The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 188 Tax Audit

June 1728, 6, Daxing.

In a quaintly decorated official room of the Daxing branch of the polling office, Wang Bingsen, the chief director of the polling office, stood next to the desk, holding a brush with enamel texture in his hand, inhaling intently, writing and copying with ink. A calligraphy copy of "The Great Destiny of the Three Worlds" written by Dong Qichang of the former Ming Dynasty.

Dong Qichang is known as "Xing Zhang Mi Dong" in calligraphy, which means that he is ranked alongside Linyi Xing Dong, Jinjiang Zhang Ruitu, and Xutian Mi Wanzhong. He is a rare calligrapher and painter in the pre-Ming Dynasty.

"The six body and eight methods are not refined, but they are beyond Su and into rice, and they are rich and graceful, and they are as if they are immortal."

As a member of a family of officials and a former attendant of the emperor, although Wang Bingsen's calligraphy cannot be compared with Dong Qichang's, he still has some skills after years of experience. He is unique and unique, like the gentle clouds curling up and the breeze blowing, especially natural. It's interesting and quite a bit like everyone's style. In the polling office, which is populated by gloomy and brutal spies, his achievements seem so "different".

However, in Qi State, there are very few people who use brushes. Everyone uses quill pens or dipping pens, which are simple and convenient for writing. This makes this writing method with brushes that has been passed down for more than a thousand years somewhat less popular in Qi State.

Quill pens or dipping pens are easy to use and require much less paper. They play an important role in promoting the development of science, education and culture in Qi.

However, these "small" pens seemed to lose some of the traditional charm and beauty during the writing process. When literati and scholars from the Qin State saw them, they often derided them as "mean" and "vulgar".

With the development of Qi's economy, its culture also gradually prospered. In order to show their identity, many domestic literati and arty people began to "pick up" their brushes and then copy and write various calligraphy works collected from the mainland. Calligraphy and stickers from celebrities of all generations.

Our Qi country not only has money, but also has culture, right?

In addition to writing brushes, all kinds of study decorations began to be piled up in the study room to commemorate the behavior and mood of the literati in the Song and Ming dynasties.

During this period, porcelain study utensils could be seen in the Qin State, whether in the inner courtyard of the imperial palace or in private residences, such as pen holders, arm rests, pen holders, Shuicheng shapes, etc. The types were extremely rich and the glaze colors were diverse. Commonly used are ink color, pastel color, blue and white, single color glaze, holly glaze, pink and white glaze, pink green glaze, coral glaze, etc.

"Oh?" Wang Bingsen stopped the brush in his hand, gently placed it on the pen holder, picked up a towel from the table, wiped his hands, then reached out to pick up the information on the table and read it carefully.

"Yes, President." He Yongguang bowed again and said.

Even the bases, shelves, boxes, etc. of these antique ornaments are petite in size, but they are all high-quality products that pay attention to the charm and excellence in terms of materials and craftsmanship.

These gadgets, with the economic, trade and cultural exchanges between Qin and Qi, gradually spread to Qi and influenced the elegant people in the country, which accordingly promoted the strong export of Qin's handicrafts.

Well, this may be regarded as a strong cultural export of China mainland.

In other words, Qin's industrial development is naturally far inferior to Qi's large-scale industrial model. Not only is its scale small, but its technology is backward. If it dares to open up the market, it will inevitably be beaten by Qi.

Just like the literati of the Qin Dynasty in mainland China always display some antique ornaments on their study desks, and follow the aesthetic principle of "preferring to make images according to the directions, each with its own suitability, preferring the ancient and timeless, preferring simplicity without cleverness, preferring frugality without vulgarity", the Qi State Some princes, nobles, dignitaries, literati and scholars also followed the same method, and all shapes were imitated from China to decorate them elegantly.

Well, in later generations’ parlance, it’s also called pretending!

Whether it is a wine ladle, a pen holder, an incense holder, a pen holder, an inkstone, a ruler, an arm rest, an ink bed, a screen, a desk, or a chess box, they all represent the mountains and forests in their eyes, the paradise in their hearts, and the elegance of the Song and Ming dynasties they imagined. wind.

