Chapter 41: Chatting in the 16th Century
Song Jin lied that his family's land was gone and dragged Xu Jie into it. His original intention was to shut Ji Shubai up, but who knew that it ended up reaching Lord Luo's ears.
Song Jin secretly cursed the two talkative people in his heart.
"Haha, after all, it's all because of my family's laziness, and you can't blame anyone else." She didn't dare to scold Xu Jie because he wasn't dead yet.
Seeing that she laughed it off, Lord Naro stopped asking questions and changed the subject.
He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced in the small courtyard. Song Jin also put down the cup and followed him closely.
"Since the imperial court implemented the Single Whip Law, the tax revenue in Jiangnan has increased significantly, but at the same time, the number of slaves in the homes of wealthy merchants has also increased significantly. It's rare to find someone like you to seek refuge with."
Song Jin was unable to adapt to this sudden change for a while, but he remembered that day in Shidinglou, when Lu Junnian and Ji Shubai talked about the tax collection.
"Sir, are you coming to Suzhou this time to supervise taxation?" Song Jin never figured out what the Censor was here for.
Lord Luo turned around and said, "I am the Censor-in-Chief, inspecting on behalf of the Emperor. I can inquire about everything, not just taxes, that should be asked, that should be observed, and that should be understood."
Song Jin said "Oh", just asking everything and taking care of everything, but still missing the point.
Lord Na Luo asked again: "How do you feel about opening a shop in Suzhou? Is it easier than farming?"
Song Jin smiled stiffly: "This business is naturally better than farming, otherwise why would so many scholars start doing business."
"Oh, then tell me how big the gap is between the two." Lord Luo sat next to Song Jin with a gentle expression.
"Sir, you are the Censor-in-Chief. There are many people in this government office who know more than I do. Why do you have to ask me?"
Lord Luo said: "Of course I have to ask about this supervising official, but I also want to know what the people of Suzhou really think. I think you are a good fit."
Song Jin understood that he had not come to her to make tea, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Since you want to ask, I will tell you directly. If I say something wrong, please don't get angry with me."
"It's just a small talk. Don't be angry. The shopkeeper will talk about whatever comes to mind."
Song Jin's heart settled down, he cleared his throat, and said seriously: "We have two capitals and thirteen provinces in the Ming Dynasty. In terms of taxes and silver paid every year, I am afraid that few places can exceed Suzhou Prefecture. Suzhou is located in the south of the Yangtze River. Although there are many farmlands, the commercial development has been even greater in recent years. I would like to ask, how much is the commercial tax and farmland tax in Suzhou?"
Lord Luo smiled and twirled his beard, saying, "I am asking you, but you are asking me. However, I can answer your question. Last year, the summer tax of Suzhou Prefecture included Fengyang Warehouse, Zhenjiang Warehouse, Nanjing Warehouse and Beijing Warehouse. The wheat and various taxes were worth more than 30,000 taels of silver, the autumn grain was more than 600,000 taels, and the commercial tax..."
Song Jin looked at Lord Luo steadily. Lord Luo thought for a moment and said, "The commercial tax is about two thousand taels."
Song Jin got the data and said with a smile: "Sir, you see, isn't it obvious? In Suzhou, where commerce is so developed, the amount of commercial tax is so low, and the tax is supported by the land tax alone, so who is suffering?"
Lord Luo frowned but said nothing.
"Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the landscape of Jiangnan has changed with each passing day, and there are countless wealthy people. After the opening of the country, it has become even more prosperous than before. In the past, scholars were keen on fame and fortune, but now there is a trend of abandoning official positions and doing business. It can be seen that doing business is a more profitable business than farming. However, in terms of taxes, they have almost become fish that slip through the net. Don't you think this situation is not right?"
Lord Luo said, "I didn't expect that although Shopkeeper Wen is a businessman, he would say that the taxes on merchants are too low. I admire him."
Song Jin said happily, waving his hand and said, "You are joking, sir. It's just my small shop. I don't have much money to give you if you want to buy it."
Lord Luo laughed and said, "What you said is reasonable. Our dynasty has gone through all these years. Compared with the previous dynasty, the current tax system is indeed very low in terms of commercial taxes. It's just that the reform has just been carried out. It's not easy to change it now."
When Song Jin heard this, he suddenly felt sad. If Zhang Juzheng didn't die and lived a few more years, would it be okay?
No, it was just a matter of a few years earlier or later, and it could not change the fate of the Ming Dynasty. Since ancient times, the change of dynasties is inevitable, and the end of the Ming Dynasty was not just due to the lack of military pay and land annexation.
There were slave rebellions in the south, peasant uprisings in the north, Li Zicheng at home, Nurhaci outside, and natural disasters. It was really God's will to destroy the Ming Dynasty. People's hearts had long changed and there was no way to save them.
"Listening to the shopkeeper's words today has broadened my horizons, but I don't quite understand why a person like you would stay in a small food hall?"
Lord Luo became curious and stared at Song Jin. It happened that the two of them were sitting next to each other, so Song Jin looked up and saw the pair of eyes full of doubt, and he lowered his eyes like a guilty thief.
"Little one...loves to cook."
After he finished speaking, he did not hear Lord Luo's voice. He looked up curiously and saw Lord Luo's eyes staring at his chin. Song Jin suddenly understood what was going on, covered his chin with his hand, and turned his body to the side.
"grown ups......"
Lord Luo narrowed his eyes, Song Jin's face turned red to his ears, and a feeling of being caught in the act came over him.
