Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and dark clouds obscured the sun, making it look like it was about to rain.

Li Ping stood by the window, pondering what kind of trouble the Bai family would cause next, when he heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Qian Duo rushed into the document room, panting, clutching a bright red invitation card in his hand as if it were a hot potato.

"Sir, the county magistrate sent someone to deliver this."

Qian Duo handed over the post, lowering his voice.

"They say they're hosting a banquet tonight in the back hall of the county government office; you're absolutely obliged to come."

Li Ping took the invitation, glanced at it, and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Greet me with your presence? Chen Rang is so stingy he won't even bother to repaint the red paint on the county government gate, would he really spend money to treat me to a meal?"

"This post says it's about discussing the assets left behind by County Magistrate Hu and the autumn tax; to put it bluntly, it's a spoils-dividing meeting."

Qian Duo swallowed hard. "Are you going, sir? I heard that Registrar Zhao and Bai Fu, the head steward of the Bai family, are also going."

"Go, why not go?"

Li Ping casually tossed the post onto the table and rubbed his stomach.

"If someone's treating me to dinner, I might as well take it."

"Go tell the kitchen I'm not coming home for dinner tonight. Tell my sister-in-law to make something nice for herself, don't try to save me money."

Qian Duo responded and ran off.

Li Ping returned to the table, opened the drawer, took out the thick set of negatives, wrapped them in a gray cloth, and tucked them into his pocket.

This is his lifeline and his chance to make a fortune tonight.

The first quarter of Xu hour

The back hall of the county government office was brightly lit.

When Li Ping stepped inside, three people were already seated around the round table.

Seated in the main seat was Magistrate Chen Rang, dressed in a slightly worn casual robe.

He held two walnuts in his hand, smiling like a kind old neighbor.

On the left is Zhao Heng, the chief clerk, who is as thin as a bamboo pole with high cheekbones.

His eyes darted around, revealing a shrewd and calculating glint in them.

A fat man sat to my right, dressed in a slippery silk robe.

Wearing four gold rings on his ten fingers, he was none other than Bai Fu, the head steward of the Bai family.

Seeing Li Ping enter, Chen Rang stopped eating walnuts and waved with a smile.

"Zizhi is here! Please have a seat, we've been waiting for you."

Li Ping feigned surprise and repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting.

"I am late, and I have kept the magistrate and the two of you waiting. I deserve to die."

He sat down in the empty seat at the very bottom, his eyes quickly scanning the dishes on the table.

A plate of roast chicken, a plate of braised pork knuckle, two plates of green vegetables, and a pot of cloudy wine.

Li Ping cursed inwardly; Chen Rang was indeed stingy.

A meal for four people, and this is all the substantial dishes? Who can eat that much?

"I have invited you all here today for no other reason than..."

Chen Rang picked up his wine glass and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"That scoundrel Hu Guan was corrupt and lawless; now that he has been executed, it's truly gratifying!"

"But someone has to clean up the mess he left behind."

"We need to sort out the shops in the city, the estates outside the city, and all the autumn taxes that haven't been collected."

Zhao Hengqian chuckled twice and continued...

"The county magistrate is absolutely right."

"As the official in charge of household registration, I should naturally be responsible for the autumn tax collection."

"As for the shops left by Hu Guan, I think there are a few in good locations. Why don't you let me manage them to prevent them from falling into disrepair?"

Bai Fu twirled the gold ring on his hand, giving a forced, insincere snort.

"Registrar Zhao is really shrewd."

"Those shops were acquired through coercion and forced purchases by Hu Guanqiang, and many of them originally belonged to my Bai family."

"Now that Hu Guan has fallen, returning the property to its rightful owner is the only right thing to do."

"As for the estates and granaries outside the city, there are many of us from the Bai family, so we can help keep an eye on them."

Chen Rang's smile faded slightly, and the walnuts in his hands cracked as he squeezed them.

"Don't be in such a hurry about who owns this property. We have to follow the rules. Have you brought the register?"

All three of them turned their gazes to Li Ping.

Li Ping was tearing off a chicken leg and gnawing on it, his mouth dripping with oil.

Seeing the three of them looking over, he quickly put down the chicken leg, wiped his mouth hastily, and pulled out the gray cloth bag from his pocket.

