high official

Chapter 75

Seeing the two of them coming in, a group of uncles, grandpas and brothers all smiled humbly, making Wang Gui at a loss.Wang Xian saw that they all held the land deeds in their hands, but he already understood what was going on.

When I entered the main room, I saw my third uncle and my father sitting on the right seats, accompanied by elders from the same clan on the left and right.

"You came just in time." The old man said to Wang Xian, "Hurry up and draw up some deeds."

"Yes." Wave calmly nodded, Wang Tong brought him a chair, Wang Jin rubbed the ink for him, Wang Xian sat down firmly and said, "Father, please tell me."

"First draw up three adoption documents." The old man coughed and said, "Then draw up some land transfer documents."

"I don't know who wants to adopt whom?" Wang Xian glanced at his father, and he didn't discuss such a big matter with me!
"Ahem." The old man coughed dryly again, "Wang Jie, Wang Ling, and Wang Jin haven't met your father yet."

"Hey." Three young men obediently came forward, kowtowed to Wang Xian and Wang Gui, and shouted: "Father..."

"Cough cough cough..." Now it was Wang Xian's turn to cough, almost unable to hold a pen.

"Father, what are you talking about?" Wang Gui said with wide eyes, "Wang Xian is not married yet."

"There is no difference..." The old man waved his hands and said, "These children from your brother's family will be adopted into our family in the future. Two will recognize you as their father, and one will recognize your brother as their father."

"Why?" Although Wang Gui was submissive to his father, he was still stunned.

"Ahem," the old man glared at him and said, "Many sons and grandchildren bring blessings, why are there so many?" He looked at Wang Xian and said, "Look at Xiao Er, I don't ask why."

"Wang Gui, that's the thing." It was the third uncle who explained to him: "Look, these three boys are all studying. If you want to study, you have to register with the government, but if you do, you have to serve corvee labor." ...In order to allow them to concentrate on their studies and honor our Wang clan, let them be adopted under your brother's name."

"Oh..." Wang Guicai realized that it was because of his family's exemption quota.The Ming Dynasty was a privileged society, the higher the official rank, the greater the privilege.For example, the first rank of Beijing officials can be exempted from grain by 30 shi, and the number of people is [-], and it decreases gradually to the next level. When it reaches the ninth rank, it is free of grain by six shi, and the number of people is six, and foreign officials are halved.Therefore, the father has the privilege of exempting the three stones from the grain and the three Dings.And officials like Wang Xian can also be exempted from grain, one stone, and one person...

Therefore, the four fathers and sons can exonerate four people altogether, and the two themselves are not included.Naturally, Wang Gui will occupy one of the quotas, and the remaining three have long been missed by the people of Wangjia Village... Although you can escape taxation as a black household, you do not have a legal status, which means that you do not enjoy the rights granted by the Ming Dynasty.For example, taking part in imperial examinations, filling officials, or even missing, the government can not accept it.Because there is no such person in the household registration file!

For poor people, as long as they can make do with their lives, it doesn't matter whether they have files or not.But rich households need legal status to protect their property, scholars need legal status to take part in imperial examinations, and businessmen need legal status to go out and do business.But once they are listed on the government register, they have to bear heavy labor... Every year after the autumn harvest and before the beginning of spring, it can be as short as one or two months, and as long as three or four months. .

Is there anyone who can enjoy a legal status without having to do hard labor?Yes, the royal family, nobles, officials, juren, scholars... The old Zhu family gave them the privilege of tax exemption and labor exemption, which often exceeded the amount they should pay.This extra privilege naturally became the object of pursuit by other classes.

Zhejiang has no vassal feudal lands, nor is there any honored hometown, but there are countless officials with great fame, and the common people often join the officials as slaves, but scholars are not allowed, because slaves and maidservants are lowly, and three generations are not allowed to participate in the imperial examination.There is another method, which is to adopt someone else as a son, but for the sake of fame, even the ancestors are not recognized, which is very contemptible.

The best situation is that there are officials from the same family, and everyone is the same ancestor, so naturally there is no infamy.Moreover, there are few people studying in Wangjia Village, exactly three... This is normal, without the accumulation of three generations, it is not enough to support the scholars. Three scholars in one village are really quite a lot.

Therefore, the third uncle discussed with Wang Xingye, asking him to adopt the three boys, Wang Xingye couldn't refuse at all, unless he was ready to break with the clan.Therefore, there was no need to discuss with the two sons, and directly accepted the third grandson.

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Wang Jia, who made a letter of promise, now wishes to heir his second son Wang Jie to his brother Wang Gui of the same clan.On the first day of the first month of the tenth year of Yongle, the middleman Wang Jichang and the guarantor Wang Jiye. '

"Let's make a promise to Wang Zhen, and now he is willing to inherit his youngest son, Wang Ling, from his brother Wang Gui of the same clan. I am afraid that there is no basis for his words, so let this be evidence.On the first day of the first month of the tenth year of Yongle, the middleman Wang Jichang and the guarantor Wang Jiye. ''

Li Xin made an appointment with Wang Ba, and now he wishes to heir his third son, Wang Jin, to his brother Wang Xian of the same family.On the first day of the first month of the tenth year of Yongle, the middleman Wang Jichang and the guarantor Wang Jiye. ''

