A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 664 Ginger is still old and spicy

"Teacher really wants to retire?"

"I'm old, it's time to give up my position."

In the yard where the meritorious officer was, in the old meritorious officer's public house, the other two meritorious officers were surprised that the old meritorious officer had just retreated.

"Teacher, you are the mainstay of the county government and have assisted more than a dozen county magistrates. How can you just quit at the drop of a hat?"

"It would be a bit honorable to return it yourself. It would be shameful if you were kicked out. It would be even more worthless if your home was confiscated and exiled in the end." The old meritorious officer stroked his beard and smiled. Zhao Renben had accepted his resignation, although it was a bit direct, which made him slightly melancholy.
But when I returned to the public housing, I finally felt relaxed again.

"Teacher, you and You Pu She have a good relationship. Who can touch you?"

Facing the other two meritorious officers, the old meritorious officer was willing to tell the truth. These two people were originally his students, "Youpushe and I just worked together in the same government office. Back then, Youpushe offended the powerful minister Yang Su was demoted again and again and served as county magistrate three times."

Speaking of that year, it was already more than 20 years ago.

Li Jing was born into a noble family in Guanlong. At the age of 13, he learned the art of war from his uncle Han Qinhu, the famous founding general of the Sui Dynasty. At the age of 21, he became a ninth-rank Chang'an Gong Cao. After seizing his official position and serving the people, he was demoted to the magistrate of Ji County. At the age of 30, he went from Ji County Magistrate to Anyang County Magistrate, then to Sanyuan County Magistrate, and was promoted to Yanmen County Magistrate at the end of his term.

Lao Gongcao worked with Li Jing in Sanyuan for four years, and they got along pretty well, and they formed a good relationship. Later, although Li Jing went to Yanmen, Lao Gongcao had always had contacts with the Li family.
Being able to stay in the county government for 50 years is not only because his family has been working here for generations, but also because he is an experienced veteran and has a lot of skills and connections.

He has assisted more than a dozen county magistrates, and he has basically gotten along well with them.
However, he also knew that his relationship with Li Jing was just like that, and it was not as popular as the people in the neighborhood said. Li Jing was now a right servant, and he was still just an old meritorious official from the county government. How could they compare.

A good relationship with Lijiazhuang is just that, no matter how good it is, it can't be better than the teacher-student relationship between Li Jing and Wu Huaiyu. They are both prime ministers, and both families are now the largest nobles in Sanyuan.

Lao Gong Cao has a sensitive intuition.
He felt that something was not right about a storm coming this time, so he thought about it and simply backed away.Now that I am old, there is no need to wade through this muddy water again.
As a veteran, he really didn't dare to mess with the prime minister.

Besides, this new law will definitely offend many powerful people. Wu Huaiyu is a young prime minister, so they are not afraid of him, but he is a subordinate official and cannot afford to offend him.

The old man packed up his things, mounted his mule and took his entourage with him, and left quietly without even disturbing the others. He didn't want to make too much noise at this time.

In front of Mr. Wu, what senior qualifications do you have?

The more quietly you go, the better.

After leaving the yamen, he turned to look at the county yamen where he had just moved in. The old man sighed,
Changing out of his Jianggong uniform and wearing an ordinary brown cloth, he rode a mule and strolled slowly along Longqiao Street.

Facing the bustling street market, he even felt a little strange.

What a lively Longqiao. He has been an official here for 50 years. This place has been divided and merged. He used to pass by Longqiao often, but it has been ordinary for decades. Even when the Kaihuang Dynasty was prosperous, it was only On the river slopes of the two bridges of Longqiao, some simple wooden houses and cave dwellings were built for business.

In a few years, this place has become the most lively place in Sanyuan County.

Especially on the north bank, the five tall round castles are large and round, as well as the tall windmills not far away.

What a novel thing, much better than the Nianya Ke built on the Qinghe River.

In the eyes of the old hero, the five-ringed fort is a symbol of power, and the windmill is a symbol of wealth.

