Section 7: Heavy taxation

Are you saying that it is justified to squeeze the people's hard-earned money with countless different taxes? ---- Liu Renliang

He Zhaoqing, the county lieutenant of Fengqiu, reported to the county magistrate Li Jiang: "My lord, I can't collect taxes." Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ”

"What, those people dare not pay taxes."

"My lord, the people's complaints have been noisy, it wasn't long before the last tax was collected, and now it will be collected again, I'm afraid it will ......."

"Bastard, do you want to pay for them? They rebel because they don't understand the consequences of rebellion, don't they? ”

"Yes, sir."

"Don't you understand? Cleaned up the one that made me the most troublesome. ”

"Yes."

Jiang Aniu's father, Jiang Kun, was almost sixty years old, and the long-term high-intensity farm work made him falter and fall ill, and he shouted to the tax collectors: "My lord, we must leave something for us to live in when we collect taxes, please don't be so cruel." ”

"It's really troublesome, I can't communicate with you, Lao Tzu, have you decided not to accept the imperial grain?"

"Deliver, deliver, deliver, if we can deliver, we will definitely deliver, but we have no surplus food to pay."

"Resisting taxes is a felony, you know? Don't waste my time, fat boy, pheasant, what are you waiting for, drag the old Jiang family's ploughing cattle away. ”

"My lord, no, you want my life." With that, Jiang Kun went to block the two officials.

"Unless you kill me first."

"You dare to resist taxes, do you think you'll be fine? What are you waiting for, arrest this old man. ”

Jiang Kun was arrested in the county government and hit 50 boards, Jiang Kun, who was already in his last years, fainted to death after 20 boards, and Li Jiang threw Lao Jiang out in order to avoid making trouble.

After Jiang Aniu, who was buying farm tools elsewhere, learned the news, he hurried to the county office and carried his old father home.

"Dad, why do you want to stop them from taking away the ploughing cattle, if you take it, you won't be beaten."

"Ploughing cattle is our lifeblood, I can't let them snatch it, there will be a bumper harvest next year, I have to let you marry a daughter-in-law." Old Jiang said out of breath.

"What could be more important than a father's life?!"

"I'm sorry, my father has no ability, so he can only leave you with a poor life, and your daughter-in-law can't marry you."

"Dad, don't say it, we have been working hard, and we can only blame the court for being too dark and the officials for being too poisonous."

"Ah Niu, go to the stove, go to the stove and have a look."

"Daddy......"

"Ah Niu, I, I'm ......" Old Jiang Tou didn't take a breath, so he swallowed his breath.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy......"

Ren Liang rushed to bury the old Jiang Tou with Ah Niu.

Before Lao Jiang died, he signaled that there was something under the stove, and Ah Niu went to the bottom of the stove to pick up the ashes of the grass and wood, and found that it was a small iron bag, and when he opened it, there were 100 Kaihuang big money.

Ah Niu cried bitterly again and shouted, "Dad, why, why don't you give them the money." Old stubborn, what is more important than life, since you have money, why not go to the doctor? Dad, fool, you are a big fool, I will not let go of these corrupt officials, Dad, Dad, my poor Dad......"

The language of any persuasion is pale, and Ren Rail gave Ah Niu a tight hug and accompanied him all the time.

The officials of the government came to Jiang Aniu's house to collect taxes again.

Ren Rail: "What are you looking for a funeral person for?" ”

"Funeral?"

"Oh, his father is not in good health, please pass on the word, his family should pay taxes."

"Pay taxes, pay taxes, you beat people to death, and you still have to come to collect taxes?"

"Do you want to slander the court and beat people to death? Everyone in the village knew that Lao Jiang Tou was not in good health, and he would cough and vomit blood. ”

"What, you said that my father died of coughing, you bastard again, say it again, say it again, I'm going to fight with you, I'll kill you, and then kill myself." Jiang Aniu, who heard the words, rushed out and shouted angrily, if it wasn't for Ren Rail's desperate pull on him, he would really rush up and fight hard.

"Go back, Ah Niu's father just died, and he is grieving." Ren orbit.

"We can go, but we still have to pay taxes." Seeing that the momentum was not good, the official decided to go and collect the other people's first.

"Get out of here!"

