The male supporting character was actually myself.

Is this really going to be so unpredictable?

Oh no, this is so embarrassing!

Lin Mubai felt both frustrated and resentful towards the original owner's parents, because they were too unambitious, poor, and stupid, which was why he had not inherited even a single useful memory.

They have no idea what can be copied and what cannot in this era!

Seeing his luck value drop a little more, he felt a bit panicked.

Obviously, this thing didn't come with instructions, and I haven't figured it out yet. Does getting frustrated cause my luck value to drop?

Frustrated and annoyed, Lin Mubai complained that the system he was bound to wasn't as powerful as those in novels.

Then she complained that even though she had been transported to another world, she wasn't even given a decent identity!

Why is God so unfair, making me climb up from the bottom of poverty!

Don't other people just get to win by doing nothing when they time-travel?

However dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do. The pageboy, Han Hong, handed himself over to the steward and turned back.

"It's fortunate that our master is lenient and not as harsh as other households, otherwise, just for making a fool of yourself by embarrassing the young master, you should be beaten to death!"

The steward was exasperated, saying, "Since I started working here, I've never seen anyone as stupid and clueless as you!"

You don't need to go out with the young master for now.

I think we haven't disciplined them enough. From today onwards, we'll be ten times stricter with them than before!

If you don't learn your lesson and embarrass your master again, I'll cripple you, even if I have to pay the slave traders to do it. This household will never tolerate you again!

Having suffered a crushing defeat, Lin Mubai was terrified of being beaten or sold, so he dared not speak and could only cower and endure the insults.

After fooling the protagonist, Jiang Chen, relying on his memory of knowledge, chatted with many talented men and women about ancient and modern times until late at night.

The script is still being updated, so it's unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

Lin Mubai was placed under strict surveillance.

He dared not act rashly without being absolutely certain of success.

Apart from the occasional disturbance caused by the senile Master Xue, the entire Xue household returned to its usual peaceful life.

On this day, an imperial edict suddenly arrived, exceptionally promoting Xue Jiangchen, the young master of the Xue family, to the position of a seventh-rank county magistrate, to take office immediately!

"No one expected that the Third Prince would come in person to find a county magistrate who could take office immediately." After learning about the situation, Fang Anyi personally visited the place and regretted it so much in the hall that he slapped his thigh repeatedly, "It's all my fault!"

I thought Brother Xue would be able to display his talents and befriend the Third Prince.

Unexpectedly, the various natural disasters last winter and this spring caused major disasters in several counties.

Those county magistrates who were originally in office were transferred to wealthier areas if they had connections; those who did not were punished or dismissed, leaving no one available.

The Third Prince greatly admires your talent, and after a thorough investigation of your character, moral cultivation, and conduct, he concluded that Brother Xue is a man of great talent and capable of undertaking important responsibilities.

So, upon returning to Kyoto and presenting his memorial to His Majesty, he was appointed to office without even needing to undergo an examination!

That Lugu County was indeed a poor place.

With several consecutive years of drought and flooding, nine out of ten places are likely to be barren.

Even the county government was dirt poor!

Brother Xue, please don't be impatient. If you stay in your post for a while, we can pull some strings and get you transferred out of Lugu County sooner.

This appointment without examination has both advantages and disadvantages.

The downside, of course, is that you have to suffer a bit in poor areas;

The advantage is that once the connections are established, one can go directly to another place to take up a post, and Brother Xue will not have to worry about the assessment process in the main hall, thus becoming a regular official in one leap.

If you truly do not wish to go, you can report that your father is seriously ill and requires your personal care. His Majesty cannot, under any circumstances, refuse your request to serve your father.

“Brother Fang, there is no need to worry. It is the duty of the people of the dynasty to share His Majesty’s burdens.” Jiang Chen reassured him, “Although my father is confused, he is still healthy and will not be a problem for the time being.”

The fact that he took office so hastily without prior preparation shows how urgent the situation was.

I will set off immediately tomorrow. Although Lugu County belongs to Qingcheng, it is not too far from here.

It would take about four or five days to reach the destination at a fast pace.

Once I have the opportunity to realize my ambitions, I will certainly share the burdens of the nation and its people!

The Xue family's good fortune won't reach me for the time being, so I need to seize the time to accumulate good deeds and do good, otherwise if I really encounter a righteous and wise person who directly expels me, I'll have nowhere to seek justice.

After saying some nice words, Jiang Chen chatted with the other party for a while and saw the guest off. He then turned back to his room and saw that the script was still being updated, so he couldn't help but frown.

"What are you thinking about, Master Host?" The little white cat waved its fluffy paws in front of him and whispered, "The technology tree is so useful. The Taoist priest brought back that barrel of oil yesterday, which unlocked almost all kinds of resources."

Even if that impoverished county is incredibly poor and terrible, we can still live quite comfortably with all these supplies.

Jiang Chen tapped his fingers on the table. "I'm just considering whether or not to bring the main character along."

