Luo Ying was a handsome man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he was also very heroic and imposing. He was born into a noble family, was only twenty years old, and held a high position. It didn't make sense that such a handsome man would be abandoned by Tian Wan'er.
Could it be that Tian Wan'er likes the pretty boy type?
Xu Jing couldn't guarantee anything without having met Ye Changge. He could only say that Luo Ying didn't have the advantage of being first come, first served, so it was a shame that he lost the opportunity.
Luo Ying felt quite uncomfortable being stared at by Mr. Jiang. He coughed twice and asked, "What are you looking at, Mr. Jiang?"
"Nothing. General Luo, this matter of your family is making it very difficult for me to handle it."
Xu Jing spread his hands, helplessly asking the heavens. "You know it's hard for an honest official to judge family affairs, especially since General Luo comes from a prominent family. Even if I'm willing, I'm powerless."
Luo Ying sneered, "Master Jiang can even find ways to drive away the Jiannu, so I'm afraid the small matters in my mansion won't be difficult for you either."
"It's hard to say." Xu Jing shook his head, clearly indicating he wouldn't get involved in this scandal. "General Luo, think about it carefully. Within a few dozen miles, everyone knows your reputation. Who would risk such a huge risk to mess with you?"
Luo Ying thought about it carefully, and there really wasn't one. His name was known to not only the common people in Guandong, but even the young children of the Jiannu. His opponents were still in the capital, and there was no way they would come to this remote corner to snatch his woman, unless he was...
Luo Ying suddenly had an idea and said, "It's a beggar."
Xu Jing rolled his eyes. "General Luo, you're such a jokester! Do you think Mrs. Luo would be attracted to a slovenly man with sore hands?"
At least you have to consider the aesthetic taste of the servants. No normal person would choose a man of low status as their man.
Bai Shinian happened to return, and Xu Jing's eyes lit up when he saw him. "Shi Nian, you're finally here. Did you bring back the indenture?"
"Master, don't worry. Everything is here." Bai Shinian happily took out a stack of papers and placed them on the table. "Master, please take a good look."
"Okay, come and meet General Luo."
Bai Shinian then noticed Luo Ying sitting at the head of the table and hurriedly saluted. It was not his fault that he was blind, but he was so excited to see the master that he ignored Luo Ying. He did not expect that even the prominent Luo Ying would be ignored one day. Luo Ying touched his nose and said, "Master, please don't be polite. Master Jiang, you promised me..."
Don't talk nonsense, he didn't agree. Xu Jing was about to refuse when he was startled by Luo Ying's sinister smile. "General Luo, what are you talking about? What did I promise you?"
Unexpectedly, this corrupt official was so stubborn that he refused to take any advantage.
Luo Ying thought for a moment and said, "Master Jiang, do you know what I did this morning?"
"I'd like to hear more about it."
Luo Ying smiled and said, "I have wrapped Yelu Qi's head and given it to a personal attendant in the palace, asking him to take it to the capital."
As Xu Jing stared at him with confusion, Luo Ying added, "I have already submitted a memorial detailing all the assistance Lord Jiang has provided me. I believe His Majesty will be able to read about Lord Jiang's achievements in the memorial in two days."
Why say all this for no reason? Xu Jing always felt that Luo Ying had bad intentions.
As expected, Luo Ying's next sentence was, "If I wrote something I shouldn't have, please don't be offended, sir."
Threat! A naked threat!
Xu Jing rubbed his brows and smiled, but there was a hint of grit in his smile. "Unfortunately, I also sent a messenger to the capital. I don't know whether my letter or the general's arrived first."
Jiang Xuqing is indeed a cunning man from Beijing, and he is indeed very capable.
Luo Ying narrowed his eyes and said, "I do not wish to make an enemy of you, sir. I hope you can help me out through some backdoor. I will be deeply grateful. I believe you do not wish to see a situation where both sides suffer losses, right?"
Xu Jing saluted and smiled, saying, "I will only take care of the affairs of Muhe County. It is best for the general to handle his family affairs himself."
Luo Ying stepped forward and clamped Xu Jing's hand.
"General Luo, what are you doing?" Xu Jing smiled instead of getting angry, brushing his hand away. "You and I are not old friends, please don't be rude."
"Master Jiang really doesn't want to help?"
Xu Jing shook his head, shrugged, and relaxed. Seeing that Luo Ying was still unwilling to give up and continued to ask questions, Xu Jing sighed and said, "General, think carefully, how many people in the world dare to have the surname Ye?"
The founding emperor of the Great Yan State was surnamed Ye, and his descendants also took the surname Ye. In addition, Taizu also granted the surname Ye to several kings of other surnames, but unfortunately, they participated in rebellions and were suppressed long ago. Today, only descendants of the Ye family are surnamed Ye.
The current emperor is already over thirty years old, and his sons are not named according to seniority; only the sons of the royal family are named according to seniority. Could it be that Ye Changge is the son of a certain prince?
After knowing Ye Changge's identity, he could find Tian Wan'er's whereabouts by following the clues.
Luo Ying, after receiving Jiang Xuqing's guidance, suddenly realized something. In his excitement, he bowed deeply. Xu Jing quickly held Luo Ying's hands and said, "General Luo, this is unacceptable. I am only a seventh-rank official, unworthy of such a general's respect."
Luo Ying was filled with gratitude and began to express his thanks. "Thank you, Master Jiang, for your advice."
"Sure, sure." Xu Jing said with a forced smile, "I have some official business to attend to. Someone, show me around."
"No need for that. I will definitely reward you handsomely once I find my wife."
Luo Ying came and left in a hurry, leaving Bai Shinian dumbfounded. Before he could recover from his messy state, Lord Jiang grabbed his neck. "Shi Nian, Lord, I am so sad."
Bai Shinian pulled the corner of his mouth and said with a smile: "I really don't understand what you are talking about, sir."
"Oh, it's hard to put it into words."
After looking through the files for a whole day, I realized that the original owner really did nothing and left him with a mess.
The imperial court would set targets for each province every year. These included several aspects, with taxation being the most important, followed by farmland, population, crime (public security), land construction, and academic performance (how many scholars and juren were produced each year, which were the performance evaluation points for the county magistrate).
Xu Jing had just looked through the relevant information while working, and was surprised to find that the original owner had not achieved any of them.
The money for the national treasury was never collected, and nothing was accomplished. The only thing he did was bribe the local prefect. He believed that the prefect would turn a blind eye to it because the original owner knew the situation, but other than that, he didn't accomplish anything.
This won't do. There are less than two months left until the end of the year. If we don't achieve our goals, we'll definitely be severely criticized by the prefect.
Xu Jing was so worried that he couldn't sleep. He pulled Bai Shinian and said, "Shinian, quickly think of a way to deal with the prefect."
Bai Shinian was indeed the original owner's inner worm, always coming up with bad ideas. "Master, how about we increase the taxes so the land surveyors will tighten the ropes?"
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