White-robed Minister

Chapter 128 0126 [The Investigation Must Be Moved Covertly]

In the Song Dynasty, counties were classified into ten levels: Chi, Ci Chi, Ji, Ci Ji, Wang, Jin, Shang, Zhong, Zhongxia, and Xia.

The county magistrates of the first five levels were often officials from the capital.

However, there are occasional exceptions. For example, in Xu Lai's cohort, some candidates were selected to be appointed as magistrates of Chang'an County—Chang'an was the second most important county in China.

The magistrate of Gushu County should more accurately be called the magistrate of Gushu County!

This county magistrate's official rank was the same as Xu Lai's, but his position was higher. In other words, his official rank was even more impressive than Xu Lai's.

As for assigning tasks, Xu Lai is definitely a better choice.

However, Xu Lai may be transferred to the position of county magistrate in the future to enrich his resume as a local official. That county magistrate may also be promoted to the position of assistant judge.

The assignment of official positions cannot be judged by simple promotions or demotions.

Gushu County was located on the south bank of the Bian River. After the official boat docked, Xu Lai led his men straight to the north gate of the county town.

With so many officials and soldiers coming, how could Gushu County not react?

"Who are these people?" asked Liao Tong, the county magistrate of Gushu County.

County Commandant Zhao Zhengqing said, "I don't know." The archer hurriedly came to report that these people had no ceremonial guards and that the official boat came from the northwest.

The leader was wearing a blue robe.

Registrar Qian Kan speculated, "Could they be here to investigate a case?"

In counties like Gushu County, the positions of clerk and county commandant were always full; there were usually more than one of them.

The county magistrate's staff also joined the discussion, speculating about the origins and purpose of Xu Lai and his party.

Whether I guess right or wrong, I will definitely go to greet them.

When they went out together, Xu Lai had already arrived at the county government office with his men.

The moment the three county magistrates saw Xu Lai, they immediately guessed his background: he was too young, he must be the top scholar who defeated the former prefect!

Liao Tong quickly bowed and said, "I am Liao Tong, the magistrate of Gu County, and I have come to greet Judge Xu. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly."

The registrar and the county constable also stepped forward to pay their respects.

Xu introduced himself and then introduced Judge Wang Ke and Registrar Zhao Qian.

After the two men finished their introductions, Liao Tong and the others were filled with unease. The judge had brought them to investigate a case, and it was likely related to taxation; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought the registrar and military advisor along.

In addition to their panic, they were also quite dissatisfied, believing that Xu Lai was making a mountain out of a molehill.

The county considers it to have completed its task if it collects 90% of the taxes, a task known as "breaking the quota".

The county can keep some of the extra money and grain collected, and some will be handed over to the prefecture. Everyone can share these surpluses, and once enough is distributed, they will be deposited into the treasury as public funds.

State officials generally emphasize that alterations should not disturb the people, but this is often just a routine matter. They emphasize it year after year, but how many county officials actually follow it?

This year, the emphasis has simply been increased, with three official government orders issued in writing.

Xu Lai said, "The government office received a complaint from the people that the county magistrate of Gushu County was causing disturbances. Prefect Gong sent me with men to investigate. It could also be a false accusation, so the three of you need not panic."

Liao Tong's smile was somewhat stiff: "Please enter the county government office, everyone."

As Xu Lai walked, he said, "Please ask Magistrate Liao to bring out the relevant account books, tax registers, and the three-hundred-day time estimates from the past five years!"

The three county officials were immediately taken aback. Was this judge actually serious?

Which local official in the entire country doesn't accept bribes? In order to collect resources, the imperial court even required local officials to accept bribes, but repeatedly emphasized that they had to be "equivalent".

Local officials do indeed make "equivalent" adjustments, but some things vary greatly with the seasons, fluctuating only during the tax collection season.

This is a market problem; you can't blame the local officials!

Xu Lai led his officials directly to inspect the accounts, without even taking a bite of food, only instructing the county magistrate to prepare meals and bring them over. The soldiers he brought with him all stood guard at the entrances of the households.

