CHAPTER 143: CHAPTER 143: A SUBTLE WARNING

County Magistrate Ma is indeed experienced; he came to the granary early in the morning to await the Commandery Princess’s inspection.

After everyone exchanged greetings and pleasantries, they entered the granary.

Once inside the granary, it was Chief Clerk Wen’s area of expertise.

Chief Clerk Wen leafed through the warehouse records, counting each item, then randomly selected a few bags of grain for further inspection.

He examined them closely, pinched and tasted them.

Jiang Shaohua watched with great interest: "How is the quality of these stored grains?"

Chief Clerk Wen smiled and praised, "These are all new grains, and their quality is excellent."

A hint of pride flashed across County Magistrate Ma’s face.

Then they heard Chief Clerk Wen sigh, "The county government has Silver, so they can afford good grain. Bo Wang and Ye County are the same. Wan County and Xi’e County are a step behind, and Li County is even poorer, often unable to afford stored grain."

The disparity among the fourteen counties is indeed vast.

Jiang Shaohua said calmly, "Most of the men in Bo Wang County work in the iron mines; all the iron tools in Nanyang County come from Bo Wang. The military camp requires Bo Wang County to forge weapons and armor. If Bo Wang County doesn’t have enough Silver to buy grain, I, the Commandery Princess, will have to personally provide the funds."

"As for Ye County and Biyang County, the situation is different."

Chief Historian Chen smiled and inquired, "What’s different?"

County Magistrate Ma felt a jolt in his heart and instinctively sensed something was amiss.

Sure enough, the Commandery Princess said, "The wealth of Ye County lies in its people, but the wealth of Biyang is otherwise. The fine horses bred in the Biyang Racecourse are supplied to the Personal Guard Camp and Nanyang Army Camp. The real moneymakers are the brokerages. The trade of people is highly profitable; people from dozens of nearby counties come to Biyang for this trade. The earnings belong to the brokerages and have little to do with the common people."

County Magistrate Ma’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly responded, "In response to the Commandery Princess, the four brokerages in Biyang pay their taxes in full every year, and the county government has enough Silver to buy grain without having to burden the common people."

Jiang Shaohua uttered an "Oh" with a slight raise of her eyebrows and a faint smile on her lips.

County Magistrate Ma’s heart gave another heavy thump, and he immediately said, "I believe a fifteen-percent tax is a standard commercial tax, but the brokerages make huge profits by trading foreign population. The taxes they pay are indeed low. Perhaps the Commandery Princess could oversee the reassessment of their taxes."

Ma Yaosong looked up in shock.

Jiang Shaohua cast a smiling glance: "Ma, what do you think of County Magistrate Ma’s suggestion?"

County Magistrate Ma kept signaling his grandson with his eyes.

Ma Yaosong’s heart raced, and he quickly replied, "I believe County Magistrate Ma is quite right. The brokerages should indeed pay heavier taxes."

Jiang Shaohua then looked at Chief Historian Chen: "What does Chief Historian Chen think?"

Chen Zhuo pondered for a moment and said, "Reassessing tax is no small matter; we should be cautious to avoid causing instability in the brokerages. If we reassess the brokerages’ taxes in Biyang, should the brokerages in other counties also follow suit? And the additional taxes collected, should they be handed over to the Prince Mansion, or kept within the county government?"

"Will there be rumors that the Commandery Princess is using this as a means for personal gain?"

"If word reaches the court, it could result in a lawsuit, potentially causing more trouble."

Jiang Shaohua nodded: "Chief Historian Chen is considerate and thorough."

If Chief Historian Chen was thorough, it would imply County Magistrate Ma was not.

Beads of sweat appeared on County Magistrate Ma’s forehead, and he bowed with a remorseful look to plead for forgiveness: "I was thoughtless. Please forgive me, Commandery Princess."

Jiang Shaohua smiled warmly: "Idle words. There’s no need for County Magistrate Ma to be so tense. Commerce taxes are set by the court, and I, the Commandery Princess, cannot easily amend them. Raising taxes is absolutely off the table."

