Gao Yiran wondered: "Is it possible that there are some serious criminals who need to be wanted?"
But it shouldn't be the case. What's the point of arresting a wanted criminal and asking someone from out of town?
The merchants on the street are all shouting and trying to sell their products.
Gu Chen went up and asked about the prices one by one, and felt that the price was suitable.
From this point of view, the prices in Fucheng are normal and there is no arbitrary tax collection.
But is it really that simple?
"Find a place to eat first."
Gu Chen touched his belly, then he took the guys to a restaurant to sit down and eat, and called the waiter to inquire about it.
"Boy, are you a fugitive? Why are the officers and soldiers patrolling so strictly?"
It seems that he is quite loyal to his duties and has not neglected his duties in the slightest.
But I always feel that something is wrong there, and it seems that I am too dedicated.
"What kind of fugitive are you harming?"
After the waiter finished wiping the table and stools, he threw the handkerchief over his shoulder and complained to several people in a low voice.
"I heard that the emperor sent the censor here. The government was afraid that the censor would find out something, so that's why the investigation was so strict."
As soon as he finished speaking, before Gu Chen and others could ask in detail, they saw a group of government officials appear at the door.
As soon as he entered the door, he was arrogant and called the waiter and the shopkeeper over.
The waiter, who had just been complaining and disdainful, now ran over with a flattering look on his face and started to be polite to the one who started the conversation.
"Master Li, you are here. Please sit down. I will serve you tea."
The yamen servant surnamed Li was not polite and sat down with his younger brothers directly: "I'm not busy, I'm here to ask you again."
"When the time comes, the censor will come and ask you how much tax you pay."
"What should you say?"
Gu Chen and the other three censors looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.
High-ranking officials do not do much harm to the common people and businessmen. The greatest harm to the common people is these petty officials and petty officials. They are more earthly emperors than earthly emperors.
Chang Sheng, who was at the other table, curled his lips and couldn't help but complain in a low voice.
"But a ninth-grade Zhima official is more arrogant than me, a son of a public servant."
At most, he slept with beautiful women and drank wine, but he never did any of these corrupt things.
Xu Zengshou quickly glanced at him and signaled him not to talk nonsense.
"Stop talking. Don't let anyone hear you. You'll miss a few adults again."
Fortunately, Yamen Li didn't notice them either. After hearing the store owner's answer of thirty tax and one, he continued to ask with great satisfaction.
"If the censor asks, does the government collect any other taxes? The government usually does a good job in patrolling, but does it oppress you?"
The shopkeeper immediately bowed his waist and said, "No...no, no, the masters definitely didn't charge more taxes. We didn't pay even one penny more except for thirty taxes."
"The government's inspections are also very effective on weekdays. They always think about us people, never charge us a penny more, and never bully the people."
Although he was filled with hatred, he also knew that the people did not fight against the officials.
If you can't get along with them, then forget about your own business.
"Very good." Inspector Li nodded and refused the shopkeeper's request to leave some food: "The prefect said that you must be honest and don't take a leaf from the common people."
He straightened his clothes, stood up and started to leave, but stopped halfway.
"Shopkeeper, the tea you have here is pretty good. I'll buy some for the price."
As he spoke, he put his hand into his arms to take out the money.
"Ouch, Master Li, what are you talking about?"
The shopkeeper was a businessman, so he naturally understood, and he quickly asked someone to pack tea leaves.
"Master Li likes this tea. That's the blessing of the villain and this tea."
"Where can I ask adults for money?"
"Adult, just take it and drink it. When you finish drinking it, come back to get it at any time, little one."
Inspector Li said politely, but he had already taken the tea and put it in his arms.
"Because you have such filial piety, I have no choice but to be respectful rather than obey your orders."
The magistrate said that you cannot take away a grain of rice or a piece of vegetable from the people.
However, the prefect did not say that he could not get tea, and he was not disobedient.
He got some benefits for himself and left with the people in a swaggering manner.
"What a bullshit government, this girl's place is clearly a bandit's den."
"Shut up, if you let him hear it again, we will have to spend another fortune to please you later."
