nashuaworldcup Chapter 69 Wang Wenhua Enters the City
Chapter 69 Wang Wenhua Enters the City
Chapter 69 Wang Wenhua Enters the City
A horse-drawn carriage slowly approached from the south gate of Hanshan County, showing no intention of stopping.
Just as the constable Wu was about to start cursing, Li Hechen stopped him.
Li Hechen was literate and recognized the four gilded characters on the carriage: "Newly Established Earl's Mansion".
Li Hechen is now the deputy head of Hanshan County and is very conscientious in his work. He came to inspect the work today. Another month has almost passed, and Hanshan's population has increased rapidly, now exceeding 20.
Upon seeing that it was a carriage from the official's residence, Li Hechen quickly ran forward, hoping to strike up a conversation with the people inside.
"Excuse me, please stop for a moment! There is a one-coin entry tax for each person entering the city," Li Hechen said.
"Hmph!" Wang Wenhua lifted the carriage curtain, looked around, and said irritably, "No one objects to Wang Wenzhou collecting city taxes?"
"I wonder what your relationship is with Lord Wang?" Li Hechen asked, frowning.
“Wang Wenzhou is my cousin,” Wang Wenhua said.
“The sir said that taxes are collected from the people and used for the people. How could the people of Hanshan oppose the city entry tax?” Li Hechen explained.
"Hmph! Pay up and we're going into town!" Wang Wenhua instructed the driver and lowered the carriage curtain.
Li Hechen was quite annoyed that his efforts had been met with such a cold shoulder. It seemed his cousin, the master, held a grudge against him.
The carriage entered the city, and Wang Wenhua and his friend Yang Sheng got off and strolled around the streets. Wang Wenhua wanted to see what Hanshan would become under the rule of Sha Xiaowu.
Walking down the streets of Hanshan County, Wang Wenhua's first impression was of the sheer number of people. Everywhere was crowded; the streets were lined with peddlers, and in some sections, it was so packed that it felt like people were squeezing together. This small county town seemed even more crowded than Nanjing.
"Is today a temple fair?" Wang Wenhua asked.
Yang Sheng was a local of Hanshan, but he had been away from home for many years and hadn't returned for a long time. He shook his head and replied, "Today is not the day of the temple fair."
"How can there be so many people!" Wang Wenhua exclaimed.
“Yes! Hanshan Street used to be deserted, even at temple fairs there weren’t this many people. Why don’t we go ask my cousin Ma Deyun? He’s been in Hanshan for years, he should know about this.” Yang Sheng was also a little puzzled.
"Let's take a look around first," Wang Wenhua said.
“Very well, it has been more than ten years since I went to the capital to take the imperial examination and have not returned to Hanshan County,” Yang Sheng said.
"Whoosh..." A whistle sounded.
Wang Wenhua looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman dressed in strange clothes riding a horse, blowing a whistle vigorously.
Wang Wenhua looked at the woman with great puzzlement.
Nianxia put down her whistle, pointed at a man, and shouted, "Stop! Thief! He's a thief!"
Pan Lin passed by and, seeing this scene, immediately rushed over. It was outrageous! In Hanshan County, anyone with hands and feet could easily make a living selling tax stamps at the city gates. For someone to steal in the street was utterly despicable!
Pan Lin was originally a poor scholar from Hanshan County. A few days ago, he applied for a job and became a teacher at a school. No matter the era, being a teacher is a prestigious position.
Pan Lin called out, and many passersby surrounded the thief.
"Don't hit me! I just want to go to the labor camp! I didn't really want to steal anything!" Zhang Anran said with a wry smile, holding up a bundle in his hand.
"Pfft!" Pan Lin chuckled. Yet another person who broke the law just to get into a labor camp.
"Miss Nianxia, I'm entrusting her to you!" Pan Lin cupped his hands in greeting to Nianxia.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Pan!" Nianxia thanked Pan Lin, took out a small token from her pocket, threw it to Zhang Anran, and said irritably, "Take this token to the yamen yourself, and the yamen runners will escort you to the labor camp. I have to patrol the streets, I don't have time to take you there!"