"However, if the brokerages are willing to donate grain voluntarily, that’s another matter."

County Magistrate Ma’s eyes brightened, and he immediately agreed: "The Commandery Princess is right; Biyang County needs to build six more granaries. It’s only right for the brokerages to donate some grain."

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly: "County Magistrate Ma might as well gather the shopkeepers of the four brokerages to discuss it. Ensure they willingly contribute Silver, so no resentment brews over minor matters."

County Magistrate Ma readily agreed.

Ma Yaosong pondered the meaning behind these words, feeling a hidden shock.

The young Commandery Princess’s strategizing is unfathomable. With a few gentle words, she subtly warned and admonished the Ma Family.

As he contemplated this, the Commandery Princess suddenly looked over: "Ma."

"I’m here." Ma Yaosong immediately focused his attention.

The Commandery Princess smiled and asked, "When you visited the brokerage yesterday, I noticed you seemed quite familiar with it. Do you know what proportion of the population trade in Biyang’s four brokerages involves foreigners versus Da Liang citizens?"

This was another piercing question that touched on a sensitive matter one couldn’t easily respond to.

Pretending to be ignorant wasn’t feasible, yet explaining clearly was equally difficult. Claiming ignorance would reflect poorly on him, the first grandson of the Ma Family, while admitting knowledge begged the question of why an outsider would be so familiar with the inner workings and secrets of the brokerage industry.

More importantly, the trade of people is a gray market, unlikely to be wholly clean...

Cold sweat dripped down Ma Yaosong’s back, and he dared not meet the Commandery Princess’s bright eyes. His mind raced: "In response to the Commandery Princess, with the racecourse constantly in need of workers, I often frequent the brokerages to purchase people. Based on my familiarity, at least half are foreigners."

The Commandery Princess acknowledged with a sound and sighed: "If the common people have enough to eat, who would willingly sell themselves into slavery? I, the Commandery Princess, only hope for peace in Nanyang County, so the people can have enough to eat and wear, and not be forced to sell their wives and daughters due to land tax pressures."

Ma Yaosong resisted the urge to wipe his forehead and cautiously nodded.

"Even for foreigners, once they enter the racecourse, they must be clothed and fed," Jiang Shaohua’s tone grew heavier: "Tomorrow, I, the Commandery Princess, will visit the racecourse to have a look."

"County Magistrate Ma is of a considerable age; there’s no need for him to be troubled. Let Ma lead the way instead."

Both County Magistrate Ma and his grandson agreed.

...

That evening, County Magistrate Ma earnestly instructed his eldest grandson in the study: "You’ve experienced just how formidable the Commandery Princess is today."

Ma Yaosong felt a lingering fear and couldn’t help but wipe his forehead with his sleeve: "The Commandery Princess spoke little, but every word carried deeper meaning. Her gaze was sharp and penetrating as if she knew what I was thinking."

"I’m not going to hide it from you, Grandfather; today my heart raced in fright, and several times I was on the verge of losing composure, having no courage to meet her eyes."

"The Ma Family has been greedy over recent years, taking too big strides, earning too much Silver, standing out too prominently." County Magistrate Ma sighed deeply: "Today, the Commandery Princess was warning us gently, indicating we should give back to the people."

"In the future, this brokerage trade should also be gradually reduced. We can’t be too greedy or too ruthless. Moreover, when the Commandery Princess visits the racecourse tomorrow, don’t hide anything. Let her see what she wants."

"Whatever the Commandery Princess requests, you must comply without exception."

Ma Yaosong agreed to each point and, after a moment’s hesitation, asked in a low voice: "Should the fact that the racecourse has a hundred guards be concealed?"

County Magistrate Ma exhaled: "No need. The racecourse has hundreds of laborers, including many skilled archers and riders. Without guards, it would be impossible to manage them. The Commandery Princess will not fault us for that."