Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 296 Daotai
Qu Shaoyang stuffed County Magistrate Chen's business card and two silver ingots into the hands of the gatekeeper.

The officer took the silver, weighed it in his hand, put it in his arms with great satisfaction, and then opened the business card.

When he saw that it was County Magistrate Chen's name, he did not dare to delay and immediately passed the message inside.

After a while, the officer came back and bowed to Qu Shaoyang politely.

"Inspector Qu, Lord Gao is in the government office. Please follow me."

Qu Shaoyang followed the officer into the gate and came to the ceremonial gate.

Inside the main gate and outside the ceremonial gate, there are two rows of houses, which are where the six rooms are located.

The Lifang managed all officials, similar to the Personnel Bureau in later generations.

The Hufang, also known as the Huliangfang, was in charge of collecting grain and paying taxes and paying them into the national treasury. In years of famine, it also handled disaster relief and grain distribution, similar to the Grain Bureau of later generations.

The Lifang was mainly in charge of Confucianism, education, celebrations, sacrifices, etc.

The barracks is mainly responsible for recruiting soldiers, horses, training soldiers, and transporting troops to higher levels.

The workshop was in charge of sericulture, weaving, water conservancy construction, silver minting, etc.

Under the guidance of the police, Qu Shaoyang entered the second room on the left.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw a man sitting behind a desk. He was wearing the uniform of an eighth-rank official. He should be Mr. Gao, the clerk of the household department.

"Your humble servant is the Yalu River Division Inspector, nice to meet you, sir." Qu Shaoyang stepped forward and saluted.

"Inspector Qu, I have heard a lot about you. County Magistrate Chen often mentions you and praises you for your achievements at a young age.

Seeing him today, I can see that he is indeed a man of great stature and character, and a man of great promise at a young age.”

Gao Taiyuan, the clerk of the household department, smiled when he saw Qu Shaoyang and stood up to greet him.

This tall man looked to be in his thirties, of medium height, thin, and had a amiable look on his face.

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. I am a lowly official with little knowledge and talent. I am only able to achieve what I have today because of the favor of Lord Chen."

Qu Shaoyang placed the gift box in his hand in front of the other party with both hands.

"It's my first time meeting you, sir, so I've brought you a small gift. I hope you won't despise it."

There was nothing else in the box, just ginseng, deer antler, snow frog, and some silver bills.

Qu Shaoyang feels that these things are the most presentable, so he likes to prepare these every time he gives gifts.

"Inspector Qu is too polite. I am even good friends with County Magistrate Chen."

Gao Taiyuan did not refuse. He took the gift box with a smile and put it on the table.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, sat down, and were served hot tea.

Qu Shaoyang then stated his purpose. One was that he was ordered by County Magistrate Chen to deliver the memorial regarding the destruction of the dangerous outposts in the Yalu River basin.

Another thing is that Qu Shaoyang wants to purchase a large piece of mountain forest land and plant ginseng within the jurisdiction of the Changbai Fumin Bureau.

The purchase of land is originally under the jurisdiction of the household registration and housing management department.

With the face of County Magistrate Chen and the gift from Qu Shaoyang, this matter naturally did not require much effort and Gao Taiyuan agreed directly.

He only said that after the spring, he would arrange for people to measure the forest area and pay the corresponding land tax, and then the forest land would belong to Qu Shaoyang.

As for the proposal to blow up the sentry post, this is a big deal and of great importance, and Gao Taiyuan cannot make the decision on his own.

"Sir Qu, I will present this memorial to the Daotai on your behalf, but I cannot guarantee your attitude.

But I think it shouldn't be a big problem.

You also know that wood tax accounts for the largest share of the tax revenue in the East Road.

If we can blow up the dangerous sentry posts in the river and ensure the safety of rafts and ships, then trade on the Yalu River will be smoother, which is a good thing.

Don't worry, I will definitely speak well of you in front of the Taotai and try my best to make this happen."

