Before the house is confiscated, the enemy's warehouse is emptied and exiled

The magistrate of Liu County was dressed like a scholar. He had a handsome face and a pair of clear and bright eyes, but his hair was messy and he looked tired.

Although the cotton coat he was wearing was worn, it was clean and tidy, wrapping up his thin body.

Such a weak image actually reduced the anger in Xiao Heng's heart a little, and his attitude towards County Magistrate Liu also softened a little.

However, despite this, Xiao Heng still had doubts about County Magistrate Liu's ability to govern the county.

At this moment, the old people who came with them enthusiastically introduced Xiao Heng and his companions to County Magistrate Liu.

After hearing this, County Magistrate Liu raised his eyes slightly and looked up and down at Xiao Heng and the others carefully.

In an instant, his heart was shocked. He felt that these people had extraordinary temperament and behaved in an extraordinary manner. They were definitely not comparable to ordinary wealthy businessmen.

Thinking of this, County Magistrate Liu did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. He quickly stepped forward, bowed politely and said:

"I never expected such a distinguished guest to come from such a distant place. I am truly sorry for not welcoming you.

It is getting late now, and I guess you, the distinguished guests, have not yet had your meal or found a place to stay.

If you don't mind my humble abode, please come and rest at my house!"

Xiao Heng did not refuse after hearing this. On the one hand, it was indeed getting late and they had to find a place to stay. On the other hand, he really wanted to meet County Magistrate Liu and see how he governed the county.

So, the group started walking back.

Not long after, they arrived at the residence of County Magistrate Liu.

This mansion looks rather shabby, far from the standard of a county magistrate's residence.

However, it is the only house in the entire county with a tiled roof, and it also has a small but fairly neat courtyard.

It was already evening, the sun was setting, and the afterglow was casting its rays across the courtyard.

County Magistrate Liu warmly invited everyone to sit down, personally brewed tea, and instructed Aunt Wu, the only old lady in the family responsible for taking care of daily life, to quickly prepare the meal.

Soon, a dinner that could not be simpler was presented to everyone: bowls of bean rice and several plates of cold wild vegetables.

The rice grains in the bean rice were pitifully few, almost to the point of being countable, and it was half-cooked, had a fishy smell, and was not soft and tender.

As for the mussels that County Magistrate Liu had picked up earlier, they were not placed on the table for Xiao Heng and others to enjoy.

According to County Magistrate Liu, he was worried that these seafood would make the guests sick.

But Xiao Heng insisted on trying this seafood.

Seeing this, although County Magistrate Liu still had some concerns in his heart, he could not persuade Xiao Heng after all, so he had to let Aunt Wu boil the mussels in water and bring them up to share with everyone.

When these mussels are cooked, they open their mouths, revealing the tender red meat inside.

Seeing this, Cangyu took the lead and picked up one and took a bite.

Surprisingly, the fishy smell of the mussels was reduced a lot after being boiled, and they even had a hint of sweetness, making them completely edible.

After confirming that it tasted good, Cangyu picked up one and handed it to Xiao Heng, asking him to taste it.

Xiao Heng commented unconsciously while eating:

"You should take the meat and mix it with the sweet and sour sauce. It will taste more tender and smooth, and melt in your mouth!"

But after he said this, he immediately felt that he had said the wrong thing. Judging from the current situation, how could County Magistrate Liu have such precious food at home?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but be slightly startled, but soon recovered his composure, pretended to smile lightly, and continued:

"Haha, but, using local ingredients like this and living by the sea does have its own unique flavor!"

After saying this, in order to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere, Xiao Heng simply stopped talking and concentrated on eating three or four mussels in a row.

Xiao Heng's actions really surprised County Magistrate Liu, and he quickly tried to dissuade him:

"Oh, my dear guest, please don't eat too much!

These mussels are usually used to feed poultry. If you eat too many, you may get stomachache.

Those of us who live by the sea know this. It's actually a bit poisonous, and unless we're forced to, and our food is scarce, we usually won't eat it."

Shen Qingge, who had been sitting quietly beside him, heard this and quickly reached out to take the mussels from Xiao Heng's hand before he put them into his mouth, and said:

"Thank you, Master Liu, for your kind reminder. It's true that my husband is too greedy.

By the way, I've heard that Puhai County is a large county in Nanhai Commandery. I wonder why it has ended up in such a predicament now?"

And from Mr. Liu's accent, he doesn't sound like a local, right?"

County Magistrate Liu smiled faintly and said slowly:

"To be honest, I'm not from here. My hometown is a small county town not too far from the capital.

Back then, I studied very hard for several years and luckily passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. After that, I was assigned by the imperial court to serve as an official in this place.

If I count carefully, it has been five years.”

Xiao Heng was stunned and thought:

According to common sense, a person with a dignified Jinshi background should be able to stay in the capital and find a good job. How could he be exiled to such a cold and miserable place to work?

Moreover, since this place is not his hometown, it must be that this person has no powerful backers to help him in the court!

However, despite thinking this in his heart, he remained calm on the surface and then asked:

"According to what County Magistrate Liu said, could it be that you are feeling somewhat frustrated about being assigned here as an official?"

County Magistrate Liu immediately understood the doubt hidden in Xiao Heng's words and quickly explained by waving his hands:

"Please don't misunderstand me, my dear guest. I have absolutely no such intention! It's just that as the chief official of this county, I feel that I still have many shortcomings.

So far, it has not been able to fill the stomachs of the people in the county, let alone anything else!

Whenever I think about this, I feel so guilty and heartbroken!"

After saying that, he pounded his thighs hard several times, his face full of regret and self-blame.

Aunt Wu, who was standing by, saw this and quickly spoke to comfort her:

"Master Liu, please don't say that! You have already done your best to treat us ordinary people!

We all know what's going on, and no one will blame you!"

After saying this, Aunt Wu paused for a moment, then continued to speak to Xiao Heng and the other guests with a look of emotion on her face:

“My dear guests, you may not know that our County Magistrate Liu has been working tirelessly to travel back and forth between the county seat and the prefecture seat, constantly requesting the prefect to lower taxes in order to allow us ordinary people to live a better life.

But every time he went there with hope, he returned with disappointment, but he never gave up trying.

Also, in order to repair the bumpy roads in our county, County Magistrate Liu was so busy that he couldn't close his eyes for many days!

And when there was a shortage of silver, he paid out of his own pocket, using his already meager salary to fill the gap..."