The yamen of the household department could not avoid the invasion of this rainstorm, the raindrops of soybeans crackled on the roof, and the rain curtain hung horizontally in the courtyard or in front of the door, making it feel like a world of its own.

In the face of this sudden rainstorm, people here have to go outside, even if they hold an umbrella through a courtyard, they have to be soaked.

Some people hurried back to the bureaucracy to collect clothes to dry, others found clay pots and put them in the leaks on the roof to catch water, and others cleaned up the debris at the outlet.

In this era, in the face of such tyrannical weather conditions, they can only passively endure it. Perhaps it is based on this helpless mood that owning a house that can shelter from the wind and rain has always been the highest pursuit of many ordinary people.

The dining room of the household is located on the north side of the yamen, a house with many doors and windows, but the windows have been closed on the side facing the wind and rain.

Originally, there were a few long and low dining tables for the officials, but now there is no trace of them, and all of them have been changed to unified Eight Immortal Tables, each equipped with four chairs.

But regardless of the officials or the officials of the household department, they can all sit at the table of the eight immortals and enjoy lunch, which feels like a restaurant welcoming guests from all over the world.

Since it was lunchtime, a large group of officials gathered here.

Although they were stopped by the torrential rain outside, it was difficult for the officials in the Lang Office to come, so the officials who had finished eating did not have to be too anxious to give up their seats, even after eating, they were still chatting here.

However, their voices were not high, and even many of them were obviously absent-minded, because the Lord Hall was now sitting at the easternmost table.

But no matter what they say about this new main hall in private, they just watch him be able to eat here every day, which fully reflects his consistency in words and deeds.

The rainstorm ravaged the poor rooftops, but nothing seemed to be affected except for the noisy sound.

Lin Haoran has been in the household department for more than half a month, and on the second day of his employment, he took a real action against the officials who ignored his ban, and then used iron-fisted means to reorganize the personnel of the thirteenth department of the household department, and directly kicked out some black sheep.

Through the three experiences of the Leizhou Yamen, the Guangzhou Yamen, and the Shuntian Mansion, he was deeply aware of the importance of effectively rectifying the personnel of the Yamen.

No matter how good the plan he makes, in fact, he needs the following people to execute it, and if the executor himself has a serious problem, then he will definitely have to pay for the failure.

Fortunately, the personnel adjustment of the household department was very smooth, whether it was Wu Song, the secretary of the ministry, or Xu Jie, the first assistant who was among the top 100 officials, there was no objection or obstacle to his personnel adjustment in the household department.

It's just that there will inevitably be some negative effects! Through this top-to-bottom personnel combing, all the officials in the household department saw his power, so they were afraid of Lin Haoran.

Over there, Lin Haoran and Yang Futian were talking quietly, but the distance between the two sides was too far, and the noise of raindrops hitting the green tiles on the roof could not satisfy their curiosity.

Hey?

While all the officials were watching the movement of the main hall, someone suddenly ran to the door in the rain, causing many people to cast surprised eyes.

According to the rules and regulations in force in the Ministry of Households, there is no restriction on the meal time of officials, and everyone has a strict ration of meals. In the event of such a rainstorm, they have always been working in the government office, and they do not need to rush over for lunch.

It's just that there is such an independent person in the household department.

The person who came was a little old man with dark skin, and his figure looked very depressed, but his eyes were like torches. He was wearing a six-grade official uniform, and he was already a head of the household department.

He didn't rush in, but stood at the threshold shaking the rain on his body, then unbuttoned the black gauze hat to shake off the water stains on it, and pinched the water stains on the sleeves of the six-rank official uniform.

After the matter was taken care of, he walked in and went straight to the food place.

If there are four people, the officials here will arrange the table and deliver the standard four dishes and one soup. If it's just one person, the yacha here serves the food directly in a large bowl and a small bowl of soup.

"You don't have to give it to me, just give it to me!" The little old man took the big rice bowl, but he took the initiative to ask for another soup bowl, and walked to the dining room without looking back.

Due to the heavy rain, even if he wanted to bring the food back to the government office to eat, it might not work, but he could only find a place to sit down and enjoy it.

On the contrary, today it is full. Although some officials have finished eating, just looking at this little old man, many officials choose to turn a blind eye, and even a few of the six principals directly raised their chins.

