Chapter 45: Eating Lunch at Dawn

  Director Zhang

  Lu Haoshan was taken aback after hearing this and almost forgot who the person was. Zhang Yunhui, the chief clerk of Jiangyou County Government, was a unique existence in the county government. Although he held the position of chief clerk, he had been on long-term sick leave at home, not fighting for power or profit, nor seeking to take credit. He remained uninvolved in the county government's struggles and only took what he was entitled to. Even when Lu Haoshan delivered a devastating blow to Chen Gui this time, Zhang Yunhui still made no move.

  Very depressed and out of breath.

  This kind of person is content with the status quo, poses no threat to colleagues and superiors, and is very welcome in official circles. Lu Haoshan sometimes even forgets that there is a chief clerk in the county government office, and now suddenly hearing that someone is looking for him, he has a surprised feeling.

  Zhou Dayuan is an old official, hearing this he frowned and said: "Secretary Zhang has taken action, I'm afraid it's related to taxes, no way, the summer crops haven't even been planted yet."

  The county government is not a place to eat for free, and if you want to stay, you must have two brushes, Zhang Yunhui's specialty is the collection of summer and autumn grains, coordinating the handover relationship between the grassroots and superiors, although Jiangyou County is located in a remote area, the people are not rich, but when paying taxes, they are always among the top in various counties, deeply appreciated by their superiors, now hearing that this person who has been resting at home suddenly pops up, Zhou Dayuan's first reaction is that the court is going to collect taxes again.

  "Never mind, go back and ask then you'll know, no use guessing now." Lu Haoshan also wanted to know what had happened, fortunately he was full now, walking out while saying: "Come on, let's settle the bill."

  This was Lu Haoshan's rule: although those industries were said to be the county government's industries, when people from the county government went to consume them, they had discounts and couldn't have their accounts recorded, let alone eat and drink for free; otherwise, these industries would soon be ruined by them. This was a rule Lu Haoshan had set himself, and he didn't plan on breaking it. After finishing his meal, he asked the shopkeeper to come and settle the bill, setting an example.

  The shopkeeper who had been standing outside the door hurried over and said: "Master Zhou has already settled this account early in the morning."

  "Oh, Zhou Si Li, I've troubled you." Lu Haoshan said with a smile.

  As the "God of Wealth" of Jiangyou, having dinner with County Magistrate Lu was a natural necessity. Especially since Lu Haoshan didn't bring up old debts, all the silver he had embezzled in the past was now laundered clean. Zhou Dayuan felt extremely grateful and wanted to curry favor with Lu Haoshan. This time at dinner, he even paid the bill before ordering food. Now hearing County Magistrate Lu's words, Zhou Dayuan felt that the silver he spent was truly worth it. Upon hearing this, he hastily said: "I don't dare, it's just a small effort."

  Cao Hu said with a smile: "Old Zhou, you are the god of wealth in our Jiangyou, and when eating with you, Cao will never bring any silver.

  Two people, one in charge of finance and the other in charge of public security, without any conflict of interest, and with some cooperation between them, so their relationship is not bad.

  "Old Zhou can come, that's already giving Zhou some face, why would you still need to spend money, haha"

  Lu Haoshan led the two men directly back to the county government office. As soon as they entered the county government office, they saw an old man with white hair sitting leisurely in a corner of the side hall drinking tea. When he saw Lu Haoshan return, he immediately stood up and saluted him, saying: "Your subordinate pays respects to County Master."

  "Director Zhang, this isn't a public hall, so let's be more casual, come, take a seat."

  "Thank you, sir." Zhang Zhushu thanked him and sat down again. He was indeed tactful, coming to sit in the second seat first, so when Lu Haoshan returned, he wouldn't have to move his butt again.

  Lu Haoshan was the county magistrate. He sat in the first seat with a concerned expression and said: "Zhang Zhushu, didn't you say that your body was slightly unwell and needed to rest at home to recover? What wind blew you back to the government office?"

  "Thank you for your concern, sir. I'm getting old and my body isn't what it used to be, but I can still handle some trivial matters. You're a man who handles big things, so I'll get straight to the point. To be honest, I've summoned you urgently this time to discuss the matter of this year's taxes. Normally, this is something I would take care of myself, but this time it's a major issue and I need to consult with you." Zhang Yunhui said with a serious expression.

  It's indeed a matter of taxation, Lu Haoshan couldn't help but think of Zhou Dayuan's words, he said that as soon as Zhang Zhubu appears, it must be related to taxation, and he was right, although it was just a guess, it was also within reason. The Emperor Taizong led the army to besiege the city, making the Ming dynasty restless, and plundering and killing along the way was his consistent style. The imperial city needed to be consolidated, the people needed to be appeased, the Liaodong front line needed to be rectified, and those who had made contributions needed to be rewarded... all of these required money. In recent years, the Liaodong front line has been a bottomless pit, dragging down the Ming dynasty's finances. Now that they urgently need to use money, it's not surprising that they would impose taxes on the people.

  "Yes indeed." Lu Haoshan said with some general gratitude: "Now that the New Year has just passed, summer crops have not been planted yet, and the people's savings are limited. At this time, levying taxes is too hard for the common people."

  Zhang Yunhui bitterly said: "Your Excellency, it's not just the summer grain collection. This time, the Ministry of Revenue has ordered the advance collection of the entire year's taxes and tributes. The court is eating the people's food before the appointed time. It's not just that the people are suffering, but... Alas, these matters are not for a low-ranking official like me to comment on. Sigh, I don't know how many common people will be forced to sell their homes and properties, sell their sons and daughters. It's really beneficial for those wealthy rural gentry."

