One copper coin buys a magistrate
1. Call for official
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs were in power, bandits were rampant, famines continued for years, and the people were in dire straits.
Early that morning, a young man came outside Xihua Gate in the Imperial City of Beijing. This man is fair and fat, in his twenties, wearing a coarse cloth gown full of patches, but has bright eyes. The soldiers guarding the imperial city waved him away, but the man refused to leave. He knelt down with a thud, shouted "Long live the emperor" toward the imperial city, and then shouted three times in a row "I'm going to do it." official".
The soldiers were happy, where did this song come from? They immediately stepped forward to tell him to shut up. Unexpectedly, this man kept saying that he had received advice from an expert. As long as he shouted "I want to be an official" three times at the gate of the imperial city, someone would give him an official position.
The soldiers didn't talk nonsense to him and immediately tied him up and threw him into prison. At this moment, a young eunuch ran out of the imperial city panting and said that Eunuch Wei had an order to bring this man in.
Eunuch Wei is Wei Zhongxian. He is the Eunuch Bingbi, the Chief of Ceremonies. He is nine thousand years old. He is a famous figure in front of the current emperor. When Bing Yong heard this, he did not dare to neglect him, so he had to let him go.
In fact, Eunuch Wei has been worrying about something these past two days. It turns out that this time it was time for the imperial court to appoint officials from various places. Everyone rushed to grab the officials from other places, and they were all filled quickly. Only the post of magistrate of Funiu County in western Henan has not been filled for a long time. . Although Funiu County is a small county, it is a prosperous place because it is located on the transportation artery of Henan, Shaanxi and Hubei, and is busy with business and travel. However, in recent years, there have been years of famine and bandits running rampant. Officials sent by the court either colluded with the bandits, or failed to deal with the bandits and were killed by the bandits. Who would want to be an official in a place like this? In desperation, the emperor asked Wei Eunuch to handle the matter at his discretion, saying that as long as the banditry in western Henan was controlled, the court would receive a heavy reward. Eunuch Wei thought about it and found that this matter was really difficult to handle. I was passing by the west gate of the imperial city early that morning. I was worried when I heard someone outside shouting that I wanted to be an official. Is this God's will?
Eunuch Wei looked at the person coming carefully and knew that this person was called Sun Liupang. He was a little stupid, but that was just right. Who would be willing to be a sesame and mung bean official in that corner? This is very good. If he fails to serve well as an official, when the court investigates him, he will put all the blame on this fool. Duke Wei had made up her mind and made a decisive decision: "Okay, it's him!"
Sun Liupang received the appointment document from the imperial court and looked at the bright red official seal on it. He was so happy. He thanked Eunuch Wei and was about to take office. But Eunuch Wei stopped him and kept rubbing the thumb, index finger and ring finger of his right hand towards Sun Liupang. Sun Liupang didn't understand what he meant and looked dull. Eunuch Wei was anxious and shouted in a thin voice: "Why don't you get the money quickly?"
Only then did Sun Liupang understand what Eunuch Wei meant. He rummaged all over his body and almost took off all his clothes. Only then did he find a copper coin in the corner of his robe. Sun Liupang raised the copper coin, handed it to Eunuch Wei with both hands, and said, "I only have so much left, give it all to you!"
Eunuch Wei was happy again, this guy is really a living treasure! He took the copper coins, waved his hand, and let Sun Liupang go…
2. Gambling
As soon as Sun Liupang came out of the palace, holding the appointment document in his hand, he shook his head and hummed the opera. His proud look made the veteran guard at the gate half brave to death. Looking at the genuine appointment document in Sun Liupang's hand, Lao Lao Yong's eyes almost fell down. He thought to himself: I have been looking at the imperial city gate for most of my life, but I have never seen someone who can be considered as a person by shouting twice at the imperial city gate. Damn it, is this too easy? Seeing a fool shouting a few times at the gate of the imperial city and making an official move, the old soldier Yong cleared his throat and wanted to shout twice, but after thinking about it, the sound at the throat turned into a single The phlegm was spat hard onto the ground.