For the sake of County Magistrate Chen and the gift, Gao Taiyuan couldn't just stand by and watch. He would definitely try his best to help. "Thank you very much, Mr. Gao. Regardless of whether the matter succeeds or not, I will always remember your kindness."

When Qu Shaoyang heard this, he knew that this matter would most likely succeed, and he had to thank the other party.

"You and I are both officials of the East Road, so we should help each other. There's no need to thank me.

How about this, Master Qu, go back first and wait for news at the post house. If the Daotai has a reply, I will send someone to inform you immediately."

Mr. Gao was also very polite to Qu Shaoyang and said with a smile.

And just like that, Qu Shaoyang said goodbye and left.

After Qu Shaoyang left, Gao Taiyuan opened the gift box and was very happy to see the treasures and five hundred taels of silver inside.

So Gao Taiyuan hurriedly put his things away, then took the memorial and went straight to the back court to find the governor.

Yuliang, the governor of the East, was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Manchuria. In his early years, he was very talented in poetry and prose and was known as a talented scholar of the Eight Banners. However, he failed in the examinations many times.

This person came from a prominent family and was recommended by his relatives to enter the official career.

He was appointed governor of the Eastern Circuit in the autumn of the 15th year of the Guangxu reign, and it has only been about a year and a half.

Yuliang was a man of outstanding talent, great ambition, and a good reputation among officials.

"Sir, this is a memorial sent by Tonghua County Magistrate Chen.

Regarding the transportation of timber on the Yalu River and the safety of the outposts. Please review it, Your Excellency."

Gao Taiyuan respectfully presented the memorial to Yuliang.

Just as Gao Taiyuan said, timber tax is the main source of tax revenue for the East Road and is of great importance.

So when Yuliang heard that it was a memorial about timber transportation, he immediately took it and read it.

The more he read, the more Yuliang felt that what was written in the memorial made sense.

"Taiyuan, where is the person who brought the memorial now? Is he still waiting at the government office?"

When Gao Taiyuan heard this, he knew there was a way and replied immediately.

"Sir, the Yalu River Patrol Inspector Qu Shaoyang has already returned to the posthouse. I was inconsiderate. I will send someone to invite Inspector Qu right away."

Gao Taiyuan was unsure of the Taotai's attitude, so it was naturally not appropriate for him to let Qu Shaoyang wait in the yamen.

Seeing the attitude of the Taotai at this moment, he guessed that the Taotai wanted to see Qu Shaoyang, so he hurriedly spoke.

"No, it's late today, there's no point in going back and forth.

Taiyuan, please take more care and send someone to the post station to tell Inspector Qu to come to the government office tomorrow afternoon."

Yuliang looked at the sky outside, waved his hand and said.

He has work to do in the morning, so he has plenty of time in the afternoon so he can have a good chat.

Whatever the Taotai says is the truth. How can anyone else question it?
So Gao Taiyuan nodded in agreement, chatted with the Taotai for a while, and then left.

After returning to the household office, Gao Taiyuan immediately ordered the servants to go to the post station to deliver a message, saying that the governor wanted to see Qu Shaoyang the next afternoon.

On the other hand, Qu Shaoyang was worried after returning to the inn, wondering whether his proposal would be adopted.

It was not until dusk that a runner from the yamen came to the post station and told Qu Shaoyang to go to the yamen the next afternoon to meet the prefect.

Qu Shaoyang now had a clue in his mind, so he quickly agreed, stuffed some silver into the mouth of the messenger who came to deliver the message, and sent the messenger away happily.

As soon as the officer left, Qu Shaoyang immediately packed up his things and prepared a gift.

This time when he went out, Qu Shaoyang brought a lot of money and items with him in order to smooth out relationships with various people.

The Taotai is well-informed and will not be able to offer him a small amount of money, so a generous gift must be prepared.

(End of this chapter)