Joy of Life: Starting from Teacher Fan Xian

The treasurer outside the hall was forced onto a bench, and his skin was torn apart by the beating. He let out wailing sounds.

Shan Da was terrified. He never thought that what Lord Lin said last night was not a joke.

After taking a deep breath, Shan Da couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he hit him with the board. The blood and flesh he caused were far more than those caused by two blows of ordinary yamen runners.

The one operating the board was Zong Zhui, an eighth-rank warrior. If those two ninth-rank warriors had come, Shan Da couldn't imagine what the result would have been.

Haitang Duoduo and Wang Shisanlang stood in the aisle outside the hall, watching everything with indifference.

This is not for them to see, but for those people inside who don't realize their own limitations.

Another board was struck, and there was complete silence outside the hall.

The treasurers in the hall could not help but look out cautiously, trying to find out what was going on.

Zong Zhui walked into the hall and said in front of everyone: "Sir, he has fainted."

"I thought you were so courageous, but how come you can't even withstand two hits?"

Lin Ruo waved his hand, not forgetting to make a sarcastic remark, and then said carelessly: "I almost forgot that Zong Zhui is an eighth-rank warrior. If he uses all his strength, it is indeed heavier than that of an ordinary person."

"Then let's not fight for now. It would be bad if someone died in vain. After all, they are precious things." Lin Ruo showed some kindness.

The treasurer officials' hair stood on end with fear and extreme anger in their eyes. They had been in the inner treasury for more than ten years, but this was the first time they had been stepped on like this.

"Lord Lin, please don't go too far." Xiao Wu could no longer sit still.

Lin Ruo looked at him jokingly: "I have been so kind as to let him go, why would you go too far?"

This is really ridiculous. If he was really beaten with ten boards, Lin Ruo would not be afraid of people saying these things.

Unfortunately, he didn't do it in the end, and as for the reason, it was not him who started the matter.

There is nothing wrong with teaching those who disrespect the imperial envoy a lesson in a reasonable and legal manner. Lin Ruo still has this power.

Xiao Wumeng shook his sleeves and said, "Sir, you are not the master of the inner treasury."

Lin Ruo's eyes fixed, and he looked over: "What does Chief Xiao want to say? Do you want to blame me?"

"I dare not, but I am reminding you, sir, that it is not our treasurer's turn to bear the responsibility for the deficit in the inner treasury."

Xiao Wuqi said: "If you want to catch a scapegoat, it would be very inhumane."

"That's not necessarily true." Lin Ruo smiled, "Master Xiao, I strongly suspect that the inner treasury is short of money, and you must bear the heavy responsibility."

"If you want to accuse someone of a crime, you can always find a pretext." Xiao Wu didn't care at all.

Lin Ruo sneered and looked at everyone: "Not only Xiao Wu will be punished, all of you who are treasurers will be punished!"

There was an uproar in the hall, and the treasurer officials felt angry and amused. Was this a blatant way of convicting them?

Many officials from the Treasury Department stood up and spoke out. They were used to being arrogant and had no fear in the face of crisis. "Lord Lin, what you said makes sense." The chief official of Yifang said angrily.

"Reason? Isn't your salary reason? The court treats you well, but you act recklessly, flattering yourself several times, and using the big money to do dirty things." Lin Ruo didn't give him any face and said bluntly:
"It is precisely because you have taken salaries that exceed your quota that the inner treasury is gradually running low."

"Our salary is reasonable and in compliance with the law. It was set by the princess in the past and there is a written assessment. What you said is unreasonable, sir." Xiao Wu retorted immediately. He thought that what he said made no sense at all.

Lin Ruo nodded: "You are right, the princess is in charge of the inner treasury, and she is indeed qualified to adjust the salary structure, but..."

After a pause, Lin Ruo said coldly: "Don't forget, the inner treasury is no longer the eldest princess's. The new head of the inner treasury asked to readjust the salary structure. Is that unreasonable?"

"Hmph, Master Fan from the capital hasn't even taken up his post yet." Xiao Wu said coldly.

"It doesn't matter. I've made the decision for him. If you think it's unreasonable, you can go to the capital to complain to my students." Lin Ruo narrowed his eyes, frowned, and slowly said in a gentle voice:

"And you'd better understand that I am the imperial envoy sent to solve the deficit in the inner treasury. During this period between the eldest princess' departure and Fan Xian's appointment, I am more capable than anyone else in managing all matters in the inner treasury."

"I believe that your salaries are too high, which leads to high costs and deficits. I have the power to improve this."

"If you are not convinced, you can go to the capital to complain to His Majesty, but as long as there is no imperial decree to stop you, you have no right to complain about what I have done. Just shut up and that is what the treasurer should do."

It was His Majesty and it was Fan Xian, which frightened all the officials. Everyone knew Lin Ruo's connections, and it was obvious that some cases were not something that the officials in the inner treasury could file.

Seeing that everyone was speechless, Lin Ruo announced directly: "From tomorrow on, the salaries of all officials in the Treasury will be reduced by two-thirds, mainly according to the old court regulations, no more and no less."

These words were like a heavy stone hitting the hall, and many treasury officials could no longer tolerate it.

"Lord Lin probably thinks that we, the treasurers, have made no contribution to the three districts, so he wants to cut our salaries. But Lord, do you know how much money the court will lose if we don't contribute for a day?"

Xiao Wu expressed the thoughts of all treasurers. Without them, the inner treasury would be nothing more than a shabby place that would not generate any profit.

Therefore, there has never been any problem for the treasurer to receive a high salary.

Lin Ruo smiled and said, "I don't think your contribution is worthy of so much money. Last night, I made a rough estimate. Among the production costs of the inner treasury in recent years, salaries accounted for as much as 40%. This is unreasonable."

"And the bigger problem is that among these 40%, you treasurers are less than a hundred people, but you account for nearly 30%, far more than other officials and tens of thousands of workers. How can this be justified? Is this a perverse theory that harms the development of the inner treasury?"

"We have earned so much money for the court over the years. It's a bit too early to discard us now." Xiao Wu said with a gloomy face.

"You are talking as if this money is not earned for you. And how come I find that you earn more money than the court in some aspects?"

Lin Ruo slammed his palm on the table and questioned, and every word he said was clear to the hearts of the treasure officials: "You extort wages, bully men and women, kill laborers, and use your skills to threaten the court. You don't think about improving production efficiency all day long, but act like a tyrant in the inner treasury, and you do whatever you want. You even refused to come out to see me when I first arrived. With so many crimes, I really don't know how many heads you treasure officials have to bear."

Xiao Wu suddenly sank, pretending to be calm and said: "Master Lin, you have to provide evidence."

"Are you looking for evidence? I have many charges against me, and most of them are related to your romantic affairs, Xiao Wu."

(End of this chapter)