The Lord of the Prefect, Deputy Prefect Guan, and certain high-ranking scribes had all reaped benefits from these arrangements. They stood to lose nothing.
The state of the government's public accounts was the Imperial Court's concern and had no bearing on their personal affairs. As long as there was no civil unrest, the Imperial Court was indifferent. If any Prefect Lord sought the Imperial Court's assistance and agreed to resolve the matter, it would not be surprising.
However, the Prefect Lords were reluctant to interfere in each other's affairs. Allowing this debt to persist year after year would only increase the indebtedness to the major families.
If the family clans diligently paid their taxes, the public accounts wouldn't be in such dire straits. The substantial businesses of the three major families alone constituted at least half of the local economy.
Almost every business in Anze Province had some connection with the three major families.
