The cold wind blew into Shi Simian's wide sleeves, making him shiver all over and instantly bringing his mind back to its senses.
He hurriedly bent down, bowing his body at a ninety-degree angle.
"Greetings to County Princess Linghui."
Liu Hucheng stared blankly, his knees suddenly going weak and making it hard for him to stand steady.
He never expected that the woman he had been ignoring was actually a County Princess.
Song Jinzhao raised her eyes to look over, paying no mind to the crowd's shock.
Shi Simian turned to look at the government office behind him; when he turned back, a trace of apprehension colored his eyes.
He immediately apologized, "This humble official did not know of the County Princess's arrival. I fear this government office is somewhat shabby. I will order someone to renovate it right away."
In past years, the prefects of Suining had always lived in the government office of Suining City—firstly, for the convenience of working, and secondly, for security.
With the new prefect taking office, Shi Simian had ordered people to do a simple cleaning of the backyard. But since Song Jinzhao was also going to stay there, the furnishings in the rooms were simply not exquisite enough.
Song Jinzhao said in a calm tone, "It is fine. The government office looks as grand as new; I think it is quite good."
Walking into the inner residence of the government office, the space was large enough and there were plenty of rooms. Accommodating one or two hundred people would absolutely not be a problem.
Song Jinzhao instructed Qingshuang and Lanxi to take people to settle in, while Song Qiming directly asked Shi Simian to take him to the second hall to inspect the official business accumulated over the past few months.
The news of the new prefect taking office and County Princess Linghui arriving in Suining City—and planning to reside there permanently—quickly spread, sparking much discussion among the commoners.
Besides wanting to gaze upon the esteemed countenance of this commoner-born County Princess, they also speculated whether the new prefect would be a good official.
An hour later, Song Qiming returned from the second hall. In the inner residence, Song Shixue and Song Anhao were already so exhausted that they had fallen asleep.
He sat on a chair in the front hall, repeatedly rubbing his temples with his fingers. Aside from sleepiness, he was also filled with frustration.
"You don't need to be too anxious right after arriving in Suining City. Take things one by one, and they will eventually be sorted out."
Song Qiming opened his eyes and looked up. Seeing that the person approaching was Song Jinzhao, he couldn't help but rouse his spirits and sit up straight.
Even so, his expression remained bitter as he spoke.
"Sister, Suining Prefecture is truly so poor. Not to mention the empty storehouses, the accounts even show a debt of three thousand taels of silver owed to local wealthy merchants. My head swelled just hearing about it."
"I've never heard of a government office having external debts."
Song Jinzhao's footsteps paused slightly, hesitating for only a few breaths.
"Are there any problems with the accounts?"
Song Qiming shook his head. "I gave it a rough look. Aside from the bailiffs' wages being exceptionally high, I haven't spotted any other issues for now."
Suining City had five hundred bailiffs alone, and their monthly wages required a massive expenditure.
Only half of the commoners' tax silver from last year had been collected. It was safe to say they were failing to make ends meet.
Song Jinzhao asked, "Roughly how much commercial tax does Suining Prefecture collect each month?"
Song Qiming pondered for a few seconds before answering, "The account books record that last month it was less than five hundred taels."
"..."
Qingshuang suddenly raised her eyes to look at Song Qiming.
Five hundred taels was far too little; even the monthly profit of Dingfei Restaurant was more than that.
After a long silence, Song Jinzhao spoke, "Bring the account books over tomorrow first. I will look at them before we say anything more."
The government's silver was the government's silver. No matter how wealthy she was, she couldn't use her private treasury to fill the gap.
Even if she were to lend the money, they first had to find a way to generate income; otherwise, the government office wouldn't be able to pay back the loan.
Song Qiming nodded heavily.
When the kitchen finished preparing dinner, they came to call everyone. After three days of traveling, most people had no appetite. They ate something light and went back to continue sleeping.
A good night's sleep lasted until the next day before they finally recovered.
Song Qiming started handling official business early in the morning, and all the servants in the backyard also began to take action.
Those who needed to clean cleaned, and those who needed to purchase supplies went shopping, striving to get everything done in a single morning.