As for Sun Liupang, he had just taken a few steps when he met a young and beautiful woman, calling "official" in her mouth, walking towards Sun Liupang. Sun Liupang raised his eyes and saw that he knew this woman, her name was Xiaoyun. Behind Xiaoyun, followed leisurely by an old man in his fifties or sixties. He had triangular eyes, a mouse beard, a sinister smile, and his mustache was smoothed until it was shiny. This man's name was Lu Sheng, and he was an old liar. When Sun Liupang saw these two people, he was extremely happy. This was really a blessing in life and a double happiness. He had just become an official and his wife came to his door right away!
What's going on? The thing is this: Sun Liupang was a silly boy who fled the famine and came to the capital. As soon as he entered the city, he was targeted by Lu Sheng, an old liar who played "Immortal Jump". Lu Sheng bought a new little beggar girl and named her Xiaoyun. Taking advantage of Xiaoyun's beauty, Lu Sheng used to cheat a lot of money. Lu Sheng asked Xiaoyun to put a sign on the street, saying that she was selling herself to treat her father's illness. Sure enough, when Sun Liupang saw that Xiaoyun, like him, was also a beggar, and she was from the same hometown, he immediately took out all the little money he had. This Lu Sheng is really bad. At last, he still felt that Sun Liupang had too little money. Unable to forgive his resentment, he casually lied to him and said: "Now the emperor needs talents. A man like you who has both ability and political integrity, as long as he comes to the emperor Shouting "I want to be an official" three times at the city gate, the emperor will give you a big official. At that time, I will marry Xiaoyun to you." Sun Liupang was an orphan. He suffered from a serious illness since he was a child. My head was a bit unclear and my mind was not clear, so I just believed it and followed it. Unexpectedly, by coincidence, it happened that Eunuch Wei needed a fool to be an official, so it happened.
Today, the old liar Lu Sheng was walking down the street early in the morning. He heard that there was a fool at the gate of the imperial city calling for an official position. He couldn't help but feel a "thump" in his heart. When he looked closer, he saw a few soldiers pulling a The fat man is indeed Fatty Sun Liu! This is bad. What if it is found out that he instigated him to shout at the gate of the imperial city? This made Lu Sheng anxious. Unexpectedly, after a while, Sun Liupang walked out of the imperial city safely with the appointment documents in a swaggering manner. Lu Sheng's head was spinning, and he was so happy that he thought: This man is easy to cheat, why don't I become an official with him, that is a more promising career than a liar, so the previous scene happened.
According to the rules of the imperial court, all officials must report to the Ministry of Personnel before taking office, receive a seal and register in the register. When the three of them arrived at the Libu Yamen, they realized that they had to pay a "regular fee" of three hundred taels of silver. Where did Sun Liupang get so much money? Lu Sheng gritted his teeth, took out a few banknotes from his pocket, pawned some more, and took out all his wealth over the years. Only then did he get enough. Lu Sheng was going to take a gamble!
All matters settled, he took office. When they came to Funiu County, they looked at the dilapidated county government office and made further inquiries. Only then did Sun Liupang and his party realize that they had been tricked by Eunuch Wei! Although there are many wealthy squires in Funiu County, these people, taking advantage of the banditry, have declared that they have spent a lot of money fighting bandits, so how can they still have money to pay taxes? Moreover, the number of bandits is increasing. The common people are unwilling to farm and are willing to be bandits. Long-term farm laborers cannot be hired. Then eradicate the banditry, but without money, who is willing to risk his life?
Lu Sheng thought that his free money was about to be wasted, and he even wanted to hang himself! As for Sun Liupang, he is following Xiaoyun around these days, saying he is inspecting the people's sentiments. How can he act like a county magistrate? The more Lu Sheng watched, the angrier he became, thinking that I, an old liar, had capsized in the gutter and fell into the hands of a fool!
