Qi Shan had not concealed the fact that he had written a letter to his friend. Gu Chi and other shrewd people knew what was going on after a little thought, especially Jiang Sheng and Xun Zhen. The two of them kept their composure and pretended that they didn't know about it. Chu Yao and Kang Shi just raised their eyebrows.
Only Gu Chi knew some of the inside story, so he took the initiative to mention the matter one day and asked Shen Tang if he knew about it.
Shen Tang said: "I know."
Gu Chi’s expression was hard to describe.
Shen Tang was concentrating on eating.
The rim of the ceramic bowl was two times larger than her face - this was her special request. Otherwise, if she used a small bowl to eat, she would have to serve rice thirty or forty times in one meal. People who didn't know her would think she was the reincarnation of a glutton. A large bowl saved her a lot of trouble and she only had to serve a few times.
She swallowed the wheat rice in her mouth and continued, "Alas, I am worried that Yuanliang will suffer. Although Xiandeng and Hanzhang are both reasonable people who will not bring personal grudges into official business, they have different auras with Yuanliang. Yesterday, his Su Shang beat Wuhui's dog again, and Wuhui looked very unhappy today... Alas, I am afraid that if this continues, Yuanliang will get sick."
Count on your fingers.
Qishan’s popularity is surprisingly bad.
The only people on the team who have a good relationship with him are his cousin Kang Shi and his bad friend Gu Chi. Shen Tang is worried that they will suffer from workplace depression.
If you have two more like-minded good friends, you can go shopping hand in hand during holidays to relax, and you will have a destination when visiting friends.
Thinking about this, I feel more and more that I am a good boss.
Gu Chi ignored Shen Tang's evil thoughts.
Ask her: "My Lord, aren't you worried about causing conflicts?"
Shen Tang was fearless: "Yuan Liang is my second life. How many lords want him but cannot get him? Do you think the Xiandeng and the others will be afraid? We are all smart people and we will always know where the bottom line is. With Yuan Liang's vision, those who can become his enemies or friends will not be mediocre people who do not know the current situation. His life is connected with mine, and he will not find such a person to make trouble."
Gu Chi: “…”
Those who praise the lord for his upright character and magnanimity should come and see, and listen, for he has many ideas. But - that being said, Gu Chi is not here to tell tales today, but to share gossip.
After slurping the last mouthful of rice soup, Shen Tang wiped his mouth.
"What news?"
"Qi Yuanliang's enemies and friends are almost the same."
Shen Tang almost thought he had heard it wrong.
"What?"
“Birds of a feather flock together.”
That was all he could say.
Shen Tang: “…”
Gu Chi smiled and said, "But I think with the master's extraordinary ability, he should be able to control it with ease, right?"
Shen Tang: “…”
I had a nightmare that night.
Qi Shan smiled with a sinister look on his face, and pulled up the strategists and counselors covered with the "Abandoned Lord" DEBUFF one by one for her to see. Shen Tang felt weak and helpless and trembled when he saw each one. After waking up from the nightmare, he made pancakes left and right until dawn.
Fortunately, Qishan didn’t know.
If he knew, he would definitely say something harsh.
It was one thing for him to send a letter, but it was another thing for him to get a response. Most of the literati were proud and had their own pursuits, but there were only a few who could not achieve their goals for various reasons. There were always a few who were in a long period of absence for various reasons, such as Xun Zhen, Kang Shi, and Gu Chi. Most of them were famous outside, so people would come to invite them to come out with gold, silver, treasures, power and status.
After all, no matter how talented a writer is, he still has to make a living or support his family. He can't just sit there and wait for the person who suits his taste the most. His letter will most likely fall into the sea, and he will be lucky to get a reply.
Even if he replied, Shen Tang's meager family background might scare him away, just as she said before - she couldn't afford to hire him. Qi Shan was just trying his luck by writing a letter.
It would be great if a blind cat could catch a dead mouse.
If not, no loss.
Gu Chi is the most immoral one, he scares people on purpose.
It only took Shen Tang one afternoon to get rid of the aftermath of the nightmare.
It's not that she is careless, but a social animal facing heavy work has no right to be sad. Without the border risks for the time being, Shen Tang can devote himself to the construction of Longwu County.
In the first few days after arriving in Longwu County, she was busy settling the victims and building a temporary charity hall. After that, she went to Shiwu without stopping. She had no time to calm down and understand the situation in Longwu County.
It's a total ***** mess!
This is only the result of part of the work done by Qishan and others.
She didn't dare to imagine how bad it was.
The most serious problem is not the piles of unjust, false and wrong cases, but the registered population and taxation. Longwu County has been plagued by wars. In recent years, due to the weakening of the border barrier, the frequency of horse bandits entering the country to rob has increased dramatically, and it is normal for the population to decrease.
