The County Magistrate was a man of far-reaching vision. Although he had essentially recited Zhao An’s own lines, this did nothing to diminish the profound respect Zhao An felt for him; in fact, it elevated Zhao An’s own thoughts and soul to a higher plane.
Of course, Zhao An was no fool. He could hear the subtext in the Magistrate’s words: the overt instruction to keep his subordinates from preying on the common people was, in reality, a warning not to line his own pockets with money that rightfully belonged to the Magistrate.
On this point, Zhao An could puff out his chest and stand tall before the Magistrate. He hadn't pocketed a single copper coin. Aside from the standard operating expenses for his staff and external hires, and the necessary performance commissions, every cent collected in recent days had been accounted for and hauled by cart to the Revenue Department. The Revenue Department had already finished counting; the total was accurate to the last cash, and the ledgers were bulletproof.
Chapter 33