Bu Chao, holding a staff in his sleeve, paced back and forth under the corridor of the six offices of the county government.

The three county officials gathered in the back courtyard of the county government office to discuss matters with the county magistrate's advisors.

"It should be fine, right?"

"There's definitely no problem. Everyone in the county knows that a 'King of Hell' has arrived in the prefecture. I'm being very careful this year, in accordance with the court's regulations on compensation."

"That's good."

"This Magistrate Xu is really obsessed with getting promoted. Not only did he get rid of the Assistant Magistrate, but he also came to the county to cause trouble, trying to use us to gain merit."

'

While the three county officials were having their secret meeting, Xu Lai and others were also discussing matters in the household registration office.

"It's obvious," said Zhao Qian, the military advisor. "Most of the summer tax from Gushu County this year has been converted into raw silk and silk fabric."

Gushu County also has silkworms, but the yield is low. If the people want to pay taxes, they have to buy raw silk and brocade from merchants at high prices.

Judge Wang Ke, well-versed in the law, immediately said, "The court has two rules for monetary reform: first, the exchange must be of equal value; second, it must be based on immediate needs (government requirements). The reform in Gushu County seems to comply with the court's regulations, but they have forgotten the Emperor Taizu's edict!"

Well, they've even brought out Zhao Kuangyin's edict.

Wang Ke said, "In the third year of the Kaibao era, which was ninety-five years ago, Emperor Taizu issued an edict: The Three Departments shall not suppress any tribute items that are not produced in the territory of the prefectures or kingdoms. The tribute items that are not suitable for the local land shall not be suppressed."

In other words, when the three departments plan to supply goods, they may not forcibly demand those that are not locally produced. Similarly, they may not forcibly levy local taxes on goods that are not suitable for local production.

If we strictly follow Zhao Kuangyin's edict, Cai Xiang's construction of the imperial mausoleum was a complete mess. He requisitioned a lot of materials that were not produced locally, forcing the people to buy them from merchants at high prices.

Cai Xiang had no choice; time was tight, the task was heavy, and there wasn't enough money, so he had to let the people in the surrounding prefectures and counties suffer.

His real problem was that he had no planning, requisitioned too many people, and had a lot of supplies left over.

Zhao Qian, the Registrar of the Imperial Household, said, "Whether it's suitable for the land is hard to define. Gushu County is suitable for silkworm farming, and decades ago many farmers made their living from sericulture. Because of the oppressive policies of the imperial court, the farmers cut down all the mulberry trees. Even so, there are still some mulberry farmers left, but their numbers are small."

The Song Dynasty levied taxes on mulberry farmers in the north, and for a period of time, the tax was levied based on the number of mulberry trees, which forced many mulberry farmers to cut down their trees.

The decree itself was not problematic, but its implementation was botched by local officials. It had to be changed later, with taxes levied based on the area of ​​mulberry orchards, but many areas in the north never truly resumed sericulture.

Gushu County is one of them.

This area used to be a silkworm-producing region, and a few people still raise silkworms here, which seems to conform to the requirement of "suitability of the land".

The investigating officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

This case is very simple; it was solved in less than 45 minutes. But how should it be classified?

First, it conforms to the principle of equivalent conversion. When the county issued the conversion decree, it did indeed convert the silk according to the market price.

However, after the decree was issued, the market price of silk suddenly skyrocketed due to a shortage of silk.

Second, it meets the principle of meeting immediate needs. The silk was indeed needed by the government, so there was no problem with that.

Third, the edict of Emperor Taizu was a supplementary clause. However, this thing is impossible to define, and the edict itself was vaguely worded.

There's really no way to convict the county officials of Gushu County!

Xu Lai asked, "According to this conversion, how much has the burden on the people of Gushu County increased?"

Zhao Qian replied, "Including the added costs, it's more than three times the weight. Actually, it's not heavy; I've seen it more than ten times the weight."

Xu Lai was speechless.

Three times the burden isn't even considered heavy.

