A Few Thoughts on Managing a Fief

"What's the big deal?" is Meng Cangshu's catchphrase. He said it in both his lives. In his previous life, he said it when his doctoral supervisor asked him to work for two more years and postpone graduation. In this life, he said it when the emperor ordered him to go to his fiefdom to monitor and constrain a prince's power. As long as you don't treat something like a big deal, it isn't one! However, the country he transmigrated into had changed emperors three times in just twenty years and suffered three generations of warfare. The place where he was headed to take up his post as provincial governor had been ravaged by war year after year for all three generations. The person he was supposed to keep an eye on was a princess even more powerful and domineering than the other princes. His goal: Stay alive first. Worry about everything else later. His colleagues said: Why risk your life for a salary of two thousand shi? Yet when his colleagues saw Meng Cangshu again five years later, they all said: With Marquis Zhen'an here, he is surely Heaven's chosen one, destined to bring good fortune to the people! Zhen'an means "pacifying the region": bringing peace to one corner of the realm and happiness to all its people. Meng Cangshu said that while a peaceful, prosperous realm and realizing his own worth were his ultimate dreams, becoming a marquis was never his intention. But what could he do when ancestral rules required a princess's husband to hold the rank of marquis? In short, this is the story of a fun-loving man who gets serious, rebuilds a region, and changes an era. The story mainly focuses on local governance and infrastructure development, with some court politics and romance, though the latter is relatively limited~ It's still a story focused on building a career. You can also enjoy it as a competitive story set in a fictional dynasty~ For the style, you can refer to my completed novel, "The Eldest Son of a Convict Enters Officialdom Through the Imperial Examinations"~ If I had to describe the couple, they would be: an optimistic, crazy, scheming man x a cool-headed, gloomy, calculating woman. Check out the latest novel in my collection, "Let the Maternal Relatives Be Great Again." It's the third installment in the "Good Big Brother" series, following "The Eldest Son of a Convict Enters Officialdom Through the Imperial Examinations" and this novel! Please keep supporting it. Thank you so much. [Things to Know Before Reading] 1. This is entirely fictional and not based on historical facts. Please don't conflate it with real history or real people. 2. The bureaucratic structure and imperial examination system combine features from many dynasties. Overall, it's a huge mishmash with no single historical standard as a reference. They have also been freely blended to suit the plot, so there isn't much historical basis. Friendly discussion is welcome, but please don't force strict historical research onto it. 3. This is, at heart, a wish-fulfillment novel, so some plausibility will be sacrificed for the sake of the plot. Please be aware of that in advance. 4. I'm trying out a new writing style and subject matter, so there may be shortcomings. I hope my dear readers will be understanding. Theme: As Heaven's movement is ever vigorous, a gentleman should strive constantly to strengthen himself