Xue Jiazi

When Xue Pan, Jia Lian, and Lin Daiyu were laughing and laughing in the study, Lin Ruhai was reading Xue Pan's article in the other study. If Xue Pan had never learned stereotypes or strategies, he had been studying for more than ten years. College students who have been educated through the system have written a lot of essays since they were young. Argumentative essays and narrative essays are all advanced gunners who can finish an essay in half an hour. Also, all exams, especially major exams, Chinese On the examination paper, writing articles is essential, and there is a time limit. If you have no foundation, you can get admitted to university.

Xue Pan was forced by Lin Ruhai to write some articles, and he didn't even have a title, so he couldn't do anything about it. In the end, he directly used the method of travel notes to write a travel note of his journey from Jinling to Yangzhou. Although he couldn't write in vernacular, The level must be a little lower, and in some places, he can only use some famous articles he knows to change a few words to make up a few words, but Lin Ruhai is already a little surprised when he sees such an article. Such an eight-year-old child can write vividly and clearly, which is already a remarkable ability. It seems that a child who has only been enlightened for two or three years is better than those written by children!

You said copy famous articles?There are a lot of articles in the world to copy, as long as you have the ability to copy people to obey, there is no problem at all if you copy a few sentences, otherwise people will use allusions in the future?Isn't using allusions another kind of copying?Anyway, Lin Ruhai suddenly found that Xue Pan was a very talented kid in writing articles, which was really amazing.

The imperial examination, to put it bluntly, is two things that are most important. One is a good memory, and the other is a good essay. Xue Pan has passed the exam in terms of knowledge. Although there are still some things that are not very comprehensive, but I have to say, This child is still exposed to a lot of books, which are actually quite beneficial for future exams. Now that he reads this article, he has some skills. Now, even Lin Ruhai is looking forward to Xue Pan's scientific exams, and feels that This old Xue's family could really produce a person with a high reputation in Xue Pan's generation.

"Autumn osmanthus is fragrant...the evening wind chases the clouds...well, not bad, really not bad."

Lin Ruhai looked at the article, stroked his beard, and kept nodding. It happened that Mr. Qiu, his staff member, came in. Seeing Lin Ruhai like this, he couldn't help but lean over to take a look. After seeing the word, it was obviously a child's , Looking at this article again, I knew who it was as soon as I rolled my eyes. Xue Pan lived here for a while before, and their staff members naturally knew about it, but I didn't expect that this child can already write articles now.

"Dong Weng, this child from the Xue family seems to be quite talented, which is really rare. It has lived up to your teachings from time to time over the past few years."

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai also smiled. For several years in a row, he was really embarrassed to refuse and correct his homework for such a child, but it became a habit later on. To a certain extent, at that time, he also understood the disappointment in raising children that he lacked because he didn't have a son. Thinking of his dedication, he was also very satisfied to see the child's current achievements.

"This kid is really talented and smart. I heard from his father that this kid won the 47th place in the chess competition in Yangzhou. He was playing with a group of adults! How can such a baby boy have a lot of money?" This kind of chess skill is really not easy."

Lin Ruhai listened to the staff saying that Xue Pan was good, and said a few words, and shared the good news together. You must know that this staff also likes to play chess, and he also likes the chess competition in Jinling very much. He even sent his family to Jinling Collect the chess records of those tournaments.

Sure enough, when he said this, the eyes of Qiu's staff also lit up.I wondered if I should find some time to play a game with that child, so that I could measure my own strength.Of course, these are things for later, he came here today to talk about business.

"My lord, news came from outside that the place where the salt was boiled by the sea was hit by a typhoon a few days ago. The salt households suffered a lot of losses. This year's autumn salt is expected to have a lot of impact. The salt merchants' Yanyin, Shall we collect it?"