This clearly indicates that merchants had stockpiled silk in advance and then colluded with the county magistrate to force all the farmers in the county to pay taxes in silk. Consequently, the price of silk skyrocketed.

Farmers were forced to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates from wealthy households, and then buy silk from merchants at inflated prices. The wealthy households made money lending out the silk and also took the opportunity to acquire land. The merchants made money selling the silk and then secretly shared the profits with officials.

Xu Lai said, "Those merchants aren't the county magistrate's parents. Why should the county magistrate allow them to make money?"

"Of course, we can get benefits," Zhao Qian said with a smile.

Xu Lai stared at the tax register: "I'll investigate the benefits they received!"

"Yes, investigate them for accepting bribes!" Judge Wang Ke's spirits lifted.

Damn it, this kind of profit-making method, which relies entirely on merchants, is secretly divided among the county officials; it's impossible for it to be handed over to the prefectural officials for distribution.

As a judge in the Yingtian Prefecture, Wang Ke received no money whatsoever, which naturally made him deeply resentful.

check!

They didn't share the benefits with us, we have to get to the bottom of this!

Xu Lai said, "We'll pretend to be checking the accounts at the county government office, and go back to the inn to rest as usual tonight. We'll continue checking the accounts tomorrow, but we'll send one or two fewer clerks. We'll have them secretly find out which merchants are selling silk at high prices."

"I'll arrange for people to inquire," Wang Ke said.

In the evening, everyone emerged from the house, looking exhausted.

Liao Tong soon appeared with the registrar and the county constable: "Gentlemen, you have worked hard checking the accounts. I have prepared a banquet to comfort you after your journey—"

"snort!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Lai turned and left with a dark expression, making it seem as if the investigation had gone poorly.

Wang Ke smiled and said kindly, "Please don't mind him, Judge Xu is just like that. He's always been like this in the signing hall."

I'll join you all for a drink.

"Yes, yes, yes," Zhao Qian chimed in, trying to smooth things over. "Our household affairs will still rely on the help of the various counties in the future, so let's not let a small matter ruin our relationship. To be honest, we don't plan to investigate these petty accusations. But Prefect Gong has been honest and upright all his life, and he insists that we come down here to investigate. Come on, let's go have a drink."

The three county officials exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile.

They were also familiar with the imperial laws, and this year's restitution was so transparent that they couldn't find any loopholes. Although there were loopholes last year, all the officials in the prefecture received a share, even Lü Jujian, who had already left office.

Xu Lai couldn't possibly bring up old grievances from last year and drag Lü Jujian into it, could he?

Liao Tong was the most fearless. He had only been transferred to Gushu County as magistrate this year, and the old scores from last year had nothing to do with him.

The officials followed the county magistrate to a banquet, but halfway there, Wang Ke said to the two clerks in the magistrate's office, "You two shouldn't go. Go back to the guesthouse and appease Magistrate Xu. He's in a bad mood, and if we all go to the banquet, he'll lose even more face."

"Hahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

This situation gave the three county officials the illusion that Xu Lai was universally disliked in Yingtian Prefecture.

However, the county officials still dared not let their guard down and had the inn's staff monitor and eavesdrop.

That evening, the staff returned and reported: "My lord, a quarrel broke out. That Judge Xu was throwing a tantrum at the guesthouse. First, he berated the officials who had been drinking with you. Then he berated the two clerks who went back to keep him company. One of the clerks couldn't help but complain, and Judge Xu caught him and gave him a good scolding for a quarter of an hour, and even sent them back to the official boat."

"The city gates are all closed. How do we get out of the city and back to the official ship?" Liao Tong asked.

The staff member said, "Those two clerks cannot leave the city; they can only sleep in the inns within the city."

Liao Tong laughed heartily, his contempt for Xu Lai growing even stronger.

A top scholar, not even twenty years old, foolishly came to the county to investigate a case. He became so angry and embarrassed because he couldn't find anything wrong that he offended all his subordinate officials.

You can rest easy now!

(I recommend the book "1977, Reshaping the Literary Context," which begins with a love letter sent to Ah.)

>