This little old man is none other than Hai Rui, the director of the Yunnan Division.

The officials who can enter the household department to do things are all non-commissioned officers, and there are even many second-class jinshi. On the contrary, Hai Rui was only born as a person, but he didn't know what bullshit luck he had taken, and he was promoted to Beijing by Zhu Heng, the right attendant of the former ministry.

For this colleague, they are also willing to maintain the unity of the non-commissioned officers and squeeze out Hai Rui together.

Hai Rui has been in the company for nearly half a year and has long been accustomed to this situation. He took the rice bowl and searched all the way, his eyes suddenly lit up slightly, but he saw two empty places.

Hey?

Yang Futian was talking in a colorful voice, but he suddenly found that there was another person next to him, and the fat face turned his head to look over in great surprise.

"Xiaguan has seen two adults!"

It was only at this time that Hai Rui saw the two people sitting at this table, but there was no unnaturalness on his face, but he greeted lightly.

Lin Haoran and Yang Futian couldn't help but exchange glances, but they didn't expect Hai Rui to have the courage to come here.

This......

The officials in the dining hall have also been paying attention to this side, and seeing that Hai Rui really sat down, the eyes of many officials seemed to be staring out.

After Hai Rui sat down, he didn't feel anything wrong, and completely ignored the surprised eyes of the people around him. As if he was reincarnated as a starving ghost, he immediately devoured it.

Due to Lin Haoran's cancellation of the right of officials to open small stoves, the dine-in of the household department is now an ordinary combination of meat and vegetables, just looking at Hai Rui eating, it is like eating delicacies from the mountains and seas.

Yang Futian has been eating and drinking since he was a child, and he is very particular about eating. If it weren't for Lin Haoran's pull today, coupled with the heavy rain, he would have chosen to go outside or ask his family to deliver food.

Originally, he didn't eat much, but when he saw Hai Rui eating so deliciously, he couldn't help but pick up a piece of tofu and put it in his mouth, and immediately turned his head to look at the food place, seriously suspecting that the chef had other preferential treatment for Hai Rui.

"Although the specific data has not yet come out, the most serious arrears in these years are Zhejiang, Nanzhili and Jiangxi!" Lin Haoran returned to the topic and said helplessly.

His first major move in office was to take stock of the tax arrears accumulated in the provinces over the years, and if it was to use later terminology, then to begin to check these bad accounts receivable.

Even if it is the world of the Ming Dynasty today, it is inevitable that some people will default on taxes and grain. There are poor people who really can't afford to pay food, there are also local gentry who refuse to pay taxes, and there are some disputes that are quite complicated.

If all the accounts receivable can be collected, then Daming's current financial problems will naturally be solved, but this is already impossible.

In fact, this is the most difficult problem in the household, and it can be described as a stubborn disease.

Although the household department can recover the tax grain, the local government's grain collection methods are too ruthless, which will directly hurt the poor people who cannot afford to pay the tax grain, and if it is too lenient, it will condone more rich households to evade taxes.

It is precisely this problem that is almost unsolvable, and the successive household departments have usually stopped at the beginning, preferring to increase their income by imposing miscellaneous taxes rather than encountering this problem again.

After these years of inventory, the tax arrears of each province have been slowly sorted out with specific data, even accurate to the prefecture and county, while Zhejiang, Nanzhili and Jiangxi have become the "hardest hit areas".

Yang Futian was not surprised by this result, and nodded solemnly: "The local squires in these three places are the most stubborn, and too many of them are supported by people in the court, and the local officials really dare not use radical means, but ......"

"It's okay to say it!" Lin Haoran has developed the habit of not expressing his position easily, and prefers to listen to other people's high-minded discussions, but responds gently.

Yang Futian has been in the household department for many years, and was born in a family of merchants, and his knowledge is already at the top of this era, so he said seriously: "When Jia Yingshu, the former secretary of the household department, first took office, he proposed to use the results of grain collection to determine the promotion of the county officials. Although there was little or no success at the time, I have studied it carefully over the years, and it is actually a more feasible approach. If it weren't for his lack of prestige and his resignation after less than half a year in office, I'm afraid the effect would have been reflected, and it would even be able to alleviate the decline of our Daming grain tax! ”

Although Hai Rui has been immersed in eating, his ears are on both sides after all, and he frowned slightly.

