Chapter 283

First Volume, Chapter 283: Patrol the County City

Liu Hongyan bowed slightly to Li Zhang, enough to count as a greeting.

Shen Qingci merely nodded; Jing Qianying treated Li Zhang like air, ignoring him entirely.

Li Zhang hurriedly made a "please" gesture, his posture and expression overly eager: "Ladies, do come in!"

After Liu Hongyan and the two other women entered the Wine House, Li Zhang stared at their graceful backs, smacking his lips and raising an eyebrow at Li Lang beside him: "See that? That's the beauty of the Qin Family's daughters. Our hometown women, compared to these three Qin sisters, are simply unworthy to look at."

Li Lang nodded vigorously, fully agreeing with his brother's words: "Brother, you know what? Being handsome isn't enough—what matters is that all three sisters are still unmarried."

At these words, Li Zhang nearly drooled.

Qin Feng was furious, growling: "Qin Xiaofu, where's my knife? Bring me my knife! I'm going to cut these two scoundrels to pieces!!!"

At Qin Feng's shout, the Li brothers slightly pulled back.

Li Zhang immediately draped an arm over Qin Feng's shoulder, smiling ingratiatingly: "Brother Qin, no need to be alarmed! As the saying goes, admiration for beauty is universal. My younger brother and I were merely carried away by the Qin sisters' beauty—though we'd never dream of stealing someone else's treasure."

Saying this, Li Zhang deliberately winked, implying "We brothers understand."

Qin Feng finally exhaled in relief, snorting lightly: "That's more like it."

Just as Qin Feng was about to step into the Wine House, Zhou Yufu suddenly approached: "Lord Qin, the hour is still early—why not first visit the Yamen to inspect official affairs?"

Hearing this, Qin Feng frowned, sizing up Zhou Yufu: "Who are you?"

Zhou Yufu bowed deeply: "This commoner owns some land in Pingyao County and a few shops."

Qin Feng let out a long "Oh." "Landlord, then?"

Zhou Yufu spoke humbly: "You could say that."

Having confirmed Zhou Yufu's status, Qin Feng grew impatient, snapping: "I've been ordered to patrol Pingyao County—what business is this of a landlord? Even if the County Magistrate's post is vacant, what about the County Assistant Magistrate? The clerks? The County Commandant? Are they all dead? Do you get to speak up?"

Faced with Qin Feng's brutal Downward Warning, Zhou Yufu was caught off guard.

He quickly turned to the men beside him, exchanging glances.

Considering Qin Feng's notorious reputation in Jingdu, Zhou Yufu dared not resist, lowering his posture further and whispering: "Lord Qin, you're unaware—the County Assistant Magistrate has fallen ill and is bedridden. The County Commandant is out hunting fugitives. As for the clerk—he's present, but…"

Zhou Yufu didn't finish, instead pointing to a middle-aged man in the crowd, signaling to Qin Feng that this man was Pingyao County's clerk.

Qin Feng glanced at the clerk, barely suppressing a laugh.

The clerk had a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, his right fist clenched and pressed against his chest—clear signs of stroke.

The County Magistrate's frequent absences were coincidence.

The County Assistant Magistrate's illness was coincidence.

The County Commandant's pursuit of fugitives was official duty.

Now even this lowly clerk is stroke-stricken—isn't this just a bit too convenient?

Indeed…

Small temple, big winds; shallow pond, many turtles.

Qin Feng studied Zhou Yufu with deep meaning, saying nothing, then smiled lightly: "In that case, let's head to the Yamen first."

Seeing Qin Feng agree, Zhou Yufu exhaled in relief and hurried ahead to lead the way.

Qin Feng originally had no intention of bringing the Li brothers, but Li Zhang insisted on tagging along—unable to refuse, he gave in.

The entire County Yamen was pitch-black, coated in dust and spiderwebs, resembling a long-abandoned haunted house.

Qin Feng couldn't help but clap and praise: "Fascinating! Truly fascinating—I've never seen a County Yamen with this much character in my life."

Beside him, Zhou Yufu wiped sweat from his brow and hurriedly explained: "The County Magistrate has been delayed, so no work could proceed. The county's finances are a mess—we couldn't even hire laborers. Over time, the Yamen became like this."

Hmm. Reasonable.

Qin Feng paced behind his back around the Beixi County Courthouse, while Zhou Yufu had already ordered the mountain of backlog documents moved into the DaTang. Seeing those damned ledgers and files, Qin Feng was reminded of his time in Beixi County—his spine chilled.

Qin Feng kicked the documents aside, irritably saying: "I'm here to patrol, not to serve as County Magistrate. These backlog cases? Let the next magistrate handle them."

Seeing Qin Feng refused to touch the paperwork, Zhou Yufu sighed and changed tactics: "Then perhaps, Lord, you might take a walk through the County City to inspect the people's conditions?"

It's late at night—what's the point of inspecting the people's conditions?

Qin Feng knew perfectly well: Zhou Yufu planned to use the cover of night to deceive him.

Qin Feng wanted to see what tricks this tiny Pingyao County could pull.

He immediately strode behind his back, walking with the measured gait of a senior official, following Zhou Yufu along the Street.

It was nearly the hour of Xu; common people should have long since closed their doors and gone to sleep.

But strangely!

The Street still held many merchants, and passersby bustled about in lively crowds.

Qin Feng asked casually: "How much tax does Pingyao County collect annually?"

Zhou Yufu answered without hesitation: "Your Excellency, since the County Magistrate has not yet arrived, I don't know the exact figure. But roughly, grain tax amounts to about thirty thousand shi."

Thirty thousand shi?

Pingyao County is barely two days from Beijing—surely a "minor strong county." With a population of over a hundred thousand, it collects only thirty thousand shi in grain tax? Are you kidding?

Qin Feng feigned nonchalance, asking casually: "With such a gap between grain tax and population, how is this managed?"

Zhou Yufu exchanged a glance with the wealthy gentry beside him, offered no explanation, and swiftly pulled a scroll of Silver Notes from his sleeve, offering it to Qin Feng with both hands: "Your Excellency, please take note—the County Magistrate's absence leaves no one to oversee affairs. The people of Pingyao are all stubborn; none willingly pay taxes. Grain tax naturally cannot be collected. But considering Your Excellency's tireless journey to inspect Pingyao, how could we let you return empty-handed? These Three Ten Thousand Taels are meant to cover the grain tax shortfall."

Qin Feng glanced at the Silver Notes but didn't take them: "Since this is to make up for the grain tax shortfall, don't hand it to me—use it to buy grain and store it."

Zhou Yufu still bowed low, voice deep: "Please accept it, Your Excellency. Such matters require your direct supervision. We are commoners without official rank or status—we dare not interfere in taxation."

Qin Feng's lips curled into a cold smile: "Then hand it to the clerk."