Just when I was getting anxious and didn't know what to do, Lord Luo stood up, said nothing, and sat down opposite me.
"Come, help me make this cup of tea today."
Song Jin saw that he had restrained his smile, but didn't say anything. He had to continue making tea nervously.
They drank this cup of tea for nearly half an hour, until the clerk outside came in to tell them that Lord Ji and Lord Lu had come. Lord Luo then smiled and said to Song Jin, "Let's stop here today. When you are free another day, you must go to Shidinglou to taste the shopkeeper's cooking skills."
Song Jin smiled, stood up and said goodbye, and walked out under the guidance of the clerk. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Ji Shubai and Lu Junnian in official uniforms, so he had to bow.
The two were not too surprised to see him. Ji Shubai was still silent, and Lu Junnian was still in the same temper: "Oh, what a coincidence, Shopkeeper Wen is here too."
Song Jin bowed and said, "Lord Luo asked me to help make tea."
Just when Song Jin thought that Lu Junnian wanted to ask something else, another clerk invited the two adults in, and the three of them separated without further conversation.
The clerk escorted Song Jin out the door. Before leaving, the clerk stuffed five cents of silver into Song Jin's pocket as money for tea. Song Jin took it and thanked him.
On the way back, Song Jin was in a good mood. No matter whether Lord Luo could tell that she was a woman or not, it would be fine as long as he didn't say anything. But that was not what made her happy.
In this world, she was most pleased to talk to a person of a certain social status as an equal. For a moment, she felt that she was also treated as a human being. This feeling was so good that she jumped all the way back to Shidinglou.
Happiness is an emotion that is difficult to conceal, and the entire Shidinglou could see her happiness.
"Boss, who did you meet today? Why do you look so happy?" Chunyun asked her while leaning on the stove.
"Look at your face, you are smiling like a flower, could it be that some gentleman has taken a liking to you?"
"Our shopkeeper has a masculine appearance. If he falls in love with us, we'll be in trouble. Hahahaha——"
No one cared why Song Jin was so happy, they just gathered together and talked and laughed.
Song Jin didn't mind these jokes. Instead, he announced that he would continue to treat everyone to chicken tonight.
Five cents of silver can buy you a lot of chickens.
Song Jin was happy that night. He set up a table in the backyard and cooked a table full of dishes himself, of course, the boiled chicken was indispensable.
But what surprised everyone was that she didn't drink, but instead took out the set of precious porcelain and made tea on a spring stool.
For Song Jin, this is like shopping in the vegetable market while carrying an Hermès bag. The white porcelain is the Hermès, and the backyard is the vegetable market. She is pretending to be a bourgeois in the 16th century and enjoying human life.
"Come on, let's not drink wine today. Let's drink the Wenshan Imperial Tea and taste the good tea."
Whether the tea is suitable or not is no longer important. What is important is the form, which is particularly petty bourgeois, particularly ceremonial, and particularly like a life that one enjoys personally.
While gnawing on the chicken, several people watched her working on the stool, pouring water to make tea, and then displaying the tea in the sea, all in one go.
It was a pity that there were too few teacups, not enough for several people to drink. Chunyun moved quickly and brought out a few wine bowls to drink from. The people around laughed: "You finished the other cup with your one bowl of tea. After these few cups, are you going to eat the chicken?"
Song Jin also laughed when he heard this, and said to Chunyun: "Drink less tea at night and save some room for chicken."
Some people held teacups, some held wine bowls, and they ate, drank and chatted.
"Hey, shopkeeper, did you meet Lord Luo at the government office today?"
"Yes, we met and we chatted."
"What are you talking about? Are you talking about anything happening in the capital?" When talking about the officials in the capital, everyone pricked up their ears. They were probably thinking the same thing as Song Jin that night. Eating melons is a common hobby of human beings.
"Nothing was said, but it's very strange. I've seen the Censor twice and the Vice Magistrate several times, but I've never seen the Prefect once." Song Jin said this with regret. She wanted to see the Prefect's majesty, but she had never seen it even once.
"Boss, you are in the kitchen, there are some things you don't know. Our prefect is not in Suzhou now, he has gone to Beijing."
"Go to the capital?" Song Jin was puzzled: "Why did the Suzhou prefect go to the capital instead of staying in Suzhou?"
"Why else? He's probably going to get a promotion."
"Promotion?" When they heard that the prefect was promoted, everyone became excited and asked, "Where will he be promoted? Who is the new prefect?"
Ah Rong said, "How would I know that? You'll know when they come."
Song Jin asked, "If the prefect is transferred, is it possible for the deputy prefect to be promoted to the prefect?"
She originally thought that Ji Shubai was appreciated by the Prime Minister and became a fifth-rank official at a young age, so maybe he would be promoted now.
"That's impossible. Don't you know? The prefects are sent down by officials from the capital. No one can be promoted from below. If we, the associate prefects, want to be prefects, we must first be transferred to the capital and then sent down. There is no hope for us if we stay down there."
Song Jin frowned after hearing this. It turned out that there was such a trick in it.
"Boss, last time we went to the Chai family to do kitchen work, we received a lot of money, which we still keep in the store. Why don't we go back to Ma Ti Lane tomorrow and deposit the money? Otherwise, we won't be able to sleep at night."
"What? Are you afraid that someone will steal it?" Song Jin teased him.
Ah Rong said, "Isn't it? I'll feel more at ease if I save it."
"Okay, let's go together tomorrow morning."
"good."
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