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

Shen Qingge smiled and raised her hand to decline:

“You really don’t have to be so polite. Our donations are all for the purpose of enabling ordinary people to live a better life.

We have a lot of things like this over there!"

After saying that, she smiled again, and that smile was as warm and gentle as the spring sun.

County Magistrate Liu had no choice but to accept it shyly and said:

"Thank you very much, Madam... I will respectfully obey your command!

However, speaking of taxation, what are your thoughts on this?"

Shen Qingge still smiled calmly, but her eyes turned meaningfully to Xiao Heng beside her.

She turned slightly to the side and said slowly to County Magistrate Liu:

"Look, this person next to me has a very close relationship with the King of Lingnan, who just became your vassal. They are close friends!

If he could speak well of your county in front of the King of Lingnan after returning, perhaps this matter could actually turn around!"

Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Liu was overjoyed and secretly amazed.

He had always felt that this group of people had outstanding temperament and were extraordinary, and now it seemed that they were indeed people of great background.

Thinking of this, County Magistrate Liu hurriedly bowed again and thanked Shen Qingge and Xiao Heng again and again.

At this time, County Magistrate Liu seemed to have completely opened up and began to discuss various strategies for governing the county with the two of them.

Just as the discussion was heated, Shen Qingge suddenly had an idea and quickly reminded County Magistrate Liu:

"Liu County Magistrate, as the saying goes, live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water.

In my opinion, why don’t we consider learning the technology of making sea salt?

If we can achieve some success and report this to the King of Lingnan, then the local people will have a stable source of livelihood from now on!"

When County Magistrate Liu heard this, it was as if he had suddenly realized the truth. He was so excited that he couldn't express it in words, and he praised this proposal repeatedly as a brilliant one.

In this way, the three of them became more and more interested in each other, and before they knew it, they had been talking until the middle of the night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the morning light shone through the thin clouds, casting a few rays of light.

Xiao Heng, Shen Qingge and their group packed their bags and prepared to move on.

Even though County Magistrate Liu tried to persuade them to stay again and again with earnest words, he was ultimately unable to change their decision.

Before leaving, Xiao Heng invited County Magistrate Liu to the side, took out a warm jade pendant from his bosom, handed it to him solemnly, and whispered:

"Please keep this jade pendant. Just focus on governing this county with peace of mind. I believe that with your talents, you will achieve great things in the future. I hope we will meet again!"

After saying that, Xiao Heng said goodbye gently and turned back to the team.

Afterwards, the group spurred their horses and gradually disappeared at the end of the road.

County Magistrate Liu stood quietly where he was, his eyes following their retreating figures, unwilling to move.

Time flowed slowly, and after a long time, County Magistrate Liu was still standing there, seemingly still immersed in the atmosphere of farewell.

It was not until a cold wind blew past and ruffled the hair on his forehead that he slowly came back to his senses.

County Magistrate Liu looked down at the jade pendant tightly held in his hand, then carefully picked it up and examined it.

The texture of this jade pendant is crystal clear, as delicate and smooth as mutton-fat white jade; its style is even more unique and extraordinary, like a small and exquisite tripod, with smooth and natural lines and exquisite craftsmanship.

What is even more eye-catching is that the jade pendant is carved with exquisite python patterns, which are lifelike.

Python pattern?!

In the whole world, apart from the prince, who else in the whole world dares to use the python pattern?

When County Magistrate Liu thought of this, his heart suddenly shook and he suddenly realized it.

His face was filled with astonishment, and he couldn't help but shout out:

"Could it be that... the people we met yesterday were the newly enfeoffed Prince of Lingnan and his princess?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Aunt Wu and the other people beside him were all in an uproar.

Everyone looked at each other, with expressions of disbelief on their faces.

After a brief silence, no one knew who took the lead, but everyone knelt on their knees in the direction where Xiao Heng and his group left, and kowtowed devoutly.

For a moment, the sound of kowtows echoed one after another in this peaceful land, full of deep respect and blessings for Xiao Heng and his group.

……

The border patrol team marched along the coastline, raising clouds of dust.

The only official road they were traveling on was so rough and bumpy that it was unbearable.

Cang Yu and the others couldn't help but sigh while riding their horses:

"Lingnan's financial situation is really tight. Even the official roads have become like this!"

However, such bad road conditions did not affect the conversation between the two people in the carriage at all.

In order to avoid arousing suspicion from others and to better conceal their tracks, Shen Qingge and Xiao Heng sat in the same carriage from the beginning of the border patrol.

At this time, Shen Qingge was talking seriously and eloquently about her personal views on the affairs of Puhai County.

I only heard her say with a firm tone:

"I believe that what happened in Puhai County is not an isolated case. If a large county like this existed just over ten years ago, the situation in other smaller counties must be even worse!"

Xiao Heng nodded, agreeing with Shen Qingge's point of view, and continued her words:

"Yes, I think so too. This incident has exposed at least two difficult problems that need to be solved urgently.

First, officials in Nanhai County neglected their duties and committed negligence, which led to the county annals not being updated for ten years.

Secondly, corruption certainly exists among officials from top to bottom, but whether it is serious or not is still unknown!

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingge paused slightly, and as his eyes moved, he glanced at Xiao Heng.

After a brief pause, she slowly said:

"There is one thing I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

Xiao Heng smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone:

"You can tell me what I am talking about. Tell me what I am talking about."

So, Shen Qingge continued:

"When I first arrived in Nanhai County, I heard rumors that corruption was rampant in the city, from high-ranking officials to petty clerks.

Moreover, a wide range of people are involved. I am afraid that except for County Magistrate Zhang, none of the well-known officials in the county can stay out of it and keep themselves out of it.

As for the county magistrate Zhang, in my opinion, even if he was not directly involved in it, he might not be as honest and upright as he appears to be.

Maybe he was afraid of being implicated and didn't dare to take any action, or he hid himself too deeply, making it difficult for people to detect any clues for a while.

However, these are just rumors after all, and not based on my personal investigations, so I can't give a 100% definitive conclusion on the authenticity of this matter for now!"