A servant walked by, saw that everyone was a stranger, and immediately asked everyone to show their identity credentials. Just said it, what if you want to see the servants?

Hearing that someone did not have an ID card, the official was overjoyed, asked Qian Bangxin to stand aside, and then carefully checked the ID cards of other people, checked very carefully, and found that only Qian Bangxin did not bring it, and immediately asked Qian Bangxin to go to the township office.

The official first asked Qian Bangxin to prove his identity, and the family next to him was convincing and could prove Qian Bangxin's identity.

Then the official asked Qian Bangxin to reapply for an ID card, with a cost of 2 cents and a fine of 3 cents, so that he needed to pay 5 cents of silver.

Qian Bangxin was secretly surprised, took out his ID card from the corner of his clothes, handed it to the official and said, "Brother Cha, I, my ID card is here, I forgot it just now, I'm sorry." ”

When the official looked at it, he shook his head again and again, pointed to the regulations on the management of ID cards on the wall, and said seriously: "Uncle, look, although you have found your ID card and can prove your identity, you did not arrive before you came to the township office.

Uncle, because of your mistakes, you have delayed me a lot of time, so this fine must be paid no matter what.

The official government stipulates that those who prove their identity after coming to the township office need to pay a fine of 5 cents of silver. ”

Qian Bangxin explained in every possible way, but the official was unmoved, insisted on the fine, and finally had to pay the fine.

Back at the inn, talking about being fined, Fan Wenguang next to him smiled bitterly: "Brother Qian, a great Confucian in the sea, I didn't expect that I was also fined 5 cents of silver by a small official today, which is really gratifying." ”

Qian Bangqian was trying to argue, and the shopkeeper next to him shook his head and said: "Two guest officers, adults are good at everything, it is this ID card, although I didn't need money when I first did it, but if I lost my ID card or something, I need to pay 5 cents of silver, and if I am found not to have an ID card, I will also be fined 5 cents."

I heard that the fine belongs to the officer, who stares at the ID card all day and night, and complains about the fine. ”

Qian Bangqi smiled: "Yes, of course the people who were fined complained, but when they see that the people they know around them have been fined, or they have been fined, everyone will bring their ID cards when they go out, you say, is this the truth?"

The shopkeeper nodded again and again: "This yes, you can't earn 5 cents of silver by working so hard all day, and you will be willing to be punished at once."

Uncle, don't you feel heartache when you heard that you were also fined 5 cents of silver just now? ”

Qian Bangqi smiled awkwardly and said no more.

On this day, he saw a post station in front of him, Fan Wenguang saw that the sky had been in the middle of the day, and now there were still more than forty miles away from Shunqing Fucheng, if he took the fast horse of the post station, he would be able to reach Fucheng today.

Qian Bangxin and Fan Wenguang are both serious officials of the imperial court, and now they are going out on business, according to the past habits, they can use the carriages and horses of the post station for free, and come to the post station lobby, and the official documents of the entourage who escaped from the governor's palace of the four provinces are shown to the post station chief (the post station is equivalent to the length of each railway section in modern society, not every county has a post chief, and only those traffic arterial counties can have it, and often a post envoy governs several counties).

The post chief looked at it, came to the front of the two seats and respectfully handed it back, and said: "The villain has eyes and does not know Mount Tai, I don't know that the two adults have arrived, and I hope the two adults will forgive me." ”

Qian Bangqi and Fan Wenguang looked at each other and smiled, officialdom has always been like this, and they didn't have time to think about it, so they immediately ordered Chang Sui to help up the scribe and make him get up and reply.

The head of the post station got up and arched his hand: "The two adults don't know, the prefect has already made it clear that anyone who lives in the post station needs to pay for the use of the post carriage and horses.

If two adults want to live in this stagecoach, if they want to use this stagecoach and stagecoach, they only need to pay money. ”

Qian Bangxin was shocked, as early as before Qin Shi Huang unified the six countries, officials could live in the post station for free and use post horses, why did they change it now?

Listening to the explanation of the post station clerk and post chief, after the volunteers took control of Shunqing Fucheng, in view of the disadvantages of the post station in the previous dynasty, the people around the post station were miserable, and after issuing car and horse subsidies to various prefects and counties, it was stipulated that anyone who used the post station had to pay to use it.

Officials who live in the inn have to pay the same room fee as ordinary tenants.

Officials borrowed horses, and had to pay the same fees as ordinary merchants.

Officials were required to pay for the use of horse-drawn carriages in the same way as ordinary merchants.

For official correspondence, you need to pay the corresponding fee to the post station.

......

This kind of reform is equivalent to pushing the government-run guest house into the market in the past, and it is a matter of course that there was a social consensus in the previous life.

Listening to what the post chief said, Qian Bangqi and Fan Wenguang didn't have anything yet, and the accompanying chief quit doing it, arguing with the scribe repeatedly, and the dignified court officials couldn't use the post carts and horses, which was too much.

The post chief didn't dare to offend everyone, so he hurriedly handed over the official document of the government, took it and looked at it briefly, Fan Wenguang asked: "The imperial court has already had a system, and no official has dared to change it without authorization in the more than two hundred and seventy years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Chief He, tell me how to ensure the timely delivery of emergency documents from the government after the change?"