After holding it in for three days, Lu Sheng was almost mad to death. On this day, Xiaoyun said that after discussing with Sun Liupang, she came up with a good idea. I don’t know how this method works, but it made Lu Sheng’s eyes light up and he felt much happier…
One copper coin buys a magistrate
3. Auction
Soon, a notice was posted at the gate of the county government office. Sun Liupang, in the name of the county magistrate, said on the notice that all positions in the government office were for sale, and the official who collected taxes was sold at the highest price. This was a fat job; Heads are the cheapest and it’s a chore. However, the notice said that the performance of bandit suppression was calculated based on the number of bandits eliminated. The better the performance, the more rewards you would get. In addition, there are Master Xing, etc. Others, including the sedan bearers, cooks, and janitors, all have corresponding prices listed. The notice concluded by saying that the opportunity is rare and the one with the highest price will get it.
That day, there were huge crowds of people watching the fun. This was really a new thing, and the tax collector immediately had people sign up to buy it. Although Funiu County is a small county, there are many wealthy squires and wealthy households, and many people want to buy an official position to show off their appearance. The next day, Lu Sheng presided over and Sun Liupang held a public auction in the Yamen lobby. There were several people vying for the position of "tax collector", and it was not suitable for anyone, so it would depend on who offered the higher price. In the end, Song Yuanwai, a wealthy family member, bid for this position at the price of one hundred taels of silver. This made Lu Sheng beam with joy. Immediately afterwards, the county magistrate, the bookkeeper, the criminal master, and the jailer, who were rich and wealthy, were also auctioned off one after another. Even the cooks followed the rising tide and sold for five taels. Lu Sheng was extremely happy. In this way, the capital spent on buying an official position was expected to be recovered.
However, although the position of "bandit leader" is the cheapest, no one has come to buy it. The price has dropped again and again, and the reward for suppressing bandits has been increased from a drop of money to one or two silver for each bandit. Nobody cares. When Lu Sheng was worrying, early that morning, a group of people came noisily to the yamen gate. It turned out to be a group of veterans who had pooled together six taels of silver to buy the position of head catcher.
Sun Liupang asked: "There are fifty or sixty of you, who will be the catcher?" At this time, a man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a strong back stood up and said that his name was Wei Dingwu. He was the eldest brother recommended by this group of veterans and was willing to serve as the catcher. head. Sun Liupang nodded and asked worriedly: "Have you read the conditions on the notice clearly? I only charge six taels of silver. If you don't kill a single bandit in a year, I won't give you one." It’s down to a centimeter.”
Wei Dingwu listened and said: "We all know that Yongzheng swordsman Tusitu Lang died . As long as you keep your word, it will be fine." As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Sheng, who was standing next to him, seemed to wake up suddenly and said fiercely. : "If you kill good bandits, not only will there be no reward, but you will also be severely punished!" Wei Dingwu said: "We are all honest farmers. We have been tortured by bandits in recent years. Yongzheng Swordsman Tu Situ Lang died . Previous generations of The county magistrate only pays lip service and rarely takes serious action against the bandits, and we can no longer stand it."
Lu Sheng's heart moved. This guy seemed to be quite capable. What if he really killed a lot of bandits in the future and had no money to give to others? But then he thought about it and immediately came up with an idea: As soon as I earn enough money to buy an official position with three hundred taels, I will pack up and leave immediately. Will this still be a problem then? Thinking of this, Lu Sheng smiled and took the six taels of silver handed over by Wei Dingwu. In this way, Sun Liupang's Yamen was officially opened.
On this day, a large group of "little officials" who had bought their positions with money cheered and supported Sun Liupang, the "high official", to the hall. Sun Liupang cleared his throat and was about to deliver a few words of his inauguration speech. Unexpectedly, the tax collector Song Yuanwai stepped forward and spoke in Henan Mandarin: "Master Sun, in his position and planning for his government, I Song Jincai bought it." As a tax collector, you have to do a good job in tax collection. This is the preliminary plan I have drawn up. Please take a look at it, Mr. Sun. Whether it succeeds or not, I still have to listen to you."
