When it was reported that none of the merchants were willing to pay the fees, the Prefect urgently summoned the relevant parties for consultation.
In attendance, alongside Magistrate Ding Chengen of Ganquan County, was Magistrate Zheng Sanwan of Jiangdu, as well as staff from the Registry and the two counties. As the official actually handling the matter for Ganquan County, Zhao An was naturally qualified to attend. He was the only Licentiate (Tongsheng) among them; all other staff held at least the degree of Cultivated Talent (Xiucai). He truly stood out like a chicken among cranes.
Upon his arrival, the Prefect immediately made his dissatisfaction clear: "You tell me, why do those merchants refuse to pay? Isn't this for their own good? If I didn't want to develop the local economy and improve the people's livelihood, would I have gone out of my way to stir up all this trouble?"
Chapter 40