where is he now? Have someone tell him to wait for me in the study."

"You’re always so impulsive," Qianqian said. "It’s probably not possible right now. I sent him out to get a better feel for Yongchang County. He likely won’t be back to the manor until after dark. If you’re in a hurry, you can leave a message with the gatekeeper."

"I’m not in a hurry," Ancient Wen Heng said. He knew his idea wasn’t guaranteed to succeed, and he still needed to learn more about the local climate.

With this on his mind, he couldn’t sit still. "You get some rest. I’m going to make another trip to the government office."

Watching Ancient Wen Heng rush out, Jin Qianqian shook her head in resignation. ’He’s really become obsessed,’ she thought.

* * *

More than half a month later, Ancient Wen Heng finally sent Minghai back. Both master and servant were noticeably tanner and thinner.

"What on earth have you two been up to?" Jin Qianqian was stunned to see them return to the manor, both of them completely filthy.

Although Ancient Wen Heng was tanner and thinner, he was in exceptionally high spirits. "We’ve surveyed the entire surrounding area. Hurry and have the servants bring up the food. We haven’t had a decent meal in days."

Jin Qianqian immediately gave the orders. "You can’t drive yourself this hard, no matter what it is. But what on earth were you doing that you couldn’t even eat a proper meal?"

’You have so many attendants with you. Surely they could have managed to provide a meal?’

"It’s not their fault," Ancient Wen Heng said. "The places I went were just too remote, and it wasn’t easy to find food. We weren’t fully prepared this time. It won’t happen again."

After Ancient Wen Heng had eaten his fill and cleaned himself up, the couple finally sat down together.

"Darling, do you remember terraced fields from the future?" Ancient Wen Heng began before Qianqian could even ask.

Jin Qianqian’s mouth fell open slightly. She finally understood what he was planning. "But what about a water source?"

"I’ve checked," Ancient Wen Heng said. "Some of the mountains around here have springs. If we manage them properly, we can irrigate an entire mountainside.

And for the ones that don’t, we can build a reservoir at the summit to collect rainwater. Then, during the dry season, we can channel it down for irrigation."

But Jin Qianqian had another concern. "But the mountains are full of wild animals. I’m afraid that any crops planted after so much hard work would just be destroyed by them.

Besides, there are so many dense forests around here. It wouldn’t be safe for the common folk to work on the mountains."

"I’ve considered that too," Ancient Wen Heng said. "We have plenty of manpower in our manor, not to mention the guards assigned to me by my superiors. I’m thinking of having them sweep through the mountains, one by one, to clear out the most dangerous predators first.

Then, we can introduce favorable policies to incentivize the local people to participate in reclaiming the land for cultivation."

"That’s a good idea." Jin Qianqian suddenly gave Ancient Wen Heng a conflicted look. "But are you planning to report this directly to the higher-ups?"

Ancient Wen Heng looked at her, not understanding what she meant.

"Don’t forget, you have a superior now," Qianqian reminded him. "It’s not like in Lu City, where General Zhou reported everything directly.

If this plan succeeds, you’ll have to give away the lion’s share of the credit."

Jin Qianqian pressed her lips together. She knew how likely this was to succeed. If someone else took credit for this, then in the future, every time Wenheng came up with a good idea, he would have to share the glory.

Ancient Wen Heng said reassuringly, "It’s not so black and white. Even if I submit the proposal through Governor Liang, do you really think the Holy Emperor won’t know whose idea it was?

Besides, we’ve been in the spotlight more than enough lately. It might be good to have someone higher up to share some of that attention."

Although he felt frustrated by it, he knew he had to follow the rules of the game here.

If he bypassed Governor Liang and submitted a memorial directly to the throne this time, he would only be creating more obstacles for his future career in the bureaucracy.

One couldn’t afford to be too much of a loner in the official world. Otherwise, at a critical moment, he would likely find no one willing to stand by his side.

Jin Qianqian lowered her gaze. "I know, but it still feels unfair."

Ancient Wen Heng walked over and put his arm around her shoulders. "Don’t worry. If the credit is mine, no one can take it away.

When I think of the suffering people in this region, I’m more than willing to accept a small loss."

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