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

The wealthiest households are those of the highest rank, owning official shops, warehouses, loan sharks, and large stores, with assets exceeding five thousand strings of cash. There are currently only thirteen such households in Juancheng.

Zhang Si Niang was classified as a second-class citizen, with a family fortune of over three thousand strings of cash.

Zhang Shiqing rose from humble beginnings as a merchant, possessing wealth but lacking power. This time, he was classified as a third-class official, with a family fortune exceeding a thousand strings of cash.

Middle-class households, classified as fourth to seventh class, had assets between one hundred and one thousand strings of cash. They were mostly merchants running small shops or artisans in small workshops.

The lower classes, from the eighth to the tenth, consisted mainly of peddlers, laborers, workers, and the elderly living alone.

The upper three classes had to pay to hire others to perform corvée labor; the middle four classes had to perform the labor themselves, or pay to be exempted from it. The lower three classes were exempt from labor but could be hired to perform it.

Zhang Sanlang flipped through the stacks in the west of the city, his finger stopping at the Liu family's name.

Liu Geng was one of the three most prominent families in the west of the city.

The Liu family's assets were listed in dense rows across several pages, totaling over ten thousand strings of cash. All things considered, they were firmly in the top tier.

He closed the booklet, leaned back in his chair, and thought for a moment.

After the eight hundred bandits, almost all the households in Juancheng's streets and alleys were included in the resident register, except for a few high-ranking households.

Every household has a record of how many people live there, what kind of business they do, and which gate they use to enter and leave Juancheng.

The kidnapper managed to hide two children in the city and evade the roster; this person is no ordinary individual.

Either she's already on the register and is a legitimate household member, or her employer isn't on the register because they pay her taxes. Only upper-class households can achieve this.

The Liu family monopolized the brothel street and also took over the Su Yue Lou and four other brothels. With so many people coming and going, it was easier to hide two children than elsewhere. Moreover, the Liu family had the motive to both educate young actors and train the brothel girls.

The Liu family is extremely wealthy, but due to their social status, they have never been able to find a real backer.

This time, the Wang family sent Wang Zheng to pave the way for the relocation of the prefectural capital. Those who could cooperate would be cooperated with, and those who could not would naturally be attacked.

Among the four wealthy landowners of Juancheng, the Ma family had few businesses, making them difficult to challenge in the eyes of the authorities, and there was no need for conflict.

Wang Zheng knew that the Zhao family was bound to cooperate, Zhao Yuanwai understood this, and Zhang Sanlang was also aware of it.

The Sun family rose to power through martial arts, and Wang Zheng could only try to win them over; he dared not make any further moves.

Only the Liu family is the most suitable for the Wang family to take under their wing.

Given Wang Zheng's shrewdness, he has probably already taken action against the Liu family in the past two days, and may even have reached a cooperation agreement with the Zhao family. Both sides have their own needs, so naturally they hit it off immediately.

Therefore, it's time to put into action the methods used against Zhang Sanlang.

According to Huangfu Ce's calculations, Yan Shizhong was one of the treacherous schemes.

Wang Zheng secretly instructed Song Zhao to first persuade him with the guise of a clerk, and then coerce him by threatening the safety of his descendants. It was indeed possible that he would succeed.

Wang Zheng wouldn't directly send someone to do this dirty work. If he had already won over Liu Geng, he would naturally instruct him to send someone to do it.

The Liu family had been running the brothel district for two generations, and anyone with a brain knew the origins of those young actresses and prostitutes. Besides purchasing them from the village brokerage, they also arranged for trusted men to abduct and swindle them.

Thinking about it this way, if it wasn't Wang Zheng who instigated it, then the kidnapper's target might simply be the girl Jin'er!

Zhang Sanlang became increasingly suspicious of the Liu family.

Without delay, he hurriedly went to the second hall to find Gu Yansheng, explained the matter in detail, and proposed to search the Liu family's residence.

Gu Yansheng frowned, tapping his fingers twice on the table before finally speaking, "Shouli, you make it sound so easy. Who is Liu Geng? He's from a top-tier family in Juancheng!"

"The entire Goulan Street in the west of the city belongs to the Liu family. They own at least thirty or forty shops and their mansions are quite deep. If they can't find anything during the search, and he files a complaint with the prefecture, will I still be able to keep my position as the county magistrate?"

