Xuanyuan Jue

Chapter 110 The world is bustling (2)
"My lord's lesson!" Feng Shen consciously slipped his words, and said in horror, "The lowly job has no such intentions!"

"Hahaha..." King Su laughed and said, "This king is just kidding with you, why are you so flustered? I think that after Lord Shunzhi entered the customs, he taught all the officials: 'Culture and education come first, classics and skills are the first. Manchu and Han people treat each other with respect.' Afterwards, the Manchus were made to respect Confucianism and sages and learn Sinology, which made our group of 'Tartars' open their mouths and shut their mouths... Alas... this book Wang also knows that many Han people do not accept Manchu rule and regard us as foreign barbarians... But no matter how bad it is, we Manchu and Han people are also of the same kind with yellow skin, so we are better than the red-haired and blue-eyed foreign-haired man? After all, I entered the customs in the Qing Dynasty For nearly 300 years, I have been accustomed to eating rice from the Han family, and I have long regarded this place as my homeland... I am reluctant to leave again! What's more, in the face of foreign enemies, we should put aside differences of opinion. Man and Han are of one heart, regardless of each other!"

Feng Shen cupped his hands and said: "My lord saw and taught..."

King Su nodded, and said again: "Oh... I have to say a word: Feng Shen, you can express your heart and soul. However, in front of outsiders, don't mention those words just now. Be careful. You have ulterior motives, and I will accuse you of insinuation!"

"That is to say, in front of the prince, the humble official dares to be so shameless..." Feng Shen wiped the sweat from his brow, and said with a smile, "Furthermore, the humble official's words about Meng Lang are really because of the prince's concern for the country. That’s what makes me feel.”

"You boy," King Su shook his head and smiled, "You still rely on this king? Hahaha..."

Just as he was laughing, there was a sudden commotion from under the city tower.The two were startled, and hurriedly looked down.I saw the city guards surrounding a villager, yelling and chasing him away.

The village man picked out two bamboo baskets, which were filled with small purple fruits.He was as skinny as a stick, but he had a loud voice when he didn't want to: "I'll sell some self-picked mulberries and exchange some needles and threads for my mother-in-law, why don't you let me!?"

The soldiers stepped forward and pushed, "If you want to sell it, you have to pay the tax and go to the city. What kind of business is it to set up a stall on this official road? Go, go!"

The village man said angrily: "Selling this mulberry, I only earn a small profit. I picked more than 20 miles of land, and I was not willing to eat dry food! If I pay the tax, how much money will I have left?" "

"Hey! You're not short-tempered!" The soldiers all rolled up their sleeves with a serious face. "If it wasn't for the new regulations issued by the higher-ups, the grandpas would reward you with a good fight! Get out of here! If you don't get out, I'll pay you this mulberry bag!"

Even the villager Han Yan, seeing that he was going to suffer at this moment, stomped his feet and spat hard, picked up his pole and ran away.

"It's his grandma's!" The soldiers didn't chase after them, and returned to the guard post one after another, swearing. "It's really cheap, kid! If it's normal...huh..."

Standing on the tower, the two happened to have a good look at each other.The villager's clothes were shabby and he was obviously poor.Although Feng Shen didn't say anything, he felt compassion in his heart.

Su Wang Jianyan discerned the color, and had already guessed Feng Shen's intentions. "The taxpayer is the basis of the country's support. You can't lose the inspection just because of the pity of one person."

Feng Shen nodded slightly, and sighed: "It's just pity how difficult people's lives are..."

"Yes," Su Wang said, "wars are still frequent, all industries are in decline, and the imperial court still advocates light corvee and light taxes...but there are a bunch of officials who are greedy for money and profit, and their stomachs can't be filled!"

Feng Shen said angrily: "This kind of corrupt officials take advantage of their positions to exploit them and extort them... It's a gangrene!"

"Who says it's not?" Su Wang said, "The post of Chongwen supervisor is known as 'the most fat vacancy in the Qing Dynasty'. Thinking about the huge corruption and Shen, who served as tax supervisor for eight years, not only became the chief culprit by himself, but also The housekeeper under the door also seized 20 taels of silver for helping with the business! As early as the Kangxi Dynasty, there was a scholar named Zha Sizhen in the Imperial Academy who was waiting to be lectured. The gates are connected with each other, and the horses and carts are connected with each other. The internal envoys collect the flowers and pay the tax, and plunder the double money at the temples!"

Feng Shen asked: "Why do you put money on your temples?"

"At that time, the supervisor was the eunuch in the palace. When the merchants entered the city, they had to carry carts. With both hands empty, they tucked two big coins on the temples by the ears in advance, and let the city tax supervisor collect them. Plundering, the right is an extra filial piety." King Su said, lowering his voice, "In fact, until now, the 'flower tax' is still there... Our Lafayette's 'dressing fee' falls on this 'flower tax' superior!"

Feng Shen took a long breath and said, "After all these layers of exploitation... that small businessman only earns some travel expenses and money for his work..."

"That's already considered good," Su Wang said, "It's better than the bootlegger!"

Feng Shen asked in confusion, "The one carrying bootleg wine?"

