Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Upon seeing this, the waiter quickly stopped the Taoist priests and bowed: "Oh, my dear immortal masters, please calm down. This is a small business and we can't afford to go through trouble. Don't do it."

It seems that both parties have some insider knowledge.

"Get out of the way!" a slightly older Taoist priest snorted coldly.

The shopkeeper also waved his hands repeatedly and said: "Dear immortal masters, I can't do it, I can't do it, I really misunderstood. Today is a happy day as promised."

"Who cares whether you like it or not? If I don't give you the remaining money, your house will be closed tonight!" Another Taoist said viciously.

These Taoist priests wear uniform costumes, a bit like the Maoshan Taoist priests in the movie "Mr. Zombie", but more gorgeous.

Jiang Xinghuo glanced up and frowned, wondering where these people came from.

"What's going on?" A voice sounded from outside.

"Here comes the catcher!" said the man.

The next moment, he saw a man walking in from outside. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with dark skin, carrying a sword and wearing official clothes.

Jiang Xinghuo looked at each other. He had never been to this town, so he didn't know him at all, but the faces of the Taoist priests beside him changed slightly.

The leading Taoist priest said respectfully: "I've seen head arrests before."

"Um."

The catcher said calmly: "Are you gathering a crowd to cause trouble?"

Obviously, from the cheerful tone of the waiter and the qualitative attitude of the catcher, it is not difficult to see that the catcher is biased towards the restaurant owner.

A little Taoist priest said anxiously: "Captain, listen to me. This shopkeeper ordered our glass Bagua mirror and then changed his mind. The goods are ready. We are angry, so we came here to ask for an explanation."

After hearing this, the catcher was silent for a moment and asked the boss: "Is what they said true?"

The shopkeeper said: "What I said about arresting the head is true, but I heard people say that a glass Bagua mirror was installed in the restaurant across the street, which sucked away all our family's wealth, so I ordered one. But then I heard about the Guoshi's I also bought one for the prism scattering experiment. There was nothing unusual about the light. The restaurant across the street also felt that I had been cheated. It was of no use at all. Instead, it dazzled the guests, which directly had the effect of driving away guests. My guests On the contrary, there were more, and the door was brighter, so they also took down the glass Bagua mirror, so my family didn’t want to order it anymore. They didn’t do it well at all. They just didn’t want to refund my money and asked me to pay the remaining money. Hand in hand, I found out today that there is a wedding banquet tonight, and I actually want to come over to do something for someone, which is really annoying."

Although the shopkeeper's language organization ability was really worrying, and he couldn't explain the whole thing in bits and pieces, Jiang Xinghuo could roughly understand what was going on.

However, Jiang Xinghuo also sighed for a while. Although he knew very well that every decision and action he made would affect the lives and destiny of many ordinary people, but feeling it so intuitively still made him feel something unspeakable. .

The catcher was slightly startled, and after thinking for a while, he asked: "Then have you made this mirror? If you can make it, just bring it over and I will be a fair person to you. If you don't make it, the shopkeeper will pay the deposit. , and don’t bother me again.”

"Um." The little Taoist priest was speechless, "He is still in the workshop."

The catcher frowned: "That means it hasn't been done yet? Can't we withdraw before it's done?"

The leading Taoist priest said displeasedly: "How can there be such a truth in the world? If we do this, will we still be able to do business? Don't deceive me. I know that you, the head catcher, are respected by the shopkeeper, but we are not vegetarians either. , Does Master Longhushan know? Does the Imperial Master know? This glass workshop is the property of adults."

After listening to the arrest, he hesitated for a moment. Of course he could take care of these little Taoist priests, but the glass workshop employed thousands of people, and it was directly under the management of the president's reform affairs office. He had a profound background and had great influence in the small town. Big, he had to worry about it. If the other party didn't make it clear, it seemed that for the sake of the past, he could still pretend to be confused and help the shopkeeper. But now that the other party had revealed his identity, he couldn't give it to him. The confusion continued.

Seeing that the head catcher was shaken, another young Taoist priest said softly: "Boldly beg the head catcher to seek justice for us."

The catcher looked at the shopkeeper, sighed and said, "Oh, I can't blame you for this. After all, it was the shopkeeper who returned the goods without any reason."

"Okay, shopkeeper, just buy this Bagua glass mirror. This can be regarded as a good relationship. Then let these people give you some magic weapons, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?"

Watching the head catcher changing his face in Sichuan Opera, Jiang Xinghuo felt even more satisfied. It was really real in the world.