"Huh? Shouldn't the host keep him with him just in case?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Art of the Great Immortal is Truly Terrifying!

“Logically speaking, I should indeed keep it with me.” Jiang Chen hesitated, “But this time I’m going to use the technology tree to benefit the local people. If I bring Lin Mubai with me, he will immediately know my true identity.”

Who knows how the plot might unfold if they're prepared?

If we leave him here to wait for the script to be updated, we worry that plans might change.

The little white cat pondered for a moment, then patted its chest and smiled as it assured, "Host, don't worry, just leave him here to be brainwashed and strictly disciplined."

In case of a real emergency, we can use a teleportation item to return instantly and resolve the situation!

He sighed, looking at the script that he didn't know when it would be updated, and decided that this was the only option for now.

After making arrangements for everyone in the Xue household, Jiang Chen, accompanied by a few attendants and a Taoist priest who had returned from afar, set off lightly to take up his post in Lugu County.

Lin Mubai was also very depressed during this period.

Ever since his Waterloo at the poetry festival, nothing has gone smoothly for him.

Young Master Xue was indeed magnanimous and did not punish himself too much, but simply asked the steward to teach him patiently.

The day before yesterday, I suddenly had a whim to try and get closer to the guards by asking them to teach me a set of Tai Chi. However, I was rejected as soon as I got started and hadn't even done a few moves.

After the guards scoffed, they each performed a set of movements with increasingly precise accuracy.

While laughing at their own inadequate stance, they discussed how this exquisite boxing technique was initially only circulated among the upper class, and that the young master was kind-hearted and specially taught it to them because they wanted to learn it.

"Damn it! Why is it that everything other people can easily create after transmigrating is 'self-made'? But the things that I can use in this world already existed!"

That night, Lin Mubai, feeling sore all over and exhausted, lay on the dormitory bed, looking utterly hopeless.

But the thought of the small cloth bag hidden in the kang (heated brick bed) in the courtyard filled him with energy again!

Master Xue's condition fluctuated, and if it dragged on any longer, he might die.

While Young Master Xue is away at his post and won't be back for a while, I can take back the cloth bag and seize control of the Xue family to gain their fortune!

The rewards offered by the system were too tempting, and after much consideration, Lin Mubai decided he should give it a shot.

If you've already transmigrated and been reborn with a system, and you're still timid and hesitant, that's just too cowardly.

Take a gamble and your bicycle might turn into a motorcycle!

While he was lying in wait at the Xue residence for an opportunity to retrieve the token, Jiang Chen had just arrived in Lugu County to inspect the local conditions.

Fang Anyi's words are very apt: nine out of ten places are barren!

Lugu County, which was not a large county to begin with, had only a little over 3,000 registered residents, and a small portion of them had fled to escape famine, leaving behind mostly the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.

As I rode my horse along, I saw very few people in the villages and fields.

The fields, which should be bustling with activity during the spring planting season, are overgrown with weeds.

The crops that have been planted are sparse, withered, and lack any vitality.

"This year is too dry." The Taoist priest, riding a large chestnut horse, shook his head as he looked around and said, "The people here are suffering!"

The river embankment is not far away, but the river channel is not well dredged.

During the dry season, the water level recedes to the innermost part, and the silt makes it difficult to draw water for irrigation.

During the rainy season, rising water levels can easily breach dikes, flooding farmland and villages.

To effectively manage Lugu County, water control is the key!

Jiang Chen nodded in agreement with the points he had summarized.

Water management has always been of paramount importance, and water conservancy projects such as dredging rivers have been a headache for the imperial court for many years.

This Lugu County has not encountered a good magistrate, and has fallen into a vicious cycle from which it cannot extricate itself.

Every year during the spring planting season, there is a drought;

They also suffered from floods in the summer.

After several years of turmoil, the entire county lost its annual famine refugees, and many people simply never returned.

Although it is hard to leave one's homeland, when even survival is a problem, one's homeland is no longer a consideration.

Human beings' first instinct is still to try to live.

“The funds allocated each year for dredging the river either don’t reach the county or don’t reach the people. Over time, no one is willing to do it, which leads to the river becoming more and more silted up year after year.”

Jiang Chen stood on the riverbank, riding his horse, and looked at the black, smelly silt. He suggested, "Daoist, could you help me spread a message?"

After whispering for a moment, the Taoist priest's eyes widened like copper bells. "Great Immortal, you...you really want to do this?"

Jiang Chen glared at him, "Call me Magistrate! I'm a human being!"

"Oh, I understand, it's about asking for a verbal blessing." The Taoist chuckled. "You're a person, a human being!"

The little white cat twitched its lips. "Host, why does this guy's speech sound like he's swearing?"

A rumor suddenly began circulating in Lugu County that day.

It is said that the newly appointed county magistrate has invited a highly skilled person.

That master possessed extraordinary magical powers, including the ability to summon wind and rain, move mountains and unload ridges!

He will perform a ritual on the riverbank tonight to invite the Dragon King to help solve the long-standing irrigation problem in the Lugu County section of the river.