Asset

Lin Wen went to the finance department first. It was already 9 pm, but the lights were still on.

Lin Wen did not disturb them. He quietly activated Aura Observation and looked through the gap.

There were a total of 15 people working inside, including the chief and deputy directors. They were still taking inventory. On a square table not far away from them, a large stack of cash was neatly placed together. Under the light, it was a mesmerizing golden color. It complemented the gold stacked beside it and formed the wave shape of wealth.

What they were counting now were all kinds of jewelry, diamonds, and precious items.

These were the treasures that Fatty Zhang had taken out to pay off his debt because he hadn't brought enough cash with him. The sapphire that Director Lei held in his hand, weighing 25.6 grams, was the payment for Fang Weiwei's services.

This also caused a lot of trouble for the financial department's valuation. They constantly verified the authenticity, purity, quality, and flaws of the jewelry, and found a large amount of information to estimate their value as accurately as possible.

The entire finance department was filled with sighs, hair-pulling, flipping pages, complaints, and incredulous exclamations.

In Lin Wen's eyes, most of their air was pale yellow mixed with green and white. Occasionally, there was a hint of dark brown or black.

According to the description of the spell, this should be the behavior of a normal person. There was occasional greed, but it was suppressed by duty, integrity, and law. Among them, Director Lei's aura was the most special. It was a hexagonal green-white color, frozen and rarely moving. Its surface was covered with a gray crack-like aura.

This should indicate that Director Lei's thinking was stubborn and his professional integrity was trustworthy, but he had been caught in a depressed state.

Lin Wen couldn't read any more. Lin Wen wasn't a professional fortuneteller, and the detailed explanation of this spell was too thick. Lin Wen only read the general outline and the basic content, and the rest of the description that was as thick as the Oxford Dictionary had been temporarily abandoned.

Besides, other than being completely black, human aura wasn't unchanging. It wasn't something that could be seen through at a glance, so it was enough to know about it.

From the looks of it, Director Lei should be trustworthy for the time being. There was no need to worry that he would embezzle.

As he was thinking, he accidentally moved the door.

With a creak, the people from the finance department immediately noticed County Head Lin at the door.

Deputy Director Old Xie immediately beamed with joy. He pushed Director Lei behind him, grabbed the account book, and ran to County Head Lin.

Lin Wen didn't want to waste the Heart of Seven Orifices at this time, so he immediately cut him off. "How much have you appraised?"

Old Xie answered, "Thanks to the wise leadership of the county governor, we have confirmed that the assets are 1.16 million. The remaining asset should be worth 5.5 to 6 million."

Lin Wen asked in surprise, "Why are they more valuable than I expected?"

Old Xie smiled and said, "This is all thanks to County Head's luck! The value of the jewelry and diamonds often changes. Although the gold is more stable, there are still fluctuations. However, the difference isn't big. The main thing is that Posilda Sapphire. The Federation's Holy Maiden might buy it at a high price."

Lin Wen had long since turned a blind eye to the strangeness of this world. Who cared if it was a Holy Maiden or a Demoness? It wasn't like she could release a forbidden spell, so it was useless.

He was only concerned about one thing. "Is it troublesome to cash out? Is the money coming back fast?"

Director Lei, who was standing at the side, could not bring himself to say anything. "Director, the Empire will never…"

Old Xie immediately pushed Director Lei away and said with a flattering smile, "There's something wrong with this guy's head. He was kicked by a donkey when he was young. Please don't take it to heart, County Head Lin."

Lin Wen ignored him. "Hurry up and sell them for money. Get the funds back as soon as possible. It's best if there are no losses. This is the refugees' money."

Old Xie patted his chest and said, "County Head Lin is wise and righteous. He loves the people as if they were his own children. This is a blessing on the tens of thousands of people in Changshan County! Please rest assured, County Head Lin! This subordinate will definitely not disappoint County Head Lin."

Lin Wen was disgusted by this deputy director. He wanted to say something, but his heart seemed to be blocked by grease and he couldn't say anything.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Director Lei jumped out and said, "That's impossible. Jewelry and other valuable items are not necessities. If you want to sell them quickly, they will definitely be cheap. If you want to sell them at a high price, you will have to sell them slowly."

The deputy director, Old Xie, was so angry that smoke was rising from his ears. Despite his repeated exhortations, he still couldn't hold back this stubborn donkey. He grabbed Old Lei's collar and ignored the county governor's presence. He shouted, "Can you shut up if you don't know how to speak? Do I need you to teach me how to do things? How do you know you can't be both fast and good?"

Old Lei rebutted, "If you want to sell it fast, it will become a buyer's market and they will dare to lower the price!"

Old Xie smacked his lips. "That's pure nonsense!"

Lin Wen was annoyed and said, "Then hurry up and get the money before the cash runs out. Sell as much as you can!" With that said, he turned and left, ignoring the sounds of fighting behind him.

When he returned to the county governor's office, he found the home address and telephone number of Yuan Zhimen, the deputy director of the county governor's office. A phone call dragged him out of bed and instructed him to immediately send a report to the governor-general's office, requesting the construction team of the 7th Construction General Regiment to return and continue the construction. Changshan County had the money to pay for their construction.

