noffsinger Chapter 22 Wang Qingtian
Chapter 22 Wang Qingtian
Chapter 22 Wang Qingtian
"Brother Pig, the injury on your face is because you couldn't control your mouth and talked nonsense, so you got beaten up, right?" Lin Qing mocked.
Damn it, one minute he's calling me a pig, the next he's calling me a corrupt official. Wang Wenzhou thought it was time to reveal his true identity, and he gave Li Hechen a wink.
Li Hechen understood immediately, knelt on one knee, and respectfully said, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency!"
"Ah!" Everyone was dumbfounded. No one could believe that the incredibly ugly, drooling fat man in front of them was actually the magistrate of Hanshan County. His appearance was just too terrible!
Wang Wenzhou cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd and said, "I am Wang Wenzhou, the newly appointed magistrate of Hanshan County."
"Corrupt official!" Lin Qing muttered under his breath.
Wang Wenzhou, a conman in later generations, was very cultured, calm and composed, and never got angry. He simply pretended that Lin Qing wasn't cursing him.
Wang Wenzhou said in a serious tone, "You all probably know that Hanshan County is poor, but I guess you don't know just how poor Hanshan County is!"
Wang Wenzhou smiled bitterly and said, "According to regulations, county magistrates are provided with sedan chairs, but none of the several magistrates of Hanshan have ever ridden in one. This is all because the yamen has no money. Before I became an official, my father earnestly told me that if an official does not serve the people, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes. I really want to do something for the people of Hanshan."
Old Cheng cupped his hands and said, "Lord Wang! Although the yamen is not wealthy, you cannot levy taxes arbitrarily!"
Wang Wenzhou didn't answer, but walked out of the city gate in a few steps. He turned back, took out a coin, and said, "I want to enter the city."
Li Hechen quickly accepted the money, made a note of it, tore off a tax receipt, and respectfully handed it to Wang Wenzhou with both hands.
Anyone with eyes could see that Magistrate Wang was setting an example by himself. His message was: "I'm the county magistrate; I pay the city entry tax when I enter the city. Why don't you commoners pay?" The shouts of "corrupt official!" immediately subsided. Even the four great scholars who had been calling Wang Wenzhou "Brother Pig" fell silent, wanting to see what he was up to.
Holding the ticket tightly, Wang Wenzhou proclaimed loudly, "Taxes are collected from the people and used for the people. I am young and have been favored by His Majesty, who has bestowed upon me this official robe. I hereby assure you, elders of Hanshan, that every penny of tax revenue is accounted for. Hanshan is a small county with no nursing homes, relief centers, or charitable cemeteries; impoverished people can only seek relief from the prefecture. I ask you elders to witness that within three years, Hanshan County will establish its own nursing homes, relief centers, and charitable cemeteries."
After hearing Wang Wenzhou's words of righteous indignation, the people immediately fell silent.
What's most important for a con artist? Of course, it's their eloquence. Only a con artist who can convince a bald man to buy a comb or a man to buy sanitary napkins is a good con artist. Many phone scammers can't even speak proper Mandarin, yet people still fall for their tricks. Wang Wenzhou is very frustrated. In this era where bad money drives out good, how can such unprofessional con artists survive? It's truly disappointing.
Wang Wenzhou smiled and continued, “Taxes are taken from the people and used for the people. Many people may think that this is just an excuse, something I say casually. But to show my determination, I have specially invited Mr. Cheng to serve as the tax inspector. From now on, Mr. Cheng will have the authority to supervise every penny of the tax revenue entering the city.”
After saying that, Wang Wenzhou bowed deeply to Old Cheng and said, "I hope you will deign to do this job, but Hanshan County is too poor, and there is no salary for this job."
"For the sake of the people of Hanshan, I took this job." Old Cheng thought, "Are you trying to provoke me? I don't need your meager salary. With me here, you won't get a single penny out of your pocket."
"On behalf of the people of Hanshan, I thank Elder Cheng." Wang Wenzhou bowed deeply to Elder Cheng again.
"Old Cheng is a real scoundrel!"
"As soon as the master arrived, Old Cheng started flattering him!"
"Hmph! That old spendthrift, he doesn't care about a single penny, but it breaks my heart!"
The common people were outraged. They thought Old Cheng had gone too far. "You were the one who led the opposition to the city entrance tax, and then the magistrate came, said a few words of righteous indignation, gave you a job, and you agreed to collect the tax? You, Old Cheng, may not care about a single penny, but for us small merchants, every penny counts!"
Old Cheng felt quite embarrassed when he heard the gossip from the people. Since Wang Wenzhou dared to appoint him as the supervisor to oversee expenditures, it meant that Lord Wang wasn't the tyrannical person he had initially imagined. Instead, he genuinely wanted to do something practical for the people of Hanshan.
"Quiet! Quiet!" Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and said, "Everyone, please listen to me for a few more words. To encourage everyone to pay the city entry tax, I have set up a special bonus. Half of the revenue from this city entry tax will be allocated to the bonus."
Wang Wenzhou shook the tax stamp in his hand and said, "Everyone receives a tax stamp when they pay taxes and enter the city. Each tax stamp has a unique number. Starting today, a lottery will be held here half an hour before the city gates close each day. The lucky person drawn will win the prize money."
This is actually the lottery of later generations. There was a reason why Wang Wenzhou linked the lottery with the city entry tax. The city population is small now. If Hanshan County had more than 100 million people, the city entry tax alone could collect several thousand taels of silver every day.
"Someone, bring out the silver." Wang Wenzhou beckoned to Wang Qiang.
Wang Qiang opened the backpack on his back and placed a ten-tael silver ingot on the table with a "thud".
Wang Wenzhou pointed to the silver ingot and said, "As the father of Hanshan County, I must do my part for the county. This ten taels of silver is today's bonus. All the people who pay the city entry tax may receive it."
"Wow!" The people were astonished. That was ten taels of silver! Silver was expensive and copper coins were cheap; one tael of silver could be exchanged for 1500 copper coins. For just one copper coin, there was a chance to get ten taels of silver. Why not take advantage of it? Although they might not be the lucky one, who could say for sure that they wouldn't be? What if that person was them?
"Quiet!" Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and continued, "This ten taels of silver is my savings. After all, the city entry tax has just been collected, and we can't collect this much money every day. I guarantee that ten taels of silver is the minimum bonus. Before the daily city entry tax revenue is less than twenty taels of silver, the bonus will not reach ten taels of silver. I will make up the shortfall with my own savings."
Hanshan County has a population of just over ten thousand. Even if everyone enters and leaves the county once a day, it wouldn't be enough to cover ten taels of silver. Twenty taels of silver would require each person to enter and leave the county two or three times a day, making it impossible for the daily entry tax to reach twenty taels. Nobody is a fool. Lord Wang is subsidizing the county with his own money. People are all made of flesh and blood. How could the people not be moved by Lord Wang's love for the people?
"Master Qingtian!"
"Wang Qingtian!"
Wang Wenzhou was just a corrupt official in the eyes of the people, but in no time, he has become an upright and just official.
Wang Wenzhou cupped his hands in greeting to Old Cheng and said, "I would like to trouble you, Mr. Cheng, to come here when the city gates are closed this evening to witness today's city entry tax revenue and the prize draw."
Old Cheng immediately felt that he had been judging a gentleman by his own petty standards, so he quickly bowed deeply to Wang Wenzhou and respectfully replied, "Rest assured, sir, I will obey your orders."