The establishment of the Salesian Residence can definitely be regarded as a pioneering move. As the founder of "the first orphanage in ancient China", if nothing unexpected happens, Liu Jing will definitely be famous throughout the ages for this incident.
Therefore, he deserves any kind of praise. However, for the serious praise, although Liu Jing was happy in his heart, there was no color on his face. He said: "Salesian Residence is certainly a good government, but after all, it is just a way to stop the boiling water."
’, scooping up the boiling water to prevent it from boiling will help. We still have to find a way to stop the fire.”
"The words of the Ming Dynasty are very true." Zheng Zheng naturally knew the meaning of Liu Jing's words. The reason why he established the Salesian Residence was because the people in Ling County gave birth to children and did not raise them.
So why did such a situation happen? As the magistrates of Ling County, the two of them naturally had to investigate carefully, and the answers they finally got were simply shocking.
As we all know, the poll tax levied in the Han Dynasty was mainly based on calculation of taxes and oral money. Adult men and women aged from fifteen to fifty-six years old each paid a "calculation of taxes" of 120 yuan per year. Seven to fourteen years old
Each of the young men and women must pay twenty-three taels of "mouth money" every year.
The child head tax "oral money" existed long before the Han Dynasty. Originally, it was only levied twenty cents. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, military expenditures increased greatly due to the conquest of the Xiongnu, and the national finances could not make ends meet, so the age for collecting orally charged money was lowered.
Three years old, and three more coins were added to purchase chariots, horses and weapons, for a total of twenty-three coins.
Until the time of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, the famous minister Gong Yu wrote a letter, believing that Emperor Wu conquered the barbarians and paid heavy taxes to the people. Children began to collect oral money when they were three years old, which made the people live in poverty. It was difficult to raise children, so they had to kill their children, which was very sad.
Therefore, it is recommended that the age limit for collecting kouqian should be changed back to seven years old, while the amount of 23 kouqian collected should remain unchanged.
From the time of Emperor Wu to Emperor Yuan, the age limit for collecting oral money was three years old, which caused the people to be impoverished and kill their children. Now, the age limit for collecting oral money in Ling County is one year old.
In the Han Dynasty, children were counted as one year old when they "landed". That is to say, children had to start paying the poll tax from the moment they were born.
This is the reason why people in Lingxian County cannot raise children after giving birth.
Although Liu Jing is the king of a county, he can set up his own rules for hundreds of miles, and decide life and death with a single word. However, when it comes to tax issues, it is not something he can decide alone. He must ask Changsha for instructions.
County government.
Liu Jing has already done this, but even if Zhang Xian, the governor of Changsha, agrees to his request and exempts children under seven years old from paying oral taxes, it will not fundamentally solve the problem.
Money is only one of the reasons, not even the most important reason. These twenty-three pieces of money are just the straw that breaks the camel's back. The real reason is that the people's lives are already very difficult in the face of the country's excessive taxation.
In addition, he would also be exploited twice by wealthy officials such as Xiang Ting.
The powerful officials such as Xiangting hold local power and are very powerful, but the highest salary is only a hundred dan, with a monthly salary of 800 yuan and four husks and eight measures of grain.
What is this concept? It can barely sustain the basic life of two people. If there are parents and children, it will be difficult for the whole family to have enough to eat.
The authority of the rural stingy man was so important that the people in the countryside "only knew the stingy man and did not know about the county." In addition to restraining thieves, the pavilion chief also had the responsibility of collecting taxes, which exerted great influence on the local area.
How can these powerful officials in the countryside be willing to live a life of poverty on a meager salary? They must live a decent life commensurate with their power.
Therefore, their carriages, horses, and clothing were all obtained from the common people, and the method was nothing more than adding extra money on top of state taxes.
An "incorruptible person" is satisfied with just one person, while a greedy person not only wants to satisfy his own needs, but also wants the whole family to benefit from it.
Wu Han, the Grand Sima who ranked second among the twenty-eight generals in Yuntai, became the chief of the pavilion when he was young because of his "poor family." As a result, it didn't take long for his family to get rid of poverty. He even took advantage of the turmoil in the world to recruit many people.
guests.
There is no doubt that Wu Han's actions as pavilion chief were far from glorious.
However, this is the acquiescence of all the ruling classes in the country, from the emperor to the petty officials. Because the country simply does not have enough financial resources to bear the living needs of the powerful officials such as Xiangting. In this case, it can only let it be.
They plundered it from the people.
Faced with this reality, what can Liu Jing do even if he is the king of a county? Can he eliminate all the powerful officials in the township?
Even if he did this, it would just be a new batch of exploiters, no different from before.
In terms of productivity in ancient times, this problem was unsolvable.