This kind of thing happens all the time among the people. It is impossible to control it. Taking care of one thing can certainly make you feel relieved, but can he be able to control it with so many prefectures, counties, and towns and villages in the world?

This was also the question he was thinking about while eating. Is the world getting better or worse because of his changes? If it gets better, how much better does it get?

Policies will always look different when implemented at the grassroots level. If a new policy is formulated in order to change something, and the people remain unchanged, the final result will still be the same.

He changed all the troops and police officers of the Five Cities into patrol officers. Can he really prevent these things? Just change the skin.

Moreover, many trivial matters at the grassroots level are mostly done by the public saying that the public is justified and the mother-in-law is being justified. If you have to distinguish right from wrong, then it really complies with the saying that it is difficult for an upright official to deal with household affairs.

"Thank you, Captor." The little Taoist priest burst into tears of gratitude.

The catcher looked at the shopkeeper on the side again.

The shopkeeper gritted his teeth, took out a wad of banknotes and handed it over with both hands: "This is the remaining money."

"Thank you." The leading Taoist priest handed over his hand and received the money. He knew how to measure and no longer pushed too far. He took out a few magic weapons and trinkets from his pocket and threw them on the counter.

Jiang Xinghuo glanced at the diners beside him and found that their expressions were indifferent. They seemed to be used to this kind of thing, and they didn't want to join in the fun and stretched their necks to watch. They were very different from the people who gathered around to watch the beggar freeze to death.

If you look carefully at their clothes and behavior, you can see that most of the people in Nanjing who love to watch the excitement are engaged in the city service industry, and these people are more merchants and workmen than those in the city. The people here obviously have a more personal sense of time and the consciousness of not causing trouble for themselves when they go out.

"The shopkeeper's!"

At this time, the guy couldn't hold his breath.

The shopkeeper waved his hand to the waiter and bent his back.

Jiang Xinghuo tapped his chopsticks.

Wang Bin stood up and said in a deep voice to the Taoist priests who came to the door: "Please wait a moment. It will not be too late to leave after we find out the cause and deal with it impartially."

The Taoist priests paused, and someone came over with an angry look: "Who are you, you dare to stop me from waiting?"

"It doesn't matter who I am, I only know that you used the name of Longhu Mountain to tarnish the reputation of the workshop."

The little Taoist priest sneered: "You still want to arrest the disciples of the Great Master of Longhu Mountain? Are you worthy?"

"You must know that we, Master Zhang Da, are with the National Preceptor."

When Jiang Xinghuo heard this, he couldn't help but smile and said, "Call Zhang Yuchu over first, and the rest will wait here."

Several attendants in the carriage behind also blocked the door of the restaurant.

The leading Taoist priest was stunned when he heard this, and looked at Jiang Xinghuo carefully. Although he had only met Jiang Xinghuo from a distance with his master before, but now it seems that the more he looks like him, the more he looks like him.

"Senior brother?"

The others looked at him with inquiring eyes.

The Taoist priest looked at each other and then shook his head bitterly.

The hearts of these Taoist priests suddenly jumped.

The leading Taoist priest said calmly: "You guys wait here first."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to the glass workshop to find Zhang Yuchu. Jiang Xinghuo glanced at them and lowered his head to continue eating. This time, there was no more noise in the shop. Everyone stayed there in silence, even breathing. He also became much more gentle, and the customers in the store all left voluntarily.

The shopkeeper smiled apologetically and said, "Please try a few more dishes."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded. He would just give him enough money later. The shopkeeper was feeling very uneasy right now. He thought that if he rejected him, it would make him even more uneasy. He was too lazy to look for other food and just asked the waiter. All the dishes in the store are served.

A total of six more meat dishes, four vegetarian plates, and a pot of rice wine were added. The waiter came over with the wine pot and filled Jiang Xinghuo's cup.

"Thanks."

Jiang Xinghuo raised his hand to signal, and then took a sip from the wine glass. It tasted good.

The children on the side were also very hungry. They were not full from the porridge just now, and the food was fragrant. When they saw this, including the little beggar and the two girls, they immediately wolfed down the food without caring about the image.

On the other side, the Taoist priest hurried across the Liangyun River and returned to the glass workshop to see Zhang Yuchu.

Zhang Yuchu was sitting in the house in retreat studying the mind, when he suddenly heard someone breaking in, he frowned immediately.

"Breeze!"

Qingfeng Nuguan stopped her junior brother, but he still shouted outside the house: "Master, there is something urgent."

Listening to the familiar voice, Zhang Yuchu said impatiently: "Come in."

