Fu Tinghan saw the people crowded outside the courtyard looking at Zhao Hanzhang with both worship and excitement, yet also worry and timidity. He couldn’t help but smile, beckoning over a helping student and saying, “In the future when you go to guide corvée workers in digging irrigation channels, you can tell them why we’re urgently conscripting corvée labor at this time.”

Someone asked in puzzlement, “Young Master Fu, our teacher said that the common people are ignorant. We just need to tell them what to do. There’s no need to explain reasons, otherwise it will only become more troublesome.”

Fu Tinghan said, “That depends on the situation.”

He continued, “Among all the people in the world, there are indeed many ignorant ones, which is why we need to enlighten them. The corvée labor matter is closely related to them. Letting them know the reasons can not only increase their knowledge and enlighten the people, but also help them better understand Hanzhang’s and the county office’s reasons for conscripting corvée labor.”

“Suspicion arising from lack of understanding, resentment arising from suspicion, and ultimately conflict—” Fu Tinghan said, “this is a very dangerous thing. So we must prevent it from the source.”

Hearing this, the students felt he made sense and agreed.

The next day, heavy rain fell and no one could go out. Zhao Hanzhang sat under the eaves propping up her chin, watching the rain. Fu Tinghan sat beside her, also watching the rain and spacing out for once during this rare leisure time.

But the group of half-grown youths couldn’t sit still. They all donned straw rain capes and ran to neighboring villagers’ homes to play—mainly to teach some children reading and arithmetic.

Influenced by the school teachers, the youths also very much enjoyed teaching illiterate people to read and those who couldn’t count to do arithmetic.

Some young adults and old people watched enviously from the side, occasionally talking with them and taking the opportunity to inquire about the corvée service.

“On a day like today with such heavy rain, we didn’t go out to work. Does that count toward the thirty days?”

A youth said, “Of course it doesn’t count.”

He continued, “Only days you actually work count. Otherwise, if it rained continuously for ten days and everyone couldn’t work for ten days, would those ten days also count as corvée service?”

An old man nearby also glared at that person, saying, “Don’t be so greedy. If this were a different governor, you’d have to dig mud even in the rain. That would be truly hard.”

“Not just hard—it could cost lives. Weren’t there plenty of people who died from corvée service in the past?”

“Sigh, building water conservancy works is just like that. I’ve only been digging mud for two days and my arms can barely lift. It’s much more tiring than working the fields.”

When working the fields, you could stop and rest from time to time. But water conservancy work was different. Once you slowed down, the corvée officers would urge you on and even crack their whips.

Hearing this, the students couldn’t help but exchange glances. A young girl said gently, “Though it’s hard now, it could save lives in the future.”

She continued, “While the Governor was in Luoyang, an expert gave her guidance. They could observe celestial phenomena and predicted that the weather would be abnormal in coming years, with unpredictable droughts and floods. Some places will experience severe drought, which is why the Governor is so urgent about building water conservancy works.”

A young man nearby immediately nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Otherwise, why would the Governor suddenly work so hard to have us dig dams and channels?”

“This isn’t something that can be completed in two or three months. It will take at least two or three years. It’s all to prevent problems before they arise. When floods actually come, the dams and channels built now can divert floodwater during floods and store water for irrigation during droughts. Everyone might depend on them to survive.”

Hearing this, the villagers were shocked. “Is our Yuzhou going to have a great disaster? Then, then shouldn’t we make offerings to the River God and Dragon King first?”

“Right, right. Give more offerings. Perhaps we can eliminate the calamity.”

The youths were stunned, clearly not having expected this solution. But in their hearts they knew this was wrong.

If ghosts and spirits were useful, wouldn’t the Governor’s prayers be more effective than theirs? Yet the Governor had never mentioned praying.

However, the youths who still lacked much experience couldn’t find words to refute this. They could only look around helplessly, then spotted Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan standing under the gate.

The youths were startled and quickly stood to bow.

Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand dismissively. By this time the rain had mostly stopped, though water was everywhere in the courtyard. She avoided several puddles as she walked forward, smiling at the villagers. “Stop teasing these children. If they actually believe it, that wouldn’t be good.”

The villagers immediately dared not speak, but their minds were working. What they said was true, but the Governor said the students believing it wouldn’t be good, so did that mean praying to the River God and Dragon King was useless?

Zhao Hanzhang said to them, “These channels and dams are being built for you. They’ll benefit the local people. So work a bit harder these few years. In the future, our children and grandchildren can have it easier. When we face disasters again, their chances of survival will be higher.”

The villagers responded quietly in agreement.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “Right now the land you’ve been allotted hasn’t been registered or had deeds made yet, has it? Once we get through this busy period, I’ll have the county office register it and make proper land deeds for you. These will be perpetual holdings—this land will be yours to farm forever.”

Hearing this, the villagers’ eyes brightened considerably.

Zhao Hanzhang continued, “Except in extremely special circumstances, perpetual holdings cannot be bought or sold. So rest assured—no one will dare encroach on your land. This area will belong to you forever. The channels and dams you build with your own hands will all be for your use.”

The villagers immediately responded loudly. Some even knelt on the ground to kowtow to Zhao Hanzhang, their faces and eyes full of excitement.

Fu Tinghan had been watching her the whole time. This had been part of the plan when settling the refugees, but because the county offices were short-handed and paper was relatively expensive at first, they had only simply distributed land without registering or creating deeds.

He hadn’t expected that announcing it at this particular moment would achieve such an effect.

Zhao Hanzhang nodded to the village head who had hurried over, smiling. “Spread this news. Let everyone share in the joy.”

The village head immediately asked, “May I ask the Governor, is this just for our one village, or for the entire county?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “It’s for all of Yuzhou, including Luoyang. All under my governance will be the same.”

The village head’s eyes brightened considerably as he immediately bowed deeply.

Zhao Hanzhang continued, “Also, after the corvée period ends, any wasteland that someone reclaims and farms for a full three years, persisting in paying taxes on the reclaimed land for three years, that reclaimed land will belong to them and be made into perpetual holdings. For wasteland in the first year of reclamation and farming, the land tax will be reduced by half.”

The villagers cheered quietly, all looking at each other excitedly.

Zhao Hanzhang said, “I will issue a separate official document for this regulation. All under my governance will be the same.”

The village head also responded loudly like the villagers.

By the time Zhao Hanzhang turned to leave, the villagers had long since lost any resentment about forced corvée service. They were all excited.

With land deeds, the land would belong to them forever and ever. No one could take it away.

They had finally truly settled here.

News from here, and words Zhao Hanzhang and the students had spoken, spread at flying speed after Zhao Hanzhang’s departure. Not only people in this village learned of it, but other villages, even other counties and other commanderies received the news.

With someone deliberately spreading it, the people’s emotions gradually rose. Each day going to the river to dig mud no longer felt hard.

Meanwhile, the official documents Zhao Hanzhang had signed also reached each commandery and county. County offices everywhere announced to the people the matter of registration and making land deeds.

Of course, everyone was busy with infrastructure construction at this time and didn’t yet have time for this task. But the paper workshops had already started bustling with activity.

They began frantically producing paper, including special paper suitable for property deeds. County offices everywhere also began placing orders with the paper workshops.

The paper workshops immediately earned profits hand over fist. Meanwhile, the various commanderies and counties were somewhat short on funds and submitted reports to the Governor’s office requesting money.

After all, paper was expensive! Having to do so many things at once required considerable paper. Didn’t that require additional expenditures?

The accounts from the paper workshop had just reached Zhao Hanzhang’s hands—she hadn’t even warmed them up yet—when requests for money started coming from everywhere. So the money just made a circuit through her hands.

It was just that along with the paper being shipped out were various books, especially the newly compiled Thousand Character Classic, which was quite popular for teaching children in various places.