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

Yang Xuan put down the bowl and lightly tapped the miscellaneous expenses slip with her fingertip.

"Then let him do it."

"Ah Fu".

"exist."

"Move the table from the main hall to the eaves in the front yard."

Afu was taken aback.

"Why not ask in the main hall?"

"No."

Yang Xuan said calmly, "We won't close the gate today. The place that can be seen from the yamen gate is the most suitable place to establish rules."

Yanhe then emerged from the east corridor.

She clearly hadn't slept for long, but her expression was very steady. She only glanced at the area under the eaves before understanding Yang Xuan's meaning.

Last night, I was going through the curtains in the main hall.

Today, we must bring the account to the public.

She said to Caifan, "Move those gifts from last night to the corridor. Don't open them; just leave them there."

Cai Fan responded softly.

Afu reacted extremely quickly this time.

With those gifts laid out, anyone who dares to say that everything in the county government office is as it was before is lying through their teeth.

In less than fifteen minutes, the front yard was all set up.

An old table was placed under the eaves, with several volumes of documents that had been checked last night on it.

The courtyard gate was half-open, neither completely closed nor allowing anyone to wander in.

Pei Zhao didn't enter the hall. He just stood with Lu Cheng by the stone steps at the entrance of the yamen. The two of them stood on the left and right sides, and they didn't put on any airs. But just by standing there, they were completely different from the old clerks who stood loosely yesterday and just looked like they were watching a show.

Especially Lu Cheng.

With that face missing half an ear pressed against the door, the old knife hanging by his side, he didn't need to say anything. The old, indifferent atmosphere of the yamen, which was supposed to be "the same no matter who comes," was already somewhat suppressed.

As soon as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, people began to peer towards the county government office.

First came a few early-rising porters.

Then there are the people on the other side of the city gate shed.

A little while later, even in the shops selling coarse salt, straw ropes, and wooden buckets at the West Market entrance, people were seen approaching the government office under the guise of delivering goods, water, or asking questions.

People in Yanjing County aren't averse to watching excitement.

They were just used to it; there wasn't much excitement to be had in the government offices.

But today is different.

The wind that blew yesterday has already blown all night.

Everyone knew that the new magistrate was not dragged to the back room, nor did he pretend to be deaf and dumb after receiving the seal of office. Instead, he laid out the accounts overnight.

This morning, the table was placed under the eaves again, so this was no longer just a formality.

He Liu arrived shortly afterward.

He was dressed in a fairly neat set of black clothes today, with his belt tightly tied and his boots neatly arranged, clearly indicating that he hadn't been dragged out of bed at the last minute.

But his expression wasn't too flustered; instead, it carried a hint of knowing how to do things.

Upon entering, the man first examined the table, then looked at himself, and finally bowed.

"The magistrate summoned me early this morning; what are his instructions?"

Yang Xuan didn't let him come closer, but said calmly:

"Stand there."

He Liu paused, but still stopped in the courtyard as instructed.

There were two people following behind him.

One was a short-sleeved accountant in a tent at the city gate, and the other was a burly man with a short stick, who looked like he usually blocked roads, chased people away, and provided support for others.

The two originally wanted to follow He Liu inside, but Pei Zhao didn't even lift his eyelids, only taking a step to the side of the door.

Stop.

The idler with the short stick instinctively wanted to retort with a harsh retort, but his eyes met Lu Cheng's first.

In that instant, the anger that was about to erupt from his lips was abruptly cut off.

He Liu glanced back at them, then smiled and said to Yang Xuan:

"Your Excellency, this is the one who keeps the accounts at the city gate, and the other one usually helps watch the stalls and chase away troublemakers. Weren't we talking about the miscellaneous fees at the city gate yesterday? I thought that if we were to ask, we should bring the people who can answer us together."

Ah Fu, who was listening nearby, almost rolled his eyes.

This guy is really good at talking big.

At first glance, it seems like he's trying to save the magistrate trouble, but in reality, he's saying that the situation at the city gate isn't handled by He Liu alone. If you touch it, you'll be touching a whole bunch of old rules.

Yang Xuan seemed not to have noticed, and simply hummed in agreement.

"It's good that you brought the person along."

He raised his hand, gesturing for Cui Shen to unfold a sheet of paper.

"Let's ask the first question."

"According to the register of constables, there are currently twenty-six constables in Yanjing County, five night patrolmen, six escorts, and four gatekeepers. When I entered the yamen yesterday, how many of them actually showed up?"

He Liu's eyelids twitched slightly.

