Hearing what his subordinates said, the new prefect, who was already looking sad, sighed repeatedly.
How could he not hear the purpose of letting him pass?
This is definitely another Hongmen Banquet asking for money from him.
However, he knew that he had to go.
If you don't go, you will definitely be given a reputation that is unfavorable for suppressing bandits.
When the time comes, let alone the position of governor, I am afraid that I will not even be able to save my life.
In this way, the new prefect went to the restaurant with an uneasy mood.
The restaurant was naturally Hedi Lao originally opened by Qin He, but now it has been renamed Qingqinglou.
It's not that the current hotel manager wants to choose this name, but... this Qingqinglou was personally nominated by the Imperial Envoy.
It is homophonic to "capture Qin".
Compared with two months ago, the business of this brothel is far worse than before.
It's not a service problem, but the entire Qinghe City is tight on food and clothing. How can there be any extra money to spend?
Not only ordinary people are affected, but even those wealthy families are living worse day by day because of the current taxes.
When they arrived at the Qingqing Tower, the current prefect went straight to Box No. 1 in Tianzi.
As soon as he arrived outside the box, he could already hear bursts of laughter coming from inside.
After knocking on the box door, the current prefect straightened his appearance.
"Come in!"
As a voice came from the box, the current prefect opened the box door and walked in.
"Master Yuan, you are finally here!"
As soon as he entered the box, a voice came into his ears.
Looking in the direction from which the sound came, it turned out to be a middle-aged man sitting in the main seat.
The current governor naturally recognizes this person. Who else could he be if he were not a military member of a neighboring province?
This person's surname is Zhao, and the single character is Qiong.
With that said, Zhao Qiong stood up and greeted the current prefect with enthusiasm.
"Yuan and Mr. Yuan, I wonder if the military expenditure has been fully prepared now?"
Zhao Qiong asked directly without mincing words or hinting at anything.
Yuan He is naturally the current prefect.
When Yuan He heard this, although he had a smile on his face, he actually cursed secretly in his heart.
In fact, the court had already allocated special funds for the arrest of Qin He this time.
As for why he, a small governor of Qinghe Prefecture, is still required to pay for this military expenditure, there is no need to express the shame.
Yuan He, who was still smiling a second ago, heard this, and the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a look of helplessness.
"Master Zhao, this matter is indeed not something that can happen in a hurry! The Qin bandits had already taken away most of the food and supplies in the city when they left..."
Yuan He, who originally wanted to explain, was interrupted forcefully.
"Master Yuan, we only look at the results and not the process in this matter!"
The person who interrupted was none other than the Imperial Envoy Li Tianhe who was in charge.
Obviously, Li Tianhe's face looked a little ugly at this moment.
After finishing his words, he continued without waiting for Yuan He to speak.
"If you are too late, it will affect the annihilation of the Qin invaders, and I will only ask you!"
As soon as these words came out, Yuan He was so frightened that he fell to his knees repeatedly.
"I don't dare! I don't dare!"
"Hmph! I'm sorry you don't dare!"
With a cold snort, Li Tianhe glanced at Yuan He, his expression softened slightly, and then he spoke.
"If it weren't for our eagerness to suppress the bandits, we would naturally wait until the imperial court allocates supplies. But now that the Holy Lord has asked about this matter, how can we, as ministers, be careless?"
"Does Mr. Yuan still find this matter difficult to handle?"
Yuan He didn't dare to say that it was difficult at all, so he had to bite his silver teeth and swallow it in his stomach.
Yuan He bowed his hands and bowed, and then said without hesitation: "This matter will be handled by my subordinates!"
After receiving Yuan He's reply, Li Tianhe was obviously very satisfied and nodded before saying.
"Then Mr. Yuan, go about your business!"
With that said, Li Tianhe waved his hand.
Seeing this situation, Yuan He felt bitter and had to leave the box.
After leaving the box, Yuan He seemed to have a different face, with a gloomy look on his face.
"Bah! Don't think that I don't know that the transfer from the court has arrived!"
"You corrupt people, even if you dare to embezzle this kind of money, you are not afraid of being strangled to death!"
Yuan He cursed in his heart.
Of course, these words can only be said in one's own heart.
As for putting it on the bright side? That is naturally impossible.
Even if he borrowed ten courages, he wouldn't dare to do this!
I'm afraid that as soon as he reported this matter, someone had already intercepted it.
Thinking about it, Yuan He had already walked out of the brothel.
Glancing at the crowd on the street, Yuan He showed a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.
Since Li Tianhe wants to force him, why should he care about the life and death of the people in Qinghe City?
Isn't it just silver?
If you think of it, there is still a way!
Thinking about it, Yuan He seemed to feel a lot better, and walked directly back to the prefect's mansion.
That same afternoon, a new order was issued.
In order to suppress bandits, those in Qinghe City who had money provided money and those who had no money provided food.
The people of Qinghe Prefecture, who were already living a tight life, were even more excited after learning about this new order.
There was enough food for the family to eat until the autumn harvest, but now under this new order, I am afraid that they will not be able to survive the autumn harvest.
But if you don't pay, it won't work. If you don't pay, you will be dragged to the Yamen and tortured.
At that time, not only will the money or food be gone, but people will also suffer.
In a blink of an eye, seven days passed.
The issuance of the new order had an immediate effect.
Nowadays, the new amount of money and food exceeds the amount of Qinghe City in a year, which can be said to be completely squeezing the people of Qinghe Prefecture.
Of course, the people who suffer the most are not the people of Qinghe Prefecture.
It was the refugees who had fled from the north.
They already had no food, but now faced with the new law, they not only have no money, but also no food.
Faced with this situation, Xinling quickly added countermeasures.
As long as there are neither, they will be directly dragged to the seaside to build fortifications, or sent to the shipyard to work as laborers.
Originally, these refugees thought that they could at least make a living in those places.
But I didn't realize that I didn't even get a bite of the rice, but instead consumed some of my remaining energy.
Want to eat?
Can!
Figure it out yourself!
Of course, the hours of working as a laborer must be fulfilled every day. If you are not satisfied, you will naturally be punished.
Under such high-pressure new orders, ordinary people could still hold on for a while, but many refugees and refugees died as a result.
But even so, the new order still has no intention of changing it at all.
As for what those military lords who spent all the resources of Qinghe Prefecture to support are doing now?
That is naturally to enjoy life contentedly on the warship.
If you feel bored, you can also get off the boat to find some happiness.
Judging from their appearance, they don't look like they are actively suppressing the bandits!
But what can the common people do?
I can only dare to be angry but dare not speak!
For a time, many people began to miss Qin He's days in Qinghe City.
