Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 363 This is something a mere censor like myself can meddle in?

Wu Yanhu said with a smile, "It is a bit troublesome, but the Prince Consort has already made it clear, so we must carry it out even if it is troublesome."

"Because this involves commercial taxes, which in turn involve the county's schools, almshouses, sanatoriums, and pharmacies, as well as the brick and tile houses in people's homes, and whether people can have enough to eat and wear."

"So, although the people also found it troublesome, they could understand and gradually got used to it over time."

"Just you wait and see, this thing will gradually be rolled out in Dengzhou, it's just a matter of a few days sooner or later."

"..."

Shen Hao forced a smile and said, "This has truly broadened my horizons."

It wasn't just eye-opening, it was downright astonishing.

If the entire Ming Dynasty started using invoices, the merchants would have a great time.

As Wu Yanhu said, because of the reward mechanism, the people would be happy if the merchants didn't issue invoices, so that they could report them to the government and get a reward of ten strings of cash.

Once merchants issue an invoice, it means they must pay the corresponding commercial tax. This is because each invoice issued means one of the three copies of the invoice is missing. If the government finds any discrepancies when checking the invoices, the merchants may also be severely punished.

As for forgery...

It's not that the seal across the seam can't be forged, but if you don't get caught for forging an official seal, that's fine. But if you do get caught, it's a crime punishable by the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire family. Why would someone risk the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire family for a few measly commercial taxes?

But then, after a moment's thought, Shen Hao looked at Wu Yanhu and asked, "If three invoices were forged directly, wouldn't it be very difficult to detect?"

Wu Yanhu smiled and said meaningfully, "Every invoice has a backing sheet when the seal is affixed across the seam. The returned invoices will definitely be checked. If the imprint on the backing sheet doesn't match the returned invoice..."

If they don't match, it means the invoice has been forged. If the invoice was forged from someone else, then arrest that person and bring them back for questioning.

Shen Hao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced a smile, saying, "I've learned a lot this time. I've really learned something new."

After a moment of silence, Shen Hao continued, "What if Ningyang County needs to purchase something from another place, but that place doesn't have invoices yet?"

Wu Yanhu laughed and said, "Currently, only Ningyang County has invoices. If you go to other places to buy something from a shop, you have to follow the format of the invoice and write down the time, amount, and who the shop is so that the county government's accounting department can check the accounts later."

Upon hearing this, the last glimmer of hope that Shen Hao had was shattered.

Whether or not the accounts of Ningyang County need further investigation is no longer relevant; the more important issue now is the invoices.

No, what good would this thing do for Yang the madman?

Is he really not afraid of offending all the gentry and merchants of the entire Ming Dynasty?

With a forced smile, Shen Hao continued, "Since the invoice is so complete, why hasn't the Prince Consort submitted a memorial to His Majesty?"

Wu Yanhu shook his head slightly and replied, "This humble official does not know either. Perhaps the Prince Consort has other considerations? Perhaps Imperial Censor Shen can directly report the matter of the invoice to His Majesty and the court?"

Ok?

Shen Hao thought to himself, "I have no grudges against you, Wu, yet you want to kill me?"

Is this something that a mere inspector like myself could meddle in?

Besides, it's not important whether the gentry and merchants will resent me for reporting this to His Majesty and the court. What's important is that this invoice thing was created by Yang the Madman. If I report it first, wouldn't I be stealing Yang the Madman's credit?

Thinking of this, Shen Hao shook his head slightly and said with a smile, "Since the Prince Consort has not reported this to His Majesty and the court, he must have other considerations. It would be best if I did not report it recklessly."

After a slight pause, Shen Hao looked at Wu Yanhu and asked, "County Magistrate Wu, when I was checking the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue, I found that the commercial tax of Ningyang County before November of the third year of Hongwu alone had reached more than 7,600 strings of cash. I think it will be around 8,000 strings of cash by the end of the year?"

Wu Yanhu nodded first, then shook his head slightly: "It should be more than eight thousand guan, maybe even nine thousand guan."

Nine thousand strings of cash?

The Ming Dynasty now has more than a thousand counties. Even if it were only eight thousand strings of cash, let alone nine thousand strings, the total commercial tax from more than a thousand counties would be... eight million strings of cash.

Thinking of how Yang Siyi, the Minister of Revenue, always complained about being poor during court assemblies, Shen Hao couldn't help but sigh, "If all prefectures and counties could collect as much commercial tax as Ningyang County..."

Wu Yanhu glanced at Shen Hao and thought to himself, "This guy doesn't seem like a Beijing official at all. How can a mere nine thousand strings of cash in commercial tax make him sigh like this?"

If he knew that the students in the county school were calculating the different tax rates for different workshops, and that the commercial tax in Ningyang County would soon increase from 9,000 strings of cash to 19,000 strings of cash or even 29,000 strings of cash, the imperial inspector in front of him would probably be shocked.

After silently complaining to himself, Wu Yanhu simply smiled and said, "The Prince Consort said that the situation varies from place to place, so I suppose the amount of commercial tax that each prefecture and county can collect also varies, right?"

Shen Hao shook his head slightly. "Does Magistrate Wu know how much tax revenue Hangzhou Prefecture collected in the second year of the Hongwu reign?"

Wu Yanhu was slightly taken aback. After calculating in his mind, he said, "Ningyang County is a poor and remote place. Its commercial tax in the second year of Hongwu was only a little over 5,000 strings of cash. Hangzhou Prefecture, on the other hand, is a prosperous place in Jiangnan with several counties under its jurisdiction. Its commercial tax in the second year of Hongwu must have been 100,000 strings of cash."

One hundred thousand strings of cash?

Shen Hao stared blankly at Wu Yanhu, wondering how the hell he could come up with such an outrageous number.

Do you think that because the ancients wrote "With 100,000 strings of cash around his waist, he rode a crane down to Yangzhou," 100,000 strings of cash is not much?

Seeing Shen Hao's dazed expression, Wu Yanhu couldn't help but frown and say, "Don't you have 100,000 strings of cash? Surely you have at least 80,000 strings?"

Shen Hao shook his head slightly and sighed, "No. In the second year of Hongwu, the total tax revenue of the entire Hangzhou Prefecture was only a little over 25,000 guan, which included land tax, mining tax, salt tax, commercial tax, and all the taxes that Brother Wu could think of."

Wu Yanhu clicked his tongue unconsciously, thinking to himself, "This won't do either. The whole prefecture has several counties under its jurisdiction. Ningyang County, such a small place, was able to collect 5,000 guan of commercial tax last year. And that's just commercial tax, not including mining tax or salt tax. If you add them all together, wouldn't Ningyang County be worth half of Hangzhou Prefecture?"

After thinking it over, Wu Yanhu realized that he was ultimately just a county magistrate, and it was best not to stab the imperial inspector in the heart.

Then, Wu Yanhu sighed slightly and said, "Your Excellency Shen may not know this, but although Ningyang County collects these commercial taxes, there are many expenses. The amount of commercial tax that can actually be transported to the capital in a year is still much less than that of the counties in Jiangnan."