In the past few days, Chu Qiguang has long heard about the village elders rushing to collect grain, and they are looking for some of the poorest and weakest villagers in the village.

And since his father and brother disappeared when they went up the mountain to chop firewood, there are only three orphans and widows left in the Ergou family, and they have become weak and bullying sheep in the eyes of some people in the village.

Steward Wang pointed his finger at Chu Qiguang and scolded angrily: "It's really against you! Do you know what is called a flowing water Zhixian and an iron-clad yamen, do you want to kill the whole village?"

Chu Qiguang knew that what Steward Wang said was true, and he also knew where the other party relied on.

How could he, a person who liked to enjoy himself the most, not think of ways to improve the conditions after he had been here for five days, and how could he not understand the power structure of the current environment before taking action?

According to Ergou's memories and the intelligence collected by Chu Qiguang, according to the system of the Han Dynasty, the county government was responsible for managing the county seat and several villages within its administrative area, such as Wangjiazhuang and nearby villages, which were under the jurisdiction of Qingyang County.

Among the county officials of Qingyang County, from top to bottom, there are three kinds of officials, officials, and servants, and the structure is very similar to the structure of the county government of the Ming Dynasty on the earth in Chu Qiguang's memory.

The officials are headed by the magistrate, and there are two adjutants of the county and the chief bookkeeper, who hold the highest power in the county government, and the officials include the canonical history and the six rooms, which are equivalent to the head of the police station, and the six rooms correspond to the six departments of court rites, officials, households, workers, soldiers, and criminals, each of whom manages the affairs of the county.

As for the 'service', that is, the people who have been conscripted for conscription come to the county government to do chores, including the 'soap class' who is responsible for welcoming and sending to and honoring the guard, the 'strong class' who is responsible for public security, the 'fast class' who is responsible for arresting criminals and delivering documents, and the rest of the kufu, fangfu, horseman, etc., are all doing chores in the county office.

From the three officials at the top level, to dozens of officials at the middle level, and then to hundreds of errand officers at the bottom level, this constitutes the power pyramid of the entire Qingyang County Government, ruling over the entire Qingyang County of more than 100,000 people.

Although the officials have great power, they leave every few years, and they are not allowed to be held by locals. There is no establishment of officials, it is difficult to be promoted, and the income is not counted in the state treasury, but it can find a way to inherit it from generation to generation. In particular, records such as taxes and forced labor were handwritten by the scribes of the six rooms.

With a stroke of the pen, the scribe can record the barren field as a fertile field, and the underage children as an adult strong man, so that a family can bear the heavy taxes that should not be borne and the family will be ruined.

Officials and officials have taken root here from generation to generation, forming intertwined interests at the local level, and all kinds of administrative orders need to be carried out by them.

Nowadays, once the officials and the rich families join forces, they can use various means to evade taxes and servitude, such as the fact that there is no land in the records of the officials, and for example, let the poor bear the taxes they evade, and let the official land become the people's land, and the people's land into official land......

A rich man in the countryside like the Wang family has obviously colluded with the officials and servants in the county government for many years to prey on the common people.

Chu Qiguang's mind flashed through the situation in the county like lightning, and he couldn't help but have a thought in his heart: 'The county government structure of the Han Dynasty is very similar to the situation in the Ming Dynasty, and it is no different from colluding with each other to oppress the people. Will this world be a parallel world?'

Hearing Steward Wang's accusation, Chu Qiguang said lightly: "The rich families in the village evade taxes and forced labor, why do you want us to make up for it? ”

Aunt Chen looked at Ergou's mother and said hurriedly: "Sister, you still don't care about your son?

Ergou's mother stood in front of Ergou, lowered her head and whispered, "What the dog said is not unreasonable. ”

"Bullshit. Steward Wang said in a cold tone: "If it weren't for the kindness of my lord who bought your land over the years, you would have been arrested in the county, confiscated and exiled for three thousand miles!"

As he spoke, Steward Wang had already taken two long entourages and walked towards the outside of the house.

The lieutenant also stood up, looked at Ergou's mother and said, "The county is still waiting for a reply." There is still a month's deadline to be given, and when the time comes, the grain tax required by the above is insufficient, and no one should think about it. ”

Looking at the two who were about to leave, Ergou's mother panicked a little again, and Aunt Chen on the side cheered and said: "If you don't make up enough food tax, the villagers in the nearby township will all be sitting, won't you be poked in the backbone by the villagers at that time?"

Chu Qiguang became more radiant the more he spoke, the discomfort all over his body was swept away, and he continued: "Let the county investigate, find out who has the problem." ”

Li Chang glared, pointed to Chu Qiguang's face and said, "You guys just make trouble, it's better to make trouble so that the whole village is implicated, and everyone is finished together!"

......

In the earthen house, the mother of the second dog, who watched everyone leave, became worried: "Dog, this is going to make trouble in the county, but how can it be good." ”

Chu Qiguang patted his mother's shoulder: "Mother rest assured, this matter can't be caused in the county, the people of the Wang family themselves conceal Ding Tian the most, and they also evade taxes the most." They have neither talent nor talent in their family, let alone any person, and it is only by virtue of the momentum of being rampant and domineering in the township in the past, as well as the relationship with the county officials, that they can hide it.

Even if we don't pay it, they will make up the food tax. They didn't dare to poke the matter in front of the new magistrate. In that case, they will have to spend more silver to buy the county, which is much more than the few acres of land and a few taels of silver that our family can squeeze out, and the Wang family's childish appearance is not reluctant. ”

Chu Qiguang shook his head: "This matter, they will inevitably choose to solve it in the village." ”

Ergou's mother's melancholy was not less at all: "But in this way, the Wang family will not let us go." ”

Chu Qiguang smiled, and Cheng Zhu said in his chest: "It's okay, I have my own way." ”

Looking at the back of Steward Wang's departure and disappearance, Chu Qiguang's heart felt relieved, the original anxiety and boredom were swept away in an instant, the sweat was gone, the legs were not shaking, the signs of the illness just now were all gone, and he felt that he was doing it again.

Chu Qiguang thought comfortably and helplessly in his heart: "Sure enough, this is the problem...... Positive focus on dependent personality disorder, no second person can find a mental illness other than me. ”

"Once you get addicted, if you don't slap a few people who don't like it, or if you don't pretend to be a force, you will die of discomfort. ”

"Gan!"