Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

"Lord Li, this household registration record is the job of the Registrar's Office. Your involvement as the Clerk's Office is a bit too much."

"I am merely following the orders of the county magistrate to organize the old files from the past three years to prevent any mistakes during the autumn tax collection."

"But these household registers have never left the registrar's office."

"Then I will read it in the registrar's office and not take it out."

"This... is probably against the rules."

Inside the registrar's office, a petty clerk with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks blocked Li Ping's way.

He was pressing a thick stack of household registration books tightly in his hand.

This minor official, named Sun Wang, was a confidant of the registrar Zhao Heng. He routinely relied on Zhao Heng's influence in the county office, looking down on everyone else.

Li Ping looked at Sun Wang, his smile unchanged, but the copper seal in his sleeve lightly touched the short sword at his waist.

"Sun Wenshu, the magistrate's fingerprint is on this slip."

"If you feel this is against the rules, why don't you come with me to the back office and ask the magistrate directly for clarification?"

Li Ping waved the approval slip signed by Chen Rang in front of Sun Wang.

Sun Wang's expression changed when he saw the vermilion seal, and he reluctantly released his grip.

"Since there is an official approval note from the county magistrate, then Lord Li may take a look."

"However, this booklet is precious; I cannot bear the responsibility if it is damaged."

"No need for Sun Wenshu to trouble himself."

Li Ping picked up the household registration booklet, turned around, and went back to the document room.

After Hu Guan's downfall, the power structure of the county government appeared to be controlled by Chen Rang and Lin Bing, but in reality...

Registrar Zhao Heng had been observing the situation with a cold eye, secretly controlling the county's household registration and taxation.

The Great Qian Dynasty had a strict class system, and for ordinary people to escape their lowly status was harder than climbing to heaven.

For Zhao Heng, the registrar, the most lucrative profits came from "changing people's social status to that of lowly people" and "selling heads."

As long as enough money is given, the dead can be brought back to life, and those of low social status can be changed to those of good social status.

Li Ping wanted to gain a foothold in Xiyun County.

Having grain and a few yamen runners wasn't enough; he needed to know the entire county's population and tax revenue.

Only by having this information in his hands can he have real chips at the poker table.

Inside the document room, Qian Duo had already cleaned the desk and lit three oil lamps.

"Sir, has the household registration booklet arrived?"

Qian Duo rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"It's here. There's a lot of money. You and Uncle Zhou should check these booklets against the tax records in the official granary."

Li Ping tossed the thick booklet onto the table, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Focus on investigating those who died suddenly or whose household registrations were moved out of the county."

"Look at their tax revenue, whose pockets does it all end up in?"

"Yes, sir!"

Qian Duo and Uncle Zhou immediately got to work.

Although Uncle Zhou was old, he knew the accounts of the official granary's inflows and outflows like the back of his hand.

With money comes a knack for calculation; the two working together are extremely efficient.

Li Ping sat to the side, eyes closed, meditating, his spiritual energy slowly circulating through his meridians.

In the past few days, he had consumed spirit sand he bought from the black market, and the spiritual energy within his body was much more abundant than before.

There are faint signs that he has broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

However, the calm did not last long.

The next morning, as Li Ping entered the document room, he saw Qian Duo standing pale-faced in front of the desk.

Holding a stack of household registration books soaked in ink.

"Sir, something has happened!"

Qian Duo's voice trembled slightly.

Last night, I locked the organized booklets in the cabinet, but when I came this morning, I found the lock had been pried open.

"These most important household registration books were all splattered with ink, and the writing was completely ruined."

Li Ping walked over, picked up a booklet, and looked at it.

The black ink had completely obscured the name and tax amount, making them illegible.

"Sun Wangqian's?"

Li Ping asked

"Who else could it be but him? He was the only one on duty last night, and someone saw him sneaking around outside the document room."

Qian Duo gritted his teeth, somewhat resentful.

"Sir, this booklet is destroyed. If we can't hand over the organized old files..."

"If the county magistrate blames us, we'll be in deep trouble."

Li Ping looked at the damaged booklet, but instead of anger, he laughed.

"This Sun Wang has quite a short temper."

"My lord, how can you still laugh?"

Qian Duo was getting a little anxious.

"He's trying to ruin our livelihood!"

"Smashing his job? He's practically offering a gift."

