The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

Sun Shan reviewed the grain handed over this time and found that it was half more than in previous years.

In other words, this part can be kept entirely and used for other purposes.

Sun Shan nodded in satisfaction: "County Magistrate Wang, you did a good job. Did you encounter any difficulties in collecting taxes this time?"

Magistrate Wang bowed and smiled, saying, "Sir, this tax collection went exceptionally smoothly. The villagers were very cooperative and paid their taxes according to our requirements. Hehe, sir, we even gave them our bird droppings as fertilizer. We are so grateful for their kindness, how could they not pay their taxes?"

This tax collection went very smoothly.

It's not that the people are so kind, gentle, and modest, nor that they abide by the law, nor that they are grateful.

All because Magistrate Wang stood arrogantly in the center and said, "Anyone who doesn't pay their taxes obediently will not be allowed to use fertilizer for the summer planting!"

With just a simple sentence, the people had no choice but to cooperate and pay taxes.

Not only did they cooperate obediently, but they also rushed to pay their taxes.

Because Magistrate Wang arrogantly declared, "If anyone pays taxes late, the workshops won't sell fertilizer to them!"

Magistrate Wang sells fertilizer when he's in a good mood, and doesn't sell fertilizer when he's in a bad mood.

As for when they were in a good mood, the people would obediently hand over their grain.

Sun Shan's eyes lit up as he listened to Magistrate Wang's exaggerated boasting.

Wow, he really is a frontline worker at the grassroots level, he understands the needs of the people best, and he is indeed a native of Yuanlu, he has more experience in dealing with natives.

County Magistrate Wang is seizing upon the people's most pressing needs and using them as leverage, so they will obediently comply.

This is the first time that bird droppings fertilizer has been used on a large scale for taxation, and we have no experience with it.

If it were the second time, would Magistrate Wang have encouraged the people to voluntarily transport their grain to the yamen to pay taxes?

As long as you use fertilizer as leverage, and as long as you want a bumper harvest, I don't believe the people won't cooperate willingly.

At that time, even labor will be saved; they can simply sit high in the government office and wait for the people to deliver their grain taxes to their door.

Of course, Magistrate Wang did not think of this at that moment.

He continued to boast: "Sir, our bird droppings fertilizer has brought the people an unprecedented bumper harvest. It is a gift from you, sir. They are so happy to have harvested so much grain that they dare not pay the grain tax."

Before Magistrate Wang could finish speaking, Sun Shan interrupted him, saying, "Magistrate Wang, you are mistaken. This time, Yuanlu has enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests, all thanks to the Emperor's divine intervention. I am merely acting in accordance with His Majesty's orders; it is nothing to mention."

It's unclear whether Magistrate Wang was flattering him or setting a trap.

No matter what, Sun Shan must stop him; he absolutely cannot allow his achievements to overshadow his master.

Magistrate Wang was taken aback, then realized what was happening. He quickly bowed and said with a fawning smile, "Your Excellency is right. Yuanlu County is what it is today because His Majesty cares for the common people. His kindness has moved Heaven and Earth, and Heaven has bestowed so much grain upon us."

He secretly rolled his eyes: This Lord Sun is really good at flattering people; he has to drag the Emperor into everything.

Hmph, Yuanlu County is far from the emperor's reach, no matter how nicely you speak, the emperor won't hear you.

Lord Sun's flattery was definitely in vain.

His eyes darted around. Sun Shan District was just a lowly seventh-rank official, probably someone even the Emperor had never met. Heh heh, what a sycophant!

Sun Shan looked at Magistrate Wang with satisfaction and continued, "Has all the grain been put into the granary?"

Magistrate Wang nodded: "Sir, it has all been brought back to the granary and protected, so it will definitely not spoil."

That's what they said, but Sun Shan was still worried.

After all, Magistrate Wang has a criminal record, so we can't afford not to keep a close eye on him.

Sun Shan did not trust any of the officials, represented by County Magistrate Wang.

Managing granaries was a lucrative job, and officials often embezzled grain, falsified inventory, tampered with grain, and sold inferior goods as superior ones. In some cases, when superiors investigated the accounts, the granaries were burned down, leaving no evidence to prove anything.

Sun Shan thought for a moment and arranged for the Sun family guards to come and guard the warehouse. Even if he didn't arrange it, he would conduct surprise inspections every few days.

Big rat, big rat, don't eat my millet!

Sometimes the "big rat" is a real rat, but more often it's an official like Magistrate Wang.

So the group moved from the council chamber to the granary.

The granary of Yuanlu County was actually right next to the government office.

It wasn't that this place was particularly good; it was simply that when the government office was built, the first magistrate felt more at ease having the grain under his watchful eye.

This is a classic example of how one generation plants trees so that another can enjoy the shade.

Sun Shan was very satisfied with this.

Upon seeing the piles of grain, Wu, the clerk, blushed and excitedly said, "My lord, this is the first time I've ever seen so much grain. This is all thanks to you, my lord."

He paused, then immediately added, "It is His Majesty's grace."

Just now, Magistrate Wang hadn't had a chance to thank heaven, earth, or the emperor, when Lord Sun gave him a piercingly high gaze.

Wu, the clerk, did not want to receive the same treatment.

Sun Shan didn't say anything, but went straight to the granary and inspected it one by one.

Grain was not simply piled on the ground, but was often stored in "grain enclosures" made of reed mats or bamboo mats, which made it easier to manage and categorize the grain.

When Magistrate Wang collected grain taxes, he categorized the grains according to their grade.

The government's standard for "good grain" was: dry (thoroughly dried), clean (free of impurities), and plump (full).

Moldy, damp, or sandy grains are classified as "inferior grains" or "bad grains".

If people handed over inferior rice, it would not only be returned, but they would also be required to pay double the amount, and they would be punished with caning.

Falsifying tax payments is a very serious crime.

Sun Shan was not worried about the farmers handing over inferior grain, but suspected that the officials were using cheap, inferior rice to replace the good grain that the farmers were handing over.

Therefore, we persisted in checking the warehouses, meticulously examining each one one by one.

Sun Shan walked to a granary and said casually, "Open the granary."

Ambassador Cang quickly obeyed: "Yes, sir, I'll be right there."

Last year, Sun Shan inspected the grain warehouses one by one, and this year he is repeating the same action.

Ambassador Cang had long been aware of Sun Shan's style of doing things.

Ambassador Cang discovered that the current county magistrate paid special attention to "agriculture." Whether it was farmland, fertilizer, grain, or granaries, he insisted on doing everything himself and never delegated the task to others.

Ambassador Cang had worked in the yamen for decades, and this was the first time he had encountered a county magistrate like this.

I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, both good and bad.

The good thing is that under Lord Sun's leadership, there was a bumper harvest of grain; the bad thing is that it was really too difficult to embezzle.

Lord Sun kept a tight rein on things, leaving no room for maneuver or underhanded tactics.

The only thing one can embezzle now is during the clearance sale, sweeping out a small amount of grain as garbage for oneself.

It's hard to find an opportunity to make a move elsewhere.

If Sun Shan knew what Ambassador Cang was thinking, he would definitely give him a good scolding.

Agriculture is the foundation of the nation and its people; food is the cornerstone of everything.

A person can live without dignity, but they cannot go hungry.

As a grassroots official, the most important thing is to address the needs of grassroots staff.

The people's only need is to have enough to eat. Whether they are full or not is not important; as long as they don't starve to death, that's enough.

If Sun Shan doesn't engage in agriculture, why would he be a grassroots official?

Why not just go home and live a carefree, leisurely life?

Large-scale warehouse closure in Yunyang, Hubei

Hubei Dafengcang