Wang Shao, a native of Caozhou, Shandong, was a Jinshi in the sixth year of Hongzhi.
Last year, Wang Shao served as Shaanxi's Right Chief Envoy. At the end of the year, he returned to Beijing to report on his duties. At the beginning of the year, he was promoted to Zhejiang's Left Chief Envoy. After receiving the transfer order, he went home to visit relatives on the way, and then slowly came to Zhejiang to take up his post. He was only more senior than Wang Yuan.
Arriving more than half a month early.
How much could the Chief Minister, who had only been in office for one month, gain?
Wang Shao was not greedy for a penny, so a certain gentleman came to ask for calligraphy and gave him one thousand taels as writing fee.
Is he afraid of birds?
Well, I’m really a little scared!
Other officials in Zhejiang did not know Wang Erlang's reputation, but Wang Shao knew it very well.
When Wang Yuan destroyed the country in the Western Regions, Wang Shao was in Shaanxi. Even when Wang Yuan, Zhu Ying, Zhang Wei and others returned to Beijing, he received them outside Xi'an and heard many details about the destruction of the country in the Western Regions. Then he
My mother has killed tens of thousands of people. I heard that she has killed tens of thousands of people. She is like a living king of hell.
At the beginning of the year, Wang Shao returned to his hometown in Shandong to visit his relatives. He also heard that when Wang Yuan was regulating rivers in Shandong, he beheaded several officials below the seventh rank. They were hacked to death on the spot without going through the Three Laws Bureau. Afterwards, they still had no merit or demerit, and even the censors did not inspect it.
Dare to impeach.
Can't afford to offend, can't afford to offend!
Wang Shao wrote several words in a row, and the servant said: "Send it to Chen Yuanwai, and tell him that my calligraphy is poor and one word is not worth a thousand taels. Write a few more pieces for him to make up for."
Okay, it's over. The matter in Beiguan, Zhejiang has nothing to do with Wang Shao from now on.
The one who is really worried is Ren Jian, the right-hand governor of Zhejiang Province. This man has been an official in Hangzhou for several years and will be retiring in a month. At the critical moment, he encountered this kind of thing.
"Uncle Ren Fang doesn't have to worry. If we let him investigate for another year, he won't be able to find any problems," said Zhejiang Inspector Yuan Xuan.
Ren Jian said anxiously: "How is it possible that no problem can be found? Even if there is definitely no problem with the accounts, there is a problem with the people! Wang Er only needs to take over Beiguan for a month, and after comparing the taxes and banknotes, everything will be clear!"
Officials at Chaoguan are naturally not stupid enough to directly embezzle taxes and money. Their main income is to extort merchants and falsely declare and conceal the amount of customs duties. These things do not need to be paid.
The annual tax revenue of Zhejiang Beiguan, one of the five major banknote gates in the Ming Dynasty, was actually less than 30,000 taels of silver.
What was the reign of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty?
More than 1.2 million taels!
There will be more when Yongzheng cracks down on corruption and reforms the tax system!
Local officials in Zhejiang would never dare to live alone. There must be benefits from visiting the imperial censor, and even the big bosses of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Including Wang Qiong, who once served as the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, most of them have been transferred by profit. Officials from the Zhejiang Qing Li Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs
You will definitely eat enough to make your brain full and your intestines fat.
If Wang Yuan dared to check accounts in Beiguan, Zhejiang, he would definitely offend a lot of officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
…
The second day.
Wang Yuan was sitting on the edge of the canal basking in the sun. He called Bao Chaozhen and asked, "How much mercury was there in one day from yesterday's hour to today's hour?"
"One thousand six hundred and ninety-six taels of silver." Bao Chaozhen said.
Wang Yuan asked again: "How much was the tax bill at Beiguan last year?"
Bao Chaozhen said: "Twenty-eight thousand six hundred and thirty taels of silver."
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "In other words, if we collect taxes here for one month, it will be equal to last year's tariffs?"
Bao Chaozhen said: "It doesn't take a month, sixteen or seventeen days is enough."
"That's awesome," Wang Yuan exclaimed, "bring Yu Zhi, the head of Chaoguan!"
Not long after, Yu Zhi was forked by the sergeant. The guy looked haggard and could not stand firmly. After being put down by the sergeant, he collapsed directly in front of Wang Yuan.
Wang Yuan threw the two tax forms over and asked: "Master Yu, why can I collect nearly 1,600 taels a day, but you can only collect 80 taels a day?"
Yu Zhi's mouth was dry: "It must be... there must be more ships yesterday."
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "How about I collect it for a few more days to see if there are too many ships all the time? If so, I don't have to go back to Beijing to be a minister, I will just stay in Zhejiang to collect taxes and do business. I am prosperous in business.
