1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 18 A Contract for Six Generations of Ancestral Property
“Mr. Qiu, the rest of the rules are negotiable, but can we discuss the clause about the fifty taels of silver as collateral?” Peng Gang asked.

"Without collateral, what if you mismanage the mountain area and abscond?" Qiu Gusan casually shifted the topic to the future revenue and security of the mountain area, holding his tea in hand.

“You are still young and have no experience in operating a charcoal yard. Pingzai Mountain has been quite unsafe in recent years, so I am worried about you.”

The draft of the rules for renting the mountain land on credit was already written clearly. For the first three years of renting the mountain land, Peng Gang would be solely responsible for the profits and losses of the mountain land, and it would have nothing to do with Qiu Gusan.

Qiu Gusan's concern for the mountain's revenue and safety was certainly not out of kindness; he was probably harboring some ill intentions.

Thinking of this, Peng Gang couldn't help but become more vigilant: "What does Mr. Qiu mean?"

"My Qiu family owns charcoal farms in various counties of Xunzhou Prefecture, and we certainly don't lack people to operate them," Qiu Gusan said slowly and deliberately.

"As long as you nod your head, I have ready-made positions for you, including the charcoal manager, the kiln operator, the section chief handling the money, and even the guards protecting the charcoal yard."

"I still have some influence in Xunzhou Prefecture; my name carries weight in the charcoal guild. If outsiders know this is my charcoal yard, no one will cause you trouble."

Qiu Gusan was not exaggerating.

If it's just a few baskets of charcoal sold here and there, the charcoal merchants will turn a blind eye and won't bother to make a fuss.

The 900 mu of virgin forest in Honglianping is quite large. As long as the management isn't too bad, the annual charcoal production in the first few years should be at least a million jin. The guild won't sit idly by.

Qiu Gusan's mention of his considerable influence in the charcoal trade of the Xunzhou Prefectural Chamber of Commerce inevitably carries a threatening connotation.

Whether it's coercion or enticement.

Peng Gang would never agree to this request under any circumstances.

If key positions such as charcoal maker, furnace master, section chief, and guards at Honglianping Mountain are all held by Qiu Gusan's people, it would be tantamount to handing over control of the mountain to Qiu Gusan.

At that time, Qiu Gusan will have a thousand ways to make Peng Gang a debt slave of the Qiu family, never to be able to escape.

The Qiu family's current large fortune is not mainly due to land rent, but rather to outrageously high-interest loans.

Peng Gang was willing to sign this unequal treaty with Qiu Gusan because he valued the rent-free period for the first three years and the right to manage the mountain area independently.

If he agreed to Qiu Gusan's conditions, he would be essentially paying Qiu Gusan to manage the mountain area out of his own pocket. He might as well just go back to Qingfeng Village and continue being a small-time farmer.

No matter how domineering the locals are, they are still just commoners, much easier to deal with than a ruthless tycoon like Qiu Gusan who exploits people to the bone.

Peng Gang just didn't understand that, according to the rules drafted by Qiu Gusan, three years later, wouldn't Peng Gang still be at Qiu Gusan's mercy?

He was nothing special, just an ordinary rich farmer. Why was Qiu Gusan so eager to take care of him, unwilling to wait even three years?

"I appreciate Master Qiu's kindness," Peng Gang said through gritted teeth.

“In that case, let’s proceed according to the rules drafted by Master Qiu. I’ll give you the fifty taels of silver as collateral!”

Faced with actual control and independent management of the mountain area, the fifty taels of silver deposit seemed insignificant.

Peng Gang was able to distinguish between what was more important and what was less important.

"Without these fifty taels, how will you quarry and burn charcoal?" Qiu Gusan shook his head and asked a completely unrelated question.

"Young man, are you engaged?"

"I am not engaged." Peng Gang was baffled by Qiu Gusan's nonsensical question. Could it be that Qiu Gusan had taken a liking to him?
"If that's the case, and you're willing to marry into my Qiu family, I'd give you five hundred taels of silver, let alone fifty taels."

Nine hundred acres of mountain land is nothing to my Qiu family. If you pass the imperial examination in the future, let alone nine hundred acres of mountain land, I would even give you nine hundred acres of top-quality paddy fields.” Qiu Gusan looked Peng Gang up and down, and the more he looked at him, the more he liked him.

“Young man, burning charcoal is hard work. It would be much more comfortable for you to become the son-in-law of the Qiu family.”

Eating soft food?
That's a good approach, though it avoids many detours.

