I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 392 Ten Years After Receiving the Salary

Chapter 392 Ten Years After Receiving the Three Salaries

"No way!" Gao Guilan said angrily, "She can't be more expensive than me!"

Qi Siyan wiped away her tears and looked up at Wang Wenzhou and the others. Judging from their clothes, they were all wealthy. But why did this young master say I couldn't be more expensive than him? Was he also selling himself as a plaything? Was this young master who wanted to buy her a prostitute? That made sense, since she was a virgin and no man dared to sleep with her. But why would this young master spend three thousand taels of silver to buy her? Was he playing a trick on her?

"Little Lanlan, be good, stop making a fuss!" Wang Wenzhou reached out and took the silver note, smiling as he said, "Little Yanyan, take this silver note."

Qi Siyan came from a poor family and had never seen a silver note before. Fearing it was fake, she said softly, "Young master, I only need three taels of silver to bury my deceased father and buy some medicine for my injured mother."

"Where did this swindler come from? He thinks he can buy a girl with just a few scraps of paper?" At this moment, a passerby stood up and accused Wang Wenzhou of being a swindler.

"That's right, give us back three thousand taels of silver! Stop bullying that young girl! She's really pitiful!"

"Show me the silver notes, I really can't stand it anymore!" an old man said.

The onlookers pointed and whispered among themselves, all thinking that Wang Wenzhou was a fraud.

Wang Wenzhou shook his head with a wry smile and handed the silver note to the old man. The old man had obviously seen the Hanshan Bank's silver notes before. He examined them carefully, then handed them to Qi Siyan and said solemnly, "Congratulations, Miss Qi, these silver notes are genuine. There is no Hanshan Bank in the county town; you can withdraw the money in Xi'an."

Because Shaanxi was a stronghold of bandits, it was not a peaceful place. Therefore, unlike other provinces, Hanshan Bank and supermarkets did not have branches in every county. Hanshan Bank was only located in a few major cities in Shaanxi, such as Xi'an.

"Old Li, is this real? Is this a genuine banknote?" someone asked.

The old man nodded and said seriously, "Would I lie to anyone?"

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Everyone, you can all leave now. I'll buy this girl."

"Young master! My family also has girls for sale! Would you like some?"

"Young master, come with me! I know where to find pretty girls for sale!"

When the onlookers saw Wang Wenzhou, this nouveau riche, they didn't want to leave and crowded around him, trying to sell him their wares.

Wang Wenzhou shook his head with a wry smile. The Ming Dynasty was so much better; you could openly buy girls to play with. Is a society where even selling yourself isn't allowed good or bad? Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. When you're desperate and forced into a corner, you're not even allowed to sell your body? Isn't that forcing honest people to their deaths?

Wang Wenzhou waved to Jian Fengyu, who immediately understood and led his men forward to disperse the onlookers.

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Little Yan Yan, this is our first meeting. Let's find a place to eat something and have a heart-to-heart talk. Why are you selling yourself?"

Qi Siyan gripped the silver note tightly in her hand and said softly, "A few days ago, my parents went to the yamen to ask for their wages, but they were beaten to death by the yamen runners, and my mother was also injured. My family was already poor, and we had to pay for my mother's treatment. We were really struggling to make ends meet. For my young brother and my injured mother, I had no choice but to do this."

Wang Wenzhou wiped away Qi Siyan's tears and said softly, "Little Yan Yan is not only beautiful, but also a filial and good girl. Let's find a place to eat first, and talk while we eat."

Gao Guilan pouted and protested, "Uncle, Uncle, she can't sell it for more than me!"

Wang Wenzhou quickly embraced Gao Guilan and kissed her.

After the kiss, Wang Wenzhou comforted her, "My little Lanlan is priceless. When have I ever bought you? Little Lanlan, don't talk nonsense. How could you possibly sell yourself?"

"Hmm?" Gao Guilan frowned and thought for a moment. That made sense. Back then, the uncle had only given her money as a favor; he hadn't actually bought her. Thinking of this, a smile finally appeared on the silly girl's face.

"Young master, you don't need to give me so much silver, just give me three taels of cash!" Although Qi Siyan didn't understand the dangers of possessing a treasure, she felt that the silver notes in her hand were too hot to handle and dared not take them.

“Little Yan Yan, be good. You are a White Tiger Girl with a cursed aura. How dare I play with you? It’s not that I want to buy you to play with, it’s that your sister Ru Ru wants to play with you. Your sister Ru Ru has always been generous, giving away tens of millions of taels of silver at the drop of a hat. She doesn’t even care about this little bit of money.” Wang Wenzhou harbored resentment towards Liu Ru Shi for donating the property and silver he had worked so hard to build to Zhu Youjian.

Liu Rushi said irritably, "Shut up! Sister, take the silver note. Let's find a place to talk things over. I want to know, how did your parents get beaten by the yamen runners?"

Qi Siyan was about to answer.

Wang Wenzhou put his hand on Qi Siyan's shoulder, pulled her into his arms, and said softly, "Little Yan Yan, this isn't the place to talk. Let's find a restaurant and talk while we eat."

Qi Siyan had already realized that Liu Rushi and the others were women, but the young man who was embracing her was a man. Her face immediately turned red to her neck.

Liu Rushi glared at Wang Wenzhou. This rascal always wants to sleep with pretty girls. This one is a White Tiger Girl. If you miss, just sleep with her!

"Let's go!" Liu Rushi led the way.

Wang Wenzhou followed behind with his arm around Qi Siyan. He asked in a low voice, "Little Yan Yan, what exactly does 'white tiger' mean? I don't know! How about we find a place and study it properly?"

Qi Siyan bit her lip lightly. How could this young master be so annoying? But she had already sold herself out, so she didn't dare to anger Wang Wenzhou. She could only pretend that she hadn't heard anything.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, everyone sat down.

Qi Siyan began to recount what had happened to everyone.

Shaanxi was the stronghold of the bandits, and the people suffered greatly because the bandits frequently looted the area.

Local officials in Shaanxi were also in a difficult position, as they couldn't collect the three taxes mandated by the imperial court. Many people registered in the household registers had been forced into banditry; how could they possibly pay the taxes? So, some clever local officials, seeking to improve their performance, came up with a plan: collect the taxes this year for next year, and then collect them the year after that.

In some places, things went even further, extending to four or five years later, as was the case in Gaoling County. They had already received the three taxes ten years later.

After Emperor Chongzhen ordered the cessation of the three taxes, the people of Gaoling County received this good news. However, they had already paid the three taxes ten years later. Now that the emperor had decreed that they would not be collected anymore, could they ask for them back?

So the people banded together and went to the yamen to ask the county magistrate for an explanation: when would the three taxes they had already collected be returned?

Where would Magistrate Shen Zizhen get the money to repay the people? To be honest, although the three taxes were collected ten years later, he didn't embezzle any. At most, he took a small allowance according to regulations. All the rest of the money was handed over to the imperial court, for which he even received commendation from the Ministry of Personnel. This was because Gaoling County was able to pay all the taxes owed that year.

So many people gathered together, demanding an explanation from the county magistrate. This would later be known as a mass incident. Shen Zizhen, being an experienced official, immediately ordered his constables to suppress the rioters. In short, from Shen Zizhen's perspective, his actions were correct, because if the people had started rioting, it could have truly escalated into a disturbance.

Liu Rushi frowned, looked at Wang Wenzhou, and said angrily, "You wretch, your father-in-law was beaten to death and your mother-in-law was injured. How can you tolerate this?"