"Hello everyone, you can call me Lu Bin."
In the meeting room of the mansion, a young man in a shirt and a well-fitting jacket placed one hand on his chest and bowed.
"This is the assistant I recently found. He will serve as the financial officer of the territory and be responsible for related matters." Loran Hill, who was wearing armor, introduced him.
"Hello, Mr. Lubin." Gweil immediately returned the greeting, looking at the young man with curiosity, wondering about his background.
"Oh, it's you, kid. Haha." Gu Huas looked at the young man whom he had met several times and seemed to have figured out many things.
"Wait, if he is in charge of the finances, what about me?" The housekeeper asked anxiously.
"Don't worry, Mr. Favors. I will take over the matters you left behind soon to reduce your burden." The young man pushed his glasses to show that he was confident and there was no need to worry.
"No, no, no. I think there are many things that young people like you cannot understand. Some are ancient traditions, and there are many things left over from the past. Yes, only I, only I understand and can handle them well." The butler refused in a pretentious manner.
"And I am more loyal. I am the eldest lady's servant. Only by keeping the finances firmly in your hands can you be respected." He looked at Gweil beside him, hoping that the eldest lady would say a few words for him.
"But this is Mr. Wuming's suggestion. I think it would be better to trust this adult." Gweil shook her head slightly, indicating that it would be better for her to listen to the adult beside her.
"Miss, now is not the time to be confused." The housekeeper was a little anxious. Why did this young lady always side with outsiders?
"I am your loyal servant."
"Sorry, I'd like to interrupt for a moment." Lu Bin raised his hand, attracting the attention of several people in the room.
"Mr. Favors did a lot for the Viscount in the past, but when it comes to loyalty, it's a bit of a lie."
"Over the past few years, because Lord Viscount Wenlani was addicted to pleasure, he had to ask you to take care of many things."
"Taxes within the territory, accounting for various expenses, daily expenses, etc., I don't know how many gold coins that originally belonged to the lord have gone into your pocket."
"You are slandering me and making false accusations!" The housekeeper was so angry that he jumped up and down, beating his feet and stamping his chest, looking as if he had suffered great insult and injustice.
"If it weren't for my hard work maintaining the territory, the expenses in the territory would have long been insufficient."
"Doesn't the Lord spend money on banquets? He travels around and buys all kinds of gifts. These expenses are real money. Isn't it me who picks up the slack in the back to save money?"
"By the way, Miss, you should also know that those gorgeous and exquisite dresses and skirts are all custom-made by special craftsmen, and the expenses are visible." He finally remembered something to say.
"Is that really the case?" Lu Bin raised his glasses, reached into the pocket inside his collar, took out a folded page, shook it, and unfolded it in the bright light in the room.
"The past is difficult to investigate, so let's put it aside for now. In the past three years, you have collected taxes from residents of your territory a total of 128 times, covering areas ranging from Georgetown (now Yamazakura City) to the towns and villages under your jurisdiction."
"Of these, 63 were taxes that did not appear in imperial law, 46 were premature tax collections, and 102 were over-tax collections."
"Among the newly created taxes, hunters must pay two-thirds of what they catch in the mountains, fishermen must pay half of what they catch in the rivers, and passing caravans must pay a gate fee. This fee is calculated separately, regardless of whether there is any trade, and is calculated based on the number of people and livestock."
"To amass wealth, you colluded with the former commander of the territory's guards, dispatching an indefinite number of guards to patrol the territory. You estimated the income of shops and residents based on their daily labor, then fabricated the pretext of collecting taxes to steal the money."
"To increase your income, you even banned firewood and charcoal vendors from entering the city, causing many poor people to freeze to death so that your shop could make money. To collect debts, you had your men encourage fathers to sell their daughters into prostitution, thereby collecting the money from the guards."
"You can say that you want to get involved in anything that has to do with money."
"You and the guard commander embezzled the defense funds set up by the lord. Many patrols were never fully staffed, and even the guards' salaries were often delayed. You pocketed most of the money and distributed a small portion to the commander and a few trusted individuals."
"In your opinion, guards shouldn't be paid, so they have an incentive to squeeze money out of the residents."
"That's why, when the rebellion broke out, the number of guards was severely insufficient, and their combat capabilities were low. As a result, they couldn't even hold out for a single day, and the castle, despite having a perfect geographical advantage, was captured."
"Through a survey of the houses and villages in the city, I roughly concluded that the population of Viscount Wenlani has decreased by one-third in the past ten years, and ten years ago was exactly when you took office."
"If Miss Gweil has any doubts, I can provide you with more detailed evidence and witnesses."
"Is this true?" Although she knew that the butler was unreliable, Gweil was still surprised by the huge crime behind it.
"No, no, this is a false accusation, it's prejudice, it's... it's wrong." The butler said as he backed away, knocking over the standing clothes rack behind him.
"I'm just following the Viscount's orders. Sometimes I have no choice, otherwise where would the money come from?"
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