After coming out of the Four Treasures Store, Wang Jiaping and Xu Guo were silent, thinking about it with low eyebrows, and continued to walk forward.

The impact of this shopkeeper's words on them was really too great, they really had never seen anyone who so defended the right to pay taxes to the imperial court, whether it was the landlord or the common people,

After walking for a while, Wang Jiaping suddenly took a deep breath and said: "I can be considered to know why Guo Dan is so low-key, although he governs this place in an orderly manner, but he has no prestige at all, the reason is precisely because he has the same power and pays the same taxes as ordinary people, so that his 'contract system' is convincing." ”

Xu Guo nodded and said: "It is precisely this reason, if he holds great power, is high, and has all privileges, then his set of rules cannot be enforced." ”

Wang Jiaping sighed: "His trick is much higher than that of you and me!" ”

Xu Guo nodded, only to feel ashamed of himself.

.....

"Jiang Taifu!"

Hearing a shout, Jiang Yinglan turned his head to look at it, only to see a scribe of medium stature with a goatee standing on the side of the street looking at him with a smile, and couldn't help but say happily: "Xue Wenqing." ”

Xue Wenqing stroked his beard and smiled, walked forward quickly, and bowed: "I don't know when Taifu came to Weihui?" ”

Jiang Yinglan returned the salute and said, "I just arrived today, how is Brother Xue lately?" ”

Xue Wenqing smiled bitterly: "It's not very good." ”

Jiang Yinglan was slightly stunned.

Xue Wenqing said: "The cold house is near here, if Taifu doesn't like the cold house is simple, it is better to go to the cold house to talk about it." ”

"Then excuse me!"

Jiang Yinglan bowed.

This Xue Wenqing Weihui person, once served in Shaanxi with Jiang Yinglan, the two are like-minded, but because they later refused to join the same stream with other officials, they were excluded, and they resigned angrily and returned to their hometowns to teach and educate people, of course, their Xue family is also the big landlord of Weihui Mansion, and he does not have to worry about food and clothing when he returns home.

Coming to Xue Wenqing's house, Xue Wenqing poured a cup of tea for Jiang Yinglan, and said, "Why did Taifu suddenly visit Weihui Mansion?" ”

Jiang Yinglan shook his head with a smile and said: "It's not just for that Guo Dan, now that there is no official mansion in Weihui Mansion, of course the imperial court is not at ease to let Guo Danhu come, so I will always send the inspector Yushi to supervise, and I am also ordered to come this time." ”

Xue Wenqing nodded, his expression a little weird.

Jiang Yinglan asked, "Brother Xue just said that it was not very good?" What's going on? ”

Xue Wenqing sighed: "I won't tell you, in fact, I just came back from Kaifeng, and I originally planned to sell this house and land." ”

"Oh?"

Jiang Yinglan said: "Why is this? ”

Xue Wenqing smiled embarrassedly: "It's also because of that Guo Dan, when I heard that the imperial court actually sent a businessman to take over Weihui Mansion, I was so angry that I didn't eat for a few days, we read the book of sages, and we were dignified, how could we hand it over to the mercenary businessman, so I have been writing to the imperial court, asking the imperial court to withdraw the order, and after no result, I went to Kaifeng Mansion, but I didn't think about .....it." ”

Jiang Yinglan said: "I never thought that Guo Dan would manage Weihui Mansion in an orderly manner. ”

Xue Wenqing said with annoyance: "This time, I really spent the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain." Alas.....! ”

As he spoke, he slapped his palm on the table.

He has always cherished his reputation very much, he thought at first that the emperor was too outrageous, you send a eunuch to forget it, after all, the eunuch still has an official position, barely justifiable, you actually sent a businessman, it is really more mediocre than the rumored, during the period he did not scold Wanli, but he didn't expect it to be this result, this face beating, it really made him regretful.

Jiang Yinglan frowned and said: "Regarding the current situation in Weihui Mansion, I haven't understood it, I just went to inquire, there are many gentry and landlords who have tax exemption rights, and now they also pay taxes, which is really incomprehensible to me." ”

Xue Wenqing waved his hand and said: "You can't say that, they are actually tax-free, just because now a person only needs to pay one or two dollars a year in taxes, such as their wives and daughters naturally don't need to go out to do things, so they don't have to pay taxes, so many tax-free gentry take the initiative to ask to pay taxes, because this can also gain a good reputation, but if they hire people and make deeds, they have to pay a lot of taxes." ”

Jiang Yinglan said with a smile: "Brother Xue, you know that I have a straight personality and will not beat around the bush, in the past, they tried their best to borrow tax-free privileges, annex land, and hide taxes, but now Guo Dan is just apportioning the land tax to everyone, why don't they want to find a way not to pay this tax, are they afraid of Guo Dan?" ”

Xue Wenqing waved his hand and said: "Now that the tenant farming system has been abolished, and there are many wealthy businessmen who come here to do business, they all have to hire people, if anyone does not pay taxes, then naturally no one will come to their house to work, and now Weihui Mansion is not worried about no work."