However, Liu Jing did not dwell on this. He was not an "idealist" in the first place. The problem of the powerful officials in the township could not be completely solved, but with the effective intervention and supervision of the superiors, it could definitely be greatly alleviated.
Rectifying the administration of officials and alleviating the suffering of the people is Liu Jing's next focus. For such a task, he does not need to personally come forward, and it is best to leave it to Zhen Zhen.
Serious is also happy to accept the order. His ambition is to make some achievements in this troubled world and live up to his talent and learning. Now that he is lucky enough to meet "Bo Le" Liu Jing and has the opportunity to display his talents, how can he not do his best?
Try your best?
There were so many people here and Liu Jinghe solemnly did not talk much about this topic.
After the plaque was hung, Liu Jing and Deng Yuan walked into the spacious vestibule of the Salesian Residence.
Serenity and other high-ranking officials followed closely behind the two, while the rest of the county officials with lower status could only stay outside and work with the officials to maintain order.
Today, the number of babies in the Salesian Residence has increased significantly compared to the Double Ninth Festival on May 5, reaching one hundred and thirty-six.
In addition, the Salesian Residence has recently taken in more than 20 orphans ranging from three to four years old to eleven or twelve years old. Some of them have poor relatives and are unable to raise them. Some of them are immigrants, lonely and helpless, or are forced to
, or voluntarily, was sent to the Salesian Home.
In terms of employment, Liu Jing hired dozens of wet nurses who were responsible for feeding the babies, as well as maids who were responsible for laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. The commission alone amounted to tens of thousands of dollars per month.
, plus the cost of food and clothing, it will exceed one hundred thousand.
Naturally, the county temple could not afford such a large amount of money. Originally, Liu Jing planned to pay the money himself, but considering his wealth, this amount of money was nothing. However, in the end, Deng Yuan stopped him and she insisted on paying the money.
money.
Her reasons are very good. She is in charge of the Salesian Residence, and she will naturally provide the money.
Deng Yuan was very concerned about the Salesian Residence. He was busy all the time and made a lot of efforts. In the end, he even paid for the dowry.
Outside the Salesian Hall, more than twenty children of different genders and different heights, uniformly dressed in green clothes and straw sandals, stood in a row, timidly watching the arrival of Liu Jing and his party.
The nurses who led the children were all women who had never seen much of the world. They came here just to make money to support their families. When they saw Liu Jing and other county officials arriving, they felt more nervous than the children and hurriedly told the children.
Said: "Hurry, quickly meet the county king and meet the madam."
"Greetings to the county king, hello to the madam..." All the children were very obedient and they all knelt down and kowtowed.
"You guys, Cao, please get up." Liu Jing said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, all the children stood up one after another, all bowing their eyebrows and bowing their heads, extremely well-behaved.
Most of these twenty-odd children are of average or lower-class appearance, and are skinny and skinny. Very few of them are lovable. Some of them are born with physical disabilities. It is difficult for people to like them at first sight.
Heart.
But this does not include Deng Yuan. Although she was born into a noble family, was extravagant, and liked beautiful things, she had a kind heart.
When the children were sent to the Salesian Home, all of them were in rags and covered with fleas and lice. Even the wet nurses at the Salesian Home deliberately avoided them, but Deng Yuan did not.
Her actions have naturally paid off, and now all the children are very attached to her.
After all, the Salesian residence was full of women and children, and Liu Jing and other officials were busy with official duties, so they left after a quick visit.
On the way back, Deng Yuan sat in the car and said to Liu Jing: "Liu Lang, I feel that the Salesian Residence adopts orphans not only to protect them from hunger and cold, but also to teach them skills so that when they grow up, they will not
He has no talents and lacks the ability to make a living on his own."
Liu Jing nodded when he heard this. In modern times, there are specialized educational institutions, so there is no need to worry about this problem. In ancient times, you had to solve it yourself.
Liu Jing saw that his wife's eyes were bright and she seemed to have an idea, and said: "Young Master, the fact that you can think of this question proves that you have thought about it carefully before. Why don't you tell me your thoughts first."
Deng Yuan had indeed considered it and said calmly: "Farming and mulberry are the foundation of the country. We must first let them know how to cultivate and weave. The county temple can allocate some fields to the Salesian Residence for planting crops, mulberry, and treating children."
When they are a little older, we can guide them to work to support themselves.”
Liu Jing nodded and said, "Young Master, this is a good idea. When I return, I will immediately ask people to start allocating land for the Salesian Residence."
Deng Yuan added: "In addition to farming and mulberry farming, boys can also learn various trades, and girls can also learn nvhong. Even if they have no land or land in the future, they will not have to worry about survival."
