Two days later, Butler Xiao and Butler Lin came and talked back and forth.

This has been unstable, and it has become even worse in the past two years. There are rumors that the Huns will come sooner or later, so many people are eager to sell when they hear that someone is willing to buy a shop for the first time. In less than two days, the shops on the street purchased seven or eight, and the remaining shops were still negotiating prices, hoping to lower the prices again.

Butler Xiao looked very experienced and steady, and his answer was clear and said that when he bought the whole street, he would not have enough money to spend 1,000 taels of silver, and he could still have fifty or sixty taels left, which was just for decoration and renovation.

After hearing this, Xining nodded: "Then it's going to be a labor."

Butler Xiao also said that the wealthy families and officials in the county town sent people to inquire when the county lord would prepare for a banquet.

In another half a year, when the cold winter is coming, before the New Year is over, the Huns will break the city, and it’s not a big deal to invite a banquet.

However, the banquet is not unhelpful. For this banquet, each family may prepare gifts. Even if there are no gifts, some big families will still meet her.

So he said, "It's been over five days, and now I'm a little too hasty to hold a banquet. When it's out, I'll say I'm enjoying myself and sending it to you. This is not good."

After saying this, Butler Lin wiped tears with his sleeves.

Xining looked at him in confusion: "Butler Lin, why are you crying?"

Mr. Lin rubbed his wet corners with his wide sleeves, and his voice choked: "I am happy. The county lord has finally grown up, understands etiquette and knows how to retreat."

Xining smiled, OK, if it were the owner, she would have agreed happily long ago. However, it is not easy to survive until now, and stupid people have a blessing.

Butler Xiao thought about it and came up with an idea: "In another half a month, the summer solstice will be in the pool in the yard. The lotus should be blooming, and you can hold a lotus-welcoming banquet at that time."

Just in the bare pond, there are three or five lotus leaves? But it's already early summer, and the leaves grow very fast. Even if you don't even have a lotus, so what if you don't have a lotus, people originally didn't want to see the flowers.

Xining nodded and then asked, "What else did County Mayor Zhou say besides sending melons these two days?"

Butler Xiao replied: "No."

Xining smiled: "Okay, it's okay, you guys go all out."

Butler Xiao and Butler Lin bowed and left. In the yard, Butler Xiao called Butler Lin to stop him.

Butler Xiao bowed: "May I ask Butler Lin, what did the county lord mean just now?"

Butler Lin was confused: "What does it mean?"

I don’t know how to be the county steward. It is said that he was the butler of the Qinling Prince’s Mansion before, but he didn’t expect to be so slow... Butler Xiao rolled his eyes in his heart and still said in a good voice: “It’s the county lord who asked County Magistrate Zhou the last time he sent melons.”

Butler Lin recalled: "Oh, maybe I'm worried that the melons have been eaten. Just ask someone to buy a few more melons."

Butler Xiao was stunned when he heard this and watched Butler Lin leave carelessly.

What does this mean? The county lord asked, besides sending melons, he said nothing else. This is what ordinary people have heard of, but the county lord is very particular about this connotation now.

When County Magistrate Zhou sent someone to deliver the melons, he secretly stuffed twenty taels to him.

Butler Xiao thought about it for a while, and after going back, he picked up a bamboo slip, picked up a pen and thought for a long time, but finally didn't write it down. He called his nephew and went to the county magistrate's mansion to pass on a message.

After hearing the county magistrate’s question, County Magistrate Zhou crossed the steps back and forth three times behind his hands, and said to Butler Xiao’s nephew: “Go back and tell Butler Xiao that I know about this.”

He bowed and left. County Magistrate Zhou waited when Butler Xiao's nephew left, and immediately called the two of them, took the Linyi County Map, the tax account books for several years, got on the ox cart, and went to the county magistrate's mansion.

Xining was leaning against the soft collapse, holding a small fan and slowly fanning himself. When she heard that she came to report to County Mayor Zhou for a visit, she put down the small fan and went to the living room to meet him.

When County Magistrate Zhou saw the county lord arrive, he immediately knelt down and saluted.

After sitting down, Xining instructed: "Please sit down, County Magistrate Zhou."

After County Mayor Zhou took his seat, Xining ordered people to watch the tea.

After drinking a sip of tea, County Magistrate Zhou thought about it and asked: "The county magistrate is just here for the first time. I don't know if he is adapting to the climate here and whether he is used to it."

Xining smiled and said, "Whether you are used to it or not, you have to live your life. Since County Magistrate Zhou has come here, it must be for official business, but just for the sake of concern for your well-being. County Magistrate Zhou is also a busy official business person, so there is no need to be a guest, just go straight to the point."

County Magistrate Zhou suddenly realized that the county magistrate was not as young and incompetent as mentioned in the rumor. Since he could speak out and expected him to come, there was no need to say anything irrelevant.

There are 300 households in Changping County, which means that all the taxes in Linyi County belong to the Lord of Changping County, so when the Lord of Changping comes, he should come with these.

County Magistrate Zhou only sent a few melons and said nothing else. He just waited to see what the county magistrate would do and when to send someone to send him to the dispatch.

As a result, Butler Xiao, who was an insider, sent someone to secretly pass the message. County Magistrate Zhou thought that this county lord should not be a difficult master to serve, but would come here in person. As a result, the county lord was waiting to see the tax revenue.

So he had no choice but to ask someone to open the map and tell the situation of Linyi County, such as location, boundaries, population, corvee labor, etc.

After the introduction, he raised his hand and two people came over with a basket, with bamboo slips filled with tubes of bamboo slips: "This is a tax account book for the past ten years. Please check it out."

This is an obvious temptation, Xining is not afraid: "Give me what I have last year."

I took the bamboo slips for tax revenue last year, which was quite heavy.

Xining slowly opened it and looked carefully. Although the master was ignorant, he still recognized the basic words, so it was not difficult to read the tax book.

She read slowly: "Tax three thousand three hundred and twenty-one taels."

The first one is a problem. She smiled and said in her words: "Linyi County has 300 households, but the tax revenue is just an ordinary township. It is really a good place with outstanding people and beautiful places."

County Magistrate Zhou replied calmly: "The crops here are single and few, and the Huns are always invading, so this is how it is. However, when the Lord of Changping comes, the adults will have great honors. If you can support the Lord of Changping, it will definitely make a great improvement in this place. I hope that the tax revenue will be better this year."

It’s neither humble nor arrogant, good!

Xining continued to look and saw that in the end, all the expenses were removed, leaving only more than one hundred taels of silver.

More than one hundred taels of silver, haha, it's enough for the county lord's government to spend.

"I've finished reading this, so I don't need to read the others." Xining raised the opened bamboo slips, Ping'er next to him immediately took it and retreated aside.

This account must be full of personal pockets, and other detailed accounts must be in chaos. After all, the mountains here are high and the emperor is far away. It is good to have someone, and they are thinking about taxes, haha!

Before County Magistrate Zhou could breathe a sigh of relief, County Magistrate Changning asked: "How many guards are here, how many officials are in the official office, and how many servants are there for each ethnic group?"
Chapter completed!