Tang Guangde, the owner of Wangjiang Tower, was leaning on the counter with a depressed look on his face. At this time, there was a temporary seat set up in the lobby, and a new storyteller was sitting there.
The storyteller was in his forties and was talking about the latest stories, "but he said that the eunuch Wang Jing who was procured was so tyrannical that people and gods were angry. A wave of resentment rushed into the sky and touched the heart of the emperor...
..It’s too late, then it’s faster, ah ah ah ah…”
Tang Guangde looked at the storyteller, feeling deeply helpless. You must know that his Wangjiang Tower is taking a high-end route. Not to mention the second and third floors, even the lobby on the first floor is not a place for traffickers and lackeys.
Therefore, there was no such thing as a storyteller in Wangjiang Tower originally. It was not a street or a tea shop or a tavern. It was just an elegant place.
But now, Wangjiang Tower has just inserted a storyteller so abruptly, which is very inconsistent in the eyes of Tang officials. It's like when scholars make friends with literature, a big man who picks his feet and sings folk songs suddenly breaks in.
...
What made Tang Yuanwai the most depressed was that his host could not drive away the storyteller. Because the storyteller was sent by the Imperial Envoy's Mansion, Tang Guangde would not dare to drive him away even if he was brave enough.
I heard that recently many storytellers inside and outside the city have begun to tell stories about the eunuchs of imperial envoys who fought for power. The specific reason is unknown, and there are also rumors that they took advantage of the imperial envoys' mansion.
Some storytellers even told the story of six years ago, when the young Fang Qin helped his grandfather, who was the governor at the time, to reduce taxes for the poor households in Guantian, Suzhou.
Faced with this kind of propaganda offensive, Tang Guangde, who knew "qingren", couldn't help but smile bitterly. Don't you, the Imperial Envoy, know that Tanci has become popular now? It's a bit old-fashioned to look for storytellers to promote it.
Fortunately, the second and third floors of Wangjiang Building were not greatly affected, and the elegant layout could still be maintained... When Tang Yuanwai was thinking wildly, he heard a burst of noise outside the door, which made the whole Wangjiang Building noisy.
It was not peaceful, and it ruined the atmosphere even more.
A clever boy ran out, looked at it, then ran back and reported to Tang Guangde: "Master! I posted a notice outside the building, and many people gathered around to see it!"
Tang Guangde was confused. "How did it get posted to us? What's the content? If it has nothing to do with us, tear it up, so as not to create an unseemly mess in front of the door!"
The young man said, "I don't know how to read..." The old shopkeeper who was doing the accounting next to him slapped his abacus and said, "Master, wait a minute, I'll go take a look!"
Not long after, the old shopkeeper came back from outside and reported to the Tang official: "This is a notice from the government office. There were four notices written in total, and the discussion was very lively. One was to advise the rich to pay back the money and grain arrears on behalf of the poor in the countryside...
.”
Tang Guangde smiled, "This must still be Commissioner Fang's idea, but it's just from the government's mouth. It's just that this kind of persuasion can't persuade many donations. It would be good if the whole Suzhou can have tens of thousands of shi."
The old shopkeeper replied: "The notice also said that as long as there are poor households who are in arrears of money and food, the government will make unified arrangements and try their best to arrange for renting government land! Anyway, Suzhou Prefecture's government land accounts for half of them, so there is no need to worry about not being able to accommodate them!"
Tang Guangde changed his color slightly, "If the poor households nearby are forced to rent government land, it will be difficult for the rich households to find farm laborers to rent their own private land. In comparison, it is more cost-effective to help pay back the grain tax first.
.”
"The imperial envoy's idea is really amazing." The old shopkeeper praised, "The second point is that the price of rice in Huguang is cheaper than in Suzhou. You can go to Huguang to buy rice and transport it to Shuici warehouse. After you get the return ticket, you can get a discount on the grain when you return to Suzhou.
Tax."
Regarding this item, Tang Guangde had heard it many times when he was in the mansion, and it was nothing strange. He also heard the old shopkeeper talk about the third item: "This year we must follow the old rules of the former governor Wang, and continue to increase consumption evenly this year! The official land will be reduced.
Five liters, Min Tian plus two buckets!"
Tang Yuanwai's expression changed again, each one was really fiercer than the last! Six years ago, Governor Wang implemented an equalized increase in consumption, but in the past two years, some people had the intention of leaving the government, but this time, Commissioner Fang actually mentioned it again,
The intensity is no worse or even greater than before!
Official land is state-owned land, and those who rent it are landless poor people, so the grain tax is heavier; civilian land is private land, all owned by landlords, and the grain tax is light.
Although the tax quota is an ancestral legal system that cannot be changed lightly, other additional consumption can be made an issue of. Reducing the additional consumption on official land and increasing the additional consumption on private land is equivalent to reducing the burden on landless poor households and increasing the burden on landlords. This is inevitable
It will incur strong opposition from big families!
Tang Guangde recalled what he had done to help his grandfather six years ago, and it was not surprising. But based on his understanding of the imperial envoy, he knew that this was a man who was far-sighted and never fought an unprepared battle. He would inevitably use drastic measures.
What are the options left?
As expected, the old shopkeeper continued to report: "The notice also said that the government is discussing with the Tixue officials. Anyone who disobeys the equalization order and refuses to pay taxes may not be allowed to participate in the college examination and the provincial examination, and will not be allowed to take the examination."
Tickets, at least for the next three years!"
The officials of the Tang Dynasty were shocked. Fang Qinchen's thoughts were indeed extraordinary. This threat was so cruel! Everything was of inferior quality, except for those who were good at studying. Rich families would definitely support their children to study. Studying was just for fame.
If family members are not allowed to participate in the imperial examination, and there is no hope of being promoted to a scholar, it is simply despairing. Compared with the despair of not being allowed to participate in the imperial examination, paying more money and food is still tolerable.
Tang Guangde was well-informed and made a silent calculation. If the above three items go well, it is expected that an additional 600,000 to 700,000 shi of tax and grain will be collected this year compared to previous years. There will be no big problem for Imperial Envoy Fang Da to complete the task.
But just now when the old shopkeeper said there were four items, Tang Guangde became very interested in the last item and asked proactively: "Then what is the fourth item?"
The old shopkeeper replied: "The last one is written simply. It just says that the land area has changed frequently in recent years, and it is inconsistent with the existing fish scale atlas. Therefore, it is necessary to clean up the hidden fields and ask every household to take the initiative to report and pay this year's tax."
, but let’s forget about it!”
Tang Guangde was surprised when he heard this. The last one was indeed the most powerful one, but it was also the most difficult! Not that no officials wanted to do this, but most of them made a fuss, but the effect was hard to say.
After all, clearing out hidden land is different from exhorting donations and increasing consumption. It almost touches the fundamental interests of the big landowners. Is this Fang Yingwu knowing that there are tigers in the mountains and preferring to go to the tiger mountains?
After being stunned, Tang Guangde asked again: "What does the notice say to do about this?"
The old shopkeeper returned to the counter and picked up the abacus again, "The notice only said that the hidden land was to be cleared, but it didn't say what to do specifically."
Does this mean that he still dare not take action easily after all? Tang Yuanwai looked at the crowd watching the notice outside the door. As soon as these four items came out, you can imagine the heated discussion in the city and countryside. It seems that Suzhou Mansion will not stop.