I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 89: Local Assessment: Pre-Collection of Land Tax and Door-to-Door Collection
July 20th, near dusk.

After finishing his work at office, Shen Nian walked on Chongwenmen Street, looking at the bustling crowds and the shops lining both sides of the street, and he was in a good mood.

Because it was close to home and the evening was cooler, Shen Nian chose to change into an ordinary long gown and walk home.

It’s a little over a quarter of an hour’s journey.

It was enough for Shen Nian to wash away the fatigue of the day and face his family with a relaxed and happy mood.

Patrolling soldiers can be seen everywhere in the capital, so there is no need to worry about safety.

soon.

Shen Nian turned into Masheng Hutong, only a few hundred steps away from home.

at this time.

A pretty woman wearing a purple short-sleeved shirt, about seventeen or eighteen years old, ran towards Shen Nian.

"Sir, help me! Someone is trying to catch me!" the woman shouted in panic.

at the same time.

About fifty steps ahead, a thin young man was walking quickly towards them.

The woman rushed into Shen Nian's arms with a look of panic on her face.

Just when he was less than three inches away from Shen Nian, Shen Nian suddenly dodged to the side.

"Snapped!"

The woman was caught off guard and fell to the ground in a very indecent posture.

"Girl, hold on for now. I'll go report to the police!" Shen Nian turned around and ran out of the alley.

Shen Nian was very alert.

There are only two possibilities for this kind of "hero saves the beauty" plot.

First, the beauty trap.

If Shen Nian rescued her and drove the man away, the woman might pester him with words like "my savior, I will marry you", or even discredit Shen Nian's reputation in other ways. Shen Nian had to be on guard.

Second, the woman was indeed being chased by a criminal.

Shen Nian had a clear understanding of himself. He was definitely no match for that thin man. It would be better for him to protect himself first and then go to the main street to call for the patrolling soldiers.

Shen Nian had just run two steps when he saw the woman in purple stand up and quickly catch up with him.

The woman is very fast.

Before Shen Nian could dodge, he knocked Shen Nian unconscious with a knife strike.

"Brother, why use a honey trap? Why use a knockout drug? Can't you just knock her out directly?"

The woman rubbed her white arm, which was a little red and swollen from falling to the ground, and couldn't help but kick Shen Nian's butt again.

The thin man smiled innocently, carried Shen Nian on his shoulders, and ran towards the carriage not far away.

……

Wow!

A bucket of cold water was poured on Shen Nian's head, making him wake up instantly.

He opened his eyes.

He found himself tied to a tattered chair, his hands and feet bound with hemp ropes, and his mouth tightly bound with a piece of cloth.

There is also a set of writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone on the bench nearby.

The two people standing in front of him were the woman in purple and the thin young man.

Shen Nian looked around.

He was found in a dilapidated woodshed. The stove beside it was relatively clean, the firewood was neatly stacked, and there were no cobwebs in the corners.

This is most likely a rented house.

Shen Nian looked toward the window and found that it was still light outside, so he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

This means that not long had passed since he was tied up, which means he was still in the city, and this place was definitely no more than five miles away from Masheng Hutong.

At this time.

The purple-robed woman put a dagger to Shen Nian's throat and asked, "Are you Shen Nian, the editor of the Hanlin Academy?"

Shen Nian nodded. He believed he had done nothing wrong and was not afraid to admit who he was.

"That's right! Officer, if you want to live, do as I say next!"

Shen Nian nodded again.

"Think about it first. How many evil things has your father done? How much money has he embezzled? How many loyal people has he harmed? How many girls' innocence has he ruined? Also, who are his accomplices? Write it all down carefully!"

Shen Nian was a little confused.

His father was corrupt? He harmed a loyal and honest man? He ruined the girl's reputation? He had accomplices?

At this time.

The lean young man added, "Don't hide anything. Write as much detail as you can, or I'll break one of your legs first!"

Seeing that Shen Nian was a little dazed, the woman in purple immediately put the dagger against his throat.

"Why, you don't want to write?"

Shen Nian quickly shook his head, then quickly nodded.

Immediately afterwards, the woman in purple untied the cloth from Shen Nian's mouth.

Shen Nian let out a long sigh and said, "You two, are you mistaken? My father is a businessman, how could he be corrupt? How could he kill loyal people? How could he have accomplices?"

The thin young man stepped forward and grabbed Shen Nian's collar.

"Don't play dumb! Everyone knows you're the illegitimate son of that old scoundrel Zhang Juzheng. This is information I bought for a tael of silver, how could it be false?"

"what?"

Shen Nian looked helpless at this moment.

I didn't expect that there were actually people who believed that he was Zhang Juzheng's illegitimate son and even spent a tael of silver to buy such information.

Those people who sell information in the capital are really unscrupulous. Aren’t they afraid of being struck by lightning?
boom!
After the purple-clothed woman untied the hemp ropes on Shen Nian's hands, the thin young man pulled the bench with the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on it in front of Shen Nian.

"Write quickly!"

Shen Nian's brain spun rapidly, and then he slowly picked up the brush.

"You two, if I'm not mistaken, you intend to force me to write something slanderous about Lord Zhang, then print it in large quantities, distribute it to the public, and bring ruin to Lord Zhang's reputation!"

"You are so childish!"

"Do you know how many imperial guards there are in the capital? Do you know that even if this is spread outside the capital, if it is discovered, all those involved in printing such texts will be severely punished!"

"There's no point in doing this."

"Also, if I haven't returned home in an hour, my family will go looking for me. If they can't find me, they'll report it to the authorities. The patrolling officers will search the entire ten-mile radius of Masheng Hutong. You won't be able to escape!"

"Dog officer!"

The woman in purple pressed the dagger tightly against Shen Nian's throat.

"Even if we are caught, we will kill you first. Write quickly!"

Seeing that the two were a little panicked, Shen Nian knew that what he said had touched their hearts.

"Snapped!"

Shen Nian placed the brush on the bench and raised his head.

"Kill me! Mr. Zhang has devoted all his energy to the country and the people. There is no way I can slander him!"

"You're talking nonsense! Do you know how many innocent people have been killed by that old thief's performance evaluation system?" The thin young man clenched his fists, extremely angry.

Hear this.

Shen Nian quickly came to a conclusion: these two people had no personal grudge against Zhang Juzheng, it was because of the performance evaluation method.

That way, it will be easy!
"You two, I truly have no blood relationship with Lord Zhang, and I can't say anything bad about him. If you have any grievances to redress, please tell me, and I'll file a petition on your behalf!"

"You are still young. If you act so impulsively, you will only lose your life. You may even die and not even be able to enter the ancestral grave. Why bother?"

"Seeking redress? You are all in cahoots with each other, you are all corrupt officials!"

"Those corrupt officials in the local counties and townships, driven by performance appraisals, are demanding next year's land tax in advance right after the harvest season. They've even hired a bunch of scoundrels to collect it door-to-door. How are the people supposed to survive? It's all because of this rubbish performance appraisal system. Only when that old scoundrel Zhang Juzheng resigns will the people have a better life!"

Collecting land tax in advance? Going door-to-door to collect it?
These two new words made Shen Nian a little confused, but he had already seen that the performance evaluation system had gone astray in counties and townships.

(End of this chapter)