Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 332 A Pure Stream? That's all?

Chen Mingyuan arrived early the next morning.

He was in his forties, thin, and wearing a worn-out official robe. He bowed deeply as he entered the room.

Lin Chen sat in the lobby and glanced at him.

He was refined-looking, fair-skinned, with three long wisps of beard, and his eyes were upright and unwavering. He bowed with utmost care.

"Get up," Lin Chen said.

Chen Mingyuan straightened up, stood with his hands at his sides, neither humble nor arrogant.

Lin Chen asked, "What did His Majesty say to you before he summoned you?"

Chen Mingyuan said, "His Majesty said that I should manage Xijing well and not cause trouble for the Prince."

He paused, then said, "His Majesty also said that not a single penny of the tax revenue from Xijing should be paid in full, and not a single penny should be wasted."

Lin Chen laughed: "That's all?"

Chen Mingyuan nodded: "That's all."

Lin Chen stared at him for a while, "What were you in charge of at the Ministry of Revenue before?"

Chen Mingyuan said, "Treasury silver."

"Do you even know how many holes there are in Xijing's accounts over the past eight years?"

Chen Mingyuan paused for a moment, then said, "I know a little about it. I've reviewed the case files of Zheng Zhitong's case."

"So how do you plan to make up for it?" Lin Chen asked casually.

Chen Mingyuan thought for a moment and said seriously:

"Zheng Zhitong's assets have been confiscated. I will do my best to recover what can be recovered, and I will try to make up for what cannot be recovered gradually."

Xijing is a vital trade route; once the trade routes are streamlined, tax revenue will naturally increase.

Lin Chen listened and nodded.

This person speaks honestly, doesn't boast, and doesn't make empty promises.

"What about the garrison? What do you plan to do with it?" Lin Chen continued to ask.

Chen Mingyuan glanced at Lin Chen and said cautiously:

"Xi'an originally had 80,000 troops stationed there, but only 50,000 were truly capable of fighting, not including Zheng Zhitong's 30,000 elite troops..."

He paused, not daring to continue.

Of the 30,000 elite troops, more than 8,000 were killed by Lin Chen with a single slap. The remaining troops were repeatedly attacked by the Great Snow Dragon Riders and the Imperial City Guard, and very few survived.

Chen Mingyuan swallowed hard and quickly went around it.

"Currently, Xijing only has a little over 20,000 troops available. I plan to remove the old, weak, and disabled soldiers and reorganize the rest."

Lin Chen asked, "How many will be cut?"

Chen Mingyuan thought for a moment: "At least 20,000."

The garrison in Xijing was rotten to the core, colluding with bandits, embezzling funds, and exploiting soldiers—they had every kind of problem.

Instead of keeping these useless soldiers around, we should disband them and start over. The money saved can be enough to support an elite force.

Lin Chen looked at Chen Mingyuan, "Are you afraid of causing trouble if we cut 20,000?"

"I'm scared!" Chen Mingyuan said, "But we still have to cut jobs if necessary."

Before I came here, His Majesty gave me a secret decree, instructing me to go all out and do my job. As long as the Prince is backing me up, I have nothing to fear.

Lin Chen chuckled lightly: "You certainly know how to leverage opportunities."

Chen Mingyuan blushed slightly, but did not deny it.

Lin Chen leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table.

"What is your current cultivation level?"

Chen Mingyuan was taken aback, not expecting Lin Chen to ask this, and honestly replied:

"This humble official has just broken through to the first rank."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. A first-grade cultivation level was quite good among civil officials.

But in Xijing, it wouldn't even cause a ripple.

"That's a bit low. Oh well, I'll grant you a stroke of good fortune."

Before Chen Mingyuan could react, Lin Chen took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, uncorked it, and poured out a pill.

The pill was pure white, emitting a faint fragrance, and had three shallow lines on it—the Three-Line True Essence Pill.

The gift from the monthly sign-in had been sitting untouched in my space, but it's finally come in handy now.

