The autumn wind was bleak, and it was already noon when the county magistrate's carriage stopped outside the yamen.
"Hoo!" the driver turned and announced, "Master, we're here."
Huang Yichun, who had been closing his eyes in deep thought, opened them, slowly got out of the car, was lost in thought for a while, hurriedly stepped through the high threshold of the county government office, and walked straight to the meeting room.
When he stood outside the hall and signaled the yamen runner to report, he heard the magistrate raise his voice and ask:
"The autumn tax harvest is a top priority for this county. All necessary arrangements have been made. If you have any concerns, please raise them as soon as possible so we can discuss and resolve them together. Otherwise, I will assume you have no concerns and only wait to hear the good news of a successful tax collection and to see the final account books!"
"Does anyone have any objections?"
The clerks all shook their heads, "No!"
"I understand. I will follow your instructions."
"Your Excellency has made very prudent arrangements. I admire you."
At this time, the yamen runner reported: "Your Excellency, County Magistrate Huang requests an audience."
Jiang Yushu looked at the sky in surprise and said calmly, "You're welcome."
After a while, Huang Yichun stepped into the meeting room, bowed, and apologized, "I'm so sorry! Something happened at home. I'm late today. Please forgive me, sir."
Jiang Yushu gradually understood her deputy's character and remained unperturbed. Instead, she asked with concern, "It's common knowledge that the County Magistrate is diligent and hardworking, always arriving early and leaving late. He must have a reason for being late. I wonder if you've resolved your family issues? If they're urgent, you might as well go back and deal with them first. While official rules should be followed, that doesn't mean you're being unreasonable."
Huang Yichun felt guilty and replied gratefully, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency. I have already taken care of my family affairs so they will not interfere with my work. The government is busy collecting autumn taxes and grain, and I dare not be negligent or lazy."
Jiang Yushu said gently, "It's good that it's resolved. Please sit down."
"Thank you, sir." Huang Yichun sat down and the magistrate took action.
"The County Magistrate must be asking about your son," said the Chief Clerk, Wen Xi, with a look of concern on his face. He turned and asked, "Your son was frightened yesterday. Is he okay?"
Jiang Yushu was startled, and as a mother, she subconsciously asked, "What happened to your son?"
Huang Yichun forced a smile and said, "Thank you both for your concern. My son was just frightened and cried a few times. It's nothing serious."
"Oh, that's good, that's good!" After discussing matters for most of the hour, it was time for a tea break. Wen Xi, holding his teacup, began to chat and inform the others, "Alas, Your Excellency, you may not know this, but yesterday evening, the County Magistrate's two sons went out to play and got lost. Their family was frightened and searched everywhere for them. I happened to see them, so how could I just stand by and watch? I hurried to help them look for them. Fortunately, they found them quickly, otherwise they would have to report them to the authorities."
Jiang Yushu asked curiously, "Are you going out without an adult?"
"My sons, the older one nine and the younger one seven, were young and ignorant, always playful. They went out to wander the streets without their elders' permission. Thankfully, God saved them from being taken away by kidnappers," Huang Yichun sighed in fear. "My wife was so scared that she cried for a long time, and I was so angry that I gave them a few stern lectures!"
Jiang Yushu has three children. When she heard the word "kidnapper," she felt both hatred and fear. She agreed, saying, "Children are ignorant and lack the ability to protect themselves. In order to teach them a lesson, they must be taught a proper lesson."
"Yes, I have to teach him a lesson." Huang Yichun, always sitting upright, held the wrinkled old letter in his sleeve, pinching it from time to time—as if he were carrying a sharp knife, making him feel uneasy and apprehensive, afraid that the knife would kill him instead of the enemy.
After chatting for a while and drinking a cup of tea, we continued to discuss official business.
Jiang Yushu spoke seriously, "We need to complete the autumn harvest and settle the annual tax and grain accounts before we can enjoy the New Year with peace of mind. Otherwise, no one can expect a peaceful holiday. The new farming regulations have been in place for over a month. The officials responsible for registering land and population began checking all towns and villages at the beginning of the month and have already checked half of them."