Sun Liupang received the long speech from Song Yuanwai and was shocked. This Song Yuanwai was really not a vegetarian! As a country squire, Song Yuanwai was well aware of the methods used by his gang to evade and avoid taxes. The reason why taxes cannot be collected is because there is no accurate survey of farmers and shops in the county. Many farmers conceal their land area and many merchants conceal their operating income. In the past, as long as you paid some tribute to the county magistrate when the time came, you could always get by. This time is different. Song Jincai is a businessman. He wants to recoup the cost of buying an official position! According to Song Jincai's plan, first of all, a vigorous census of farmers and shops in the county should be carried out to thoroughly understand the situation in the county; then, based on the investigation, the amount of tax payable would be announced, and the tax payment method and time would be announced on a list. Those who accept first will be rewarded, those who accept later will be punished, and those who refuse will be jailed…
Sun Liupang has never been to school and cannot read. How can he understand this? He pretended to look at it, coughed dryly, and said, "You don't need to look carefully, I'm sure." Lu Sheng secretly laughed to the side. This member of the Song Dynasty is really caring. Now I can save my worries.
Just as Sun Liupang was about to announce his resignation, the county magistrate, chief registrar, and Master Xing all had plans to submit, but Sun Liupang sent them away one by one. At this time, Wei Dingwu spoke again: "Master Sun, we brothers have swords but no swords, guns but no spears, and no complete armor. That's a mistake. We can't be allowed to follow you naked. Are the bandits wrestling?”
After hearing this, Sun Liupang was about to let them figure it out on their own, but Song Yuanwai stepped forward and said that he could advance the money for weapons and armor, but the soldiers had to be lent to him first for census of farmers and shops. Sun Liupang was so happy that he got it right immediately…
4. Clever plan
The vigorous census of farmers and shops in Funiu County began first. Song Yuan slept in the open air and traveled over mountains and ridges for more than a month, and finally compiled a census of the entire county. I don’t know how much hardship I endured during this process. Seeing the fat and white Song Yuanwai turned into a dark and skinny "Song Qianchai", Sun Liupang secretly gave a thumbs up: For money, everyone is really stupid. Yes, I have! The census work went smoothly. After all, Wei Dingwu's brothers were from the army. Once they were wearing brand-new armor and weapons, who would dare not to cooperate?
The tax collection work was also carried out smoothly. In order to improve efficiency, Song Yuanwai divided and subcontracted the tax collection affairs. Song Yuanwai has spoken out. The tax collected will be commissioned at 1%. Who wouldn't want to do something profitable? Even the county magistrate, the chief registrar, the criminal master, and the jailers all put down their work and joined in. Because the census numbers of farmers and shops have been announced in advance, it is not troublesome to collect taxes. Those who are disobedient, underreport, or evade taxes will be handed over to Wei Dingwu. At this time, Wei Dingwu's team also expanded a lot, from the original more than fifty people to more than one hundred people, and they were all equipped with armor and weapons. Wei Dingwu also received a generous commission because he recovered the taxes that were underreported and underreported.
Watching the bags of silver being carried into the yamen's bank one after another, Sun Liupang had fun all day long. The happiest person was Lu Sheng. From the time he took office to now, in less than half a year, he had collected enough taxes With more than ten thousand taels, plus the money he got from selling his official position, Lu Sheng couldn't be happier!
But don’t forget, there is also the largest group of local bandits on Funiu Mountain in Funiu County. The bandit leader Xie Mazi has been staring at the bank and drooling. That day, he sent a spy to find out: Wei Dingwu in the Yamen The main force was assigned to various places to assist in collecting taxes, and Xie Mazi decided to take action.
That night, Xie Mazi and his gang took advantage of the darkness to break through the city gate, set fire everywhere, and took advantage of the chaos to rush into the county government office. How could the few soldiers guarding the bank be the match for Xie Mazi's hundreds of men? The bank was completely robbed.
It was truly a world of ice and fire. Lu Sheng wanted to die. He hugged the burnt door panel of the bank and cried loudly. But Sun Liupang quietly pulled Lu Sheng aside and said something like this. Lu Sheng turned from sadness to worry and asked in disbelief: "Is this possible?" Sun Liupang nodded with a smile.
