But that was the fact. The production of the inner treasury kept declining. The deficit was not only because the salary was too high, but also because these highly paid treasurers were simply not wholeheartedly committed to maintaining the quality of the products.

They pursue the quantity required by wholesale rather than high-spec quality.

Their minds have long been focused on dirty money, and they would not invest any more effort into making wine.

“If there are any treasurers over 40 years old, they all came from the Ye family. Then you can tell me, is this how Miss Ye taught you?”

Lin Ruo grabbed the Bingfang official and scolded him, “You think you are so arrogant, then answer my question.”

The officer in charge of Bingfang was speechless and felt completely deflated.

She naturally knew what Miss Ye had taught them back then. The way to do business was to be honest, not to cheat the people, and not to be selfish.

“I don’t want to reason with you. That’s what Miss Ye should tell you after we go down.”

Lin Ruo threw off his collar and said impatiently, “I will give all of you two more days. If you want to live well, you must pay back every penny of the silver. Whoever is short of silver, I will give it back to him.”

“Whoever takes more silver, I will make him go down and repent!”

Lin Ruo knows how to make wine, and Fan Xian has mastered the glass-making process since he was five years old. It wouldn’t be a big deal for Lin Ruo to kill all these bastards.

At most, he would stay in the inner treasury for half a year longer to pass on his skills.

As long as Fan Xian is willing, opening a new inner treasury is not a big problem at all.

Lin Ruo said expressionlessly: “Drag this man away, and when we find the evidence, we will execute him together.”

Anyone can atone their sins, except the chief officials of the three major districts, who do not have this power. They are the biggest culprits, and whether it is to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys or to truly judge their crimes, they should not be alive.

The head of Bingfang just looked around with confused eyes, and was then dragged away by the officials of the Supervisory Council in a dazed state.

He no longer had the energy to resist.

The heavy rain outside the town gradually stopped, and the so-called strike was suppressed by force, even those who were unwilling to accept it had to accept it.

In the next two days, the treasury officials’ refunding process was fast and smooth. Those who had money paid, and those who had no money sold their land and houses. Lin Ruo checked the bills of the past few years one by one to ensure that the workers got back as much as they lost, and the treasury officials got back as much as they made.

Lin Ruo was not a person who would do anything too ruthless, so he still showed some mercy to prevent these greedy guys from becoming penniless overnight. He still gave them some face and did not squeeze out all their wealth.

If all the money was plundered, these treasurers and officials would appear helpless on the surface, but they would certainly feel extremely resentful in their hearts and would naturally become extremely lazy in doing their work.

After the salary was adjusted, it was natural that strict management would be implemented afterwards. Lin Ruo specially set up a supervisory department in the inner treasury to put an end to the treasury officials’ laziness and embezzlement.

It is useless to expect regretful kindness, and strict discipline will be needed in the end.

“How do you think he did?” Haitang Duoduo witnessed the whole process. She always thought about this question in the past two days.

Wang Shisanlang asked in return: “If this happened in your Northern Qi, would your emperor dare to do this?”

Haitang Duoduo thought for a while and said, “Emperors are the best at killing people.” “But killing this group of people will cut off the lifeline of your Northern Qi. Maybe everyone will think of solving the problem in a gentle way. Even if they have to resort to force, they will not use it so vigorously.” Wang Shisanlang said with some emotion.

“But Mr. Lin is so daring. When you have too much money and have lost yourself in it, your conscience cannot be awakened. You still have to shed blood to do it.”

Wang Shisanlang was very inspiring.

“In fact, there are many ways to compromise this matter. He only needs to spend some time and disregard the interests of those workers. He can easily win over these treasury officials and reasonably solve the internal deficit.”

“But he didn’t do it. He really had the working people in his heart.”

Haitang Duoduo nodded, “I thought killing one official was just to make the others surrender and accept a reduction in salary, but I didn’t expect that he would really stand up for the workers, choose to tear his face off, and do more risky killings without hesitation.”

“There are so many people who are dissatisfied with the world, but Mr. Lin is the first one who can really solve injustice.” Wang Shisanlang was deeply touched. He finally understood why his master asked him to go to the south of the Yangtze River to follow Lin Ruo.

This is the character and temperament he should learn.

……

All matters in the inner treasury were gradually settled, but once the news got out, it became something that no longer made people calm down.

In the study of the Governor’s Mansion, Xue Qing was the first to learn about the situation in the inner treasury and was speechless for a long time.

After reading the letter, the master took a deep breath and said in disbelief, “Of the eighteen chief officials of the treasury, sixteen were beheaded. What kind of method is this?”

Unable to help but sweat, the master doubted: “In this case, can the three major workshops really continue to operate?”

“The treasurer officials are still here, so why can’t the business continue? It just depends on how he appeases them.” Xue Qing said seriously.

“Can this still be used to appease them? I’m afraid it will only be a short-term peace. Once everyone leaves, the treasurer will cause more troubles.” The lawyer guessed.

Xue Qing shook his head: “That’s not necessarily true. If the imperial envoy can eliminate the trouble as soon as it emerges, as long as the means are ruthless enough, he can still solve many problems.”

Since he can kill people, he must have the means to control the situation later. Xue Qing believes that such a smart imperial envoy will consider more than anyone else when doing things.

“As long as the inner treasury operates normally, it is none of our business. Even if something goes wrong, we will not be responsible for the trouble.” Xue Qing looked as if he was staying out of it. After thinking for a while, he said:
“The bidding for the inner treasury is what I, as the governor, should really take care of. This is related to the future livelihood and changes in Jiangnan, and must be treated with caution.”

The master agreed and said, “Your Excellency’s words make sense, but when it comes to the inner treasury bidding, which side should we stand on?”

“It doesn’t make sense to stand on either side. The most important thing is to ensure that the person who comes to power will not shake the foundation of Jiangnan and that my position as governor is preserved.”

Xue Qing thought for a long time and said, “Xinyang should have already taken action. Let’s take a look at the situation first.”

The Neiku used to be the eldest princess’s territory. There was no telling how many of her trusted followers were in there. How could it be eliminated so easily? Those officials hiding in the dark must have already sent the news to Kyoto.

In less than half a month, the case of Lin Ruo’s evil deeds in the inner treasury will become a major issue in the court.

(End of this chapter)