Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Is Chapter 587 really that easy?
Feng Zhong'an felt extremely uncomfortable after eating breakfast.

He dared not look away for a second, for fear that Liu Dexiang might misunderstand something.

After finally finishing their meal and having the dishes cleared away, Feng Zhong'an spoke in a businesslike manner, "Prefect Liu, over the past few days, we have almost completed our investigation into the tax situation in various parts of Liangzhou."

At this point, Feng Zhong'an looked at Xu Xiaoyun, and seeing Xu Xiaoyun nod in agreement, he continued, "We'll stay in Liangzhou Prefecture for another day to rest, and tomorrow we'll set off back to the capital."

Hearing this, Liu Dexiang felt both pleased and uneasy. "Yes, Your Excellency..."

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Zhong'an interrupted, "With the magistrate of Quping County imprisoned, who is handling the affairs of Quping now?"

Liu Dexiang was caught off guard by the sudden mention of Quping County and, after a moment of panic, said, "Minor matters will be handled by the county clerks, while major matters will be personally handled by this humble official."

“You’re in charge of the affairs of the whole prefecture, I’m afraid you’ll be too busy.” Feng Zhong’an didn’t look at Liu Dexiang when he spoke, but he was still polite. “It will be some time before the new magistrate takes office, and when the new prefect arrives, there will be a handover between the two sides. How can you possibly manage it?”

"As soon as possible, appoint someone to temporarily assume the position of county magistrate."

"Yes," Liu Dexiang said, "I'll make the arrangements later. But..."

Feng Zhong'an appeared magnanimous, saying, "Prefect Liu, please speak frankly."

"I have failed to properly entertain you gentlemen on your visit to Liangzhou, and I have troubled you with trivial matters. I have been impolite," Liu Dexiang said.

Feng Zhong'an waved his hand, "Since it's a trivial matter, there's no need to mention it again."

"Yes. If I may be so bold as to ask, after your investigation these past few days, what shortcomings have you found in the tax system of Liangzhou? I would be extremely grateful if you would be willing to offer a word or two of guidance."

Feng Zhong'an sighed, "The three of us asked each other about the same thing last night."

There are certainly shortcomings, but apart from Quping County, most of them are minor issues, and those issues involve previous officials.

There's no point in continuing to investigate such a trivial matter.

Liu Dexiang listened and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes."

"In our view," Feng Zhong'an continued, "what you mentioned earlier is indeed worth considering, but the specific amount of additional revenue needs further discussion." "Your Excellencies are truly wise," Liu Dexiang said, still harboring some concerns. "Regarding my servant Sun Xiang, what are your plans…?"

He became increasingly unsure of himself as he spoke, but fortunately Feng Zhong'an knew what he wanted to ask and said before he could finish, "Prefect Sun's dereliction of duty will definitely be reported. As for how the court will deal with it, that is beyond our control."

That's why people say Feng Zhong'an understands people's hearts.

Although he didn't know Liu Dexiang very well, the few times they spent together were enough for him to figure out what kind of person Liu Dexiang was.

As expected, once these words were spoken, the unease that had been in Liu Dexiang's heart completely disappeared.

"Yes, gentlemen, please rest in the mansion. If you need anything, just ask. Whatever Liangzhou has, I will certainly provide it."

Liu Dexiang noticed that Xu Xiaoyun's expression was not good, and thought that maybe this Xu was unhappy because he couldn't find anything wrong with him.

What can he do if he's unhappy? It's because Lord Feng is willing to protect him.

"Then please rest, I'll take my leave." Liu Dexiang left happily.

Liu Dexiang was so happy that he kept rubbing his hands together, not expecting that the thing he had been worried about all night would be over so easily.

It was just past lunchtime that day.

Feng Zhong'an returned to his room and was about to rest when he heard someone knocking on the door: "Is my lord resting? I have something to report."

"Come in."

The person who had something to report was a close confidant of Feng Zhong'an.

I went out early in the morning to prepare things for Feng Zhong's return trip.

Before Feng Zhong'an could ask, the man said, "I ran into Magistrate Mao's men while I was out. Magistrate Mao wants to see you."