Chapter 342: School Entrance Tax
Finally, Su Qianqian was able to sleep well. She had a good night's sleep, but when she opened her eyes, Qin Hanzhang was gone.
I touched the place where he had slept and it was still warm. His breath had not dissipated yet, which meant he had left not long ago.
Am I such a deep sleeper? Why didn’t I hear any sound? I have always been very vigilant. 】Su Qianqian had doubts in her heart and asked the system for confirmation.
[You are indeed very vigilant, and your anti-dream theft technology is far ahead. If your heart is there, the dream is there. Whoever blocks the path to your dream will be marked in the book of life and death. Life and death are trivial matters in front of deep sleep. Living is a good dream, and death is a long sleep! 】
The system complained a lot, and its voice was full of disgust.
[What's wrong with me just taking a night's rest? I'm really exhausted these days...Where did the Marquis go? Su Qianqian seriously suspected that the system had reached its rebellious stage, and every word it said was sarcastic and thorny.
[Why don’t you just go out and take a look and find out?] But there shouldn’t be anything major happening at this time, just a little bloody...】the system said mysteriously.
Su Qianqian ignored the system's suspense, tidied her clothes and went to the wooden basin to wash up, and found that the water temperature in the basin was just right.
As soon as she opened the door, she heard a lot of noise downstairs. As soon as Su Qianqian took a step, she saw Qin Hanzhang walking up the stairs, followed by the police.
"What's the matter?" Su Qianqian asked when she saw Qin Hanzhang going upstairs.
Qin Hanzhang shook his head and motioned for her to listen to the officer who was following up.
"The master has ordered that all candidates who go to Beijing to take the imperial examination must register in the government office and pay the entrance tax when passing through Jinning. If anyone disobeys the order, the fate of that candidate will be the same as before."
The officers held their swords and shouted loudly, knocking on every door to inquire, "This is the scholar who is going to the capital."
Su Qianqian looked downstairs and saw a Confucian scholar in his thirties who was beaten with blood on his head. A servant boy was covering his head with a handkerchief. Everyone was angry but dared not say a word.
"Sir, may I ask in which year this school entrance tax was promulgated? Why do candidates who take the imperial examination need to pay the tax? I am so ignorant that I really don't know..."
Su Qianqian bowed and asked the officer with a smile.
"Which year was the tax promulgated..." The official looked at Su Qianqian with a lewd look in his eyes. "Young Master, since you are young and ignorant, I will not argue with you. This is not something you can ask!"
"He really can't ask, because you are not worthy of answering."
Qin Hanzhang's expression, which had originally been nonchalant, suddenly turned cold.
The officer was about to glare and curse when he suddenly felt a chill and took a few steps back without realizing it. He retreated to the stairs and fell down.
Although the stairs were not very high, the steps were not short. The official tumbled all the way and hit the handrail. The sword on his body jingled, and the sound of bones knocking against each other and screams continued until he fell back into the living room.
The two officers who followed Qin Hanzhang upstairs were stunned. They thought it was weird, but they didn't dare to be as presumptuous as before.
"Hey, this official is quite sensible. He knows he's in the wrong and just goes back. Hahahaha..."
At this time, Jiang Baipin, who lived in the room next door, was leaning against the door with his arms folded and laughing.
The officer downstairs helped his colleague who had fallen down to his feet. His face was bruised and his legs were limping. He pointed upward at Qin Hanzhang:
"Bring them all to the government office. Just wait, the master will punish you!"
"Sir, I haven't had my meal yet. Does the government provide meals? If not, please ask the shopkeeper to prepare breakfast for me. I will go to the government after I have my meal."
Su Qianqian walked downstairs with a smile, and Qin Hanzhang and Jiang Baipin followed behind.
Qin Shisan and Qin Shiliu had already found a table downstairs. They ignored the officials and came to pick up Su Qianqian and Qin Hanzhang.
"What kind of meal is this! The master wants you to go to the government office to register and pay taxes, and you still dare to delay. Do you think you don't respect the master?"
The officer should be a small leader. At this time, he stared at Su Qianqian with a pair of dead fish eyes.
Qin Hanzhang took Su Qianqian over and sat down as if he didn't hear anything, waiting for the waiter to bring breakfast.
Jiang Baipin also sat down and greeted Ergou: "I am in a good mood today, so I will treat all the customers in the store to breakfast. Steamed buns, pork with soy sauce, rice porridge, whatever you like, just bring it up!"
"Okay, sirs, please take a seat. I promise you will have plenty of braised pork and rice porridge. Master Jiang will treat us!"
Ergou called loudly and went to the kitchen at the back to get the food.
The shopkeeper was hesitant to speak, so he had to ask the official to sit down with a smile, and personally picked up the teapot and poured tea to him.
With a "bang", the tea bowl was overturned and broke into pieces, and the scalding tea splashed all over the shopkeeper.
"How dare you disregard the master's order? You don't want to leave Jinning. Brothers, arrest them all and bring them to the government office!"
The leading officer had no place to vent his anger, so he spilled the tea and shouted at the other officers.
"Yes!" The officers must have been used to showing off their power, so catching a few handsome scholars was no problem for them, so they pounced on the Confucian scholars.
After a series of "pa pa pa" sounds, there were continuous "ouch" sounds, and the officers all bent their knees and fell to the ground, with a bamboo chopstick falling beside each of them.
"My young master wants to treat us to a meal. I wonder who dares to spoil it. After a good meal, you will go to the government office if you are in a good mood. Are you in a bad mood...
Boss, I hate others making noise while I'm eating. If someone is too talkative to eat or drink tea, and can only say stupid things that will get him beaten, then just do as he wishes and beat him up for me! ”
The shopkeeper knew at this time that he had met a master. It was like a fight between gods, so he could only nod repeatedly, wipe off the tea stains on his body, and busily keep the accounts.
The customers in the store all sat down, not daring to speak loudly. The scholar with blood on his head bowed respectfully to Jiang Baipin as a way of expressing his gratitude.
The food was soon served, and several Confucian scholars ate while whispering to each other, wondering how they would be treated at the government office, and how they would pay the entrance tax. They didn't expect that even after passing the imperial examination, they would have to endure such hardships.
The officials knew that they had met a tough guy. They always bullied the weak and feared the strong, so they dared not confront him anymore. They had to hold their anger and wait to go to the yamen, where they would let the master punish these arrogant candidates.
After dinner Su Qianqian did not delay any longer. She was going to investigate the county magistrate anyway, so there was no need to beat around the bush.
Jining City is an important road leading to Xijing. In more than three months, it will be the spring examination held every three years. At this time, there are always more than a dozen candidates from other places who come to Beijing and they all go to the Jining County Government Office together.
Instead of going to the court, the candidates were taken directly to the backyard. After they entered, the courtyard gate was closed and several ferocious-looking yamen runners stood guard at the door with their arms folded.
Magistrate Gu was sitting in the main hall, and next to him was the legal advisor sitting behind a desk, on which were abacus paper and pens.
"Sir, these people disobeyed your orders, insulted you for arbitrarily issuing tax orders, and beat up my subordinates. You must punish them!"
The officer pointed at Su Qianqian and the others, with bruises on his face and dead eyes glaring at them viciously.
"Sir, I dare not disobey the law. I just want to ask, we are all candidates for the imperial examination, so we should not pay taxes. Why do we have to pay the entrance tax? When was this tax promulgated? Do you have an official document from the Ministry of Revenue?"
Su Qianqian asked in a gentle voice.
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