Married to the Demon King, she took the throne via infrastructure.

T/N:

Heikou (Black Dragon Pass)

Heicheng (Black Dragon City)

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Today was Meng qiu's first day in office.

He and Lin zhong had grown up relying on each other, closer than blood brothers. So, when new houses were built in the city, they didn't separate but chose a large house near the west side of the city, complete with a private courtyard.

Living together was more about mutual support and companionship. Who could have imagined that the two boys who had once been so hungry they nearly resorted to scraping tree bark outside the city would become Hei Long City's first Censorate officials?

"Linzhong, it's time to go," Mengqiu called from the doorway.

Linzhong rushed out of the house, still fastening his armor. "I almost overslept! It's my first day on the job, and you didn't wake me up earlier?" His tone was complaining but not unpleasant, more like the kind of whining you'd hear from a family member. He was used to oversleeping.

They didn't have new clothes. This set of armor had been issued to them over a decade ago, and they had worn it almost every day since, rarely taking it off.

Mengqiu walked ahead, carrying his weapon. "The canteen saved breakfast for us. We need to hurry."

Linzhong followed behind, chattering nervously about how he was feeling anxious on his first day and asking if Mengqiu felt the same.

Mengqiu, more composed by nature, replied, "It's fine. Just do as we always have. Don't worry too much."

They arrived at the canteen, which served the construction team on the west side of the city. Since Mengqiu and Linzhong lived in the West, they could eat here.

The demon woman cooking was named Xiulan. She had chosen the name a few days ago with the help of Mr. Nan Lü. Xiulan had once been a wandering demon on the west side of the city, but thanks to the Queen's reconstruction efforts, she now had a roof over her head and a steady job.

In the mornings, she cooked at the west side canteen, then boiled water and cleaned public toilets. In the afternoon, she returned to the canteen to cook again, and in the evening, she stoked the furnaces to keep everyone's homes warm. Once the houses were warm, she could finish her shift and return to her dorm.

"Captain Meng, Captain Lin, here's the breakfast we saved for you."

She brought over two bowls of thick, hot porridge and two more bowls, each containing steamed sweet potatoes.

"These are plain sweet potatoes." The flavor depended on the cook's preference.

Linzhong took a big bite of the sweet potato. It wasn't the taste he liked. Thankfully, they had a kitchen at home, and at the end of the month, they could each receive two sweet potatoes. He was determined to make his sweet next time!

Mengqiu noticed Linzhong's disappointment and knew he was craving something sweet.

"This afternoon, I'll ask around to see if anyone has extra sweet potatoes. We can trade with them."

Linzhong quickly shook his head. "No, let's keep the ones at home for emergencies. I can live without it."

They had truly been scarred by hunger. While Mengqiu could manage, Linzhong had developed a hoarder's mentality. Each month, they each received two sweet potatoes, and Mengqiu always gave his to Linzhong to manage. Linzhong saved them all, terrified of the possibility of going hungry again.

In winter, sweet potatoes kept well, and Linzhong couldn't bear to eat a single one.

He wouldn't feel even slightly at ease until spring arrived when they could either trade for more food or harvest new sweet potatoes. In truth, most of the city's residents felt the same way.

They had been hungry for too long. Even though Yin Jixue assured them that sweet potatoes would grow again, no one dared to easily consume their stored food. What if they didn't?

The unpredictability of the barren land was too great. No one knew if the sweet potatoes would grow again.

Yin Jixue had been completing tasks quickly, and her system warehouse was now filled with rewards, ranging from road-building materials to various seeds for crops adapted to the demon realm.

Unfortunately, it was the dead of winter, and there was little she could do. The materials kept piling up, and to make matters worse, the system warehouse wasn't free to use.

Every day, she had to pay a deposit of two points, and when no one was around, she almost cried from the sting of it.

Tengshe knocked on the door. "Your Highness, here are the cases handled by the Censorate today."

Yin Jixue rubbed her eyes. Ugh, she still felt like crying.

"Come in."

Tengshe could tell something was off with the Queen's voice, so he kept his head down as he entered.

"Nothing major happened in the city today. Heisha, the blacksmith, forged the first weapon; the iron mine supervisor changed his name to Gou Fugui, his wife to Wu Xiang, and their son, Gousheng, to Gou Wang. The cook at the west side canteen changed her name to Xiulan..."

Yin Jixue couldn't help but smile. The names Gousheng's family had chosen were amusing—"Gou Fugui, Wu Xiang" (苟富贵,勿相忘), which roughly meant "If you become wealthy, don't forget me."

"Who came up with their names?"

Tengshe replied, "Mr. Nan Lü. Anyone with an idea can change their name now."

"Alright, from now on, don't report name changes to me. Just compile them into a household registry and bring it to me for review."

She wanted to hide away and laugh in private.

"There's one more thing." Tengshe hesitated, unsure whether to bring it up.

Why was he being so hesitant?

She prompted him, "Go on."

"Heikou is requesting assistance."

Heikou? Where was that?

Yin Jixue had never heard of such a place in Hei Long City.

A suspicion began to form in her mind, and she couldn't help but grimace.

"Is Heikou that small town?" Calling it a town was being generous. Heikou was also under the Demon King's jurisdiction, but compared to Hei Long City, Heikou was more like a village, with walls made of dirt.

She knew about this place because it was the first city she had seen when she arrived in the demon realm. She had thought it was a small demon town, but by modern standards, it was more like a provincial capital.

Hei Long City, on the other hand, was more like a municipality.

The only advantage Heikou had was its geographical location. Surrounded by endless yellow sand, it at least had flat terrain, allowing a clear view of the entire town.

Forgive her for still thinking of it as a rundown town.

Tengshe said awkwardly, "It's where the caravan rested back then."

Demons didn't use flying artifacts to travel to the human realm—those were too luxurious and required magic crystals just to activate.

Tengshe had used a beast-drawn carriage, something Yin Jixue had never seen before, which could travel thousands of miles in a day. She had been jostled around inside the carriage the entire journey.

On her way to the wedding, Yin Jixue had spent half a day in Heikou. The sandstorms were blinding, and the rations were mixed with nature's gift of sand—clean and hygienic, as they say.

Now she realized that the meals she had been given during the journey were quite good treatment. The demons hadn't mistreated her.

"What's wrong with them?" If they were asking for help from so far away, they must be desperate.

"Last year, Heikou was hit by a snowstorm, and many houses were damaged. This year, ten elderly demons and two children have already frozen to death."

Yin Jixue frowned. "It's only the beginning of winter, and it's already this bad?"

Even if it wasn't under the Demon King's direct rule, she had to help out of basic humanity.

Tengshe's expression was grave. "Most of the houses in Heikou are damaged. The cold wind blows relentlessly, and even strong demons can't endure it."

"How many residents do they have?"

"They're asking us to take in three hundred elderly and children, with the majority being elderly."

Yin Jixue's mind wandered for a moment. The demon realm's birth rate was concerning, and the aging population was a serious issue. This was something that could only be addressed by encouraging voluntary relationships and childbearing.

A cold draft seeped through the window, making Yin Jixue shiver. "There's space outside the city, right? Let them stay there. Assign someone to manage it, and make sure there's no friction between our people and theirs."

She added, "And give them the same treatment as those outside the city—provide heating and three meals a day."

Tengshe's expression shifted from shock to disbelief.

"Your Highness... you don't mind?"

Yin Jixue was puzzled. What was there to mind?

She asked as much.

"I thought you didn't like them." Who would like poor, struggling relatives? Especially since the Queen had suffered during her time in Heikou. Earlier, when Heikou was mentioned, her expression had darkened.