Chapter 551 The Aunt Who Returned to Her Parents' House
Chapter 551 The aunt who returns to her parents’ home
The 23rd day of the first lunar month of the fifth year of Zhenguan was the day of Xiao Xianghua’s makeup gift.
On this day, people who are related to the Xiao family either sent gifts or came in person to add makeup to Xiao Xianghua.
The cosmetic gift Lin Wanwan prepared for Xiao Xianghua was a copper-mounted glazed mirror, which is still the most eye-catching gift today.
However, because the glass mirror had already appeared at the makeup ceremony of the twin sisters Xiao Shulian and Xiao Liwei before, everyone was not as shocked as when they saw it this time, but they were still stunned.
Everyone knows that the granddaughter of the Xiao family had a fellow knight knight who gave her many strange and exotic imported goods. She was as rich as anyone in the country. This was really a generous offer.
When my eldest aunt Yuan saw the glazed mirror at the wedding ceremony of the two concubines, she secretly thought that if the concubines had things, her legitimate daughter would naturally have them even more.
Today, I saw Lin Wanwan taking out another glass mirror to add makeup to Xiao Xianghua, and Yuan's face was naturally full of spring breeze.
Although Lin Wanwan did not prepare a richer gift because Xiao Xianghua was the legitimate daughter, Yuan felt slightly uncomfortable.
But after all, the glass mirror was so rare that her discomfort was quickly dissipated.
Xiao Xianghua's house was particularly lively today, with relatives coming and going, giving gifts and saying auspicious words.
The protagonist of this happy event has been sitting on the hanging bed, very silent and not positive. When people came to give gifts, they just bowed and thanked them strictly according to the rules.
Although she was not enthusiastic, she could not be said to be rude. Xiao Xianghua did not lack any proper etiquette, but her expression was cold.
Even if others don't like her, they can't say anything. They can only say that she has the air of being unfazed by honor and disgrace.
It's the kind of polite way of rejecting people from thousands of miles away, unable to make mistakes, and unable to get close to them.
Mrs. Yuan helped entertain in the house, and complained to the guests from time to time: "You are still a child after all, and you can't speak at a time like this."
The visitor will chime in: "You are young and thin-skinned, but things will be different when you get married and become a woman."
The marriage between the Xiao family in Nanlanling and the Wang family in Langya must be a good deal. Even if both parties are just side members, others are willing to give them some dignity.
Therefore, many relatives and friends came to add makeup to Xiao Xianghua today, and even many distant relatives who did not usually move around sent gifts.
It was also on this day that Lin Wanwan met Xiao's mother's other daughter for the first time, Lin Wanwan's aunt Xiao, whose maiden name was Yuning.
This aunt married into the Pang family in Linhai County. Although the Pang family was not an aristocratic family, it was a newly wealthy family.
The eldest uncle of the Xiao family has a prosperous official career and is considered a noble son of a poor family. He is currently working as an errand in Chang'an.
With Uncle Pang established in his family, the Pang family is considered a prominent family in the local area.
The reason why the Xiao family came to Qiantang County this time was just to add makeup to Xiao Xianghua. The purpose of their family was to take a boat from the Hangzhou Grand Canal to Chang'an to join Uncle Pang's family.
Mrs. Xiao has not returned to her parents' home less than five times in the past 20 years since she got married. The mountains are long and the roads are long. On the one hand, a married woman cannot return to her parents' home at will.
The husband of the Xiao family, Pang Yifeng, was a landowner and an idler. He relied on his family's rent and shop income to maintain a high-society life. He had studied, but failed to pass the examination.
Their eldest son, Pang Baoyan, perfectly inherited his father's "reading ability". It was difficult for him to become an official through the imperial examination by studying alone, and there was no chance of relying on recommendation and ancestral Yin, so he put his brains elsewhere.
A few years ago, when the world was first established, the Tang Dynasty had great needs to fight for the world, and its finances and taxes were exhausted, making it difficult to continue.
In order to solve the problems of the salaries of imperial officials and the office expenses of the yamen, Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, devised a plan to solve this problem - lending and leasing by the government, that is, public money and public land.
The capital for setting up a public house is used for the office expenses of various companies.
However, not everyone can do lending and leasing.
When it comes to loan sharking, people without financial acumen may lose everything they own.
And managing the land is not an easy task, because the land cannot guarantee a harvest regardless of drought or flood.
The leasing and rent collection of land, the sale and purchase of grain, etc. are not simple matters. If something is wrong, it will affect the official's income.
What to do?
So the emperor came up with another fantastic idea and set up a very unique "money-catching order" to manage the government's money affairs.
There is only one KPI indicator in the history of catching money: loan sharking.
The three provinces and six ministries of the imperial court all have "money-catching orders". Each yamen has nine people, each of whom is in charge of 50,000 yuan. They lend money to the people through the market and pay interest to the court every month.
This provides an opportunity for some people who cannot rely on their ancestors' influence or talent to become civil servants, but whose families have some assets, to become civil servants.
In fact, it is a disguised form of selling one's official position, and it is legal.
In order to prevent loss of principal, Li Shimin also stipulated that profits must be achieved.
Li Shimin studied the financial market of the Tang Dynasty and decided that it was possible to obtain a 100% return on loan sharking every year.
Therefore, each money-catching order will give the court 4,000 yuan per month, and every year, the emperor will lose 50,000 yuan.
Those who fail to complete the KPI every month will be punished, and there is nothing to say, while those who complete the KPI will be rewarded.
If you have completed the KPIs for twelve consecutive months, you can go to the staff department and wait in line to be assigned to an official position.
It's such a temptation to be an official. It's equivalent to 50,000 yuan a year to buy an official position. It doesn't require any outlay. If you lend money well at usury, you can still make a fortune. People with money but no power naturally rush to get there.
Under the leadership of this group of people, the imperial court's loan sharking business was in full swing.
This money was used for the salaries of the civil and military officials of the imperial court and for the administrative expenses of the yamen.
Of course, after all, it is not a formal way to enter the official career, and the officer you will be awarded will not be a good position, just a small official, and there is an upper limit, and the room for promotion and salary increase is very limited.
But for wealthy people who are not good at exams and have no one to recommend them, this is a rare and good opportunity.
The court and the rich each get what they need this time.
In order to have a good future for his son Pang Baoyan, Pang Yifeng, his wife Xiao Yuning and their family went to Chang'an to join Uncle Pang, intending to compete for the position of "money-catching official" and change his official status.
Although the name "Money-catching Official" doesn't sound good, and the upper limit of development is set, there is no room for improvement.
But for the Pang family, who are not too ambitious, this is a good future.
In the early Tang Dynasty, this system of public money was only implemented within the capital.
Under the emperor's nose, no one dared to go too far.
Moreover, emperors such as Li Shimin, Li Zhi, and Wu Zetian were also strong and could suppress the officials below them.
Therefore, the harm of this system is not too great, and it solves the emperor's dilemma of lack of money to a certain extent.
But after the Anshi Rebellion and the decline of the Tang Dynasty, this loan sharking business gradually spread throughout the country.
The 100% interest originally stipulated by Li Shimin became 200%, 300%, or even 1,000%, which became a nightmare for ordinary people to go bankrupt.