However, after decades of peace, various handicrafts in the Qin State were extremely prosperous. Many study furnishings, including those for the palace, were produced by the workshops of the Manufacturing Office. In addition to clocks, pocket watches, glasses, corals and other exquisite items, The items come from abroad, and there are few products from other countries.

"Well, very good." Wang Bingsen nodded and said: "There are some things we need to do in advance, so as not to cause a big mess. Otherwise, there will be no good fruits for everyone in our polling office. You need to know, Your Majesty He has a gentle personality and can be considerate of our difficulties without being too harsh and can still protect him a little. But the prince supervises the country and requires extra precision in all matters, and he will not allow us to be negligent and slack in order to delay political affairs."

"In a few days, it will be my National Day. How are the cats and dogs in the streets and alleys cleaned up?" Wang Bingsen stopped He Yongguang and asked seriously.

Even many exquisite gadgets were imported from Qin at high prices to add to their simple and elegant study.

"Tomorrow afternoon, His Royal Highness King Dan and His Royal Highness Huang Sun will arrive in Daxing on the same train as the English delegation. Our polling office needs to do necessary safety and defense work." Wang Bingsen continued to order: "Although there are restrictions inside and outside the station The guards and gendarmes are responsible for the protection, but the people on the periphery must be on guard, and necessary spies must be arranged to closely monitor and control everything to ensure nothing goes wrong."

After all, the Qi State rose from a barbaric land and was only founded more than ninety years ago. This "spiritual civilization" still needs the support and nourishment of the mainland.

"General Manager." He Yongguang, head of the Intelligence Department of the Daxing Branch of the Polling Office, knocked on the door and entered. He stood respectfully behind the desk and gently placed a piece of intelligence on the table. "I just received an email from the Guangling Branch. The telegram has initially ascertained the English mission’s negotiating intentions and bottom line.”

"Yes, General Manager." When He Yongguang heard this, his heart immediately tightened, thinking that he must remind the people in charge of the affairs of each department later, and not to take it lightly to avoid any mistakes.

"Yes, chief executive." After receiving the information, He Yongguang turned and left.

"The Jianye branch and the Guangling branch have done a good job and will be commended by the order." Wang Bingsen showed a satisfied smile after reading it, and then handed the information to He Yongguang, "Later, immediately send this information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information room. Oh, by the way, I need to send a copy to the Royal Attendant’s Office to let the prince know about the affairs here."

"Returning to the General Administration, ten days ago, our Public Opinion Investigation Department cooperated with local police departments and gendarmerie police departments to carry out focused cleaning up and crackdown on people who are mixed up with snakes and rats. There will definitely not be any major vicious cases on National Day." He Yongguang said: " In addition, in order to prevent some people who are deceiving the public from causing trouble, our polling office has deployed capable spies to track and control day and night, so as to avoid large-scale group gatherings."

After Emperor Taiping fell seriously ill last year, his health was much worse than before, so he ordered the prince to supervise the country. He went to the royal palace in Nanyu County (now Tasmania, Australia) to recuperate, and some important matters that were difficult to decide were Report to His Majesty the Holy Judgment via telegram and clipper ship.

Although there have been no attacks on royal family and cabinet officials in Qi State, if a few lunatics attack His Royal Highness King Dan and His Royal Highness, or attack members of the English mission, it will be a big event and must not be ignored. .

"By the way, a tax inspector was killed in Shaoliang Mansion (today's Sunshine Coast, Australia). The Director-General of Taxation asked our Public Opinion Division to intervene and send personnel to support. Later, inform Supervisor Liang of the Operations Division and ask him Send a few experts over to investigate...These businessmen are becoming more and more lawless!"

"Yes, President."

Oh, the businessmen of the Shaoliang Mansion are so audacious that they dare to murder the tax inspectors. They are simply crazy.

The State of Qi has established a comprehensive tax collection system across the country. Adhering to the principle of "taking from the people, using it for the people", it levies national taxes on all domestic trading companies, factories, and even all citizens. It also has a large number of tax inspections personnel, and strive to ensure that tax collection and management objects can achieve "recruitment upon application".

