"Isn't that right? As long as they sign their names on the document, they can collect their four guan of money!"
The old man finished speaking with great animation, then squeezed back into the crowd, leaving Li Yan to stand alone, bewildered in the wind.
"What on earth is this kid up to?"
Watching the farmers quickly press their thumbprints and then take handfuls of their own copper coins from a box, Li Yan was utterly confused.
"Sir, look at their documents!"
Fortunately, as he was lost in confusion, a subordinate squeezed into the crowd and snatched a document, handing it to Li Yan.
After a quick glance at the contents of the document, Li Yan's brows immediately furrowed.
Mushroom wholesale advance payment document. The mere tongue-twisting name made him a bit bewildered.
Looking at the subsequent terms, he became even more perplexed.
What kind of business was this in the world?
Before the goods were even grown, they were already handing over money.
Moreover, the terms stipulated that the merchant would be responsible for all technical guidance. If everything was done according to the merchant's requirements, and the projected income was still not achieved, the advance payment of four guan would not need to be repaid.
What was the difference between this and giving it away for free?
Soon, he connected this matter with Han Mo's fear of him and his attempt to win over the populace.
After all, in his opinion, this was the only explanation that made sense.
Regardless of what he thought, the people of Neihuang County were truly coming in a celebratory procession to queue up.
This was precisely their most awkward time. Harvest season was approaching, and many households had long since run out of food.
If it weren't for the wild vegetables on the nearby mountains, some people would have already been unable to resist harvesting the unripened crops.
Most importantly, regardless of whether their claims were true or not, with these four guan, the pressure of the green seedling loans taken in the spring would be significantly reduced.
"Sir, are we still going to this village?"
Watching the villagers who had collected their money leave with joyous expressions, the attendant beside him said softly.
"Go for what!"
Li Yan's face turned ashen. He uttered a sentence and turned directly towards his carriage.
Those who have eaten are silenced; those who have taken are indebted.
If these people, having taken Han Mo's money, were to say anything unfavorable, it would be truly bizarre.
It wasn't until he returned to the post in the evening and compiled the information brought back by those he had sent out that Li Yan, dejected, returned to Tang Ke's presence.
"Still no clue?"
Seeing his dejected appearance, Tang Ke could roughly guess what had happened.
"This kid is incredibly skilled at winning people over! I don't know where this fellow got such a large sum of money from; he's distributing it all over Neihuang County!"
Li Yan said through gritted teeth.
"Never mind this matter for now. Make arrangements later. Five days from now, after I return from Yuancheng, I will personally go and meet this Zhuangyuan Lang!"
With the continuous advance of various armies, the situation in Hebei was becoming increasingly grim. As the Transport Commissioner of Hebei Circuit, he didn't have much time to waste here.
In order to cut the Gordian knot swiftly, Tang Ke could only take action himself.
"Yes!"
Li Yan was also extremely frustrated by the current situation.
He had racked his brains to find Han Mo's weakness, but this kid was always one step ahead.
What he thought would be an easy task had now escalated to this point.
It had even forced Tang Ke, the Transport Commissioner of Hebei Circuit, to resort to emotional appeals with a mere county magistrate, which was truly a great loss of face for them.
"Well, if this kid were that easy to deal with, Li Jixian and the others wouldn't have been defeated so miserably!"
When he said this, even Tang Ke couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Li Jixian and the others had suffered losses twice, both at Han Mo's hands.
It could be said that Han Mo was at least half responsible for Li Jixian and the others being demoted and dismissed from their posts.
"Sir, how about I go again..."
Seeing the wry smile on Tang Ke's face, Li Yan said with some shame.
"Alright, go and make the arrangements. There's no need to discuss this further. We don't have much time to waste here. If we continue to drag this out, it might ruin important matters!"
Tang Ke could only comfort his arrogant assistant.
However, today's events had indeed piqued his interest in Han Mo.
If the person doing this were an old hand who had been steeped in officialdom for years, he might not have had so many surprises.
But for a young man less than 20 years old to handle matters so flawlessly was truly difficult for him to accept.
Let alone whether he himself could achieve what Han Mo had at the age of 20, even if he were to do this now, he honestly didn't believe he could do better than Han Mo.
"Yes!"
No matter how unwilling he was, Li Yan could only respond and then turn to leave.
Meanwhile, in another corner of Neihuang County, although he had taken a pill of unknown efficacy, Hu Changzai felt as if he had escaped from purgatory as he walked out of the dark and damp dungeon.
"Don't even think about playing any tricks. If the person behind this escapes, you know the consequences!"
Seeing the undisguised joy on Hu Changzai's face, Jiang Yan said casually.
"No, no!"
Looking at Jiang Yan, who was like a ghost in the darkness, and then at the young man standing beside him, Hu Changzai no longer dared to have any other thoughts.
When he saw the young man, he initially thought this kid was nothing more than a pretty face.
But he never expected that with his and Scarface's skills, they couldn't even withstand three moves from that kid...
Thinking of such a master who would be watching him closely every day, the freedom he had just gained felt so heavy.
"What are you dawdling for? Go do what you need to do. Just like you did before, if you reveal any flaws because of your actions, you know the consequences!"
After coldly dropping another sentence, Jiang Yan finally disappeared into the darkness.
Hu Changzai and Scarface exchanged glances, both seeing fear in each other's eyes.
However, they could only smile bitterly at each other. At this moment, they finally remembered that they could not even control their own lives, and freedom seemed like a distant luxury...