King Su said slowly: "Since Chongwenmen is called 'Wine Gate', there is no shortage of wine. However, if there is too much wine, the market price will rise and fall disorderly. Therefore, the imperial court strictly ordered that no 'burning pot' be opened privately in the capital. Designated [-] large wine shops are taxed and sold in a unified way. As a result, the wine tax will naturally increase, and those small wine making workshops cannot bear it. In order to make a living, they have to take risks. They pour wine into pig urine, Taking advantage of the dark, sneaking across the city to avoid taxes... This is bootlegging..."

Feng Shen said in surprise: "The city wall is so high and steep, even if there are potholes, it is extremely dangerous!"

"It's not just dangerous? It's like killing your life!" King Su said sadly, "After a year, I don't know how many dead bodies have been carried... The people have secretly called this Chongwenmen a ghost gate and closed it! "

After saying that, King Su sighed and sighed, Feng Shen also felt sad.A gust of wind blew across the city tower, humming.It seems that there are countless souls of the dead, choking on the ground.

"My lord," Feng Shenkai said earnestly, "Now that you are also serving as the chief supervisor of the tax bureau, it happens to be able to clean up the taxes thoroughly!"

"Feng Shen," King Su asked back, "in your opinion, how should the tax be rectified?"

Feng Shen said sternly: "The humble official thinks that we should focus on the governance of officials!"

"That's right! That's right on Kenji!" King Su said, "It's not to put money on his own face. After taking over the tax bureau, the first thing this king did was to investigate tax-related slaves. Anyone who has been found to have cheated will be punished." Layoffs. At the same time, tax rules and regulations were promulgated in the major pass markets, and it is strictly forbidden for taxpayers to take cards. If you dare to beat up the traders, you will be punished. You have seen the scene in the city just now, if there are no rules and regulations Hold on, those soldiers still care about those? They have already picked up their picks and beat people!"

"My lord is wise!" Feng Shen said, "It's time to kill this evil spirit!"

"It's easy to talk about Xiaoding's small job," Su Wang said, "but the higher the level of rectification, the more difficult it is. The Chongwen Tax Customs collects department stores, and there are countless money in exchange. All the officials in the court have to use excuses. Come here and get a kick, and get a share of the pie!"

Feng Shen said in surprise: "Aren't they too blatant?"

"Of course this king won't let them succeed!" Su Wang said, "In the past, merchants and people had to pay the tax when they entered the customs. Now this king has issued a new law, and the government will directly inspect the goods and pay the money. In this way, there will be no After leaving the middle link, no matter how much other people want to take advantage of it, they absolutely cannot!"

Feng Shen praised: "My lord's plan is very clever!"

King Su smiled bitterly, "But because of this, this king has also been pushed to the forefront... You also know that the mansion before this king was originally in Dongjiaomin Lane. After the supervisor's errand, the ministers of the group put forward their proposals one after another, suggesting that the king should take a percentage of the tax money to rebuild Su Wang's mansion. Unexpectedly, the court actually agreed!"

Feng Shen frowned and said, "What's the intention of these people?"

"Hmph, they want to drag King Ben into the water!" Su Wang said, "How dare this king accept this 'love'? So he refuses to accept it. They simply bought an old house from Rong Lu and changed it into a new palace, breaking their point Think about it!"

The rebuilt Suwang Mansion is located in Nanchuanban Hutong, Beixinqiao.The scale is small, only made up of several courtyard houses.Although there are more than a hundred rooms, they are far from the regulations of the "King of Iron Hats".

Thinking of this verse, Feng Shen couldn't help feeling respectful. "The lord's painstaking efforts are enough to make those corrupt officials feel ashamed. Thinking about it, the court should show the lord what he has done, right?"

"Hahaha..." Su Wang laughed back angrily, "You just said it the wrong way!"

Feng Shen was stunned and said, "It's the other way around?"

"That's right," King Su sighed, "This king's rectification and payment of taxes will prevent tax collectors from extorting money, and enrich the treasury. But this has cut off many people's money. So , the king became the target of all the criticism. Later, when the old Buddha heard about this, he passed on the king to the Hall of Renshou. When the king played the new chapter of the tax bureau, the old Buddha was immediately displeased, and finally put it down coldly. Sentence: 'If we all do as King Su does, who will be willing to be the supervisor of Chongwenmen in the future'?"

Feng Shen's chest heaved, "My lord...you've been wronged all the time!"

"It's not a big deal," King Su said, "what to do or what to do. However, this king has several positions, so I can't get close to everything...Feng Shen, how about you help share some of the burden?"

"Help?" Feng Shen asked, "How can I help in a lowly position?"

"That's right," Su Wang said with a smile: "In the Chongwen tax office, there is a lack of a sub-committee; and in the tax inspection department, there is also a lack of inspectors... These two positions do not require the imperial court. This king can entrust his orders. Hehe...Feng Shen, you should also learn from this king, and combine these two positions together!"

Feng Shen hurriedly resigned: "I don't know anything about civil affairs in a humble position, I can't bear this second position!"

"It will take time." Su Wang patted Feng Shen on the shoulder, "You are both civil and military, and you are meticulous in handling things. Who can give you these two important positions? Hahaha..."

"But..." Feng Shen was so anxious that his forehead was sweating, "But the humble job..."

"Haha," Su Wang said with a smile, "how can this king not know your thoughts? You can't let go of the arrest and trial?"

Feng Shen smiled shyly, "My lord's eyes are like torches..."

(End of this chapter)