After the disciple came in, Zhang Yuchu looked up at him and said coldly: "What's the matter?"

"Master." The leading Taoist priest explained what had just happened, and finally said, "We really can't blame us for this matter. We were also tricked by the renegade shopkeeper."

"Being cheated?" Zhang Yuchu frowned, "What's going on?"

The leader told him in detail what had just happened, and added: "And I guess that the person who asked the junior brothers to be detained may be the national master."

"National Preceptor? Can you see clearly?"

Zhang Yuchu couldn't help but frowned after confirming again and again. He knew very well that from being forced to leave Longhu Mountain to live in seclusion in the Jianwen Dynasty, to now becoming a master of Xinxinxue, all of this was inseparable from Jiang Xinghuo, not to mention Jiang Xinghuo. As for the division of profits between the fertilizer workshop and the glass workshop, he was deeply bound to Jiang Xinghuo, and he must not disobey Jiang Xinghuo's wishes at this time.

Isn't it just a matter of face? I gave it.

"It doesn't matter, if the Imperial Master is really here, he can't escape. Please take me with you."

Zhang Yuchu and others hurried to the restaurant. When he saw the Longhu Mountain Heavenly Master coming in person, the arrester was so nervous that he didn't dare to say anything, for fear that a conflict would actually happen and it would affect him.

After all, Zhang Yuchu also had an official position in the imperial court. Whether it was the Senglu Department or the Daolu Department, he was a serious court official, and his status in the academic world was also very high.

What's more, Zhang Yuchu's prestige in this world is extraordinary. Not only do thousands of people depend on the workshop for food, but there are also related transportation and other industries, so they are prosperous. He, a small headhunter, would not dare to arrest him no matter what. Offending.

The catcher watched the development of the situation nervously, but what shocked him was that the great master of Longhushan, who was wearing a gorgeous Taoist robe, actually bowed respectfully to the young man in the restaurant when he saw him.

Jiang Xinghuo and his children had already finished eating. When Zhang Yuchu arrived, he didn't say anything. He just stood up and said, "Take it back and discipline it well. If the food is not ready, don't pursue it if you regret it by paying the deposit. We are having a wedding banquet in the restaurant." , why bother if everyone who comes to your door is unhappy?"

Seeing the Master lying low and acting small, the Taoist priests didn't know that by taking advantage of the situation, they were kicking the iron plate. They hurriedly begged: "We were wrong. It was because we were obsessed with it. The glass Bagua Mirror was not ready yet." Thinking of scaring the store and selling the goods, we will never dare to do it again in the future and apologize to you."

Zhang Yuchu simply abandoned his troops to protect his commander: "National Master, these scoundrels are at your disposal. We at Longhu Mountain cannot afford to lose this person!"

As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden silence in the restaurant where the guests had finished walking.

It was actually the national master who came in person!

The shopkeeper and waiters of the restaurant were as if they were in a dream for a while. They couldn't believe it until they pinched themselves hard before they believed it was true.

The little beggar among the children looked at Jiang Xinghuo blankly. He couldn't believe that the legendary immortal was kind enough to pick him up and give him a full meal.

The leading Taoist priest knelt on the ground and kowtowed as if pounding garlic. The other Taoist priests around him also followed suit.

"Forget it, let's move on. Don't make such a gesture." Jiang Xinghuo waved his hand and asked Zhang Yuchu to take him away.

The group of people thanked him with tears of gratitude and disappeared in a flash.

Zhang Yuchu looked at the unchanged expression on Jiang Xinghuo's face and asked tentatively: "National Master, I sent a disciple to refund the deposit."

Jiang Xinghuo waved his hand: "No, since the shopkeeper wants to return the goods, there is no reason to refund the deposit."

Seeing that the shopkeeper was panicked for a moment and did not dare to speak at this time, Jiang Xinghuo shook his head and said to Wang Bin: "You pay."

The shopkeeper hurriedly waved his hand and said: "The Imperial Master's visit to the shop is already a favor. How dare you accept the Imperial Master's money?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xinghuo said: "How can that be done? You are a businessman, how can you be allowed to sell things without taking money? By doing this, haven't I just said that they are wrong, but they are doing the same thing again. "

"This is nothing."

The shopkeeper still wanted to try: "This is a noble person's care. The shop really doesn't dare to accept the money from the imperial master. Why don't the imperial master leave a calligraphy treasure?"

Jiang Xinghuo inexplicably remembered the story of Yan Song and Liu Biju.

