Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 54 The Dilemma of Qingyue Village
Seeing that his goal was achieved, Li Yu said no more.

He ordered the kitchen to prepare a dozen pancakes, a gourd of water, and some broken silver.

He went to the stable to pick out a horse and gave it to Fucheng.

"I won't thank you enough for your kindness. When my father establishes a foothold in Guangdong Customs, I will share half of my wealth with you."

"Bon Voyage."

Fucheng rode away and headed north.

Li Yu knew that this time the risk investment should be recovered tenfold.

Because the person they entrusted was named He Shen!
He is a well-known and trustworthy person.

Although he is greedy, he also cares about credibility.

If it weren't for the huge difference in status, Li Yu would have wanted to make friends.

Next, there is a big thing that cannot be postponed.

Uncle Wu from Cangjie!
"Fan Jing, you and Lin Huaisheng go quietly tonight to buy gunpowder from your fifth uncle."

"Remember where he lives."

"I'll ask him to meet outside the city tomorrow. I'll tell him that he has a big deal. I can give him a bigger deposit and he'll decide the location."

"Okay, don't worry, military advisor."

"As long as he comes out of the mouse hole, he can't escape my grasp."

……

After Li Yu finished giving this order, he sent someone to the Yuanhe County Government Office to notify Huang Si, the head of the express team, to come see him.

Two hours later, Huang Si came.

He was wearing a brand-new official uniform, a sword at his waist, and a pair of new boots.

"Meet Mr. Li."

Huang Si knelt on one knee, very respectfully.

"It doesn't have to be like this. Sit down and serve tea."

After the woman who brought the tea left, Li Yu said:
"I have something I need your help with."

"Master Li, please tell me, I will do a good job for you."

"Tomorrow, take a few reliable brothers and ride on horseback to be on standby. Help me catch someone."

"who?"

"A black marketeer."

Huang Si breathed a sigh of relief and immediately clasped his fists to express his stance. There was absolutely no problem.

After talking about serious business, let’s talk about casual things.

Strange things in the city, difficult official affairs in the county government, and some robbery matters.

"Master Li, there is something I don't know whether to talk about or not."

"It's okay, let's talk."

"The Ministry of Punishment issued an official document asking Suzhou Prefecture to arrest Taihu Lake water thieves. The strange thing is that it did not say which water thieves to arrest."

Li Yu almost spit out the tea leaves with laughter.

I'm not talking about myself, but this Huang Si is a wonderful person.

……

"Taihu Lake is as vast as the sea, and there are dozens of water thieves, big and small. The official document issued by the Ministry of Punishment is really strange." Li Yu said quietly.

"What you're saying is that the big men in the Criminal Department just eat carrots and don't worry about anything."

Just as he was talking, Wei Jun, the patriarch of Qingyue Village, arrived.

Li Yu was stunned, thinking that this was his first time visiting, so he was a rare visitor.

"Master Li, should I avoid it?"

"You are one of your own, sit back and drink tea in peace."

Wei Jun came in, still barefoot.

There was a woman following behind. She was wearing straw sandals and looked to be less than 20 years old.

"Clan Chief Wei is a rare guest, so tonight's dinner will be at my place."

Wei Jun's expression was a little unnatural: "Mr. Li, do you know anyone with official status?"

"What trouble did you encounter?"

"The tax on fish has gone up outrageously this year, costing 1 tael of silver. I would like to ask Mr. Li for help, can it be lowered?"

During the Qianlong period, the fishing tax totaled more than 14 taels.

In the entire tax system, it is not worth mentioning and accounts for a very small proportion.

Huang Si smiled and said:

"Master Li must not know about such a trivial matter. The tax on fish is 1 tael, which is a bit outrageous. It is [-]% higher than in previous years."

"In addition to the fish tax, there are also population taxes, fishing boat taxes, fish salt taxes, fry taxes, and reed taxes. Each of them has increased by [-]% to [-]%. We, the people, are humble, but we cannot be bullied like this."

