Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

As the sun sets in the west, silver hooks hang from the trees.

The more than 400 households of the Daoist people in the six li of Shanghuting had barely paid their land taxes.

At this moment, Chen Yuancheng also walked out of the village house.

Looking out at the horizon, seeing that there was still some light, he instructed the Taoist priests to pack up the cart and prepare to return to Shanghuting.

After the villagers had finished getting ready, Chen Yuancheng immediately gave an order, and the convoy headed west along the official road.

"Many thanks to Lord Cao for your hospitality today, Yuan Cheng will never forget it!"

"If you have any free time in the future, Mr. Cao, please come to Shanghu Pavilion. I, Yuancheng, will certainly welcome you with open arms!"

Chen Yuancheng bowed to Cao Miao, who was standing in front of the country house gate, and said with a smile.

"Haha, Mr. Chen, there's no need for such formalities. We will be waiting for you here next spring!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Miao immediately returned the greeting.

Chen Yuancheng said no more, leaped onto his saddle, and bowed again to the officials of the village: "Gentlemen, please wait a moment, Yuancheng is leaving!"

Immediately, he spurred his horse and rode swiftly along the official road.

After watching Chen Yuancheng disappear at the end of the official road, Cao Miao and the other village officials returned to their village.

"Mr. Cao, you are a man of great experience and knowledge. What do you think of this Mr. Chen today?"

Upon entering the village house, a minor official approached and asked in a low voice.

The news that Chen Yuancheng was about to take up the post of village head of Wohu Township had already spread throughout the village.

Today, more than ten officials from the village are here to wait for us, just to see the character of this young man from the county clan who will soon become their superior.

"Mr. Chen is gentle and refined; his words and actions are like a breath of fresh air. The reputation of this young man from the county is well-deserved!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Miao immediately smiled and praised him highly.

"Then we..."

The clerk asked again in a low voice, trying to probe further.

"Of course we will serve you wholeheartedly. Lord Chen has a bright future ahead of him and will certainly not stop here!"

Cao Miao glanced at the minor official, thinking to himself why this fellow was being so dull-witted today. But seeing that the others were also looking at him with great anticipation, he immediately continued speaking.

The Qianlong Law stipulated that "officials who enter the ranks shall serve a term of five years and shall be promoted upon completion of their term."

A person may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms in the same position.

However, there was no such regulation for lower-ranking officials below the rank of Baishi (百石吏) or Zuoshi (佐史小吏).

Of course, this rule has been somewhat loosened since the fall of the Qian Dynasty and the rise of clan-based and aristocratic rule.

For example, the magistrate of Rongtai County has served as magistrate for more than ten years and still holds the position.

Cao Miao has served as the assistant to the head of Wohu Township for more than ten years, and has assisted several township officials, but he himself has remained firmly in his position as assistant to the head of the township.

This was partly due to his diligence in his post, and partly due to the support of these minor officials.

Cao Miao naturally needed to patiently explain things to the local officials in order to reassure them.

After Cao Miao reassured them, the minor officials were relieved. The leaders exchanged glances and then pulled Cao Miao into the front courtyard room.

Inside the room, several oil lamps shone brightly.

Under the lamplight, the shadows of the minor officials were reflected on the whitewashed wall, twisted and grotesque, resembling beasts.

"Lord Cao, of the more than four hundred households in Shanghuting, apart from the dozen or so families of colleagues who share the same official salary, the money paid by the rest of the households is here."

The head clerk spoke in a low voice; he was the same clerk who had been sitting behind the desk with the paper slip when the land tax was paid that day.

"A total of 16,000 talismans."

After he finished speaking, two more minor officials brought over a basket, which was full of bright yellow talisman coins.

"According to the previous rules, four thousand coins will be left for the village magistrate, I will take two thousand, the village will use two thousand for its own purposes, and you will all share eight thousand!"

Cao Miao glanced at the basket, then stroked his beard and laughed.

