When Master Chen heard someone start criticizing him, he became angry: "What? If you want to pay taxes, then go ahead and pay them. What does it have to do with me?"
“Sir, we are facing such a situation now. Isn’t this the time to collect taxes? There are so many disaster victims suffering outside, some of whom don’t even have a bite to eat. How can Master Chen not collect those taxes?”
The magistrate also felt it was necessary, so he said with a stern face, "Secretary, bring over the tax registers and check them carefully to see how much silver Master Chen owes in taxes."
Immediately, the magistrate's hall fell silent.
The clerk walked over with a booklet in his hand, slowly opened it, and said, "Reporting to you, sir, it is exactly three thousand five hundred taels of silver!"
With so much silver, Master Chen couldn't believe it was a whole ship full of silk. He was usually so stingy with even the workers' wages, let alone so much silver. Looking at Master Chen's face, it looked like he had sold his own flesh and blood.
"What's wrong, Master Chen? Do you think this county is trying to extort you? If so, then this county has no choice but to strip you of your official position according to the laws of this dynasty, and also confiscate all your property..."
"No, sir, I am willing to make up the difference!" Master Chen's face was as bitter as a gourd. He stammered, wanting to say something, but dared not say anything.
The magistrate glanced at Master Chen and said, "You have three days to pay off all the money you owe. Any questions?"
Master Chen trembled all over: "No, no problem!"
Several merchants around hesitated for a moment, but Old Zhou, who was in charge, stepped forward and said, "Sir, in this way, Master Chen has only paid the taxes he owed. As residents of Jingyuan County, how can we not contribute something to help the disaster victims?"
Several other merchants nearby chimed in, saying, "That's right, that's right! This can't just be about paying the taxes. The key is for us to contribute some grain and silver to help the disaster victims, just like we do. Otherwise, we simply can't afford a single penny. After all, we are all merchants who pay taxes regularly!"
······
Everyone offered their opinions, and these opinions all sounded quite reasonable. The magistrate's brows furrowed again as he looked at Master Chen and slowly said, "Master Chen, since that's the case, as the magistrate of Jing'an County, I have the right to supervise you merchants to provide some assistance to the people in this critical time. I won't ask for more; just have 1,000 taels of silver and 500 dan of grain from each of you. This shouldn't be a problem for you merchants. Do you have any objections?"
The merchants all agreed and nodded in agreement. Several merchants who wanted to contract work in Daling Village contributed an extra 1,000 taels of silver, not only to smooth things over for themselves but also to ensure that the county magistrate would take good care of their businesses.
Enraged, Master Chen rolled his eyes repeatedly, cursing inwardly, "These bastards, offering so much money at this time, are they trying to drive me to the brink?"
Master Chen thought to himself, "If that's the case, how can I continue doing business? In front of the county magistrate, I'll be the stingiest merchant. I won't be able to do any business in Jing'an County anymore. Isn't that like digging my own grave?"
After thinking about it, he felt he should still give some away, lest the county magistrate look at him with new respect.
"Sir, since that's the case, I'll... I'll take out another two thousand taels to help the disaster victims. After all, if the epidemic in Jing'an County spreads further, it won't benefit any of us. Who will we do business with then?"
The magistrate hadn't expected that such comments would actually make the usually stingy Master Chen so generous. With that said, resettling the disaster victims in Jing'an County shouldn't be a problem.
Seeing that Master Chen took out his silver so readily, the other merchants also took out the same amount. The magistrate was overjoyed, not expecting that his crisis would be resolved so easily.
With the lives of the people in Jing'an County now settled, many of the merchants present nodded in approval.
Liang Shuyan, a tea lady personally appointed by the Emperor, was also from Jing'an County. How could she remain uninvolved?
The important thing is not these things, but that Liang Shuyan's teahouse business has reached the provincial capital and the capital, and her restaurant is the largest in Jing'an County. It is not impossible for her to earn thousands of taels of silver a day. All things considered, she is the richest merchant in Jing'an County. Why doesn't the county magistrate summon her?
If Master Chen and the other merchants could come up with so much silver, then Liang Shuyan must have at least double that amount.
The magistrate's gaze fell upon the person in the crowd who was chattering incessantly.
Tea Lady's business is quite large now, but is her contribution to Jing'an County small? Let alone a small Jing'an County, even in the capital, in the eyes of the Emperor, are her contributions incomparable to those of others?
"Do you know why the Emperor would bestow the title of 'Ruren' upon a peasant woman, and what that title means?"
No one spoke. They looked at each other, unable to explain why. The magistrate continued, "She not only managed to harvest two crops of wheat successfully, but also came up with the idea of building irrigation canals during the flood. Even the villagers of Daling Village benefited from this. Can't you all see the changes in Daling Village in the past two years? Not only have roads been built and schools been constructed, but a new market has also been built in Daling Village."
"The person who presented the prescription this time, saving the people of the entire Jing'an County, was none other than Madam Cha! And you are still here gritting your teeth and biting Madam Cha, the little bit of silver you have offered is not even a fraction of what Madam Cha has given you, yet you dare to speak ill of her here?"
The magistrate's words silenced everyone, and no one dared to utter a sound.
When did you learn to develop a prescription? Could it be that you somehow got hold of it to fool the magistrate? In reality, the prescription was truly effective, and many people who had recovered from their illnesses were cured.
The tea lady's behavior aroused suspicion among many merchants, but at the same time, it also inspired awe and respect.
Outside the door, a group of people had gathered. They were all new residents of Daling Village. The leader said, "Your Excellency, we are grateful for Madam's kind help, which has given us new homes. Now, we are willing to follow Madam's example and give you the little bit of silver we have so that more people can be saved! Please accept this, Your Excellency!"
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