Seeing Lin Ruhai put down Xue Pan's article, Qiu's staff knew that it was time to talk about business, so he hurriedly and respectfully began to report new issues, and gave what he thought to be reasonable suggestions according to his identity. The so-called staff is not just Those who help with trivial matters also need to have a certain amount of wisdom, knowing when to say what to say, and what kind of advice to give.Even if it may not be suitable, but what should be said must be said. Only such a staff can work for a long time. Qiu's staff has worked beside Lin Ruhai for many years, and he has already figured out Lin Ruhai's temperament. He is outspoken in everything, so he is deeply trusted. .

"Receive? It's probably useless to say it. They don't lack salt. We have suffered a loss, but they have a lot of private salt in their hands. If we give less salt, they will probably be able to produce twice as much private salt. In the end, we are the ones who suffer, and the only one who is underpaid is the salt tax.”

Sure enough, Lin Ruhai frowned when he heard this, and then sighed. He didn't shy away from speaking, and directly mentioned the most critical trouble.

"It's just that my lord, if you suffer from a typhoon, you must report the disaster to your superiors. In this way, you can get some relief and help the salt households. If you don't report it, then the salt households will suffer. But if you report it, the superiors will definitely It’s the one or two salt tax reduction. This is a statute, and there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s not easy to insist on asking the salt merchants to pay. In this way, we will fight with the salt merchants, and there is no benefit for us. In the past few years, for the sake of salt tax, you can say that your lord has used both hard and soft tactics against these salt merchants. You have used many methods. If you push too hard, I'm afraid they will jump the wall in a hurry!"

Although the national dynasty is only a hundred years old, the Yangzhou salt merchants and salt lords have already experienced hundreds of years. Private salt has long been a big cancer. No one can clean it up. It is dying. Yes, this salt merchant doesn't have many other things, but has the most money. They have attracted more than one or two officials, and there are often bandits and water bandits colluding with them. They often evade all taxes and taxes by means of infiltration, smuggling, assassination, etc. , causing the salt tax to drop year after year.

Lin Ruhai is the emperor's confidant, the son-in-law of the Jia family, and a wealthy family from the south of the Yangtze River. It is because of these identities that he is able to occupy the most difficult, lucrative, and most troublesome position in Yangzhou. For many years, the salt tax has been quite a lot every year, which is more than double that of the previous predecessors, and it can collect [-] to [-]% of the income. It is simply a miracle among the salt officials in Yangzhou. Of course, some of this is his own. Ability, and how much it is the relationship between the in-laws of each family, and the favor of the people, this is the only way to have such achievements. You must know that it is the ability of the officials in charge to collect three achievements.

Now that there is a natural disaster, there are obvious reasons that can be used to evade taxes. If he doesn't know how to pay taxes, I'm afraid that when the tax is paid at the end of the year, these people don't know what to do!When Lin Ruhai thought of these things, he felt that his head was too big.

But Qiu's staff suddenly thought of something at this time, and leaned over to Lin Ruhai and said:

"My lord, this year's disaster must not be reported, otherwise you will not be able to do well here in the future, but the money can be made up in other ways. Look at this, we will inevitably reduce the salt tax, but this year It's His Majesty's fiftieth birthday, shouldn't we prepare a birthday gift? If we organize salt merchants to celebrate His Majesty's birthday, then they will probably pay a lot of money. Being able to give gifts to the Emperor, no matter how it sounds, is a great and happy event with face! Can they be active? We are just organizing and giving a name. At least it is to make up for the losses inside the wall and outside the wall. When it comes time, whether it is the treasury or the Ministry of Households, it is hard to say anything. By the way, in one, let’s say it is Pray for His Majesty, organize salt merchants to donate porridge and rice, why don't we subsidize the salt households earlier, you see?"

I have to say that this method is still possible, although it is not bright, but at least it can get money from these salt merchants who have made a fortune by smuggling and have dirty hands and feet. For silver, the court can be more relaxed, and Yanhu can live a good life for a few days. Here, the mistake of reducing the salt tax can also be covered up. As long as it is something that benefits everyone, it is not very bright. Can't do it.

