Hu Xiaotian slowly extended his hand toward Zhou Batian, and the two clasped hands. Zhou Batian said quietly, "You must not breathe a word about my situation. I suspect someone in this county office is colluding with the mounted bandits of Heavenly Wolf Mountain."
Hu Xiaotian nodded. Zhou Batian took a wooden Tiger Tally from his waist and whispered, "Find Jia Liu and show him this Tiger Tally. Then you'll understand everything."
News that Hu Xiaotian would oversee the repair of Azure Cloud Bridge spread through every street and alley almost overnight. Along with it came word of the impending donation levy: five taels of silver from every household. That was nothing to wealthy families, but for poor ones, it meant being forced to smash their cooking pots and sell the scrap iron. Saying it could ruin them entirely was no exaggeration. Hu Xiaotian had already noticed something amiss in the way people looked at him, but in this world, the person concerned was often the last to know. Only when Su Guangju asked whether the story was true did he understand why so many ordinary people in Azure Cloud had suddenly begun regarding him with hostility.
Hu Xiaotian's first reaction was that Xu Qinglian had played him. That son of a bitch had dumped this thankless task on his head and spread word that the donation scheme had been his idea. Hearing that they would have to give up their money, the people of Azure Cloud naturally had little affection for their newly appointed County Deputy.
Su Guangju asked, "My lord, is this donation business true?"
Hu Xiaotian shook his head. "Why haven't I heard anything about it?"
Su Guangju said, "Lord Hu, everyone in the streets and alleys is talking about it. They say you're overseeing the repairs