Chapter 247: The Autumn Levy (Part 12)

Although he said that, the hatred in his heart grew stronger. This matter was most likely the result of collusion between the ‘Kunzei’ and the people in the county yamen! At this moment, his heart was filled not only with hatred for the transmigrator group but also for the entire county.

“Wu Mingjin, just you wait!” he gritted his teeth. “You traitor who colludes with the ‘Kunzei’!”

The Lai brothers didn’t dare to make a sound. They naturally understood how important this scholar title was. Without this protective umbrella, this young master was a genuine “commoner.”

After meeting Gou Chengxuan, Huang Bingkun’s mood was turbulent. Gou Chengxuan had suddenly returned to the county town to seek revenge against the ‘Kunzei.’ The fact that he dared to appear before him clearly meant he was sure he wouldn’t be reported—this scoundrel was truly good at reading people’s minds!

His purpose in appearing now was naturally to form an alliance with him against the ‘Kunzei.’ Huang Bingkun was undecided about whether to join forces with him. But connecting it to the recent stripping of Gou Chengxuan’s scholar title, he somewhat understood the crux of the matter—the ‘Kunzei’ were determined to eliminate the Gou father and son. The two sides were irreconcilable. If he got involved with him and the matter was exposed, the Huang Family Village would become the second Gou Family Estate!

At this thought, Huang Bingkun broke out in a cold sweat. Although he didn’t understand concepts like “contradictions between ourselves and the enemy” or “contradictions among the people,” he understood that hatred had different levels. For now, he didn’t need to sacrifice himself for righteousness.

Finally, he decided to ignore Gou Chengxuan for the time being. Since he was in the city, he could always be found. Besides, whether they joined forces or not, Gou Chengxuan would surely cause trouble for the Australians.

While Huang Bingkun was actively maneuvering, Chen Minggang and his gang were not idle either. By the end of the second deadline, they had already negotiated terms with most of the large households in the county. Naturally, this process was filled with intimidation, promises, bribes…

Looking at the ledgers sent by the tax enforcers, Chen Minggang felt very pleased. This time, not a single gentry or large household dared to defy their demands. There was, of course, haggling, but it was all within the range of concessions he was willing to make. Chen Minggang was very careful not to push the large households too hard—it was still unknown how long the Australians would stay here, and this was only the first time he was serving them.

This “land survey,” without much effort, had increased the taxable land by nearly ten thousand mu. Not counting the wastage rice, and just based on the government’s standard tax rate of three and a half dou per mu, this meant an extra three thousand-some shi of grain. This heavy gift would probably make the Australians overjoyed. His monopoly for next year would be secured!

On his own side, the profits were also substantial. Just from the extra dou added to each shi, this year’s income was nearly one thousand shi! This was a benefit he had never dared to dream of in the past. Previously, the wastage rice from the large households was often not collected in full, and some even defaulted on the standard tax. This time, not only was all the wastage rice collected in full, but no one dared to openly refuse the extra dou. Not to mention the various benefits received from negotiating the amount of land to be reported. Just from the greasy faces of the tax enforcers, he knew everyone had made a good profit—of course, he had gotten the most.

However, as Chen Minggang flipped through the later pages, his expression gradually darkened. After finishing the ledger, he sat in his chair for a long time, his brows furrowed as if in deep thought. A young servant under the eaves knew this was a prelude to his master’s temper and quickly hid far away to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

“Little Hu from the umbrella shop” arrived at this moment. Chen Minggang looked at the account book he submitted and praised him a few times. “Little Hu from the umbrella shop” beamed with smiles, and despite his limp, he bowed several times and flattered Chen Minggang greatly.

Although Little Hu from the umbrella shop had a limp, his mind was very sharp. He had learned the trade in an umbrella shop since he was young. Later, he had attached himself to a tax enforcer and learned all the tricks of the trade. To be a tax enforcer, one first had to be ruthless. Even if an orphan or widow knelt before you and begged, you had to be able to snatch away their last measure of rice. Second, one had to have a strong body. Collecting taxes required traveling to the countryside, often sleeping in the open. Sometimes, it involved fighting and bloodshed. People who were not physically strong could not handle this job. Little Hu from the umbrella shop was at a physical disadvantage. He couldn’t make a living in this trade by being ruthless alone. His main skill was in “knowing numbers.” No matter how irregular a piece of land was, a skilled tax enforcer could tell its area with a single glance, and how the rice was growing, and roughly how much it would yield. This skill was learned through practice and required some knowledge of simple geometry and mathematics. The average tax enforcer did not have this ability.

Because he had learned business from a young age, Little Hu from the umbrella shop had some foundation. Coupled with his diligence, he was known in the trade for “knowing numbers.” His ability to assess fields was something even Chen Minggang admitted he couldn’t match.

