Almighty Lord: I can modify hidden entries

Gudern had to be careful when meeting such imperial officials.

After all, old Joseph was responsible for the tax processing in the past. Now that he was in attendance, it would be embarrassing if he said something that he shouldn't have said.

In less than five minutes, Old Joseph, who was out arranging affairs, immediately rushed back to the castle after receiving the notice.

Gudern also counted the time and entered with Old Joseph before he entered the living room.

Looking at the unfamiliar tax collector in front of him, Gooden was a little confused. Has there been a change this year?

"Lord Gudern, I am the tax collector of Qingyuan Town this year, Kroger."

Seeing Gudern's arrival, the tax collector stood up and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello." Gudern simply made a chest-stroking gesture to show respect for the other party, and at the same time introduced Old Joseph.

"This is my steward, Joseph. He has always made all the tax arrangements."

"Hello, old housekeeper Joseph." Kroger was polite and said hello to old Joseph again.

"Hello, Mr. Kroger."

"Please take a seat."

Looking at Kroger, Gudern was a little confused.

According to past tax collection practices, the same person is responsible for the tax collection every year.

Why was there a sudden change this year?

Before Gooden could ask a question, Kroger was the first to explain.

"There have been frequent border turmoils in the past two years. In accordance with His Majesty's decree, we will collect taxes in advance this year to prepare for war."

"In order to ensure that all taxes and grains are in place, it is necessary to disrupt the jurisdiction of the tax officials to ensure that there will be no evasion of taxes and grains."

Kroger emphasized the pronunciation of the words 'tax evasion', and at this moment Gooden's eyes jumped hard.

He glanced sideways at Old Joseph and saw him nodding slightly, indicating that there was no problem with Kroger's origins.

Now, he finally knew the contents of Roy's secret message, and what exactly was the 'drug' given to him by the Charleson family...

Chapter 62 The layout four years ago

As a steward, Old Joseph could tell from certain things that a war was about to break out.

How could these families entrenched on the border not know this?

The tax collector was temporarily replaced and some tricks were used to make the airborne tax collector think that there was a problem with the tax and grain payment in Qingyuan Town over the years, so he perfectly used the laws of the empire to get rid of him.

Based on the secret message sent back by Roy, Gooden naturally came up with such an operation in his mind.

What Kroger said next also confirmed that his guess was correct.

"As for Lord Gudern, judging from the records, you have not paid taxes and grain in full for three years since you took up the position of Lord of Qingyuan Snow Ridge."

"I heard about Lord Gudern's lavish spending in Kanehara Castle. I thought it was due to industrial support, but I didn't expect that it turned out to be a squandering of taxes."

Gooden did not explain Kroger's 'taunt'.

Since the other party dares to bring up this kind of thing, it means that he is fully prepared.

No matter how hard he tried to explain himself, the tax collector would not listen to his 'quibbles'.

Old Joseph who was on the side also understood that something was wrong and did not refute. He stood aside and watched Kroger's performance coldly.

"According to imperial law, one year's tax arrears will increase by 20% the following year. The total amount of three arrears in three years is 826.69 gold coins."

"In addition to this year's taxes, I'm afraid Lord Gudern will have to sell off a lot of your property."

When Kroger said this, he suddenly remembered something and added.

"In addition, this year the empire's grain collection will not be converted into money and taxes. One hundred and fifty tons of grain need to be prepared. The transportation team will arrive on the 15th of next month. I hope Lord Gudern will stop being clever."

One hundred and fifty tons of wheat can be converted into about thirty gold coins, which is nothing to Gudern now.

But the high amount of tax 'arrears' is also a big pressure for him.

If it was really his predecessor who made the mistake, Gudern would admit it and sell more manganese steel to fill the hole.

But as a good lord, my predecessor had paid taxes on time over the years, and the remainder would be returned to the town for construction. Why should I be bullied like this now?

And it was already known that someone was behind the scenes, and it was impossible for Gooden to compromise with them like this.

Coupled with the successive incidents and conflicts, Gudern also felt angry.

He just wants to develop his territory and make his life in another world more comfortable, but why do people always come to cause trouble?

"I know about the tax matter. Does Mr. Kroger have any news to convey?"

Facing the imperial officials, Gudern did not show his dissatisfaction on the spot, but just asked calmly.

Kroger also knew that what he said must have aroused the other party's dissatisfaction, and he casually took out a piece of paper from the storage box where documents were stored at his waist.

"This is a tax document for Lord Gudern. It has the seal of the Northern Governor's House on it, so as not to say that my words are unfounded."

Gudern had never been in contact with this kind of certification document and did not understand it. Old Joseph, who was standing aside, stepped forward to take it and check it.

