Jia Langzhong, Zhao Lang and others warmly invited Zhu Ping'an to Zhang Guanku's office room, and wanted to tell Zhu Ping'an about Taicang's "convention", plus Liu Si Ku, Zhang Si Ku and others beat the side drum on the side, and moved out of Zhang Guan Ku to wait for a long time, it is really difficult to be so enthusiastic.

invited himself in front of everyone in Dongchang, and it was expected that they would not dare to commit a black hand at this time.

At the same time, Zhu Ping'an also wanted to see what kind of medicine they were selling in the gourd, so he followed them to Zhang Guankuna half-pushed.

"Hehehe, Zihou is here, hurry up, please come in."

Zhang Guanku heard the movement outside, and when Zhu Ping'an didn't enter the door, he greeted him with a gentle smile, so enthusiastic, this scene was quite a bit like the demeanor of Cao Cao, who greeted Xu Yu in the Three Kingdoms.

"Lord Zhang is so gracious, the lower officials dare not be ashamed, Lord Zhang, please." Zhu Ping'an returned the salute.

After repeatedly giving in at the door, Zhu Ping'an followed Zhang Guanku and others into the house and sat down as guests.

Zhu Ping'an was humbly allowed by everyone to sit opposite Zhang Guanku.

It was already dark outside, and three oil lamps were lit in the house, and the wicks were raised to illuminate the room.

"Zihou can know some of Taicang's 'conventions'?"

Zhang Guanku was sitting on the chair, straightening up as if relaxed, looking at Zhu Ping'an calmly, like an endless sea, and asked softly like a famous Confucian.

"I don't know peace, but I want to hear it." Zhu Ping'an shook his head, and then put on a posture of asking for advice.

Zhang Guanku glanced at Jia Langzhong, Jia Langzhong knew what he meant, nodded slightly, and then smiled to attract Zhu Ping'an's attention, and then said to Zhu Ping'an with a smile, "Zihou is also a newcomer to Taicang, and it is normal to not know Taicang's 'conventions'." ”

"Then let's talk about 'four taels flat' first." Jia Langzhong said with a smile.

"What is a four-tael draw?" Zhu Ping'an asked curiously.

"Four taels flat, hehe, Zihou has also come to Taicang for a few days, should have seen it, the treasury soldiers are very hard to carry the silver, although we do not work, but also very hard, Zihou you don't know, when the annual tax and salt tax are converted into silver, staying up late and working overtime is commonplace for us...... If you think about it, the political departments of various places and the prefectures and counties such as the north and south of the country have released more than 20 items of silver, horse grass, silk, cloth, money, yarn, grains, yellow wax, price deductions, ship materials, commercial taxes, deed taxes, salt taxes, stolen fines, liao salaries, and Cao folds. Jia Langzhong looked at Zhu Ping'an with a tired face, and said with some emotion.

The foreshadowing at the beginning is so hard and so serious, and the following is definitely not serious.

Zhu Ping'an listened to Jia Langzhong's foreshadowing, and came to such a conclusion in his heart.

Really.

Next, hearing Jia Langzhong's explanation, Zhu Ping'an scoffed at Taicang's "convention" in his heart.

"Locally, seeing that we are working so hard, they also sympathize with us and others, and when all localities donate silver taels to Taicang every year, they donate an additional 4 taels of silver for every 100 to comfort us. We have refused many times, but this is a practice formed by Taicang and the local government for hundreds of years, and the local government insists on this, and we have no choice but to abide by this practice. The extra 4 taels of silver, according to the convention, 2 taels of which are allocated to the treasury soldiers, and the other 2 taels are allocated to our treasury officials and chaku envoys, this convention is commonly known as 'four taels of flat'. Jia Langzhong slowly explained the convention of four taels flat, and it seemed that they were also forced to abide by this convention because they were helpless.

After Zhu Ping'an heard this, his face was expressionless, and he had already set off an earth-shattering wave in his heart, and he spit on Jia Lang and others. For every 100 taels of silver, they will collect more than 4 taels of silver, and Taicang will collect more than 2 million taels of silver every year, and they will collect more than 80,000 taels of silver every year.

What a burden this has added to the common people!

"How many in a year?" Zhu Ping'an pursed his lips and asked quietly.

"It's not much, and it's more than 80,000 taels of 'hard-earned money' a year." Jia Langzhong shook his head disappreciatively and said lightly.

That's not much?! Isn't more than 80,000 taels of silver enough, which is equivalent to more than 48 million yuan? A fourth-grade senior member only receives more than 140 taels of silver every year, and the silver obtained by your "convention" is enough for five or six hundred fourth-grade seniors for a year.

How many four-rank officials are there in the entire Ming Dynasty?!

Not much...... Hehe, it can be seen that there is more than one "convention" for them to make money, and it can be seen that they make a lot more money than these 80,000 taels.

Huh, "hard-earned money"? What are you doing, it's just a matter of duty, this is also called "hard money", isn't this lying down and picking up money?!

Zhu Ping'an has a new level of understanding of the greed and shamelessness of Jia Lang and others.

"In the past, the envoys sent every year were all officials of the science and technology, and this year, there is Zihou who has taken such pains and efforts to inspect Taicang, presumably the above will not send the department officials to inspect the treasury. In this way, the 'hard-earned money' of 80,000 taels of silver, Zihou can get about 10,000 taels of silver's 'hard-earned money', although it is not much, but it can be regarded as a consolation for Zihou's hard work. Jia Langzhong raised his head, looked at Zhu Ping'an with a smile and said.

"Ten thousand taels?!"

Zhao Langzhong, who was on the side, heard this, his face suddenly pulled down, and he seemed to be a little dissatisfied.

Look at your breath!!

Zhang Guanku, who had been controlling the situation in the house, glared at Zhao Langzhong for the first time, and glared back at the words that Zhao Langzhong was about to blurt out.

Zhao Langzhong was stunned under Zhang Guanku's gaze, muttered, and kept his mouth shut. In his heart, he was 10,000 dissatisfied, why did he give Zhu Ping'an 10,000 taels, in previous years, the amount given to Chaku was only four or five thousand taels of silver.

Now that Zhu Ping'an has been given more than double all of a sudden, wouldn't it be less than the silver we have been distributed?!

"Ten thousand taels ......" Zhu Ping'an smacked his tongue.

It's good to be tempted, hehe, you Zhu Ping'an is nothing more than that, just 10,000 taels of silver will buy you.

Seeing Zhu Ping'an's smacking of his tongue, the smile on Jia Langzhong's face became even bigger, and Zhang Guanku's face also showed a smile.

"Is this 'convention' above known to be agreed? If I know that I agree, then I can accept it; If I don't know, then I can't take a penny. Zhu Ping'an's eyes swept over Jia Langzhong, Zhang Guanku and others one by one, and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Uh, that's it...... For more than 100 years, this has been done like this, and this practice can be regarded as Taicang's rule. If you don't accept it, wouldn't it break the rules? Jia Langzhong persuaded bitterly.

Belch.

Why did I clean myself and break the rules?! What kind of rule is this!

Zhu Ping'an smiled speechlessly, and said with his hand: "Zihou doesn't understand the rules, please don't blame you." However, there is no merit to be punished, and the inspection of the silver treasury is a matter of peace, and the normal point is to release the ya, a few days is enough, and there is no work like your lords staying up late for more than a month to work overtime, so I have no face to receive this silver tael. ”