It can increase the tariff by twenty times for the imperial court."
Yu Zhi is just a junior brother who has been an official for less than two years. How can he withstand such a scene? He cried: "President Wang, I have been the chief of Beiguan for only four months. I was forced
Yes, Beiguan has seven taxation bureaus under its jurisdiction. If I don’t follow them, I won’t be able to order even one taxation bureau.”
Wang Yuan pointed to the densely packed boats on the river and scolded: "With such a large gathering of merchants, you can only collect eighty taels of mercury a day. How brave you people are!"
Yu Zhi lowered his head and said nothing.
Wang Yuan pointed to the distance again: "More than ten miles to the north of this place, there are all lake villas, with dense residents and numerous business travelers. Look at this Chaoguan Street, how has every road been trampled? There are potholes and even wheels.
We are all going to fall into it. Even if you want to be greedy, at least you have to spend some money to repair the road! Corrupt officials can still tolerate it, but you are damned if you are just greedy and don't do anything!"
Yu Zhi's face turned red and he felt ashamed. After all, he was still in the novice stage and his conscience was not completely gone.
Wang Yuan sat back in his chair: "Tell me, how do you make money?"
Yu Zhi is also willing to take risks. He is the person directly responsible and is likely to be pushed out to take the blame. Since there is no way to survive, he will survive in death and spit out everything: "Merchant ship..."
"Wait a minute," Wang Yuan said to Bao Chaozhen, "write down everything this person said!"
Yu Zhi slowly got up and sat on a stone pier by the side of the road: "When merchant ships come and go, they should collect taxes in kind. In order to facilitate tax collection, the value is often estimated by the customs officials. For goods of one thousand taels, the maximum value can be estimated.
One thousand eight hundred taels, but the estimate is basically about one thousand five hundred taels. The merchants dared not refuse to pay, and all the tax money that was overestimated went into their private purses."
Wang Yuan clapped his hands and said: "Wonderful, you eat the merchants and then the court, you are eating from both sides. If we calculate based on yesterday's tax money, plus the money you extorted from the merchants, you will have to embezzle at least 700,000 to 800,000 yuan every year."
Two, right? Both are worth one-tenth of the annual tax revenue of the Ministry of Household Affairs."
Yu Zhi said: "I have been in office for a few months, and I have only been allocated two to three thousand taels. Wang Shilang, do you really dare to find out?"
"Why don't you dare? Keep talking!" Wang Yuan said angrily.
Yu Zhi smiled bleakly: "Merchant ships and passenger ships pay tax, and they all give stamps (tax receipts). There are two sets of stamps at the banknote, one for the court to see, and one for the taxpayers. The latter is cleared every month, and the last one is
The month's ones have been burned, and this month's ones have been seized by Mr. Wang."
It was pretty good during the Zhengde period, but it was great during the Wanli period.
Because corruption was rampant at various checkpoints, Emperor Wanli could only send eunuchs to supervise the checkpoints. At first, the tax revenue did increase greatly, but gradually it became less and less. Because the eunuchs exploited merchants so much that merchants preferred to use land transportation instead of bypassing the customs.
After Hangzhou, enter the Grand Canal and take the waterway.
Comparing the two, civil servants were indeed corrupt, but they had little impact on the local economy. In order to increase tariffs, the eunuchs could not directly corrupt too much, so they instead took advantage of the merchants, resulting in a decline in the local economy.
Wang Yuan suddenly asked: "Master Yu, do you want to be an upright official?"
"Who among those who were born in Jinshi would not want to be an upright official?" Yu Zhi said with a smile.
Wang Yuan said: "From today on, if you follow me, you will be the most upright official in the world!"
Yu Zhi was stunned for a moment. For a moment, he felt as if he heard the fairy voice. His whole body was full of energy. He stood up and bowed and said: "I would like to follow Mr. Wang to saddle the front and back horses!"
Wang Yuan said: "If anyone comes to you, don't give a good look. Let them negotiate with me directly. This year, the Northern Customs Bank will report at least 300,000 taels to the Ministry of Accounts!"
Three hundred thousand taels of tax money, which is equivalent to a direct increase of ten times. Yu Zhi returned to Beijing to report on his work with absolute integrity.
Wang Yuan said to Bao Chaozhen: "Give it to Master Yu to sign and seal it."
Yu Zhi bit the bullet and signed and fingerprinted the confession. With this information in Wang Yuan's hands, he could only follow Wang Yuan all the way to the dark side.
As for the bank accounts, we will continue to check them. If any problems are found, we will take away the evidence directly.
Wang Yuan didn't believe it. There were still people who dared to burn down the Governor's Mansion to destroy the evidence. Those thousand fire gun soldiers were not holding fire sticks!