I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

Dingxing County, Fuchun Tower.

As the largest restaurant in the area, its guests are usually either rich or noble.

If you go up to the third floor, you'll not only find fine wine and delicious food, but also beautiful women to keep you company.

"His true likeness is depicted here; may he return to his homeland soon..."

"I want to send you clothes, but you won't return them; if I don't send you clothes, you'll be cold. To send them or not to send them, I'm torn between two difficult choices..."

The singer was a famous courtesan in the area, with a slender figure that evoked pity in people.

Amidst the clear, melodious sound of the pipa, Magistrate Xie Jinrong and salt merchant Fan Liuyang sat facing each other, raising their cups in a toast.

After several rounds of drinks, Fan Liuyang finally asked, "What brings the Prefect here so suddenly?"

Xie Jinrong smiled and said, "Do you still remember last month when Magistrate Shao went to various counties to inspect education and moral guidance?"

"I remember, I remember!"

Fan Liuyang nodded repeatedly and said, "At the time, I planned to treat Shao Tongzhi to a meal, but I didn't expect him to refuse."

"If Magistrate Shao won't give you face, Prefect He will. If you get Prefect He's approval, things will be much easier for you!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Liuyang's eyes widened in astonishment.

Because he's been working on something recently, and it's quite tricky.

It should be noted that the Fan family is no ordinary family; they are one of the eight most famous Shanxi merchants.

However, Fan Liuyang was not a direct descendant, so he had to take the capital given to him by his family and go out to seek development.

Over the years since I came to Dingxing County, my business has been going smoothly. But after dealing with the government for so long, I started to have an idea!

In these chaotic times, no matter how much money you earn, you won't feel at ease.

As the saying goes, a county magistrate can ruin your family; a mere county magistrate can destroy your entire household.

Although his relationship with Xie Jinrong was relatively harmonious, who knew whether the next magistrate would be easy to talk to?

If the new magistrate has his own people, this business can be stolen at any time, and there will be no place to file a lawsuit.

So Fan Liuyang began to wonder if he could donate money to get an official position!

The process of purchasing official positions in the imperial court was not as simple as it seemed; there was much more to it than met the eye.

For example, if you donate 50,000 taels of silver, you can be appointed as a county magistrate and go to Lantian County to take office!

However, Lantian County had already been captured by Li Zicheng and now belonged to the Shun Dynasty.

The imperial court, however, did not care about any of this. Li Zicheng's Shun dynasty was a puppet regime, which the Ming dynasty did not recognize. They would let you take office if you wanted, but it didn't matter if you didn't. In any case, the money had already been donated and would not be refunded.

Fan Liuyang's business was all in Dingxing, so Dingxing County was naturally his first choice if he wanted to donate an official position.

Another problem arises: the county magistrate, assistant magistrate, registrar, and clerk of Dingxing County are all here!

Now, there's a quota for every position; if you take office, someone has to step down.

Unfortunately, Huang Mao, the assistant magistrate of Dingxing County, and Xie Jinrong, the county magistrate, often had unpleasant encounters due to their differing political views.

Xie Jinrong wanted to oust Huang Mao, but Huang Mao was a genuine third-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and a county magistrate of the eighth rank appointed by the imperial court. Unless he committed a major offense, it wouldn't be so easy to remove him from office.

Besides, we all serve in the same court, so we're bound to run into each other all the time.

Who knows, maybe they'll become successful someday, wouldn't that just make things difficult for me?

Therefore, the matter was temporarily shelved and not mentioned again.

Fan Liuyang knew the difficulties involved, so he didn't force the issue and simply waited quietly for an opportunity.

Finally, the opportunity has arrived!

He Fu's sudden appearance indicates that Dingxing County has achieved political success.

Xie Jinrong gained the attention of his superiors, and naturally, his words and actions carried more weight in the future.

Now is the chance to oust Huang Mao!

Last night, they specifically asked me to drink with them, just to give me a chance to show off.

All that's left to do is spend money!

Xie Jinrong, and everyone in Dingxing County except Huang Mao, needs to be bribed.

The prefect should also be prepared, and strike decisively as soon as the opportunity arises!

The Fan family is powerful and influential, and they look down on us, a collateral branch. Well then, let's make them look at us with new respect!

Thinking of this, Fan Liuyang quickly stood up and bowed deeply.

"If this matter is accomplished, I will have no way to repay you, and from now on I will follow your lead!"

"Sit down, sit down!"

Xie Jinrong waved his hand and said, "We've known each other for so many years, it's too formal to say such things. If you get your wish and enter the court, we'll need to look after each other and help each other out in the future!"

"I will keep that in mind!"

Fan Liuyang sat back down, picked up his wine glass, and said, "Cheers!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank it down, then refilled his glass.

