Chapter 341

Count's mansion, Jia Cong's courtyard.

Qingwen and Zhen Ying Lian didn't know where they had gone to wander.

Daiyu heard the movement at the door, her heart jumped slightly, and she pulled the handkerchief from Jia Cong's hand, her pretty face flushed, delicate and moving.

As if afraid of letting Zhen Ying Lian and Qingwen see, she casually stuffed Jia Cong's handkerchief into her sleeve.

Then she heard Qingwen's voice outside: "Mother Lin is here. Is there anything?"

Lin Zhixiao's wife smiled, "I am ordered by the Old Lady to find Cong Sanye Cong to talk about some things. Please inform the young lady."

Daiyu heard it was the voice of Lin Zhixiao's wife, pointed to the study for Jia Cong, and said, "I just let Hearing Zi Juan divert her before I came to find Third Brother."

Jia Cong nodded to her. He knew Daiyu was meticulous and wanted to avoid the study so that Lin Zhixiao's wife wouldn't know she was here.

These old women in big mansions have long been trained into human spirits.

But before she came to the East Mansion, her husband told her to just pass the message and stop at the point.

Lin Zhixiao's wife had been to the East Mansion several times before, but this time she came here and the owner had changed.

Therefore, she said: "Cong Sanye, now that you have been granted a title, you should have some tax-exempt land quota. The masters of the second, fourth, and fifth branches on Ningrong Street have several hundred mu of high-quality fertile land."

Such high-quality servants, I don't know where this Cong Sanye found them. No wonder he didn't like the servants of the West Mansion; the Old Lady sent them to him for free and he didn't want them.

It's just that she had already opened her mouth in front of Jia Mu, and Jia Mu had also agreed, and let her come to ask Jia Cong's meaning, but she couldn't retreat.

Ever since her husband became the chief steward of the West Mansion, she also had face on Ningrong Street. Every side branch knew that she often walked in front of the Old Lady.

Jia Cong smiled when he heard this and said: "I heard that the field property of each side branch originally had donated families. Now that the imperial court has just issued a new policy, they want to donate to my door."

"Let me ask Cong Sanye's meaning. If Cong Sanye agrees, they will go to the government to pass the documents at the end of this month."

Now she entered the East Mansion and saw such a scene in the mansion, and saw Jia Cong sitting there, looking at her with eyes slightly scrutinizing.

So she entrusted this matter to her, and gave her a lot of thanks. She didn't take it as a big deal, just helping to pass a word in front of the Old Lady.

If she saw Daiyu in Jia Cong's courtyard at this moment, she would definitely associate it with the fact that Hearing Zi Juan had intentionally held her back, and if the words were passed to Jia Mu, it would cause trouble.

Lin Zhixiao's wife felt a little timid in her heart, and remembered her husband's words, suddenly feeling that she had taken on this matter, was it a mistake...

Don't get involved just because you accepted someone else's favor. Cong Sanye of the East Mansion is not a person to be provoked, and he dislikes those relatives who are idle and love to calculate.

For these dog-shit things, the Old Lady often eats shriveled in front of Cong Sanye, let alone her.

This East Mansion was renovated by Jia Cong, and it became more elegant and magnificent, which made Lin Zhixiao's wife feel very curious. She had spent half her life in noble mansions, and her vision could still tell good from bad.

The Old Lady said they were all relatives of the family. If this matter can be done, it is also a benefit for both sides.

The servants coming and going in this mansion are not many, but each one is upright in appearance, neat in clothing, and rigorous in action, with much more family education than those old servants in the West Mansion.

The style of this Count's mansion is even bigger than the West Mansion. Her awe arose spontaneously along the way.

Lin Zhixiao's wife is also an old servant of the Jia family for several generations. She naturally knows the old things of the Jia family. Who would have thought that the illegitimate son who lived so hard in the East Courtyard back then would have such a day.

"Asked the Old Lady to beg Cong Sanye, wanting to donate to Cong Sanye's door, and willing to draw 40% of the field property income. In previous years, 30% was already very high, and 40% is considered very sincere."

"If this spreads out, I will be charged with resisting the new policy and swallowing national taxes."

Lin Zhixiao's wife was stunned when she heard this and said: "It wouldn't be as serious as Cong Sanye said..."