However, sake makes people happy, and money moves people's hearts. Never underestimate the greed and selfishness of businessmen.

Tax evasion, tax evasion, concealing income, keeping yin and yang ledgers, bribing tax collection and management... all kinds of tax evasion behaviors emerge in endlessly, forcing tax inspectors to exhaust all means and methods to deal with them.

Every year, a large number of businessmen and factory owners who evade taxes will be dealt with during tax audits. In mild cases, they will be fined and paid back taxes, and in severe cases, their illegal gains will be confiscated. Those involved will be jailed or exiled overseas.

However, driven by never-ending greed, many businessmen still take desperate measures and use various methods to evade tax collection.

Two months ago, the General Administration of Taxation sent a team of inspectors to Xunyang County, Shaoliang Prefecture (now Gympie City, Australia) to audit and supervise local tax collection and management.

Maybe they discovered clues of tax evasion by some local trading companies and factory owners. Before reporting the situation to the superiors, some unscrupulous businessmen hired evil forces to attack the hotel where the tax auditors were staying at night, killing four people on the spot. , and also pretended that they didn't use enough fire, and burned down the hotel with a fire.

The case shocked the entire Handong Province, and the Taxation Directorate was even more furious. He ordered the local police department to strictly investigate and punish all perpetrators, avenge the victims, and establish the authority of the Taxation Directorate.

Damn it, you even dare to kill "officials", do you really think that our laws in Daqi are trivial?

However, the police from Shaoliang Prefecture and Xunyang County had no clue during the nearly two months of investigating the case. They were unable to solve the case and even failed to catch a single culprit. The whole case seemed to have fallen into a trap. Dead end situation.

This made the cabinet and the Director-General of Taxation a little suspicious. Could it be that the local government was bribed by those evil forces?

Immediately, the General Department of Taxation transferred the Public Opinion Investigation Division, hoping to get them involved in the case and thoroughly investigate the ins and outs of the entire incident.

No matter how good the local businessmen are, they can't buy the polling office. Now, our Public Opinion Investigation Department is involved in this case, and we must investigate it thoroughly, but we don’t know how big of a disturbance it will cause in the end.
-

As night falls, the shining gas lamps illuminate the entire city, and the bustling streets are still full of people and busy traffic.

Young women wearing long silk skirts or elegant horse-faced skirts trotted through the crowd, leaving bursts of silvery laughter.

Some luxury stores exude a unique atmosphere, with countless rare and exotic objects from all over the world displayed in the glass counters, attracting customers to choose from.

The vendors worked hard in front of the stalls and shouted to sell their goods, making the whole street full of the atmosphere of prosperous business.

A young woman, wearing a pale pink luxurious dress, swayed in the crowd. She has long flowing hair and a beautiful face. After entering the restaurant, she smiled and nodded to the waiter, with confidence and pride in her eyes.

While the waiter was stunned, the woman, surrounded by several companions, was already holding her skirt in one hand, walking up the stairs towards the VIP room on the second floor.

"Wow, I bet she's a royal woman."

"Shut up! Even if you are not a royal woman, your status is not low, but it is not something we ordinary people can discuss and criticize behind your back."

"Look at how timid you are! I'm just judging you behind my back. What's wrong? Can you still arrest me and bring me to the official?"

"Wu San, you are so mean-mouthed! Maybe one day you will get into trouble with your words and offend a noble person. You will be thrown into a remote overseas territory and you will be among the savages."

"Scoff! I'm just talking about it, how dare you punish me and sentence me to an abortion? Our country of Qi is a country with sound laws and regulations, and we cannot allow powerful people to abuse us."

Although there was an unconvinced tone in his words, his tone was a bit lower. It was obvious that he had listened to his companion's advice and did not dare to make any noise.

In the Qi State, although there are various legal systems, if those powerful families want to punish you, there is no need to go through laws and systems. Just using some privacy methods is enough to make you unable to stand up forever.

Ordinary people, you should behave yourself and don't offend noble people.

"I've met the princess."