Xie Jinrong also raised his wine glass and said, "I've heard that there's a severe salt shortage in northern Shaanxi recently. Brother Fan, don't you have any ideas?"

Fan Liuyang's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "My business is only in the vicinity of Dingxing County. Among the Shanxi merchants, there are a total of eight major families, covering the entire Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. Business there is not for me."

"Yeah?"

Xie Jinrong smiled meaningfully and said, "As far as I know, the salt in your warehouse in the north of the city hasn't been put out for sale. I wonder where it went?"

"This, this..."

Fan Liuyang panicked, and large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

Xie Jinrong laughed and said, "Don't worry, you're in business. It doesn't matter who you do business with. This county doesn't want to interfere in business matters. However, your matter isn't so easy to handle either. You should understand the rules here."

"Understood, understood!"

Fan Liuyang nodded vigorously, seemingly having made up his mind, and slowly extended a hand.

"Fifty thousand taels!"

Xie Jinrong hesitated for a moment, but did not speak.

Fan Liuyang immediately added, "The 50,000 taels was merely a reward for Magistrate Xie. I was honored to be invited to last night's banquet by Magistrate Xie, and I express my sincere gratitude!"

"I also have another 50,000 taels of silver that I have prepared for Prefect He. I hope Magistrate Xie can help me with an introduction."

"After it's all done, there will be another 100,000 taels, all of it for Magistrate Xie!"

Xie Jinrong listened quietly before saying, "Let me make this clear beforehand: this county cannot guarantee that things will definitely succeed!"

Fan Liuyang quickly replied, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I understand everything!"

"Alright, let's drink and listen to music!"

Xie Jinrong held his wine glass, a satisfied smile on his face.

A full 150,000 taels of silver was thus obtained.

Making money this way is much faster than increasing taxes and plundering the people!

"I entrusted my heart to the bright moon, but who knew the bright moon would shine on the gutter..."

When the singer sang this line, her voice was plaintive and filled with sorrow.

Xie Jinrong chuckled and said, "These days, where can you find reliable money?"

Fan Liuyang immediately tensed up, thinking that the other party was targeting him.

That batch of salt from the warehouse in the north of the city was sold to Mongolia!

The Mongols had now submitted to the Qing Dynasty and were the mortal enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Upon closer examination, his actions constituted the grave crime of treason!

He secretly observed Xie Jinrong and realized that Xie Jinrong was just leisurely listening to the music, so he relaxed.

Just then, footsteps could be heard outside, coming upstairs.

It turned out to be Zhang Zian, the clerk, who hurriedly came to Xie Jinrong.

"Magistrate Xie, the matter has been thoroughly investigated!"

Xie Jinrong stared intently at the songstress and asked, "How was it?"

Zhang Zian said, "The rebel army has changed its leader. Now Li Yan and his wife are leading the troops. I heard that they were planning to raid the grain supplies in Baoding Prefecture, but they were ambushed and suffered heavy losses."

"So, in this case, it's actually the rebel army that's at a disadvantage?"

"Exactly!"

Xie Jinrong then shifted his gaze from the songstress and asked, "Although we have the upper hand, Prefect He should be fully cooperating in defending the city. Why are you here on inspection?"

Zhang Zian said, "I have heard that Baoding Prefecture does not have many troops."

"How is that possible? Two hundred thousand troops!"

"The main force has been transferred to Juyong Pass and is currently engaged in a decisive battle with Li Zicheng. The guerrilla general Miao Gang is now defending the city."

"Um?"

Xie Jinrong frowned and asked, "With only a guerrilla commander and a small force, how can they possibly fight against Li Yan and his wife?"

"This subordinate is unaware, but... Prefect He's trip may be related to the front lines!"

After hearing this, Xie Jinrong frowned even more deeply.

Are they planning to recruit me from the local area and send me to the front lines?

Or perhaps, they want me to go to Baoding...

"Go and find out what the situation is like at the front. Don't rely on hearsay; it's best to send a few people to see for themselves!"

"Yes, sir! I'll take care of it right away!"

"Also, what happened to Xu Asheng?"

"He was beaten with twenty strokes of the cane, right in front of the county government office. Prefect He should already know about it."

"Who told him to be so blind as to offend the prefect!"

Xie Jinrong snorted coldly and continued, "Remember to send someone to check on Prefect He's reaction. If Prefect He is still not satisfied, beat him to death!"

"yes!"

Zhang Zian agreed and turned to leave.

Killing one or two people doesn't seem to be anything unusual.

People like Xu Asheng will be discarded without mercy once they lose their usefulness.

Let alone a lowly squad leader, even I, a mere clerk, am the same.

To survive, one must have value.