Her eyes were calm as she slowly scanned her subordinates. "I had someone do a rough calculation based on the files submitted, and then compared them with the old records sent by the Ministry of Revenue. Sure enough, there's a discrepancy. In some villages, vast tracts of fertile land have been planted with crops under the guise of 'borrowed farming,' but looking through Tuning's files from previous years, I find no records of the relevant borrowers, nor have they received a single dan of tax grain. What do you think is going on?"
"this……"
"cough."
Tu Ning, where a lot of work was needed, was in turmoil. His subordinates suddenly felt uncomfortable and all of them lowered their heads in unison, and there was complete silence.
In the end, the county magistrate couldn't escape the blame. Huang Yichun cleared his throat and replied vaguely, "I think it's because... in the past few years, there were too many tasks and too few people. Moreover, most of the staff were assigned by Magistrate Sun to supervise the digging of the canal. The county government was powerless and overwhelmed. Slips were made, and greedy villains took advantage of them, and we failed to fully register the land. I'm ashamed, truly ashamed."
As the prefect, Li Qigong only spoke when the Xing prison and arrest were being discussed. The rest of the time he just drank tea and listened, being cautious in what he said and did.
But Wen Xi, as the chief clerk, couldn't remain silent. He was prepared, and spoke with righteous indignation, "How dare someone deceive the government and refuse to pay taxes? How audacious! In my humble opinion, we should seize this opportunity to conduct a thorough investigation, identify the perpetrator, determine the amount involved, and fine him three times the tax as a warning to others!"
"Severe punishment will be imposed," Li Qigong replied. "Let's see who dares to be dishonest in the future."
The others echoed, "I never thought someone would dare to take advantage of the government. This is simply lawless and needs to be dealt with."
Never expected this? Jiang Yushu thought to herself: You all clearly knew it, yet you all pretended not to know. As to whether he accepted the gift from a "tax-evading and unscrupulous citizen," or whether he was the mastermind, that remains to be investigated.
She remained calm, nodded, and said seriously, "Well, everyone has a point. Now that we've discovered it, the government can't just pretend it didn't happen. Letting tax evaders go would be unfair to law-abiding people, so they have to be punished."
Li Qigong and his uncle felt a pang of anxiety in their hearts.
Huang Yichun seemed to want to say something but stopped.
Jiang Yushu sat high up in the chair, taking in the various expressions of her subordinates. She spoke solemnly, "The culprits of tax evasion should certainly be punished, but this matter has far-reaching consequences. Most of the poor villagers employed are unaware of this. They've been honestly cultivating the land and receiving the 30% share of the grain as stipulated. They're innocent. If the authorities want to identify the mastermind, they'll have to investigate the employed villagers. I wonder how many people they'll have to interrogate?"
"It's hard to estimate." Huang Yichun shook his head in disapproval, and warned, "Ordinary people are often afraid of dealing with the government. Summonsing a large number of villagers suddenly could cause panic throughout the county."
Jiang Yushu sighed, "It was precisely because of Tu Ning's safety that I decided to pursue the matter in a different way."
"Then, what method do you think is appropriate to pursue the matter?" Wen Xi looked calm, but he was actually very nervous.
Jiang Yushu had already made plans and replied sternly, "I've thought about this for a long time. How about this: This autumn harvest, we won't pursue the matter openly. We will strictly follow the provisions of the 'Substitute Farming Order' and collect tax grain from the relevant borrowers. If there's a shortage, we'll punish them tenfold. And then, we'll impose a fine."
"A fine?" The petty officials involved in the case were apprehensive and secretly complaining. They pretended to be calm and asked, "How much is the fine?"
"What is the specific punishment?"
Jiang Yushu stared intently, observing everyone's expressions. She spoke slowly and calmly, "Right now, this county has two major projects to undertake: one, building a workshop; two, renovating the county school. These are enormous projects, and they can't be done without money. Unfortunately, Tu Ning is short of money, so I have no choice but to help. I've been thinking day and night about ways to raise the money."