Lao Gongcao has been in the county government for 50 years. After several dynasties, he has accumulated a large family fortune.
Looking at the bustling Longqiao, the old master planned to buy a piece of land in this new county town, build a compound, and buy a few shops to get a share of the market share.

"go home!"

Lao Gongcao left the Yamen and went straight back to his home in the countryside without going to Lijiazhuang or Wujiabao. He planned to ignore the disturbances outside for the time being in the name of recuperation and wait for half a year to see the changes.

Riding a mule all the way back to the countryside,
The old Gongcao is also surnamed Li. His home is on the south bank of Qinghe River, and the village where he lives is also called Lijiazhuang, because there are two Lijiazhuangs on the north bank.

The Li Jing family was the most famous, so the village of Li Jing's family was called East Lizhuang, the one to the west was called West Lizhuang, and the old Gong Cao's side was called Nan Lizhuang.

There is also Xiaoli Village near Longqiao.

Most of the people in Nanli Village are ordinary people. The old Cao family has been officials for generations and has annexed a lot of land. They are the largest landowners in the village.

More than half of the land in the village belongs to his family.

It is not easy to save this family property. The family has been a county official for generations. In the past, they used to seek the position of money catcher for their children. They used private money as public capital and loaned it, borrowing the power of the county government to collect it.

The Gongcao family in Nanli Village actually made their fortune mainly by lending money at high interest rates. Being a subordinate official can also get the right to be exempted from school service, guarantee the interest rate for lending, make friends with powerful people, and protect the industry.

Several generations of management have made great fortunes from dynasty changes, wars and natural disasters.

However, in the generation of Lao Gong Cao, perhaps it is because wealth has been accumulated to a certain extent, or perhaps because this Lao Gong Cao is old and prefers stability, and his current methods of doing things are not as aggressive and aggressive as those of previous generations.

Even in the past few years, they have liked to do some benevolent things, such as building bridges and paving roads, or providing relief to their neighbors. It took 20 years for the Nanli Li family to gain a reputation as a benevolent person.

The old Gong Cao also had a grandson studying at the Yongzhou Official School in Chang'an. He also took the trouble to send his son to Chang'an to work as an official. He also had a son doing business abroad and a son taking care of things at home.
Each of them had their own division of labor, and they also broadened the network of connections by marrying their daughters to county officials, Hao Qiang, and Yuan Cong's Imperial Guards.

After the summer harvest, the countryside is very peaceful and lively.The villagers are all discussing the new tax, talking about customers and owners, discussing about nine points, tax exemptions, etc.

Lao Gongcao came back suddenly without saying hello, which surprised the family.

"Call Dalang."

Li Dalang is the eldest son of the old man. He knew his destiny at the age of 50. He married a girl from Hucao Zuozhi just after he entered the county government. This eldest son was too honest, could not read well, and was not tactful enough. If that didn't work, he finally decided to stay at home and be responsible for the fields and other matters.

"Aye, why are you back suddenly?"

"I resigned from my position as Si Gongzuo and retired."

"Aye?"

"Don't worry, nothing happened. I have to retreat on my own."

Lao Li asked his son some things about his family. This son was dull and introverted. He usually couldn't beat him with three sticks, but he was willing to manage the household affairs and deal with the villagers. He was pretty good.

The old man didn't like this son very much and thought he had no future. He preferred his second son who worked as a subordinate in Taifu Temple in Chang'an. The third and fourth sons were responsible for doing business and lending outside, and they were all better than the eldest son.Of course, the most important thing for Lao Li is his eldest grandson. The eldest grandson is studying in Yongzhou Prefecture and his grades are pretty good. Lao Li hopes that his eldest grandson can pass the Ming Jing exam in the future. Even if he passes the Ming Shu Ming Law exam, it will at least make Lao Li's family happy. Go to the next level.

"Have you harvested all the summer grain in the fields?"

