In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

Cui Shen went through the pages one by one.

The more accurate the statement, the lower the voice.

"Qing'ao Well, in the third month of this spring, the old well's record shows that it yielded 176 dan of salt."

"After the reorganization, the number of transport registers became 112."

"Continuing down the side list, I only recognized ninety-seven."

Let's see what happens in April.

"Old booklet 183."

"One hundred and twenty portions of the transport."

"Ninety-eight margins".

"May will be even more ruthless."

"Old booklet 169."

"The margins have dropped to eighty-four."

Ah Fu was completely baffled.

"Isn't this blatant robbery?"

"If it's just outright robbery, it's easier to investigate."

Cui Shen pushed the three books towards the middle.

"You see, they don't just reduce the amount by one number every month."

"Sometimes it causes damage, sometimes it causes dampness, sometimes it gets stuck in transit, and sometimes it's simply put into the 'temporary loan' of the prefecture."

This means that there was more than one person keeping the accounts.

"There are at least three layers of hands, each applying a layer to a different area."

The weariness in Han Jitong's eyes slowly turned into a heavy coldness.

"The well-head eats from the well mouth first."

"The brokerage firm's re-laundering account."

"The caravan leaders and porter chiefs would then profit from the journey itself."

"Once we get into the city, there are still people there who can do it again at the weighing station."

"When we finally get to the state level, how much is left and how much is reported is another matter entirely."

"So Qing'ao Well is nominally an official well, but in reality, anyone can take a bite out of it."

Cui Shen suddenly asked:

"What will the county government take?"

Han Jitong glanced at him.

"Empty name".

"Empty words".

"Add another word to make it sound like an official statement that will be acceptable to the higher-ups."

"The county government still nominally manages the well."

"The official seal is still there."

"But when it comes to the step of salt production, weighing, transportation, sales, and accounting, the county government's ability to intervene has long been squeezed out by the layers of bureaucracy."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Wen couldn't help but say:

"Then what kind of official well is this?"

Han Jitong let out a low breath.

"It's like a piece of meat bearing an official title, supporting a string of people outside."

For a moment, no one spoke in the hall.

The wind outside rustled softly through the old window paper.

Yang Xuan lowered his eyes and looked at the three books.

After a long pause, he finally asked:

"Is only Qing'ao Well like this?"

"No other well is this fertile."

Han Jitong answered quickly.

"But the approaches are similar."

"It's just that Qing'ao Well is the most lucrative, attracts the most people, and is the one that no one dares to touch."

"The rest of the wells, some were kept by the Tian family, some were used by Hu Rong's salt trade route, and some were openly registered in the government office, but secretly they had already split the profits with outsiders."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shen finally pieced together the vague ideas that had been lingering in his mind.

He looked at Yang Xuan, his voice tense.

"My lord."

"Yanjing County is poor not because it cannot produce salt, nor because it has a small population and poor soil."

"It's because the most valuable things here don't end up in the county."

"It's not that we don't have money."

"They were all taken by others."

Yang Xuan raised his eyes.

The candlelight made his sickly face appear even paler.

But the look in his eyes gradually darkened.

"right."

"The poverty of Yaozhou is not due to a lack of money."

"All the money has been pocketed by others, leaving the county government with nothing but an empty shell."

As soon as he said that, everyone in the hall felt a chill run down their spines.

Because only at this point did they truly see things clearly.

The problems in Yanjing County cannot be solved simply by having a new magistrate arrive and beat or scold the old foxes at the gate.

The entire shell had long been hollowed out.

When you sit in this chair, it looks like you've taken over a county.

In reality, what you receive is just a layer of bones left over from others.

Yanhe gently closed the monthly book and asked Han Jitong:

"Since the salt and money are all going out, what makes these people in the county willing to stick around this rotten shell?"

Han Jitong glanced at her.

"By taking advantage of it."

"What county magistrates and registrars want is a position."

"The clerks, bailiffs, storehouse clerks, and gatekeepers all need connections."

"Inoue is a real piece of meat; they might not be able to eat it all."

