usatvline Chapter 26 Tax Tickets and Lottery Tickets
Chapter 26 Tax Tickets and Lottery Tickets
Chapter 26 Tax Tickets and Lottery Tickets
Wang Wenzhou stared blankly at the two beautiful women kissing in front of him, imagining all sorts of embarrassing scenes. The scene was just too beautiful.
Sheng Lan kissed Wang Wenzhou with great care in order to please him.
Suppressing her humiliation, Zhang Jiao pushed Sheng Lan away and asked, "Are you done?"
"Haha..." Wang Wenzhou laughed and looked at Sheng Lan, asking, "Lazy Lan, how could you bring yourself to kiss her when she has bad breath?"
Sheng Lan frowned and looked at Wang Wenzhou with a mournful expression. "My lord, you're so irresponsible."
"I did everything you asked me to do! If you dare tell Grandpa, I'll beat you to death!" Zhang Jiao threatened viciously.
"Wait!" Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and said, "You apologized to Lan Lan, but you haven't apologized to me yet! Look at that!"
Wang Wenzhou touched his large face and said aggrievedly, "The injuries you gave me yesterday haven't healed yet, and today you beat me up like this again! I am, after all, the head of a county, and your future husband! How could you do this to me!"
Zhang Jiao felt a little embarrassed by what Wang Wenzhou said, and she whispered, "Okay, I'll kiss you!"
"Get lost! You have bad breath and you still want to kiss me?" Wang Wenzhou deliberately provoked Zhang Jiao.
"Hoo..." Zhang Jiao took a deep breath and snapped, "What else do you want?"
Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and said, "How about this, you go to Bugui Tower to get the food, and then go to Zuihua Tower to serve the young master his meal."
Zhang Jiao bit her lip lightly and reluctantly uttered a single word: "Fine!"
"Not only today, but it will be like this from now on!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
“You…” Zhang Jiao glared fiercely at Wang Wenzhou.
Wang Wenzhou leaned closer, "Why don't you play a little longer?"
Zhang Jiao was both amused and exasperated. That fatso was shameless! So utterly shameless!
"Fine! I'll go get the food!" Zhang Jiao stormed off.
"Justice has finally triumphed over evil!" Wang Wenzhou laughed, glancing back at Sheng Lan.
Seeing the injuries on her face, Wang Wenzhou felt incredibly guilty. A grown man like him, unable to even protect his own girl! It was utterly shameful! Wang Wenzhou vowed once again that he must lose weight! He must exercise!
Wang Wenzhou gently hugged Sheng Lan and said apologetically, "Lazy Lan, I'm sorry! I'm so embarrassed that you got beaten up like this by that crazy girl."
Sheng Lan was moved to tears. What a good man! What kind of man apologizes to a woman?
Sheng Lan looked up and kissed Wang Wenzhou's big lips.
Wang Wenzhou was kissed by the goddess, and the feeling was just too amazing.
Wang Wenzhou, holding Sheng Lan's little hand, strolled back to Zuihualou.
Wang Qiang chuckled when he saw the two of them.
"Haha!" Wang Qiang asked with a laugh, "Young Master, what happened between you and your wife?"
Wang Wenzhou pursed his lips and said helplessly, "Don't even mention it, that crazy girl Zhang Jiao just had another episode!"
"Haha..." Wang Qiang laughed, clutching his stomach.
"I'll go get some ice to put on your face," Sheng Lan said.
Wang Wenzhou nodded, then pointed at Wang Qiang and said irritably, "Laugh at your sister! Is no one causing trouble at the city gate anymore?"
"No one is causing trouble. Young Master! You're absolutely right! You were right, there really are people buying tax stamps!" Wang Qiang admired his young master. When his master sent him to observe at the city gate, he said there would likely be people buying tax stamps. Wang Qiang didn't believe it at first, but after staying near the city gate for a while, he indeed saw several people buying tax stamps from passersby.
“If something is profitable, someone will definitely do it,” Wang Wenzhou said.
"I don't understand, why won't you let me find someone to collect the tax invoices?" Wang Qiang asked.
