Master Huang originally remembered to tell Fang Siwei about the expropriation of autumn grain, but the two of them had been discussing how to auction the land, and he completely forgot about it.

Fang Siwei finally had a good night's sleep, and woke up full of blood to resurrect. Fang Niangzi made soup again, he drank two large bowls in a row, and a pot of perfect tonic soup almost bottomed out. Fang Niangzi felt sorry for her husband, and she couldn't wait to let him drink a pot every day, as if this would make her husband's sunken cheeks full.

Fang Siwei is not fat, but he has been staying up late and tired every day recently, and he is indeed very thin.

He came out of the back house, passed through a hanging flower door, and came to the back hall of the county government, and then passed through the hall, and the west head was three study rooms. Before I could enter the door outside the study, I heard an argument coming from inside.

In the study, it was the master and the two officials who were arguing, and Fang Siwei understood what they were arguing about after listening to a few words outside the door: they forgot about the autumn tax, which was the most important work of the yamen in a year, and they were so busy that they forgot about it.

He shook his head helplessly, then pushed the door open......

"What's your problem? Can't you talk well? As soon as he entered the door, Fang Siwei asked.

The three of them were about to invite him, but they saw that he had already arrived. The master reacted quickly, and took the first step and said: "County Venerable, you came just in time, the three of us are talking about the collection of autumn grain this year, and there are a few questions that you need to decide." The old man meant that it was better to postpone the collection until the end of October, and now he had to be busy with the land auction. ”

Fang Siwei remembered that the collection of autumn grain began at the end of August last year, and by the end of the year, it had basically ended. In fact, most of the time in the south, the grain in the fields is collected as soon as it is harvested, because it is then that the peasants can most easily raise money. However, there are also two expeditions, first a part of the silver, the end of autumn, and the beginning of the first month of the next year, and then the north to transport rice.

Chen Lin, the chief bookkeeper, did not agree with the start at the end of October, and he objected: "Master, last year, the Yizheng Cao boat overturned the dam, and almost missed the tax and grain liberation, but fortunately, it was completed within the specified time limit. This year, it has been postponed until the end of October, and you can guarantee that it will be completed by early next year? ”

"Our county can also learn from Jiangnan, first tax the silver and then tax the grain, and the amount of tax grain is not large."

"Master, it's not impossible, but it's not possible that the imperial court won't order that it must be redeemed before the end of the year, for fear that the floods in the north in the spring will delay the grain entering Beijing, which was the case the year before last. And the tax money also needs to be transported......"

Wang Ying, the county magistrate, also added: "Also, now the yamen is not enough, and there are only three or two scribes who can use it. ”

Fang Siwei thought for a moment and asked, "What other problems are there besides these two?" ”

"Also, this year, the people who send private agents are still looking for big gentry or dividing regions, and each district has a general urge? And how will those who fail to do so be punished? ”

"That's it......" Fang Siwei waited for the three of them to finish speaking, and already had an idea in his heart: "It will be levied in two parts, first for silver, then for grain, and paperwork...... Temporarily hire some people who are proficient in algorithms to assist in the completion of paperwork, including issuing 'green by' or stamped receipts to households (Note 1). ”

Chen Lin was about to refute him, but Fang Siwei continued: "The reason why this official decided like this is to consider ...... This time, the red lotus rice in our county was designated as tribute rice, so it is better to encourage the people to sell their own grain first, and then pay taxes and silver after selling grain. ”

"It's a good idea, it has become a tribute rice, and the value of it has naturally doubled, so it can be sold at a good price, so that after paying the tax, maybe there will be a surplus," the master couldn't help but praise when he heard it.

"Yes, as far as I know, there are many wealthy families in the county who have opened mills to harvest red lotus rice, and then sell them in Zhejiang and Xiangchu."

Chen Lin thought for a moment, and then said, "Okay, the tax grain can be solved in this way, but what about the tax silver?" How to require? ”

Fang Siwei didn't think that all silver grain had to be requisitioned, "In fact, the granary in the county can be temporarily stored, and it will be transported to the water warehouse by the county in the coming year, so as to avoid the trouble of the people transporting it by themselves." As for the release of tax silver, the official wants to issue a bill of exchange directly to the household department through the ticket number, so that there is no need to send a special person to release the tax silver, wouldn't it be convenient and convenient? ”

Generally speaking, if the tax of a county reaches more than 500 taels, it must be sent to the second officer, the chief officer, etc., to be relieved, and more than 300 taels is to be relieved by the solid officials. However, in reality, there are also many problems, such as the cost of the liberation movement, the problem of personnel corruption, and the fact that after the liberation transportation arrives in Beijing, it needs to handle the collection of people before it is collected in various warehouses, in order to prevent the goods transported by the liberation movement from being classified as low-grade, and it is an open secret to ask for money.

In the past, the tax and silver of Liuhe County would be transported by these two people, but the method proposed by Fang Siwei seems to be no problem, and now the use of private bills of exchange is indeed very common, but the official has been using the old method and relying on manpower to solve the luck.

Chen Lin has been the main bookkeeper for many years, and for the first time he heard that the tax bank is transported by bills of exchange, but it seems that it is not impossible, that is, it is ...... He couldn't think of anything wrong, but he felt that this method could really be accepted by the court?