Thinking of this, Lin Ruhai nodded, and turned to Qiu's staff and said:

"This method is fine, but it can't be too obvious. Report the disaster first, live a few days, and let out the wind. By the way, those salt merchants like fighting for wealth the most. Find a place where they will be there someday If we quote one another, we can gain more. The big deal is to make a list for them all, and make sure that their birthday gifts are written with their respective surnames. I think they can be more active."

If a merchant like this can add a sentence in the booklet, such as Yangzhou merchant Sun, Qian, etc., it will be enough for their family, no, the whole family will be happy.Although it is written, it is estimated that it is just a glance, and it may not be remembered. After reading it, I don’t think there is anything to pay attention to. It will go to the back of my mind in a blink of an eye.But for Lin Ruhai and the others, it's just a pen with a few strokes. This is the difference between an official and a businessman.

Staff Qiu also laughed when he heard that, he knew that his boss was not that pedantic, it was just an addition, if it could increase the income of the national treasury and help the poor people a little bit more, there is nothing wrong with that !If it weren't for Lin Ruhai's tactful means, he wouldn't have stayed here for so many years, and it wouldn't have been possible for these salt merchants to be obedient.So he immediately saluted and obeyed.After handing over the list of salt households affected by the disaster this time, he resigned.

Lin Ruhai looked at the roster, and each name was one life. At this time, the salt households were all guarding a salt jar, and they lived by cooking sea salt every day. Because of the violent wind and rain, there was insufficient firewood, and some people even died in the typhoon. As a result, I don’t know how many families were destroyed.

Lin Ruhai, who became more and more irritable as he thought about it, simply put down the booklet, picked up Xue Pan's article and looked at it, then raised his head and ordered the attendant at the door to call Xue Pan over, thinking that he should finish teaching the child his homework first. At any rate, he was at home, and after taking a rest, he turned around and found a few books on the bookshelf, preparing to read them to Xue Pan when he came.

When Xue Pan came to Lin Ruhai's study outside, what he saw was Lin Ruhai picking out books.Seeing him coming in, Lin Ruhai didn't say much, just sorted out the basic books in his hand, and said to Xue Pan:

"You go back and read these books. They are all good books that will give you a lot of insight. They are more detailed. The articles in them are all very good. If you write like them, you may not be able to write like this in the future." The article of yours, I read this article of yours is a bit interesting, and the words are elegant, but there are some ups and downs, I think it is because I am not used to it, the writing is not smooth enough, but fortunately, write more about this problem, practice more It’s done, as long as you persevere, the stereotypes will still be of some benefit to you in the future.”

Since it was a matter of teaching him to be serious, Xue Pan would not be careless, and immediately saluted respectfully, thanked him, took a few steps forward, and took the book with both hands. The moment he took the book, his eyes When he saw the booklet suddenly, his eyes froze for a moment, and his hand stopped unconsciously.

Lin Ruhai followed his eyes and knew that he had seen the brochure of that Yanhu. He felt a little irritable, and said in a very bad tone:

"Why don't you take the book back quickly and see what to do with it? It's beyond your ability to know."

Xue Pan was taken aback for a moment, and immediately came back to his senses, and hurriedly said:

"Yes, Uncle, Pan'er is being reckless."

He said he wanted to leave after picking up the book, but after taking a few steps back, he stopped again. It wasn't his holy father, he wasn't a good old man, and it wasn't that he wanted to show off or show off. The typhoon and the loss of Yanto, he couldn't help but think of the scenes of disasters on TV in modern times, whether it was the earthquake in Sichuan or the tsunami in Indonesia, what he always saw before his eyes was such a tragic appearance , so he couldn't help but turned around and asked Lin Ruhai:

"Uncle, is the natural disaster very severe? Did a lot of people die?"