If Qiu Gusan could provide Peng Gang with the first pot of gold for his rebellion, just as Wei Changhui invested in Xiao Chaogui, Peng Gang might consider it.

Unfortunately, Qiu Gusan was neither Wei Changhui nor Xiao Chaogui.

Xiao Chaogui was able to take the money from Wei Changhui's family while standing still because he could use the power of the Heavenly Brother, Heavenly Mother, and Heavenly Sister-in-law descending to earth to rally thousands of God Worshippers who would risk their lives for him.

Peng Gang doesn't have that kind of power right now.

"Qiu Gusan, even if the deal falls through, we can still be on good terms. Why do you have to humiliate my student!" Liu Bingwen couldn't stand it anymore and suddenly raised his voice to Qiu Gusan.

It is a shameful thing to marry into another family.

Without prior notice, Qiu Gusan's public proposal to have Peng Gang marry into his wife's family was tantamount to a direct humiliation.

No wonder Qiu Gusan was unwilling to wait even three years; it turns out he had his eye on him and wanted to marry him into the family.

Qiu Gusan was willing to take Peng Gang as his son-in-law simply because he valued Peng Gang's status as the second-place scholar in the county examination.

Living off the Qiu family isn't so easy. To do so, one must take the imperial examinations. The Qiu family won't support him for nothing.

Seeing that Peng Gang remained unmoved, Qiu Gusan knew that there was no hope of getting Peng Gang to marry into his family now, and he could only wait another three years.

We should discuss this issue with Peng Gang when he is heavily in debt; at that point, Peng Gang will have no choice but to agree.

Three years later, the rent for the Honglianping mountain area will be as high as 60%!

Charcoal burning is low-profit; even a 50% rent from the mountains can be overwhelming for experienced mountain farm owners. Qiu Gusan didn't believe Peng Gang could turn things around with a 60% rent burden.

Having failed to get his hands on Peng Gang, Qiu Gusan turned to Liu Bingwen, who was still seething with anger, and set his sights on Liu Bingwen: "I have long admired Mr. Liu's talent and learning, and I hope that Mr. Liu can teach and guide my Qiu family's children. As long as Mr. Liu can agree to my request, the matter of this young man's fifty taels of silver as collateral is negotiable."

Qiu Gusan made it very clear that as long as Liu Bingwen was willing to accept Qiu family children into Liu Bingwen's school, he would not need Peng Gang's fifty taels of deposit.

Liu Bingwen had met members of the Qiu family before. It wasn't that he was prejudiced against them, but rather that he genuinely believed they were all hopeless and unreliable.

Seeing Liu Bingwen's hesitation, Qiu Gusan quickly held up one finger and said, "Even if you're willing to take one member of the Qiu family as a student, that's fine, just one!"

Peng Gang knew that Liu Bingwen had his own principles in accepting students, and he didn't want to put Liu Bingwen in a difficult position, so he stood up and apologized to Liu Bingwen: "Sir, you have already done enough for the students. The students should solve their own problems."

After apologizing, Peng Gang turned to Qiu Gusan and said, "Master Qiu, I have accepted your terms. This is a deal between us. Please don't involve my husband or make things difficult for him."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Bingwen raised his hand to stop him: "Qiu Gusan, just as you said, I'll only accept one."

Peng Dun shook his head at Liu Bingwen: "The master has always had his own rules for accepting students, and you must not break those rules for my sake."

“It’s not breaking my rules. Even a master can make mistakes. There was a member of the Qiu family whom I overlooked before. I’ll take this opportunity to take him under my wing and settle this regret.” Liu Bingwen said with a rare amiable smile.

"I wonder which of my sons Mr. Liu has taken a fancy to? I'll have him come out and become Mr. Liu's disciple right away." Upon hearing that Liu Bingwen was willing to take a member of the Qiu family into his fold, Qiu Gu was overjoyed.

“This boy is in the main hall,” Liu Bingwen said, pointing to the young man who had just whispered in Peng Gang’s ear.

"Your name is Qiu Zhongliang, right? It's been eight or nine years since we last met. I almost didn't recognize you."

"Mr. Liu still remembers me!" Qiu Zhongliang was overjoyed. He had been disappointed and frustrated for a long time after being turned away by Liu Bingwen. He never expected that Liu Bingwen would still remember his name. He hurriedly kowtowed and asked to become his disciple.

Liu Bingwen nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good, I will accept you as my student. Don't be discouraged. Although your aptitude is not as good as Peng Gang's, if you study diligently, you still have a chance to become a student under my tutelage."