He knew last night that the new magistrate would start with the roster.

To my surprise, the other party didn't even need any preamble and came straight to the question first thing in the morning.

He paused only for a moment, then replied with a forced smile:

"The magistrate is new and unaware of the county's past. Yanjing County is poor, and although the clerks are registered, they are not always tied to the yamen. Some go to the city gates, some go on night patrols, some run errands for the south market, and some take on other miscellaneous tasks..."

"So, the absence of all attendees is a long-standing practice?"

"I guess so."

He Liu's smile widened even more.

"That's how it is in border government offices. If we strictly follow the rules of Chang'an, things won't get done properly."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the onlookers outside the courtyard gate brightened up a bit.

Correct.

Old practice.

This is how people in Yanjing County live their lives.

If the new magistrate really wants to cut this place in half like the Chang'an government office, He Liu will definitely not be the only one to object.

Yang Xuan nodded, as if agreeing with this statement.

"Then let me ask you the second question."

Cui Shen then opened another book.

"Last night I checked the monthly ration book. The servants' rations were paid twice this month, the lamp oil for night patrols was recorded three times, and the night patrol allowance was also paid. You just said that some people went on night patrols, some went to the city gates, and some ran errands for the south field."

"it is good."

Yang Xuan looked at He Liu.

"Give me the names."

He Liu's smile froze slightly.

"Your Excellency, this is a delicate task; I'll have to go back and gather everyone together again..."

"You're the head of the gang."

Yang Xuan interrupted him calmly.

"If you can't even tell me who received the rations, who got the corvée wages, or who was on duty last night, what's the point of the Yanjing County government keeping you around?"

After hearing this, He Liu's smile finally faltered.

He didn't expect that this new county magistrate, though young, would not vent his anger on grand scales, but instead would utter the most unbearable words.

Because this is not about assigning blame.

This is to make you respond in public.

If you can't answer clearly, you'll lose face first.

He Liu had no choice but to bite the bullet and give out a few more names.

"Zhao Qi patrolled the streets last night."

"Ma Wangti delivers a message to the South Field."

"Zhou Laizi is helping to watch over the sheds at the city gate..."

Before he could finish speaking, Cui Shen had already glanced down at another page.

"Zhao Qi?"

"On the list of constables, Zhao Qi's name is missing a fingerprint, and even his place of origin is incomplete. Yet last night, his night patrol duty payment was recorded twice."

"Ma Wang?"

"In the corvée register, this person was approved for sick leave in March, and in April he received his transport fee again from the escort register."

"Zhou Laizi is more interesting."

Cui Shen raised his eyes, his tone indifferent.

"The duty roster you brought yesterday listed He Ergou and Liang Si as the guards at the city gate. How come this morning you've changed it to Zhou Laizi?"

As soon as these three sentences were uttered, the courtyard and the surrounding area fell into complete silence.

He Liu's heart sank.

After he got back last night, he thought that even if the new magistrate really did look through the records, he could only get a rough idea of ​​what was going on in one night.

If I just stick to my guns today, stall a little, and wait for the county magistrate and the registrar to arrive, there's still a chance things will turn around.

Unexpectedly, the situation before them clearly indicated that someone had cleared up all the loopholes overnight.

He Liu took a deep breath, barely suppressing the nervousness in his heart, and squeezed out a sentence:

"The booklet is, after all, inanimate, but people are alive. Some things in the county are done very quickly; it's not unusual to see Zhang San today and Li Si tomorrow."

"Not surprising?"

Yang Xuan raised his chin.

"Then let's talk about the miscellaneous expenses for the city gates."

Afu immediately placed the page of the journal he had pulled out last night at the top.

"Money for repairing ditches, money for cleaning ditches, money for repairing sheds, and money for temporary labor."

Yang Xuan read out the items one by one, his voice not loud, but it made the porters who had just come from the city gate that morning subconsciously prick up their ears.

"The man you brought, is he the one who keeps the accounts at the city gate?"

When the accountant in the short jacket saw that Yang Xuan had called him, he had no choice but to step forward and quickly cup his hands in greeting.

"Zhao the abacus is in charge of keeping the accounts for the shed."

"it is good."

Yang Xuan looked at him.

"When I entered the city yesterday, the shed was crooked, the wooden table was cracked, and the ditch was full of silt. Your account says that you repaired the shed twice and cleaned the ditch four times in the past three months, and that you paid the labor fee every month. Then I ask you, who repaired the shed, who cleaned the ditch, and to whom did you pay the labor fee?"