Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1081 Passive Owe Favors

The ebony box was only the size of a palm, but it caught the eyes of many officials.

"Minister Luo also prepared a gift for Lord Shen? I thought he was just here to join in the fun!"

"Minister Luo? Joining in the fun? Is Minister Luo someone who likes to join in the fun? As early as when Lord Shen was promoted to Assistant Manager, he had won Minister Luo's favor. It's not surprising that he came to see him off today..."

"Isn't this strange enough? We've served in the same court as Minister Luo for many years, and who has ever received a gift from him? You, you, you, and all of you! Who has ever received one? I haven't received a single one!"

As they were talking, the officials felt a sour taste in their tongues and subconsciously looked at the ebony box.

Ji Benchang was feeling uncomfortable after being plundered by Luo Bizhi. Seeing this, he said sarcastically, "What can be put in such a small box? Minister Luo, you are also reluctant to part with Xiao Shen. Tsk, Xiao Shen, why don't you take a look at my Ministry of Revenue..."

"Xiezhi." Luo Bizhi ignored his sarcasm and opened the small box. "Sir Shen, this Xiezhi bronze sculpture may not be valuable, but it is an auspicious animal revered by our Ministry of Justice. It can distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong. I hope it can help you discern the truth in this world and solve cases without worries."

Ji Benchang looked at the Xiezhi eagle and hissed, "Was this little thing previously placed in the Ministry of Justice?"

Luo Bizhi glanced at him and nodded.

Ji Benchang clicked his tongue again and whispered to Shen Zheng, "Xiao Shen, don't look at this thing because it's small and ugly, but Luo Bizhi treasures it. It's not easy for him to give it to you..."

Recalling that before, he just gently touched the little Xiezhi eagle, but was scolded coldly by Luo Bizhi, who said that he was "disrespectful to Xiezhi", and he was so angry that he went hungry for two meals!

Shen Zheng held the scroll in one hand, took the wooden box, and saluted, saying, "Thank you, Lord Luo, for the gift."

Luo Bizhi nodded, then felt something was wrong and forced a smile, "Have a safe trip."

"Ah—" The officials felt a toothache after watching this.

It was a good decision to come here today. It opened my eyes and I could actually see the Iron-masked Man smile.

"I can't sleep tonight..." Ji Benchang said sarcastically, waving to Chen Shengshen, "Call someone! Bring up our Ministry of Revenue's gifts!"

Lift it up?

What gift needs to be carried?

Shen Zheng looked down at the platform curiously.

I saw several runners from the Ministry of Revenue carrying several large boxes onto the platform.

The eyes of all the officials were wide open again.

"A treasury box?! Is there money in it?"

"Master Ji, what do you mean by this? How can you just send money directly? Could it be that His Majesty approved it for Tongan County?"

As the name suggests, the silver box is a silver box specially stored in the government silver vault. It is not often moved, is moisture-proof and moth-proof, and each one is very large.

Looking at those large boxes, the officials fell into deep thought...

It's one thing for a stingy person to plunder the feathers, but he is plucking the feathers of the national treasury?

It would be fine if they just plundered the national treasury, but why plunder so much at once?

Shen Zheng was also stunned, and subconsciously said: "Master Ji, this...isn't it not good?"

Since it is a monetary transaction, it must be done secretly. How can a transaction be done in front of everyone? Wouldn't this make Tongan County a target of public criticism?

Ji Benchang smiled at her, raised his chin slightly, and signaled the officer to open the treasury silver box.

Everyone held their breath.

Shen Zheng closed her eyes.

She felt that Ji Benchang didn't come to send her off, but rather to harm her.

"Master Shen?" Ji Benchang's voice came, "Why are you closing your eyes on such a good day? Open your eyes and see if this great gift from the Ministry of Revenue has touched your heart!"

Before Shen Zheng opened her eyes, she heard "tsk" sounds coming from all around.

"Seeds... I thought it was something else."

Ji Benchang sneered: "What do you think it is? Treasury silver? I dare to give it to you, but do you dare to spend it?"

Shen Zheng breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that, but she felt a slight pain in her heart.

I thought the Ministry of Revenue had allocated money to Tongan County, but it was a mistake.

She looked down into the box.

I saw several pottery jars neatly stacked in the box, the inner wall of the box was covered with oil paper, and several cloth bags were placed next to the oil paper.

Ji Benchang introduced, "Xiao Shen, these seeds have all been improved by my Ministry of Revenue. Among them are Yangzhou yellow sprouts, Changnan sweet radish, Yanzhou cold spinach, and Jiangnan purple-stemmed cabbage. Not only do they have a higher yield than ordinary seeds, they're also less picky about soil and climate. They're all good stuff!"

As she listened, Shen Zheng's eyes lit up.

For the people, these seeds are indeed good things!

After she returned, she planted some on the newly reclaimed public land in the county, and distributed the rest to the people!

Just thinking about it made her extremely happy.

Ji Benchang continued, "Since these seeds will need to be transported by boat, I used a treasury silver box to prevent moisture! The box is lined with lime powder, so you should be careful on the boat. If the lime gets sticky, remember to replace it. If the seeds get damp, remember to air them for a while. Oh, and remember to return the box when you return to Beijing next time."

Shen Zheng agreed with a smile, closed the box lid, and the Ministry of Revenue officials carried the boxes onto the boat one by one.

Ji Benchang consciously made way, and Lin Fanyun took only one step to get in front of Shen Zheng.

Without further ado, he handed Shen Zheng a brocade box and whispered, "The breastplate in the box was given to you by your grandfather. Although I'm giving it to you, I still hope that you won't need it in your lifetime. There are also a few boxes containing oil coats and waterproof fire starters. They are gifts from General Lu and me. We'll help you load them onto the ship later."

Before Shen Zheng could speak, he continued, "It's a long journey, please take care of yourself. If there's a chance, I'll come to Tong'an County with my grandfather to see... the county center."

The box containing the breastplate is not heavy at all, so I guess my upper body won’t feel heavy either.

Shen Zheng smiled and nodded, then said to General Lin beside him, "Old General, you must take care of yourself. When I make a new weapon, I'll be the first to give it to you."

"Hey!" General Lin smiled and was about to speak when he was pulled aside by Yu Shizhang.

Yu Shizhang asked him sullenly, "Lao Lin, are you coming to see me off empty-handed?"

Seeing Shen Zheng accepting gifts one after another, he still had nothing...

Ugh.

It's so tragic that it can't be described with just one word.

As the sun grew brighter, the officials who were seeing Shen Zheng off lined up to hand their gifts to her.

There were many officials that Shen Zheng was not very familiar with, such as the Minister of Rites and the Minister of War.

But it was hard to refuse the farewell gift, so she could only accept it with a smile, passively owing favors to one person after another.

In the end, her smile froze, but she suddenly realized that she had not seen Liang Fu since the moment the officials arrived.

She could only accept the gift while saying to Shen Xingjian, "Xingjian, go ask Minister Yue where Elder Liang is. Why can't I see him?"

Shen Xingjian was also stunned, and his eyes swept around the red-robed official.

Liang Fu really didn't come.