A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 728 Let's get down to business
The sky was high and the clouds were light.

Yushuchuan, nestled at the foot of Shenhe Plain, is a tranquil scene after a bountiful harvest.

Luo San walked slowly back home with his hands behind his back. The house had thirteen large brick houses in two courtyards, but he was still wearing the same faded coarse cloth clothes.

"Aye,"

A clear, melodious call came from under the corridor. Luo Guoqiang, dressed in a scholar's robe, strode forward to greet him. The fifteen-year-old boy was tall and straight, and his features already showed signs of scholarly refinement.

“Just now, someone from my second uncle’s family came and said that they were going to slaughter a pig and a sheep to feast the Prince of Dai and my third sister, and invited Father to come and have a drink.”

Luo San looked at his son with a gratified smile. The little stone who was dark and thin back then is now the prized student of Headmaster Dong of Wuji Academy, well-versed in the classics, and will be able to take the exam next year.

"Go fetch a bucket of well water, I need to take a shower and change my clothes."

"It's getting chilly in the autumn, let the kitchen boil some hot water for a wash."

"Your father is only forty-six, in the prime of his life." Luo San laughed heartily, his furrowed brows unable to conceal the vicissitudes of time.

The icy well water splashed on my body, sending a chill down my spine. The water droplets rolled down my strong back, revealing crisscrossing old scars, marks left from years of escaping conscription, fleeing famine, and clearing land in the mountains.

Looking at his tall son, especially his scholarly air, Luo San felt that his life had been worthwhile.

He had suffered enough in his life, from renting eighteen acres of rice paddies at Wuji Temple to fleeing famine and forced labor and reclaiming wasteland in the Zhongnan Mountains.
He married three wives in total, all three of whom were women who had fled famine, and two of them had children with them.

After he turned forty, his luck turned around. He followed Li Yi and gradually became wealthy. In the past few years, he took four concubines and five maids, and had seven sons and five daughters. Now he has a total of nine sons and six daughters.

The family owned thousands of acres of farmland and had numerous servants.

My son, Shitou, and my stepson, Gousheng, are both doing well in school.

His daughter, Lanxiang, is studying medicine and is now engaged to Feng Xiangzuo's son. It's a good match, and he is very satisfied with his prospective son-in-law in every way.

Stone helped his father rub his back.
Suddenly, I realized that the towering figure in my heart, who was once as majestic as a mountain, had become slightly hunched.

"Bring me my official robe."

A light green, round-necked official robe was displayed before them, paired with a black turban. This was an official's everyday attire, not particularly formal, but when Shi Tou helped his father put it on, his entire demeanor changed.

Luo San looked at his reflection in the basin of water and could hardly believe it.

Stone stared blankly at his father's attire, lost in thought.

“Father looks so majestic in that official robe.”

Luo San smoothed out the wrinkles on his sleeves, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "What's so impressive about it? Wearing an official robe means bearing a heavy responsibility. If it weren't for His Majesty's personal appointment and your brother Wu Yi's repeated insistence, I would never have dared to accept it."

A deputy town official of the seventh rank,
He was not the deputy commander of a military town, but the deputy mayor of the first town in the Great Tang Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Luo San took a deep breath, feeling more confident.
After all, behind him stood Li Yi, the Minister of Works, Prince of Dai, and Chancellor.

Wu Yi talked to him for a long time, reassuring him, and only then did he feel more at ease.

I remember six years ago, a torrential rain washed away the cliff, burying my second wife and eldest son alive. I was left with my three young children, huddled in a thatched hut by the irrigation ditch in the rice paddies, without even enough food for the next day...

Having survived such dire circumstances, what obstacle can't we overcome now?

"Go and call Guosheng and a few others, go help out at your second uncle's house first." Luo San straightened his turban. "I have an appointment with the council, I'll be there later."

The upgrade of Oyaku Township to Oyaku Town had the greatest impact on the Oyaku Market.

Originally, the streets and markets here were managed and governed by assemblies, but from now on, they will be governed by the government.

This place would not only have a town government office, with a town mayor and deputy mayor, but also clerks, registrars, and merit officers, etc.

They would also set up city offices to appoint city magistrates and warehouse offices to appoint warehouse supervisors, etc.

Yushu Town is still under the jurisdiction of Wannian County, but its administrative structure will be the same as that of a typical subordinate county.

The most important function of the town government was to manage markets and commerce. Many of the original powers of the town government were to be taken away by the town government.

When Luo San appeared at the Yushu Club wearing a green official robe,
The board members who had been waiting there all stood up to greet him, but when they saw that it was Luo San, they were all stunned.

Although they all knew that Luo San had become a seventh-rank deputy town official.

When I actually saw it, I was quite surprised.

"After changing my clothes, no one will recognize me, Luo San," Luo San said with a smile as he walked to the head seat and sat down. "My second brother's family is slaughtering pigs and sheep right now. I'll keep it short. Let's all go have some drinks later. We can't keep the Prince of Dai waiting for us."

Everyone laughed and said yes.

The council members at the gathering were all prominent figures in Yushu Township, either heads of major clans or landlords and wealthy merchants.

"I just came from the Prince of Dai. The Prince of Dai suggested that we rename our gathering the Yushu Merchant Guild."

In the future, the town council will be responsible for collecting taxes such as transit tax, residence tax, and transportation tax.
Our chamber of commerce assists the town government and municipal authorities in managing businesses and maintaining public order and sanitation. With the consent of the town government, we may also collect management fees, security fees, sanitation fees, and so on.