He Yichang nodded and said with a smile: "Lord Hui, of course you can, just send a fast horse to pass it, but the urgent official document is delivered, and the price is ten times more expensive than the others, just like this month we sent a fast horse to deliver an urgent official document to Wusheng County, and the others only need 1 penny, and this urgent official document needs 1 yuan of silver." ”

Qian Bangxin was quite dissatisfied and said, "In this way, your post station has fallen into the money bag." During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, the grandfather set up a delivery station in view of the drawbacks of the post station, specializing in the transportation of goods, and now Yang Lin is good, cancel the post station function, and this post station is actually charged. ”

He Yichang patiently explained again and again that in the past, the post station was completely a government-run institution, mainly engaged in the transmission of official documents, and the officials ushered in and sent, especially the officials who came and went to the place to be tired, and everyone was miserable.

Take this long shop as an example, there are more than 40 large and small houses in the post station, 10 post guards, more than 20 horses, plus more than 30 households around, even so, the government needs to allocate 500 taels of silver every year to maintain the operation of the post station.

In order to change this passive situation, the prefect reformed the post station, in addition to ensuring the normal transmission of official documents, the post station was operated as an ordinary hotel and restaurant, and the horses and vehicles under its jurisdiction were the same as ordinary shops, and everyone needed to pay according to the price for their use.

The government pays the post station a fee for the delivery of official documents, and the post station needs to pay taxes and fees to the government, paying 60% of the annual operating profits.

Looking back at Fan Wenguang next to him, Qian Bangxin smiled and said, "How can this post station be profitable?" Like Hai Rui, they are all lifters, it seems that this Yang Lin also learned from Hai Rui, Hai Rui beat the son of Governor Hu that day, and today Yang Lin must be difficult for us two officials. ”

Fan Wenguang smiled and said: "Qian Yushi, you, don't you also have a lot of respect for Hai Rui?" I, I don't understand, this post station is actually profitable, according to what I said, don't say that there is a profit, it's good if you don't lose money."

The scribe smiled and arched his hand: "Two adults, our long shop has more than forty rooms and more than twenty horses, even if the shops in the city are not as big as ours, of course our post station is profitable."

Two adults, please see, hundreds of people come and go every day to eat in this long bunk, half of the guest rooms can be occupied at night, and this horse can be rented out seven or eight times a day, of course, it is quite profitable. ”

Qian Bangqi disagreed, and said with a smile: "Even so, how much silver can you receive in a day?" ”

The post chief smiled and replied, "Lord Hui, now that the trouble has just subsided, the place is restless, there are not many merchants coming and going, and there are about ten taels of silver in the account every day, and if you deduct all kinds of expenses, you can earn 3 or 4 taels of silver a day."

If business travel continues as in previous years, our long shop can also attract merchants, and we can earn at least ten taels of silver a day. ”

Fan Wenguang was shocked, looked at the scribe and said, "What, why are there so many, is it too much?" Ten taels a day, you can earn three thousand taels a year, this, isn't this too much? ”

He Yichang shook his head again and again and said: "My lord, it's not much at all, our long shop is located on the main traffic road, and there are already a lot of merchants coming and going, plus next to the bazaar, there are more than ten inns in the bazaar, and that inn can't earn dozens of taels of silver every year?"

We are a post station, not only more rooms than those inns, but also very spacious, able to eat and live, safe to live in, and face, rich people are willing to live in our inn.

In addition, we have horses, and as long as we have a guaranteed reputation, we can also rent horses, how can those inns compare with us?

Now our post station has just begun to open for everyone to live, as long as it is done, more than ten taels of silver a day can't run away. ”

If you think about it carefully, the Chinese have a good face, if you can live in a post station at the same price, why not do it?

Qian Bangqi thought for a while and said with a smile: "Chief He, that, that, didn't I just say that sixty or four is divided, and the profit of the official government is sixty percent and forty percent of the post station, don't say three thousand taels a year, it's two thousand taels."

Two thousand taels, four or six shares, you can get at least one thousand two hundred taels of silver every year, you see, there are fifteen people in your post station, each of them can get eighty taels of silver, this, is this higher than the income of the county?"

When the post chief heard this, he shook his head again and again and said: "My lord, it's not like this, we are divided into sixty percent, but the adults have already stipulated that forty percent should be used to replace horses and update facilities, and the other two percent will be distributed to everyone as a reward."

I am in charge of 5 shares, the old Liu in charge of the horses is divided into 3 shares, the horse pawn and the chef in charge of the spoon are divided into 2 shares, and the others are divided into 1 share, and in a year, in addition to the regular salary, the handyman can share more than 15 taels of silver, and the horse pawn can share 30 taels of silver.

My lord, you also know that all of us are not paid well, the handyman is 6 taels 5 cents 5 cents per person, and the horse pawn is more than 8 taels. ”

Able to live? Compared with those long-term workers, it is much stronger, and the long-term workers can do more than ten taels of silver at most a year, and I can't imagine that a miscellaneous servant at the post station will have fifteen taels of silver a year.

Although Qian Bangqi didn't think so, why did he complain about everything? But it was decided to spend 1 tael of silver to hire two carts, and everyone sat in the carts, and before the sun set, they entered the city and came to the prefect's yamen.