Zhang Sanlang stood before the table, a forced smile on his face, and didn't rush to argue.

Gu Yansheng glanced at him. "What do you have? Yan Shizhong's grandson is missing. The neighbors saw a woman take him away, heading west of the city. Which shop or house in the Liu family does this lead to? And how confident are you?"

Zhang Sanlang shook his head, "I'm not sure right now."

Gu Yansheng stared at him.

Zhang Sanlang took half a step forward. "So, I'm not here to take immediate action. I'm here to request Lord Gu's written order so that I can send someone to investigate."

"The Liu family has many shops and their residences are deep. If we openly search them, sending dozens of archers in is no different than scattering a few jars of wine into the Guangji River. If we don't have a specific location to target, we'll only alert them if we don't find anything."

Zhang Sanlang paused, and seeing Gu Yansheng deep in thought, he quickly explained with a smile, "This humble official plans to first send someone to investigate secretly. Birds fly with a line, and beasts leave tracks. They leave traces when they move and shadows when they stop."

"Find out which of the Liu family's shops saw a newborn today, which house suddenly had more guards, and which alley was being served food. Once you've figured all that out, then determine where the person is hiding. Only then will you take action, and the search will be successful."

After listening, Gu Yansheng withdrew his fingers from the table and suddenly smiled. "Shouli, no wonder Judge Li appointed you to handle both the household and criminal cases. You are not only skilled in finance, but also adept at criminal investigations."

Zhang Sanlang quickly smiled apologetically, "Lord Gu, I dare not accept such praise. Judge Li only put me in charge of the criminal affairs department because I had been in the household affairs department for a long time and was familiar with the people in each department, making it easier for me to run errands and deliver messages."

"If we're talking about arresting and investigating cases, it has to be the people under Magistrate Sun. I'm just being a little more careful with the case files and making sure I remember everything that needs to be remembered. That's just a fool doing a foolish thing."

"In the end, it was because Magistrate Li had the ability to recognize talent and Lord Gu had the magnanimity to tolerate people that they were willing to let their subordinates work slowly. If it were a different superior, the subordinates would have been kicked out of the county office long ago for such procrastination."

Gu Yansheng's lips curled up slightly upon hearing this. "Alright, I know you too well."

He pulled a blank sheet of paper from the corner of the desk, picked up a brush, and dipped it in ink:

Gu Yansheng, the magistrate of Juancheng County, was tasked with investigating a case of abduction. He ordered Sun Jizu, the county magistrate, to dispatch local archers and clerks to Goulan Street in the west of the city to inspect the shops and residences under Liu Geng's name.

All shops, residences within the city, and estates outside the city owned by Liu Geng are permitted to be inspected. During the inspection, the clerk Zhang Shen must accompany him and register everything on the spot. All witnesses and evidence obtained must be sealed and preserved; no one may take them privately. A report must be submitted immediately upon completion of the inspection.

This post.

October 17th, the fifth year of the Taiping Xingguo era

Gu Yansheng, the magistrate of Juancheng County, was escorted.

After finishing writing, he picked up the note, read it through from beginning to end, and placed it on the table to dry the ink. He then took another piece of paper, wrote another short note, and tucked it inside the previous note.

Gu Yansheng handed over the two notices. "Shouli, keep these two notices. Take the longer one to investigate. Once you've confirmed the hiding place, then use the shorter one to take action."

Zhang Sanlang took the two papers with both hands, folded them neatly, and put them into his sleeve.

Gu Yansheng glanced at him again. "Liu Geng is a registered household member, not an ordinary citizen. If he is found, he is guilty and will be dealt with according to the law. If he is not found, this note will remain in your sleeve; I never wrote it."

Zhang Sanlang responded with a "Yes."

Gu Yansheng waved his hand, "Go ahead. You can talk to County Magistrate Sun yourself."

Zhang Sanlang left the second hall, stood under the corridor, and touched the two notes in his sleeve.

The long post is on the outside, the short post is on the inside, one hard and one soft.

Zhang Sanlang gazed out at the county government office, a sharp glint in his eyes.

With Gu Yansheng's order, he has the authority to mobilize manpower!

Some people better not get caught by me!