Lin Haoran knew about this move, but he shook his head lightly and said: "I'm afraid it may not be feasible, unless he can be the secretary of the ministry, and he will have to be in this position for a few years before he can really see the effect." This grain levy is the work of offending people, if it is only planned for an invisible benefit after three years, many magistrates are afraid that they will not take such a big risk to offend those evil gentry! Even if I draw the scoop according to the arc now, I am afraid that more magistrates will still wait and see, at most the time will be shorter. But...... We can't afford it now, and I can't guarantee that we will be able to stay in this position forever, and this method can't cure the root cause! ”

If he was in the position of the head of the household department, the tax grain below would be able to collect more, but after he left the position of the head of the household book, the tax grain below would still decline year by year, which was not the result he wanted.

"That's true, it's really not a cure!" Yang Futian pondered for a moment, and nodded helplessly.

The rain had subsided, and the noise overhead had slowly subsided.

Lin Haoran knew that the matter could not be concealed for a long time, so he revealed: "I have already asked the emperor to ask the summer tax to be changed to some silver in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and all non-grain and non-silk to be changed to silver, so as to alleviate the difficulty of the canal's transportation capacity, and it is also convenient to use silver to pay for Zongfanlu rice!" ”

In last year's reform of the Zongfan Lumi, although he was unable to implement the regulations of the Zongfan to cure the roots, at his insistence, he was able to increase the amount of silver to the payment of the Zongfan Lumi.

In the same way, last year's autumn grain was converted into silver, so as to settle the silver arrears of Zongfanlu rice.

"Levy silver?" Yang Futian's brows furrowed slightly, but he looked at Lin Haoran in surprise and said.

But at this moment, a voice suddenly sounded and said, "This is not appropriate! ”

It was Hai Rui, the head of Yunnan who was eating next to him, who had already eaten his rice bowl to the bottom, and drank the bowl of soup again, but he suddenly said seriously.

This voice was not small, and the attention of the entire dining room was originally focused here, but at this moment, it looked at Hai Rui, the director of Yunnan, in surprise.

Not to mention that he is only the sixth-grade master at the bottom of the household, and he is still from a high background, where did he get the confidence to dare to talk to Lord Wenkui Zhengtang like this?

"Lord Hai, pay attention to your ......" Yang Futian's brows frowned slightly, and he said even if he wanted to hold up Shangguan's shelf.

Lin Haoran raised his hand to stop Yang Futian, and asked gently: "Lord Hai, but I don't know what's wrong with this main hall?" ”

"Regardless of the fact that the trade of gold and silver has been explicitly prohibited during the Taizu period, once the levy of grain is changed to levy silver, then the magistrates and counties of various places will seek personal benefits from it! The lower officials are the magistrates of Chun'an and Xingguo, and the composition of this silver is asked by the university, what if the magistrate uses fire to make a plan? Hai Rui was not afraid of Lin Haoran, and seemed to be methodical and authentic.

The rain outside gradually stopped, and some officials came here one after another, and before they entered the door, they saw this astonishing scene.

Some officials are happy to do this, knowing that Hai Rui, the head of the Yunnan Division who has stepped on shit luck, is at an end, and he must be swept out of the household by the iron-faced main hall like a group of officials some time ago.

Lin Haoran took a sip of the cold soup, but responded lightly: "What Lord Hai said is not unreasonable, and this main hall will consider it carefully!" ”

Hey?

The officials looked at the dignified Lord of the Main Hall, not only did they not become angry, but accepted the arrogant words of a well-born Yunnan Division, but they couldn't help but look at each other.

"Let's go!"

Lin Haoran looked up and watched the rain outside gradually stop, and greeted Yang Futiandao.

Yang Futian was not too surprised, Lin Haoran purged those officials to do things better, not to exclude dissidents, and it was impossible for Hai Rui to retaliate because he didn't like a word.

Hai Rui was the same accident, and he was quite surprised to see Lin Haoran and Yang Futian go away together, and found that this fellow villager got along better than he imagined.

This rainstorm came and went in a hurry, but it created an encounter between Lin Haoran and Hai Rui.