"Alright, your time is limited, and I won't waste yours. Go and prepare your own affairs."
After the scolding, Pang Yue waved his hand, signaling him to get lost.
He only had one night, but he had a deficit of hundreds of thousands of strings of cash to cover.
Where could a mere county magistrate get so much money and provisions all at once?
But he had seen Zhong Yanchong's attitude today. If he couldn't produce the money and provisions at this moment, he would truly have no escape from death.
He had already thoroughly offended Han Mo in the matter of Zhou Ding. Given Han Mo's relationship with Zhong Yanchong, it was difficult to guarantee that this fellow wouldn't nitpick.
Hierarchy alone meant the superior could crush the subordinate, and moreover, Zhong Yanchong now held great power. He had no room for negotiation and could only bite the bullet and go for it.
For the entire night, almost all the wealthy households in Tangyin County were visited by the county magistrate.
Unlike Han Mo, his relationship with these people was much more harmonious.
Normally, those fellows had often paid their respects to him. Now that he personally called on them, even if they were unwilling, they couldn't think of a reasonable excuse to refuse for the moment.
It wasn't until dawn that Liao Wenxing, dragging his exhausted body, returned to the county yamen.
"How is it? How much more is needed?"
"It's basically all gathered!"
Although the time was a bit tight, fortunately, this wasn't the first time they had done such a thing.
Even though he was almost exhausted from the entire night, he had finally managed to gather all the necessary items for the accounts.
Upon hearing the accounts reported by his subordinate, Liao Wenxing finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Tell everyone, after we get through this hurdle, this official will reward you handsomely!"
With these things prepared, Liao Wenxing's back finally straightened.
He hurried back to the rear yamen, washed up, and then returned to Pang Yue's room.
"Lord Pang, your subordinate has everything prepared. I just don't know when Military Advisor Zhong will arrive?"
As he spoke, Liao Wenxing carefully observed the expression on Pang Yue's face.
"Lord Zhong just sent word that he drank a bit too much last night and won't be coming today..."
"Not, not coming?"
Liao Wenxing's eyes widened. What kind of joke was this? He had worked tirelessly all night, and this brat was casually saying he drank too much and wasn't coming! Was this playing with him?
He simply wouldn't come?
"But my side..."
"What about your side?"
Although Pang Yue was indeed very angry about this matter, he was in the wrong. If things escalated, he would be the one to suffer in the end, so he could only swallow his anger.
"Did he say when he would come?"
With a belly full of suppressed anger, Liao Wenxing could only ask in a low voice.
"You ask me? Who should I ask?"
Pang Yue's angry retort instantly made Liao Wenxing feel awkward. Who had he offended?
In such a short period, gathering so much money was only made possible by promising extremely high interest.
Moreover, this interest was calculated by the day.
He had originally thought that Zhong Yanchong would come for at most two or three days, take a look, and then leave.
But he never expected this fellow to simply stand them up!
If he really didn't come for ten days or half a month, Liao Wenxing would likely have to pay a huge sum of money!
To default on a debt, this act itself was illegal.
If Liao Wenxing dared to default, anyone who reported him would likely lead to his death!
"I don't know what this brat is up to, and I can't figure out what he's planning! However, I have a feeling that this matter is not simple. If we are not careful, we might lose everything!"
After venting his anger, Pang Yue finally sighed and said.
"You can't figure out this brat either?"
Hearing him say this, Liao Wenxing's face grew even more grim.
"Alright, you go and prepare. If he doesn't come, isn't that a good thing for you?"
"Yes!"
Although Pang Yue's words made Liao Wenxing want to curse, he could only comply now. He turned and left.
"My lord, this is news just received from Neihuang!"
As soon as Liao Wenxing left, one of Pang Yue's attendants hurried forward and said in a low voice.
"Is the source of this news reliable?"
Just by looking at the content, Pang Yue was stunned.
He hurriedly lowered his voice and asked in a hushed tone.
"This is what the waiter overheard when they were reminiscing at the inn yesterday and the surname Zhong got drunk!"
The attendant beside him quickly replied in a low voice.
"To audit all the treasuries in the entire Hebei East Circuit? Is this fellow Xu trying to turn everything upside down!"
No one knew better than them in the Transport Bureau whether there were problems with the treasuries of the entire Hebei Circuit. If this fig leaf were to be torn open, all the remaining people in the Transport Bureau would suffer great misfortune.
Upon hearing such important news, Pang Yue couldn't sit still any longer. However, if he were to leave now and head back to Yuancheng, it seemed like it would alert the enemy.
"I will write a letter. You immediately send someone to deliver it back to Yuancheng and hand it to Lord Li personally!"
After much deliberation, Pang Yue finally made up his mind. It was better to believe such a thing than not to believe it. If the surname Zhong were to launch a surprise attack, he would truly regret it!
"Yes!"
Just as Pang Yue's brush was flying, Han Mo and Zhong Yanchong were chatting in low voices while drinking hangover soup.
"I say, if you accidentally drank yourself to death, it would be considered death in the line of duty, but I would have lost a lot!"
The rice wine brewed by the county's taverns was only about twenty percent alcohol and didn't even feel like much when drunk. However, they had switched to large bowls halfway through drinking last night.
The cost of wine alone for the entire night was ten strings of cash, and Han Mo still felt a bit dizzy.
"I say, Brother Han, according to reason, your physique isn't bad either. Why has your alcohol tolerance been getting worse since you got married? You're going to get drunk and die with just this little bit of wine. Don't joke around!"
Zhong Yanchong yawned a long yawn as he spoke.
"Stop it. From now on, you'd better not invite me to such drinking parties. I still want to live a few more years!"
Han Mo had been in a state of near-death intoxication last night, while Zhong Yanchong seemed like he was fine. This truly made Han Mo a bit frustrated.