All Heavens and Worlds Modified History System

Chapter 109 Stamp Duty

To the west of the Qianqing Palace is the Yangxin Hall.

The sick emperor leaned against the head of the bed, carefully flipping through the test paper in his hands.

"Nothing new, just clichés."

The emperor was in a bad mood and became increasingly impatient as he read the papers. "The whole paper is full of sage words. I don't know which sage can solve the country's financial difficulties."

The emperor was about to pick up the last test paper, which was Chen Ran's, which was specially placed at the end.

The eldest prince, who was serving beside him, advised quietly, "Father, it's getting late, you should rest early."

The emperor's hand paused, but he still picked up the last paper and said, "This one won't make a difference."

"Ahem~~~"

The emperor coughed a few times and looked at it casually.

Watching from the eldest prince's perspective, his father looked a little bored at first, then he let out a light "eh", frowned in surprise, then looked solemn, until finally he looked thoughtful.

The time I spent on this paper was longer than the previous nine papers combined. I read every word carefully.

After an unknown amount of time, the emperor coughed a few times and finally put down the paper in his hand.

"This Chen Ran."

The eldest prince bowed his head and replied, "This person is the champion of the undergraduate course."

"Oh." The emperor looked at the eldest prince with a meaningful look.

How could he not know the purpose of putting this paper at the end?
The eldest son wanted to buy off the court officials with tolerance, but he only learned the basics and forgot the fundamentals.

If you really give all the benefits to the court officials, then you would no longer be an emperor. You might as well just be a minister.

Shaking his head, the emperor pointed at Chen Ran's paper and said, "I understand what this man is thinking. I will choose him as the top scholar."

When leaving the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, the eldest prince was still confused and did not understand what the emperor meant when he said that his mind was clear.

Fortunately, the staff he hired were not useless and explained the whole story to him.

"Since Chen Ran has done this, it means he has decided to be a knife in your Majesty's hand and do things that you want to do but are not good for you."

"Your Majesty understood the statement behind this paper and still selected him as the top scholar, which means that he has agreed to accept this knife and use it to cut the rotten meat inside and outside the court."

"If this person is not hot-blooded and impulsive, then he must be shrewd and calculating, and is ready to take advantage of this opportunity to rise to the top."

"After all, if you want to use a knife, you have to sharpen the blade first."

"It's just that, for thousands of years, no one who has been a cruel official with a knife has ever had a good ending."

The aide was capable and saw through the silent interaction between Chen Ran and the emperor at a glance.

Chen Ran wanted to skip the long process of honing his experience, which would take at least more than ten years, and quickly get promoted.

The emperor understood what he meant and felt that this man had some ability, so he was willing to give him this opportunity.

The eldest prince suddenly realized, "So that's it."

The staff also sighed, "What this person wants to do may offend the whole world, and he will not have a good ending in the future!"

When the news that Chen Ran had won the top spot in the high school entrance exam spread to Xinglong Street, the whole street was filled with enthusiasm.

A grand celebration ceremony was held under the leadership of the Wannian County Government.

A buffet was set up outside Chen Ran's house to warmly welcome the congratulations from neighbors.

The noise continued until nightfall, when it gradually came to an end.

"Prefect Jia, you need to hurry up." Chen Ran finished washing up and lay on the bed thinking about Jia Yucun who was far away in Jinling City. "I'm waiting for your money to exchange for a house."

Even in the agricultural age, we should pursue a better life.

According to convention, new scholars need to observe government affairs in various ministries for one or two months, so that these rookies can get a good look at how the real court operates.

Of course, old hands like Chen Ran, who once manipulated the political situation, are not included in this list.

When classmates are busy observing, taking careful notes, and even taking the initiative to make friends, they are extremely busy.

He, the top scholar who had just passed the imperial examination, actually spent his days slacking off.

Go to and from get off work on time, and never see anyone during your days off.

This kind of behavior also surprised many people who were secretly observing him.

"Don't you want to be the emperor's sword? Why don't you check each department to see if there are any flaws or loopholes that offend people, so that we can attack them together~~~"

"Now I'm acting like an old idiot. Many of the preparations I made can't be put into action~~~"

Of course, the top scorer’s paper will be posted on the list.

Each of the things listed above can be found with a corresponding person.

These people will not let Chen Ran chop them down smoothly.

They arranged some people and some things, waiting for Chen Ran to get in, and then let him feel what it feels like to be hit by the iron fist of power!

Then Chen Ran gave up and all his preparations became useless.

"This person is a man of deep thoughts. He must have noticed our actions, but he resolved them so easily."

"In this case, let's see where this person goes after observing politics, and then make plans. I hope he doesn't go astray~~~"

After the observation of government affairs, the official appointment will be formally carried out.

The newly-appointed Jinshi who ranked in the second and third ranks were basically county magistrates and county magistrates in various places, or served as directors in the six ministries, etc.

Under normal circumstances, these newly-minted scholars who were sent out would waste their entire lives in officialdom, and the limit of their careers would be if they could become a prefect before retiring. Many of them even spent their entire careers as a county magistrate.

As for those who stayed in the six ministries and temples, it was not necessarily that good. Many people worked for more than ten years before they could get a position as a doctor.