"Let's talk about the workshop first," she said solemnly. "According to the law, tax evaders should be severely punished, but for the sake of stability, we've temporarily levied a fine. Since potatoes are grown under the 'Substitute Farming Order' in eight out of ten cases, we'll calculate four crops in two years. For every acre of land, the fine is two taels. That's four taels after one year, eight taels after two years, and so on."
The pot-bellied Wen Xi swallowed his saliva, his double chin trembling, "One acre of land, one acre is fined eight taels?"
Good penalty! Huang Yichun opened his mouth but didn't dare to say anything.
Jiang Yushu said in a heavy tone, "Recently, I've received a series of anonymous letters of accusation. They allege that someone is evading taxes, hoarding large quantities of grain, and secretly reselling it to make huge profits. One acre of land, four crops in two years, is only fined eight taels. Humph, that's a bargain for the grain thieves."
Wen Xi blurted out, "Who reported it?"
Idiot! Li Qigong pretended to listen, but in reality he wanted to kick his brother-in-law unconscious.
"Anonymous, I don't know who it is. But there's no smoke without fire. Everything happens for a reason. If you do something immoral, you won't be criticized, will you be praised?" Jiang Yushu said lightly, admonishing:
"As for the total fine amount, carefully study the old records issued by the Ministry of Revenue to estimate how many acres of tax grain the county government has failed to collect in previous years. Chief Registrar Wen, please carefully consider the wording and write a notice as soon as possible. When you are done, please show it to me and I will post it tomorrow morning."
"...Yes." Wen Xi gritted his teeth and maintained a humble attitude, "I will do it later."
Jiang Yushu took a sip of tea, stared at the chief clerk, and instructed him, "The chief clerk is a local and has been in the yamen for seven or eight years. He knows everything inside and out. Collecting fines and building workshops are all in your charge. You must do your best to complete the task and do not let me down."
"ah?"
"W-what? Collecting fines and building workshops are all left to me to be responsible for?" Wen Xi was dumbfounded and stunned, and then he was ecstatic: Hahaha, supervising the construction of workshops is a lucrative job, I didn't expect that she would trust me with it!
Then he began to worry: But, how should I collect the fine? Should I lead by example? Should I punish myself first, then punish my brother-in-law?
Li Qigong was also surprised, thinking to himself: "She actually picked a fool to entrust him with such an important task? Maybe it's because my brother-in-law is so sweet and good at flattering people. Tsk, women really are stupid!"
Wen Xi was mixed with joy and worry. He waved his hands repeatedly and humbly declined, "Thank you for your trust, sir, but my humble talents are mediocre and I am not qualified for this task. For such a major matter, please ask someone with outstanding talents to handle it. I, I really don't dare to accept it."
Jiang Yushu frowned and questioned, "Why are you so modest? In terms of seniority, you're one of the few senior members of the yamen. In terms of talent, many people recommended you during the recent deliberations, which clearly shows that you are capable. Those who are capable should be given more work. Are you afraid of hardship or fatigue?"
“No, no, no!”
Wen Xi hurriedly shook his head, then answered with his head held high and chest puffed out, "Although I am not talented, I do not consider myself someone who despises hardship or fatigue. I am willing to serve the county lord with all my heart!"
Jiang Yushu smiled slightly. "Okay, that's right. I'll leave the workshop to you. Set a deadline. It should be completed before next autumn harvest. That's plenty of time."
"Before next autumn harvest? I'll remember that!" Wen Xi replied enthusiastically.
"Also, the government allows tax evaders to remain anonymous, and there's no restriction on how to pay the fine. As long as the amount is not much different from the estimated amount, the matter will be considered over, and I will not pursue it a second time. However, if the amount is significantly different, the thief is unrepentant, deliberately refusing to give the magistrate face, voluntarily forgoing the government's offer of forgiveness, and asking for trouble."
Jiang Yushu remained calm and composed. "Then, I will be forced to go to Tuningwei and ask General Song to send troops to assist me. Following the clues we have, we will investigate town by town and village by village until all the grain thieves are caught!"
"If the prisoner refuses to pay the fine, don't blame me for ordering a thorough investigation and severe punishment. As the saying goes, 'If you don't want others to know, don't do it yourself.' How can the government tolerate the prisoner getting away with breaking the law?"
