Jia Langzhong, Zhao Langzhong and other people warmly invited Zhu Pingan to go to the office room of Zhang Tanku, to give Zhu Pingan a good talk about Taicang’s “practice”, coupled with the Liu treasurer, Zhang treasurer and other people on the side of the side to knock on the side of the reason that Zhang Tanku waited for half a day, so the hospitality is really hard to resist.
Inviting himself in front of all the people of the East Chamber, it was expected that they would not dare to lay their hands on him at this time.
At the same time, Zhu Pingan also wanted to see what drugs they were selling, so he half-heartedly followed them to Zhang Guanku.
“Heh heh heh, Zi Hou is here, quick, quick, please come in.”
Zhang Guan Ku heard the commotion outside and greeted Zhu Ping An with a gentle smile before he even walked through the door, so enthusiastic that the scene was quite similar to that of Cao Cao who welcomed Xu You in the Three Kingdoms.
“Lord Zhang is so generous, my humble servant is ashamed to be so generous, Lord Zhang please.”Zhu Pingan arched his hand and returned the salute.
Zhu Pingan was greeted again and again at the door before he followed Zhang Guanku and the others into the house and sat down with the guests and hosts.
Zhu Pingan was humbly allowed to sit opposite Zhang Guancu.
Outside, it was already dark, inside the room, there were three oil lamps, the wicks of which were picked high, illuminating the room with a great light.
“Does Zi Hou know some of the ‘practices’ of Taicang?”
Zhang Guanku was sitting on a chair, straightening his body as if relaxed, his gaze calmly looking at Zhu Pingan like an endless sea, the whole person like a famous scholar softly opened his mouth to ask.
“Ping An doesn’t know, would like to hear about it.”Zhu Pingan shook his head, then assumed a posture of seeking advice.
Zhang Guanku glanced at Jia Langzhong, who knew what he meant and nodded slightly, then laughed to attract Zhu Pingan’s attention, then said to Zhu Pingan with a smile, “Zi Hou is also considered to be a first-time visitor to Taicang, and it’s more than normal for him to be unaware of Taicang’s ‘practices’.”
“Then let’s start with the ‘four taels of levelling’.”Jia Langzhong said with a smile.
“What is four taels flat?”Zhu Pingan asked curiously.
“Four taels flat, huh, Zi Hou also came to Taicang for a few days, should also see, the treasury soldiers to carry silver is very hard, although we do not labour, but we also work hard, Zi Hou you do not know, every year when the collection of taxes, salt tax folding silver, stay up late and work overtime for us that is a common household meal ……You think ah, all over the chief secretary and the north and south direct subordinate provinces and counties to solve the tax silver, horse grass, silk, cloth, money money, money yarn, sub grain, yellow wax, deductions, ship material, commercial tax, deed tax, salt course, stolen goods, Liao rate, canal folding and so on more than 20 items of silver, can be said to be sweating, we stay up all night and work overtime to be busy for more than a month.”Jia Langzhong looked at Zhu Pingan with a tired face and said with quite a bit of emotion.
The beginning was padded so hard and so serious, the following was definitely not serious.
Zhu Pingan listened to Bone-setter Jia’s padding and came to such a conclusion in his heart.
Sure enough.
When he next heard Jia Langzhong’s explanation of the four or two pings, Zhu Pingan in his heart scoffed at Taicang’s “practice”.
“The localities, seeing us work so hard, also sympathise with us, every year when the localities donate items of silver to Taicang, they all donate an additional 4 taels of silver per 100 to comfort us. We are many times refused, but this is the Taicang and the local practice formed over the past hundred years, the local insisted on this, we have no choice but to comply with this practice. This extra 4 taels of silver, according to the custom, 2 taels of which are allocated to the treasury soldiers, and the other 2 taels are allocated to the treasury officials and treasury envoys such as us, this custom, commonly known as ‘four taels of equalisation’.”Jia Langzhong slowly spoke out the convention of four-two-levelling, speaking as if they were also forced to comply with this convention.