However, the horse bandits were small-scale group battles and did not dare to make a big noise. Chu Jie was guarding Yonggu Pass and defending it to the utmost. The former governor of Longwu County was in charge and the speed of sending troops to support was also fast. But the number of deaths reported each time was extremely high.
Longwu County does not cover a large area.
But there are less than a thousand households left in a county.
Shen Tang pointed at the table and sneered, then asked the senior officials of Longwu County, "Don't you think this is outrageous?"
The people below looked at each other.
No one dared to speak first.
The reputation that Shen Tang had accumulated in the battle of Shiwu had little deterrent power and value in other places, but it was enough in Longwu County. Shen Tang took a deep breath and said, "There are more than 3,000 refugee households accepted in the city alone, and there are more who come to seek refuge one after another. I want to ask you - why are there only 960 households registered in the county government? Are there any more people who can report it?"
My goodness, are all those more than 2,000 households ghosts
A few people remained silent, unwilling to be the first to take action.
Once he becomes the first to speak out, Shen Tang might be satisfied, but the person who has been offended will definitely be very dissatisfied!
Shen Tang had a stern face and looked at them coldly.
After a long stalemate, Shen Tang waved his hand and asked them all to leave. These were old-timers who were afraid of trouble. They could be used when there was nothing important to do, but once the critical moment came, they must not be allowed to get involved, as it would only delay things.
Even if they didn't say it, Shen Tang knew it.
Naturally, some people took advantage of the bandits' robbery to report living people as "dead" - how can "dead" people be taxed per head? Although paying less tax per head is not much, if there are more "dead" people, wouldn't it be a lot over time? These "dead" people can still work in the fields, and the tenants can pay as much rent as they are asked to pay, because they have lost their household registration!
Who benefits most from this matter
Haha, of course it’s who did it.
So who did it
Naturally, it is the one who has countless properties at home.
They are the owners of the land, but they cannot work in the fields themselves, so they need people who eat the least food and do the most work. If people will die if they don't eat, it would be best if they can work without eating or drinking or sleeping.
Shen Tang rubbed his brows and called Qi Shan over.
He asked softly, "How is the evidence collection going?"
Without resolving the land and household registration issue, Shen Tang would be a county governor in name only. Not to mention supporting the army, she couldn't even pay the salaries of her own makeshift team! The treasury of Shiwu couldn't let her visit once a year to purchase goods, so she could only eat up the mountain.
Qi Shan understood what Shen Tang was asking.
"Three families took this opportunity to clean up the gang. They did it cleanly, so we are not suspected. The evidence was also found and stored properly. But other gentry in Longwu County seem to be alert. We cannot deliberately invite bandits into the country at this time..."
This kind of risky thing should not be done rashly.
Once exposed, Shen Tang's reputation would be ruined in an instant.
After all, the fact that the head of a county was "colluding" with the horse bandits was explosive negative news. Zheng Qiao was still the king, and if someone reported this matter to the higher authorities, Shen Tang would be exiled or transferred again, and that would be the end of him. Qi Shan was afraid to act rashly at this moment.
According to his original plan, he could have used the bandits to wipe out these cancers at once. However, his colleagues were too helpful, and with the help of Xun Zhen and Yan Xingning, the losses at Yonggu Pass were reduced to a minimum.
The number of horse bandits that invaded Longwu County was small.
Alas, nothing great can be accomplished.
Shen Tang made up his mind: "Then let's take advantage of this topic."
These local tyrants have done too many bad things and have long lost their sense of awe. Some of them even want to welcome the Ten Crows King's Division to rise to the top in one step. They bullied the former county governor and made him die miserably, and bullied Shen Tang because he was young and new...
Doing things does not necessarily mean cleaning up the mess.
They are now bald men with lice all over their heads.
You can use any handle to make use of it.
Qi Shan and Shen Tang had the same idea: "My Lord, do you want to take advantage of this household registration investigation?"
Shen Tang nodded with a cold face: "Yes, find an opportunity to conduct a surprise inspection! Check every piece of land in Longwu County! With so many living people, can they hide in the sky or underground? If one of them doesn't match, I will kill them!"
Population is about taxation.
Hiding population is tax evasion.
No matter where you put it, you can't get rid of a layer of skin!
With this excuse and the evidence collected by Qi Shan, Shen Tang did not intend to show mercy this time and would do it to the end. Although a big move would hurt the bones, it was better than letting the rotten flesh erode the bone marrow and eventually become terminally ill, right
Shen Tang also reminded them: "Let our own people handle this matter. I don't trust the former officials in Longwu County, so I'll send someone to keep an eye on them. If they try to tip off the government, they'll be locked up and we'll settle the score together later."
