At the beginning, I became a county magistrate with greed of 500 million. The empress asked me to be

Jiangning Tongzhi?

Fifth rank official?

Xia Yun raised his eyebrows.

In a province as large as Jianghuai, there are at least as many official positions higher than the fifth rank as there are on both hands.

Especially Jiangning, as the capital of Jianghuai Province.

Many senior officials, including governors, provincial governors, and provincial governors, are stationed here.

Today he was sent by the Empress herself to come to Jiangning to take up the post of fourth-rank prefect.

According to the usual practice, at least the governor should come to receive him.

However, among the officials who came to greet him, the highest-ranking one was only a fifth-rank official.

interesting!

Before entering the city, Xia Yun had already felt the hostility from the Jianghuai provincial officialdom.

At this time, Xia Yun also noticed that behind the officials from Jianghuai Province, there was a group of luxuriously dressed gentry.

It is obvious that the group of people in front of Xia Yun at this moment are typical aristocratic gentry!

"Which one is Lord Xia?"

Seeing that the team in front of him did not move, Xiao Haiyang spoke loudly again.

"My master is right here, why don't you come and greet him!"

Jiang Wenzhong saw that Xia Yun was unhappy and did not tolerate the officials from Jianghuai Province at all, so he opened his mouth and scolded them.

Everyone present showed displeasure on their faces after Jiang Wenzhong yelled at them.

"What a wicked slave! How dare you look down upon the officials of Jianghuai Province? Sooner or later, I will teach you a lesson!"

"Humph, all the savages from the remote countryside are like this. I guess Xia Yun is not a gentleman after all."

"Does he think this is a barren place like Dai County? In Jiangning, it would only take a word for us to kill him!"

The officials were secretly thinking that Jiang Wen had already been sentenced to death.

"I am the fifth-rank deputy governor of Jiangning, your Excellency's deputy. I respectfully welcome you to dismount. A welcoming banquet has been prepared for you in the city."

Xiao Haiyang did not look unhappy like others, and his face was still full of smiles.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yun couldn't help but look at Xiao Haiyang twice more.

However, Xia Yun had no intention of dismounting from beginning to end.

"drive!"

Xia Yun only shouted softly, urged his horse forward, and walked towards the city gate step by step.

The troops behind him also followed Xia Yun's example and rode into the Jiangning city gate.

These scenes made all the Jiangning officials feel that Xia Yun was arrogant and domineering.

After a while, the troops rode into the city one after another.

Wherever Xia Yun looked, all he saw was a desolate and bleak scene.

It no longer has the prosperity of the past.

"Sir Xiao, I have a lot of luggage and supplies. I wonder where the government office is now?"

Stopping the horse, Xia Yun turned around, glanced at Xiao Haiyang and asked.

"Don't worry, sir. The government office has already been cleaned. I will order someone to lead the way for your team."

"However, Jianghuai Province has been suffering from famine for a long time. For your visit today, our Jiangning officials have been preparing for a long time. I wonder if you would be willing to honor me with a banquet?"

Xiao Haiyang spoke one after another, paying attention to Xia Yun's reaction while speaking.

"In this case, how dare Xia let you down?"

Xia Yun thought for a moment and finally nodded.

Since he had come to Jiangning, even if the banquet was not good, he wanted to see what these guys were up to.

Xia Yun then gave Xu Wan'er a look.

Xu Wan'er understood what he meant.

Soon, led by a minor official, the entire team set off again and headed towards the prefectural government office.

Xia Yun headed towards the banquet alone, under the extremely respectful guidance of Xiao Haiyang.

Look at these Jiangning wealthy gentry, they are all dressed in silk and satin, and each of them is dressed in bright and beautiful clothes.

Compared with the dilapidated and desolate scene of Jiangning City, it is a completely different style of painting.

Not only that.

As everyone was on their way to the banquet, Xia Yun looked around and saw people on both sides starving and freezing.

Most of them were wearing thin clothes and were covered in dirt.

The old ones knelt on the ground, begging for food with broken bowls in their hands, while the young ones were naked and their cries could be heard everywhere.

Seeing this hell on earth, Xia Yun became angry again.

The saying "rich people enjoy wine and meat, while others freeze to death on the streets" is nothing more than this.

Xia Yun has made up his mind at this moment.

During this trip to Jiangning, he must give these Jiangning nobles and gentry an unforgettable memory!

"Master Xiao, how much of the disaster relief grain that was transported from the court is left now?"

Halfway through, Xia Yun suddenly asked a question.

From the moment he entered Jiangning City, his identity was already the fourth-rank prefect of Jiangning.

"To answer your question, sir, the relief grain originally allocated by the imperial court has been used up for several months, and only less than 100,000 dan are left."

Xiao Haiyang responded quickly.

"What is the current disaster situation in Jiangning City?"

Xia Yun asked again.

"In Jiangning City, there are currently 80,000 registered citizens left, with a population of about 200,000."

"Except for a few people who can still make a living, the rest of the people rely on disaster relief grain and rice. There are ten porridge stalls in the city, and porridge is cooked twice a day, morning and evening."

Xiao Haiyang described the current situation in Jiangning City like he knew everything about it.

Hearing this, Xia Yun shook his head.

If this is the case in Jiangning City, which has been prosperous since ancient times, the situation in other places in Jianghuai Province will be even worse.

While the two were talking, they had already arrived downstairs of Hongyan Tower.

Hongyan Tower is where the Jiangning officials held the banquet.

But compared to other places in Jiangning, Hongyan Tower looks more worldly.

Not only is the temple itself decorated magnificently, but the surrounding streets are also clean and tidy, with no famine victims to be seen.

At the gate of Hongyan Tower, there stood more than a dozen burly men, who were obviously guards specifically for guarding the house.

"Boom!"

With the arrival of Xia Yun and others, a servant holding a gong immediately struck the gong.

"The new fourth-rank prefect of Jiangning, Lord Xia, has arrived!"

A sharp voice came from the servant's mouth, and immediately more than a dozen graceful women came out from Hongyan Tower.

Following closely behind was a middle-aged man wearing a silk gown and with a slightly plump figure.

"My Lords, I am Duan Dexing, the owner of Hongyanlou. I have prepared thirteen tables for banquets in Hongyanlou. I respectfully invite you all to take your seats!"

The middle-aged man was quite considerate. He bowed and knelt on one knee in front of the officials.

"Lead the way."

Xiao Haiyang nodded, and a group of officials and gentry, with Xia Yun as the center, entered the Hongyan Building.

At a glance, the Thirteen Chapter Banquet had already been set up in the restaurant.

There is a wide variety of dishes, with each table having twelve dishes and three soups, all of which are delicious and tasty.

"Sir, please take your seat."

Xiao Haiyang led Xia Yun to the chief seat, and the other officials and gentry sat down.

At this moment, Xia Yun counted them carefully in his heart.

There were about fifty wealthy people present. In his eyes, these were clearly fifty or so money bags.

Having served as an official in Dai County for three years, he had a clear understanding of the financial situation of these experienced gentry.

Even though it is a year of great disaster, any one of these wealthy people must have at least 700,000 or 800,000 taels of silver at home.

In just a few breaths, Xia Yun had made up his mind to start with these wealthy people.

When the wealthy people felt Xia Yun's gaze, they all felt a little uneasy.