Wei Jun was very excited. As the clan leader, he was also the head of the village.

It would be absolutely unacceptable for him and his fellow villagers to force taxes.

……

Huang Si didn't say anything, but secretly looked at Li Yu's face.

He didn't know how much weight this barefoot man held in Li Yu's heart.It seems that it is not as heavy as imagined?
Wei Jun also noticed that there was a government servant wearing official clothes in the house, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

Huang Si spoke:

"I am a friend of Master Li, and I work as an errand in the Yuanhe County Yamen. This year's fishing tax is distributed by the Yamen above, and it is the same at Taihu Hall."

Wei Jun's face was gloomy and a little desperate.

If it were just for Qingyue Village, there was still hope of reduction or exemption, or in other words, I could still cry out for injustice with confidence.

And if heavy taxes are generally imposed, he will be a small leader.

Li Yu didn't say anything because he was thinking about something.

How to maximize the benefits in this matter.

He wanted to swallow up Qingyue Village's territory, population, and fishing boats.

But don't hurt people's hearts, as that will sow trouble.

After all, he has many people from Qingyue Village under his command.

Things like the human heart seem to be ethereal, but sometimes they seem to be very important.

If you can win over, try to win over them.

In times of crisis, people's hearts can burst out with unexpected power.

To give an analogy:

The human heart is like the water in the reservoir. It is usually trapped by the dam and is very peaceful.But if there is a gap in the dam, the water flow will destroy everything along the way, killing people and killing Buddhas when they block it.

And Huang Si, this guy, has exquisite orifices and is a character.

His words were equivalent to giving himself an assist, wonderful!
……

"Don't worry, Patriarch Wei, I'll try to find a way out. By the way, here are 5 taels of silver. You can deal with it first." Li Yu's words were impeccable.

The woman who came in with Wei Jun suddenly spoke:

"Mr. Li, do you still need someone?"

"I can do laundry, cook, and everything else."

Li Yu was stunned and looked at Wei Jun.

"She, she is my sister, her name is Wei Xiu. She is 17 years old and has not married yet."

The atmosphere in the room was a bit awkward.

Wei Jun was using a honey trap, fearing that Li Yu wouldn't do his best to help, so he sacrificed his sister.

Looks like he's very healthy.

Her feet have not been bound, she is tall, smooth and full of vitality.

However, in this era, she is a woman who is despised.

If you don't bind your feet, big points will be deducted.

Being born as a Dan citizen, negative points will be deducted.

The woman knew it in her heart and lowered her head in silence.

She saw her big feet that could not be covered by her straw sandals, and felt ashamed.

"Don't worry, Patriarch Wei, I will find a way to reduce your tax burden."

"As for Wei Xiu, if you want, you can stay and help in the kitchen. If there is a good family in the future, you can marry him."

Wei Jun responded: "No problem."

……

After sending away the Wei brothers and sisters, Huang Si also wisely said goodbye and left.

But before leaving, Li Yu discovered that this guy seemed to be very interested in Wei Xiu.

I glanced at him several times when no one was around.

How to annex Qingyue Village without hurting people's hearts is a difficult problem.

He decided to take a step and take a look.

Due to their status as a villager and their poor financial resources, Qingyue Village will find sooner or later that there is no other way out but to seek refuge in Lijiabao.

Li Yu thought quietly for a while, then got up and went to the workshop to check the production progress of the musket.

The innermost part of his original three-in house was converted into a workshop.

The room in the middle is used to temporarily store finished muskets and raw materials.

The outermost room is where these workers live.

The gun body made by the carpenters will be sent here after being polished, painted and dried.

Blacksmith Zhang and his son were responsible for the assembly.

The barrel of the gun is firmly fixed on the gun body with several iron hoops.

There was a sentry posted outside the door.

No one is allowed to enter the house.

The people in the fort probably knew that this was an area for making weapons, but they all thought it was a cold weapon.

Unexpectedly, firearms can be made here.

……

(End of this chapter)