“Didn’t I tell you? If no one is collecting tax invoices for the time being, you should find someone to collect them first. Since someone is collecting them, we won’t do it anymore! We can’t dampen other people’s enthusiasm. You know, we could lose a lot of money if we do!” Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
In fact, these tax stamps were inspired by lotteries from later generations, as Wang Wenzhou conceived of. The reason he didn't directly create a lottery, but instead used tax stamps as a way to attract people from other areas to Hanshan County under the guise of collecting city taxes, was to attract them there. They would pay one copper coin in city tax, and then sell the tax stamps for two coins, making a profit of one coin. Wang Wenzhou believed that Hanshan County's population would increase rapidly in the near future.
Hanshan County has a very small population, only a little over ten thousand. Wang Wenzhou enjoys playing strategy games, where population is the most important parameter. A large population makes everything easier, including making money.
Wang Wenzhou forbade Wang Qiang from secretly finding people to collect tax receipts, intending to give those who collected them a small incentive first. Later, once there were many people collecting tax receipts, Wang Wenzhou would manipulate the lottery draw. He could make whoever he wanted win. Then, only one tax receipt would be needed; why bother buying worthless paper from others?
Wang Qiang couldn't understand what his young master meant. After Wang Wenzhou explained it to him, Wang Qiang had to admire his young master's ruthlessness.
"Young Master, do you know who's collecting tax receipts?" Wang Qiang asked.
"Nonsense! I'm not a god, how would I know!" Wang Wenzhou curled his lip and said disdainfully.
"Those were the guys who called you a corrupt official the other day. I think the leader of them was named Ma Deyun," Wang Qiang said.
"Hmph!" Wang Wenzhou sneered, "It's them! Let them make a little money for a few days, let them gloat. Then they'll be crying!"
"Young Master! You're so naughty!" Wang Qiang laughed.
"Xiaoqiang, this is something you should keep to yourself. You absolutely mustn't tell anyone else," Wang Wenzhou quickly reminded him, fearing that Wang Qiang might accidentally reveal the secret.
"Young Master, don't worry! How could I be so foolish? Even if it were my grandfather, I wouldn't tell him." Wang Qiang suddenly felt a little sad when he mentioned his grandfather, who was still being held in jail by the young master.
Wang Qiang pursed his lips and asked, "Young Master, when will you release my grandfather?"
"Hmm..." Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment, and decided it was time to release Old Wang. The key was that he didn't have any money right now. According to Wang Wenzhou's plan, he intended to invest in tax invoices for a whole month. Only after a month would he start harvesting the profits from those "smart people" who wanted to make money by collecting tax invoices.
Ten taels of silver a day, three hundred taels a month. Wang Wenzhou really had no money, and the yamen's public accounts were also empty. He was so poor that he couldn't even pay the yamen runners' salaries.
Wang Wenzhou has been staying at Zuihualou for the past few days, and his meals are all taken from Lao Zhangtou at Buguilou. It hasn't cost him any money, but now that he needs money, he thinks of Lao Wang.
Old Wang came with him from the manor to take up his post, so he must have brought silver with him. He just didn't know where Old Wang had put it, so he had no choice but to ask Old Wang and try to trick him into giving him the silver.
"How about this, you go to the Tower of No Return, and have Old Zhang prepare lunch. After we've eaten our fill, we'll go to the prison to see Grandpa." Wang Wenzhou was planning to trick Old Wang, so of course he had to bring some gifts. If he went empty-handed, given Old Wang's temper, he might just jump up and beat him up.
"Okay!" Wang Qiang nodded.
"Wait!" Wang Wenzhou said, "Just have Old Zhang make whatever Grandpa likes to eat the most!"
"I understand!" Wang Qiang thought to himself, "The young master still has some conscience; he knows he's done wrong." He never imagined that Wang Wenzhou was simply trying to swindle Old Wang out of his money.
"Here! Let me put some ice on it for you!" Sheng Lan walked over with a towel, which contained ice cubes.
"Thank you!" Wang Wenzhou quickly expressed his gratitude.
Sheng Lan gently placed the towel on Wang Wenzhou's face. The towel in her hand was cold, but her heart was warm. He truly was a good man worthy of entrusting one's life to!