Zhu Pingan listened, his face expressionless, his heart had already set off shocking waves, spitting at Jia Langzhong and the others. For every 100 taels of silver, 4 taels of silver are collected, Taicang collects more than 2 million taels of silver every year, so for this “4 taels of flat” alone, they collect more than 80,000 taels of silver every year.
How much burden has this added to the people?
“How much a year?”Zhu Pingan pursed his lips and asked without moving.
“It’s not much, it’s just over 80,000 taels of ‘hard money’ a year.”Jia Langzhong shook his head in disbelief and said indifferently.
This was called not much? Isn’t eighty thousand plus taels of silver not enough, it’s more than forty-eight million yuan equivalent. A fourth-ranking officer, each year only receive more than one hundred and forty silver salary, you this “practice” from the silver, are enough to five or six hundred fourth-ranking officer a year’s salary.
The entire Ming Dynasty has only how many fourth-grade officials ah?
Not much ……Oh, see their money “practice” is not only this one, see their money than this 80,000 taels much more.
Oh, “hard money”? What have you done, just a part of the work, this is also called “hard money”, this is not lying down to pick up money?
Zhu Pingan had a new level of understanding of the greed and shamelessness of Jia Langzhong and the others.
“In the past, the ambassadors sent to check the treasury each year were all Section and Dao officials, and this year, with Zi Hou taking such pains to audit the Taicang, I’m sure that the above won’t send any more Section and Dao officials to inspect the silver treasury. In that case, of the 80,000 taels of silver ‘hard money’, Zi Hou will be able to share roughly 10,000 taels of silver ‘hard money’, which is not much, but it is still considered a consolation for Zi Hou’s hard work in checking the treasury.”Jia Langzhong raised his head and looked at Zhu Pingan with a smile on his face and said.
“Ten thousand taels?!”
When Langzhong Zhao, who was on the side, heard this, his face pulled down immediately, as if he was somewhat dissatisfied.
Look at that outburst of yours!
Zhang Guancu, who had been controlling the situation in the room, glared at Zhao Langzhong at the first opportunity, glaring Zhao Langzhong’s words that were about to come out of his mouth back into his stomach.
Zhao Langzhong, under the gaze of Zhang Guancu, was absent, muttered, and controlled his mouth. In his heart, he was dissatisfied, why did he give him 10,000 taels of silver, in previous years, this item was only 4,000 to 5,000 taels of silver that was given to Chakku.
Now all of a sudden gave Zhu Pingan more than double more, that is not our share of the silver is less!
“Ten thousand taels ……”Zhu Pingan smacked his lips.
Move on good, huh, you Zhu Pingan is just so well, a district of 10,000 taels of silver to buy you off.
Seeing Zhu Pingan smacking his lips, the smile on Jia Langzhong’s face grew even wider, and a smile appeared on Zhang Guanku’s face as well.
“Is this ‘practice’ known to be agreed upon above? If it is known to be agreed, then I can accept it; if it is not known, then I cannot accept a single cent.”Zhu Pingan swept his eyes one by one over Jia Langzhong, Zhang Guancu and the others, and slightly shrugged his shoulders.
“Erm, this well ……It’s been done this way for over a hundred years, and this practice is considered Taicang’s rules of the trade. If Zi Hou doesn’t accept it, wouldn’t that be breaking the rules?”Jia Langzhong persuaded bitterly.
Er.
How is it that if I clean myself up, I’m breaking the rules instead? What kind of rules are these!
Zhu Pingan laughed breathlessly and arched his hand in offence, “Zi Hou doesn’t know the rules, so please don’t be offended by this, my lords. However, without merit, auditing the silver coffers is Ping An’s part of the matter, the normal point of time to release the Yamen, a few days time is enough, and not like you all adults like continuous months to stay up all night to work overtime, so this silver, I have no face to receive.”