"I brought it, I brought it, it's all here."

He untied the cloth bundle, spread several notebooks on the table, opened one of them, and began to read it aloud with great seriousness.

"The granary in the east of the city has 5,000 shi of old grain recorded in the register, but..."

Li Ping deliberately drew out his voice and looked up at Zhao Heng.

"But what?" Chen Rang frowned.

Li Ping scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"However, when I went to check yesterday, I found that the seals on the granary had been tampered with."

"I mustered my courage and peeked inside, but it seems there are only two thousand shi left?"

"Registration Officer Zhao, you were the one who sent people to put up the seal yesterday. Could it be that the rats in the east of the city have become spirits, able to eat three thousand bushels of grain in one night?"

The atmosphere at the dinner table changed immediately after these words were spoken.

Chen Rang suddenly turned his head and stared at Zhao Heng, his eyes sharp.

Zhao Heng's expression changed, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"Li Ping! Don't make false accusations! The men I sent were only to put up seals; when did they touch the grain inside?"

Li Ping shrank back, his face full of grievance.

"I was simply stating the truth: the register recorded five thousand, but now only two thousand remain. Surely I can't be the one to fill this three thousand-stone deficit?"

"If the Inspector asks, I cannot bear the consequences."

He brought up Ren Jun's name, and Zhao Heng immediately felt as if he had swallowed a fly, his face turning ashen, but he dared not retaliate further.

Chen Rang sneered.

"Registrar Zhao, you'd better get to the bottom of this."

"If there really are rats, this county will definitely skin them alive."

Bai Fu laughed gleefully from the side.

"The men under Clerk Zhao acted far too quickly."

Li Ping picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork knuckle, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Manager Bai, don't laugh at that manor on Shili Slope outside the city. The register records that there are ten carts of fine iron and two boxes of talisman paper in the storeroom."

Bai Fu's laughter stopped abruptly, and the fat on his face jiggled.

Li Ping swallowed the meat in his mouth and continued speaking.

"Today, I heard from the guards at the city gate that your esteemed young master Bai Lang left the city early this morning with more than a dozen large carts, heading towards Shili Slope."

"May I be so bold as to ask, young master Bai, have you gone to the estate to enjoy the autumn scenery?"

Bai Fu suddenly stood up and pointed at Li Ping's nose.

"Hey Li, stop spouting nonsense!"

"How dare you, a mere official, interfere in how the Bai family conducts its affairs?"

Li Ping put down his chopsticks, sighed, and pushed the bottom volume forward.

"I am but a lowly official with little influence, and naturally have no right to interfere in the affairs of the Bai family."

"But if even one item is missing from this register, I won't be able to report back to my superiors."

"Since you all think I'm talking nonsense, then I won't look at this record."

"Tomorrow I will write a letter and send it to Jiangning City, requesting the Inspector to come and inspect it personally."

Upon hearing the words "Jiangning City" and "Supervisor," Chen Rang, Zhao Heng, and Bai Fu's expressions changed simultaneously.

They all knew perfectly well how Hu Guan had died.

That inspector named Ren Jun is ruthless; if we really summon him, none of us here will escape unscathed.

Chen Rang was the first to react. He put on a smiling face and reached out to pull the bottom booklet in front of him.

"Zizhi, don't get angry."

"Young people just have short tempers."

"Registrar Zhao and Steward Bai were just in a hurry."

"Nothing in this register can be missing, of course."

Chen Rang turned to look at Zhao Heng and Bai Fu, his tone carrying a warning.

"You two, don't you agree?"

Zhao Heng gritted his teeth and forced a smile.

"The county magistrate is right."

"I will send men to investigate those three thousand shi of grain tomorrow. It must have been stolen by the guards. I will definitely recover the grain."

Bai Fu also readily agreed and laughed dryly.

"The Bai family is merely looking after the estate at Shili Slope to prevent it from being robbed by bandits."

"Those refined iron and talismans will be sent back to the county government's warehouse intact tomorrow."

Li Ping sneered inwardly, but put on a grateful expression.

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for upholding justice. Thank you both for understanding my difficulties."

"Come, let me offer you all a toast."

He picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

The atmosphere at the subsequent dinner became quite subtle.