Li Ping patted Qian Duo on the shoulder.

"Qian Duo, do you still remember, in Hu Guan's records?"

"Is there a record of Zhao Heng purchasing three private residences in the south of the city?"

Qian Duo was stunned for a moment, then his eyes darted around, and he slapped his thigh.

"I remember! Those three private residences."

"The names registered were all distant relatives of Zhao Heng, but the monthly rent ultimately went into Zhao Heng's private coffers!"

"Moreover, it seems that several unregistered 'illegal residents' also live in those three private residences."

Li Ping sneered.

"Go, make a copy of that last page of the register and send it to the registrar."

"I have come across the tax loopholes in these properties while sorting through old files. I would like to ask the Registrar for some guidance."

Half an hour later

Inside the Registrar's Room

Zhao Heng stared at the sheet of paper on the table, filled with private addresses and unregistered names, his face so dark it was almost dripping with water.

Sun Wang stood to the side, somewhat uneasy.

"My lord, that man surnamed Li is just a minor official; why should we be afraid of him?"

"This booklet has been destroyed. He can't produce the report, and the magistrate will surely punish him!"

"idiot!"

Zhao Heng slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clang loudly.

"You think he wants these few tattered booklets? He wants my lifeline!"

Zhao Heng pointed at the page, his fingers trembling slightly.

"These three private residences are inhabited by 'unregistered' individuals whom I arranged for the Bai family to live in. If Chen Rang finds out, I'm afraid I'll lose my position as registrar!"

Sun Wang turned pale with fright and knelt down with a thud.

"My lord, I know I was wrong! I only wanted to teach him a lesson, I didn't expect..."

"Get out!"

Zhao Heng kicked Sun Wang away, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the anger in his heart.

This Li Ping, so young, yet so cunning.

He struck his vital point with his first move.

A moment later, Zhao Heng straightened his clothes, put on a fake smile, and walked towards the document room.

Inside the document room, Li Ping was holding a calligraphy brush and scribbling randomly on a scrap of paper.

"Lord Li, how have you been?"

Zhao Heng walked in with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

Li Ping put down his brush, stood up, and went to greet him.

"Lord Zhao, what a rare guest! I was unaware of your presence. What brings you here?"

"I dare not presume to offer guidance."

Zhao Heng sat down in the chair, took out a stack of brand-new household registration books from his sleeve, and placed them on the table.

I heard that the document room was burgled yesterday, and several booklets were destroyed.

"I had a copy made overnight and specially sent it to Lord Li."

Li Ping glanced at the brand-new booklet, then at Zhao Heng, his smile widening.

"Lord Zhao is truly considerate of his subordinates. However, those private residences I discovered yesterday..."

"Haha, Lord Li, you flatter me. Those private residences were merely temporary accommodations for some friends in the county. There were indeed some oversights in the procedures, but I will have the taxes paid today. I will not cause you any trouble."

Zhao Heng chuckled, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes.

Paying back taxes is a minor issue; the real problem is that Li Ping has leverage over us.

"In that case, on behalf of the county magistrate, I thank Lord Zhao for his cooperation."

Li Ping put away the booklet and bowed.

Zhao Heng gave Li Ping a deep look, then stood up.

"Lord Li is young and has a bright future ahead of him."

"However, the roads in Xiyun County are slippery. Lord Li, please watch your step carefully as you walk."

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Zhao. I understand."

After Zhao Heng left, the atmosphere in the document room immediately relaxed.

Qian Duo and Uncle Zhou emerged from behind the screen, their faces beaming with excitement.

"My lord, the registrar has actually admitted defeat!"

Qian Duo could hardly believe it.

"He's not admitting defeat, he's just afraid of dying."

Li Ping sat back down on the wooden chair and tossed the stack of brand-new household registration books to Qian Duo.

"With so much money, you'll be fully responsible for verifying these household registrations from now on."

"Uncle Zhou, you continue to keep an eye on the official granary."

"Yes, sir!"

The two responded in unison

What was originally just a sinecure of organizing files has now become a core hub controlling information on the county's people, money, and grain.

Li Ping, on the other hand, is the sole controller behind this hub.

As he watched the rising sun outside the window, the spiritual energy within his body suddenly accelerated, breaking through a certain bottleneck.

Mid-stage of induced ventilation

Li Ping exhaled a breath of stale air.