Huo Guang put the document aside and said, "Let them in."

The three county governors came in together. It must be said that they might have been severely beaten, so this time the three county governors were more honest than each other. They did not dare to put on airs of seniority and all saluted Huo Guang obediently.

Huo Guang had just finished checking the treasury's assets and was in a good mood. He looked up at them and asked, "If you have anything to say, please tell me. If it's not urgent, don't blame me for marking you as absent from duty."

The prefect of Wuwei County quickly said, "It's urgent, very urgent. Prime Minister, we heard that we are going to open a trade with the Xiongnu?"

Huo Guang felt something in his heart, but he remained calm and said, "Yes, what's wrong?"

The Wuwei County Magistrate rubbed his hands and said, "Well... we heard that the court allocated funds to Dunhuang for city repairs. The court cannot favor one over the other. Wuwei, Jiuquan, and Zhangye are all essential routes for caravans. Do you think you can allocate some to us as well?"

Huo Guang was not surprised at all and said directly, "The money given to Dunhuang is for the construction of Tongda City. This is the intention of His Highness. The location of Dunhuang County's capital is up to the Dunhuang County Governor. The rest is not his responsibility. Your places don't need it, so why are you joining in the fun?"

The prefect of Zhangye County said, "Yes, we need it. We also want to build a city."

Huo Guang sneered, "Jiuquan, Zhangye, and Dunhuang are very close to each other, and Wuwei isn't far either. Are you still building a city because you have no money to spend? Shuofang City has just been rebuilt, and the national treasury is running low on cash. How dare you come here to ask for money?"

The Wuwei County Magistrate said, "We are also doing this for the Northern Border Kingdom."

Huo Guang ignored them and said directly: "Alright, put this aside for now and take the test first."

Three County Magistrates: ????

Huo Guang looked at them and smiled: "Since you are here."

The three county governors were suddenly terrified and quickly said, "It's not us, it's not us. We are just representatives. There are other county governors who also want the capital to allocate funds."

Huo Guang asked, "Who are they?"

The three county governors opened their mouths and said a series of things. Wow, all the county governors of the Northern Border Kingdom were exposed by them one by one.

Huo Guang said angrily, "Alright, stop looking for trouble in the future. Just behave yourself. His Highness won't forget you. And there's just one more thing..."

The three county governors felt their legs go weak and they were about to fall to the ground. It seemed that they could not avoid this exam.

The Wuwei County Magistrate said with a mournful face, "Is Your Highness setting the questions again this time?"

Huo Guang was helpless: "It's not about this, it's about road construction."

The three-county governor immediately became alert and asked hurriedly, "What road construction?"

Huo Guang said, "Your three counties are indeed on the route that merchants must pass through, so His Highness said that in order to facilitate transportation, it would be best to repair the road, just like the one in the royal capital today."

The governor of Jiuquan County asked naively, "How much will it cost? Will the court provide it?"

Before he could finish his words, he was poked by the two county governors next to him: Don’t you see that the Prime Minister’s expression is not good?

Huo Guang said, "Go back and write down the length and location of the official road and report it. This will be your test. If you make a mistake... hehe..."

The governors of the three counties trembled suddenly, and immediately thought of the scene of blood splattering seven steps.

Later they heard that the family of the former prefect of Xi'anyang County went to Chang'an, hoping to use money to seek justice, but no one in Chang'an City dared to take them in, no matter how much money was offered. So the prefect of Xi'anyang County died in vain, and his family could no longer survive in the Northern Border Country.

They didn't want to follow in his footsteps, so they hurried back to the inn to answer the questions.

As soon as he left the Prime Minister's Mansion, the governor of Jiuquan County sighed and said, "Alas, we didn't get the money, and we still have to pay for road construction. What are we doing here?"

The Zhangye County Magistrate was calmer. "Even if we didn't come, we still have to pay. And you should know that His Majesty will be visiting the capital on his eastern tour. I heard that His Highness had already planned to build this road to welcome His Majesty."

The Wuwei County Magistrate said, "That's fine, but if His Majesty were to pass through here and the roads are bad, and he got hit, no one would be safe."

They didn't speak loudly, but there were many spies around, and Huo Guang knew about it soon after they finished speaking.

He shook his head and was about to continue working when he heard sparse footsteps.

Huo Guang stood up and went to the door. In his mansion, there was only one person who could enter without informing him.

When he walked to the door, he saw his prince walking towards him with his hands behind his back, followed by a black and white glutinous rice dumpling.

Well, compared to when they were brought out from Chang'an, the glutinous rice dumplings have grown a lot in size, but what has grown faster than the size is the meat.

Liu Tan noticed his gaze on Gun Gun and said, "Gun Gun is getting fatter and fatter. I'm worried he's overweight. Would you mind taking him out for a walk?"

Huo Guang disagreed and said, "Being fat is a blessing. How can Your Highness be afraid? It's not that busy."

Liu Tan did not argue with him about the issue of weight. In his eyes, being too fat is not good for health. However, in this era, being fat represents a rich life. Therefore, in ancient times, being fat was considered beautiful because there were not enough supplies and many people did not have enough to eat.

The lower the class, the more this is the case. In the upper class, there are two aesthetic standards: either a slender and beautiful boy, or a strong and handsome man.

Liu Tan walked in and said, "I heard that several county governors are here. Are they here to ask for money?"

Huo Guang smiled and said, "Your Highness, you can see clearly that they are here to ask for money."

Liu Tan turned to look at Huo Guang: "What do you say?"

Huo Guang said, "Tongda City must be built. It's fine for the governor of Dunhuang County to take advantage of it at this time. Moreover, Dunhuang is indeed too poor because most of its money is used to guard Yumen Pass. The other counties don't have such a burden. Why should we indulge them?"

Liu Tan didn't say anything. He was planning to lead the entire Northern Territory to achieve prosperity, but the way to achieve prosperity couldn't be to keep giving money and let these counties suck the blood of the royal capital. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn't lead the entire Northern Territory.

The best thing would be to let these counties stand on their own. Liu Tan simply said, "Once the trade opens, these counties will naturally benefit. Then we can repair them bit by bit. How can we repair them now? Can we still postpone it?"

Huo Guang laughed and said, "They are also planning to build a city."

Liu Tan was puzzled: "What's wrong? Why don't you want to rebuild the county town?"

Liu Tan likes to build cities, but that is based on basic needs.

Huo Guang said, "So I asked them to start building the road first. This road is exactly what Your Majesty needs, and the caravan should be able to use it as well. However, Your Highness needs to send someone to notify them. If they build it at the same time, I'm afraid there won't be enough cement."

Liu Tan said, "It's not just the cement. The construction team is also a problem. However, we can have them send people to prepare the roadbed first, and then the construction team can go in and pave the road."

After saying that, Liu Tan laughed and said, "Not only did they not get the money, but they also had to pay a sum of money. Isn't that very uncomfortable?"

"They dare not," Huo Guang said, "after all, it is His Majesty who wants to use it."

Liu Tan's eyes turned and he said, "So, I won't let them spend their money in vain. I've found a way for them to make money."

Huo Guang's mind moved: "What is it?"