"But as long as they hold onto the county government's facade, anyone outside who wants to get official documents, deliver messages, pressure people, block people, change names, or change their tune can't get around them."

"Everyone gets a little bit."

"Once you've been around it for a while, you can't bear to part with it."

Afu understood more and more as he listened.

"So those people in the courtroom today are not just afraid of the new magistrate checking the accounts."

"What they fear even more is that we can truly control the government."

"right."

Hanji Passage.

"If the government office is really established, it will be inconvenient for those people outside."

"But if the government continues to rot, they will all have a way out."

At this moment, Pei Zhao entered from outside the door.

He made little noise with his feet, and after entering the room, he simply bowed to Yang Xuan.

"He Liu has moved."

"Which way did they go?"

"I went to the backstreet tavern first."

"After sitting for about half a cup of tea's time, someone handed him a small cloth bag."

"After that, he didn't go home, but went to the back of the West Market."

Cui Shen immediately looked up.

"The back area of ​​the West Market?"

"After the Qing'ao well salt carts entered the city, most of the people who weighed, unpacked, and transferred the salt to the brokers were there."

Han Jitong said in a low voice.

Pei Zhao nodded.

Chen Ye followed behind.

"Dou Ping went to check on the other route."

"Someone from the county magistrate's side also went out, but they took the south street, as if they were going to deliver a message."

Yang Xuan did not respond immediately.

He simply repeated the name He Liu to himself once more.

Today, He Liu is not standing very high in the hall.

But his eyes are too lively.

Moreover, from beginning to end, he was not like other constables who would simply follow the magistrate's lead.

Such a person might not be considered anything special in the eyes of important people.

But in a rotten county government office, it is precisely like the slipperiest tendon.

"My lord."

Cui Shen suddenly turned to another page, his face even more pale.

"Look at this."

That was a page of miscellaneous records.

The records above include "Money for cleaning the ditch in front of the yamen", "Money for repairing the city gate shed", "Money for supplementing the night patrol", and "Money for temporary laborers".

There aren't many of each item.

But when all of them are put together, they are even more conspicuous than the proper official items displayed in the main hall.

Afu was stunned.

"Isn't this just the shacks they collect at the city gate?"

"Yes."

Cui Shendao.

"And it was even written in the miscellaneous branches."

"In other words, nominally, this money is collected and used by the county."

"But when we actually got to the government office, the door was dilapidated, the ditch was blocked, and the shed was crooked."

"If the money isn't actually spent in the county, then it can only end up in people's hands."

Han Jitong added:

"That money at the city gate shed, it looks like zero."

"You can collect it every day, every month."

"It can't compare to Qing'ao Well, where you can eat fatty meat in one bite, but it's the most nourishing."

"Because it lives."

"Money that's readily available is the best for supporting your little devils."

Yang Xuan looked up at him.

You're right.

"The big fish eats the well."

"Little devil, have a bite."

"Eating the big head while guarding the gate."

"That's how Yanjing County has become what it is today."

Cui Shen let out a soft breath.

"From this perspective, if we try to touch Qing'ao Well right away, we might not be able to."

"Not only can't it be touched."

Yang Xuan said.

"It's also easy to be startled by the net behind it."

"The Tian family, Hu Rong, Jinghutou, Mo San, the county magistrate and registrar, and the people in the prefecture who receive their share of the profits—none of them have been fully revealed yet."

"Break the biggest hole now, and you'll be able to unite their hearts and minds first."

Pei Zhao stood by the door with his arms crossed.

"Then let's chop the smaller ones first."

Yang Xuan glanced at him, her smile extremely faint.

"right."

"Chop the smaller ones first."

Han Jitong's expression shifted slightly.

"My lord, do you wish to..."

"Don't touch the big fish yet."

Yang Xuan put the book of official names and miscellaneous records together, and then put the list of missing books in the hall today on top of it.

"First, find the most eye-catching, the most familiar, and the most suitable one to be seen by everyone."

"It can establish rules on the spot."

"And we can follow him to find the path behind us."