  Commoners who farm the land have to pay taxes, but those with official titles are exempt from taxation. Many commoners cannot afford to pay their taxes and are forced to borrow from local landlords and gentry at interest rates that are quite high. If they fail to repay the loan, they will have to sell their land, sell their children, or even sell themselves into bondage as slaves in a landlord's household. It is said that heroes emerge in times of chaos, but when disaster strikes, it is the landlords and gentry who reap huge profits by buying up the land at low prices.

  "What? Collecting a year's worth of taxes in advance?" Lu Haoshan exclaimed in shock: "This, this, how is this possible?"

  It's not just bitter, it's like driving chickens into the river, dragging them to death.

  "The subordinate official is in charge of taxation, and as soon as the Ministry of Revenue's order arrives, the document is sent to the subordinate official's home according to the rules. To be honest with you, sir, I was also startled. Last year's harvest was poor, and not a single penny of tax can be reduced. The common people are all tightening their belts to make ends meet, and many cannot even afford to eat. Now they want them to pay a whole year's taxes at once. This matter is both big and small, sir. If it cannot be completed on time, the superior officials will blame us, and we cannot bear this responsibility. If we force them to pay, then Shaanxi Baisui will be a warning from history. It's a dilemma." Zhang Yunhui was worried to the point where his old face was all scrunched up.

  Lu Haoshan understood what he was saying, and it turned out that Wang Er from Baishui, Shaanxi Province, had been forced to flee with no way out, and led a group of people to rush into the county government office and kill the county magistrate.

  County Magistrate Zhang Deyao was killed, thus opening the floodgates of rebellion. This incident had a great impact on officials, especially after Wang Er's rebellion, which grew more intense by the day. As a result, many officials became much more cautious in carrying out their duties. Take, for example, Zhang Zhuobo, who was in charge of taxation and always rushed to consult with him before taking action.

  This matter is too big, it's not only related to everyone's career, but also to the livelihood of the people in Jiangyou County, and can't be taken lightly.

  Seeing Lu Haoshan not speaking, Zhang Yunhui couldn't help but say: "Sir, you are the respected official of this county, the parent official of the people, this matter still needs to be decided by you."

  At this moment, Lu Haoshan's thoughts were racing, although the edict had left him extremely shocked, he faintly sensed that it was an excellent opportunity. The recent events slowly emerged in his mind, and amidst them, a bold and crazy plan began to take shape.

  "Old man, old man, what's wrong with you?" Zhang Yunhui saw Lu Haoshan seeming to have entered a trance-like state and couldn't help but remind him.

  Lu Haoshan then came to his senses and said with some embarrassment: "Just now I thought of something, and my mind wandered, losing my composure. Please forgive me, Master Zhang."

  "I dare not, Your Excellency is busy with official duties, it's a disturbance from a lower official like me." Zhang Yunhui said cautiously: "As for the matter of the imperial court issuing an order to collect taxes, according to your opinion, sir."

  "How long is the deadline given by the Ministry of Revenue?"

  "Two months, but at least one month's advance notice is required for transportation, which means we only have a month to prepare, and that time is also very tight, what do you mean?"

  "A month?" Lu Haoshan nodded secretly, as long as the plan was made properly, there was enough time. Upon hearing this, he bowed his hands towards the direction of the imperial stable and said: "We enjoy your salary, we bear your worries. Now that the Ming dynasty is in a precarious situation, how can we just sit back and do nothing? Since it's an imperial decree, we'll carry it out with diligence. Zhang Zhubu, this matter is now entrusted to you. Make sure to prepare everything on time. If not, when the higher-ups come to investigate, we won't be able to escape punishment."

  "But sir, if we forcibly requisition, I'm afraid that even if all the grain is handed over, it won't be enough. If there's no grain to hand over, the common people will have no way to survive."

  Lu Haoshan said with a serious face: "We are subjects of the Great Ming, and when the king has an order, what can we do as his subjects? Let's deal with this pass first, and think of other ways later."

  Zhang Yunhui's lips moved, wanting to say something, but seeing Lu Haoshan's serious face, he finally squeezed out: "Yes, sir, I will do my best."

  After all, he is an outsider, only caring about his own achievements and promotion, without regard for the lives of the local people. Zhang Yunhui, although idle at home, was well-informed about the events in Jiangyou. Seeing Lu Hao's diligent governance and love for the people, he thought he would help think of a solution or use his connections to speak up for the people of Jiangyou, which could have alleviated the situation. Unexpectedly, he uttered these words, leaving Zhang Yunhui feeling somewhat disheartened: As a result, countless families in Jiangyou were pushed into the fire pit.

  "Zhang Zhubu"; Lu Haoshan patted Zhang Yunhui's shoulder and said: "I'm sorry to trouble you, but this matter is related to the rise and fall of the country, and I am also powerless. You can rest assured that I will think of a way to get through the difficulties with the people of Jiangyou, and I will not stand by." After finishing speaking, he said with some emotion: "The common people are suffering too much."

  When Zhang Yunhui heard the county magistrate's heartfelt words, he was somewhat moved and had a slightly better impression of Lu Xian. When he heard Lu Haoshan say the next sentence, Zhang Yunhui also helplessly echoed: "Yes, the common people are suffering too much."