"The harvest is all over. This year's harvest is pretty good. Our family can get more than two dan per acre of land."

"Has the rent been collected?"

"I have sent freshly brewed float wine to the tenants and invited them to come and drink in a few days,"

Sending wine and inviting wine is what the countryside means by reminding people to pay rent.

Lao Li nodded, "In the past few days, people from the Yamen will come to re-register the registered persons, land, acres, etc. You must declare truthfully one by one. Not only the number of persons and acres of land must be reported truthfully, but also the number of slaves, cattle and horses, and houses in the family. I have to repay it too.
But you don’t have to repay the money and silk truthfully, just two to three hundred guan, or a hundred pieces of silk cloth,”

"Remember to report everything like shops and workshops."

"Aye, didn't we already get this done last time? Why should we report it truthfully?" The boss is a miser. He treats slaves and long-term workers very harshly. He is urged to get up early every day and go to the fields. He also deducts oil and water from meals and is careful when borrowing food. When harvesting grain, a big bucket should be brought in.

If it weren't for him, the reputation of the Li family in Nanli Village would be even better.

"Don't worry so much. After the report is completed truthfully, we will take the initiative to send this year's corresponding rent transfer to Longqiao Yamen for storage according to the reported household, property, land, etc. Remember to get the receipt, check the quantity and stamp chapter."

Li Dalang was puzzled.

"The Li Pushe family in Dongli Village and the Wu Xiang Gong family in Wujiabao took the lead in reporting and paying. Why don't we learn from it?"

"But didn't the imperial court say that this year we will still pay the rent according to the old regulations, and only those with insufficient land will be exempted accordingly? Besides, our family is still exempt from school service..."

"Take a long-term view, don't just stare at the one-third of an acre in front of you every day, but also look outside," the old man scolded his son. Although his son was right, he took the initiative to pay it in advance and paid it in advance. Although he paid a little more, there are still benefits. Also a lot.

Not only will it satisfy the Prime Minister Wu, but it may even reach Tianting directly. After all, the Sanyuan pilot project is now being watched by both the government and the public.

Besides, Lao Li also knows how many bad debts he has incurred as a subordinate for many years and how much money he has made. If someone insists on turning over old debts, these things cannot withstand the investigation.

If you behave well now, you also hope to satisfy Mr. Wu so that you won't settle old scores again.

"Aye, can't we pay it again next year? If we pay it for one more year now, that's a lot of money and food. If we pay two or three liters more for one acre of land, then one hundred acres will be two or three stones, and one thousand acres will be..."

"Shut up!" Lao Li looked at his son who was still counting on his fingers how many more stones of grain he would have to pay, and how much he could earn back if the grain was loaned out. What if you borrow one in spring and pay back in autumn, borrow one and pay back two...
He has no idea what active and passive means.

If he is allowed to take charge, it is estimated that even next year, he may be like many stupid guys, thinking of various means to default on arrears, or even refuse to pay.
The small and powerful landlords in the countryside really think they are capable?

If those powerful families don't take the lead, why are you taking the lead?

Even though Lao Li is opposed to the new tax law in his heart, Lao Li will never be the first to do so. On the contrary, he wants his son to pay everything in advance one year in advance this year and take the initiative to pay everything according to the new law.
If you want to rush, let others rush. Run backward first, wait until the front is finished, and then decide based on the situation.

Only fools rush ahead,
And it is this kind of fool who dies the most.

To be able to work in the yamen for 50 years and still survive is because of the tact and tact of an old subordinate official.

The fact that he is so proactive in filing tax returns does not mean that he really agrees with the new law. On the contrary, he is extremely opposed to it in his heart.

But he will not stand up and take the lead in opposing and rushing forward.

"You have recently sent people to the countryside to inquire more, and when the county working group comes down to check the household registration, property, land, etc. again, if the big landlords nearby dare to commit fraud, you will report them secretly," Lao Li said with a gloomy face.

(End of this chapter)