Wang Zitong accompanied Song Ping, the old boss, at the gate of the county government office. The two of them had been standing here for half a stick of incense. Wang Zitong's expression seemed to be in a good mood.
County Magistrate Feng Tao happened to be passing by and saw the two of them, and said curiously:
"Tou Song, Tou Wang, why are you standing at the yamen door? If you have anything to do, come in and tell me."
"hehe."
Wang Zitong smiled and said:
"It turns out it's the county magistrate. I'm accompanying Song Tou and others."
"Waiting for someone? Who are you waiting for?"
"Wait for Gu Dianshi, he went to the Earth Temple to do business today and will be back soon."
Wang Zitong greeted: "If the county magistrate is free, can we wait together?"
"It turns out we were waiting for Gu Dianshi."
Feng Tao stopped:
"Today is Gu Dianshi's first day in office, so let's wait together! If we can get rid of those beggars in Tutu Temple, our county will save a lot of trouble."
In fact, Feng Tao was also curious about how capable Gu Sinian was to be noticed by Chen Hongxin.
That day at Li's birthday party, Gu Sinian amazed everyone with his poems. As Li Zhi's favorite disciple, Feng Tao naturally heard about it.
But being able to write poetry doesn’t mean you can do things~
It's useless to write good calligraphy and write a few poems when working in the yamen.
Several people stood there for a while, and finally a series of figures appeared at the end of the street.
"Here it comes~"
Wang Zitong was secretly happy and couldn't wait to take a look at Gu Sinian~
As soon as the bruised and swollen Gu Sinian appeared, Gu Dianshi's face in the yamen was completely lost.
And Feng Tao arrived just in time, and Feng Tao could spread the news throughout the yamen without Wang Zitong taking action.
When the time comes, Gu Sinian’s inability to do things will reflect Chen Hongxin’s incompetence~
"I'm coming."
As Wang Zitong cheered with joy, Feng Tao and Song Ping both straightened their backs and looked into the distance.
What a pity~
The first thing that caught Wang Zitong's eyes was the swaggering and airy Gu Sinian.
"Hey, Lord Shen, Song Tou is here too."
Gu Sinian was flattered and said:
"Are you waiting for a lower official? I can't afford it~
Hey, Wang Tou is here too. You have put down all the things in prison and come here to wait for me?
Thank you very much! "
Wang Zitong's face darkened and he looked at the government servant who followed him:
"Liu Er, what's going on?"
No, shouldn't Gu Sinian go out standing and come back lying down?
"Uh~"
The stubble-faced Liu Er's tone was stagnant. He had been staying outside the Earth Temple all day, and the devil didn't know what was going on.
"Harm, it's no big deal."
Gu Sinian took the words:
"Aren't you going to the Earth Temple today to help those beggars move? Who would have known that we happened upon a thief stealing something in broad daylight!
Let some adults tell me, how can I, as a yamen errand, not care about something like this if I encounter it?
The two thieves were caught easily! "
"Stealing? Earth Temple?"
Feng Tao was stunned:
"Gu Dianshi, are you kidding me? The Earth Temple is full of beggars. They are so poor that they have nothing to eat. Who would go there to steal things without opening their eyes?"
"How can you joke about something like this? There really are such idiots."
Gu Sinian shouted seriously:
"Come here! Bring the thief to me!"
In the eyes of everyone with curiosity and astonishment, the two gangsters who were tied up appeared in their sight, with cloth strips stuffed in their mouths, and they kept moaning:
"Woo~"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
"Woo!"
When these two scoundrels saw Wang Zitong, they groaned even harder and twisted their bodies wildly. Xiao Liuzi raised his leg and kicked them:
"Damn it, you're still not honest when you get to the government office!"
Wang Zitong's face was a little stiff, and he turned his head to avoid the sight of the two rogues, while Mr. Song Ping on the side seemed to see something and frowned.
Feng Tao exclaimed:
"Hey, aren't these some gangsters from the west of the city? When did they start stealing?"
After all, Feng Tao is a native, so these things will always look familiar.
"Who knows if they were obsessed with stealing in broad daylight."
Gu Sinian moaned and thrust his waist:
"Sir, do you know how much money they stole from others?"
"cut."
Feng Tao said disapprovingly:
"What can those beggars in Tutu Temple steal? They can carry dozens of copper plates to the sky."
"Hey, hey, Mr. Feng underestimated them."
Gu Sinian looked at Wang Zitong with a smile and said:
"Would you like to guess how much they stole?"
Wang Zitong's face trembled, and he held it in for a long time before uttering three words:
"Can't guess!"
"Twelve!"
"A whole ten taels!"
Gu Sinian made a sign with his finger and pressed it on Wang Zitong's face:
"How dare these bastards steal ten taels of silver, Wang Tou!"
This cross made Wang Zitong so angry that he almost spit out a mouthful of blood, which he personally handed over to two rogues this afternoon.
He spent a lot of money just to give Gu Sinian a good beating.
"What, twelve!"
Feng Tao's eyes suddenly bulged:
"Can those beggars in Tutu Temple have ten taels of silver?"
"Yes."
Gu Sinian nodded:
"I saw with my own eyes that the thugs stole from the temple, otherwise how could they have found ten taels of silver from them?
Is it possible that some fool would give these swindlers money? "
"Well, that's right."