After Inspection Li left, the waiter couldn't help but whisper at his back, but was immediately stopped by the shopkeeper.
Seeing the shopkeeper entering the counter dejectedly, Gu Chen waved to the waiter and threw ten copper coins from his arms to him.
"Boy, I just heard that the man asked you to tell the censors who are about to enter the city that they charge thirty taxes per one?"
The waiter nodded and replied: "Yes, sir."
Gao Yiran wiped his mouth and asked, "Isn't it supposed to be a tax of thirty-one in the first place? Why do you still have to say that?"
Is it possible that here, like Zhu Huan, he was defying the imperial court?
Zhu Yuanzhang is still okay with business and merchants, except for the business tax of "thirty tax and one tax".
It also stipulates that books, pens and ink, agricultural tools, boats and carts, silk cloth, etc. are all tax-free.
But after what I said just now, it seems that this restaurant not only charges a tax of thirty-one, but also charges other taxes?
"Tax is nothing." The waiter spat: "He charges us thirty and two in tax. Not only that, but there are all kinds of additional money."
"For example, they said that we run a restaurant and kill too many animals. We must be saved by a mage, otherwise we will endanger the people of the whole government."
"They also said that the mage we were looking for was not very reliable and we had to hire a mage from them. The conversion fee is calculated based on the size of the restaurant."
"Higher people have 20 guan and 30 guan every year. Small noodle restaurants also have to pay it every year. There is also parking money, garbage money, and various filial piety money."
"My master went to the east of the city to buy something. The carriage stopped on the side of the road for a while, and he charged us a hundred cents for parking."
"If you throw away filth, you will have to collect a regular filth tax every month."
"Not to mention, he comes to collect good things from time to time. He also talks about building roads and asks everyone to donate money every now and then."
"In the end, even if the money was donated, the roads would still be as bad as they were."
"I can't stop talking about this all day and night. The shopkeeper can't make any money, and the wages of us waiters are also constantly decreasing."
"If this continues, it's hard to say whether the family can lift the pot or not."
After he drained away the bitterness in his stomach, he couldn't help but wipe his tears.
After all these layers of deductions, aren't it just ordinary people like them who are aggrieved?
"Why don't you file a complaint?" Yu Min asked, "He needs an official document from the court to raise taxes. If he raises taxes without an official document, he will be beheaded."
"You can go to the Chief Envoy's Office to report. Also, you also have the Inspection and Envoy's Office in your local area. Why don't you go and file a complaint? If all of these don't work, you can still go to Beijing to file a complaint."
"His Majesty has long said that if people have grievances, they can go to Beijing to complain. The facts of corruption are obvious, and they will be accurate once they are reported."
Among those corrupt officials, except for His Majesty Zhu Huan, the emperor's nephew, he had a soft heart.
The other ones, haha!
"My Lord, how can it be so simple?" The waiter laughed out loud when he heard this: "It's not like I didn't file a complaint. I was fooled and killed by the government before I left the city. What can you do?"
"That's all, as long as I can have a breath and a mouthful of food, the officials will try to trick them. If one day I can't eat, I will go to the sea to beg for a living..."
Although being a pirate makes you unconscionable, you can still have food to eat and clothes to wear.
It’s just an act of stealing a living!
Although life is difficult, life can still be lived. After saying this, he bowed out and went to see what other guests needed.
Several censors were left looking at each other. This place seemed to be even worse than Dingyuan back then.
At the very least, Zhu Huan was not so ruthless that he would charge a hundred cents for parking a carriage on the road. This was a bit crazy.
It was also the first time for several noble sons to feel the suffering of the common people.
After dinner, everyone went out for a walk. Gu Chen and others found out from the vendors after they gave up some coins.
In the past half month, everything they sell has been priced uniformly by the government.
The usual pricing is not this price. The usual price is higher than the current price, just because the taxes collected by the government are expensive.
"Master Gu, the water here is deeper than we thought."
Yu Min first discovered something was wrong. Although they received such a foreign mission at the beginning of last year.
But except His Majesty, Master Han, and the four of them.
There were very few people who knew about this matter. Even before they set off, someone in the capital tipped off the officials here.