Wang Bin paid the money, and without saying anything else, Jiang Xinghuo took his children and left. The shopkeeper personally sent him to the door.

The attendants were guarding the door. People outside did not get any news, and people inside naturally did not dare to announce what had just happened.

Jiang Xinghuo and a few children watched the laborers working hard to carry goods on the grain river, like hard-working ants, going back and forth.

"Nothing has changed."

Jiang Xinghuo patted Yu Qian's shoulder and asked, "Do you think it's a good feeling to have power?"

Yu Qian was honest: "I don't, but I think it would be good if I could use my power in the right place like Master."

"Ha~"

Jiang Xinghuo breathed a sigh of relief, a white mist appeared in the air, and repeated.

"But I still haven't changed anything."

Jiang Xinghuo fell into some huge doubts. He solved several things today, but it seemed that nothing was solved.

All the efforts he made seemed to have played a major role in changing the strategy of the entire country from top to bottom, and then set history on a new track.

But if you think about it carefully, is this kind of reform that is divorced from the people really correct?

Jiang Xinghuo had a hint of doubt.

This doubt is not about whether he can succeed.

Of course there are successful cases, and many countries have had top-down reforms.

What Jiang Xinghuo doubts is whether the pain and various tests that this reform has brought to the people at the bottom of the historical torrent are really as mild as he imagined. After all, there is a saying that goes well, a period of time. A grain of sand becomes a big mountain when it falls on everyone's head.

It seems that he is busy every day, holding many meetings, meeting many people, dealing with many national affairs, and scheming with the emperor and ministers. But in the final analysis, Jiang Xinghuo found that he was increasingly lacking enough knowledge for the people at the bottom. Got it.

"National Master?" Zhang Yuchu saw that Jiang Xinghuo hadn't spoken for a long time and thought he was angry with himself. At this time, he could only take the initiative to test.

Instead, Jiang Xinghuo said, "Is the catcher still hiding in the restaurant and not daring to leave? Ask him to find some shipping bosses for me."

Zhang Yuchu went to deliver the message in person. The arrester didn't know what the imperial master wanted to do, but he still followed the instructions and "invited" several ship bosses from the dock in the town.

Probably after receiving orders from the leader, the ship bosses knew that the identity of the young man with several children in front of them was not simple, so they did not dare to speak at first.

"I'm asking you something, please tell the truth." Wang Bin reminded from the side.

"What's the status of the tax discussion now?"

When the ship bosses saw Zhang Yuchu at first, they didn't dare to say anything. Jiang Xinghuo asked, "Did Zhang Zhen ever give him the full amount of money when transporting glass and fertilizer to his workshop?"

"Of course it's true."

Jiang Xinghuo asked a few more questions, probably because he saw that Jiang Xinghuo had a good attitude, so the group of ship bosses talked and talked, but they all started talking.

"As the year goes by, it becomes more and more troublesome to discuss tax regulations, and the tax amount becomes higher and higher."

"The commercial tax rate has not changed, so why is the tax amount getting higher and higher?"

A ship boss answered cautiously: "It is said that the Imperial Guard has to levy a commercial tax of 2.1 million taels, so the tax collector levied more. We travel around the boundaries of the capital, and there is no such saying in the capital. I know he is looking for reasons at random, but it's not I dare not say anything more.”

Jiang Xinghuo raised his eyebrows and asked again: "What kind of taxes do you have to pay for transportation along the grain transport river?"

"Warehouses, shops, and warehouses where merchants' goods are stored must collect money according to the number of people and goods every day."

"As long as donkeys, mules, and carriages are employed to carry goods and enter and exit the capital or other cities, each must also pay a separate carriage and horse tax."

"The grain transport rivers and official roads, these water and land passages, have officials setting up checkpoints and tax inspectors at intervals along the way. After passing the customs, you have to collect corresponding taxes according to the distance traveled and the amount of goods loaded."

"What taxes are there?"

"Ouch!"

The ship boss sighed and said: "There are too many shipping materials tax, article tax, gate tax, and customs duties."

"Big or small cargo ships, the shipowners have ship materials, the merchants have ship money, there is commercial tax when entering the store, and there is regular tax when leaving the store. From now on, the goods are sold in the town, and there is commercial tax when going to the next bay. Within a hundred miles, the commercial tax is in charge There are three officials, and if a piece of goods comes in, the questioner will calculate the tax. Even if it is a huge profit, there will be only a few cents left."

Jiang Xinghuo learned about the tax situation and didn't say anything. Instead, he let the boat bosses leave and asked the captain to lead the way and take a stroll in the small town by the river.

