Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Chapter 573 Do you know when they will attack?

"Lord Meng must have had a very busy day, coming and going at least ten times, right?" Feng Zhong'an said in a seemingly gentle tone.

Meng Changqing's reply was also very mild, "Reporting to Your Excellency, five trips."

Feng Zhong'an sneered, "Lord Meng has capable people around him; the accounts in Beishan County seem to be fine."

Hearing him say that, Meizi breathed a sigh of relief, and Cheng Guang also gave her a wink, meaning: It's finally over.

They clearly didn't know Feng Zhong'an.

"...But there's one more thing I need to ask you." Sure enough, Feng Zhong'an had a twist in store: "Your biggest expense in Beishan County is the repair and reconstruction of the city walls; this project happens almost every year..."

Feng Zhong'an asked, "The imperial court stipulates that, unless there are special circumstances, the border city walls should be repaired every three years. Why is Beishan County being treated as an exception?"

Meng Changqing did not answer, but instead said to Feng Zhong'an sincerely, "I have something to ask you, Lord Feng."

Feng Zhong'an knew that he must have come up with some excuse again, and he was unhappy, but he was still reasonable on the surface and told Meng Changqing to speak directly.

"Does Lord Feng have any connection with the Yan Kingdom?" Meng Changqing asked with a smile.

"Outrageous!" Since it involved slander, Feng Zhong'an could openly express his anger. "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"My lord, please calm down. Let me rephrase my question," Meng Changqing said with a smile. "Do you know when the Yan army will attack?"

"You!" Feng Zhong'an pointed at Meng Changqing, his expression agitated, "My loyalty to the Great Liang..."

Before he could finish speaking, Meng Changqing said, "I don't know when the Yan army will attack, so as soon as I can spare some money, I will hurry up and repair the city wall."

This is something that most people could understand, so it's rather strange that an adult would ask such a question.

Seeing that Feng Zhong'an's anger had not subsided, Meng Changqing quickly apologized, "I apologize for my offensive words, sir. After all, I am neither a scholar who passed the imperial examinations nor from a prominent family. I am bound to be a bit rude. Please forgive me."

Feng Zhong'an chuckled, and Xu Xiaoyun guessed that he was probably laughing out of anger.

Li Daolang, standing on the outermost edge, wiped his sweat and tried to signal Meng Changqing to tone down his temper. Unfortunately, he was standing far away, and Meng Changqing didn't notice him at all.

“Magistrate Meng,” Xu Xiaoyun stepped forward to speak for Feng Zhong’an, “Since you know you are rude, you should be even more diligent in learning etiquette. It is not the way of a gentleman to insult his superiors.”

Meng Changqing didn't respond, but stared at him for a long time.

Xu Xiaoyun felt uncomfortable under Meng Changqing's gaze, so she turned to face him and asked, "Does Magistrate Meng have anything to say this time?"

Meng Changqing looked at him, as if lost in memories, and said, "Old Master Xu once taught me what is superior and what is inferior, and I still remember what he said."

"I wonder if the matters you taught me, sir, have been taught to you as well?"

Xu Xiaoyun gritted her teeth in hatred and approached Meng Changqing, saying, "You really have a sharp tongue."

"Misunderstanding." Meng Changqing smiled at him, hugging the knife behind him to his chest with a natural movement, as if he needed to loosen his shoulders after carrying it for a long time. "This humble official is clumsy with words and only knows some martial arts."

Xu Xiaoyun immediately retreated.

Feng Zhong'an helped Xu Xiaoyun up, "Alright, let's cut to the chase." He then turned to Meng Changqing, "Lord Meng is young and impetuous; it's best to avoid certain things."

You invited us to Beishan County, surely not just to investigate the tax matters.

I've heard people praise the city walls of Beishan County for years, saying they're among the best in the world. Now that we're here, we should see them for ourselves so we can report back to the Emperor when we return to the capital.

His words misled unsuspecting people into believing that inspecting the city walls was a task assigned to them by the emperor.

But Meng Changqing knew that the emperor would never give him such a task, since the emperor's spies lived in her house.

Feng Zhong'an said this most likely to distract her so he could do something drastic.

It's easy to guess what tricks they're going to pull.

Most likely, they want to find Sun Xiang.