Perhaps because of his disability, Little Hu had a particularly strong desire to climb up. Of course, in the tax enforcer profession, there was almost no room for advancement. Regardless of your skill level, you were just a lackey for the Household Office clerk. Little Hu’s goal was to become the number one lackey, that is, Chen Minggang’s confidant.

Chen Minggang’s most trusted people were naturally his apprentices. But among these apprentices, he knew that only Zhou Qi could be considered a future successor to his position. The others were just errand boys. Little Hu’s goal was to take down Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi had been running errands for Chen Minggang since he was young, and their master-apprentice bond was deep. He couldn’t be taken down by a few slanderous words. Since Chen Minggang had taken Qiuhong as his mistress, Little Hu knew his opportunity had come. But he was very strategic. He would only intentionally or unintentionally drop a few cold words at key moments. It seemed the speaker was unintentional, but the listener, Chen Minggang, would take it to heart. In addition, Zhou Qi had not been very successful by his master’s side and had no hope of inheriting his position, so he would occasionally voice his complaints. Some of these words reached Chen Minggang’s ears. Gradually, Chen Minggang began to distrust this apprentice.

Seeing Chen Minggang’s unhappy face, an idea struck Little Hu. “Eighth Master! Is something wrong?”

“Hmph,” Chen Minggang’s face instantly darkened. “To secretly sell favors! Does he think I don’t know!”

Little Hu now understood what was going on. Recently, there had been rumors in the market that Zhou Qi had gained a lot of benefits for himself in this “land survey” farce. It was obvious why the large households were willing to give him benefits—he had gone easy on them during the “negotiations.” Chen Minggang was probably angry about this.

So, he feigned ignorance and said, “The large households are all complaining this time, saying this ‘land survey’ is skinning them alive…”

“Skinning them? They cry bloody murder when a few hairs are plucked,” Chen Minggang said dismissively. “This time, not even a few hairs were plucked! And he dares to deceive me! Truly a man who can’t get things done and only makes things worse.”

Now he was one hundred percent sure it was about Zhou Qi. He feigned panic and said, “Eighth Master, we are all working honestly and would never dare to deceive you, old sir. If there is really such a person who betrays his master and breaks the code, we will definitely not tolerate him!”

Originally, Chen Minggang was only angry at Zhou Qi for secretly selling favors. Now, with Little Hu’s instigation, it had become “betraying his master and breaking the code.” His anger intensified. Remembering the recent rumors in the market, especially the gossip about Zhou Qi and Qiuhong, his dislike for this apprentice grew even stronger.

“Hmm!” Chen Minggang nodded and said, “You may go!”

“Yes!” Seeing Chen Minggang’s face darken even more, Little Hu knew his poison had been administered at the right time. He was secretly pleased and quickly withdrew.

Zhou Qi, however, was still completely unaware. It was true that he had been very generous with favors during this “land survey.” For years, he had run errands for Chen Minggang, and in the end, he hadn’t even gotten a wife. He had no savings to speak of. And his master suspected him over the matter of Qiuhong. He was actually innocent in his dealings with Qiuhong; Zhou Qi didn’t have the guts to touch his master’s woman. Years ago, a local ruffian had been tied to a stone and thrown into the river for flirting with a female actress his master had taken a fancy to.

He wasn’t particularly interested in Qiuhong, although the woman was indeed alluring. As for money, he had received a lot of benefits from this land survey. What worried Zhou Qi most was his future.

His master had three sons. Unless they all died at once, the position of clerk would never fall to him. Chen Minggang’s eldest son was already an adult and was not particularly close to Zhou Qi. This young master of the yamen runners naturally had his own group of hangers-on. By then, even if he wanted to join them, it was not certain he would be wanted.

He was in his early thirties. Half his life was already over, and it was uncertain if he could even make a living under this “junior brother” in the future. His “junior brother” was indifferent to him, and his “master’s wife” was even worse. Because he had always helped his master with his women, the master’s wife had long despised Zhou Qi and never showed him a good face. Thinking of his mother-in-law’s family, the two Zhang brothers, Zhou Qi’s future looked even bleaker.

To continue to make a living in Lingao after his master’s death, Zhou Qi was determined to curry favor with the large households. They had been here for generations. If he could have a good relationship with them, he would be able to make a living no matter what he did in the future.

Of course, he had also thought about currying favor with the Australians, but Zhou Qi felt it was hard to say how long the Australians would stay here. If they were like a typhoon that just blew over, all his efforts would be in vain.

For this reason, during this land survey, he tried his best to accommodate the large households. For the numbers his master gave him, he always settled on the bottom line. He felt that since the bottom line was set by his master, as long as he met it, he had completed his task, and his master would have nothing to say. He also received a lot of gifts from the grateful large households.

Seeing that the work was more than half done and the tasks were going smoothly, Zhou Qi was in a good mood. With some extra cash in his pocket, he made a special trip to the East Gate Market to relax: eat, drink, and call a girl to soothe his tired body and mind from the past few days of hard work.