Chapter 87: Eating the Rich (I)
As winter was approaching, Xu Youlin arrived at his uncle's new residence and felt that the previous "poverty" was swept away. This was understandable. Uncle Xu was still a Beijing official, but he had already become the head of the Imperial College. This was not a very important official position, but because it was related to the imperial examination, there was a basic respect for him.
Even so, Uncle Xu was very happy when he received several silk winter clothes with rabbit fur lining. Especially the leather boots were praised by Auntie, "Youlin, last time you asked for shoe patterns, I really didn't expect that these shoes would fit so well."
Seeing that his uncle and aunt were so happy, Xu Youlin was also very happy. He praised Huo Chong a few words, "Brother Huo's craftsmen are very attentive."
After saying that, he saw a bit of sarcasm on his uncle's face, and Xu Youlin didn't dare to say anything else. Uncle Xu has always had some grudges against Huo Chong. Xu Youlin felt that his uncle's heart was not big enough. Even if they had some conflicts in the past, it was not a personal grudge after all. Huo Chong didn't care, so why didn't his uncle let it go?
My aunt has asked the whole family to change into new clothes. The clothes are very close-fitting. Compared with those round-shaped clothes, the current clothes make people look much more energetic.
Just when he was thinking of having a meal at his uncle's house, the servant came in to report that there was a guest. Master Xu went to meet the guest, and Xu Youlin saw that his aunt had no intention of cooking, so he had to say goodbye.
Xu was talking to a guest at the moment, and he did not greet Xu Youlin. There were four visitors here, and the one in the lead asked, "Master Xu, we heard that Master Xu was the magistrate of Zichuan County, so we wanted to ask for your advice."
"Haha, I see." Manager Xu said with a smile, "You brothers want to get promoted as soon as possible."
Everyone was an official, so they had no objection to such straightforward words. The leader said, "Master Xu, we have consulted our peers in Shandong, and they said that the counties in Shandong want to be promoted quickly, and Zibo County is the fastest."
Manager Xu asked in a calm tone: "You are asking about Zhang Dingnan, right?"
Several people were stunned and didn't dare to say anything.
Xu continued, "I came from Zichuan County, and I can tell you brothers. The reason why the magistrate of Zichuan County was promoted so quickly is that there is a wealthy family in the county who is willing to pay taxes. I think you all know this."
Several guys who were Jinshi graduates nodded. The leader asked tentatively, "Master Xu, we heard that the man got his official position when Master Xu was the county magistrate."
"That's because Huo Chong is good at scheming. After meeting General Wang, he seized the opportunity. His ability to donate money to become an official has nothing to do with me. But Huo Chong is willing to pay taxes. After taking on the job of paying taxes, he never defaulted. He is different from those gentry."
"Brother Xu, I have something to ask you." asked a Jinshi.
"Speaking."
"Then why can't Huo Chong be called a gentry?"
When Xu heard this, he couldn't help but chuckle, "This man has no achievements, how can he be considered a gentry? People like him are just wealthy people."
After hearing this definition, the scholar nodded repeatedly, "Brother Xu is right."
Xu continued, "As far as I know, Huo Chong has set up businesses in Linzi County, Mengyin County, and Muping County. Now, those who are going to Shandong to be county magistrates probably want to go to Zibo County, which is a hot spot. Mengyin County and Mubo County are both poor counties, and the taxes that the counties have to pay are not much. If you brothers are willing to go to those poor counties, it may not be worse than going to Zibo County."
Several Jinshi candidates did not answer immediately. No one wanted to be an official in a poor place, and they looked very hesitant.
Seeing their hesitation, Xu smiled and said, "Brothers, I am just talking. I am afraid you don't know what the local gentry are like. After those people take on the task of paying taxes, nine out of ten of them evade taxes and enrich themselves. They take on lawsuits without reason. The remaining one may not be a troublemaker, but he is incompetent. He can't do his job well even if he tries his best. A wealthy family like Huo Chong is rare. Because of this, I think Zibo County may not be a good place."
"Brother Xu, you came from Zibo County, but why do you say this about Zibo County?" A Jinshi couldn't help but remind him.
Manager Xu shook his head. "If the state government confiscates the taxes, do you think the state government will force the gentry who are in arrears to pay the taxes, or will it ask the wealthy family like Huo Chong to pay?"
"Of course, the gentry who are in arrears must pay their taxes." replied the scholar who questioned Master Xu.
"Haha." Master Xu just smiled but said nothing more.
Several Jinshi felt that Xu Zhushi's attitude was to force the big taxpayers who paid taxes honestly. They all felt that Xu Zhushi's attitude was very problematic. In the end, no one came to any conclusion, and Xu Zhushi served tea to see the guests off.
The scholars came out and went to one of the men's houses. They were all poor Hanlin scholars, so naturally they didn't have much money. Everyone paid for some food and gathered a table in the small residence. They were talking about official business.
After taking a sip of wine, the leader said, "From what Chief Xu said, isn't that draining the pond to catch fish and killing the goose that lays the eggs?"
