Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

After Zhang Sanlang left the second hall, Zhao Changyan leaned forward and asked, "Jingzhai, what did you think of what he just said?"

Li Hang leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the sunlight streaming through the crack in the door, as if he were still looking in the direction Zhang Sanlang had walked out. "Feeling? I feel like he was telling the truth."

Zhao Changyan shook his head. "The truth is true. But have you considered this: he just said, 'I'm settling these people without spending a single penny of the county treasury,' but he forgot to mention whose money he's spending?"

Li Hang turned his gaze back, lost in thought. "I have already checked the ledgers of the confiscated assets of the Chen and Kong families, and the accounts are extremely clean. However, there are no records of money transactions."

Zhao Changyan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a smug look on his face. "That's right! Neither of these families are easy to deal with. Especially the Kong family, they've lent out a considerable amount of money. Most people might not realize it, but you, Li Taichu, can't possibly hide it from them!"

"From what I've gathered, there are over a thousand strings of cash at the docks alone. Although Zhang Shouli has waived part of the principal and interest, I estimate that he can recover at least half of it."

"Although Chen Youde's wealth is not as great as Kong Youan's, the money he lent out at exorbitant interest rates should have amounted to several hundred strings of cash. In total, he could probably recover seven or eight hundred strings of cash, which he then invested in the almshouse."

"He doesn't bring it up because he knows that if he talks about it openly, it will have repercussions. If he doesn't mention it and you don't ask, the matter will just pass. I'm not saying he has ulterior motives."

"But think about it, if someone can get to this level in the county government, he has people in every department and spies in every place."

"He still has money. With money comes connections, and with connections comes power. If he decides he doesn't want to be an official anymore and wants to do something else, can you stop him?"

Li Hang's expression darkened slightly, and he did not respond.

"You said that all his roots were planted in the county government office, and if he were pulled out, he would be nothing. But now his roots are no longer just in the county government office. Do you really think the two of us can uproot him?"

The room was quiet for a moment. The cicadas in the yard were still chirping, their calls drawn out as if stuck in the heat.

Amidst the incessant chirping of cicadas, Li Hang finally spoke, "Changyan, you read his memorial from beginning to end. What do you think he did?"

Zhao Changyan was taken aback for a moment, "Settle the old accounts of the torture chamber and change the rules of the torture chamber."

Li Hang pointed his finger and tapped the table three times. "Not bad. Although he listed many items, in reality, everything is managed by someone, every matter is traceable, and there are specific people responsible for each thing."

He withdrew his finger. "If these three things are done, the cases won't piling up, the files won't be altered, and the embezzled money won't be stolen. Zhang Shouli only wants one thing from beginning to end: rules!"

Zhao Changyan nodded. "Of course I know he's a capable official. But Jingzhai, you must understand that the more useful a person is, the more fatal their betrayal can be."

Li Hang glanced at him. "You're worried he'll become too powerful. But think about it, what he wants are rules. Once the rules are established, everyone has to follow them. He himself is no exception."

"Shouli is in this position because of his own abilities, not because of anyone's favors. If he breaks the rules one day, the first thing he will suffer is the consequences of the very rules he established."

As Zhao Changyan listened, the lines at the corners of his mouth relaxed slightly. "So what do you plan to do? Just completely relinquish control like this?"

Li Hang smiled slightly, "Tomorrow, come with me to the almshouse. Of what he said, there are a few more porters at the dock, a few more warehouse watchmen at the warehouse, and a few more woodcutters and sweepers at the almshouse."

"Whether it's true or false, and to what extent, we'll find out by going and seeing. If he's really doing something, then I might as well turn a blind eye. But if he's using this to build up his own power, then we'll have other plans..."

The Zhang Sanlang they were talking about had already returned to the household.

He had just sat down at his desk when the curtain to the inner room was lifted.

Tao Cheng stood at the door, glanced at Zhang Sanlang, and said, "Shouli, come in and sit down."

Zhang Sanlang quickly got up and went into the inner room.

On Tao Cheng's desk lay an open wooden box, inside which were stacks of documents. Beside it sat a seal, its knob worn smooth and shiny—the official seal of the household registration office.

Tao Cheng stood behind the desk, looking down at the seal. "The official document from the prefectural government just arrived, transferring me to the position of clerk in the prefectural government. I must take up my post within three days."

Zhang Sanlang stopped in front of the desk, slightly surprised. "Wu Haogu has been dismissed so quickly? Hao the Registrar is certainly impatient. But..."

Tao Cheng waved his hand to interrupt, pushing the house seal towards Zhang Sanlang. "I've used this house seal for three years. From today onwards, it belongs to you. I don't have a private seal; you have the previous monogram sample."

The seal is made of copper, about two fingers wide, with a smooth surface and slightly rounded edges, which is the result of being repeatedly held in the palm of the hand.

He reached out and picked it up, weighing it in his palm. "The clerk left in such a hurry; I'm afraid there wasn't enough time for the handover."

Tao Cheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down. "Hao Yun is pressuring me to take up my post as soon as possible. After your reform of the household registration system, things that needed to be straightened out have been straightened out, and accounts that needed to be settled have been settled. If I stay here, I'll just be occupying a position."

He turned and pulled out several booklets from the wooden shelf. "These are the collection lists for this year's summer taxes. I checked them again yesterday. The amounts for taxes collected, taxes not yet collected, and taxes exempted are all listed here for each township and village."

"This is the archive of official documents from the Household Department over the years, this is the archive of grain accounts from the County Granary over the years, and there are also lists of tax arrears, exemption fees and miscellaneous taxes from the past years."

Tao Cheng looked up and pointed to the two rows of cabinets behind him. "The household register, household registration stubs, and land transfer records are all in these cabinets. Take a look at them as soon as possible in the next couple of days. If there are any discrepancies, ask them in person while I'm still here."

"However, the five-tier register is based on the old system. This year's new edict requires a rotation system based on assets, so it will probably need to be re-evaluated. The matter of asset verification cannot be rushed. You can settle your current taxes first, and then deal with this at the end of the year."

Zhang Sanlang took the several catalogs and glanced at them.

The handwriting was neat, the numbers were clear, and the source was noted after each stroke, just like Tao Cheng's usual style of doing things. He closed the booklet and placed it next to the seal.

"Clerk, what are your plans for these three clerks in the Revenue Department? Should we take one or two of them with us to help?"

Tao Cheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting from Zhang Sanlang's face to the direction of the curtain, as if he were looking at the three people in the outer room through the curtain.

"Liao Tiesi has been with me for three years. He's good at arithmetic and reliable. You can use any data he's checked. Zheng Tiesi is a man of few words, but he's tight-lipped. As far as the Ministry of Revenue is concerned, his handwriting is second only to yours."

"You will temporarily oversee both households. After I leave, you can recommend one of them to assist you. As for Wang Tiesi, he is slow and meticulous, so he is not suitable as an assistant."