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Chapter 31 Shackles
"That's not necessary." After the chief clerk's enthusiastic statement, Lu Qing said coldly, "My people are already investigating this matter. If the Qingshui County Court interferes and something goes wrong, who will be held responsible?"

The chief clerk was met with dismay and dared not say a word. He could only nod in agreement.

"County Magistrate," Lu Qing turned his gaze to the county magistrate next to him who was also trembling with fear and nervousness, "bring us the tax books and account books of Qingshui County over the years."

"Yes! I will take people to get it right away!" The county magistrate agreed quickly and called a few people to leave with him.

Zhu Yu and Fu Wen stood behind Lu Qing, one on each side, the whole time. At this moment, they could clearly see the reactions of everyone inside and outside the door.

Some people looked panicked and afraid of this legendary mysterious censor, and they would steal glances at him from time to time. However, he was wearing a golden mask, so they couldn't see his face at all and couldn't glimpse anything.

Some people seemed to be much more open and at least not so timid, especially after Li Youcai was taken away, their backs even straightened a lot.

There was a tall, thin, dark-faced man in the crowd. Although his eyelids were drooping, his nostrils twitched when he heard the censor instruct the county magistrate to get the account books.

He probably wanted to hide his emotions, but he couldn't help it and reacted with disdain.

After a while, the county magistrate came back with his men, each holding a thick stack of account books in his arms, which he carefully placed on the desk in front of Lu Qing.

Lu Qing looked through them one by one, and Zhu Yu could also glimpse the contents of the account books from over his shoulder. She didn't understand taxes, but she could see that the account books were kept neatly and in good order.

"Your Qingshui County tax books are very detailed," Lu Qing put the finished account book back on the table and said to the county magistrate, "But why is the land tax collected getting less and less every year?"

"My Lord, the farmland in Qingshui County is barren. Although there are many arable fields, the crops grown there are rarely any good harvests. The crops grown by farmers are barely enough to feed their families. If we collect more land taxes, I'm afraid people will starve to death.

The current emperor governs the people with benevolence, so Lord Li reduced their land tax as much as possible a few years ago, striving to ensure that no one in Qingshui County would suffer from insufficient income due to excessive land tax.

But even so, it was only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution. Later, when they heard that growing flowers and making dyes was very profitable elsewhere, those farmers went to the south to grow flowers for a living in order to support their families.

Lord Li couldn't stop this...so the land tax became even more difficult to collect.

Although the land tax in Qingshui County is small, the officials record every penny carefully in the books, and Your Excellency can check it at will.

I have another request. If Your Excellency is here because the land tax in Qingshui County is not collected enough, I am willing to be punished. But please do not order an increase in taxes for the people of Qingshui County. It doesn't matter if I am punished, but the people cannot be taxed any more!
If the land tax is increased, I am afraid that those who are still willing to stay and farm will have to run away to find other ways to make a living. That will really shake the foundation of our Dajin nation!"

The county magistrate spoke very generously, and at the end he almost burst into tears. He simply prostrated himself on the ground and knocked his head on the ground, which was quite tragic.

Seeing this, the others also knelt down and kowtowed.

Zhu Yu glanced at the black-faced man again, only to see him kneeling down reluctantly and kowtow twice, his expression becoming even more conflicted.

Lu Qing silently watched the clerks in the hall knock their foreheads on the bluestone floor. After a while, he spoke up to stop them: "I am just inspecting the various places for the emperor, and checking the tax collection in the government offices is also following orders.

As officials of Qingshui County, you are able to sympathize with the people. This is a good thing. Your bodies and hair are given by your parents. Since you have done nothing wrong, there is no need to be like this. Stand up."

Everyone in the hall stood up.

Lu Qing continued, "I will remain in the county office today to review the accounts. You may proceed as usual. You do not need to pay any special attention to anything I have not instructed you to do."

The chief clerk was a smart man. When he heard this, he quickly asked others to clean up a room in the backyard for the censor to stay in. After a short while, everything was cleaned up and he respectfully invited the three people in.

The room cleared out in the backyard was spacious, fully furnished with everything from a bed and couch to a desk and small table. Piles of account books were brought in and placed beside the desk.

Among those who helped move the files was the black-faced man that Zhu Yu noticed. He looked reluctant and always secretly observed Lu Qing who was wearing a mask when the chief clerk was not paying attention.

About an incense stick's time passed before the servants from the county government came back, carrying lamps, cushions, fragrant tea, cakes and pastries, in short, everything imaginable. They said that it was the order of the chief clerk, as they were afraid that the censor would be thirsty or hungry while reviewing the files.

After delivering these things, Fu Wen drove all those people out, stood in the yard, and did not allow anyone to approach the room.

Lu Qing sat behind the desk, took off the gold mask on his face, put it beside him, and picked up an account book to look through. Looking up, he saw Zhu Yu had just taken off her leather mask, so he said to her, "There are some books on the shelf over there. You can use them to entertain yourself when you have nothing to do."

Zhu Yu flipped through it and found a travelogue. Although he was not very interested in it, it was better than nothing and was better than sitting there doing nothing.

She moved a chair opposite Lu Qing and sat down. She flipped through the book for a while, but couldn't concentrate. She raised her head and her eyes fell on Lu Qing's face, who was concentrating on flipping through the account book.

There are now two more dents on the originally smooth cheeks. Judging from the outline, it seems that they were pressed out by the uneven texture of the mask.

The slightly red and swollen dent on that handsome face looked so glaring.

Zhu Yu looked at the golden mask next to him.

He had told himself before that as an imperial censor, he was traveling around and doing things for the emperor, and this was something only the emperor and he knew.

Then Lu Qing is the elusive "Golden-faced Censor". No one knows what he looks like or what his private identity is. He is like a legendary god or ghost.

The Golden-faced Imperial Censor personally appointed by His Majesty...

I only obey the orders of the current emperor...

Supervise officials everywhere for the Emperor...

Wearing a golden mask is to prevent people from trying to win over or seek revenge...

It sounds like the highest honor and power, but when you think about it carefully, it makes Zhu Yu terrified.

The dignity of the "Golden-faced Censor" lies entirely in the golden judge's mask. As for whose face is under the mask, no one knows except the current emperor.

Then this person could be Lu Qing, or anyone else.

All this depends on the emperor's wishes.

There is no doubt that the emperor values ​​Lu Qing, and behind this trust is also a sense of trust.

However, this respect and trust were also put under a layer of defensive shackles.

The emperor needs Lu Qing to be his confidant and gives him unique power in the world, but there is an invisible thread behind all this, which is firmly grasped in the emperor's own hands and can be taken back at any time and anywhere.

What he wanted the outside world to fear was the heavy golden mask, not the living person Lu Qing behind the mask.

(End of this chapter)