It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

Ahem...

Zhang Zhubu put his hand to his lips and coughed awkwardly twice, then said with a straight face, "Nonsense! How can I ask you to advance the money?"

The clerk in charge of the accounts said, "Zhang Zhubu, what should we do about this? The county government can't allocate money or grain right now!"

Zhang Zhubu is mainly responsible for money and grain. How could he not know the situation in the county government?

He said with a cold face: "When encountering problems, do you just know to let adults take the blame? Can't you think of a solution on your own?"

Everyone blushed at what Zhang Zhubu said, and some even lowered their heads.

The atmosphere suddenly became quite solemn.

Zhou Yu sat at the top and still didn't express his opinion, and his emotions were undetectable.

Just as Zhang Zhubu said, this is the political affair of Qishui County and the matter of the entire yamen.

It is not like when he first came, when there was not even a shortage of staff to do the work.

At that time, in order to get the yamen up and running as quickly as possible, he did advance the salaries of the servants.

But he also doesn't have to do everything himself.

If he makes them dependent on him, who will they rely on after he leaves office?

Sure enough, sometimes people just need to be pushed.

After a long silence, another clerk finally said, "Sir, why don't we first set a wage for picking tea and let the people pick it first? After the tea is sold, we will pay it to the people according to the current record."

Someone asked hesitantly, "Is this...can this work?"

The clerk said, "If we can sell this tea, the county government will have money, right? With the county government backing it up, why wouldn't it work?"

When everyone thought about it, they all felt that it made a lot of sense.

Everyone turned their attention to the two most powerful people present, and no one dared to ask the county magistrate.

They all turned to Zhang Zhubu, "Zhang Zhubu, do you think this method can work?"

Zhang Zhubu hesitated for a moment and said, "This method sounds reasonable, but I still have two concerns."

"Although this is being handled by our county government, the people will have some concerns if they can't see any cash."

"Whether there will be a positive response in the future, it's hard to say for now."

"Besides, what worries me most is the assumptions we just made. They are all based on the premise that this tea can be sold."

"But there are pros and cons to doing business. What if the goods can't be sold, or the price they sell for is far from enough to pay the people's wages?"

"So I think we can contact some merchants first to see if they have any intention to purchase. If we can set a certain amount in advance, that would be great!"

Then he suddenly thought of something and bowed to Zhou Yu who was sitting at the top.

"This new tea has a fresh aroma and a mellow taste after brewing. It is truly a rare good tea. However, even the best tea will be hard to find if it is not well known. I hope you can recommend it to some dignitaries."

He chuckled twice, "This is a good thing that will also benefit the people in our county!"

Different from the previous proposal of asking Zhou Yu to advance the money, this time Zhang Zhubu proposed to promote the local specialties without any psychological burden.

Who says he has a background?

Wouldn't it be more convenient for someone like you to just give a call than for them to go out and look for buyers?

The chief clerk is still very shrewd.

Everyone in his family looked at Zhou Yu, who was sitting at the top and watching their discussion, with starry eyes.

Zhou Yu was quite satisfied with everyone's performance. He slowly put down the teacup in his hand.

Finally, he spoke, "I'll have Liangtian go to Fuyunlai to reserve two tables. After Zhang Zhubu finishes his work here, he'll go to the inn in the city to contact some merchants from other places and invite you all to dinner. Let's test the water with this tea first."

When everyone saw that Zhou Yu agreed to this method, they all looked happy, and Zhang Zhubu agreed again and again.

"Also, when the villagers arrive tomorrow, we need to do thorough research and statistics. For example, how many villages within our jurisdiction have this medicinal herb? How many kilograms of leaves are needed to make one kilogram of tea? And how much can a villager pick per day? Finally, we need to determine the labor price."

"At the very least, we need to calculate clearly and settle the wages paid to the people every day, so that we can have a clear idea of the situation."

Zhang Zhubu suggested at the right moment, "Sir, I suggest that all the village chiefs or clan leaders be summoned to listen."

"Firstly, this involves the practical interests of each village. Secondly, the village head cannot be familiar with whether this medicinal herb grows in the mountains everywhere."

"If we can get this matter across at once, we can avoid unnecessary disputes."

Zhou Yu agreed with Zhang Zhubu's statement and immediately sent someone to inform Guo Xianwei.

After the officials discussed many details in the county government office, Zhou Yu let them leave.

After everyone left, Zhou Yu called Zhang Zhubu over.

"I have one more thing to tell you."

"These medicine merchants from the south must have paid taxes on their goods when they entered the city. The tax officials should be well aware of the prices of these medicines. Go and calculate the prices."

"Secretly send someone to various pharmacies in the city to buy a copy of the medicine on this list. Be sure to inquire clearly about the price."

"I heard that the clinic is charging exorbitant prices for these herbs from the south. If that's true, they should be punished, and we'll have to work out a price later."

"I will never allow anyone in my jurisdiction to use life-saving medicine to make money and harm the interests of the people."

"Yes, I will get started right away!"

At this moment, Zhang Zhubu felt full of energy.

He was born in a poor family and was frivolous when he was young. When he reached middle age, the world was in chaos. After his father passed away, he directly inherited the position of chief clerk of Qishui County.

I have seen and experienced too many ups and downs when I was young, and now I am old, I feel even more deeply about the difficulties of life for ordinary people.

Now, he has reached the age of knowing the destiny and will not be able to do any practical work for a few more years!

At this age, God can send someone who shares the same political ideas as him to work hand in hand with him to seek the welfare of the people.

How could he not be excited and happy?

Zhou Yu had no idea what Zhang Zhubu was thinking. After everyone left, he called Liang Tian over and asked, "How much money do you have now?"

Liangtian subconsciously wanted to cover his purse, but he met the young master's unyielding gaze.

In the end, he still said honestly: "Master, there are less than three strings of money left!"

Liangtian felt like crying. When they came to Qishui County, the young master took out one thousand taels of silver.

All the money was spent within a month, and he even borrowed five hundred taels from the shop.

The money owed to the shop has not been repaid yet.

If it weren’t for the lady’s cleverness in ordering people to come to the county early to make arrangements, who knows how miserable their young master would have been!

Zhou Yu pretended not to notice his servant's bitter face and ordered, "Ask Miss Song how much her Forsythia tea costs per jin tomorrow. If you have enough money, buy her 20 jin of tea. I have a use for it!"