When the master heard this, he laughed: "This method is really good, save the ticket number here, and then take out the silver in the capital with the bill of exchange...... Not only is it convenient to save trouble, it is simply stable! ”

"Speaking of the faction, according to last year's method, how many districts are divided, each district elects a general reminder, and how many li it has jurisdiction, and is responsible for collecting and redeeming taxes and grain to the county's standing position or righteous warehouse."

When the county magistrate heard what he meant, it seemed that he wanted the yamen to collect the people's taxes and grains first, and he couldn't help but wonder: "The lower officials listened to the meaning of the county respect, didn't they want the yamen to come forward to carry it?" ”

Fang Siwei nodded: "This official has this meaning. ”

"But how is the cost calculated? Or as in previous years, according to the items listed in the "Enlistment of Enlistment" (Note 2)? ”

"The "Enslavement Book" has not changed for nearly ten years, and it has long been useless, and since the yamen carries this part of the tax and grain this year, the corresponding additional consumption of the people will be collected less, or not collected."

Fang Siwei's decision surprised the three of him, but the master knew him, and the two assistants didn't necessarily think the same as the master. After all, the officials in the hall have decided like this, and the subordinates are not too opposed, anyway, they are just carrying out the orders of the superiors.

The county Cheng thought for a while, and then asked: "Last year, the tax rice shipped from our county was 1,330 stones, if this part is also temporarily stored and closed, I am afraid that the rice warehouse will not be enough." ”

"Where's Yoshikura?" Fang Siwei asked again.

"At present, there are only two Yicang, one is Xuanzhen Temple, but the Yicang here also collects the rent of the school field, and the other is the Yicang next to the Yunwu Nunnery outside the east gate, which also stores the rice grain and quilts used for rescue in the Winter Life Institute. I'm afraid that there won't be too much grain stored in Yicang. ”

Fang Siwei frowned, he didn't expect that there were not enough rice warehouses in this county, and the Changping warehouse in the yamen had already been full, and once the tax grain was collected, it would indeed be a problem to store it.

"Why don't you ask Ying Tianfu Yin to see if you can coordinate to borrow the water warehouse in Shangyuan County for temporary storage? Or the water sub-warehouse of Yizhen can also be. Master Huang suggested.

"Well...... Fang Siwei thought for a while and said, "If this official thinks of a way, it really can't be done." ”

After saying so much and still not mentioning the time, the county had to go back to the argument just now and asked, "Does the county still mean to start collecting taxes at the end of October?" ”

Fang Siwei estimated it for a moment and said, "It will officially start at the end of October, but there are still things that should be done before this, such as posting notices to encourage the people to sell grain independently, and then paying taxes with silver; The paperwork will start now, the money and food books will be distributed to the households, the additional cost of the exemption should also be given to explain the receipt of the letter, how many miles each district is responsible for, the candidates for the 'general urging' must be determined, etc., if there are not enough people, then seconded Confucian students to help......"

After several people set the regulations for this year's autumn grain collection, they all dispersed, and they were busy with their own personal going. Nowadays, there is a serious shortage of manpower in the Yamen, and everyone is using three or two people, which is really too much.

But that's fine, in the past, all of them were grinders, but now they all want to have three heads and six arms. Of course, as the head of a county, he will not treat his subordinates badly, this year's commercial tax collection in the yamen is overfulfilled, and there is enough balance, so it is natural to improve the welfare of the clerks.

The notice of the autumn grain levy was posted the next day, just outside the gate of the yamen, and the local business newspaper also reported on the matter. Two days later, Lijia also received a corrected "Complete Book of Enlistment", which listed the conscription and consumption items that should be paid this year.

Then people were surprised to find that the amount paid this year was much less than last year, which is a great thing.

Moreover, the money and grain books of each household are set by the 'general reminder' of each district and the bookkeeper temporarily appointed by the yamen at the same time, so there are many drawbacks in the past in the tax process. It is impossible for the county order to do everything in detail, and often the specific details of the work still have to be completed by the lower-level officials.

When the notice was posted, the people had a bottom in their hearts, and naturally they were actively selling grain and striving to sell it at a good price. What's more, Liuhe rice has now become royal tribute rice, and its value has increased several times in just a few days.

There are many villages at the foot of Lingyan Mountain, such as Qingxi Village, which is the closest village to Yuhua Stone Stream, and in the past, the people in the village all relied on digging Yuhua Stone to make a living. "Thousands of catties of yellow sand four or two stones, ten thousand catties of stone in no treasure", in vain trying to dig a treasure rain flower stone and make a fortune, like a fool's dream.

Even if there is little hope, there are many people who put the lives of the family on a small stone. If you are lucky, you will get a piece of fine product and the whole family will ascend to heaven, but more of them will be ruined.

Nowadays, many people in this village have actually become tenants of the racecourse, although they are tenants, but the owner's family is kind, and life is better than in the past!

Granny Zhang's family is like this, the past days are unbearable, but fortunately, the family is complete. Now that she can be fed and clothed, the person she is most grateful to in Granny Zhang's heart is still her benefactor Wu Yan.

The youngest son, Zhang Wensheng, rushed back from the village, with an excited face, and still holding his own money and grain booklet in his hand.

Before he entered the house, before he had time to take a sip of tea, he shouted: "Mother, there is a good thing!" ”