After pausing for a sip of water, Li You continued to speak alarmingly: "Beside the bed, there are thousands of allies. May I ask if the county magistrate can feel at ease? Can he sleep well? During the Wanli and Chongzhen years of the Wanli Dynasty, there were weavers in Suzhou who gathered to cause chaos.
, either to provide relief or to resist taxes, does the county magistrate not learn from past mistakes?"
"What do you think? You must have some idea." Master Huang asked, knowing that this guy must be well prepared.
Li You immediately replied: "Take out the five thousand taels and declare to the outside world that it is charity money donated by three large households to the county government to help small households survive the famine years. This will give them a good reputation, and it will not
They were too evil. Then they used the five thousand taels as capital to buy the raw silk from Xishui Market and distributed it to the small merchants to help them survive. At that time, one or two hundred small merchants in the city would definitely meet.
I am grateful to the county magistrate for his kindness. Without spending a penny on the county government, the serious troubles of mergers and acquisitions can be solved invisibly, and the county magistrate has also gained a good reputation. Isn't it a good thing?"
Chen Zhixian continued to remain silent.
Li You said in a low voice: "To be fair to the county magistrate, I have made a rough calculation. If I take over the import and export of silk, the profit can reach more than ten thousand taels in two or three months. Why should these huge profits go to those big households? The government can do it on its own."
Take it.”
This number surprised Chen Zhixian and Master Huang, "There are really so many in ten months?"
"It should be true. I heard that the magistrate asked for money from the county. Fortunately, the county respects the integrity and the people of this county will not be exploited." Inspector Li first flattered Magistrate Chen, and then said: "But let the county
Zun Renren took responsibility for the prefect, and the subordinate officials couldn't bear to see it, so they came up with this idea. The instructor's office would make a fortune, and together with the capital, they would pay it to the prefect of 10,000 or 20,000 yuan, and they could have something to answer for. There was no need to plunder or steal anything.
Confronting your boss is the best of both worlds."
Being lured by Li You's eloquent words with fame and benefits, Chen Zhixian, who stuck to his heart, still shook his head and said: "Your idea seems to be a good one, but it makes the government make a big fuss and make you smell bad. Since ancient times, you have only listened to
Those who have experienced the government-operated salt and iron tea production have never heard of the government-operated raw silk. This matter will inevitably be discussed by the government and the public. In order to please the superiors, they will be branded as a greedy person who competes with the people for profit, but the gain outweighs the losses. It’s inappropriate, it’s inappropriate!
"
Chen Zhixian's concerns are not unreasonable, and are expected by everyone. According to the strange logic of the times, even if a local government levies and expropriates land, it seems to have a better reputation than running a business openly. The strange thing is that officials
When my family members do business in private, no one makes any comments, and public and private affairs are clearly distinguished.
Li You saw that Chen Zhixian was a little tempted, but he was unwilling to do it. After all, according to Confucianism, what is important in doing things is to be honest and have a good reputation. Before doing anything, you need to set up a memorial arch in your heart. Without a memorial arch, it will be difficult to do it.
At this time, he presented the archway that he had prepared earlier. "When I passed by the Jinongcang yesterday, I learned that it was built by the wise king when he governed Suzhou Prefecture in the past. In good years, rice was brought in, and in famine years, relief was provided, and countless victims were rescued. I thought.
The farmers and mechanics are all common people of the Ming Dynasty. Should there be distinctions between those who are rich and those who are poor? Why don’t the county magistrates imitate the ancestors? He has a warehouse for farmers, and the county magistrate can spend the five thousand capital to build a warehouse for farmers; he buys and sells rice and grain, and I
He went in and out of raw silk; he helped the victims, and I helped the machine operators. Thousands of people survived in one county. Even if it can't leave a name in history, shouldn't it be praised by the government and the public? With good intentions, a little profit, and a clear conscience in the world,
I can also understand why the prefect is wrong."
Strictly speaking, Li You's words were obviously exaggerated, but the archway he exaggerated was still a archway, and no one would take it seriously anyway.
Master Huang couldn't help but stare at Li You and sighed: "I really don't think you look like a patrol inspector. You are more than enough to be the county chief clerk."
Li You kept silent here, thinking that the magistrate had already built a large archway, let's see if he would do it or not.
"Just do it!" Chen Zhixian made up his mind after taking the case.