Chen Mingyuan's eyes widened: "This is... a True Essence Pill?"

He had seen many fine things while managing the treasury in the Ministry of Revenue, but this was the first time he had ever seen a True Essence Pill of this quality.

The Three-Pattern True Essence Pill is so valuable that even an ordinary person can directly enter the Grandmaster realm after taking just one pill.

Lin Chen ignored his shock and flicked his wrist, sending the pill flying over.

Chen Mingyuan hurriedly caught it, holding it in his hands as if it were an ancestral tablet.

"Eat it," Lin Chen said casually.

Chen Mingyuan looked up at him, his lips trembling slightly, as if he wanted to say something polite.

But seeing Lin Chen's "don't talk nonsense" expression, he swallowed his words and tilted his head back to swallow the pill.

The pill entered his throat and transformed into a stream of heat that rushed straight to his dantian.

Chen Mingyuan's face flushed red, veins bulged on his forehead, and he swayed, almost losing his balance.

Lin Chen stood up, walked up to him, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

A surge of powerful internal energy flowed into Chen Mingyuan's body, helping him to guide the medicinal effects.

Chen Mingyuan felt the heat rushing through his meridians, clearing away blockages in his acupoints wherever it passed.

He gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his forehead, but he didn't utter a sound.

Lin Chen controlled the strength of his true energy, neither hasty nor slow, as if he were clearing a long-blocked ditch.

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Chen Mingyuan's aura rose steadily—Peak of First Rank, Half-Step Grandmaster, Early Stage of Grandmaster...Peak of Grandmaster.

In the end, he was just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster.

Lin Chen withdrew his hand, patted it off, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Chen Mingyuan stood there, and his entire demeanor changed.

He used to look like a refined and gentle civil official, but now, standing there, his eyes are even brighter.

He looked down at his hands, clenched his fist, then relaxed it, repeating this several times. The expression on his face changed from shock to disbelief, and then to ecstasy.

"This...this..." Chen Mingyuan opened his mouth, but couldn't speak properly.

Lin Chen waved his hand: "Stop with the 'this' and 'that'. A Grandmaster at the peak is barely enough in Xijing."

"Going any further is up to you; taking too many pills won't do you any good."

Chen Mingyuan knelt down with a thud, his forehead hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"Your Highness's great kindness is something I will never forget!"

Lin Chen found it amusing and waved his hand.

"Get up, get up. Why are you always kneeling? What's wrong with you?"

Chen Mingyuan stood up, his eyes a little red, but he held back his tears.

He took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist and said:

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will guard and manage Xijing well in my hands."

"If Xijing remains the same within three years, I will offer my head in resignation."

Lin Chen smiled and said, "No need for a beheading. Just do a good job. I'll have someone come and check on things at the end of the year."

If you manage it well, I'll recommend you for a commendation; if you don't—"

Lin Chen smiled but didn't continue.

Chen Mingyuan felt a chill run down his spine and quickly replied, "This humble official understands."

Lin Chen waved his hand: "Go."

Chen Mingyuan bowed and stepped back. When he reached the door, he looked back one last time, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he turned and left.

His steps were much lighter than when he came, and his back was straight.

……

After Chen Mingyuan left, Lin Chen sat in the study for a while.

He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table as he thought about his upcoming schedule.

With the matter of Xijing settled and the various kingdoms of the Western Regions given a warning, it's time to head south.

To the south, several provinces and the various tribes of Nanyue awaited him.

Those people in South Vietnam shouldn't dare to act rashly; a mere show of force will suffice.

It's estimated that many of those corrupt officials and bandits have already fled.

News of his rampage had already spread far and wide.

Those who have something to hide have either already run away or are hiding.

Lin Chen smiled, unconcerned.

Even if the monks can run away, the temples can't. People may run away, but their property and account books can't be taken away, and neither can the oppressed people.

Lin Chen stood up, walked to the window, looked at the sky outside, and scanned the city and its surroundings with his divine sense.

We found nothing.

But Lin Chen knew that the woman was still following him.