Jia Cong didn't answer her at all and said: "I have just established the mansion and need to set up industries. I have already bought field property in Liaodong outside the pass, used up the tax-exempt land quota, and have no ability to accept donations."

"Please bring this word to Mother Lin. If the people in the clan don't want to pay land tax, it's better to sell it as soon as possible, so as not to fall into the crime of resisting the new policy and cause trouble for the family."

After speaking, Jia Cong picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.

Lin Zhixiao's wife knew that Cong Sanye Cong was sending guests away with tea, letting her get out early.

Her husband was right. This master is a person who doesn't mix sand in his eyes. He can't play tricks in front of him at all. She really asked for humiliation in vain.

Rongguo Prefecture, Sister Feng's courtyard.

Wang Xifeng looked at Wang'er's wife's account book and knew the summer and winter taxes. The Jia family had to pay so much land tax, and her face changed, and she lost her square.

Wang Xifeng is a hero in the pile of powder. Since she has managed the family for many years, she naturally knows the foundation of the Jia family clearly.

In the year of Grandfather Daishan, he also inherited the title by lowering the rank, but Grandfather did not lose the prestige of his ancestors. He was a famous general with outstanding military strategy, joined the army in his youth, and made great military achievements.

Therefore, he still inherited the title of Duke Rongguo, and according to the title of Duke, he had a fief of 5,000 shi, which was what kind of glory in those years.

It was just that when it came to the Great Master's generation, he was a person without ability, and could only inherit the title according to the ancestral system. The title was low, and the title property naturally had to be lowered.

Thus, from the fief of 5,000 shi of the Duke, it was lowered to a fief of 3,000 shi. But the title salary and field property did not need to pay taxes, which could bring an income of more than 10,000 taels to the Rongguo Prefecture every year.

But these were not the main income of the Rongguo Prefecture. The Jia family was established by title, and had set up many industries for generations.

In Yongzhou and Jin Ling, through self-purchase and donations from relatives and friends, they hoarded nearly 10,000 mu of fertile land.

The title of Duke of the Great Zhou, according to the ancestral system of the imperial court, in addition to the title property, can also hold 10,000 mu of tax-exempt fertile land.

And this number of tax-exempt land does not decrease with the lowering of the title within three generations, which is the favor given by the imperial court to families with hereditary titles.

That is, the income from these 10,000 mu of fertile land does not need to pay a penny of land tax, and all the income from the land of the family belongs to the family. The land donated by others can also draw 20% to 30% of the commission.

And the actual situation is that the fertile land collected by the Jia family in various places has long exceeded 10,000 mu, but the land exceeding the tax-exempt land quota has never been collected by local officials.

This is almost an unspoken rule in the officialdom. Few officials will easily offend the powerful for a few taels of land tax.

The imperial court will re-measure the land every five years. The powerful and the government collude, and naturally have various strange ways to hide the real amount of land they occupy.

Therefore, as the heavy weapon of the country, land tax is mostly stripped layer by layer from the farmers who are struggling to survive.

This is not only the case in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but it has never been truly cut off for thousands of years since the previous dynasties.

Wang Xifeng is sensitive. The imperial court reduced the tax-exempt land regulation for nobles to 30% of the original, and the remaining 70% must pay grain as tax.

According to the amount of land in the hands of the Rongguo Jia family, a rough calculation shows that nearly 40% of the silver will be eaten up in a year.

Such a big family needs to chew, and they are all used to wealthy days. How can they live in the future...

At this time, Wang Xifeng couldn't care about her own discomfort, tore off the plum blossom ointment on her temple, and struggled to get up.

Let Wang'er's wife help her dress, and let Ping'er invite the Old Lady and the Lady to Rongqing Hall, saying she had something to report.

For such a big thing, Wang Xifeng would not take it on herself, and must wait for Jia Mu and Lady Wang to make a decision.

Here, she secretly told Wang'er's wife to take back the principal silver lent at high interest outside within two days, even if it lost some interest, it didn't matter.

As long as she told the Old Lady and the Lady about paying the summer tax, they would definitely become nervous, and the next step would be to ask about the amount of silver accumulated in the public, in preparation for overcoming the difficulties.

She could only delay for one day at most, so the principal silver lent at high interest outside must be taken back as soon as possible, otherwise, if the Old Lady and the Lady found out, it would be terrible.

(End of chapter)