Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Back at the government office, after the head constable finished reporting, he felt a chill run through him and shivered inexplicably.

He tried to look up to see Manager Lin's expression, but suddenly saw Prefect Liu staring at him intently.

The yamen runner shuddered again.

“This Magistrate Meng is quite interesting.” Xu Xiaoyun said to Feng Zhong’an, “Sir, please remove the seal.”

Feng Zhong'an nodded, "Uncover."

A constable from the capital stepped forward, tore off the seal, and opened the box.

The box was opened, but inside there was only a piece of red paper.

Feng Zhong'an felt he had been made a fool of and immediately roared, "You bastard! This Meng Changqing is utterly reckless! Bring him here. I want to see how long he can keep up his arrogance based on his father and brothers' achievements!"

"Yes!" The constable accepted the order and was about to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Xu Xiaoyun called out to the yamen runner, and said to Feng Zhong'an, "Sir, why don't you take a look at the contents of the box before making a decision?"

"Can that one piece of paper possibly contain all the accounts of Beishan County? It's obvious that he's just playing a trick on me!" Feng Zhong'an didn't want to see the contents of that piece of paper, nor did he want anyone else to see it. He wanted to directly characterize Meng Changqing's behavior as refusing to cooperate and playing a trick on his superior.

Liu Dexiang was pleased to see this and immediately chimed in, "How can one possibly write down everything on a single piece of paper, such as the number of people, the amount of land, the amount of taxes due, the number of households engaged in commerce, and the amount of commercial taxes owed?"

Although Lord Meng is young, he should know the seriousness of the court's affairs. How could he joke about such a matter and waste the officials' time? He really doesn't know what's important.

"Lord Feng, I dare not plead for him. Please bring him here for questioning."

Feng Zhong'an nodded and was about to give orders to the yamen runners when Xu Xiaoyun picked up the red paper. After reading the contents, she laughed and said, "Lord Feng, this is an invitation."

After saying that, Xu Xiaoyun shoved the item directly in front of Feng Zhong'an.

Feng Zhong'an could only glance at it.

The invitation was brief and clear, requesting the three gentlemen to travel to Beishan County to gain a clearer understanding of the county's tax situation.

Xu Xiaoyun asked, "Lord Feng, how can you say we're not cooperating?"

Liu Dexiang chimed in, “Lord Xu, Liangzhou is a border region, and Beishan County is only a wall away from the Yan bandits. It’s really not a good place. I wonder why Lord Meng led you there.”

The adults are here only to check taxes; why risk their lives?

Feng Zhong'an nodded and was about to speak when Xu Xiaoyun, who was beside him, blurted out, "What do you mean by risking one's life? According to Prefect Liu, we can't even go to Beishan County. How can Prefect Meng stay there? How can the tens of thousands of people in Beishan County live there?"

We are all citizens of Daliang; if they can stay there, so can we.

Prefect Liu repeatedly emphasized the danger of Beishan County. "To put it bluntly," he said, "as the prefect of Liangzhou, Beishan County is under your jurisdiction, yet you seem to harbor resentment towards it. If a powerful enemy were to invade one day, you might very well abandon the city and flee."

The last sentence was extremely serious and unfounded speculation, which could be considered as spreading rumors to his face. Xu Xiaoyun knew he was wrong, and after speaking, he smiled and said to Liu Dexiang, "Just kidding, Prefect Liu, please don't take it seriously."

What could Liu Dexiang say?
Although the other party was also a fifth-rank official, he was an official in the capital, holding an important position in the Ministry of Revenue at a young age, with unlimited potential for the future. On the other hand, he was already quite old and had only managed to reach the position of prefect, which was already the pinnacle of his career.

Liu Dexiang harbored resentment, but on the surface he had to pretend to be generous, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing."

"Lord Xu, don't speak recklessly just because you're young." Feng Zhong'an reprimanded him gently, "Prefect Liu has served as an official for many years and has always been diligent and conscientious. How can he be worthy of your words?"
Furthermore, you've gone too far afield. Magistrate Meng's refusal to submit the account books is already a lack of cooperation; are we supposed to follow his rules when we investigate taxes?

Feng Zhong'an, determined to define Meng Changqing's character, said to the yamen runner standing below, "Go to Beishan County immediately and have Magistrate Meng bring his account books over here!" "Yes, sir!"

The constables tried to leave, but were stopped by someone, this time not Xu Xiaoyun.

Li Daolang stopped the yamen runner and said to Feng Zhong'an with a smile, "Please don't be angry, Lord Feng. I think that since we have already arrived in Liangzhou, it is not difficult to go to Beishan County."

If we arrive in Beishan County and Magistrate Meng still refuses to provide the account books, then that would be considered a lack of cooperation.

We've all heard that Magistrate Meng has accomplished something in Beishan County, but we've never met him.

I suspect that Lord Meng probably thought we were from the capital and wanted to show us his business, so that we could spread the word back to the capital.

It's just a bit of youthful pride; let's not condemn him yet.

Xu Xiaoyun carefully examined Li Daolang. He had been silent the whole way, so why was he willing to defend Meng Changqing?
I thought he was such a noble person, but it turns out he's just a sycophant who climbs the social ladder.

Regardless, their current goals happen to align.

Xu Xiaoyun echoed Li Daolang's words, "What Clerk Li said makes sense. Lord Feng, the court has not set a time limit for this investigation. Going to Beishan County will not delay anything. It is a good opportunity to learn more about Beishan County so that we can report back to His Majesty when we return to the capital."

Of the three, Feng Zhong'an held the highest official position.

In terms of rank alone, neither Li Daolang nor Xu Xiaoyun combined could compare to Feng Zhong'an.

However, since the three are not in the same camp, they cannot be judged solely on their rank.

If Feng Zhong'an wanted to gain a good reputation, he couldn't ignore what the other two said.

“Since neither of you gentlemen is willing to pursue the matter of Magistrate Meng’s rudeness, then I will not say anything more,” Feng Zhong’an said. “In that case, let’s leave the tax investigation of Beishan County until last. As for this invitation, you gentlemen may accept it if you wish.”

He left as soon as he finished speaking, clearly angry. Li Daolang's heart pounded, and he thought to himself that if he saw Meng Changqing, he would definitely make him know what had happened today.

The three of them made a decision, but Liu Dexiang was not convinced. He had originally planned to take advantage of the situation, but now he could not do what he wanted to do.

After settling the three officials in the capital, Liu Dexiang returned to his study and summoned Lao Lin to his side.

"We must find a way to get rid of Sun Xiang."

Liu Dexiang gave a firm order; there was no turning back once the arrow was released. Feng Zhong'an's attitude towards Sun Xiang's accusation was unclear. When asked about it that night, the other party only said that he had to intervene because of the other two officials.

But Liu Dexiang wasn't stupid; he knew the other party wanted to use something against him.

A relationship forged halfway through is inherently unreliable. And how could Liu Dexiang possibly allow the other party to try and control him?

Let's just get rid of Sun Xiang to prevent future troubles.

"Yes!" Old Lin firmly supported Liu Dexiang's decision. "Since we're going to do it secretly, Meng will always find a way to shirk responsibility. Let's do it openly then."

Liu Dexiang frowned at him, "Openly?"

"The secret letter from the lord's study has gone missing. It was stolen by Sun Xiang. He's demanding the man surnamed Meng back. If Meng refuses, will Meng protect Sun Xiang and his collusion with the Yan bandits?" (End of Chapter)