After studying the reconstruction diagram for a while, Lin Wen had already made up his mind. Without any hesitation, he leaned back in his chair and fell asleep.

Ever since he became the county governor, he had been sleeping here every night.

At the same time, Governor Sheng Huaixuan, who was far away in the Danyang Capital, was still not asleep. He sat on a chair, hunched his back, and smoked one cigarette after another. He buried himself in the clouds of smoke and remained silent.

At this time, the governor-general was no longer a high-ranking official, but an old farmer who was worried about the harvest this year.

"Huaixuan." A middle-aged woman pushed the door open. "Don't worry about the relief money. You're not the emperor. If the Empire doesn't transfer the relief money to you, are you going to raise your troops to snatch it?"

Sheng Huaixuan put out a cigarette and smoked another one.

When the middle-aged woman saw him frowning, she smiled and said, "You really have such an idea? It doesn't matter whether you go or not. Come, drink the ginseng soup first. Your health is more important."

Sheng Huaixuan took a sip of the ginseng soup, and his brows relaxed slightly. "Huaixiu, what do you think if I mobilize the Qing army?"

The middle-aged woman, Huaixiu, thought for a while and said, "Do you want to dig Old Liu's roots, or do you want to cut off the money from the lords on Capitol Hill?"

Sheng Huaixuan shook his head. "I want the gold that Long State handed over to the Empire's headquarters."

Huaixiu was shocked. "His Majesty won't protect you."

Sheng Huaixuan smiled. "Longxing will help me."

"You mean Li Long…" Huaixiu choked for a moment, but still didn't dare to call the emperor by his name. She said softly, "His Majesty is also under a lot of pressure. Why don't you stop being like this? You've been too aggressive recently. The elders are all somewhat dissatisfied with you."

"There's no other way."

Sheng Huaixuan shook his head.

"They are trying to kill me. The flood gave them an excuse to attack me. The reforms in the Dongqin State cannot be stopped."

Huaixiu still wanted to persuade him. "But…"

Sheng Huaixuan drank the ginseng soup in one gulp. "Huaixiu, you don't understand. As long as nothing goes wrong within this state, I'll be impregnable. If the inside collapses, I'll collapse even if it's just a little finger."

Weakness was only temporary. Strength returned to the governor-general. He flipped open the document and said, "I'm only worried about one thing. That kid from Changshan County can't withstand the pressure. If he's defeated, I'll have a flaw."

Huaixiu gently massaged his shoulders. "Tell me, why did you suddenly think of giving him the Commissioner's Power?"

Sheng Huaixuan recalled the scene at that time and smiled. "Huaixiu, you have no idea how much I looked forward to the hero's visit before meeting him."

"Guess what I saw?"

Huaixiu loved this conversation. It reminded her of when they were young. "What did you see?"

"I saw an old foxy bureaucrat. He was watertight, full of flattery and cunning. Do you know how I felt at that time?"

Huaixiu thought for a moment. "That you were tricked. You thought he got his position through flattery. He's no hero."

"What a good guess! At that time, I wanted to quickly send him away and replace him in a few months. I didn't expect this kid to give me a surprise later on. He came to me asking for money, resources, tax exemption and return, free trade rights, the important position of the Empire's development plan, and new financial policies. Think about them carefully."

Huaixiu was a talented person. After thinking carefully for a while, she couldn't help but exclaim, "These are all things that the Changshan County needs the most. He only mentioned these privileges and didn't mention the other policies of the Empire. This proves that he has carefully studied the development of Changshan County. If it were me, I would have to study the county for at least a year if I wanted to accurately propose these five subjects. This is definitely not a lowly official."

"That's right." Sheng Huaixuan smiled and said, "Unfortunately, I couldn't agree to any of the conditions. Then, that kid's face turned green. He thought that after flattering me for a while, I would fall into his trap. He's too young."

"Isn't that so?" Huaixiu leaned on his back and said softly, "It's your heavy burden to agree to any one of them. Given the current situation, you won't be able to offer him any either."

"Then, when I thought he was at his wit's end, he suddenly asked me for the Commissioner's Power."

"Can you understand? That kind of attitude of staking everything on one throw. That kind of attitude where I have nothing, but as long as I'm allowed to do anything, I will clear the sky."

Huaixiu smiled and said, "Then you were moved. I know that you like this kind of person."

"Just like you."

"Just like me."

The two of them spoke at the same time and smiled at each other.

"But now, I regret it somewhat. My enemies cannot do anything to me, but they might turn their backs on that boy. He is young, after all, and does not understand the cruelty of internal strife within the Empire. I fear he may be brought down."

"And I can't split myself up right now, so it's very difficult for me to help him directly. The situation in Changshan County is also very dangerous. Reconstruction after the disaster is a hole that must be filled. Otherwise, there will be huge trouble. I heard from Secretary Cheng that there are many people in Changshan County who oppose him."

"His life must be very difficult now."