"Who says otherwise? But in my opinion, he deserved to be beaten. Instead of running his business properly, he had to get involved in these big bosses' schemes."
As it turned out, the other person closed their shop for two days, found someone to mediate, and was able to open for business as soon as they paid the money. I think he'll have a hard time!
"I don't think this time will be so easy. What happened at Jinxi Restaurant before? How come they managed to kick out a chef for no reason?"
"Oh! Right, it's because Gao Li said Tianxianglou learned his skills, but it turned out to be nothing!"
The group was talking animatedly, and Song Liyun frowned slightly as she listened.
The simultaneous closure of several restaurants is a large-scale operation that Jiang Feng is not capable of.
That guy is used to using underhanded tricks; he wouldn't make such a big fuss.
Song Liyun's appearance caused a stir in the crowd, with many people looking at her and whispering among themselves.
Song Liyun remained calm and composed, as if she had not seen Huang Changsheng, who was being led out of the restaurant and arguing with the county magistrate, and simply walked across the long street on her own.
Upon arriving at Tianxiang Tower, Song Liyun's previously composed demeanor immediately crumbled.
She ignored Sun Wencheng, who was excitedly trying to report the news to her, and hurriedly found Lin Tao and Zhou Xiang, who were checking various vegetables in the warehouse.
"Brother Lin, what happened at Jinxi Tower and Zuichun Tower? Why are the authorities shutting them down? Don't let this cause us trouble!"
With a smile on his face, Lin Tao slowly and methodically counted the fresh mutton and registered it.
Zhou Xiang scoffed, "The sealing of Jinxi Tower has nothing to do with us."
It was only after the magistrate of Jiang County discovered that they had never paid taxes over the years.
In particular, Shen Leyan, as the head of the culinary guild, led the way in tax evasion, severely impacting the catering and grain and oil market in Qili County. They were required to pay all taxes owed over the past six years within half a month before they could reopen.
tax evasion?
Song Liyun couldn't help but chuckle. She believed that Shen Leyan and the others had paid taxes, and quite a lot of them at that.
Previously, Qili County had no magistrate, so all official documents were a mess. Tax collectors would embezzle the money they received, and who knows what would be recorded in the ledgers.
Fortunately, Magistrate Jiang was able to dig up records from many years ago and sort out the messy accounts.
Since it's the government dealing with old issues, it has nothing to do with me.
Song Liyun put these matters out of her mind and began helping Lin Tao organize the supplies.
If you were to ask which restaurant in Qili County has the most mutton or beef, the answer would undoubtedly be Tianxianglou.
The store has opened a special window to address the issue of selling mutton.
Song Liyun then went to Wan Chun's leather goods shop and handed the backpack blueprints to Manager Wan.
Manager Wan knew this was his family's treasure. He found an exquisite wooden box to put it in, then took out a copper key and said to Song Liyun, "The head steward has already found the house you want to rent. It's the third house in the fourth alley of the west side of East Street in the prefectural city."
The main house has a side courtyard with two main rooms and three side rooms, with a side gate for separate entry and exit.
There's already furniture in the courtyard; if the girl only stops here occasionally, there's no need to buy anything else.
In fact, the Wan family had shops and a large mansion in the prefectural city, where Wan family members lived. Steward Wan would always stay there to rest.
Knowing that Song Liyun was going, Steward Wan specially prepared a courtyard for her and arranged for two maids.
But Song Liyun wanted to rent a place.
Facing the puzzled manager of Wanshan, Song Liyun put the key into her bag and said with a smile, "I will be staying in the prefectural city for a night often in the future, so I can't keep bothering the Wan family."
Wan Shan was not entirely unaware of the clan's thoughts.
The head steward had previously considered marrying Song Liyun into the Wan family, but the head of the household did not agree, and the head steward also did not agree to marry the eldest son of the eldest branch, who was considered the most suitable for marriage, so the matter was not brought up.
Now that Song Liyun has established a connection with the Di tribe, she naturally won't force anyone to stay at the Wan family's place.
Song Liyun then asked Manager Wan when a convoy would depart from the county town to the prefectural city. Only after confirming the time did she return to Tianxiang Tower.
The doctor had arranged to pick her up on the eighth day of the month, but Song Liyun wanted to arrive two days earlier.
Renting a place wasn't just for convenience; she also had other things to take care of.
Jiangfeng is a government agency, and this tax inspection can be said to have directly hit Shen Leyan and his group where it hurts.
Not only do they need to make up for the six years of tax payments, but they will also be subject to double the penalty.
That evening, Shen Leyan and a few others gathered together again. He Dong, his face bruised and purple, huddled in a corner, rubbing his cheek.
There was one unfamiliar face among the group today.
It was only early winter, yet this man was dressed in a fur coat and carrying a hand warmer.
He already knew from Huang Changsheng that these people were worried about paying taxes for several years, and now seeing their helpless appearance, his eyes immediately showed disdain.
No wonder he's a cook by trade; he only knows the mundane stuff of cooking, and at his age, all he can do is run a restaurant. And when it comes down to it, he's still fighting amongst himself.
The magistrate of Qili County wanted to investigate taxes from several years ago. This was not about tax revenue; it was clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult.
After paying the taxes, there will definitely be other things waiting for you, and you'll have to bow your head and admit your mistakes to get through this difficult time.
After finishing a cup of tea, none of the people in the room offered a solution. Huang Changsheng turned to the man in the fur coat and said, "Young Master, you are knowledgeable and experienced. Could you give me an idea?"
Shen Leyan, his face ashen, echoed, "Please, Young Master Lin, lend me your assistance. I will be eternally grateful and will repay you with a great gift."
Now he not only loses his position as head of the culinary guild, but also has to spend a lot of money.
The tax revenue of Jinxi Tower over the past six years is 350 taels of silver. The government wants to double the penalty, bringing the total penalty to 1,000 taels of silver.
Even if he were the owner of a restaurant, such a large sum of money would be a painful loss for him.
Moreover, he had already gotten word from a few minor officials with whom he had a fairly good relationship that he was only just getting started.
It's just the beginning. The common people can't fight against the officials. Who knows what else awaits them?
Now that the young master Lin from the prefectural city has connections with the prefectural government, we can only ask him for help.
Looking at the crowd bowing and kneeling before him, Young Master Lin couldn't help but feel smug.
But he had already known during his time in the prefectural city that Magistrate Jiang of Qili County was no ordinary minor official.
He condescended to take up the post with the rank of a sixth-grade official. Once his three-year term is over, he will surely be promoted to the fifth grade and become a prefect. That's someone even his own father would have to fawn over.
I've sown the seeds of disaster for a few cooks... Impossible!
Young Master Lin picked up his tea, took a leisurely sip, and then spoke: "Esteemed guests, although I have had occasional contact with the Prefect, I have come to Qili County today only to find my good-for-nothing brother, and have no intention of getting involved in your mundane affairs."
He didn't come to Qili County for the trivial matters of Jinxi Tower, but only because his half-brother Lin Qingyuan had come to Qili County in the summer under the pretext of avoiding the war.
She was waiting for him to go back and get the money to buy a jewelry shop, but after several months he still hadn't returned. She sent someone to look for him, but they said they couldn't find him, so she came here in person.
Hearing Young Master Lin's refusal, Shen Leyan couldn't sit still any longer: "I've heard that Young Master Lin has an extraordinary relationship with the Prefect. If you could make an exception..."
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