Chen Rang, Zhao Heng, and Bai Fu were wary of each other, and none of them dared to mention taking over the property again.

They discovered that this seemingly harmless clerk was actually holding the most crucial records in his hand, and was backed by the powerful inspector.

Kill him?

Whoever makes the first move will become the target of attacks from the other two sides and will also incur the wrath of Jiangning City.

not kill him?

This kid is cunning; with just a few words, he stirred up a storm, making them suspicious of each other.

Since killing is not an option, the only recourse is to win them over.

Zhao Heng spoke first, personally pouring Li Ping a glass of wine, and said with a smile...

"Brother Li, it's a real waste of your talents to be a minor clerk in the document office."

"My household registration office is currently short of a manager. If you're interested, you can be transferred here tomorrow, and your salary will be doubled. What do you say?"

Li Ping waved his hand repeatedly.

"You flatter me, Lord Zhao."

"This humble official is foolish and only knows how to copy and write. I'm afraid I'm not up to the task of managing such an important place as the Household Registration Office."

Not to be outdone, Bai Fu pulled a silver note from his sleeve and quietly pushed it into Li Ping's hand.

"Brother Li, Bai Lang has offended me greatly today. This is a small token of my Bai family's appreciation, offered as an apology."

"If you encounter any difficulties in Xiyun County in the future, feel free to come to me, your older brother."

Li Ping glanced at the face value of the silver note: one hundred taels.

He unceremoniously stuffed the silver note into his pocket and said with a smile...

"Manager Bai is too kind."

"Young Master Bai is a hero of his age; I admire him greatly."

Chen Rang watched as the two men tried to win over Li Ping, cursing inwardly but remaining outwardly composed.

"Zizhi, you are one of my county officials, so I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

"The house Hu Guan left behind is just sitting empty anyway, so you can move in tomorrow."

"It's inconvenient for your brother and sister-in-law to live in such a cramped courtyard."

Li Ping stood up and bowed deeply.

"Thank you so much for your generous gift, Your Excellency! I will serve you with my life!"

After the meal, all three parties parted ways, each with their own thoughts.

Li Ping walked out of the county government office, and the night breeze dispelled all his drunkenness.

He touched the ledger and banknotes in his pocket, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

The weights have been prepared; now it's up to these three parties to decide how to proceed.

at the same time

The Bai Family Mansion in the East of the City

The study was filled with the fragrance of fine sandalwood.

Bai Chong, the head of the Bai family, was carefully trimming a potted welcoming pine tree on the table with a small pair of scissors.

He was nearly fifty years old, with a thin face, and dressed in a simple long robe, looking like a schoolteacher.

However, he faintly exuded the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Bai Fu stood in the center of the study and recounted in detail what had happened in the back hall of the county government office.

"Master, that Li Ping is far too arrogant! He's clearly trying to sow discord and making a fool of us!"

Bai Fu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said through gritted teeth.

"In my opinion, we should find a few clean-cut brothers and go tonight to..."

Bai Fu made a throat-slitting motion.

Bai Chong stopped scissors, blew away the debris from the leaves, and glanced at Bai Fu indifferently.

"madness"

Bai Fu's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.

"Master, please calm down. I simply cannot swallow this insult."

Bai Chong put down the scissors, picked up a damp cloth, and wiped his hands.

"Killing Li Ping is easy, but what happens after that? Will Chen Rang and Zhao Heng let this excuse pass? Will the inspector of Jiangning City let it go?"

Bai Chong walked to the window, looked at the pitch-black night outside, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

"This kid is interesting. He's just an ordinary person, yet he can handle three Qi Refining stage cultivators with ease and turn a seemingly hopeless situation around. He's quite clever."

"What does the head of the family mean?"

Bai Fu asked cautiously

"Keep him for now."

Bai Chong turned around, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

"A greedy and clever dog is far more useful than a dead dog."

"Let him go and bite Chen Rang and Zhao Heng; we, the Bai family, will just sit back and watch the tigers fight."

"Go tell Bai Lang to behave himself for the time being and not to provoke him again."

Bai Fu readily agreed and left the study.

Bai Chong picked up the scissors again, looking at the neatly trimmed welcoming pine tree.