Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Chapter 568 Where did this money come from?
In front of the Beishan County government office, Meng Changqing and his men stood for quite a while before Feng Zhong'an and his entourage finally appeared.

Just like last night, Meng Changqing stepped forward and waited respectfully beside the carriage.

But unlike last night, Meng Changqing said this time: "Meng Changqing, the magistrate of Beishan County, and all the staff of the county government respectfully welcome Your Excellency."

Feng Zhong'an nodded politely, and was about to speak when he noticed Mei Zi at the front of the crowd.

The woman was dressed like a government official, but in the style of a long women's skirt.

It was utterly incongruous, Feng Zhong'an thought to himself.

But he wouldn't pay any attention to a woman, and instead focused his gaze on Li Daolang, smiling as he said, "Lord Li, you've arrived very early."

Just as Li Daolang was about to apologize, he saw Xu Xiaoyun also giving him an ambiguous smile, so he immediately apologized sincerely, saying, "Please forgive me, gentlemen. I was not having a private conversation with Lord Meng. I just found Beishan County interesting and wanted to take a walk around."

Xu Xiaoyun continued, "We've arrived at the county government office. Isn't it more novel than other places?"

Li Daolang looked troubled but did not offer any explanation.

Meng Changqing then spoke up, "Please come in, gentlemen. Let's prioritize official business."

The three followed Meng Changqing inside. Xu Xiaoyun was surprised to find that the place where he was to work was actually a courtroom.

Inside, there were still the same four sets of tables and chairs, and a cold draft was blowing in.

Xu Xiaoyun asked, "Lord Meng, is this courtroom in your county not used on ordinary days?"

“My place is small, with a small population and few conflicts among the people, so this court is rarely used. It just so happens that you all come here to work,” Meng Changqing replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyun knew that the person in front of her was determined to have them work here.

"Let me introduce you, gentlemen. These two are Registrar Cheng of our county and Qin Mei, the clerk in charge of the household registration department." After introducing them, Meng Changqing stepped aside and said, "Then I won't take up any more of your time. Let's begin the investigation."

As Meng Changqing finished speaking, Cheng Guang opened the box and pushed it to the center of the courtroom. "Where shall the three gentlemen begin their investigation?" Xu Xiaoyun casually chose a seat and sat down. "First, bring out the accounts kept by the tax office."

Meizi immediately took the organized account books to Xu Xiaoyun's table.

Xu Xiaoyun glanced at her, seemingly dissatisfied, "It seems that Beishan County has a small population."

Meizi sensed his rejection of her, but instead of backing away, she stood straight beside him, awaiting his instructions. Whatever his rank, there was no reason for him to look down on her simply because she was a woman.
As adults say, everyone comes from a woman's belly.

The tax collection in Beishan County began in the fifteenth year of Yongxing, which is only three years ago. During this period, the imperial court also issued decrees exempting people from poll tax and land tax.

It's easy to check; you just need to compare Beishan County's own tax revenue and expenditure.

In just one morning, Xu Xiaoyun had already clarified the general ledger.

The amount in the account is correct, but a large sum of money is of unknown origin.

Xu Xiaoyun asked Meizi, "Where did this money come from?"

Mei Zi said, "Reporting to you, my master instructed that if anyone asks about the source of this money, our testimonies are not credible. Please return to the capital and ask the Emperor yourself."

Xu Xiaoyun looked at Feng Zhong'an on the other side.

Feng Zhong'an frowned and said, "Don't you know how to answer the questions and how to respond?"

Meizi turned to him and said, "Replying to your question, sir, it was given by the Emperor."

“This is no small sum of money. If the imperial court has any expenditures, the Ministry of Revenue will certainly keep a record of them,” Xu Xiaoyun said. “I have never heard of this sum of money.”

Cheng Guang stepped forward and repeated what Mei Zi had said earlier, "Please return to the capital and ask the Emperor yourself."