Maybe it was because of the pity in Xue Pan's eyes that people couldn't bear to refuse, maybe the child's unbearable expression moved Lin Ruhai. In short, after looking at Xue Pan for a while, Lin Ruhai finally stopped driving him away, just closed his eyes and sighed. groaned, and then said weakly:

"Eighty percent of the Yanhu households were affected by the disaster, and [-]% of their families were destroyed. It can be said that this time the casualties are no longer rare. Do you think natural disasters are severe? My child, natural disasters are always the most severe, because you are powerless to fight against them!"

Lin Ruhai at this moment is exhausted, not like the third-rank official who is happy because of having a son, but an upright official who is compassionate and compassionate, and an official who understands the hardships of people's livelihood. Lin Ruhai at this moment makes Xue Pan feel very sad I admire, no matter whether this Lin Ruhai is really able to help the victims, no matter whether he is able to turn the tide, at least he is not a cold-blooded person, knows compassion, and knows how to care about the life and death of the people.

Thinking of this, Xue Pan couldn't help but walked back again, moved to Lin Ruhai's side, thought for a while, finally bit his lip, and said firmly:

"Uncle, then how should we get rid of them? Ask a doctor? If the family is ruined, they will have no home. Should we help them build a house? Or give them clothes?"

Lin Ruhai's eyes suddenly lit up, staring fixedly at Xue Pan,

"What did you say?"

"Didn't my uncle say that their family is ruined? That means that the family is gone. If you want to help them, shouldn't you help them build a house and let them have a home again? If they don't have a home, then maybe they have no clothes to wear and things to wear." Food, or even other things at home, should we also help send some over there? Well, my family has a pawn shop, and there are many old clothes that others sent for pawning. Uncle, can you send the old clothes to them? Also, there are a lot of people in our family, and there may be some clothes they don’t wear. It’s estimated that there are not many clothes in the whole. If you pack them up, you can also send them, so that they have After changing the clothes, I will look for anything else I don’t need, such as kitchen knives, bowls and chopsticks, they must have all gone, do you want to send it to them?”

Xue Pan used the most innocent words to explain the meaning of family ruin and death in a child's way, and in his own way, he said a few things prepared for modern disaster relief. He knew that Lin Ruhai was a smart person, and he would definitely understand it. The more Lin Ruhai listened, the brighter his eyes became. In the end, he actually took a piece of paper and wrote down what Xue Pan said.

"Okay, Pan'er, what you're saying is that my uncle was thinking about it. He thought that all he needed to do was give out porridge. Why did he forget about these things? Seeing a family again is not just a matter of a few bowls of porridge, building a house, sending Clothes, gifts, these are all necessary."

After finishing writing the things in his hands, Lin Ruhai's eyes softened again, he stretched out his hand to grab Xue Pan, looked him up and down carefully, and then said with emotion:

"Pan'er, you are indeed a very good child, and a very kind child. Thank you, uncle. You are very good. We want to help them. You don't have to talk to your father. Uncle will go to your father himself. , Be good, let’s go study!”

Knowing that Lin Ruhai had listened to what he said, Xue Pan stopped being troublesome, and naturally became a child again obediently, obediently returning to the place where he should stay.On the other side, Lin Ruhai quickly summoned his staff, and told them about what Xue Pan said,

"Look, is this feasible?"

Several staff members looked at it, listened to it, and in the end it was Qiu's staff member who spoke first:

"Dong Weng, it is indeed feasible. Since it is a disaster, giving porridge and tax exemption is the kindness of the court's relief. As local neighbors, we naturally don't want to do nothing. It's just that the government can't come forward for this matter, otherwise it will be easy. Let other people in the court have other ideas, and it’s not good to only target those Yanhus, otherwise it will be too conspicuous. After all, not only Yanhus were affected by the disaster, but also many fishermen and people by the sea. It’s just that these are not ours. Jurisdiction, if you intervene rashly, it is easy for the magistrate’s office to think that our hands are too long and it is not appropriate. If we really want to do this, we still need to find someone to come out and say that we will plan this matter and collect old clothes that we don’t use at home. Donate to the people affected by the disaster, salt households, or some merchants donate some bricks and tiles to help the people affected by the disaster rebuild their homes, and the adults and the magistrate’s office will accept it, and then issue a notice to publicize it. It has nothing to do with the officialdom, whether it is the magistrate or the governor, if you can achieve meritorious achievements in educating the people, you will also help and cooperate, you see!"

