No, I absolutely cannot accept this silver ingot. Things have come to this point, I must swallow my pride and get my hands on this old house.

“According to the original agreement, this silver should be returned by the scholar. I don’t know you, so how can I accept your silver?” Zhang the landlord found another reason to refuse.

Prefect Shen was not annoyed and maintained a smile throughout.

"The scholar went to Xinkou County on official business this morning with Magistrate Cao. He was on duty. Do you want him to come back?"

"Haha, why don't you say that the scholar went out on business with the prefect?" Zhang the landlord sneered.

"Of course, the scholar should go out with the prefect on business, but that's for tomorrow. Take my advice, you should take the money and go back."

"You should understand that the scholar and the prefect are friends. If you offend the scholar, you'll be in big trouble."

"Get out of my way! Do you think I'm a three-year-old child, saying such idiotic things? It's past 5 PM now. According to our original agreement, this house belongs to me. Please leave."

Prefect Shen sighed, staring at Zhang the landlord, his tone no longer friendly.

"Since you've said that, then I'll ask someone to handle this matter."

After Prefect Shen finished speaking, he led his clerk out of the courtyard. Bao Ping did not leave; he stood in the courtyard with a dignified expression.

No one knew what he meant. Did he send someone to fetch someone? And who was that person?

The two got into the carriage. Prefect Shen changed into his official robes and hat, and his clerk changed into his business suit. After doing all this, they got off the carriage and walked back to the courtyard.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaosan and the village head rushed over and saw a person dressed in official robes walk into his courtyard, accompanied by a person who looked like a clerk.

"The Prefect has arrived."

When Bao Ping saw Prefect Shen enter the courtyard, he immediately shouted, his authoritative voice startling everyone.

An invisible pressure quickly spread out, making it hard for everyone present to breathe.

This is the power of an official, a fifth-rank official in the imperial court.

Everyone knew that the prefect was a very high-ranking official, even higher than the county magistrate. They probably would never have seen such an official in their entire lives, so they never expected him to come to this small farmhouse.

Qin Shiyu and Qin Yingying were worldly-wise, and they could tell from the official robes worn by the visitors that these people were the prefect and his entourage.

Unexpectedly, the prefect was a good friend of the master. Now things are much easier, and they no longer need to be afraid of this Zhang the landlord.

"This humble woman greets Your Excellency the Prefect." The two women quickly knelt down.

Seeing the two girls kneel down, the others finally realized what was happening and knelt down as well.

"This humble subject greets Your Excellency the Prefect."

Zhang was stunned. Seeing everyone kneeling down, he could hardly believe what was happening before his eyes, but his legs wouldn't obey him, and he involuntarily knelt down.

At that moment, the village head and Zhao Xiaoshan walked into the courtyard. Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground, they quickly knelt down as well.

"The village head of Shuixian Village greets Your Excellency the Prefect."

Prefect Shen turned and looked at the village head, seemingly somewhat displeased.

"You are the village head of Narcissus Village."

“That’s what a petty person is.”

He appeared very nervous when Prefect Shen questioned him.

“This Zhang family in your village is bullying the villagers. You, as the village head, didn’t even come to do anything about it. If I hadn’t run into them, who knows how this matter would have turned out.”

"Please forgive me, Your Excellency, I will certainly handle this matter properly."

"Forget it. This Zhang the landlord must be a tough guy in your village. Even you, as the village head, might not be able to handle it. Let the government handle this matter."

Three days later, you will take the Zhao family and the wealthy Zhang to the county government office. Magistrate Cao will handle this matter, and I will arrange for someone to be present to observe the proceedings.

Prefect Shen glanced at Zhang the landlord and shook his head.

"I tried to persuade you to take the money and leave, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened. You can't take the money with you. Take the property deed and the IOU with you for now; I need you to keep them for the time being."

Three days later, if the Zhao family is dissatisfied with the county government's handling of the matter, they can appeal to Qing'an Prefecture, at which point the prefecture will personally handle the matter.

"Master Zhang, you can leave now. Don't forget to go to the county government office in three days."

At this moment, Zhang the landlord was terrified. He was trembling all over and knew that he had caused trouble.

"Your Honor, I was wrong. I don't want the money anymore. I'll return the deed and IOU to Scholar Zhao and leave now."

"That won't do. What I'm about to do cannot be abandoned halfway. The matter is settled. You may all go back now," Prefect Shen said coldly.

At this moment, the guards came over, picked up Zhang the landlord, and threw him outside the courtyard.

The guard was incredibly strong. The two men Zhang had brought were terrified and quickly got up from the ground, slinking away from the courtyard.

Seeing that everyone was still kneeling on the ground, Prefect Shen quickly spoke up.

"Get up, all of you. You have been frightened. I will investigate this matter thoroughly and will not let a single bad person get away with it."

"Thank you, Prefect, for standing up for us." Everyone stood up.

"Since Scholar Zhao is not home, I will not disturb you any longer. I have official business to attend to and will visit again tomorrow afternoon. Farewell."

After finishing his speech, Prefect Shen left the courtyard, got into his carriage, and sped away.

The prefect's sudden visit must have something important to discuss, and it's fortunate that he arrived at this time, resolving a troublesome matter for the family.

This time, Zhang the landlord is really in deep trouble. He can't blame anyone else; it's entirely his own fault.

As night fell, the Xinkou County government office was filled with joy as Magistrate Gao hosted a banquet for Magistrate Cao and Zhao Xian, among others.

The group resolved the drought in just half a day after arriving in Xinkou County, ensuring he wouldn't lose points in this area during the annual performance evaluation.

The next morning, as the group prepared to return home, Magistrate Gao tried to persuade them to stay, but they politely declined.

Both Magistrate Cao and Zhao Xian had many things to do and needed to return immediately.

Magistrate Gao waved his hand, and someone came over carrying a tray with two hundred taels of silver on it.

"Young Master Zhao's visit this time has been instrumental in alleviating the drought in Xinkou County. His contribution is invaluable. We have prepared a small gift for you, and we hope you will accept it."

A few days ago, Zhao Xian would have been thrilled to see so much silver, but now making money is no longer a difficult task for him.

Zhao Xian quickly declined, but Magistrate Gao admired Zhao Xian even more for not being swayed by money, and kept urging him to accept it.

Upon seeing this, the magistrate of Cao County stepped forward to offer advice.

"This is a reward from the government, not a personal reward from Magistrate Gao. You must accept this money."

Since Magistrate Cao had spoken, Zhao Xian had no choice but to accept the silver.

After bidding farewell to Magistrate Gao, the group boarded a carriage and drove away from the county town.