jdhmnovel Chapter 217 Is Old Deng going to pull another trick?
Chapter 217 Is Old Deng going to pull another trick?
The 16th day of the fifth month in the second year of the Hongwu reign.
This day is the summer solstice. The "Collection of Explanations of the Seventy-Two Seasonal Phenomena" says: "The summer solstice is in the middle of the fifth month. The "Yunhui" says: 'Xia means to grow, and zhi means to reach the extreme. All things grow to their maximum size and reach the extreme at this time.'"
There is a folk saying that "after eating summer solstice noodles, the day gets shorter by a thread." The Tang Dynasty poet Wei Yingwu also wrote in his poem "Summer Solstice Avoiding the Heat at the North Pond" that "the daytime sun has reached its limit, and the night begins to grow longer from this point onward," which means that the daytime begins to gradually shorten after the summer solstice.
Starting from the summer solstice, the weather will get hotter day by day. Although it is not yet the hottest day of the year, it is not far from the start of the "dog days". After three "Geng days", the hottest period of the year, the three dog days, will begin. Therefore, there is a saying that "the first dog days are counted three Geng days after the summer solstice".
On the summer solstice, most parts of Shandong have the custom of eating noodles, which is known as "dumplings for the winter solstice and noodles for the summer solstice".
Long before lunchtime, the cook in the county government office began preparing a bowl of noodles for Magistrate Yang.
Magistrate Yang was always very particular about food. For example, the flour for making noodles had to be sifted through a sieve to remove coarse particles and residual bran. The dough couldn't be mixed with water directly; instead, two eggs had to be added. After resting for 25 minutes, the dough was rolled out into a thin sheet with a rolling pin. The sheet was then folded up and finely cut into noodles before being cooked.
It doesn't matter at other times, but the noodles on the summer solstice can't be made carelessly. After taking them out of the water, they must be rinsed in cold water first, then put in a bowl, sprinkle a layer of minced garlic on top, add a little salt and soy sauce, pour hot oil over them, and then mix well. The aroma will instantly fill the air.
After finishing a bowl of noodles, most of the heat of the summer solstice dissipates, and it's time for an afternoon nap. This is because the summer solstice is a day when "yang reaches its extreme and yin is generated," and taking a nap can nourish yin with yang. Just a short nap can have a very good effect on nourishing yin.
However, just as Magistrate Yang was about to return to his bedroom for a nap, Lame Five rushed to the backyard once again, bowing deeply to Magistrate Yang and saying, "Your Excellency, an official document from the imperial court has arrived!"
Magistrate Yang was immediately displeased.
This damn official document didn't come early or late, it just so happened to come when I was about to take a nap.
It doesn't matter. You're making trouble for me, so next time I'll just write official documents for Old Deng during a holiday.
While pondering how to amuse the bigwigs of the Office of Transmission, Magistrate Yang followed Limpy Wu to the county government hall to sign official documents.
As soon as he arrived at the main hall, Magistrate Yang completely lost his composure.
It has been a full year and three months since he transmigrated and became the magistrate of this lousy county. In this year and a half, Magistrate Yang has received official documents more than a dozen times.
Previously, all official documents received were sealed in special envelopes. Magistrate Yang only needed to sign and stamp the receipt to complete the receiving process.
However, this time the official documents were not sealed in special envelopes, but were packed in small wooden boxes!
A wooden box!
According to the clerk of the Office of Transmission, the small wooden box contained more than a dozen official documents and more than a dozen receipts, which required Magistrate Yang to sign and stamp each receipt with the official seal of Ningyang County.
Magistrate Yang was helpless.
Magistrate Yang sighed.
After signing and stamping each of the dozen or so receipts and seeing off the minor official from the Ministry of Justice, Magistrate Yang took the small wooden box and went into his study.
The fact that the Ministry of Justice could send over a dozen official documents at once shows that Zhu Chongba, that old tyrant, must have stirred up a whole bunch of trouble again, and that even the civil and military officials in the court, such as Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen, couldn't stop him.
As expected, the first official document ordered all prefectures and counties in the country to re-determine the land in the hands of the people and revise the household registration books and land registers, requiring them to be completed and sent to the Ministry of Revenue in the capital for record before the first day of the tenth month of the second year of Hongwu.
This official document has virtually nothing to do with Magistrate Yang Shaofeng, because it specifically states that statistics are required for other prefectures and counties besides Ningyang County, while Ningyang County is exempt, since Ningyang County had already done so as early as the first year of the Hongwu reign.
However, the official document also specifically pointed out that by the fourth year of the Hongwu reign, Ningyang County would need to do the same statistical work and reporting as other prefectures and counties.
In short, every three years thereafter the population count and land ownership of each prefecture and county must be recalculated and reported to the Ministry of Revenue.
The second official document required all prefectures and counties to reinstate the community system inherited from the Yuan Dynasty, which consisted of fifty households forming a community, and selecting respected people or those who excelled in farming as community leaders, who would then lead and guide the people in farming.
The third official document required all prefectures and counties in the country to count the number of livestock owned by the people in their counties, including cattle, horses, mules, and donkeys, and even the pigs raised by the people.
The fourth official document was unrelated to the previous three. It required each prefecture and county to inspect their respective Confucian temples. If they were found to be dilapidated, they should be reported to the Ministry of Works, which would then send people to inspect them and decide how to repair them.
"..."
The eleventh official document required each prefecture and county to compile statistics on the number of workshops under their respective jurisdictions, as well as information on the workshops' business operations and the number of workers employed.
The twelfth official document required each prefecture and county to compile statistics on the number of shops and their business operations under their respective jurisdictions.
The thirteenth official document required each prefecture and county to cooperate with their neighboring prefectures and counties to measure the distances between them and to compile statistics on the condition of roads and bridges within their respective prefectures and counties.
After reading through all fourteen official documents issued by the Ministry of Justice, Magistrate Yang slumped into his chair as if all his energy had been drained away.
Every single one of these thirteen official documents, to varying degrees, bears some resemblance to Ningyang County.
For example, household registration book and land and property register.
For example, counting the number of livestock in people's households.
Another example is having various prefectures and counties inspect whether Confucian temples need repair.
To put it simply, Emperor Zhu Chongba planned to first conduct a population census, then a comprehensive survey of agricultural production materials, and then to understand the industrial and commercial situation in each prefecture and county, as well as the transportation conditions in each prefecture and county.
Magistrate Yang could already foresee Zhu Chongba's next move—first, to exempt taxes for three years more or one year less, thus easing the burden on ordinary people. This was a skill passed down through generations in the Zhu family.
Secondly, it's likely that Old Deng disliked the officials in the imperial court, hence his idea of building numerous private schools to cultivate scholars.
Secondly, it's highly likely that Old Deng was already mentally prepared to target the commercial tax.
Magistrate Yang Shaofeng reorganized and resealed the thirteen official documents, then sighed softly.
Old Zhu, oh Old Zhu...