novelSusiti Chapter 94 A Slap and a Sweet Treat
Chapter 94 A Slap and a Sweet Treat
Without Yang Chengde's interference, Li Chong smoothly announced everyone's rewards.
Everyone present was all smiles, calculating how much reward they would receive. Those whose names weren't called by Li Chong couldn't help but feel a little resentful.
However, this resentment was not directed at Li Chong, but rather at Yang Chengde and Fu Shun.
If it weren't for these two interfering, they wouldn't have worried about being implicated and thus hadn't shown any goodwill towards Li Chong.
If they had contributed before, wouldn't they also have a share of today's reward?
It's not scarcity that's worrisome, but inequality. If there's nothing at all, then forget it.
It's disheartening when some people get something while others get nothing.
At this point, they would not look for problems within themselves, but would only blame others, and the target of their criticism would be the other two officials.
That Wu Dalang was just a down-on-his-luck guy in the government office before, and all the dirty and hard work was pushed onto him. But now? He's transformed into a former head constable supported by the county magistrate.
Putting aside other perks, their monthly salaries have increased significantly, which is a real benefit.
With this issue involved, people naturally rallied towards Li Chong.
Li Chong easily sensed the subtle atmosphere in the hall, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. It was time to add fuel to the fire.
"Those of you who did not receive any benefits should not be discouraged. You are all working for the court and for the well-being of the people. There will be plenty of such opportunities in the future."
Li Chong put down the roster in his hand and said casually, "The imperial court will soon be collecting summer taxes. I will personally supervise the process. As long as you all do your best, you will be rewarded."
Yang Chengde's expression changed drastically. Why did Li Chong bring up the matter of taxation?
If Li Chong hadn't actually wiped out the mountain bandits, he wouldn't have shared the credit for collecting the autumn tax with Li Chong, let alone the summer tax that was just around the corner.
How could Li Chong possibly snatch such a huge, lucrative opportunity, especially one that yielded consistent credit?
"Your Excellency," Yang Chengde said with a frown, "I have always been in charge of the summer tax. It is better not to trouble yourself with two people at once. Your Excellency has just apprehended the thieves, so please do not overwork yourself. Otherwise, how can I live with myself?"
"Hey!"
Li Chong waved his hand: "Registration Officer Yang, what are you saying? This county is no longer a newcomer. Everyone in the county government is aware of this, and it is time to get things done. Tax collection is crucial to the operation of the imperial court and is of paramount importance. How can I, as the county magistrate, stand idly by?"
"Don't say any more. Tomorrow I will find you to hand over the documents. You can rest in the yamen for a while, and I will go to the countryside to investigate for you."
Yang Chengde raised his voice: "Your Excellency, please forgive me! As you have said, taxation is a matter of great importance to the imperial court, and we cannot afford any mistakes. If Your Excellency takes over now and issues policies that change frequently, the people will be at a loss. If anything goes wrong, none of us can bear the responsibility!"
Li Chong smiled slightly. You think you can make him give up like this?
impossible.
Just as he was about to speak and refute Yang Chengde, the person below him stood up.
Sun Jun cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Excellency, I handled the entire summer tax matter, and all the key points have already been taken care of. If Your Excellency does not mind, I am willing to serve you faithfully and will certainly guarantee that the taxes will be paid in full."
"You!" Yang Chengde didn't expect retribution to come so quickly.
Li Chong was also somewhat surprised, but since Sun Jun stepped forward at this time, he no longer needed to use his power to intimidate others, which made things look better.
"Look, with Clerk Sun here, how could this county magistrate possibly mess up the tax collection?" Li Chong smiled as he looked at Yang Chengde. "Even if you are the Registrar Yang, you still need to rely on your subordinates to collect taxes. With Clerk Sun coordinating things, and with a few more experienced people being dispatched by the county magistrate, there will naturally be no problem."
Having said that, without receiving a reply from Yang Chengde, Li Chong looked directly down and spoke.
"Does anyone here have expertise in taxation? We're short a few people here."
After only a moment's hesitation, quite a few people stepped forward.
Everyone knew that Li Chong was generous, and since he was also the county magistrate, he had a legitimate reason to act, so the people under him were not too worried about Yang Chengde's retaliation.
Looking at the crowd of people eagerly signing up below, Yang Chengde's face was extremely ugly, but he couldn't say anything.
He knew he had lost.
However, although Yang Chengde knew this, he would never accept his fate so easily.
"If you won't let me get involved in taxes, you won't have an easy time either! Collecting taxes for you is out of the question, but sabotaging your plans is more than enough!"
With a fierce determination, a cold glint flashed in Yang Chengde's eyes as he quickly devised several ideas for revenge.
Li Chong glanced at Yang Chengde, who was standing there defiantly, and then ignored him. He casually pointed to a few people and told them to come find him later to discuss the tax collection.
Those who were selected were naturally overjoyed. Collecting taxes was always a lucrative job, and with Li Chong's generosity, they all felt that their families would soon be able to make a large sum of money.
"Oh, right."
Li Chong suddenly seemed to remember something: "Registration Officer Yang, I really do have something important to entrust to you. You should prepare in advance."
Yang Chengde raised his eyelids, looked at Li Chong, and remained silent.
He was too lazy to talk to Li Chong anymore. He wanted to see how Li Chong could humiliate him. At worst, they would all suffer together and be reprimanded by their superiors.
Anyway, Li Chong is the county magistrate, so if the prefecture wants to issue a reprimand, it's aimed at him.
Yang Chengde could only try to find some humor in his misery at this point.
Li Chong smiled casually, not paying any attention to Yang Chengde's attitude.
He simply said, "The other day, the prefectural government sent a document ordering us to investigate all the fields in the county without land deeds. I suppose this is in preparation for land reclamation. I am in charge of collecting the summer tax, and this matter is of great importance. I don't trust anyone else with this task, so I'll leave the land reclamation to Registrar Yang."
"Huh?" Yang Chengde suddenly raised his head.
Is Li Chong serious?
He had thought that Li Chong had taken credit for the summer tax and would also take credit for the land reclamation project, but he never expected that Li Chong would leave him with a share of the credit.
Compared to the summer tax, if the land survey is done well, it might not be a bad future.
After all, in the Northern Song Dynasty at that time, no amount of merit could compare to a word from someone above. The land reclamation was a major event ordered by Yang Jian, with people sent down from the central government to oversee it.
If done well, it can be extremely prestigious.
"Does the county magistrate mean that I, your humble servant, am in charge of the land reclamation?"
"What? Registrar Yang is unwilling?" Li Chong seemed somewhat surprised. "If you are unwilling, then I will find someone else."
"I am willing! I am willing!" Yang Chengde quickly stood up and agreed, "I will certainly live up to the magistrate's expectations and do my best to complete this task."
Yang Chengde clearly saw through Li Chong's methods of giving a slap followed by a sweet treat, yet he still accepted it willingly.
He was still trying to convince himself: "After all, he's the county magistrate, my superior. It's no big deal for him to share some power. In any case, he wouldn't dare to turn against me, so he still assigned me the land reclamation task. Since that's the case, I'll just give him face."
Yang Chengde's expression gradually softened, and his desire for revenge was completely extinguished.