April 20th.
At the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), a blue-canopied carriage without any insignia drove into Qingzhou Prefecture.
The horse's hooves moved lightly and steadily, making a clattering sound on the bluestone pavement.
"Sir, we've arrived at the government office."
A very faint "hmm" came from inside the car.
Guard Li Xiao strode up the steps, raised his hand and knocked on the gate of the government office. Before the gatekeeper could react, he handed him a waist token.
The voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "The new prefect has arrived. Immediately announce this. Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all subordinate officials and clerks should await an audience in the main hall."
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhuangzi dared not delay and hurriedly went into the inner courtyard to inform them...
The carriage curtain was lifted, and a man in his forties stepped out. He was thin and wore a slightly worn indigo robe with a gray vest over it. He had no ornaments whatsoever.
This man was none other than the newly appointed prefect Zhu Huaizhang. He walked silently into the main hall, where a few yamen runners stood in twos and threes.
He secretly sized up the newly appointed prefect.
Before long, Su Wenqian walked in dressed in official robes. Before he could speak, someone handed him his travel permit, official seal, and imperial edict.
After checking the document, Su Wenqian handed it to the assistant magistrate.
After verifying that there were no errors, the Assistant Magistrate recorded Zhu Huaizhang's information in the "Register of Appointment of Prefect of Qingzhou Prefecture ".
Su Wenqian presented the seal of Qingzhou Prefecture, and the Assistant Magistrate recorded the seal number and the time of handover.
Throughout the entire process, Zhu Huaizhang remained silent until the handover was complete, at which point he spoke, " Lord Su, I've arrived a bit early. I hope I haven't disturbed your sleep."
Su Wenqian smiled and said, "The timing is perfect... any later and I would have been on duty."
Zhu Huaizhang's eyes betrayed no emotion. "If Lord Su has nothing else to say, how about we conduct an on-site inspection of the granaries, supplies, assets, unresolved case files, tax ledgers from previous years, and project payments?"
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well, Su Wenqian suggested, " Lord Zhu must be tired from his journey. Why not rest for a day before proceeding with the investigation?"
Zhu Huaizhang glanced at him indifferently, then walked into the government office. Su Wenqian looked at the Assistant Magistrate, "Take the necessary registers, let's go around to each place."
The assistant prefect responded and summoned the yamen runners to carry the account books and follow behind the two prefects.
Zhu Huaizhang checked the grain registers one by one and found that all the grain in the warehouse was new and there were no problems.
He then took the booklet to the pharmacy, and after a moment said in a deep voice, " Lord Su, are you very familiar with the Anzhi Hall?"
Su Wenqian: "The procurement process was conducted in accordance with regulations and there was nothing wrong with it... Whether I am familiar with the Anzhi Hall or not does not affect my judgment in the procurement of medicinal materials."
Seeing that the quantity of medicinal herbs was correct, Zhu Huaizhang handed the ledger to the yamen runner. "I heard that Anzhi Hall settled in Qingzhou Prefecture and bought five mountains in just three years. Is selling medicinal herbs really that profitable?"
Su Wenqian's smile faded. " Lord Zhu has already learned everything about Qingzhou Prefecture since he arrived Qingzhou Prefecture. He must have been busy the whole way."
Now that all the files have been verified and are correct, my duties are fulfilled, so I will proceed as planned.
Zhu Huaizhang thought he had hit Su Wenqian's weak spot and chuckled softly, "What's the rush, Lord Su? I haven't checked the tax registers yet... If you're tired, go back and rest. If there are any problems, I'll come to you again."
Su Wenqian flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "Since you've brought up taxes, Lord Zhu might as well investigate how much tax money was paid on those five mountains belonging to the Anzhi Hall?"
"The supplies they used to hire mountain people and herbalists, along with the escort agencies they supported, solved the livelihood problems of countless people and brought stability to countless families."
He looked at Zhu Huaizhang, his expression serious, "As an official, my duty is to ensure the well-being of the people and their happiness. As for how merchants make money, that is not my concern." With that, he turned and left.