After confirming the authenticity, Old Joseph handed it to Gudern and nodded secretly that it was true.

Kroger also reminded him kindly at the same time, with a slightly sincere tone.

"I would like to remind you, Lord Gudern, that this year's tax collection will be no easier than before. If you fail to collect the taxes by the deadline, I'm afraid your position as lord will come to an end."

Facing Kroger's reminder, Gudern did not respond. He stood up directly, looked at Old Joseph, and gave a calm order.

"Old Joseph, please arrange Mr. Kroger's residence in Qingyuan Town during this period."

After saying that, he left the living room directly.

Kroger didn't care about Gooden's actions. His identity was inherently unpleasant, so it was normal for him to encounter this kind of situation.

After all, no matter how bad the situation is, he has never encountered it before.

When he stood up and looked at Old Joseph, Kroger showed no trace of embarrassment on his face. Instead, he smiled politely.

"Then I'll trouble Joseph the steward."

The young master's rudeness was due to his position as a lord. As a housekeeper, Old Joseph would not neglect the minimum etiquette.

After arranging Kroger's residence, Old Joseph quickly went to the study to discuss the next arrangements with Gooden.

"The Charleson family has been making secret attempts many times. Master, what are you going to do this time?"

Old Joseph's slightly angry tone showed that what the Charleson family did was really disgusting.

After seeing Gudern's changes, Old Joseph also wondered in his mind what method the young master would use to solve the problem this time.

"I will not pay a penny of the so-called tax arrears."

Joseph was a little surprised by Gudern's tough attitude, but according to the young master's current temperament, it was not surprising to feel this way.

"But the documents from the Northern Governor's Mansion are true. If the money is not paid, I'm afraid..."

Old Joseph did not persuade Gudern, but mentioned the consequences of refusing to pay.

"Let's not talk about the consequences of not paying for now. I'm wondering why there is this document in the Governor's Mansion."

"Bang, bang..." Gudern tapped the tax documents on the table twice and continued.

"It stands to reason that in the past, taxes should have been truthfully recorded and reported to the Governor's Mansion, but how come it has become three years of tax arrears now?"

"If the Charleson family could reach out to a place like the Governor's Mansion, they wouldn't use all kinds of dirty tricks to deal with me."

Listening to the young master's words, Old Joseph couldn't help but lower his head slightly and think, but then Gooden's words made him widen his eyes.

"According to this speculation, the only explanation is that the tax collectors over the years have been bribed in advance. The Charleson family had already started planning four years ago, when I took up the position of Lord Qingyuan."

"This...how is this possible..." Old Joseph couldn't believe the conclusion given by the young master.

But if I think about it carefully, the authenticity of this speculation may reach the seventh or eighth level, or even higher.

"If I have touched the interests of the Charleson family and caused the other party to take turns to plan revenge, then I will admit it."

"But I have been eating, drinking and having fun all these years, so I wonder what on earth I have done that makes people and gods angry, to make them go to such great lengths to drive me away, or even assassinate me."

The more Gudern talked, the angrier he became. The fact that he was jealous of someone who was innocent and was secretly causing trouble would make anyone else angry.

Old Joseph has always been a little confused about the motives of the Charleson family. His young master is an airborne lord, so there is no need to target him like this, right?

"Old Joseph, do you think it's a family problem? Otherwise, I can't imagine why the other party hates me so much."

"Well...it shouldn't be your family's problem. The family's business is quite special, and the Charleson family is not even qualified to contact it."

Regarding this question, Old Joseph gave a vague answer. Anyway, it was impossible for the family hatred to be transferred to him.

Chapter 63 Breaking arrangements

Gooden has very few memories of his family.

In his memory, he had never left home even half a step before he became Lord Qingyuan.

The servants in the manor never mentioned anything about the family, and he had never met his biological parents.

So much so that his predecessor wondered if he had been forgotten, and now that he heard that the family business was so mysterious, Gudern asked quietly.

"Is it too late for me to go home and continue eating and waiting to die?"

"Well, I'm afraid you won't be able to enter the house now. Maybe you will have a chance to go home after developing Qingyuan Town."

"Forget it, forget it." Gooden shook his head with some regret.

My predecessor was probably driven out to become a leisure lord because of his mediocre performance.

If he could re-develop Qingyuan Town, why would he return to a woolly family and become a bastard?

"Let's get back to the topic." Putting away his thoughts, Gooden looked at the tax order on the table and slowly spoke out his plans.

"According to my guess, if it was really the former tax official who had done something, then the next solution would be much easier."

"What was the name of the previous tax collector?"

"Matthews."

"Yes, Matthews, as the tax manager of Qingyuan Town over the years, you should have had a lot of contact with him, right?"