"Meet the Princess"

……

As soon as Princess Rongan Qi Zeming entered the room, several guests present immediately stood up and bowed their hands in greeting.

Commander Bai Shaohe came over with a smile on his face, led his wife to sit next to him, and diligently fetched bowls and chopsticks to serve her.

"Have I disturbed all your uncles by coming here?" Qi Zeming said with a smile when he saw that several people present were too cautious to move their chopsticks or say anything.

"We are truly honored to have the Princess come here. I can't tell you what to say..." Bai Yuanhui smiled and said carefully.

"Yes, yes, the princess's coming here not only makes the whole Ziyunxuan shine, but also makes us feel even more honored." Bai Qingchao also echoed.

"As a woman, I shouldn't be so public, but as the daughter-in-law of your Bai family, I can't bear to let you fall into the abyss one by one and be about to die without doing anything." Qi Zeming suppressed his smile and looked serious. said.

"Um?……"

"what……"

"What does the princess mean by this?..."

"The county master..."

After hearing Qi Zeming's words, not only the Bai clan members present were shocked, but even Bai Shaohe, the county horse, had a look of surprise on his face. He didn't know what his wife meant by saying these words.

"In the near future, the Ministry of Household Affairs and the General Department of Taxation will launch a nationwide fiscal and tax audit. The General Department of Police, the Polling Office, the Gendarmerie Garrison Office, the Dali Temple, the Supervisory Yuan and many other departments will cooperate to assist." Qi Zeming said solemnly: " You probably all know what this move means, right?"

"..."

Everyone here looks at me and I look at you, but they all dare not say anything.

What does it mean?

The prince, who oversees the country's governance, probably wanted to make some spectacular achievements to prove his position, so he planned to start with finance and taxation, and conduct tax audits on domestic trading companies, industrial and mining enterprises.

Could it be that we are going to "kill pigs"?

"We, Da Qi, build a country based on industry and commerce, with free trade as our top priority. There will be no policy repetitions." Seeing that everyone did not seem to understand the meaning of her words, Qi Zeming said patiently: "This tax audit is not the first of its kind in the history of the dynasty." Instead of suppressing business as in the past dynasties, the tax collection system was determined, and the original source was to severely crack down on illegal tax evasion and tax evasion to make up for the country's shortfall. Daqi's economy has been developing at a rapid pace for decades, and the country's industrial and commercial industries have also In order to continue to advance and rise, we have accumulated countless wealth. However, the country's fiscal input has not matched the increase in revenue. Why?"

"..."

""Zuo Zhuan" says, if the skin does not exist, Mao will be safe? Without the prosperity of our country, how can all industries prosper! Merchants work hard to buy properties, and they are tired of running around, and they are profiting. But if there is no protection from the country, profit will Where to go? You uncles and uncles probably understand the truth here, right?"

Qi Zeming did not sit for a long time in the restaurant. He tapped a few chopsticks and took a few mouthfuls of fruit juice, then asked the county horse Bai Shaohe to leave with her, leaving only the Bai clan relatives to continue the banquet.

"What does the princess mean by this?"

"The princess asked us, the Bai family, to self-check the accounts of the past years. If there are any tax omissions, we must pay them immediately." Bai Yuanhui said in a deep voice: "Otherwise, don't blame the tax director for checking and killing him!"

"The people from the tax department can't check it. All the accounts we use on our counters are made by veterans with many years of experience. Just because..."

"Confused!" Bai Yuanhui scolded sternly: "Don't underestimate the determination of the government! What about the accounts done by experienced hands? As long as the tax inspectors carefully investigate, they can always find clues!"

"What the second brother said is true. A few months ago, the Shaoliang Mansion's tax inspection, if they hadn't been found out, those people wouldn't be so crazy and do such cruel things! Come on, I'll wait for a businessman , how can we withstand the government's thunderous attack? Let's lose some money to avoid disaster. The princess's words must have been obtained from the prince's superintendent, and she must have received sufficient information from the prince to warn the Bai family. "

When everyone heard this, they all showed solemn expressions.

Is this nationwide tax audit serious?

(End of this chapter)