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

Zhang Sanlang stood up. "Let me first explain the whole story to the clerk so that you are fully informed. I don't want to cause any misunderstandings between the clerk and the household registration department."

Tao Cheng waved his hand. "Very good. You may go now."

Zhang Sanlang left the household office and headed towards the clerk's office.

Several janitors on duty were sweeping the corridor. When they saw him, they moved aside.

The door to the clerk's office was open. Feng Jian sat behind his desk, with attendance records from various departments spread out in front of him. Fang Zhong'an was not there; the clerk was checking the granary lists in a corner, his head bowed.

When Feng Jian saw him, his usual smile appeared on his face. "Zhang Qianxing is here? Have a seat."

Zhang Sanlang sat down in the chair in front of the desk and recounted the events.

Feng Jian listened without changing his smile. "I've told Fang Zhong'an off his tongue so many times. Sigh! He didn't fill the vacancy in the wedding hall this year. He must be holding some resentment towards me and you. He can't control himself when he's drunk."

Feng Jian picked up his teacup, looked at Zhang Sanlang, and said nothing more.

Zhang Sanlang nodded slowly. "Clerk Feng, I don't intend to pursue the matter of Fang Zhong'an. What he said in the tavern can't hurt me. The records of the Household Department and the approvals of the county granary are all in order. I have nothing to hide."

"The criminal investigation department released the name of the chief accuser so that I would cause trouble with Fang Zhong'an. If I did, the household registration department and the personnel department would become enemies. Clerk Kong is sitting in the criminal investigation department watching the show, and both sides benefit."

Feng Jian leaned back in his chair, looking at Zhang Sanlang as if he were re-evaluating someone. "What do you want to say?"

Zhang Sanlang met his gaze and said, "Fang Zhong'an's matter ends here. I will not mention it again, nor will I cause him any trouble. But Yu Shou from the Criminal Investigation Department clearly knew it was just gossip in a tavern, yet he still made such a scene. This shows that he doesn't take the people from the Public Security Bureau seriously."

Feng Jian tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table. "He's Kong You'an's man. You can't touch him."

"I can't do anything, but Clerk Feng can." Zhang Sanlang smirked. "A minor official from the Clerk's Office said something casual in a tavern, and the Criminal Division used it to fabricate charges against him."

"This is a slap in the face to the Bureau of Personnel. Besides, I also come from the Bureau of Personnel. If Clerk Feng doesn't show some respect, no one in the Bureau of Personnel will dare to speak loudly in public anymore, and who will dare to serve you faithfully?"

Feng Jian picked up his teacup, the smile on his round face fading slightly.

The room was quiet for a moment.

"He's been in the interrogation room for six years. His father used to be the steward of the Kong family. People like that know too much. Besides, the clerks' influence doesn't extend to the interrogation room."

"Of course, Clerk Kong is becoming increasingly unruly, and I have my own plans. You can go back to your post with peace of mind." Feng Jian looked at Zhang Sanlang, a smile appearing on his lips. "You certainly know how to leverage power."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanlang smiled and said, "Fang Tiesi is, after all, an old official in our clerk's office. I'll consider this case closed. As the clerk said, it's understandable that he harbors some resentment over his previous position."

"Officer Tao only handles matters related to the Household Registration Department and never oversteps his bounds. The Criminal Investigation Department is meddling too much, even daring to gossip about people in the Personnel Department. Someone has to give them a heads-up."

After saying this, he gently placed a few pages of documents on the corner of the desk, bowed to Feng Jian, and turned to leave the office.

Feng Jian sat behind his desk, glanced at the table, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

He picked up the document, examined it closely for a moment, and then slowly placed it back on the table. The flesh on his round face drooped, and the lines at the corners of his mouth deepened.

It took almost half an hour before Feng Jian stood up, straightened his cuffs, left the clerk's office, passed through the main hall, and turned into the chief clerk's office.

The door closed.

The servant in the corridor peeked out for a moment, then withdrew.

No one knows what Feng Jian said to Gu Yansheng.

In the afternoon, a horse-drawn carriage entered the back gate of the county government office.

Chen Youde emerged from the carriage, his face grim. The butler followed behind, carrying a wooden box, its contents unknown.

The two stood at the door of the signing room for a while until a servant came to guide them, and Chen Youde straightened his clothes and went inside.

Gu Yansheng sat behind his desk with a booklet open in front of him. He turned to a certain page and looked at it for a long time.

Chen Youde stood before the desk, his back bent, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The butler placed the wooden box on the corner of the table and stepped back to stand by the door.

Gu Yansheng closed the booklet and looked up. "Oh? Master Chen is here? Please have a seat."

Chen Youde sat down in the chair, but only half of his buttocks touched the chair.

Gu Yansheng picked up his teacup, blew on the tea foam, and asked, "Master Chen has a third daughter who married the second son of the Ma family in Shucheng?"

Chen Youde was stunned for a moment, and beads of sweat rolled down his face. "I...I'm married."

"It's good that she's married." Gu Yansheng put down his teacup. "Although the second young master of the Ma family has a leg problem, his family is well-off, so your daughter won't suffer when she goes there."

Chen Youde's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't dare to reply.

Gu Yansheng casually flipped through the booklet, his voice unhurried, "Third young lady, what do you bring as part of your dowry when you get married?"

Chen Youde wiped his forehead. "I brought...I brought sixteen mu of land."

"From Willow Grove?"

Chen Youde's gaze flickered. "Yes. The field is in Willow Grove."

Gu Yansheng nodded. "The sixteen mu of medium-sized farmland in Liushugou is taxed under the original owner's name and has never been transferred. Your daughter's dowry land is taxed under the original owner's name, not hers. What kind of rule is this?"

Chen Youde's lips trembled twice but he didn't make a sound; instead, cold sweat poured down his forehead even more.

This involves several issues, and even some deaths. How can I explain it?

"Master Chen, the Chen family has been operating in Juancheng for generations. There are some things I don't need to explain too clearly." Gu Yansheng closed the booklet. "Go back and settle the land tax on those sixteen mu of land. Transfer the ownership where it's due, and pay the taxes where they're due. Get it done within three days."

"The world is full of strange and wonderful things, and everyone has their own difficulties. If we really get to the bottom of things, we'll all suffer. Why not give in a little, and everyone will be better off?"

"As for your family matters, I don't want to know, and you don't need to tell me. But remember, the Juancheng County government is not Chen Family Village's backyard. Some hands that reach too far will be chopped off."

Chen Youde quickly stood up, bowed, and smiled apologetically, "Yes, yes, I'll take care of it as soon as I get back."

Gu Yansheng nodded slightly. "Master Chen, did you sell the two daughters of tenant farmer Ma Dashou to the Sun family?"

Chen Youde's smile froze on his face. "Registration Gu, it wasn't a sale. The old lady of the Sun family was celebrating her birthday and needed two maids to serve her, so I sent two maids from my estate there. It was an act of kindness..."

"Accumulating good deeds?" Gu Yansheng interrupted him. "Ma Dashou said he didn't receive a single penny. Besides, how could he have two such young daughters at his age?"

Chen Youde forced a smile, "Registration Gu, those two girls are not Ma Dashou's biological daughters. They were originally daughters of another family in the village, but that family suffered a misfortune, and Ma Dashou adopted them."