"Yes." Several others also agreed. They ignored the gentry who evaded taxes and defaulted on taxes. Instead, they asked the wealthy who paid taxes on time to pay more. It wasn't that these people had any special feelings for Huo Chong. It was just that logically, something was wrong.
Even if we don't talk about good people being rewarded, it's not as bad as "killing people and setting fires get you a golden belt, while building bridges and roads leave no corpses."
At the end of the drinking, several Jinshi reached a consensus that what Xu Zhushi said about Mengyin County and Muping County was not wrong. If Huo Chong really never defaulted on tax silver as rumored, poor counties also have their advantages.
After the New Year, it was the 60th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign. The Ministry of Personnel issued a document, and two of the four went to Mengyin County and the other to Muping County. The two happily went together to take up their posts.
After meeting the prefect in Jinan Prefecture, the new magistrate of Mouping County, Dong Youde, hurried to take up his post. When he arrived at the Mouping County government office, he saw that the government office was in a dilapidated state. Although he knew that this was the rule, he couldn't help but sigh.
February was approaching, and it was the time to collect taxes for the first half of the year. Dong Youde immediately called the county's chief clerk and other officials to inquire. The officials handed over the list of names. Dong Youde had heard about the behavior of these local officials from people who had served as local officials in the capital, so he didn't bother to look at it, and directly said, "Bring the list of those who owe taxes."
I thought the petty officials would resist, but unexpectedly they obediently handed over several lists. The big taxpayer was indeed Huo Chong. The tax content and total amount were clearly recorded. Huo Chong paid the full amount of tax, and those below Huo Chong began to owe money. The lower down, the more money they owed.
Magistrate Dong ordered without hesitation: "Call the three people who owe me the most silver tomorrow."
I thought these three people would drag their feet, but unexpectedly, when Magistrate Dong called them over, they came the next day.
After greeting each other, the three of them sat down naturally. Seeing the three genuine candidates so calm, County Magistrate Dong asked unhappily, "Do you know how much tax silver you owe?"
No one was frightened by Magistrate Dong's words. Li Changshou, the oldest of the three, bowed and replied, "Reporting to the Magistrate, we have done our best."
"You tried your best but it turned out like this?" County Magistrate Dong was really angry.
Li Changshou immediately began to talk about his difficulties: the rent was too low, the tenants were in arrears, and there were all kinds of natural and man-made disasters.
At first, County Magistrate Dong really wanted to know where these people were in trouble if they really had any. But he couldn't listen any more and interrupted Li Changshou, "Brother Li, since you are responsible for paying the tax, you should be able to handle this matter."
Li Changshou looked at County Magistrate Dong disapprovingly, "County Magistrate, I didn't want to do this payment in the first place, but the previous county magistrates insisted that I continue to bear the responsibility. Since County Magistrate Dong blames me, I don't have to take care of this job anymore."
Without waiting for Magistrate Dong to speak, the other two gentry immediately stood together with him and said that they had not wanted to do this job for a long time and that it would be easier if they did not do it.
County Magistrate Dong slammed the table in anger, "Pay the money you owe, and you won't have to worry about it anymore!"
I thought that my anger would make the gentry panic, but I didn't expect Li Changshou to reply calmly: "We have never owed taxes, I don't know what Magistrate Dong meant?"
Magistrate Dong was so angry that he wanted to have the three guys dragged down and beaten with sticks. But when the words came to his lips, he knew that this was impossible. As long as they had a reputation, even if they were just scholars, the magistrate could not order them to be beaten at will. Even if he wanted to use torture, he had to deprive them of their reputation first before he could deal with them properly.
And these people are Juren, so they can't be beaten. Under the imperial examination system, the exam is held every three years, and the number of Jinshi in the three lists each time is only a few dozen. Most officials are actually Juren. In other words, the three people in front of him are reserve officials with merits. Not to mention wanting to deprive them of their merits, it can only be decided by the prefecture or even the Shandong education commissioner. If these people become officials, County Magistrate Dong will be making a mortal enemy.
Holding back his anger, County Magistrate Dong could only continue to ask the three men to pay all the taxes they owed. Unexpectedly, the three men were still experienced, and continued to calmly talk about their difficulties as if they had never had any conflicts with County Magistrate Dong before. It was as if they did not owe the government any taxes at all, but the government owed these people for their hard work.
This lengthy conversation dragged on until Magistrate Dong could no longer hold on, so he had to let the group go first. Sitting alone in the yamen, Magistrate Dong felt that he seemed to have made a mistake. Who was the official and who was in charge of the county? The experience just now made Magistrate Xu begin to doubt whether he had made a mistake.
After thinking it over, County Magistrate Dong felt that he was like a powerful dragon encountering a local snake. He cheered up again and made preparations. He first wrote a letter of complaint to Shandong Provincial Education Commissioner Gao. If the Provincial Education Commissioner could show some support, it would probably let these people know how powerful he was.