"Lord Cao, we've been thinking, how about you take four thousand, the village will use two thousand, and we'll divide it among ourselves, ten thousand!"

The minor official smiled slightly and continued speaking in a low voice.

"You mean, skip that portion?"

Cao Miao nodded toward the main courtyard of the village house behind him and asked with a smile.

"The position of village tax collector is currently vacant. By the time Mr. Chen takes office, it will be the beginning of next spring. The land tax will have already been transferred to the county government, so there is no way of knowing."

"It won't be too late to distribute it to Mr. Chen at the end of next year!"

The clerk's face immediately lit up, and he said in a low voice.

These words won the hearts of all the minor officials.

Wohu Township administers seven pavilions. Among the seven pavilions, Shanghu Pavilion and Xiahu Pavilion have the fewest populations, with only three to four hundred households each, while the other pavilions all have more than five hundred households.

Nowadays, just the land tax at Shanghuting alone can yield 16,000 talisman coins through the hands of a minor official; one can only imagine how much more talisman coins can be obtained from the other taverns.

If the share that the village magistrate is entitled to is removed, then both the village assistant Cao Miao and the other minor officials can receive a considerable amount more in talisman money.

In the Qian Dynasty, the ranks of officials were divided into two levels: below the Hundred Stone Official (百石吏), there were two other levels of officials: the Dou Shi (斗食) and the Zuo Shi (佐史).

The annual salary of a food official is fifty dan, and the annual salary of an assistant official is 25 dan.

In the entire Wohu Township, the only people who could be called officials in charge of food distribution were the township clerk, the township assistant, the heads of various pavilions, and the thieves of the township pavilions, totaling ten people.

Below them were all assistants, with an annual salary of twenty-five shi (a unit of dry measure), barely enough to make ends meet.

Now, all the officials in the room are dressed in luxurious and exquisite clothes, which is obviously not something that can be maintained by just their annual salary.

For the land tax of just one pavilion in Shanghuting, each minor official could receive seven or eight hundred talismans. In the seven pavilions under the jurisdiction of Wohu Township, each minor official could receive at least five thousand talismans.

If the village magistrate's share is excluded, each person can receive an extra thousand or more talismans.

Including their annual salary, a minor village clerk was almost on par with a high-ranking official!

"Snapped!"

Sparks flickered and crackled on the wick.

Seeing that Cao Miao remained silent, the minor official who had spoken also felt uneasy, and his face became even more fearful.

The others remained silent, and the atmosphere gradually became more tense.

"Very well, this year the magistrate and I will not take a single penny of this money; it will all be divided among you all!"

With a light laugh, Cao Miao waved his hand dismissively and said...

Upon hearing this, all the minor officials in the room knelt down, bowing their heads and pleading, "We were blinded by greed and angered Lord Cao. We beg your forgiveness!"

"Gentlemen, what is this all about? Please rise!"

Upon seeing this, Cao Miao gave a cold smile, but then bent down to help the people in front of him up and said urgently.

"Gentlemen, without the stingy man's nod, how could this money have fallen into our hands!"

"Respect for superiors and inferiors, gentlemen, do not forget this!"

Cao Miao looked around at the minor officials and spoke earnestly.

"We will heed Lord Cao's teachings!"

The minor officials immediately bowed deeply and replied respectfully.

A moment later, everyone filed out of the side room and went home.

"Father, the year is drawing to a close. You have done a good job protecting our village this year, so these coins are for you to have a good New Year!"

As they walked out of the country house, Cao Miao took out a small string of talisman coins from his pocket, tossed them to the old gatekeeper, and said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Cao. Wishing you good health and happiness every year!"

The old soldier immediately accepted the talisman and bowed respectfully with a beaming smile.

"Lord Cao is merciful!"

The other minor officials following behind Cao Miao, seeing this scene, all smiled and offered a compliment, but none of them took out any money to reward him.

The country house has two courtyards, one in front and one in back. The courtyards are quite large, and there are people specifically responsible for cleaning and closing them.