Officialdom is never about doing whatever you want, and it’s not that good things can definitely be done. There are all kinds of things to consider. If one is not careful, good things are not done, and it is easy to offend others, and even cause trouble for yourself. .The plan given by Qiu's staff is definitely the shortest time and the most comprehensive way to think about things, no wonder he is so popular.

At this time, the other few brains became more active, and they added:

"Indeed, it's more appropriate to use not only one, but several, each of which produces different products. In this way, when the time comes, there will definitely be people on the prefect's side who will think about Zhouquan."

"That's right. If the local elders send silk banners or something, let the government government show more face. I'm afraid they can do better, and they won't even want to get some benefits from these."

"If they are all real objects, they probably won't be interested in getting involved. They won't be interested in old clothes, old tiles, bowls and chopsticks, pots and pans, either. But if the momentum is bigger, I guess some people will donate some Money, you need to pay more attention to this.”

. . . . . .

The more he talked, the more thoughtful he thought about this matter. These staff members mentioned many aspects, and Lin Ruhai couldn't stop nodding when he heard it. He knew the prefect of Yangzhou. Could he be unfamiliar?That person is not bad, and his ability is not bad, but he is a bit dull, and he is not in the same way as him. Indeed, he should pay more attention to some places, so as not to make innocent enemies.It is indeed a good idea not to have him come forward directly, and it is indeed a good way to prevent those petty officials from being greedy for this relief.

"Let's talk about it later, as long as the people can quickly return to normal life, our salt households can pass this level smoothly, and there is no need to worry about other things like this. Families are ruined! If these salt households are allowed to rebuild their own Home, I don’t know how many days it will take! If we can use this time to build these houses into brick houses, even if they are houses with earthen walls, the losses will be much smaller if there is such a catastrophe in the future. This time the main reason is that they lived in shack-like houses, paper-like, otherwise they wouldn’t have lost such a big loss. With clothes, they didn’t need to be naked, their bodies were flushed from the sun, and they all got sick If we die early, we can be regarded as doing good deeds and accumulating virtue."

After listening to what the staff said, Lin Ruhai finally made up his mind. He tapped his fingers on the desk, causing the staff to stop and say something like this. At the same time, he also had a candidate for the No. 1 leading relief, that is Xue Let’s not talk about anything else, let’s just say that Xue Pan was the first to put forward the idea this time, and for the sake of giving him such a reminder, he couldn’t miss out on the Xue family, and it’s not because he was greedy for the Xue family. It's something, but he is very clear that if this matter is settled, waiting for things to be tossed, whether it is him or the magistrate's yamen must send papers to the capital. The common people know benevolence and righteousness, and the aspect of prosperity and great harmony is more worthy of the emperor's attention and joy than birthday gifts and auspiciousness.The magistrate's yamen will not refuse to report, and at the same time, the No. 1 of this relief will definitely be valued by the emperor, and it may even get some rewards. Such a good deed is naturally given to people close to him.

"In this way, you go back first and write out a list of things that may be used for disaster relief, and I will see how to operate it."

"Yes, my lord."

After waiting for these people to go out, Lin Ruhai immediately sent someone to invite Xue Xun, the two brothers Xue Cheng, and even Jia Lian. In any case, Jia's family is Yue's family, and Jia Lian is at his house. If you live here, you have to be responsible for this child. It is not good for him to be the first one, but when the Xue family gets it out, it would be good to let Jia Lian follow him. His reputation will be restored.Even he himself, no matter what, people will say the last sentence, measure well, teach children to be careful!