It is not easy for the old farmers to live these days. All their wisdom and abilities must be used for survival, and other things besides survival are secondary.
Such as age.
And it’s really inconvenient to remember age.
In particular, the chronology of this dynasty was often changed with the change of emperors and their own wishes. It was not easy to expect an illiterate peasant family who lacked the ability to record to know the exact ages of their family members.
But it doesn't matter, Zhou Qian is accompanied by an old doctor who can check the age of teeth, which can be regarded as a wise method developed by people of this era.
"Mr. Zhang, come and check the age of your teeth first... Well, you will be exempted from the corvee for two years. Within two years, you and your family will not have to do the corvee. Do you understand? When I report your situation to the county government, There will be records, and you will not come to do corvee work. If anyone comes to ask you, show them this piece of bamboo, do you understand?"
Zhou Qian handed a bamboo slip issued by the state government to exempt from corvee to the thin, dark man who dared not say a word. The man took the bamboo slip and looked at it from left to right, with a happy face.
"Really? You don't have to serve for two years?"
"of course it's true."
Zhou Qian said with a smile: "This is the new policy of Liu Shijun of our state capital. If you have two children in your family, you can be exempted from the corvee for two years. If you have three, you can be exempted from the corvee for five years! This means that within five years, your family will be exempted from the corvee. There is no need to send people to serve.”
"Five years?"
The farmer and his wife looked at each other with expressions of amazement on their faces. It was obvious that they had never thought that these two losers in the family could actually bring benefits.
That……
If conditions permit, can we consider having more children?
Anyway, the government gives benefits, and the more students you have, the more you will get, right?
The dark and thin man and the equally dark and thin woman began to think about having a child.
Dr. Zhang also finished looking at the dental ages at this time and told Zhou Qian the approximate ages of the two children.
"The older one is only six years old, and the younger one is three years old, right? Well, it's not time to pay the oral tax yet, so let's write it down and register it."
Zhou Qian made a note in his file, then looked at the farm couple and said slowly: "In another year, someone from the state capital will come to register you, and then you, the eldest child, will be registered." The oral tax has been paid, so you don’t have to worry about the oral tax, do you understand?"
The farmer and his wife looked puzzled after hearing Zhou Qian's words.
Zhou Qian thought they didn't understand, so he explained to them again.
But before he could speak, the man carefully told him that they had already started paying the oral tax. The eldest son had been paying for two years, and the younger daughter had been paying for one year.
Zhou Qian was stunned.
"What? You have already started to pay the oral tax? How is it possible? The court stipulates that you should not start paying the oral tax until you are seven years old. You are not even seven years old! Or is there something wrong? Mr. Zhang, are you sure about their ages? "
Doctor Zhang on the side also looked puzzled.
"You can't be wrong. A child's permanent teeth begin to erupt around the age of six, and they grow in length at the age of fourteen. You see, this child doesn't have permanent teeth yet. He is not six years old at all, five years old at most."
Dr. Zhang opened the older boy's mouth and asked Zhou Qian to look inside.
Zhou Qian didn't know this professional knowledge, but seeing that the child didn't have straight teeth at all, he almost knew there was something fishy here.
If you think about it carefully, many farmers cannot completely determine the age of their children, and they may not even be able to figure out their own age. The government has absolute control and decision-making power in these matters.
Therefore, when it comes to the issue of oral and calculated taxes based on age, the local government has too much freedom. Officials with conscience can be said to be good, but there are also many talented people who have no conscience and just want to make money.
There must be a major problem here!
Thinking of this, Zhou Qian's heart began to beat faster.
This might be a great achievement! If this wave can pull off a group of bastards who are corrupt and bending the law, it will be a big success and will be of great benefit to the future!
So Zhou Qian called Fu Ze, the county magistrate of Gaoping County, Anding County, who was also traveling with him, and talked about the matter.
Fuze began to sweat on his forehead at that time.
"This... week is engaged in, I..."
Zhou Qian looked at Fuze with subtle eyes.
"Magistrate Fu, I don't mean to cause trouble for you on purpose, but... this child started paying the oral tax two years ago? He didn't even have permanent teeth, but he started paying the oral tax two years ago? Is this child nine years old this year?”
Zhou Qian placed a small bean sprout with snot-soaked face in front of Fuze.
Fuze looked at the little guy and swallowed.
"Maybe. Farmers don't have much to eat and are often hungry. It's normal for them to be thin and short. Isn't it weird for a nine-year-old to look like this?"
"Is this nine years old?!"
Zhou Qian pointed at the child and said angrily: "Am I blind or are you blind? Height can deceive others, but can teeth deceive others? Tell lies with your eyes open, help the county magistrate, you are very sick! It seems that you are very sick! I can't cure your blindness, it's up to Liu Shijun to cure your blindness!"
Fuze stiffened and almost fell to the ground.
Zhou Qian believed that Gaoping County had huge problems with the collection of oral and calculated taxes from the people, so he told the news to Xiahou Dun, the governor of Anding County.
After Xiahou Dun got the news, he immediately sent someone to capture Fuze and asked Zhou Qian to take Fuze back to Ji County.
After returning to Hebei County, Zhou Qian told Liu Bei the specific news. By the way, he also mentioned his speculation that the government throughout Liangzhou had major problems related to the collection of oral taxes.
We must get to the bottom of it and never tolerate it!
Liu Bei sat at the top. After listening to Zhou Qian's report, he was silent for a while and turned his attention to Fuze, who was kneeling and shivering beside him.
"Fu County Magistrate, do you know about this situation?"
"I... envoy, I... I..."
"Know, or don't know, tell the truth, otherwise I'd be very angry."
Liu Bei's face was expressionless and his tone was calm.
But the more he behaved like this, the more frightened Fuze became.
"I... know a little bit, but! But Sir, this is not a matter for me and one county, but for the whole... the whole county, the whole state! The whole Han Dynasty! It's like this! Most ordinary people don't know how old they are. , the age is determined by the government, this... this is not something I do alone!"
Fuze's tears welled up uncontrollably, until he burst into tears.
Liu Bei looked at him calmly.
"So, you knew but didn't tell me?"
"I...I...you didn't say you wanted to know these things! I thought you knew it, but just didn't say it. I really didn't mean to deceive you! There are many people who know about this matter, many! "
Fuze looked very broken.
Liu Bei smiled.
"You should know that taking down a prefect is just a trivial matter for me, not to mention that you are the head of a small county. Even if I kill you, no one will hold me accountable, or even know that you are me. Killed."
Fuze stopped talking, just trembling all over, extremely frightened.
"Tell me everything you know. Don't miss anything. Everything. I want to know everything. Otherwise, your family can prepare your funeral."
Looking at Liu Bei with a calm expression, Fuze knew that he could not disobey his order.
So Fuze told everything he knew, including how successive county magistrates and county officials had manipulated and profited from the payment of oral and calculated taxes over the years, as well as what he knew about other counties in the county. .
He didn't dare to hide anything, he said everything he needed to say, including some of the rumors he heard.
Liu Bei asked Zhou Qian to record all these things, and then put Fuze in prison.
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PS: I’m in a bad mood today, so I’ll add another chapter.
(End of chapter)
