After listening to Xu Zhi's idea, Xu Rao pondered for a long time and said, "Although I have not yet been to the Ministry of Revenue, I know that the tax revenue situation of Daliang in recent years has not been very good. His Majesty is a benevolent person. When natural disasters occur, he reduces the taxes of the people. In addition, in recent years, he has focused on developing the military strength of Yanmen Pass, Liaodong and even the southeast. The national treasury is not very full."

After listening and thinking it over carefully, Xu Zhi's face lit up with joy, and she said, "Father, does that mean my idea is actually feasible?"

Xu Rao neither said yes nor no. After pondering for a long time, he said, "Xiao Jiu, this matter needs to be considered carefully. Yuan Yuan paid the money, so we should definitely get the benefits we deserve. But how to get them is something we need to think about carefully, so as not to give others something to talk about. Don't you think so?"

Hearing this, Xu Zhi said somewhat embarrassedly, "Dad, am I oversimplifying things?"

Xu Rao waved his hand and said, "Not really. You have to have an idea first, and then you can slowly figure out how to solve the problems you encounter. Once all the problems are solved, the matter is done. It's good that you have this idea."

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "Thank you, Dad."

Because Xu Rao had to report to the Ministry of Revenue early the next morning, Xu Zhi didn't stay at her parents' home for long. She went to sit in the old lady's courtyard for a while, had lunch with the old lady, and then returned to the Zheng residence.

On Xu Rao's first day at work, Chen Zhaoci couldn't sleep early. As the light outside the window gradually brightened, and seeing that it was only a little past five in the morning, she couldn't stay in bed any longer and got up.

Xu Rao sighed and said, "It's just going to work. Why are you in such a hurry? Anyone who doesn't know better would think you're the one going to work."

Chen Zhaoci glared at him and said, "What do you know? The first day of work is very important. First impressions are crucial. If you leave a good impression on your colleagues, the work will go much more smoothly. Otherwise, if this person doesn't listen to you or that person doesn't follow instructions, you'll have to put in a lot more effort."

Xu Rao smiled and said, "You're so thoughtful, Madam."

Chen Zhaoci said with some pride, "I've been a leader for many years, how could I not understand this simple principle?"

Xu Rao didn't send anyone back to have his family bring him lunch at noon. It wasn't until evening, when Xu Rao returned home for dinner, that he told Chen Zhaoci about his first day at work.

The Minister of Revenue is getting old, and now the Ministry of Revenue needs Xu Rao, the Left Vice Minister, to make decisions. A couple of days ago, the Minister of Revenue came to see the Marquis, hoping that Xu Rao could start working as soon as possible. Because the national treasury is not full and there are too many places that need money, the Ministry of Revenue is constantly being blocked by officials of all ranks who want money. The old Minister is really tired of dealing with them, so he came to personally invite Xu Rao.

When Xu Rao arrived today, his colleagues were already waiting for him. Xu Rao had a good reputation in the court. Although he had been serving in various posts outside the capital for the past ten years, the achievements he made were real. Most importantly, the great victory in Hexi and the recent battle to annihilate the Jin people who had entered the pass made everyone in the court look at Xu Rao with new respect. When they saw Xu Rao limping over, his colleagues took the initiative to come and meet him.

Xu Rao's job today was to meet with his colleagues and get a basic understanding of his work scope. At noon, he treated all his colleagues to lunch at the nearest restaurant. The restaurant owner knew that Xu Rao was treating them, so he insisted on giving them two extra dishes. Xu Rao's colleagues were very envious. This restaurant had a strong background and the food was delicious, but they wouldn't easily give guests any extra food.

Xu Rao's leg wound had healed, but there was still some bone fracture, so he had some difficulty moving around. His two attendants, carrying a stool and an iron spoon on each side, carried him all the way to the Ministry of Revenue.

Xu Rao's personal attendants have changed several times. At first, they were the two brothers from the Li family. Later, when he went to Ganzhou, he found two teenagers there to help him run errands. Then, when he went to Liaodong, those two teenagers were locals from Ganzhou. Their families couldn't bear to let them go to such a far place, so after Xu Rao went to Liaodong, he found two more locals.

Before returning from Liaodong, Xu Rao did not bring back the two servants. After returning, he selected two clever children from the household servants. Both were fourteen or fifteen years old. Originally, their names were to be changed after entering the manor, but Xu Rao did not change them and let the two children use their original names.

Chen Zhaoci listened with great interest and asked, "When your colleagues speak, do they ever use sarcastic or mocking language?"

Xu Rao wiped his feet, which had been soaked in medicinal juice for a long time, with a cotton cloth and said, "I haven't offended anyone. Why are people being sarcastic towards me? I was appointed by the Emperor himself as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Who would want to mess with the Emperor for no reason? Besides, the Left Vice Minister is a third-rank official, while the Right Vice Minister is a third-rank official. The Right Vice Minister was just promoted. He knows in his heart that the original Left Vice Minister was transferred to Jiangnan and the position of Left Vice Minister is not something he can even dream of. As for others, they are far inferior and don't even dare to think about it."

Chen Zhaoci sighed and said, "I'm worried that you're not able to move around easily, and if you go now, you'll be bullied."

Xu Rao laughed and said, "We're all adults, how could we do something so irrational? Alright, don't worry about it. I think I did pretty well today, I figured out the usual work situation, it's all the same stuff anyway."

Chen Zhaoci said with a smile, "You are the Finance Minister of Daliang, and also the money bag of Daliang."

Xu Rao sighed and said, "It's good if you have money, but if you don't, even a clever housewife can't cook without rice. It's not easy to run a household."

Chen Zhaoci asked with great interest, "What's wrong? Not enough money?"

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