In the county yazhong, after hearing the report, Li Jiang, the magistrate of the county, said: "Bastard, a fart and a sinner who was ordered by His Majesty the Emperor to not participate in the scientific examination for ten years actually dared to block you from collecting taxes, it is really lawless, and you can't let them go!" ”

Yang Hong, a villager from Xiaoyang Village, asked in surprise: "Zhengzhe, are you saying that you are going to go to Taishou Theory to collect taxes?" ”

"Yes, but I have to know how much tax you've paid before I can write a pleading."

"Forget it, don't do whimsical things, you have nothing to do when you're full, right? I won't even look at your paper. ”

"If Bianzhou is too guarded, I will go to the Chang'an Criminal Department to complain, and no one cares, I chased the emperor's car all the way to Yangzhou to sue the emperor."

"Don't you understand the plight of us pariahs? If the complaint is useful, will civilians everywhere rise up? It's useless. ”

As a result, Ren Rail visited more than a dozen households, but no one was willing to tell him the amount of taxes paid, and no one supported him to file a complaint. The emperor lived up to his wishes, and finally two families were willing to tell Renliang the amount of taxes they had paid, and were willing to testify.

Yang Hong found Jiang Aniu and said, "Ah Niu, hurry, go and persuade Zhengjie, he is looking for trouble." ”

The drunk Ah Niu said, "Whatever." ”

"Do you want to watch him kill everyone?"

"I don't care about anything anymore."

Zhengzheng came to find Ah Niu again and said: "Ah Niu, through my investigation, I found that almost every household in our village has paid eighty percent of their annual income, which is much more than the expropriation ratio promulgated by the imperial court. I'm going to ......."

"You'd better give up."

"Ah Niu?"

"What can this change, will it bring my dad back to life? Take a break. I don't want to get involved, you give up. ”

Although Ah Niu did not support it, Ren Liang still decided to go to Bianzhou Taishou to complain, and he began to write the pleadings so carefully that he was so tired that he fell asleep on the pleadings.

Liu's mother was worried that her son would catch a cold, so she came to cover her son's clothes and found the paper.

The next day, Liu's mother asked, "Zheng'er, are you going to go to Taishou to complain?" ”

"Mother, yes, the magistrate forced us to pay taxes so much, and let us not live?"

"It's not something you can solve."

"I know, I know what my mother is worried about, but I have to do it. If I don't, I'll never be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life. Mother, I'll be back in a few days. After saying that, Ren Liang took his straw hat and went out.

Yang Hong saw that he couldn't stop Ren Liang from complaining, so he hurriedly went to the county government to make a small report.

The county lieutenant asked, "Untouchables, do you want to see me?" ”

"My lord, I have something to report to you, and in return, can you give me a tax deduction?"

"Bastard, what are you kidding?"

"If adults don't take countermeasures, there will be ** annoyance."

"Hmph, trouble, is it trouble?"

The county lieutenant led the officials to block the benevolent track halfway through, and said, "Tie up this fart for me." ”

"Why are you arresting me?"

"We know what you're doing."

"I have neither been a traitor nor have I done anything wrong."

"Okay, just go to the county government and you'll know. Go, take it away. ”

"Let me go, I'm not guilty."

During the dispute, the paper on Ren Rail's body fell to the ground.

Qian Yong, a villager who witnessed this scene, hurriedly picked up the paper and came to Jiang Aniu, saying: "Ah Niu, Renliang has been arrested, if we don't think of a way, he will be hurt." ”

"Oh."

"I think that's the reason why they grasp the rules, but I don't know how to read, give it to you, you can see it." As he spoke, Qian Yong handed over the paper.

In the county office, Li Jiang, the magistrate of the county, shouted: "Stinky boy, do you think it's okay if you obstruct official business?" ”

"Official business, what official business?"

"Paying taxes is a must, and it is the legal system of the imperial court."

"Are you saying that it is legitimate to use countless different taxes to squeeze the people's hard-earned money? What kind of legal system would require people to pay 80% of their income as taxes? ”

"Bold!"

"Proper taxation is the source of support for the imperial court, and I ask you to stop this unjust practice at once, and return to them the overcollected taxes from the people."

"By returning the taxes to His Majesty the Emperor to the untouchables, you are blaspheming His Majesty the Emperor. Okay, I'll escort you to the Taishou Mansion and let the Taishou Lord punish you, a pariah who doesn't know what to do. ”