In addition, the loss of not paying taxes is greater than paying taxes, and the silk and cotton in those workshops, and the vegetables and poultry in the restaurants are all bought from them, and if they do not pay taxes, then no one will cooperate with them.

Guo Dan's real strength lies in the fact that he did not let the landlords take more money out to share the burden of the people, but let the people earn money at the same time, let the landlords earn more money, so his 'contract system' will be supported by everyone. ”

"I see." Jiang Yinglan completely understood, and looked at Xue Wenqing again: "Listening to Brother Xue's tone, it seems that he is already convinced by Guo Dan. ”

"I can't deny that."

Xue Wenqing said: "Although today's Weihui Mansion is full of copper smell, everyone wants to make more money, but coexistence with justice and equality, to borrow Guo Dan's words, as long as you don't break the law, no matter how much money you make, that's what you deserve, it's understandable, compared to the previous Weihui Mansion, I prefer the current Weihui Mansion, so I came back here, it's a pity that ......" ”

Speaking of this, a bitter smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth, "I'm not afraid of your jokes, a few days ago, I also wanted to go to the litigation court to do things and make a contribution to maintain the fairness and justice of this Weihui Mansion, but they refused." ”

Jiang Yinglan said curiously: "Why is this, with Brother Xue's character and talent, if he can't go to the litigation court, then I see that there are very few things that the entire Weihui Mansion can go there to do!" ”

"Don't dare, don't dare." Xue Wenqing shook his head and said, "According to the 'contract', the litigator must be appointed by Guo Dan, and anyone who has opposed him in the past cannot enter the litigation court. ”

Jiang Yinglan said: "This is a personal vendetta against him, why does Brother Xue still respect him." ”

Xue Wenqing said: "Because of his reasons, I am convinced. ”

"What reason?"

"It's just that I said that I was a gentleman with the heart of a villain, ignoring the people, and denying him only as a businessman.

Jiang Yinglan was speechless for a while.

If a businessman and a scholar appear in the same case, based on what you have done before, you must be biased towards scholars, how can such a person act as a litigator.

.....

That party walked around the street for a while, and suddenly said to Wu Guansheng on the side: "You take me to the barracks to have a look." ”

Wu Guansheng sneered: "Returning to Lord Shangshu, there is no one in the barracks, and the soldiers are all on duty outside. ”

"All out there?" Fang Fengshi was surprised.

Unless there is a war, otherwise, he really has never seen a situation where there is no one in the barracks.

Wu Guansheng nodded straight and said: "It's all because Guo Dan is too snobbish, he doesn't allow people to be idle, as long as he takes the money, he has to do things, and if he doesn't have other tasks, he has to repair the river." ”

Fang Fengshi frowned and glanced at him.

Wu Guansheng hurriedly changed his words: "Because there have been many merchants coming and going recently, and the border of Weihui Mansion is not peaceful, so the soldiers have gone out to duty, and those who stay are also stationed at the city gate and dock. ”

Fang Fengshi also knew now that in the case of Weihui Mansion, who didn't want to come, and asked, "How do you treat those people who want to come to Weihui Mansion?" ”

Wu Guansheng said: "There is no specific statement yet, so we can only try to drive them away and not allow them to enter." ”

Fang Fengshi nodded and said, "This is still a problem!" ”

.....

Before you know it, it's late afternoon.

Hot Spring Pavilion.

"It's so comfortable! No wonder so many people come here. ”

Zhang Cheng lay lazily on the collapse, the two girls on the left and right pinched his old arms and legs, looked at the sunset outside the window, moaned comfortably, and said to Guo Dan, who was lying beside him: "Guo Dan, the money our family spends here, you don't need to break the bank, so as not to break your rules, Xiaojie will help our family give it." ”

Guo Dan smiled bitterly: "The prime minister misunderstood, I mean, Weihui Mansion has no obligation to entertain officials, but I am personally myself, and this is not in the way." "I thought, just you, a eunuch, in the Hot Spring Pavilion, you just want to consume, and you don't have the ability, how much can this cost.

