Xushuguan is located at the strategic point between the north and the south. It is the northern gateway of Suzhou City. Its status is like Tongguan to Guanzhong.
Administratively, the real name here is Xushuguan, located in Changzhou County. However, because of the tax customs, it is commonly known as Xushuguan.
The imperial court set up eight major tax customs on the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River waterway, and Xushuguan was one of them. The importance of its status can be imagined.
Customs ambassadors are referred to as tax envoys, but they are not miscellaneous officials like ordinary warehouse ambassadors.
Instead, the imperial court directly sent a head of the household department who also served as a tax envoy. He was a serious official dispatched by the imperial court, not a random person.
The tax envoys only accept the direct leadership of the imperial court, and local governments have no right to interfere in customs affairs.
Therefore, the Xushuguan area is semi-independent from Suzhou Prefecture. This is why Lin Tailai dared to come to Xushuguan.
If Xushuguan or Xushuzhen was completely under the jurisdiction of Changzhou County, then Professor Lin might not dare to work on the ground in Changzhou County.
Lin Zuoguan left Gao Changjiang and the Four King Kongs behind and continued to patrol the territory of Yidu.
He set out in the mist with only the whip-holding brothers and a dozen thugs supported by the school book office.
Take a boat from Suzhou City along the Shantang River, ten miles west to the famous Fengqiao Town.
Then twenty miles north along the Grand Canal from Fengqiao Town, we came to the equally famous Xushuguan.
I saw that this place is densely populated and houses are gathered together. It looks even more prosperous than Fengqiao Town, and the Guan District is even larger than the urban area of an ordinary county.
The Customs Office is on the west bank of the canal. Lin Tailai got off the boat at the pier of She Kung Street, the main road, and braved the drizzle in March to arrive at the Customs Office.
Lin Tailai was "doing work" in Xushuguan. Someone at the top must have taken care of the relationship a long time ago. Someone said hello when he needed to.
But Lin Tailai, as the person who does the actual work, always reports to the local snakes in person after arriving at Xushuguan.
Besides, he still had a "gift" in his pocket, which the school clerk's office had entrusted him to bring to the tax envoy.
It was also the first time for the Zhang brothers to come to Xushuguan, and they exclaimed: "This customs office is even more spectacular than the county government office!"
Lin Tailai reported his origins to the concierge and presented Mr. Feng's letter, and was then ushered in.
The three rooms in the front hall are the court hall of the Customs Department, where the tax envoy is inspecting matters.
Lin Tailai sighed secretly when he saw this, he was still too humble.
If you are important enough, you will definitely be invited into the living room or back hall and received with private etiquette.
However, he was only taken to the court, and it was explained that it was just a symbolic meeting, and then he could leave.
This tax envoy's surname is Wang, which is a very common surname, and he is about forty years old.
He only became a tax envoy at this age, so his official career seems to be average.
After Lin Tailai went to court, Wang Shishi couldn't help but reveal some doubts in his originally casual expression.
Of course he knew why Lin Tai came to Xushuguan.
Blocking Nanjing's flower boats or beating Nanjing's famous prostitutes were all messy things. As long as they didn't harm the interests of the customs, he didn't bother to stop them.
The atmosphere in the south of the Yangtze River is far less mellow than in their hometown in the north, but there are still people who can show mercy to such nonsense!
In his imagination, the people who did this should be gangsters and thugs. There are many such people in the economically developed and densely populated Suzhou Prefecture.
But unexpectedly, although the person who came was tall and majestic, he was wearing a long gown, and his manners were that of a scholar.
Even though the long gown was wide, it still couldn't hide the majesty of this man.
The tax envoy Wang couldn't help but asked out of curiosity: "What is your profession?"
Lin Tailai replied with a bit of pretentiousness: "A writer in the Food Science Department of Wuxian County, a member of the branch of Anle Hall, a visiting professor of literature in the school's book office, and a civilian poet."
Wang Tax Envoy: "..."
He knows the meaning of every word: calligrapher, librarian, professor, poet. They are all very cultural professions anyway.
But when all the words were put together, he felt confused. Who was this person?
Lin Tailai smiled and said nothing. With the proliferation of wild scholars, the trend of Buyi Shanren who pretended to despise fame and fortune in this era emerged, giving rise to a cultural trend that people can show off without fame.
For example, Wang Zhideng, the leader of Suzhou's local literary circle, has no fame. This was simply unimaginable a few decades ago.
Since there is this cultural trend, don’t use it in vain!
In Suzhou City, there are too many people who know your true identity, so it’s a bit awkward to pretend in front of acquaintances.
But after leaving the city of Suzhou, in front of strangers in a strange place, there is a bright future for the career of pretending.