Once the deal was finalized, Qiu Gusan, who frequently bought land, was already very familiar with the process; it just took a few days.

Qiu Zhongliang became Liu Bingwen's student, which made Qiu Gusan very happy. He asked Peng Gang and Liu Bingwen to stay at the Qiu family's fortified village for a few days.

In just seven days, Qiu Gusan had someone prepare the deed, transferring the Peng family's land and houses to the Qiu family's name.

"If there are no problems with this contract, let's sign it and exchange the contract for the money." After the contract was completed, in the presence of the three intermediaries, Qiu Gusan handed Peng Gang an official contract with the words "Xunzhou Official Contract" printed on the edge and a red seal the size of a grain of rice printed on the corner.

Official contracts issued by Xunzhou Prefecture cost 40 cash each, which was very expensive.

It wasn't that Qiu Gusan wanted to earn those 40 coins. Since the 22nd year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, the Guangxi government had ordered all prefectures to implement the use of officially issued contracts in order to increase tax revenue.

After the 22nd year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, Xunzhou Prefecture only recognized official contracts for land and housing transactions, not private contracts. He had no choice but to use the official contracts.

Holding the contract handed to him by Qiu Gusan, Peng Gang felt a mix of emotions.

The ancestral property accumulated by the Peng family over six generations is all contained in this flimsy official deed.

After a brief moment of reflection, Peng Gang buried himself in examining the contents of the contract.

This deed of sale is made by Peng Gang, a resident of the 8th Jia Village, 3rd Tu, Qingfeng Village, Guixian County, Xunzhou Prefecture. Due to family misfortune, he willingly sells his ancestral property—seventeen mu of paddy fields, six mu of dry land, five earthen houses, and half a mu of vegetable garden—to Qiu Houdetang, Yongchang Firm, Guixian County, Xunzhou Prefecture, Guangxi Province, for perpetual management. The agreed price is 232 taels of silver, paid in full on the day of signing, and is non-redeemable. To ensure the preservation of this document in the future, this deed of sale is hereby made.

计开
Nine mu of superior paddy fields: Located at the entrance of Qingfeng Village, bounded by the Lu family boundary stone in the east, the Zhou family ancestral hall in the west, the official road in the south, and the tea oil trees planted at the shrine in the north, with clear boundaries on all four sides.

Eight mu of medium-sized paddy fields: located in Tongluotang.
Sixty-six mu of dry, sloping land: located in Luchong'ao.
Five earthen houses: beams and pillars are all made of pine wood, roof is tiled, and doors and windows are complete.
In addition, there are all kinds of furniture and livestock.
On the 27th day of the second month of the 28th year of the Daoguang reign, Peng Gang was the person who entered into the contract.

Middleman:

Wang Yongnian, the village's local security officer. (Written on behalf of someone else)

He Ming, a clerk in your county. (Private seal)

Liu Bingwen, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) from Guixian County. (Signature)

Verified by the esteemed county government of Xunzhou Prefecture. (Vermilion official seal)

The deed tax is 24.8 taels of silver (stamped with the blue seal for tax payment according to regulations).
Finally, the contract number from Xunzhou Prefecture was affixed.

After confirming that there were no problems with the contract, Peng Gang dipped his finger in ink and pressed it onto the contracting party's fingerprint.

The price agreed upon by Peng Gang and Qiu Gusan was 252 taels of silver. The contract stated 232 taels because a deed tax of 20 taels, 4 mace, and 8 fen of silver was paid.

The statutory deed tax rate in the Qing Dynasty was 3%, but local governments would levy additional "fire loss" and "transfer fee", so the actual deed tax collected generally fluctuated between 5% and 11%.

The deed tax rate collected in Guixian County is a little over 8%, which is considered a rather unscrupulous local government.

After leaving his handprints, Qiu Gusan handed over the license for the mountain area of ​​Honglianping in Pingshan and a copy of the charcoal burning regulations to Peng Gang.

With this permit, he could openly burn charcoal in Honglianping and contribute taxes to the Qing Dynasty while simultaneously undermining its foundations.

Peng Gang carefully examined the mountain area license, which bore the red serial number of Xunzhou Prefecture and had all the necessary seals, indicating there were no problems.

No matter how greedy Qiu Gusan was, or how shrewd his calculations were, he didn't dare to give Peng Gang a fake license in front of the clerk of Gui County and Liu Bingwen.

However, this silver is a big problem.

(End of this chapter)