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

Chapter 1229 Returning to Baiyun County

The people who had mistaken the carriage for another were extremely embarrassed and rushed towards it.

Although they couldn't see Shen Zheng in the carriage, they were still very eager.

The carriage moved slowly forward, and they followed closely behind the caravan until the city gates came into view, at which point they finally stopped.

"Lord Shen, may you rest in peace!"

These words suddenly reached Shen Zheng's ears, causing her to tense up. She raised her hand and "whoosh" pulled back the carriage curtain, wanting to see who was so tactless.

The people were overjoyed at the sight: "Lord Shen is looking at us!"

"Lord Shen, please take care on your journey!"

"Lord Shen, welcome back to Fuzhou!"

As the carriage drove out of the city, the cheers of the people still echoed behind them, lingering for a long time.

As night deepens, the wheels of cars roll across the road, their sounds mingling with the chirping of insects to create a unique nocturne.

......

The next day.

The convoy sped along, the sun gradually rising higher, dispelling the chill of the autumn morning.

Amidst the turbulence, Shen Zheng slowly woke up. Just as she moved her fingers, Hua Duo, who had been feigning sleep, looked over and asked, "Master is awake?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Zheng seemed to revert to her previous state and subconsciously asked, "This time I only slept for one night, right?"

Hua Duo smiled slightly and handed over a fragrant oil paper package. "Don't worry, Master, you only slept for one night. We haven't left Fuzhou yet. We'll probably enter Liuyang Prefecture around noon."

Shen Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, munching on the fried dough sticks Hua Duo handed her while lifting the curtain to look at the scenery outside the carriage.

The rice paddies along the roadside are mostly empty, and it is likely that in another day or two, the people will be able to finish harvesting and start drying the rice for storage.

The carriage bumped along, the scenery along the roadside slowly receding, and the sunlight gradually becoming warmer. Shen Zheng closed her eyes and leaned against the soft cushion, sorting out the matters she needed to deal with after returning home.

At noon, as the sun began to set in the west, Hua Duo promptly reported: "Master, the boundary marker between Fuzhou Prefecture and Liuyang Prefecture is just ahead."

Shen Zheng opened her eyes and lifted the curtain to look out—the neat rice paddies on both sides had been turned into wasteland. As the carriage moved forward, the dark blue boundary markers gradually came into view.

We're almost at Baiyun County.

Shen Zheng unconsciously sat up straight.

After a moment of confusion, she realized that the last time she met Yin Wencai was last year.

Time flies like an arrow, and now more than half a year has passed. She couldn't help but imagine what that thin, dark-skinned, always frowning middle-aged man would look like now.

They say that people are in high spirits when they have good news, so Yin Wencai... shouldn't be frowning so much now, right?

Shen Zheng couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

During her visit to Baiyun County, she wanted to take a closer look at the changes in the county, listen carefully to Yin Wencai's description of the people's lives, and even... she had already decided in her mind how to praise Yin Wencai.

As the carriage passed the boundary marker, the wheels seemed to feel lighter.

When we first entered Liuyang, there were few people around the road. As the convoy gradually moved eastward, large rice paddies came into view, and in the fields, there were figures bending over and working.

As soon as the farmers heard the sound of the cart wheels, they straightened up.

Their conversation reached Shen Zheng's ears: "It's a convoy from Fuzhou, let's ask them!"

"Maybe they haven't even entered the city, how could they know about that..."

"Just ask! It won't hurt you to ask!"

"Alright...I'll go!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the farmers on the ridge waved to the convoy: "Hey—brothers, you're from Fuzhou, right? How's Fuzhou doing these days? We heard the locusts were wiped out, is that true or false?"

To be honest, they really asked the right person.

The guard driving the carriage, dressed in civilian clothes, leaned back upon hearing this and asked Shen Zheng inside the carriage in a low voice, "Lord Shen, shall I tell you the truth?"

Inside the carriage, Shen Zheng chuckled softly, "Of course."

This is her glorious achievement; what's there to hide?

"Yes!" the soldier replied, then shouted towards the edge of the field, "Fellow villagers, you're asking about the locusts, right?"

"Ah! Yes!" More and more farmers gathered on the ridges of the fields: "We heard this morning that our Lord Shen, with just one village from Fuzhou, not only captured the locusts alive, but also burned them all down..."

As he spoke, even the farmer himself began to doubt it, his voice growing increasingly soft: "Brother, is this... true or false?"

For some reason, the soldiers paused for a moment, then teased the farmers of Baiyun: "You... guess?"

"How are we supposed to guess?!" Several farmers rushed towards the carriage, their faces full of curiosity: "Brother, is it true? It can't be fake, right?"

They sincerely hoped it was true.

Firstly, if the locusts are truly eradicated, they can put down their sickles, take a break, and go home for a proper meal.

Secondly, now that Lady Shen is the prefect of Liuyang, the more capable she is, the more secure the lives of ordinary people like us will be.

The soldiers were amused by the farmers' anxious expressions and raised their voices, "It's true! It couldn't be more true! You have no idea, those locusts were a huge, dark mass! They blotted out the sky and made it hard to breathe! But so what? Lord Shen just moved his finger, and they all died! Trying to eat your rice? No way!"

The farmers in Baiyun were instantly abuzz with excitement as the soldiers described the scene in a dramatic and rhythmic manner.

"Really?!"

"My God, it was really Lord Shen who led the men to do this!"

"I told you, as long as Lord Shen goes, we have nothing to fear! Listen to this, listen to this, Lord Shen dealt with those locusts with just a flick of his finger!"

"I find even moving my fingers too much trouble!"

The farmers in Baiyun became increasingly agitated, and their claims grew more and more outrageous: "Even if Lord Shen were to fart, it would blow them away!"

Upon hearing this, everyone echoed, "Yes, yes, that's right! What locusts or locusts? They're nothing compared to a fart from our Lord Shen!"

Shen Zheng inside the carriage: ......

What a load of nonsense.

"Let's go, let's go." Shen Zheng lowered her voice and secretly urged the soldiers, "Just tell them, hurry up and go to Baiyun County Government Office."

"Yes..." The soldier's suppressed laughter reached the carriage, and the wheels slowly started moving again.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of rice wafted in, lifting a corner of the carriage curtain. Shen Zheng reacted quickly and pulled it back.

In the blink of an eye, a sharp-eyed villager on the ridge of the field noticed something amiss: "Hey, why do I feel like there's something on the cart..."

Before the words were finished, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out from the end of the village road.

"Master Shen!"

The man on horseback, dressed in a light green official robe, was not particularly robust. He immediately betrayed Shen Zheng, saying, "Lord Shen! I am Yin Wencai, the magistrate of Baiyun County. I respectfully welcome your triumphant return!"

Inside the carriage, Shen Zheng suddenly clenched her toes.

No... how did Yin Wencai know she was back?