If you meet a big boss who appreciates your pretentious style, you will make a lot of money.
The king's tax envoy was idle, and his curiosity became more and more serious: "What do you want to do?"
Lin Tailai said calmly: "I want to use poetry and literature to make them retreat in spite of difficulties!"
The tax envoy Wang lowered his head and read the letter again, puzzled.
The letter clearly stated that the thugs who were doing this were extremely cruel. If an unspeakable and extremely violent incident occurred, would you please pretend to be blind and go astray?
"You also know poetry?" Wang Shushi happened to be too free today and actually started chatting with Lin Tailai.
Lin Tailai said lightly: "I understand a little bit."
For some reason, Wang Shishi has been worried about poetry recently.
Then he pointed to the outside of the court with great interest and said to Lin Tai: "Is there any work with the theme of spring scenery that you can submit to me?"
Professor Lin patted his belly and said proudly: "I have everything in my belly. I wonder what grade of poetry you want?"
The tax envoy Wang was very surprised, "Are they divided into different grades?"
Professor Lin explained in detail: "There are entertainment grades, there are grades that have been passed down for a hundred years, and there are grades that have been passed down for more than 500 years."
The tax envoy Wang replied without hesitation: "It's more than five hundred years old!"
Lin Tailai was a little hesitant. Those poems that have been circulated for more than five hundred years are all of the highest quality. Is it a waste to use them here for a small tax envoy?
The king's tax envoy sneered a few times and said with a bit of geographical aggression: "You Jiangnan literati are not only crazy and evil, but also very scheming!
If you can really come up with poems that are enough to be passed down to future generations, I will post them in all the tax sheds so that people coming and going can see them!
If you can't get it out, I'll expropriate you and work at the customs for a year in vain! "
Why do you have to force me to show off? Lin Tailai sighed and chanted:
"The sadness of spring is waiting for the wine to be poured out. The boat is rocking on the river, and the curtains are waved upstairs. The wind is blowing and the rain is rustling at Qiuniang Ferry and Tainiang Bridge.
When will you return home to wash guest robes? The word "Yin" means "Sheng", the word "Xin" means "Xiang Shao". The flowing light easily throws people away, turning cherries red and bananas green.
The title of the poem is Poppy, and the title is Boat Crossing the Wujiang River. It just so happens that it rains today, so it’s a good time. "
The tax envoy Wang was stunned on the spot. He was shocked by Professor Lin's literary atmosphere, and then he thought deeply.
At this time, a servant stood outside the court hall and reported to the king's tax envoy: "Tai Gong Shi of this town wants to see the master!"
The tax envoy Wang waved his hand and said, "He's gone. Let him go back first!"
The officer reminded him, "This Taigong Shi was a Jinshi scholar in his early years. He is actually a fellow official from his hometown."
The tax envoy Wang still refused to see him and muttered: "Jinshi is nothing."
Lin Tailai was so close that he was shocked by these words.
No matter how the trend changes, becoming a Jinshi is the end of the road to fame and a symbol of success for all scholars.
The Jiangnan area can be called the heyday of science and technology, but even for the top literary and official families, if they can produce a Jinshi for two or three consecutive generations, it will be a very impressive situation!
Zhang Youyu, the number one performance artist in Suzhou City, was perverted enough, but he didn't dare to despise Jinshi.
What kind of person dares to say "What does it mean to be a Jinshi"?
Lin Tailai could only say that in order to show off, the royal tax envoy did not care about embarrassment at all. He was just pretending.
Suddenly, another scribe who seemed to be an aide came to report: "Xing Xun's ship has docked, and he invites the proprietor to come aboard and meet him!"
The tax envoy Wang waved his hand impatiently: "Let him wait first!"
Lin Tailai felt that he had failed today, badly.
In terms of pretentiousness, he was no match for this tax envoy and was defeated to a pulp!
The patrol censor, whose label is "Daitian Xunshou", is responsible for patrolling and inspecting places, and has great power.
He is said to be a third-level official, but when he meets the governor, he is also polite.
Such an official, an official who can directly decide the inspection scores, asked you, the tax envoy, to go to the ship to meet him, but you, the tax envoy, asked him to wait!
Combined with "What does a Jinshi mean?", Lin Tailai gave this arrogant style of pretentiousness ten points, and he was willing to be inferior and felt ashamed!
Just now, you, the tax envoy, were secretly engaging in regional attacks, saying that the literati in Jiangnan were crazy and evil, but judging from your performance, the tax envoy, you are not too generous.
If you encounter someone who pretends to be dead, just stay away from him. Lin Tailai was about to say goodbye and slipped away.
But the tax envoy Wang suddenly became enthusiastic: "Stay here for dinner!"
