In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 650 Integrity as Pure as Water

"Brother Zheng, how many servants do you think would be needed to manage such a large mansion, and how much silver would be spent each month?"

Li Qiao did not answer Zheng Qing's question directly, but instead asked a question in return.

"This……"

Zheng Qing opened his mouth, but with his knowledge, he really couldn't calculate how much money it would cost. However, he figured it would probably be several tens of taels of silver per month.

"Let me tell you."

Li Qiao said, "Uncle Li has done the math. A mansion like this would need at least dozens of people to manage. The food, drink, and living expenses of dozens of people, plus their monthly salaries, would cost at least 100 taels of silver per month..."

At this point, Li Qiao asked, "Brother Zheng, do you know how much the prefect's monthly salary is?"

"I don't know!"

Zheng Qing shook his head. He was not a person in officialdom and had very limited knowledge of officials' salaries. Moreover, the salary structure of officials in Xia Kingdom was very complicated, including cash, rice, cloth, and so on. Sometimes, even the officials themselves could not calculate exactly how much their salary was.

Of course, the vast majority of officials do not live off their salaries.

"Uncle Li's salary, converted into cash, is about fifty taels of silver."

Li Qiao said, "How can a salary of fifty taels of silver cover the expenses of so many servants?"

Fifty taels of silver a month is considered an extremely high salary in the Xia Kingdom, but it's clearly impossible to live a luxurious life with that amount.

"Lord Li is truly as incorruptible as water!"

Zheng Qing couldn't help but sigh. Although Li Qiao's words were about Li Mingyuan's salary, they also revealed a fact: Li Mingyuan had no other gray income besides his salary.

Logically speaking, given Li Mingyuan's status as a third-rank prefect, countless people would want to curry favor with him. If Li Mingyuan had shown even the slightest intention to accept bribes, he would have received countless gifts of ice and charcoal.

However, Li Mingyuan never entertained the idea, living off his meager salary of 50 taels of silver. No wonder the people of Qingzhou called him the "Upright and Honest Lord".

"Uncle Li once said that taking money from others is like giving them a handle to use against you, and you have to open doors of convenience for them. Therefore, Uncle Li has never accepted a penny of money from others, not even a single cent of local produce sent by the people."

A look of admiration flashed in Li Qiao's eyes. As a little beggar taken in by Li Mingyuan, his admiration and love for Li Mingyuan were unparalleled.

Zheng Qing's eyes also flashed with admiration. A dignified prefect was willing to live a life of poverty. Li Mingyuan was really different from the other officials he had met.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Li Mingyuan, dressed in an official robe, walked in. Upon seeing Zheng Qing inside, he smiled and said, "Young Brother Zheng, you've arrived?"

"Uncle Li."

"Master Li."

The two people inside the room quickly stood up and bowed.

"Well, sit down!"

Li Mingyuan gestured for the two to sit down, then sat directly in the main seat, smiling as he said to Zheng Qing, "Young Brother Zheng, it's been three years since we last met. You've become even more handsome, while I've aged considerably!"

"Lord Li is in the prime of his life, how can he be considered old?"

Zheng Qing quickly smiled and flattered him, wanting to ask Li Mingyuan about the provincial examination, but he didn't know how to bring it up.

Unexpectedly, Li Mingyuan was the first to bring up the matter: "Young Master Zheng, are you confident that you will pass the provincial examination this autumn?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing thought for a moment and said meaningfully, "As long as the examiners are fair, I will definitely pass the imperial examination!"

"Young man, are you targeting me?"

Li Mingyuan naturally understood the meaning behind Zheng Qing's words, and immediately said solemnly, "Young brother, rest assured, as long as you have real talent and learning, you will definitely not fail the autumn examination this time!"

Hearing this, Zheng Qing was immediately relieved. What he feared most was the unfairness of the examiners. As long as the examiners did not show favoritism, he was confident that he could be on the list!

"Thank you very much, Lord Li!"

Zheng Qing sincerely thanked Li Mingyuan for giving him a fair chance to compete.

"No need to thank you."

Li Mingyuan waved his hand: "The imperial examination should be fair and just, with the capable rising and the mediocre falling. I am just trying to set things right!"

After saying that, Li Mingyuan changed the subject and said with a smile, "Brother Zheng has come from afar, and I suppose you don't have much money left for your journey? Why don't you stay at my residence for a while?"

"Isn't this appropriate?"

Zheng Qing hesitated and said that he really didn't have much money left. More than half a month had passed since he left his hometown until the end of the exam. The food, drink, and lodging along the way had almost used up his money. He would have to stay in restaurants while waiting for the results to be released, and he really might not have enough money to last.

but……

Zheng Qing felt it was inappropriate to stay at Li Mingyuan's residence, since he had only met Li Mingyuan twice and they were hardly familiar with each other.

"It doesn't matter."

Li Mingyuan said dismissively, "The house in the mansion is empty anyway, so why not let you stay there temporarily? It'll also give Li Qiao some company."

"Then I shall accept it without hesitation."

After hesitating for a moment, Zheng Qing finally agreed.

As for whether it would cause controversy for a candidate in the provincial examination to stay at the chief examiner's house... Li Mingyuan didn't care about that, so why should Zheng Qing care?

So, Zheng Qing quickly went to the hotel with Li Qiao, took her luggage to Li Mingyuan's residence, and arrived at a guest room.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

As soon as the guest room door opened, the rush of dust made Zheng Qing take a few steps back.

Li Qiao seemed to have anticipated this, and standing a little further away, he smiled and said, "The guest rooms in the mansion are quite dusty because they have been uninhabited for many years. Please bear with us, Brother Zheng."

"..."

Zheng Qing rolled her eyes at Li Qiao. "You knew there was a lot of dust, but you didn't tell me beforehand. I think you're just trying to make a fool of me!"

After pausing outside the door for a moment and waiting for the dust to settle, Zheng Qing finally entered the guest room.

Just as Li Qiao had said, there was a layer of dust visibly accumulated inside the guest room. Zheng Qing reached out and touched the table, and a clear fingerprint immediately appeared on it.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Qing couldn't help but smile wryly. Together with Li Qiao, they found brooms and other tools to clean the entire room.

It took the two of them a full half hour to clean the house.

"Brother Li, are you a martial artist?"

Exhausted after an hour of work, Zheng Qing asked curiously.

After half an hour of housework, he, who had spent most of his life studying and rarely did physical labor, was panting and sweating. In contrast, Li Qiao was calm and composed, with no sign of shortness of breath, and his physical strength far surpassed his.

"Exactly."

Li Qiao did not hide anything and nodded directly, giving an affirmative answer.

Zheng Qing's eyes lit up, and he said, "Brother Li, would you be willing to teach me martial arts?"