Dong!

The night watchman banged on his gong, signaling that it was two incense time past midnight.

Burrowing under his warm candlelight, Governor Tan was still going through the piles of documents sent to him by his subordinates.

Without fail, all the documents were about how they needed money so that the city could keep functioning.

"Hmph. These corrupted souls shall meet their end soon." He lamented and rejected the request for funding.

Governor Tan, or more accurately Lee Yi Hong, knew they were corrupted, but he had not expected them to ask for more in the face of such calamity.

The peasants' lives were nothing to them but an excuse to gain more money and wealth.

He genuinely saw no hope for the Da Qian Dynasty but to bring it all down and start over on a clean slate.

The Dark Lord's dream where everyone would be equal was the only way ahead.

Knock.

Before he could continue with the next document, the Governor heard a knock on his door.

"Who's there?" He glanced at the door and clenched his fist, getting ready in case it was someone hostile.

To his relief, a familiar voice sounded from behind the closed door.

"Master, Sima Ye from the Sima Family is requesting a visit." The Governor's servant said.

"Now?"

"Yes, master. He is waiting right outside." The Governor's servant replied.

"Send him to the guestroom. Tell him that I'll be there soon."

"Yes, master."

The Governor put down his brush and frowned.

What would Sima Ye want from him?

Maybe Sima Ye was still pissed with his decision to let Ruo Zhi take over Lee Zhen Ren, and Sima Ye wanted him to overturn the decision?

All these cultivators ever thought about were themselves.

The Governor shook his head and thought while he stood up and got to the guest room.

"Governor Tan, sorry to intrude so late.

I have to get back to the Qing Feng Sect tomorrow, so this is the only time I have left." Sima Ye stood up and greeted him when he saw the Governor enter the guest room.

The Governor gave him a nod as acknowledgement and said, "It's fine, I was up dealing with some documents."

He sat down, waited for his servant to pour him a cup of tea, and said, "What brings you here at this hour?"

"I'm here with a proposition from someone else." Sima Ye said.

Here it comes, the Governor thought while he sipped the tea from his teacup.

Every single one of them was the same.

He couldn't help but be prejudiced against cultivators like Sima Ye.

"One of my friends suggested that he could help with the situation in the city..."

"And that is?" The Governor put down his teacup and glanced at Sima Ye with anticipation.

Hope it's not another request to ask for funding and not do any actual work like how his subordinates were thinking.

That's the only thing that came to his mind.

But he was pleasantly surprised when Sima Ye briefed him on Lin Xuan Qi's suggestion.

"My friend suggested that he could provide charity porridge all over the city, but he is willing to do so if you agree to a tax rebate for his charity work."

"Tax rebate?"

"Yes, he provides the porridge, and you give him a rebate on his tax for the year.

"The money is better used for him to employ more workers and set up new businesses than let the officials waste it under the hundred layers of bureaucracy."

The Governor sat in his chair, and he started to weigh the pros and cons of this suggestion.

It sounded too good to be true.

What if he got the tax rebate but kept the money instead of putting it to use?

He knew them too well.

"I will agree to it on the condition that he puts the money into use first before I give him the tax rebate."

The Governor decided to take a gamble and go with it.

He would deal with the imperial court later.

If he was able to keep Hong Feng City safe and get it back to prosperity, no one could fault him in the imperial court.

And maybe, due to his performance, he would even have a chance to meet with the emperor.

Then, that's when the Dark Lord's silk pouch comes in handy.

"Deal. He would be setting up two new factories and employing new workers with the money." Sima Ye replied without blinking.

The Governor nodded his head and said, "I would want to see it done soon. Or else, the deal is off."

Sima Ye cupped his hands at the Governor and said, "It shall be done."

Satisfied, the Governor held up his teacup and proposed a toast to Sima Ye.

Sima Ye picked up the teacup he had and downed the tea inside.

The Governor was intrigued with whose idea it was, and he asked, "Who is this friend of yours? Maybe he would like to help me in administering the city?"

"It was an idea from a young master, Lin Xuan Qi from the Lin Clan."

"Lin Xuan Qi from the Lin Clan?" The name didn't ring a bell in the Governor's head.

Out of all the rich Clans and Families in Hong Feng City, he had never heard of someone called Lin Xuan Qi.

He shall have to pay him a visit soon, the Governor thought.

"Yes, Lin Xuan Qi from the Lin Clan.

"He is young and full of new ideas, but I'm afraid he wouldn't be that interested in helping out with administering the city."

Sima Ye had never heard much about doing so from Lin Xuan Qi, so he figured that Lin Xuan Qi wouldn't be interested.

The Governor nodded his head and gave out a sigh.

That was something he had expected.

Who in their right mind would want to try and help a decaying dynasty?

It was such a pity for him.

The Governor caught a glimpse of light, yet it quickly turned dark again.

But it was enough to pique the Governor's interest in Lin Xuan Qi.

It would be interesting for him to see what other ideas Lin Xuan Qi had.

The Governor thought in his mind while he gave a smile to Sima Ye.

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