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

The main room in the east courtyard is not large, with an eight-immortal table placed in the center.

At three quarters past noon, the food and wine were served: four dishes and a soup, along with two pots of warm wine. The dishes looked exquisite, but the portions were small.

A plate of thinly sliced ​​white fish in fermented rice wine was arranged on the plate, barely covering the bottom. A plate of stir-fried shredded pork with bean sprouts was barely more than ten bites. A bowl of pan-fried tofu was slightly charred, clearly indicating it hadn't been cooked with enough oil.

Another dish was stir-fried chives with chicken eggs, which finally filled the earthenware plate; I reckon it would have used about four chicken eggs.

The main dish, a large pot of stewed chicken giblets, was placed in the center of the table. The chicken intestines and gizzards were chopped into small pieces and floated in the clear broth, disappearing with a single scoop of chopsticks.

Zhang Sanlang twitched the corners of his mouth. At least it was more plentiful than his own meals. These dishes, along with the wine, were worth fifty or sixty coins.

Chen Youde sat in the main seat and raised his wine cup to Zhang Sanlang, saying, "Zhang Qian has traveled a long way and must be tired. This is just a simple meal and some wine; please accept my humble offer."

Zhang Sanlang picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and put it down. "Master Chen, you're too kind. The wine is fine, and the dishes are excellent. However, it's getting late, and we should rest early after checking the accounts so we can return to the county office to report tomorrow morning."

Chen Youde's smile remained unchanged. He put the wine cup back on the table and gestured with his chin toward the butler.

The steward understood and took out two strings of copper coins from his sleeve, neatly arranging them in front of Zhang Sanlang.

"Zhang Qianxing, this is a small token of my appreciation. The Revenue Department has worked hard on clearing the accounts; please give this to the clerks to buy them tea. In the future, we will need to rely on your assistance with the Revenue Department."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at the two strings of coins but didn't reach for them.

"Master Chen, two strings of cash for tea is enough to last until next spring." He picked up his wine cup and took another sip. "However, the tea in the household is always brewed by the public kitchen, so there's no need for Master Chen to spend so much."

The walnut in Chen Youde's hand spun a little slower.

The butler stood behind the chair, his smile froze for a moment, then returned to its original shape. "Zhang Qianxing is too kind. This small gift is just for you gentlemen to buy a bowl of wine on your journey. You've come all this way, we can't let you go back empty-handed."

Wu Dutou sat to Zhang Sanlang's left, holding a wine cup but not drinking. His eyes swept between the steward and Chen Youde before he lowered his eyelids.

Four archers sat at another table against the wall, with four dishes and a bowl of porridge in front of them.

A dish of boiled cabbage, the leaves were yellowed from overcooking, and there wasn't even a drop of oil left.

A dish of salt-dressed tofu, piled high in a coarse dish, sprinkled with a few chopped scallions.

A dish of pickled radish, sliced ​​unevenly, with varying shades of sauce.

A dish of salted beans is quickly devoured by each person grabbing a small handful.

A bowl of mixed grain porridge, so thin you could see your reflection in it.

Several hundred copper coins were piled up on the corner of the table, neatly stacked.

The older archer, Liu, paused for a moment on the pile of money before looking away.

Young archer Zhao was chewing a salted bean, making a loud crunching sound, when Old Liu kicked him under the table, and he quickly stopped chewing.

Seeing that Zhang Sanlang wouldn't take the money, the steward turned to Wu, the head constable, and said, "Head Constable Wu, these brothers have had a long journey. Why don't you go to the kitchen next door for a few drinks? There's some wine on the stove, and I'll have someone add a couple more dishes."

Wu, the head constable, put down his wine cup, glanced at the steward, and said, "No need. Wherever Zhang Qianxing is, I will be there too."

The butler's smile faded.

Chen Youde placed the walnuts on the table, raised his wine cup to Zhang Sanlang, and said, "Zhang Qianxing, I have a favor to ask. Although the amount of those debts is not large, they involve many tenants and cannot be sorted out in a short time."

"Why don't we go back first? After I've sorted out the accounts in a few days, I'll have someone deliver them to the county government. That way, Zhang Qianxing won't waste his time here."

Zhang Sanlang placed the wine cup back on the table. "Master Chen, sixty-three shi of grain. For the Chen family, this amount is not large; it is clearly recorded in the household register."

"If Master Chen thinks any entry is wrong, we'll check it right now. I've brought the inventory list and the final record. We'll check it entry by entry, even if it takes until dawn."

Chen Youde's smile faded slightly.

The butler stood behind the chair, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

The room was quiet for a moment. Chen Youde picked up the walnut again, turned it a couple of times, and suddenly laughed, "Zhang Qianxing is quick-witted and outspoken; I admire him."

"Since Zhang Qianxing is unwilling to do us the honor, then forget it. We can discuss the accounts tomorrow. It's getting late, you should all get some rest."

He stood up, nodded to the butler, and turned to walk towards the main courtyard.

The steward hurriedly followed, then turned back after a couple of steps, forcing a smile at Zhang Sanlang. "Zhang Qianxing, the bedding in the east wing has all been changed. If you need anything, just let me know."

After saying that, he hurriedly chased after her.

Zhang Sanlang ignored the master and servant pair and only stood up after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill.

Wu, the head constable, stood up and gestured with his chin toward the four archers. "Go back to your rooms and rest. Tonight, we'll take two shifts. Old Liu and Xiao Zhao will guard the first half of the night, and I'll guard the second half."

Old Liu responded and pulled Xiao Zhao out of the main room.

Xiao Zhao, still chewing on salted beans, mumbled his reply.

Two other archers followed behind, their footsteps fading at the end of the corridor.

Zhang Sanlang clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wu Dutou, saying, "Second Brother Wu, thank you for your hard work."

Wu, the head constable, waved his hand. "It's my duty. The Chen family has a side room; just keep an eye on things at night." He paused, then added, "You were right not to take those two strings of cash. If you had, you wouldn't be able to collect the taxes you owed."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at him. "Brother Wu understands perfectly."

Wu Dutou didn't say anything more, turned around and left the main room. The short stick at his waist hit the door frame and made a muffled sound.

In the study of the main courtyard, Chen Youde sat behind his desk, two walnuts resting on the corner of his hand. The steward stood before him, bowing, sweat still damp on his brow. "Master, Zhang Qianxing is unyielding. Two strings of cash not enough? Shall we add some more?"

Chen Youde raised his eyelids and glanced at the steward. "Add what? Two strings of cash are enough for an ordinary family to eat for half a year. If he doesn't want it, I don't want to give it to him either. What a shameless bastard!"

The butler opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Chen Youde leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers twice on the table. "This isn't about money. That Zhang guy wants to establish his authority in the household registration office. As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and the first one he's doing is targeting me."

"Sir, what should we do?"

Chen Youde picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Go talk to those seven tenant farmers. Tell them that this year's tax arrears are their own fault and have nothing to do with the Chen family. Make them accept it."

The steward hesitated for a moment. "Master, the tenants depend on our land for their livelihood; we can't refuse. But which of them has surplus grain to pay taxes?"

"Whether they have it or not is their business." Chen Youde picked up the walnuts again. "What the tenant farmers want is for someone to acknowledge the debt, not for them to actually take the grain. Zhang Sanlang can't just arrest all seven tenant households and put them in jail."

The butler nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Chen Youde called out to him, "Did those archers collect payment for their shoes tonight?"

The steward looked distressed. "Captain Wu forbids them from drinking. The archer surnamed Liu glanced at that string of coins several times, but he probably wouldn't dare take it if Captain Wu were around."