Time Travel: The Useless Prince, First Destroy the Princess

Chapter 151 Use heavy scriptures in troubled times

"I think we might as well talk about something practical!"

Liu Zhao changed the subject several times and said so much, but he had already achieved his goal.

From now on, whether it is with Deng Yi or Shangguan Mi.

There is no need for much explanation.

"Yes, Buddha and the like are so vague and illusory. We should talk about something more practical. Or am I just superficial?"

Shangguan Mi nodded and said.

Indeed, is it interesting to find out how the prince became normal?

As soon as these words were spoken, the one who breathed a sigh of relief was not Liu Zhao, but Ma Zhuang, who had been looking tense.

The prince is quite well-mannered and can tolerate such a situation.

"You just said the Crown Prince might be inexperienced, but isn't there also the Minister of Finance? Could he also be inexperienced?"

Liu Zhao turned the topic to disaster relief.

Of course, it was impossible for Liu Zhao to have any prejudice against Shangguan Mi!

"The Minister of Finance is very experienced, but he has the Crown Prince above him. How dare he disobey?"

"You're right! I heard from the people that he is indeed a good official!"

Liu Zhao just went with the flow!

"But overall, although the Crown Prince is inexperienced, he should have adopted the advice of the pacification envoy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have started disaster relief so quickly. This can be considered a good thing!"

"so far so good!"

Liu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Ma Zhuang.

Ma Zhuang has already shifted his attention to the defense outside. As long as the prince is not angry, it will be fine.

"It's just that there's a lot going on with this disaster relief effort. Brother Liu, have you heard about the disaster victims causing trouble and bandits robbing people? It's like misfortunes never come singly!"

"I don't know much about this, but I just heard from Master Xu that you've been appointed magistrate of Hongnong County. It doesn't seem to align with your ambitions!"

"Alas! The Hongnong County Magistrate, Wang Fang, has always been incompetent and has caused a huge mess. I was forced by the Henan Yin to clean up the mess!"

Shangguan Mi looked miserable.

"Louzi?" Liu Zhao guessed what it was.

"Come on, let's drink. It's just a small matter. Don't spoil our fun!"

Shangguan Mi picked up the wine glass: "Come, drink!"

"drink!"

Liu Zhao raised his glass and clinked it with his.

"Being a county magistrate is a very important position for the region. Brother Shangguan has a huge responsibility now!"

Putting down the cup, Liu Zhao still brought the topic back to this point.

"You're right. Although the county magistrate is a lowly official, he shoulders a heavy responsibility. I'm used to being a free and easy person. If it weren't for the most urgent moment, I wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess!"

"What difficulties do you have? Tell us and we will listen!"

"The truth is! The previous county magistrate, Wang Fang, was incompetent and lied about the amount of grain and tax in Hongnong County. The Crown Prince and the pacification envoy then took advantage of the situation. Hongnong County didn't have much grain and tax to begin with, and now they have to make up for the fabricated deficit. Isn't that costing the lives of the people?"

"Haha, that's right!"

Liu Zhao laughed. He knew very well how Wang Fang behaved that day.

"Just now, I returned from Yangcheng and found out that Wang Fangbian was thrown into prison. I have no friendship with Yu Chun, the Yin of Henan, but I don't know who tricked him into coming to me and asking me to temporarily take over the position of county magistrate!"

"Then you didn't refuse?"

Liu Zhao smiled. If Song Xian was his cousin as rumored, then it was most likely something Song Xian had told Yu Chun.

"Of course I refused, but Yu Chun has a good reputation as an official, and after hearing his words, I agreed without thinking!"

Shangguan Mi seemed unwilling to give up when he said this.

It feels like I've been cheated.

"Then, if you become the county magistrate, what will you do with the falsely reported taxes and grain?"

"What can we do? You say the prince is an idiot, but I don't believe Du Zheng is also an idiot and can't see it!"

"Forehead!"

Liu Zhao's face felt a little hot.

"Hongnong was the hardest hit, as you saw. Even if Envoy Du Zheng had the guts to ask the court himself, it would be absolutely impossible for Hongnong County to provide money and grain!"

Shangguan Mi said this with some indignation.

"What will you do if the pacification envoy comes to hold you accountable?"

"Hold someone accountable? Haha, being a county magistrate isn't what I want to do in the first place. If I have to hold someone accountable, I'll throw my hat away immediately. I couldn't ask for more!"

"That's right, Brother Shangguan has a wealthy family, so he'd be freer if he didn't become an official!"

"Do you know that my family is wealthy?" Shangguan Mi asked back.

Liu Zhao felt a little embarrassed for a moment and explained, "I was lucky enough to see him that day, so he's definitely not an ordinary family! So I think Brother Shangguan must be from a wealthy family!"

"That's not bad. My father saved up some money back then, but I've almost squandered it all!"

Shangguan Mi did not hide it.

"After you became the magistrate of Hongnong County, there was very little money and grain. What did you do?"

Liu Zhao returned to the topic of disaster relief.

“Then levy taxes!”

"Taxation?" Liu Zhao knew it in his heart, but asked deliberately.

I mainly want to hear Shangguan Mi’s starting point.

"The biggest advantage of being a county magistrate is that you can levy taxes at will! For example, with this massive flood, I came up with a new way to levy taxes: a disaster relief tax."

"Disaster relief tax?"

I used to think this was a tax on the rich!

"Yes, the wealth of the wealthy people in Hongnong County is roughly recorded, so I make them pay taxes, one-tenth of their property!"

"Then you also paid it yourself?"

"Of course, I'll take the lead!"

Shangguan Mi didn't say how much he paid.

Liu Zhao knew what was going on.

"What if someone else hides it?"

"Then report it! If you are reported by the people and hide it without reporting it, all your property will be confiscated and you will be exiled to Mobei!"

"Great!"

Liu Zhao was mentally prepared, as this statement was almost identical to what he had heard.

This is probably the use of severe punishment in troubled times! Of course, Shangguan Mi dared to do this, naturally there are deeper reasons.

First, he took the lead and donated the most, so others had nothing to say.

Second, he had no interest in a career in politics, and this position was appointed by the governor of Henan, so he didn't care about his future.

Third, if Song Xian is indeed his cousin, then he has a powerful backer and ordinary people can’t afford to offend him.

"There's nothing I can do about it. Since I'm acting as this official, I have to first help the people of Hongnong escape their current crisis!"

"I toast to you!"

Liu Zhao admired Shangguan Mi from the bottom of his heart.

Shangguan Mi was not polite either, and he didn't look depressed at all like he had been in the past few days.

It seems that although he is reluctant to be an official, he is able to do it easily and feels a sense of accomplishment.

"Has the disaster relief in Hongnong been completed now?"

Liu Zhao asked knowingly, saying that even a god couldn't do it in such a short time.

"Of course not, but the people have temporarily solved their food problem. They need to recover slowly. Less than half a year won't do!"

“So slow!”

"Alas! You don't know the suffering of the people!"

"I really don't know!"

This is true.

"In Hongnong County, the people make their living by growing rice. Have you ever grown rice?"

"no!"

Liu Zhao of later generations watched his parents grow it when he was a child, but he himself had almost no practical experience.

"That's right. Hongnong has a hot climate, and the people had just planted their rice. This flood destroyed most of the fields in Hongnong County. That was the people's hope for the year!"

"The weather is hot, so can't we plant more?"

Liu Zhao had no confidence about this.