As a household clerk, such documents are naturally at his fingertips. Wang Xian prepared three parts of the document and drafted another three parts of the document to avoid future stepson's contention:

'Now Wang Jie is the son of Wang Jia and Wang Gui. If Wang Gui has another son, Wang Jie cannot succeed him. However, he also has the responsibility to support and care for his parents.The middleman is Wang Jichang, and the guarantor is Wang Jiye. '

'Now Wang Ling is Wang Ji, Wang Gui and his son. If Wang Gui has another son, Wang Ling cannot succeed him, but he also has the responsibility to support and care for his parents.The middleman is Wang Jichang, and the guarantor is Wang Jiye. '

'Now Wang Jin is the son of Wang Ba and Wang Xian. If Wang Xian has another son, Wang Jin cannot succeed him, but he also has the responsibility to support and care for his parents.The middleman is Wang Jichang, and the guarantor is Wang Jiye. ''

The parties should sign where they should sign, and put their fingerprints on the place where they should press their fingerprints. The rest of the procedures will be completed after the Chinese New Year, and Wang Xian will take it back to the household and housing office...

But it's not over yet, this is the first half--in addition to the four of them, there is also a four-stone tax!

Although it is nothing compared to high-ranking officials and nobles, in fact, the four stone grain tax is really a lot.A low-income family pays no more than five dou a year in grain, and the Wang family can exempt seven families from tax and grain in addition to their own.

And don't forget, once you don't have to pay taxes, you don't have to pay all kinds of exorbitant fees and miscellaneous fees added to the taxes and grains!This is the real reason why the clansmen are so enthusiastic and flattering.

Seeing that the adoption was over inside, the fellow clans outside rushed in with the land deeds, chattering around Wang Xingye: "Fourth Grandpa, ask for my land!" "Fourth Uncle, my land is the fattest!" "Fourth Uncle, I watched you grow up..." "Niaoqiu, Lao Qi, your family is so rich, you still want to rob us!" "Why, Fourth Grandpa and I have been playing together since childhood!"

"Shut up, don't lose your face!" Seeing a mess, the third uncle knocked on the ground with his cane, and cursed: "Isn't it just three stones and five buckets of grain? My fourth child and I have already discussed it, and we will help the most difficult ones first." Come here, and wait for the rest, after two years, Lao Si and Wang Xian will be promoted, and then your fields will be taken over."

The patriarch's prestige is still not small, the third uncle ordered eight low-ranking households, and although the rest could not hide their disappointment, they did not dare to talk nonsense.

Wang Xian had no choice but to continue drafting the documents for buying and selling the land.Naturally, it wasn't a real deal, Wang Xingye didn't pay, and of course the land property still belonged to the original owner, they just registered with the government.In this way, the original owner nominally rented and planted their family's land. Of course, in return, half of the payable taxes and grains should be given to Wang Xingye as rent.

In this way, the interests of the imperial court were damaged, but Wang Xingye and the original owner benefited from it.Wang Xian didn't like to do this kind of thing. After all, he was also a civil servant in charge of the county's land tax and household registration, but these guys let him help them take advantage of their loopholes to evade taxes, which really made him uncomfortable.

But everyone, including his father, took it for granted, so he could only do it...

After lunch, the family will go back to the county by boat, and of course the three sons will not follow.

On the way back, the old man saw that Wang Xian was rather dull, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Why, are you unhappy, Mr. Sihu, who worked hard for a few buckets of rice?"

"No." Wang Xian shook his head and said, "My son is not ready to be a father yet..."

"Fuck you!" The old man almost kicked him into the river, and ignored the kid.

Of course Wang Xian didn’t tell the truth. In fact, he just thought that the Ming Dynasty treated officials and scholar-bureaucrats generously, but officials and scholar-bureaucrats still dug its corners without integrity. In the end, it was this kind of land annexation that intensified, which dried up the country’s tax revenue and displaced the people. , leading to the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

Is this favor useful?It can be said that it is useless, but it will cause endless harm.It's a pity that I can't see Emperor Yongle, but I guess if I do, the headstrong emperor will not listen to me.Unless he is convinced, the Ming Dynasty will perish as a result.In that case, Emperor Yongle, believe it or not, his whole family will perish first...

Thinking of this, Wang Xian laughed self-deprecatingly, what the hell am I doing, anyway, the Ming Dynasty still has more than 200 years of Guozuo, and my grandchildren will be fine, let's live my own little life...

While in a trance, he smelled the fragrance of chrysanthemums, raised his head, and saw Lin Qing'er looking at him with concern, and asked softly, "What's bothering you?"

Looking at the small face with picturesque features, Wang Xian said warmly in his heart: "Sister, our nest is almost done. I'll go with you tomorrow to see what we need to buy..."

Lin Qing'er's face was slightly red, and she couldn't hide her excitement, but she said in her mouth, "Is it troublesome to buy things?"

"Yes." Wang Xian nodded.

"Then order as you like..." Lin Qing'er's eyes dimmed.

"Sister, you misunderstood me again," Wang Xian said with a smile. "I mean, there are so many things I want to buy, but the house is so small, it's hard to choose!"

"Hate!" The beauty lightly annoyed, making people feel sad...

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(End of this chapter)