Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 410 Tong Customs Official
It is a long way from the capital to Yan'an Mansion. This is the first time for Fan Ning to go to the west of the capital. A group of 13 people rode on horseback. In addition to Fan Ning, the Zuo Jianyi doctor, two experienced counselors went west together, and there were ten others. As guards, the soldiers traveled all the way across the state and across the mansion. After passing Luoyang for three days, they prepared to enter Jingzhao Mansion from Tongguan.

Tongguan is the gateway to the Middle East. It has been a strategic fortress since ancient times and one of the nine great passes in the world. However, in the Song Dynasty, Tongguan was far away from the battlefield and gradually reduced to a tax customs. Five hundred soldiers guarded here, and there was also a tax office. Goods entering and leaving the customs are subject to commercial tax here.

Fan Ning arrived at Tongguan at noon. There was a long queue in front of the narrow city gate, more than half of which were caravans carrying heavy cargo on mules and horses.

There are two queues, one is for caravans entering the customs, which is more complicated, and tax invoices need to be checked. The tax collector goes to the other side to check the goods, and the progress is very slow, while the other is for non-caravans entering the customs, which is faster and basically maintains With the free spirit of the Song Dynasty, you don’t need to show any identity documents, you can pass through the customs directly, but if you have large luggage, you need to search it to prevent merchants from disguising the goods as luggage and passing through the customs.

At this time, there was a sudden noise at the cargo pass, and a businessman yelled angrily, "I have already paid the tax at Hangu Pass, why do I need to increase the tax, my goods are ordinary medicinal materials, how can they be so expensive? "

"Don't talk nonsense, how can your ox horn powder be only five hundred yuan a catty, Jingzhao Mansion is at least three pennies a catty, and tiger bones are also quoted too cheaply, you must have bribed the tax official, we can't do it here !"

"Fart! Your ox horn powder only sells for three pennies a catty. I receive ox horn powder in Dengzhou for only three hundred yuan a catty. Tiger bones are also divided into raw tiger bones and cooked tiger bones. I am cooked tiger bones. How could it be worth so much for those who have been soaked in wine?"

"I won't talk nonsense with you. Pay the tax quickly. If you don't pay the tax, the goods will be withheld, or you can go back and don't enter the customs."

The lead soldier was about to go forward to say hello, but Fan Ning stopped him, "Don't worry, just wait for a while!"

An old man next to him sighed: "I heard that the accent is from Luoyang. This time, it's a disaster. Not only will I have to pay taxes, but I will also be fined heavily!"

Fan Ning asked puzzledly: "Old man, why is there a fine in Luoyang?"

"Young man, the tax customs are now privately contracted. They pay a fixed amount of tax each year, and the rest is their income. The locals are a little better. Once they find out that they have a foreign accent, they must pay the tax. The attitude is not good. Well, he will be punished heavily.”

At this time, a tax collector shouted, "How dare you evade taxes and evade taxes, and you will be fined three times the value of the goods!"

Several businessmen were eager to argue, but several soldiers rushed up and pushed them into a room without any explanation.

Fan Ning was a little annoyed, and winked at an admonisher. The admonisher understood, and immediately stepped forward and said, "We are the supervisory censors from the imperial court. What happened?"

Advisers all have the title of censor, and the title of censor, especially the title of supervisory censor, is extremely deterrent to the local government. On the contrary, the status of admonisher is slightly worse in the local government.

Several tax collectors were yelling fiercely. When they heard that the supervisory censor was coming, they were stunned. It was no wonder that Fan Ning and the two admonishers were all wearing casual clothes, and the ten soldiers were not wearing military uniforms. It's the same as other people's children pass the test, how can they never think that they will be the supervisory censor.

"Nonsense! How can you be the censor?" The head tax collector shouted unwillingly.

The admonisher was furious, took out the silver medal of the censor, held it up, and said bitterly: "Open your dog eyes and see, what is this?"

The silver medal was engraved with the four characters of "supervising the censor". Several tax collectors immediately did not dare to be arrogant and lowered their heads. At this time, the head of the Tong Customs Office rushed over after hearing the news, shouting repeatedly: "Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!"

He stepped forward to salute, "You censors have worked hard, please enter the pass to rest!"

Yang Jianguan whispered a few words in his ear, the head of the tax official widened his eyes, and looked at Fan Ning who was standing in the distance in horror. Mao Qiuyuan sees Fan Zhiyuan!"

The tax collector is not even an official, but a tax collector. How can he not be afraid that Fan Ning can dismiss him with a single sentence.

Fan Ning didn't make things difficult for him, and said indifferently: "We are just passing through Tongguan. It seems that there is a disagreement between your taxpayers. You should deal with it quickly."

