Zhao Hanzhang came to give money to Magistrate Chai County.
Of course, this was not her idea. As a good, upright, kind, and law-abiding person, how could she come up with such a decadent method?
This was Ji Yuan's idea. His original words were, "There are still too few people in the girl's hands, and there are many things she wants to do. Xiping County alone is not enough."
"As for Shangcai, not only do you have a lot of land here, but the Zhao family's food is also here. As long as Magistrate Chai is willing, you can actually control Shangcai."
This is not difficult for them.
Oh, the food estate actually belongs to her uncle Zhao Ji, who is now Uncle Cai.
As Shangcai Bo, a considerable part of his salary comes from the food town. For example, the land tax, capitation tax and business tax paid by the people under the food town belong to him.
It is equivalent to those people being his tenant farmers when he went to Cai Bo.
But isn't he in Luoyang now?
When Zhao Changyu became Uncle Cai, the management of the food towns in Shangcai was handed over to Zhao Song. Every year, he would go to the county magistrate of Shangcai to hand over the duties and get back the various taxes paid by the food towns.
Now it is Zhao Ji who has become Uncle Cai. Since Zhao Zhongyu's staff came last year, Luoyang has tacitly accepted that everything will continue as usual.
Zhao Hanzhang and Zhao Song asked for the management rights of Shangcai Shiyi, "I have such a big manor there, and I have a lot of contacts with the magistrate of Chai County. Anyway, I am in charge of one, and I am in charge of two. You can rest assured that every year the Shiyi will be managed."
The taxes paid will not be less than in previous years."
Zhao Song knew that Zhao Hanzhang was not short of money now, so he turned a blind eye and handed over the management power to her.
Zhao Hanzhang returned to Shangcai, first to see the conditions in the fields, then to see the glaze workshop and brick workshop, and finally went to Shangcai County.
Shangcai County is quiet, with few people on the streets.
Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "Under such circumstances, let alone paying taxes, it will be difficult for people not to starve to death this year."
Ji Yuan nodded, "I think so too."
The two looked at each other, and Ji Yuan smiled and said, "That's why we have a chance."
Magistrate Chai is in endless troubles. In the past, he could have discussed with Chang Ning what to do, but now, there is no one around him to discuss.
At this moment, Magistrate Chai, who was in urgent need of staff, realized that he really couldn't get Ji Yuan, so should he recruit a master quickly?
But where can I find suitable staff now?
Just as he was worrying, the chief clerk came trotting in and said: "County Lord, Zhao Hanzhang and Ji Yuan are here."
As Zhao Hanzhang's status became more and more stable, the outside world rarely called her Zhao Sanniang anymore, but instead called her by her first name.
Magistrate Chai blinked, "What is she doing here?"
There was a slight chill down his spine, but there was also a little longing in his heart. Such complex emotions rushed into his heart, making his eyes turn red, and he felt a little aggrieved for no reason.
She was the one who stole Chang Ning!
Zhao Hanzhang led Ji Yuan in and strode in. As soon as he saw Magistrate Chai, he smiled gently and said, "Your Majesty, you are well."
Magistrate Chai smiled and welcomed Zhao Hanzhang into the front hall to sit down. "It's okay, it's okay. How can Sanniang have time to go back to Cai? Isn't Xiping busy now?"
Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said: "It's still the end of the year and there are not many busy things. I heard that people in the manor are floating, so I came back to take a look."
Magistrate Chai couldn't help but said bitterly: "Among the people in the county now, only the people in your manor are living the best life. What are their thoughts?"
Zhao Hanzhang sighed and said: "To be fair to the county magistrate, they are trapped by rumors, but it is not necessarily true that they are all rumors."
She said: "Now some of the long-term workers and tenants in the manor are refugees brought in from outside. They are not from Shangcai, and some are not even from Runan County. They are afraid that I will not want them, so they are afraid."
Magistrate Chai County sneered in his heart. Zhao Hanzhang took in so many refugees last year, but only 12 out of 10 were reported. If he took in hidden households to such an extent, would he let the people in the manor go?
Magistrate Chai remained calm on his face. Finally, after leaving Chang Ning, he finally noticed Zhao Hanzhang's sinister intentions.
He glanced at Ji Yuan with regret, but it was a shame that such a good man had chosen a treacherous master like Zhao Hanzhang.
He lowered his head and took a sip of water, then casually asked, "What can I do for you?"
Zhao Hanzhang: "Does the county gentleman know where this rumor came from?"
Magistrate Chai shook his head very honestly, "I don't know."
Zhao Hanzhang was not affected at all and continued: "Because of the food."
She said: "My Zhao family has such a large food town in Shangcai. They are also having a hard time this year. There are rumors outside that I will drive away the refugees who have fled from the manor and collect food from the food town for the sake of the people in the food town.
People work hard, alas~”
Magistrate Chai was stunned, and the hand holding the tea cup trembled, and he hurriedly said: "Although it is the food of your Zhao family, it is different from the fief. You can only take the taxes paid that year, and there is no management."
Right."
"Yes, but they have provided food and property for my Zhao family since our great-grandfather. Our ancestors have paid taxes and grains for our Zhao family. Now that I see them feeling sad, how can I do nothing?"
The magistrate of Chai County was afraid that she would turn the settlement into an actual fiefdom. When it was merged with her large manor, plus her fields in other places in Shangcai, nearly one-third of the land in Shangcai would be in her hands.
, what else is he doing as a county magistrate?
Therefore, I wanted to express that she didn't have to do anything and just wait for the summer and autumn queens to collect taxes.
Before he could speak, Ji Yuan, who was sitting under Zhao Hanzhang, calmly glanced at the chief clerk standing behind Magistrate Chai.
The chief clerk quietly stopped Magistrate Chai and whispered: "Why should the county magistrate refuse Zhao Hanzhang's kindness? Although she may have bad intentions, she can solve our county government's urgent needs."
Magistrate Chai swallowed the words that came to his lips.
He quietly glanced at the main register and found an excuse to leave first.
Zhao Hanzhang watched him pulling the chief clerk away. He couldn't help but look around, then he approached Ji Yuan and asked in a low voice: "Sir, how many people have you bribed in this county government office?"
Ji Yuan smiled at her and said: "Except for Magistrate Chai, everyone else is already in the urn. Soon, I think Magistrate Chai will also go in. Congratulations, lady."
Zhao Hanzhang thought about this sentence for a while and couldn't help but clicked his tongue twice in his heart.
The chief clerk was speaking ill of Zhao Hanzhang, "Zhao Hanzhang has a bad mind, and he probably has a crush on our people who went to Cai."
Magistrate Chai nodded repeatedly, he thought so too.
"But she is the only one who can help the county monarch and Shangcai County at present," the chief clerk said: "Although she is seeking skin from a tiger, the county monarch is still the county monarch of Shangcai County. If the spring plowing is broken this year and the autumn harvest is insufficient, the court will probably have to
If you ask for guilt, then the county prince will..."
Shangcai is located in the Central Plains, but life has not been easy in the past two years. Not only did the Xiongnu troops come down from time to time to harass, but there were also rebels from various places, especially in the Puyang and Yanzhou areas above. They often had civil strife and fought with each other.
Soon they arrived in Yuzhou.
Even during the summer and autumn harvests, the scattered refugees stole grain everywhere, causing heavy losses to the people and insufficient taxes year after year.