Our self-operated businesses, such as brokerage, warehousing, mortgage, and lending, will remain unaffected.

···
A group of people were whispering among themselves.
When the stone landed, everyone reacted differently.

Feng Qilang, who ran a liquor business in town, couldn't contain himself any longer. "Chairman, I heard the imperial court is going to levy a 3% residence tax, a 2% transit tax, and even a 4% tax on sales contracts? This is much heavier than the previous taxes!" "Isn't this a bit too much?"

In the past, when the likin (a type of incense) was levied, it was worth one in a hundred, which was barely acceptable to most people.

But now it has obviously increased a lot.

Luo San glanced at everyone and slowly said, "These taxes, such as transit tax, residence tax, and transportation tax, have existed in previous dynasties. It's still relatively benevolent to only levy these few items now."

Feng Qilang, you're in the liquor business. The imperial court has always prohibited the private brewing and sale of liquor. The Prince of Dai's mansion brews liquor using persimmons instead of grain, circumventing the imperial ban. You buy the liquor from the Prince of Dai's mansion and then resell it.

They can make a lot of money by reselling them.

In the past two years, the ban has been relaxed slightly, and the Prince Dai's Mansion has started brewing wine from coarse grains such as corn, sweet potatoes, and sorghum, which you continue to sell.

You're making a lot of money, so you're reluctant to pay some taxes?

In the past, there were indeed fewer gatherings.

But now the imperial court wants to levy taxes. Can this commercial tax be the same as the market entry fee?

Guo Wu, who runs a medicinal herb business in town, hurriedly asked, "Now that our gathering has been changed into a chamber of commerce, does that mean we can no longer collect transit tax?"

“This naturally falls under the jurisdiction of the town and municipal government,” Luo San replied.

"Won't the farmland, shops, warehouses, banks, and pawnshops currently owned by the association be confiscated?"

"Rest assured, it will still be the Chamber of Commerce's property," Luo San said decisively. "However, the power to levy taxes will henceforth be under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Administration. You are all sensible people—His Majesty intends to implement new policies in Yusu, and this is an opportunity that the Prince of Dai has secured for us!"

A murmur of discussion immediately broke out below.

Everyone was talking at once, with many questions to ask, and they were worried that this round of changes would harm their interests.

Someone asked about the details of the business tax.
For example, is the tax levied on all goods and merchants, or only on certain goods?

Some people asked, "Now that there are city officials here, will people be exploited when they do business?"

"Don't worry, Mayor Guo is the town mayor, and I, as the association president, will be the deputy town mayor in the future. I will definitely not let this kind of thing happen."

"Chairman Luo, I heard that Yushu Town is going to implement a customer-customer system. Do we out-of-town businesses also need to register as customers here?"
How were the grain from the public granary, the household taxes, and the corvée labor calculated?

Faced with these vital interests,

Everyone is paying close attention.

This area is populated by powerful landlords and wealthy merchants; many aspects of the new policies are closely related to them.

The grain from the public granaries alone will increase everyone's expenses considerably. Even wealthy merchants without land will have to pay their share based on household registration.

Some people became increasingly agitated as they spoke, expressing their dissatisfaction with these new policies, as it was painful to have to spend more money and resources out of their pockets.

Some people are going too far with their words.
"boom!"

Luo San suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it on the table, making the teacups clink.

Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Luo San's gaze swept over the crowd.

"Most of you here are fellow villagers, so let's be frank about some things." He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the room like a knife. "Who has brought Yushu Town to where it is today? Now that someone is leading us to even greater heights, who will hold us back..."

He paused deliberately, watching the changing expressions on everyone's faces: "Those who are unwilling can pack their belongings and find another job now. But if you stay, you'll have to follow the new rules!"

Wang San, the paper seller, tried to smooth things over with a wry smile: "Can't we just hand over more money and silk to the county government so that the imperial court won't interfere?"

"Manager Wang!" Luo San suddenly raised his voice, "Does the imperial court even care about these paltry sums? They're setting an example for the whole country! I, Luo San, am making this clear today!"

He ripped open the front of his official robe, revealing a hideous scar on his chest: "Next, I will lead the way in surveying the fields and registering the population! Anyone who makes false or conceal information... don't blame me for turning my back on them!"
To put it bluntly, I, Luo San, am deeply grateful for the Emperor's grace in bestowing this official position upon me, and therefore I must faithfully perform my duties.

I know everyone here well, and I will take the lead in truthfully reporting the situation of my family's land, people, servants, tenants, cattle, and horses.

I know your situation well, and I won't cover for anyone who falsifies or conceals information.

Some unpleasant things need to be said upfront.

In the silence of the hall, the autumn wind blew through the corridors, stirring the clothes of everyone present.

Luo San slowly fastened his clothes, then suddenly grinned and said, "Alright, let's leave the important business at that. Now let's all go to my second brother's house for a feast. Today we're hosting a banquet for the Prince of Dai, so we can't keep him waiting. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him in person!"

He stepped forward first, the hem of his green robe fluttering in the autumn wind.

Behind him, the board members looked at each other, and finally stood up one after another.

Everyone had different thoughts.
But Luo Sanlang, who usually has a smile on his face, slammed his fist on the table today, which shows that there is no room for negotiation on this matter.

Yushu Town,
This is going to change.

Admittedly, as Luo San said, those who want to leave can leave; no one is stopping them. But after years of hard work, this place has become so successful; who would be willing to leave?

(End of this chapter)