Qi Shan nodded: "That's natural."
Shen Tang licked his dry lips.
A strong smell of blood could be faintly smelled at the tip of the nose.
She didn't want to raise her butcher knife, but she couldn't help but feel that someone was trying to force her knife into her. So why not just accept it? In addition to the household registration and taxation, there was another top priority in front of her. Spring was approaching, but the reality was that there was no grain, no oxen, no farm tools, no fields, and even no people to farm the land... How could she survive this year
The treasury of the Ten Crows was very rich, but at this critical moment, everyone was tightening their belts. Except for the landlords, who had surplus food? Gold, silver and jewelry could be exchanged for food, but the price would definitely be high, and it was obvious that the gain would not outweigh the loss.
Shen Tang was also wavering about this.
You can't expect Lin Feng to support the entire county population alone, right? Even if you sell the little girl for a few pounds, she won't last a day.
Even if Shen Tang's spring plowing spell works, without arable land and grain seeds, it is impossible for crops to grow out of thin air...
After thinking it over, if it doesn't work -
She had to find another way.
For example, complaining about being poor to old neighbors.
I think Wu Xian and the others have gotten used to this.
Shen Tang held his chin up, casually thinking about how to ask for credit, but before he could come up with a clue, another blow came. Zhao Feng, who had completed the handover, wanted to hand in his resignation.
He worked for Shen Tang for two years in order to repay his kindness.
Still two years of wasted work.
If we delay any longer, we won’t know who the boss is.
Wu Xian gradually began to complain, and Zhao Feng thought that he had almost repaid his gratitude, and Shen Jun no longer had any external threats in Longwu County. He should be able to settle down in the next two years with steady steps. So, he prepared to speak up and take his people back.
Shen Tang let out an "ah".
Subconsciously, I wanted to ask where Zhao Feng was going.
Then she thought about it and remembered that Zhao Dayi's boss was not her. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She had been so good at employing people in the past two years that she had forgotten how to use the word "being polite". Although she felt sorry, she also knew that she had no reason to force him to stay.
It is rare in the world to find someone who repays Zhao Dayi to this extent. If I don't let him go, how can I stand firm
He asked in a gentle and concerned voice, "When is Dayi going to set off?"
Zhao Feng was a little embarrassed: "Ten days later."
Although he had worked for nothing for two years, Shen Tang had not treated himself badly in the past two years. He gave his own soldiers the most priority in terms of supplies and military supplies. He was very generous. Zhao Feng was initially worried that his troops would become weaker in the past two years, but after the battle at Yonggu Pass, he found that was not the case. Not only did they not regress, but they made a lot of progress, and their martial spirit became several times stronger.
After much thought, it should be related to the unlimited supply of alcoholic beverages in the past two years, the prices of which are not low.
Zhao Feng corresponded with his family and learned from the few words in the family letter that the wine brewed by Shen Jun was selling well in Tianhai and the three places, and it was hard to find a jar. If it was not supplied to himself, these wines would definitely bring more benefits to Shen Tang if they flowed into the market.
Therefore, in the heart of Zhao Feng, a simple and honest man, he actually owed Shen Tang a favor, but he really couldn't delay it any longer.
He is fine personally, but many of his brothers have families, and they have been separated from their families for a long time, and they miss them very much.
"Ten days..." Shen Tang murmured, "Alright, I'll hold a farewell banquet for Dayi later. I've delayed you too much in the past two years."
"No, no, no, Mr. Shen, please don't say that."
These two years were definitely the most comfortable and fulfilling two years of his life. He even found pleasure in farming. If there were no more wars in the future, farming and living in seclusion would be a good choice.
Shen Tang readily agreed to let him go, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
I'm really afraid that Shen Tang will say something unwilling.
It is not right to keep it, and it is not right not to keep it.
Zhao Feng left and Chu Yao came again.
It was dark at this time and the servants held lamps for lighting.
"Why is Wuhui here at this time?"
Seeing his serious face, he must be busy with important matters.
"I suddenly remembered something I need to tell my lord."
Chu Yao looked serious, and Shen Tang also became serious.
"No obscurity, please speak."
"This matter is related to the national seal and General Zhao."
Shen Tang's heart sank slightly: "Da Yi doesn't know about the national seal, and he is not someone who can hide his thoughts..."
He was afraid that Chu Yao would say something to kill Zhao Feng.
If Zhao Feng was in trouble at this time, everyone would suspect her, which would be like covering one's ears and stealing the bell. Wu Xian would not let it go.
But it was obvious that Shen Tang was overthinking.
This is not Chu Yao's intention.