Li You's eyebrows were filled with joy, he stood up and bowed in obeisance, saying: "The county magistrate is wise and courageous, and the lower officials admire him!"
When the county magistrate made a decision, Mr. Huang nodded and offered advice: "In this matter, we need to build a warehouse in the county to control the entry and exit of silk, and we also need to set up a general ledger in the Xishui Town Market to handle money transactions."
Mr. Huang is really on the right track. You are in charge of the silk warehouse in the county town, and I am in charge of the accounting room in Xishui Town. We all have benefits, Li You thought to himself.
Chen Zhixian asked: "If we set up a general ledger room in Xishui Market, will the household rooms be manned?"
As expected, Mr. Huang replied in line with Li You's wishes: "There are no redundant personnel. Besides, the autumn harvest is coming, it is not suitable to divide people. The general accountant must be found locally in Xishui."
Before Li You had time to interrupt, he heard County Magistrate Chen say: "You can ask the Xishui Water Taxation Bureau to handle it."
"No!" Li You shouted, trying his best to explain: "The taxation bureau goes straight up to the taxation department in the prefectural city, and then there is the treasury and household department, which may not be of the same mind as the county government. I don't know how much discount they will give when the money comes into their hands.
The county magistrate must not ignore it. The lower official suggested hiring a local commercial bank to do the transactions on his behalf, similar to the government merchants, and then use the county government office to check the accounts on a regular basis. If you like it, use it, and if you don't, leave it."
Chen Zhixian was not stupid. He looked at Li You meaningfully and said, "I've been talking a lot today, but just for this one sentence, who do you have in mind?"
Li You chuckled and said: "The lower official recommends that the Guanjia Silk Shop in Xishui Town can be the general accountant. A 10% commission is enough. Of course, half of it will be enough." As for the other half, there is no need to mention it clearly.
.
Master Huang suddenly asked: "Is it the silk shop run by the eldest lady? I heard that he has both talent and beauty. What does it have to do with you?"
This matter can be discussed in private. What question was asked at this time? Li You gave Master Huang a dissatisfied look.
County Magistrate Chen finally agreed, and the matter was settled.
After leaving the county government office, Li You returned to his new home to bathe and change clothes, preparing to attend the farewell banquet in the evening.
At this time, Guan Xiuxiu brought back three servants from her parents' home. Li You recognized two of them as the black and white female Vajras whom he had seen on the street that day. They were actually cousins. The other was a middle-aged male servant with an unattractive appearance.
He is the husband of Er Jingang, and Li You admires his body very much.
While sitting in the hall waiting for the banquet, Li Youtang was thinking wildly. Suddenly he discovered that the military strength of Aunt Guan in the backyard of his house had risen to a far leading position. The two female Vajras who could carry the sedan chair were simply invincible among the group of delicate little ladies in the backyard.
existence. Other male domestic slaves must not be able to enter the backyard at will, but the female Vajra has no such scruples.
The farewell banquet for Lu Shangshu was still held at the county mansion. Li You got off the sedan chair and found that his old acquaintance Xue Juren had also arrived. He held his hands in greeting and said, "I have met Mr. Xue."
Xue Yuanqing looked around and saw that there was no one around, and returned the courtesy: "The first batch of wooden stakes has just arrived recently, and the county government has collected them. Will you give your share of the income in one lump sum, or in batches?"
Li You said hypocritically: "Now that I am no longer in charge of him, why should I be like this? Mr. Xue doesn't need to worry about me."
"What are you talking about? If it weren't for you to pull the strings, we wouldn't be able to do business. How can I be the one who burns bridges when I cross the river?" Xue Yuanqing said seductively.
Li You said, "I've been very tight lately, so I'll give you as much as you have."
"This batch is about a hundred taels, and it will be delivered to Xishui House in the next two days."
"No need to send her there, I've moved to a new house, in Fuxin Lane, Jiadifang."
"Congratulations on your good fortune, I'll add twenty taels as a congratulatory gift!" Xue Yuanqing came closer and whispered: "I am familiar with the Jihu Cao family and would like to associate with you. Please let me introduce you. What do you think?"
The Cao family is one of the three largest silk weaving families in the county. Li You frowned and said nothing. What did he want to do with him? But what he secretly planned was something they couldn't deal with. He replied first: "Let me think about it. "