With a cold face, she spoke word by word, "I want to see who dares to go against the government!"
Li Qigong's uncle and son glanced at each other and nodded in agreement, but no one said a word.
Good! Good! She's honest, courageous, and determined, and she has her husband's backing... Can she defeat the local tyrant? Huang Yichun was excited, but didn't dare show it. He looked up and said, "Who dares? I don't think anyone dares."
"I hope so." Jiang Yushu turned her head and looked out the window at the sky. She said with a headache, "Let's talk about the second important matter. The county school was burned down by enemy soldiers several years ago and it's still in ruins. The government cannot escape blame. If we delay this any longer, how will we explain it to the education commissioner?"
"Alas, even the best cook cannot cook without rice. The government can't come up with money. Can we try to call on local wealthy merchants, local celebrities, and other figures to donate funds for construction? What do you think?"
Huang Yichun was the first to answer, "This is common practice. Local sages always value a reputation for charity, and wealthy businessmen are usually happy to spend money to have their names engraved on monuments of merit. However... whether the donation is large or small is hard to say."
"Yes! A monument of merit will live on through the ages. Wealthy locals and merchants will surely be willing to donate." Wen Xi was extremely respectful, flattering him whenever he could. "The county magistrate is kind and loving, and he has worked tirelessly to ensure that the students can move into the new school as soon as possible. This is truly a blessing for the people of Tunning. I admire you!"
The other minor officials all echoed and flattered him. Huang Yichun, who usually kept quiet in this situation, now said sincerely: "Indeed, I admire you!"
Jiang Yushu, having heard so much, had a calm expression and gently instructed, "Leave this matter to the county magistrate. Remember, we can only call on others, and don't force anything. There's no rush. You can slowly raise funds, prioritizing the main tasks and then the secondary ones, and build step by step. Report any problems you encounter at any time."
Huang Yichun stood up and said respectfully, "I understand. I will handle this carefully and draft a set of rules for you to review as soon as possible."
Jiang Yushu nodded in satisfaction, stood up, pounded her aching lower back, and said, "That's all for today. Let's go and get back to our business. We'll discuss this later."
"Yes." The clerks stood up, bowed and said goodbye, and went about their business.
Li Qigong used to deliberately stay at the end and rack his brains to strike up a conversation, but today, he was unhappy because he didn't become the workshop manager. He secretly gave his brother-in-law a look, and the two left early.
Because of back pain caused by sitting for a long time, Jiang Yushu is used to taking a walk in the courtyard to stretch her muscles and think while walking.
In a short while, among the flowers and trees in the courtyard
The servant followed from a distance, Cuimei accompanied her, and Jiang Yushu walked forward in deep thought, with no intention of appreciating the late autumn scenery.
"Oh, haha, the persimmons are getting redder and redder!" Cuimei trotted over and stopped under a tall persimmon tree, looking up at the fruits high above. "There are so many, there must be hundreds of them?"
Jiang Yushu said casually: "If you like to eat it, just pick it."
"It's not ripe yet. It will be sweeter after a while!" Cuimei and the servant were discussing how to pick the fruit excitedly.
Jiang Yushu let her followers chatter and took a walk on her own.
The next moment, she walked around the rockery, looked up, and unexpectedly found Huang Yichun.
The other party was obviously waiting for him.
"Master Huang," Jiang Yushu calmed down, "what's the matter?"
Huang Yichun wanted to say something but stopped himself, tightly pinching the old letter in his sleeve. It was late autumn, but he was sweating profusely, and his palms were sweating, soaking a corner of the envelope.
"You look so nervous, is there something serious going on?"
"Your subordinate, your subordinate has, has..." Huang Yichun's voice trembled, and he looked around vigilantly, as if his throat was being strangled by an invisible hand.
Jiang Yushu's expression gradually became serious as she scrutinized the other person. "What are you afraid of? If it's official business, you're not allowed to hide it. If it's a private matter, you can speak frankly. The government will help if it can."
Huang Yichun hesitated for a while, then finally gritted his teeth, pulled out a letter that he had hidden for a long time.
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