Due to its geographical location, this is a natural cargo distribution center. Many materials shipped from surrounding areas to Nanjing City are loaded, unloaded, and diverted here.

Therefore, there are all kinds of businesses in the small town.

"Shopkeeper, I have something to ask you."

"My husband, how is business today?"

"This guy is here to stay and I want to inquire about some business."

Jiang Xinghuo asked the children to return to the carriage, and took only Yu Qian and Wang Bin with him. They walked around patiently and went in to almost every store. With the help of the head catcher, the questioning went smoothly.

In addition to tax issues, shops and merchants here also face an important problem, which is the government's mandatory material procurement.

According to Lao Zhu's rules, the central yamen of the imperial court, such as the six ministries and various temples, did not purchase materials in a unified way. Instead, they went to the private sector to purchase them separately according to their departmental needs, and then spent the department's own funds. .

Lao Zhu stipulates that only officials with the authority to purchase materials can do this, and they must pay according to the market price.

But Jiang Xinghuo’s actual investigation revealed that after more than 30 years of evolution, many officials in bureaus, temples, and yamen now write blank tickets, specifying the name, color, variety, and quantity to request goods, even if they do not have legal purchasing rights. But instead of giving money or sending someone to pick up the goods at the store, they wrote the words "pay at the office" on the ticket and asked the store to deliver the goods.

If you have a good attitude, you will be given half or 30% of the money after receiving the goods. If you have a bad attitude, you will get nothing for free. And then there are even more outrageous ones. Not only will you get it for free, but they will also criticize the poor quality of the goods, so they will simply refuse and then call you. The board sent the person back, and the goods were packed and delivered again, but in fact, he still had to be hit by the board again. After this, the shop came to its senses and realized that the other party was extorting money and could only lose money. Avoid disasters.

"Public administration not only relies on Beijing inspections and examination methods to promote changes at the top, but the people at the bottom are especially exploited by the lack of official administration. The harm caused by subordinate officials is especially the crimson generation!"

What Jiang Xinghuo saw today strengthened the idea he had just had.

Reforms that only take the upper-level route are prone to failure. When formulating policies, we must pay attention to top-down things, and at the same time, we must not forget the most fundamental grassroots.

The matter of the tax guards will be accelerated.

Only a reliable taxation force in one's own hands can temporarily eradicate the corruption of officialdom and taxation abuse at the grassroots level (before this force also becomes alienated and degraded).

And Jiang Xinghuo also wanted to try to confirm some of the ideas that he and himself in the dream had before.

"Is it possible to win the hearts and minds of the people?"

Jiang Xinghuo buried this idea in his heart.

At present, government administration and taxation are intertwined. It is necessary to take advantage of the opportunity that Shenfa Temple has just been established and the emperor and Jin Youzi have to drastically reform the legal system to reorganize the taxation system, eliminate these cleverly named taxes, and at the same time reduce duplication of taxation and control the court. The purchasing power of each ministry and temple prevents low-level subordinates from lining their own pockets, thereby reducing waste in taxation.

Jiang Xinghuo found a place with pen and ink and wrote down his thoughts.

"The capital is the fundamental place where Your Majesty resides. The people will be prosperous, the people's hearts will be at peace, and the emergency can also depend on it. Emperor Taizu Gao took the rich families from all over the world to fill the capital, which is why it is so ruined today." ?

The money and food provided by the imperial court were all due to attracting merchants, and if they were paid, they would be of value. Therefore, the state was not in short supply, and the merchants were profitable. Today's price is based on current estimates, and the people have not lost a single penny. Compared with the previous dynasty, it is definitely not a cut and an increase, but if the people do not benefit from it, it will be like this. Although we have repeatedly addressed the issue and are lenient to the present, the source of the problem has not been addressed, and there is no way to save us from the difficulties. We are afraid that the decline will become worse day by day. I would like your Majesty to give special orders to all the ministries and temples to check how the officials and people of the past can make things easier. , the law is based on the request, and the merchants pay money and food, and they should be given the value; even if the silver is insufficient, they must be transferred to the place without delay, and the long-standing shortcomings must be rectified, and there must be no expenses for use and management. There is still something hidden in it, and it must be made clear. All punishments and punishments must not be ambiguous, so that the common people and merchants will not suffer, and the people of the capital can live in peace. "

After finishing in one breath, Jiang Xinghuo put away the draft paper and said to Zhang Yuchu again.

"It's still early today. Let's go to your fertilizer workshop and glass workshop to see the production and living conditions of the workers."