Having Su Jinse, a woman, take charge of the livelihood of an entire town was, at the time, a shocking and unprecedented idea.
Yet Su Jinse showed not the slightest surprise.
“The Prince trusts me?”
“I trust what I see,” Xiao Jue said. “You can turn barren land into fertile fields, relieve drought, and calm displaced people. Entrusting Qingshi Town to you is better than giving it to any mediocre official.”
He was gambling—on her ability, and on her ambition.
Su Jinse remained silent for a moment before saying, “I can try. But I have conditions.”
“Speak.”
“First, all affairs in Qingshi Town are under my authority; the Prince shall not interfere.”
“Agreed.”
“Second, I need your help investigating something.”
“What is it?”
Her gaze suddenly turned cold. “What truly happened to the Third Miss of the Yong’an Marquisate on her way to Wuling Mountain?”
She could not believe the original owner of this body had truly been foolish and mentally dull. A daughter born and raised in the Marquisate, with countless attendants—how could she become so helpless without reason? And the carriage she had been in was tampered with, leading to the accident.
Everything carried the scent of conspiracy.
She needed the truth.
Xiao Jue noticed the fleeting chill in her eyes and understood immediately.
“Very well, I will help you investigate,” he promised.
Thus, the two reached a deeper level of alliance.
Xiao Jue dealt with Magistrate Li and several corrupt town elites with swift decisiveness, confiscating their property and land and placing it under Su Jinse’s control.
Su Jinse, in turn, became the de facto ruler of Qingshi Town.
She did not appear publicly, instead sending Huamei as her agent, while she commanded from behind the scenes.
Upon taking control, Su Jinse did not rush but tackled the problems from their root.
Her first act was land redistribution.
When the news spread, the town’s disaster survivors erupted in astonishment.
Huamei stood on a temporary platform, facing the sea of black heads below. Fear touched her heart, but seeing her mistress’s calm expression, she steadied herself and cleared her throat.
“By order of the Immortal Maiden of Qingfeng Temple, every registered disaster-affected household in Qingshi Town shall receive five acres of land; those with larger families may receive more at discretion!”
A deathly silence fell.
Then erupted a storm of discussion.
“Free land?” a skeletal man shouted, full of suspicion. “How can we trust the government’s words?”
“Exactly! Don’t trick us into laboring for nothing, only to lose our lives before seeing a single field!”
Huamei had anticipated this question. Calmly, she raised her voice: “Land deeds will be issued on the spot, stamped and signed by officials, without deceit! Moreover, the Temple Mistress generously provides high-yield Immortal Seeds, ensuring a good harvest this year!”
She signaled for several large baskets of seeds to be brought forward.
These were no ordinary seeds—they had been nurtured with Su Jinse’s powers, each plump as if about to burst, glowing faintly jade, radiating immense life force.
The crowd stared, astonished.
An old farmer nearby trembled as he picked up a seed and held it in his hand. Tears welled up immediately.
“Immortal seeds… truly immortal seeds! I’ve lived sixty years and never seen seeds like these!”
He fell to his knees with a “thud,” bowing deeply three times toward Qingfeng Temple.
“Immortal Maiden! Living Bodhisattva!”
One kneeling inspired many—hundreds followed, the cries and thanks shaking the sky. They had suffered exploitation and deceit for so long that this sudden hope left them dizzy, able only to express gratitude in the most primal way.
The land redistribution was carried out swiftly and decisively.
Next came the second initiative: building irrigation.
The soldiers sent by Xiao Jue, expecting to suppress unruly citizens, were instead put to work digging canals.
Two soldiers, hoes in hand, muttered to each other:
“Hey, when have we ever done peasant work?”
“What do you know?” the other replied, wiping sweat and grinning. “Have you noticed the meals lately? Every meal has meat! And helping our own people is no shame! The Immortal Maiden says this is called ‘the army and civilians as one.’”
Nearby, the voices of children reading aloud could be heard.
These were the orphans and school-aged children Su Jinse had gathered into her school, all tuition-free.
At the nearby clinic, villagers crowded in for medicine and consultation. Su Jinse’s remedies were simple but effective, greatly alleviating illnesses in town.
Within a month, Qingshi Town had transformed like spring returning to withered trees, with bustling activity and smiling faces everywhere.
Inside Qingxu Temple, Su Jinse reviewed the ledgers Huamei had presented while listening to her report.
“Master, the townspeople now treat you like a living god; some even propose building a shrine in your honor!” Huamei said, proud and thrilled.
Su Jinse did not lift her head, pointing to a spot in the ledger. “This month’s food consumption is ten percent above estimate; check which step went wrong.”
She cared nothing for titles like “living god,” only that these hard-won resources were being used wisely.
Huamei stuck out her tongue and quickly replied, “Yes, I’ll check immediately.”
The energy of the Dragon Scale Grass had been fully absorbed by her. Her power had returned to thirty percent of what it was in the apocalypse. Not much, but enough to be top-tier in this world.
That day, Xuanfeng hurried up the mountain, his expression grave.
“Miss Su, the Prince is in trouble.”