Feng Tao, who was confused, nodded:
"There shouldn't be such a stupid bird."
Wang Zitong's face was already trembling with anger, and he couldn't express his pain.
Gu Sinian looked at the two rascals who were shouting:
"Stealing ten taels of silver is not a small crime. According to the law, you can be beaten with thirty sticks and imprisoned for half a year, which is enough."
"Woo!"
"Woo!"
When they heard that they would be beaten thirty times and jailed, the two thugs twisted their bodies wildly and looked at Wang Zitong with big eyes.
Now Wang Zitong is their only savior.
"Hey, they two seem to have something to say."
Gu Sinian stretched out his hand and pulled away the cloth gagged in their mouths.
One of the scoundrels rushed towards Wang Zitong and shouted:
"king……"
"Snapped!"
"Pop!"
Before the man could speak, Wang Zitong slapped him with a few big mouths:
"What a king! You bastard, you dare to steal in broad daylight!
Come on, drag me down, beat me, and put me in jail! "
Gu Sinian said in surprise:
"Hey, Wang Tou, why don't you let them finish their words? Maybe there is some grievance."
"How can such a thing be wronged?"
Wang Zitong waved his hand with a livid face:
"At first glance, it looks like a sneaky thing. Take it away! Beat me hard!"
Several government officials swarmed up and dragged the two scoundrels away.
Feng Tao on the side looked at it for a moment, wondering why Wang Zitong was so angry. It was not his money that was stolen.
Gu Sinian gave a thumbs up:
"He is Wang Chatou after all. He is so righteous and awe-inspiring. This kind of bastard must be beaten hard! Hahaha!"
The hatred in Wang Zitong's heart made him look at Gu Sinian as if he wanted to eat someone.
"Ahem, that's enough."
Song Ping couldn't stand it anymore and changed the topic:
"Gu Dianshi, how's the business going? Are those beggars willing to move away?"
Wang Zitong suddenly became energetic and said coldly:
"Yes, Gu Dianshi, if they don't move, you will be ineffective~"
Although Wang Zitong couldn't understand why these two thugs were beaten, he didn't believe that Gu Sinian, who had no foundation, could persuade those beggars to leave.
"Move, of course!"
Gu Sinian smiled and said, "We're almost done talking, we will definitely move out."
"Yeah?"
Wang Zitong said doubtfully:
"Gu Dianshi, don't hold on for the sake of face. If you can't handle it, we can help~"
"Haha~"
Gu Sinian stepped into the Yamen:
"Just watch Wang Chatou~"
Seeing Gu Sinian and Feng Tao walking into the Yamen one after another, Wang Zitong couldn't bear it anymore and cursed angrily:
"Damn, this bastard is so arrogant!"
Song Ping looked at his brother's son and asked expressionlessly:
"You sent those two ruffians, right?"
Chen Hongxin had said before that Wang Zitong was very prestigious among the gangsters in the city, and it was not difficult at all to recruit a few people to do things.
"Yes, it is."
Hearing that Song Ping was a little unhappy, Wang Zitong nodded nervously.
Song Ping frowned and said in a more serious tone:
"How many times have I told you, don't stir up trouble, that's the person Mr. Chen wants to use. It's better for you to do your job in the prison down-to-earth than anything else!"
Others dare not talk to Wang Zitong like this, but Song Ping can because he watched Wang Zitong grow up.
"Yes, Zitong is wrong~"
Wang Zitong responded in a low voice, but his eyes looking at Gu Sinian became colder and colder.
…
At nightfall, Gu Sinian was still burying himself in a pile of books and flipping through them, frowning.
Here are Fengchuan County's tax documents and land records from last year. As a historian, he will have to deal with these things frequently in the future.
Xiao Liuzi, who came over with a cup in hand, said doubtfully:
"Brother Nian, what's wrong? Why are you looking so sad at night?"
"No, it's so wrong."
Gu Sinian pointed to the document in his hand and said:
"For example, in Wangjia Village, there are more than 1,000 acres of registered land, but the taxes collected last year were only 400 to 500 acres at most. How can there be such a difference?"
"Harm, there's nothing strange about this."
Xiao Liuzi said disapprovingly:
“These are wastelands with no one cultivating them, so the taxes will naturally not match them.”
"wasteland?"
Gu Sinian was a little surprised: "Why are there so many wastelands?"
Xiao Liuzi muttered:
"Brother Nian, we are at the northern border. We have wars every few years. Many people are exterminated, fled, and died in the war.
If these people are gone, there will naturally be no one to cultivate the land at home.
As time goes by, it becomes deserted. I have seen this happen too many times. "
"How can it be left uncultivated and no one is planting it?"
Gu Sinian was very puzzled: "These people are gone, let others do it."
"It's not that simple."
Xiao Liuzi smiled bitterly and said:
"Who knows whether those people are really dead or have left home. If one day they come back and find that their land has been planted, they are not allowed to report it to the government office? This can be regarded as occupying land.
Only some wealthy families are brave enough to plant wasteland. They are not afraid, but ordinary people are very afraid. "
"That's it~"
Gu Sinian tapped his fingers lightly on the table and murmured:
“So much farmland cannot be wasted~
If used properly, wouldn't it be able to increase a lot of tax revenue..."
