After hearing Chang Yan's analysis, the small courtyard was silent for a moment.
Zheng Ruqian raised his head in horror and lowered his voice, "Xiao Wu, how do you know so much?"
Could it be...
"What are you thinking, second brother?" Chang Yan couldn't help but laugh, "There is no such thing in my family."
"That's good, that's good." Zheng Ruqian patted his chest.
He didn't notice when Chang Yan lowered his eyelashes.
Xu Mo stood up and concluded, "So the person behind it should be Lao San's aunt, but the county magistrate is unwilling to say it clearly, so we can just pretend we don't know."
Fang Heng nodded hesitantly.
He always felt that there was something strange about things, but he couldn't figure out where it was, so he could only suppress it for the time being.
"It may be difficult to get tax exemption." Xu Mo was still thinking about what happened just now and looked at Zheng Ruqian, "Second brother, go to Yunshui County and tell Magistrate Pang about this matter."
If the two counties can approve new taxes together, the chance of success should be greater.
He looked at Fang Heng again, "The county magistrate may lose his temper tomorrow, so you can come with me."
It not only prevents by force, but also has more say.
Although, Bian Wenxuan was still furious.
In the county government office.
The young county magistrate jumped on the spot like a flea, "You can say this? Can you even apply for this kind of thing? How can the county magistrate approve it? If the county magistrate approves it, what kind of consequences will he endure? pressure?"
Going back several decades, there has never been an example of tax exemption for street children.
Master Xu opened and closed his mouth, all the pressure was on the officials.
Bian Wenxuan flicked his sleeves with one hand, "No, I don't agree."
Xu Mo had expected this, and his expression was quite calm, "Sir, if thousands of street children can get registered residence, they will be able to live a normal life in the future, be able to pay taxes and work, and their contribution to the county will only be much greater."
Do the math, it’s a great deal to be free of taxes for a year.
"I haven't seen the contribution they made, but the annual taxes for thousands of people are real money." Bian Wenxuan also calmed down, "How can the regulations of the dynasty be easily changed? If you change it, what will happen to others? Do it? Other places should follow suit. How much money will the national treasury lose this year?"
"Regulations are dead, but people are alive. If the policy does more good than harm to the country, why can't it be changed?" Xu Mo argued.
Bian Wenxuan wants to jump again.
Fang Heng, who was standing at the back, coughed, raised one knee, and broke the newly struck stick.
Bian Wenxuan's expression changed from anger to shock to a hint of grievance.
"My officer, I can go out of my way to apply for you, but whether the county governor can agree to it or not is none of my business!" he shouted.
This was what Xu Mo wanted. He breathed a long sigh of relief, folded his hands, and bowed respectfully, "Sir, thousands of street children will thank you."
"Who wants them to thank you?" Bian Wenxuan muttered quietly.
Xu Mo pretended not to hear and waited for the county magistrate to write out the application letter. However, he did not send it to Anshui County immediately, but held it for four days.
Four days later, he had the envelope delivered to Anshui County.
Four days later, Zheng Ruqian came back with a whole cart of vegetables and said in surprise, "Brother, Magistrate Pang agreed. He had already submitted an application to Anshui County before I came."
A quick calculation showed that the time it took for the letters from the two counties to reach Anshui County was the same.
Xu Mo nodded slightly and felt that the chance of success was higher.
He no longer tied his hands and started a census of the population. The first thing he needed to do was to use the county government officials to inform every village, and he asked the village chief to help inform every household.
During this period, you will inevitably encounter various difficulties, some are uncooperative, and some are too lazy to move. When the knowledge in books is no longer useful, no matter how knowledgeable the scholar is, he can only roll up his sleeves and solve the problem himself.
It was visible to the naked eye that Xu Mo had lost weight.
But the result was good. About a month later, the county governor finally approved the tax regulations with difficulty.
The beggars in Xieyang County were all excited.
"Can I really settle down? Can I claim territory? Can I be exempted from taxes this year?" Pang Pangshan couldn't believe it.
His four younger brothers also had red eyes. Although they could afford to pay taxes after earning money from Zheng Ruqian for a year, the county issued such regulations to let them know that they were cared about.
Those beggars who usually died without being cared about can finally live their lives in an upright manner.
"There are still some young people who really can't work to prepare for next year's taxes. They can wait." Xu Mo closed the file, "Every ten years is really too long. It would be nice if it could be changed to five years or three years. "
It's just that the county magistrate has gritted his teeth and approved one item. It's hard to apply for the second one.
We also need to give Sheriff Anshui some time to breathe.
Pang Pangshan nodded repeatedly, not daring to expect anything else.
This census, known in later generations as "the tax turning point of the Dayu Dynasty", lasted for three months. From early autumn to early winter, the cold air, wrapped in rain and snow, landed in Xieyang County again.
When those nameless people also had household registration, owned land issued by the state, and were exempted from taxes for the first year, they all knelt and kowtowed at the gate of the Xieyang County Yamen.
"Thank you, Lord County Magistrate, and thank you, Master Xu."
Uncertain voices sounded outside. Bian Wenxuan, who was behind the county government office, was like a fly, rubbing his hands repeatedly, excited and hesitant, "Are they really thanking me? Are they really thanking me?"
Xu Mo nodded with a smile.
He said that if this regulation is really promulgated, it will definitely receive the gratitude and love of the people.
"It turns out that it feels so good to do practical things for the people." Bian Wenxuan's eyes turned red.
In the past, he was a free-spirited person in the Bian family. His parents didn't think highly of him, and no one took him seriously. Even the official Xieyang County Magistrate donated money.
Bian Wenxuan didn't think he could really be a good parent official, and he did put the people first, until now - he seemed to understand what it means to love the people like a son.
He straightened his official hat and uniform, cleared his throat, and asked Wang Xi to open the county government door.
I thought I was facing the worship of thousands of people.
Unexpectedly, more than a dozen matchmakers squeezed in. Each of them was in full bloom, with a bloody mouth and a big black mole on the corner of his mouth. They shouted enthusiastically, "My Lord County Magistrate, I heard that you are twenty-five years old." Still alone, there are many girls in our county who are just like a flower at such a young age, why don’t you think about it?”
"The Niu Yuan from Shili Town has a huge fortune, and his only daughter is still waiting to be married. Would you like to meet her? She is a perfect match for you."
Bian Wenxuan was squeezed into a piece of cake.
Xu Mo, who was behind him, had quick eyes and quick hands. He took two steps back to avoid it.
But he didn't expect that a matchmaker with vicious eyes stopped him and said with a smile, "This must be Mr. Xu. It is still rare for such a young scholar to be married, but is there a match? If not, make an appointment first, and wait until fifteen or sixty years old before going to court." It’s also good.”