"Thank you, Miss!" Zhang Anran quickly expressed her gratitude.
Yang Sheng frowned deeply, utterly bewildered by everything that was happening before his eyes. Passersby helped apprehend the culprit, the thief confessed, and the constable was a woman!
Wang Wenhua cupped his hands in greeting to Pan Lin and asked, "Brother, is the girl on horseback a yamen runner?"
"Judging from your accent, you're not a local, are you?" Pan Lin asked.
“I came from Nanjing,” Wang Wenhua replied.
“The girls on horseback are indeed yamen runners; in Hanshan, we all call them policewomen,” Pan Lin explained to Wang Wenhua, who had an extraordinary demeanor.
"Where is the labor camp? Why do thieves yearn for it so much?" Wang Wenhua asked.
"Haha, he's not exactly a thief. These days, there are often outsiders like that. They just want to get into the labor camp to learn to read!" Pan Lin said with a laugh.
"Literate? Is a labor camp a school?" Wang Wenhua asked.
"A labor camp, as the name suggests, is a place for labor reform. This name was coined by Lord Wang, and it's similar to forced labor. However, there are teachers every day who teach people to read. Reading makes people understand principles, and I believe that Lord Wang's original intention was to make the criminals knowledgeable and reasonable. Because of this, many people from other places who want to learn to read try to get into the labor camp," Pan Lin said.
Wang Wenhua nodded, no wonder, not all families could afford the tuition fees of private tutors.
Unexpectedly, Silly Xiao Wu would do such a thing. Where did the money come from? It must have been from that old dog Wang Zhixin! Wang Wenhua cursed Wang Zhixin in his heart, "Old Wang! Old Wang! How is my father inferior to my sickly second uncle? How am I inferior to that dim-witted Silly Xiao Wu? You spent so much money to help Silly Xiao Wu buy his way into officialdom!"
“Brother, it’s getting late. Do you have some free time? I’d like to invite you for a drink and also ask you about the current situation in Hanshan County,” Wang Wenhua said.
"It's alright, let me treat you two. You've come from afar, so please accept my invitation!" Pan Lin was a teacher at the school, earning a "sky-high" salary of ten taels of silver a month. He didn't care about the cost of a meal, but he saw that Wang Wenhua had an extraordinary demeanor and wanted to make his acquaintance.
"How could we possibly accept that! We have a favor to ask of you. May we ask your honorable name, sir?" Wang Wenhua asked.
"My name is Pan Lin!"
"Judging from your age, I am a few years older than you. My name is Wang Boren, and this is my friend Yang Sheng." Wang Wenhua did not dare to reveal his real name, but instead used his courtesy name.
"Greetings, Brother Yang!" Pan Lin bowed to Yang Sheng.
“Brother, this is our first time in Hanshan County. We would like to ask you to be our guide. We must treat you to lunch today!” Wang Wenhua said.
The three of them found a restaurant, sat down, drank for a while, and gradually became acquainted.
Wang Wenhua learned from Pan Lin about some of the things Wang Wenzhou had done since taking office in Hanshan County.
Wang Wenhua was dumbfounded. How could this be! It wasn't that old dog Wang Zhixin who gave Sha Xiaowu the idea! Sha Xiaowu had just arrived in Hanshan and had locked Old Wang up in jail. He wasn't released until last month after the grand prize was awarded.
How could this be? Wang Wenhua truly couldn't understand it! His fifth brother, who used to be a bit dim-witted, had suddenly become incredibly wise and capable. He admired his actions immensely.
Wang Wenhua asked himself if he could have done the same if he were the magistrate of Hanshan County. He had thought about the city entrance tax for a long time before he figured it out. Not only did no one object to the city entrance tax, but the yamen (government office) also received more than ten thousand taels of silver every month.
If every county in the Ming Dynasty levied an entry tax, Wang Wenhua didn't even dare to think about it! Silly Xiao Wu, suddenly, possessed the talent of a prime minister! It's unbelievable!