"Excuse me, excuse me." Zhang Cheng waved his hand and said, "If you want to spend money for our family, maybe Wang Jiaping and they will have opinions again and cause trouble." ”

Guan Xiaojie has been entertaining him all the time, and also told him how big the rouge workshop is, and this money is just a dime.

At this moment, Chen Xusheng suddenly walked over quickly, "Qi Qi Prime Minister, our children's team is back, and Scholar Wang invited the Minister of Internal Affairs and Guo Dan to discuss the matter." ”

Ji County and Hua County are adjacent to each other, and they rushed back from Qimen Town, and they didn't need to ride horses for half a day.

Zhang Cheng was so comfortable, where did he want to get up, and said: "Our family just came to take a look, and we didn't come to take care of things, Guo Dan, you go by yourself, our family wants to sleep for a while." ”

"Yes, then I'll go first."

When Tong Li came back, Wang Jiaping invited them to come over to discuss the matter, of course, to discuss the matter of the fighting in Qimen Town.

When Guo Dan came to the barracks, Tong Li told Guo Dan that the small court in Qimen Town directly ruled that those involved in the armed fight were justified in self-defense, so they were all acquitted, and they also put the responsibility on the officers and soldiers.

The gentry are the local squires, if it is a fight in the neighboring townships, the local gentry cannot participate in the trial, and they want to avoid suspicion, but Xiahe Village belongs to the Daimyo's mansion, so the local people can also be tried, and only their own people are tried, which is of course acquittal.

"It's not up to me, but I think it's reasonable."

Guo Danzhi nodded.

Wang Jiaping shook his head slightly, but it was not easy to say anything, this fault is indeed in Xiahe Village, why are you running to other people's houses if you have nothing to do, and said: "Guo Dan, although this matter is not a big deal, it cannot be ignored, Weihui Mansion is now taken over by you, the situation is very special, I don't know how you plan to deal with the relationship with neighboring states?" ”

Guo Dan said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I am just a businessman..... ”

"We know you're a businessman, so you don't have to talk about it all the time." Xu Guo rudely interrupted Guo Dan's words, and now when he heard this, he felt his face hurt.

Guo Dan said: "I mean, I only care about Weihui Mansion, the people of other state capitals have nothing to do with me, if they enter here and have no household registration, this is not easy to manage, I will definitely not allow them to enter." ”

Fang Fengshi said: "But you may not be able to stop it!" ”

Guo Dan said: "That's not necessarily, they come here just to find work, I let them not find work, they won't come." ”

Wang Jiaping said: "Isn't this a little too much?" ”

Guo Dan asked, "What do you say?" ”

Wang Jiaping frowned, this person goes to a high place, the water flows to a low place, the gap between Weihui Mansion and other state capitals is too big now, especially for the people, people will definitely run this way, this run will have problems, Weihui Mansion is not easy to manage, and the taxes of other state capitals will also be reduced, and the key county officials are also embarrassed.

"Otherwise, ......" Guo Dan said suddenly.

Wang Jiaping hurriedly asked, "How?" ”

Guo Dan said: "I discussed with those businessmen, and by the way, I contracted some taxes from the surrounding counties, so as to reduce the burden of those people, and make it easier for the government to receive taxes." ”

Xu Guo was surprised: "How can this be by the way? ”

Taxation is the primary issue of the state, how can it be in your mouth by the way.

Guo Dan said: "According to the current tax law of the imperial court, the people have to take silver to pay taxes, so there are many people who deliberately hoard silver taels to squeeze the people, which undoubtedly increases the burden of the people, and also makes the local government very headache, because the government has to pay silver to the imperial court."

We, Weihui Mansion, can reach an agreement with the surrounding counties, we buy silk, cotton and other raw materials in the hands of the local people at a reasonable price, and then we will directly pay the silver to the local government, which is regarded as the tax they pay, as long as the burden of the people is reduced, they will naturally not run to Weihui Mansion. ”

Wang Jiaping and Xu Guo's eyes lit up when they heard it, this method is really wonderful, and all three of them benefit from it.

Jiang Yinglan said suddenly: "It's not impossible to do this, but will other states and counties think that your Weihui Mansion has violated their jurisdiction." ”

Guo Dan said: "If they think so, forget it, I see that they are poor, so I think they are doing good deeds, if they are still unwilling, then why should I use a hot face to stick a cold butt." ”