Liu Jing nodded again. It is necessary for a boy to learn various trades and be a nun. If a boy knows all the trades, if he does not want to be a tenant farmer of a wealthy family when he grows up, he will also have other survival skills. If a girl knows how to be a nun, it will undoubtedly be helpful to her married life.
Great benefit.
Liu Jing originally thought that Deng Yuan would finish her words here, but unexpectedly she continued: "I have been in contact with many children during this period and found that they are not stupid. I want to select some older and smarter people to teach them how to read."
.”
Liu Jing glanced at his wife in surprise. The cost of education in today's society is very high. It is difficult for ordinary families to have the opportunity to receive education. If they knew that the orphans in the Salesian Center had the opportunity to study, they would be jealous to death...
Will someone deliberately send their children to the Salesian Residence for this reason in the future?
When Deng Yuan saw that her husband did not respond immediately, she thought he disagreed and asked, "Liu Lang, is this inappropriate?"
"There is nothing wrong. Shaojun, your idea is very good." Liu Jing smiled and shook his head, "If Salesian Residence spends many years of hard work and only cultivates some farmers and craftsmen, there are indeed some... Shaojun, you can
Just do what you say.”
Seeing that her husband agreed to her proposal, Deng Yuan felt very happy, and her pretty face couldn't help but reveal a gorgeous and charming smile.
…………
Time is like water, and it has entered July in a blink of an eye. The serious rectification of officialdom is in full swing. The six townships and pavilions under the control of Ling County are all shocked.
Even Zhongshui and Pingyang Township, which Liu Jing had just "recovered" not long ago, could not escape this disaster.
You must know that before Erxiang, all the officials died and ran away. Nowadays, the powerful officials in Xiangting basically took office only after Liu Jing's approval.
Therefore, his serious behavior was regarded as disrespectful to Liu Jing by everyone in Lingxian County. In addition, being serious violated the interests of too many people, and rumors slowly began to spread in the county temple.
However, what the outside world doesn't know is that it was Liu Jing's original intention to purge officials, so he would naturally not be instigated by the outside world.
At the same time, sister-in-law Lai Ci and nephew Hutou finally came back. They left Lingxian County at the end of April, and now it is early July. Excluding the time spent on the road, they have stayed in their hometown of Lingling for two full months.
In fact, as early as June, he was already a little impatient with the wait, but the letter sent back from Liu Zhu calmed his inner anxiety in time.
It turned out that Lai Ci had intended to come back, and his parents had no intention of stopping him. However, he did not expect that an elder in the family died unexpectedly at this time, so he had to stay for a while.
Sister-in-law Lai Ci and nephew Hutou returned safely, and Liu Jing finally felt relieved.
What made him even more happy was that his sister-in-law went back to her parents' home and had a happy marriage at the knees of her parents. She clearly felt relieved and she became cheerful. Finally, she no longer indulged in the grief of losing her husband, at least it was not visible on the surface.
After Lai Ci learned about the Salesian Residence, he immediately became interested. Accompanied by Deng Yuan, he visited the Salesian Residence and immediately asked Liu Jing and Deng Yuan to come here to help.
Naturally, Deng Yuan was extremely welcoming. The Salesian Residence is now entirely managed by her, and she is extremely busy every day. She often laments to Liu Jing that she is unable to do all the work, but her sister-in-law, Lai Cicai, who cannot learn from men, can definitely share a lot of burdens for her.
Liu Jing was also very happy. In the past, Lai Ci would be bored in her room all day long, thinking wildly every day. How could it be good if things continued like this? Liu Jing had long been looking forward to her being able to get out of the house, contact the outside world, and get rid of her isolation.
Although Jingnan is relatively isolated, it is not completely closed. News comes from the north from time to time, and the most controversial one is undoubtedly the incident of Yuan Shu proclaiming himself emperor.
At the beginning of this year, Yuan Shu gave his ministers the surname Yuan, who was the successor of Shun, and inherited the fire virtues of the Han Dynasty. There is also a prophecy: "The person who succeeded the Han Dynasty should be Tu Gaoye." He took his name as his name, and lived in Huainan for a long time.
Chun proclaimed himself emperor and called himself "Zhongshi".
Liu Jing couldn't help but shook his head secretly, "Yi" said: "Those with poor virtues and high status, small intelligence and big plans are rarely inferior to them." A good hand of cards is broken all the time, and he is talking about Yuan Shu.
His starting point was so high that no one among the heroes of the late Han Dynasty could match him, not even Yuan Shao could compare with him. Unfortunately, he and Yuan Shao were the historical version of "how can one be brilliant when one is good".
If he doesn't proclaim himself emperor, he may still have a chance to survive. After proclaiming himself emperor, he will definitely die!