Mao Qiuyuan knew it well, and hurried into the room. After a while, several businessmen were released, and the tax collectors did not collect their taxes, and let them go directly.

Mao Xinyuan came to plead guilty again, and Fan Ning waved his hand, "There must be a basis for tax collection. Others have already collected taxes, and you have to pay them again. This is not right. I remember that the imperial court has long stipulated that there are regional price differences for goods. Taxes are taxed according to the value of the source of goods, and I don't want anyone to complain about your random taxation!"

"I dare not to be humble!"

Fan Ning said to several people again: "Let's go!"

A group of people got on their horses and continued westward after passing through Tongguan. There was a lot of discussion in Tongguan, and everyone knew that the high-ranking officials of the court had arrived.

In the next few months, the Tongguan Taxation Office did not dare to violate the regulations, but half a year later, the Tongguan Taxation Office repeated its old ways and continued to be mean to businessmen in terms of interests.

Leaving Tongguan, the admonisher Yang Qinying said bitterly: "The Zhiyuan didn't dismiss these dog officials, it's really cheap for them!"

Fan Ning shook his head, "It's not their responsibility. It's the result of negligence and connivance in the supervision above. The responsibility lies with the Shaanxi Road Transit Department. Who gives them the power to contract out the tax office? If I encounter a similar situation again, I will directly Impeach Jiang Chun, the transfer envoy of Shaanxi Road."

"Zhiyuan, shall we go to Jingzhao City?" Another admonisher asked.

Fan Ning shook his head, "Don't go to Jingzhao City, go directly to Yan'an Mansion!"

The people no longer went west, but took the road going north, along Luoshui to Tongzhou, and took Luochuan Road north to Yan'an Mansion. They would have to walk for at least seven or eight days to reach Yan'an Mansion.

Zhu Pei has moved to her parents' house, and she has to go to her house to see the progress of the construction almost every day. Fanning's house has become a large construction site, and the craftsmen have wrapped the Cuiyun Building with a wooden fence, mainly to protect it If it is not damaged by the construction, the door of the Cuiyun Building is of course closed, and the Cuiyun Peak outside is also transported to Zhu Yuanfeng's residence through Caihe.

The two forests have disappeared, and more than a hundred workers are carrying mud and digging soil, and piled up the truckloads of soil on the open space in the north. The courtyard where the servants lived has been demolished and turned into an open space. A hill will be built here. The foundation is piled up with bluestones, and large bluestones are used to consolidate the foundation and water bank, including around the Cuiyun Building, to prevent the foundation from collapsing.

All kinds of stone materials have been transported to the mansion, the original screen wall has been moved to the next door, the gate has also been demolished, and it is sealed by the wall. The incoming materials are mainly transported by water. Even the stone arch bridge is an old bridge bought from outside. It only needs to be rebuilt. , quite ancient.

The inner house is also surrounded by walls. When the walls are finally removed, the river channel is dug, and the water is diverted into the lake, the main body is basically finished. According to the plan, the renovation of Fanning’s mansion will take three months, and then the neighboring mansion will be repaired for another three months. You're done.

Xie Jiuling was pointing to Zhu Pei on the arrangement on the blueprint, "Qi Ma'am, the back houses of the two mansions will be connected as one, and I plan to demolish the original courtyard walls to make an open back house.

The servants' rooms in the house next door are arranged in the front yard, with the atrium and the living room in the middle, and there is no outer study room, and the west yard is kept as a guest yard. For example, the parents of officials who come from Pingjiang Mansion can live in the east yard, and the conditions there are also the same. It will be good, so that the back house and the east house will not affect each other. "

Zhu Pei thought for a while and said, "What if there are more guests?"

Xie Jiuling said with a smile, "The biggest feature of the house next door is that there are many rooms. You can let go of the east courtyard. The male guests can rest in the atrium and the east courtyard, while the female guests come to rest in the Jade Garden. In addition, I will sleep in the long courtyard on both sides of the lake. Build a door on each corridor, and when the door of the corridor is closed, guests will not be able to enter the back house, and the dinner party can be held in the atrium and the south side of the green garden, and thirty tables are enough."

Zhu Pei thought about it and said with a smile: "At that time, the doors of the corridors on both sides will be closed forever, and then a sign will be erected on the small stone bridge, saying that male guests are not allowed, so that male guests can also rest in Cuiyun Building."

"That's not bad!"

Just as she was talking, Aya came over quickly and said, "Madam, Manager Liu is here and said he has an appointment with you."

Manager Liu is the manager of Zhu's money shop. He and Zhu Pei made an appointment to report the accounts today.

Zhu Pei nodded, "Ask him to wait in the middle hall next door, I'll be right over!"

(End of this chapter)