Seeing that Su Wenqian had left, Li Xiao said, "My lord... he..."
Zhu Huaizhang raised his hand to interrupt him, "Go and find the fish scale register and the tax ledgers... I need to check them one by one."
Before Li Xiao could reply, the magistrate handed over the items, saying, "Sir... everything is here."
Zhu Huaizhang glanced at them. "This is none of your business. You may all leave."
No one dared to say anything more and withdrew in response.
Once outside the second hall, Constable Wang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the Assistant Magistrate and whispered, "This new Prefect doesn't seem very approachable."
"A new broom sweeps clean, so we'd better be careful with our words and actions from now on."
Inside the second hall, Zhu Huaizhang sat upright behind a table piled high with files, his gaze fixed on the Anzhi Hall's accounts.
After a thorough investigation, he discovered that Anzhi Hall's assets were quite substantial. In addition to the five mountains within Qingzhou Prefecture, there was also a mountain registered under his name in Willow and Poplar County.
Scrolling down further, even more detailed records came into view: of the five mountains in Qingzhou Prefecture, four were newly purchased barren mountains last year, all of which were inferior lands that others had rejected.
The mountain was barren and sparsely vegetated, so it looked like it wouldn't yield any profit. The price it was purchased for was only 10% lower than that of ordinary mountain land.
Anzhi Hall's only source of income came from Lush Mountain and Hat Mountain. Most importantly, all the medicinal herbs from Lush Mountain were purchased by the imperial court in the first year, which provided the initial capital to buy Hat Mountain.
The medicinal herbs from Hat Mountain are sold to various places, with the largest sales coming from the capital. Today, Anzhi Hall's income depends entirely on these two mountains.
From this perspective, Su Wenqian did not give Anzhi Hall any special treatment at all.
Standing to the side, Li Xiao handed him the tax register, "Sir, look at this..."
Zhu Huaizhang looked at the location he pointed to; the tax pages for the five mountains all read "exempt" for one year.
Zhu Huaizhang frowned slightly, turned the page, and was astonished to see that the taxes for Hat Mountain had been paid in full, amounting to 2,759 taels and 4 mace.
Zhu Huaizhang was shocked. Ordinary merchants paid no more than a hundred taels of tax per year, but Anzhi Hall alone paid more than a thousand... Zhu Huaizhang quickly flipped through the pages. Hall of Saving the World paid three hundred and seventy-six taels of tax, Benevolent Heart Hall paid one hundred and sixty taels of tax.
He stood up and paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. " Li Xiao... go investigate Anzhi Hall's reputation. See if she has oppressed the people, exploited laborers, or engaged in monopolistic practices."
Li Xiao was about to leave when he was stopped again.
"Investigate her relationship with Su Wenqian further..."
Zhu Huaizhang frowned in thought. Su Wenqian's niece, Fu Congxi, was Lu Chi's wife, and Lu Chi had once served as the Capital Pharmacy Assistant in the capital.
He didn't believe... that Anzhi Hall's rise to power had nothing to do with Su Wenqian.
The house behind the government office.
Madam Su was surprised to see that Su Wenqian had returned earlier than expected. "What? Doesn't that Lord Zhu need you to accompany him during the handover?"
Su Wenqian removed his official hat, casually placed it on the table, and scoffed, "Accompany? People don't trust me; they'll only feel at ease after personally investigating."
"Outrageous!" Madam Su's eyebrows furrowed, her anger rising. "Where did this hothead come from? The past three years in Qingzhou Prefecture have been filled with solid evidence; are we afraid he won't investigate?"
Upon seeing his wife's anger, Su Wenqian instantly forgot that he himself was angry.
She quickly reassured him, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. I just told him not to investigate. It's good that he's so meticulous; it's good that he investigates thoroughly. It'll prevent us from being implicated in any future trouble."
Madam Su glared at him, "You think you're so carefree?"
After saying this, she called over a maid, "Go and tell the kitchen not to prepare any meals for the new prefect. With his suspicious nature, he probably wouldn't dare eat our Su Household's food."