Those who can truly have a bright future are generally recognized as the top three.

That is the top three in the imperial examination.

According to convention, the top three candidates must enter the Hanlin Academy, and only after serving in the Hanlin Academy will they be eligible to enter the cabinet.

On the day of adjournment, many people were staring at Chen Ran, wondering if he would take the initiative to request to go to the Censorate.

If you want to be the emperor's knife, the quickest way is to join the Censorate and become a troll.

Because the censor can "report things based on hearsay", that is, if I suspect you, I can submit a memorial to impeach you.

The news spread quickly, and the top scholar calmly entered the Hanlin Academy and became an editor there.

This attracted a lot of ridicule.

I think this person's articles are magnificent and he seems to be very powerful when he shouts for war and killing, but in fact he is a coward, all he does is talk.
"When I was manipulating the government, you didn't even know where to pee and play in the mud. You know nothing!"

Chen Ran's response to the sour sarcasm unique to the scholars in the Hanlin Academy was to order takeout at noon every day.

The eight-treasure food box from the big restaurant contained steaming delicious dishes, and the overflowing aroma made the Hanlin scholars drool.

Looking at Chen Ran eating eight dishes with relish, all the Hanlin scholars were envious and jealous!
As everyone knows, the abbots of various temples in the court can make some extra money. Although the income varies, it is at least there is some money.

But the Hanlin Academy is an exception, because it is a place for studying and cultivating reputation.

Who would ask a Hanlin to do something? Could it be that they were asking the Hanlin to help write a book?

Obviously, they had no extra income, and the salary given by the court was very low. As an official, they had to maintain their living standards and the expenses of entertaining guests, etc.
The Hanlin scholars were all poorer than each other.

How poor are they? They have to borrow money to survive!
There is no doubt that when this group of poor Hanlin saw Chen Ran eating and drinking, they were extremely envious and jealous.

Then he was reported.

A group of Hanlin scholars reported Chen Ran together, saying that he ordered takeout for lunch and affected other people's appetite.

In order to calm the public anger, the dean of the academy took the initiative to talk to Chen Ran and told him not to order takeout and to let his family deliver it.

Chen Ran did not argue but accepted it calmly.

Then, at lunch the next day, Sister You brought the same takeaway food box~~~
Not long after joining the job, Chen Ran was successfully isolated by everyone in the Hanlin Academy.

His antics in the Hanlin Academy also caused many people to gradually stop paying attention to him.

Then, Chen Ran submitted a memorial to the emperor.

A few days later, at a grand court meeting, the emperor took out this memorial and discussed it in court.

".I'm looking for a house recently and I've taken a fancy to a three-story house. A wealthy businessman made a competing bid for it, but the owner ended up selling it to me who offered a lower price."

Hundreds of civil and military officials in the court were listening quietly to Chen Ran's story.

".I was also surprised, so I asked the owner why he didn't sell it to a wealthy businessman who offered a higher price."

".The landlord said, I am a Hanlin of the imperial court, and he believes that officials of the imperial court will not make a lot of messes."

".Afterwards, we went to Wannian County Government Office together to handle the property deed transfer."

".The owner of the house said something that I still remember clearly. He said, 'For something like a house deed, it is most reassuring to have it signed and sealed by the government.'"

After finishing the story, Chen Ran finally looked at the emperor who was sitting on the dragon throne without saying a word and looking at him silently.

"Your Majesty, I think it is advisable to impose a stamp tax to increase revenue for the court."

Many people believed that Chen Ran wrote that kind of paper during the palace examination because he wanted to be a cruel official and the emperor's sword so as to quickly climb up the ladder.

But in fact, Chen Ran knew very well that what the emperor really cared about was the financial system that was becoming increasingly in deficit!

Making knives to cheat people and get one-time income has no future and can be abandoned at any time because as long as there is a need, there are people willing to make knives.

However, being able to increase revenue for the court and provide a long-term and stable source of income is a true reflection of one's ability.

Such outstanding talents cannot be replaced by just anyone.

"The so-called stamp tax is to use the reputation of the court as a guarantee for all kinds of private business."

"The sale of houses and land, large business transactions, etc., can all be witnessed by the seal of the government."

"The people all believed in the credibility of the court. Transactions using the seal were recognized and protected by the court, and they were willing to pay taxes for it."

"Taxes can be collected based on the transaction amount, or even collected once from both the buyer and the seller."

"The specific tax standards can be discussed and decided."

Everyone in the hall was looking at Chen Ran.

Everyone's looks were complicated, but even if someone disliked him, they would not come out to cause trouble at this time.

The reason is simple. Chen Ran pioneered a new taxation method!

This tax measure seems very feasible and will not encounter fierce opposition from the public. It can be said that it will gain both benefits and reputation.

As for the taxes collected, they belong to the court, which means they belong to everyone.

No official would think that too much tax is a bad thing. In fact, they would like to collect all the wealth in the world as taxes.

If you stand up and oppose it at this time, you will be opposing the increase of everyone's income.

Cutting off someone's source of wealth is like killing their parents. No one dares to step forward at this time.

The emperor was silent for a long time, staring at Chen Ran, and finally nodded, "Yes."

At this moment, two lines of subtitles floated before Chen Ran's eyes.

(End of this chapter)