Just as Xia Xuanmiao and her companions arrived at the next public carriage stop, Liang Zhichao from earlier came running over in a hurry.
Seeing Liang Zhichao rushing over, Xia Xuanmiao frowned curiously and asked, “Young man, is there something else you need?”
Upon hearing this, Liang Zhichao immediately put on a flattering smile and said, “Although Shangyang County has excellent public security, there are plenty of unscrupulous merchants around!”
“And since this lady is so generous with her spending, what if you encounter a dishonest merchant? How about this! For just five qian, I’d be willing to serve as your guide! What do you say?”
Before Xia Xuanmiao could respond, her maid immediately spoke up, “Miss, we’ve already spent over five thousand guan in such a short time!”
“I strongly suspect this kid is trying to swindle us!”
Hearing this, Xia Xuanmiao glanced back at the imperial guard Xue Zhiyun and asked, “Zhiyun, what do you think?”
Xue Zhiyun, holding his treasured sword and chewing on a piece of dogtail grass, pondered for a moment before nodding slightly and saying, “Hmm, Si Qin makes a very good point.”
But Liang Zhichao immediately retorted, “Miss, that’s not fair to say! The Pocket Watch is priced according to the market, and it was your lady who wanted a custom-made one, which is why it cost so much. How can you say I’m swindling you?”
At this, Xia Xuanmiao shot her maid a disapproving look and said, “Enough, Si Qin. It’s only five qian. Give him one guan! That’ll cover two days!”
Si Qin pouted, reluctantly pulling out a string of copper coins from her pocket and handing it over, saying, “Here! You little swindler!”
Liang Zhichao grinned and replied, “Miss, I guarantee you’ll get more than your money’s worth!”
After boarding the public carriage, Xia Xuanmiao stared thoughtfully at the two Pocket Watches she had just purchased for her maid and guard.
Since Xia Xuanmiao’s Pocket Watch was custom-made, it would take three days to pick it up.
As for the maid and guard’s watches, they were standard models and could be collected at any time.
As for the price, it was quite reasonable for the quality.
Six hundred guan.
Of course, six hundred guan was an astronomical sum for ordinary commoners.
The average annual income for a commoner in Daxia was only about twenty guan, so a Pocket Watch remained far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
What puzzled Xia Xuanmiao, however, was that since both the Pocket Watch and the Mainspring were invented by that wretched magistrate, did that mean the clock shop was also owned by him?
Thinking this, Xia Xuanmiao immediately turned to Liang Zhichao and asked, “By the way, young man, I remember that Daxia law explicitly prohibits officials from engaging in business or competing with the people for profit. So, is this clock shop owned by the magistrate?”
“Ah!” Liang Zhichao waved his hand dismissively. “You’re not aware of this, miss. As the saying goes, ‘When there’s a policy from above, there’s a countermeasure from below!’”
“Although Daxia law prohibits officials from engaging in business, the magistrate hasn’t actually done so! This clock shop is merely an investment by the magistrate. He provided capital and technical support, but he has nothing to do with its day-to-day operations.”
“He just sits back and collects his share of the profits.”
Investment?
So the wretched magistrate put up the money but doesn’t manage the business?
Isn’t that just hiring a shopkeeper to run the business for him? How is that any different from running it himself?
At this thought, Xia Xuanmiao furrowed her brow and said, “So, your county magistrate is exploiting loopholes in the law using this method?”
“Can’t quite put it that way.” Liang Zhichao waved his hand dismissively and spoke in a casual tone, “Think about it, miss. If such a brilliant invention were entirely handed over to ordinary merchants, what would happen?”
“Merchants will do anything to make money! So, the county magistrate came up with something called… government-controlled enterprises.”
“All enterprises have government control. On one hand, it prevents technology from leaking, and on the other, it stops unscrupulous merchants from disrupting market order.”
Hearing this, Xia Xuanmiao was stunned.
Having the government invest to control private merchants not only allows the government to earn a substantial income but also helps regulate those unscrupulous merchants.
At first glance, this method seems quite good.
But isn’t this just collusion between officials and merchants? It’s nothing more than finding a legitimate excuse for their own corruption!
“Hmph! That corrupt official really comes up with any excuse to embezzle!”
Liang Zhichao frowned upon hearing Xia Xuanmiao refer to their benevolent magistrate, who loved the people like his own children, as a corrupt official. He said, “What kind of talk is this, miss?”
“I’m not boasting, miss. You’re from out of town, so you wouldn’t know.”
“Our county magistrate knows everything under the sun! Do you know what Shangyang County was like before Magistrate Li took office?”
“Hmph! I only remember when I was young, Shangyang County had fewer than a hundred households! Years of war led to famine, with corpses everywhere! People even resorted to exchanging children to eat!”
At this point, a hint of sorrow seemed to flash in Liang Zhichao’s eyes. He lowered his head and said, “My parents starved to death during that time. Now, it’s just my grandmother and me relying on each other.”
“When Magistrate Li first took office, he led us in large-scale water conservancy projects! Irrigated the fields! Invented various types of plows! He even built sewage pipelines throughout the entire county, collecting waste to fertilize the land.”
“In just three years, Shangyang County’s grain yield increased from less than one dan per mu to five dan per mu!”
“And what’s more, in Shangyang County, we don’t pay grain taxes! We don’t pay taxes at all!”
“Don’t pay grain taxes?!”
Hearing this last sentence, Xia Xuanmiao was completely taken aback!
Good heavens! No wonder Shangyang County’s annual tax revenue is less than a thousand taels of silver! And there’s no grain tax at all!
A magistrate appointed by the imperial court actually doesn’t take a single grain or coin from the people! What kind of miraculous parent-official is this?
Although Xia Xuanmiao, as the Empress, knew that if the entire country stopped paying grain taxes and taxes altogether, she wouldn’t be able to remain Empress.
But she couldn’t help but genuinely admire this Li Mu.
“Is he really a good official?”
“Good official?”
Hearing this, Liang Zhichao shook his head helplessly and said, “I wouldn’t call him a good official. Magistrate Li is a thoroughgoing corrupt official!”
“Ah?”
Upon hearing this, even the maid beside them was confused.
Just moments ago, Liang Zhichao had praised that corrupt official to the skies, so why was he now calling him corrupt?
Liang Zhichao explained, “But Magistrate Li never exploits the people. Although he is corrupt, he doesn’t embezzle money from the court, nor does he take money from the people.”
“Then whose money does he embezzle?”
Xia Xuanmiao was growing more and more interested in this Li Mu.
At this moment, Liang Zhichao smiled mysteriously and said, “He earns it through his own abilities!”
“Earn?”
“Exactly.” Liang Zhichao nodded, then looked over the clothing of Xia Xuanmiao and the other two before smiling and saying, “If I’m not mistaken, you must be high-ranking officials or nobles from the south, right?”
Xia Xuanmiao nodded.
Liang Zhichao continued, “You types of high-ranking officials, nobles, wealthy merchants, and powerful families—our county magistrate loves you the most! His money is embezzled straight from the pockets of people like you!”