The door of the west warehouse creaked open, and dust quickly drifted away.
Unlike the dilapidated exterior, the interior of the warehouse is surprisingly well-organized.
Bags of wheat and barley were neatly stacked, each pile marked with a number.
Measuring tools and sample containers are placed in the corners, and there are even bundles of insect-repellent herbs hanging from the ceiling, emitting a faint fragrance.
The warehouse clerk was stunned when he saw this.
After all, the warehouse didn't look like this the last time he came here.
Obviously, a batch of food has been urgently allocated to the West District warehouse to fill it. Although the quantity is less than what is recorded in the books, at least there will not be the embarrassing scene of empty shelves.
"Look, this is our main storage area."
The clerk tried to make his voice sound natural.
"...we store them according to type and quality. Over here is the finest wheat, used mainly for making fine bread, and over there is the common barley, suitable for brewing beer and feeding livestock."
Remheb silently inspected the interior of the warehouse, only responding occasionally, while the accompanying guards recorded everything they saw and heard in detail.
The city lord followed behind, and although he still managed to maintain a decent smile on his face, cold sweat had already soaked his underwear.
The granary manager kept wiping beads of sweat from his forehead, and from time to time he glanced at the warehouse clerk with anxious eyes.
Obviously, that was secretly urging him not to make any mistakes.
When the inspection was halfway through, an adjutant hurried over and whispered something in the city lord's ear.
The city lord nodded and left the warehouse first, using the excuse of handling urgent official business. However, the glance he cast at the warehouse clerk before leaving was full of threats and warnings.
"Let's check the amount."
The clerk stepped forward and tried to concentrate on comparing the account book with the actual inventory.
The numbers did match, of course, this was the result of careful planning, the figures in the ledger were filled in reverse based on the existing inventory, just to deal with Remheb.
“The accounts are clear and the records are detailed.”
Remheb commented, and it was hard to tell whether it was praise or criticism from the tone of his voice.
However, Remheb has noticed that these numbers are too regular.
The inventory in and out volumes are almost exactly the same every month, and the loss rate is accurate to two decimal places.
Remheb closed the account book nonchalantly: "Management standards are a good thing."
"However, I'm more curious about where all this food goes. Could you please explain your process in detail?"
The clerk breathed a sigh of relief and pretended to be calm: "Of course."
"Every month we will formulate a distribution plan based on the population statistics of each district, giving priority to protecting basic people's livelihood."
"Rich districts will pay the full fee, while poorer districts will receive a partial subsidy from the city lord..."
He talked incessantly about the fictitious distribution mechanism, but Remheb's eyes were always fixed on his face, as if he wanted to see through his soul.
"Oh? But I noticed here, you see, the account book shows that a fixed amount of grain is marked as 'reserved' every month. What is this for?"
Of course, the so-called "reservation" was actually a cover for the city lord and his cronies to embezzle grain. Some of it was sold privately for profit, and some flowed into their private warehouses.
"That's...that's food reserved for emergencies, such as emergency relief during epidemics or natural disasters!"
The clerk answered haltingly.
Remheb continued, "I see."
"So, how is this reserved food managed and used? Are there detailed distribution records?"
The clerk stammered, "Yes, yes! But that part of the record is specifically recorded by the general manager's people!"
Remheb raised an eyebrow, but did not ask further questions and changed the subject.
After the inspection, the city lord and his men hurried back to the temporary residence.
He had a gloomy face, said nothing, and just kept pacing.
Finally, it was the granary manager who couldn't help but break the silence.
"My Lord City Lord, I think he was quite satisfied. Although he asked some tricky questions, he didn't find anything substantial."
The city lord waved his hand irritably.
"No, he wouldn't be fooled that easily. Didn't you see the look on his face when he looked at those account books?"
"He saw immediately that there was something wrong with the numbers, but he just didn't expose it on the spot."
So the steward simply asked, "Sir, what should we do now?"
The city lord narrowed his eyes at this time.
"That warehouse clerk is suspicious. He acted too nervous when facing Remheb today. I'm worried that he might have leaked something."
The steward swallowed his saliva: "So what you mean is..."
The city lord's expression immediately turned grim: "He knows too much."
"Since we can't confirm whether he is reliable, let's just get rid of him."
"To prevent any more trouble."
Everyone nodded in agreement, but one of them still had concerns: "However, Remheb is still in the city. If something happens to the warehouse clerk at this time, it will easily arouse suspicion."
The city lord pondered for a moment, then continued, "You are right."
"After Remheb leaves, we'll find a chance to get rid of him and replace him with someone we can trust."
"Remember, from now on, the people who manage the warehouse must be people we trust."
"If we hadn't been prepared in advance this time, we would have been exposed."
The plan was thus decided.
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