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

Zhang Sanlang was unaware that Qian Laohei, whom he was talking about, was currently at the county government office.

Kong Youan's office was the innermost room in the interrogation room. The window was small, and sunlight only illuminated a small area on the desk. Kong Youan sat behind the desk.

The door was pushed open, and Qian Laohei slipped in sideways, glancing back at the corridor before closing the door tightly.

He took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

It was a silver ingot, weighing about ten taels, which landed on the table with a heavy thud.

He then took out five silver beans from his sleeve, each weighing one ounce, and placed them next to the silver ingot. The silvery-gray color gleamed coldly in the dim sunlight.

"The monthly allowance for August totaled fifteen strings of cash. The dockside shop at Helantou added one string, saying that a batch of southern goods arrived last month. The usual fees for cloth shops and general stores in the market remained unchanged. Only Chen's General Store said business was slow and paid five hundred cash less."

Qian Laohei pushed the silver ingot forward. "I went to Manager Chen's place in person, and he said he would definitely make up the difference next month."

Kong Youan picked up a silver bean, twirled it between his fingers, and then put it back.

He picked out two silver beans from the five and pushed them to Qian Laohei. "Take these two. Keep one for yourself, and share the other with the brothers. As for whether Chen Ji will make up the five hundred coins next month, just keep an eye on it, no need to rush him."

Old Qian chuckled as he accepted the silver coins, then took a half-step forward: "There's one more thing. Old Sun from the Zhang family's old residence in Kujing Lane has set up a fried tofu stall at the dock. When I took some men to collect the fees, he used He Lantou as an excuse to refute it."

Kong Youan stopped. "Old Sun? The coachman from the Zhang family's tenement?"

"It's him. That old fox He Lantou sent someone to tell us that he approved the stall and that the tax permits are all in order, so we can't touch it. That old bastard usually bows and scrapes to our people, but this time he's really tough."

Qian Laohei leaned forward. "Clerk, should I send a few men to loosen up He Lantou's muscles?"

He said that He Lantou's intervention to stop the money was not something he mentioned casually.

Of the three dock leaders, He Dock Leader held the most lucrative position, a post he had long coveted. If he could leverage Kong You'an's influence to oust him, his own men could smoothly take over.

Kong Youan picked up the teacup, lifted the lid, and glanced at him.

That glance was indifferent, like looking at an ignorant novice. "Remember, the dock is He Lantou's livelihood. He usually turns a blind eye to us making a few coins, so there's no need for him to cause trouble for us."

"If you really interfere with his men's business, you'll be taking away their livelihood! If you take away someone's rice bowl, they'll fight you to the death!"

Qian Laohei quickly put on a smile: "The clerk is right, I just couldn't think straight for a moment. That guy surnamed He has been running the docks for over ten years, it's really not advisable to mess with him lightly. From now on, we'll only seek peace at the docks and will never cause you any trouble."

Kong Youan put the silver ingot back on the table. "Hmph! What is he? A beggar on the docks. Does he dare to block my way? It's not that I'm afraid of him, but it's not worth the risk for such a trivial matter."

"As the saying goes, you should seek wealth, not pride. Old Hei, remember this well! No matter what, this guy has twenty or thirty apprentices from the docks who make a living. Many people depend on him for their livelihood."

"Dealing with him is no big deal. If his followers cause trouble and quit, who will collect the taxes at the docks? You can collect them. As long as things keep a facade, that's fine. If he doesn't break off relations, we don't need to lower ourselves to his level."

Qian Laohei shrank back sheepishly, then quickly changed the subject, "If Old Sun didn't have someone backing him up, how would he dare to set up a stall at the dock? I reckon he got the guts from the post office."

"That official in charge of posting notices was recently seconded to the Household Department. I reckon he probably found our accounts while checking the land tax register."

Kong Youan did not respond.

He picked up the silver ingot and weighed it in his hand. "Who did you send to give him a good whack last time?"

Qian Laohei was stunned for a moment. "Feng the Scarface at the dock. My original intention was to have him ambush people in the dark alley and scare them a little, but who knew that hothead had such a strong hand, and he hit the guy so hard that he had to carry him back and lie in bed for several days."

"It's just about making money, there's no need to kill anyone." Kong Youan's voice was not loud, as if he were giving an ordinary business instruction.

"Even though we can suppress the fact that someone has died, Xu Kai is stubborn and won't listen to reason, so he's still a problem. In the future, we need to be more careful when hiring people. Only those who know how to handle things are worth using, and those who are too ruthless should be dismissed as soon as possible."

He pushed the three silver coins on the table toward Qian Laohei, saying, "You personally deliver these three to the Zhang family's old residence. Tell them that you didn't know Old Sun was one of his men before, and that you won't be accepting any more fees from the docks."

Qian Laohei looked at the three silver coins, then at Kong Youan, somewhat surprised. "Clerk, what's going on here? It's always the subordinates who bring you money, not you taking it out yourself. A mere clerk, worth three strings of cash?"

Kong Youan put down his teacup. "The last time someone knocked him over was to give him a warning. Your men don't know their own strength, so they should be compensated. This time, sending money is to tell him to know when to stop."

"Once he accepts it, he'll naturally cover for us if he sees anything we shouldn't in the household office. Neither Tao Yasi nor his subordinates are locals, so they can't get a foothold in this household office, which is really bothering me."

What if he doesn't accept it?

Kong Youan leaned back in his chair, a faint smile playing on his lips. It was a very faint smile, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him: "The money has been sent; whether he accepts it or not is his business."

"As the saying goes, 'No discord, no friendship.' If he's sensible, he might become one of us, or at least we'll keep to ourselves. If he's not, well! The door to Kujing Alley isn't high; anyone can get in!"

Qian Laohei's eyes twitched when he heard the last sentence, then he grinned broadly. "The clerk's move is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant! If Zhang Sanlang knows what's good for him, the household registration office will have our eyes and ears from now on."

Kong Youan picked up his teacup, smiled slightly, and didn't reply.

Qian Laohei leaned forward again and lowered his voice: "Don't worry, clerk, I'll deliver these three silver beans to Kujing Lane tonight. I'll convey your message."

Kong Youan put down his teacup, looked up at Qian Laohei, and said, "No need to spell it out. Just hint at it. He's a smart man; he knows who sent the money."

"I didn't want to waste my time last time by giving him a good whack. Dealing with a mere clerk doesn't require much beating around the bush. If he's sensible, he'll have another one of our own in the household affairs department. If he's not, there are plenty of ways to deal with him. Go ahead."

Old Qian tucked the three silver beans into his pocket, patted his clothes, and said, "Don't worry, Clerk. I may not be good at talking, but I'm an expert at relaying messages. Just give him a hint and let him figure it out himself. Once he understands it, it'll be more effective than a hundred of our words."

He bowed as he left the office, gently closed the door, and turned to walk out along the veranda.