Yan Xia's fingernails tapped on the table, making a "thump thump thump" sound.

“Then give it to him. Brother Deng’s shop is doing better than mine. It’s only a thousand taels. He’ll earn it back in no time. He can’t stay in jail all the time.”

"They gave it to them this time, but what about next time? Once the Wang family runs out of money, do you think there won't be a second or even a third time?" What Yan Xia could understand, Zhu Changji naturally understood as well.

"Then what should we do? Spend more money to bribe the officials?"

"No, the officials have connections with the Wang family. What's the difference between bribing them and spending a thousand taels of silver? We still need to find a way to eliminate this problem once and for all."

Yan Xia pondered.

Zhu Changji also fell silent.

After a long while, Yan Xia finally spoke slowly. "Manager Zhu, do you know anything about the county magistrate? Could you tell me?"

"The county magistrate's name is Xu Wenyan, a man from the border region. He has only one son, Xu Jiahao, who lives with his mother, wife, and child in the Xu Mansion on another street. He rarely stays at the county government office, as it's cramped and simple. You wouldn't believe it, but the craftsmen say the Xu Mansion is more luxurious than an imperial palace. It has more than three or four courtyards, with hundreds of beautiful maids serving him. Magistrate Xu also has a younger sister, far away on the border. I don't know her name, but he's mentioned her occasionally to others. Every year when merchants in our Jiangnan County pay their taxes, Magistrate Xu hosts a banquet, comparable to the Feast at Hongmen. Everyone has to give a gift, and the money from those gifts is almost half of the annual tax revenue..."

Everyone knows Magistrate Xu is corrupt, but who dares to say anything to him? There was a condiment shop owner who, overwhelmed by the burden, went to the governor of Jiangnan Province to file a complaint. Do you know what happened to him afterward?

Zhu Changji lowered his voice, his eyes filled with fear.

"how's it going?"

Yan Xia asked in return.

"On the very night he returned to Jiangnan County, his house caught fire, and no one survived. According to insiders, the cause of death was not burns, but knife wounds! Everyone had a bloodstain on their neck, including the infant in swaddling clothes, and the birdcage hanging in the tree, the bird inside was cut in two. Yet the county magistrate was not punished by the governor. This matter was like a speck of dust falling into water, not causing the slightest ripple."

Yan Xia was shocked. "You mean, the county magistrate is colluding with the governor?"

"Shh, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this, or our lives will be in danger. Manager Yan, you know my personality. I treat you as a friend, so please don't betray me."

Zhu Changji was a little scared. He was always a warm-hearted person and had a quick tongue.

He didn't want to wipe out his entire family.

“How could I possibly sell you out? We’re on the same side. Tell me everything else you need to say.”

Yan Xia patted his arm and comforted him, saying, "Speaking of which, Manager Zhu really ate a lot of good meat. His arm is quite bouncy and bouncy when you hit it."

"Tomorrow is the county magistrate's mother's birthday. If you want to use Magistrate Xu's connections, you can attend the banquet. However, the gift must be valuable and something the old lady will like. Although the magistrate is greedy, he is also protective of his own and filial. Also, when you attend the banquet, you'd better dress up and make yourself look a little ugly and old. The magistrate loves women and..."

Zhu Changji found it difficult to speak.

He took a sip of tea and coughed lightly twice. "Ahem, Magistrate Xu is also fond of men... so Manager Yan, you are quite handsome, and it is very likely that the magistrate will take a liking to you. It will be difficult to get away then, so don't take Jin Yu to the banquet, lest he... ahem."

"I came alone this time. I'm currently in Shuangqiao Town. By the way, can I get in without an invitation?"

Yan Xia thought to herself, "Thank goodness I didn't bring Jin Yu along."

Otherwise, he would definitely go if he heard that.

"Yes, as long as you bring a gift, you can get in. Who would complain about having too much money, right?"

Yan Xia pouted. Magistrate Xu is really 'filial'. Is he throwing a birthday banquet for his mother or just trying to make money? "By the way, I have a question. Since he's so greedy, why don't you just keep two sets of books? Pay less tax, and you won't be under so much pressure."

"You've seen how many shops there are in the city, and you know which ones are doing well and which ones aren't. If your account books are too obviously faked, your rival will report you, and Magistrate Xu will send people to investigate you. If they don't find anything, that's fine, but if they do, well, they'll skin you alive. It's not like no one has ever tried to fake them before. Good grief, someone reported it, and after it was discovered, the shop was shut down, and he went to jail. His daughter was also taken advantage of by Magistrate Xu's son. The young girl couldn't think straight and hung herself from a tree with a rope, and that's how she died. It was a complete loss of family. So since the difference isn't that big, there's no need to risk making fake account books."

Zhu Changji explained.

"We're all in business, so who's dumber than whom? We've tried the method you suggested, Manager Yan, but the truth is, it doesn't work."

"No wonder... By the way, do you know what Madam Xu likes?" Yan Xia asked him.

"Magistrate Xu was born into an ordinary family. Years ago, his wife became a widow, so she also suffered hardships. She loved sweets the most. Her personal maid came to my shop to buy pastries many times. I heard that Magistrate Xu wouldn't let her eat them, saying they were bad for her health. So Madam Xu could only have her maid come and buy them secretly."

Loves sweets the most?

Yan Xia curled into a sinister smile.

This is practically delivered right to our doorstep.

Her laughter sent a chill down Zhu Changji's spine, raising goosebumps all over his body. "Manager Yan, what wicked trick have you come up with?"

"You'll find out when the time comes," Yan Xia said, without telling him.

Leaving Zhu Changji's shop.

Yan Xia went to find Xinbao, and he was relieved to hear that Deng Qiuzhi was alright.

Yan Xia went to buy more materials, and it was already dark when she returned to the house.

She was going to make a birthday cake for Madam Xu.

The cake was originally scheduled to be available for pre-order in Jiangnan County on July 1st, but half of the cake makers she had chosen had not yet graduated, so Yan Xia simply postponed the sales period to the end of the month.

To avoid displeasing customers and negatively impacting the shop, she preferred to earn money later.

So, no one in Jiangnan County has ever tasted a cake made by her.

Since the cake could help her establish connections with Magistrate Lu of Shuangqiao Town, she could naturally do the same with Magistrate Xu.

Don't you like money?

Then she'll make a beautiful, healthy, and expensive cake!

That night, Yan Xia stayed up all night.

The birthday cake, which had two layers, wasn't finished until morning.

The first layer is a decorative cake, not edible, with eight gold ingots, each weighing two taels, totaling nearly 200 taels of silver. In the middle of the cake is a bamboo strip with a blessing written on it; pulling it up reveals a hidden world below.

The second layer is a cake for eating, shaped like a peach. Yan Xia also made two sugar cranes and inserted them on top, adding color and making them look like they were alive. Once you remove them, you can cut and eat the rest of the cake.