Early the next morning, great news came: the bandits were bravely led by Wei Dingwu to "take the blame"! It turned out that all of this was Wei Dingwu's plan to Sun Liupang. The silver in the bank is just bait, the purpose is to lure the bandits out. Funiu Mountain has a radius of 500 miles, and the mountains are endless. It is difficult to find the bandit hiding place. This is also an important reason for the failure of previous Funiu County magistrates to suppress the bandits. The bandits grabbed a large sum of money and naturally put it in their lair. This time, Wei Dingwu sent a few agile soldiers, disguised as hunters, to quietly follow the bandits and survey the terrain clearly. Then, Wei Dingwu deployed his troops overnight to surround the hilltop where the bandits were. A strict one, and then wiped out in one fell swoop.
The finishing work went more smoothly, and the master proposed a way to turn bandits into civilians. He proposed that as long as they changed their evil ways and said they would no longer be bandits in the future, the government could give them money, and they would not be held responsible for becoming bandits. As a result, the banditry in Funiu County subsided, and the bandits put down their swords and guns and went to farm. Transportation was restored, commerce prospered, and tax revenue greatly increased. In terms of rewards for merit, poor guys like Wei Dingwu also made a fortune.
A lot of treasures were also found from the bandits' lair. Under Sun Liupang's strong support, these treasures were used to help poor people and build bridges and pave roads. Even so, due to the increase in taxes, in addition to the taxes paid to the court, Lu Sheng and Sun Liupang also made a lot of money.
Unexpectedly, the news that Sun Liupang was selling his official position was reported to the emperor. When he heard that the imperial court was going to send an imperial envoy to investigate thoroughly about his selling out of his official position, Sun Liupang packed up his clothes and wanted to run away.
Unexpectedly, at the gate of the city, I met a large number of people who came to send Wanmin umbrellas. They all said that Sun Liupang was a blue sky. This scene happened to be witnessed by the imperial envoy sent by the imperial court, so he praised Sun Liupang greatly.
After a delicious meal and a good drink, Lu Sheng stuffed a lot of money with him before leaving, and then sent the imperial envoy away. As soon as the imperial envoy left, Fatty Sun immediately called Lu Sheng and Xiaoyun together, closed the door, and said, "We must escape overnight. I have seen through this court. We will lose our strength in a few days. Sooner or later, we will be finished. At that time, we were either killed by the rioters or by bigger officials!" After hearing this, Lu Sheng shook his head. He didn't want to leave. He thought being an official was better because he could make money faster than cheating. Sun Liupang wrote in handwriting that the county magistrate would go to various places to observe the people's sentiments and that Lu Sheng would be authorized to act as agent for all matters in the county government.
After bidding farewell to Lu Sheng and walking out of the city gate, Sun Liupang took Xiaoyun's hand and took a long breath and said: "Thanks to your good idea, we have done good things, eliminated bandits for the people, and got rid of Lu Sheng, this old ghost. From now on, I will listen to you wherever you go."
Xiao Yun smiled sweetly and said, "You saved me because you saw me pitiful. Then you found out that I was lying to you. Why were you still willing to listen to me? Are you really stupid, or are you pretending to be stupid?"
Sun Liupang put his arms around Xiaoyun's slender waist, a sly smile quickly flashed across his face, and then returned to his silly look.
The imperial envoy returned to the court and reported to the emperor that the bandits in western Henan were at peace, transportation was smooth, and people's livelihood was prosperous, all because of Sun Liupang's good governance. The emperor was overjoyed and rewarded him heavily. Unexpectedly, Sun Liupang disappeared somewhere, and all the money ended up in Eunuch Wei's pocket. In fact, Eunuch Wei had always been worried about selling a county magistrate for just one copper coin, and finally found an excuse to kill Lu Sheng, the acting magistrate. Before Eunuch Wei had time to sell his official position as magistrate of Funiu County, the world was in chaos…