I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 162 Award Ceremony

Chapter 162 Award Ceremony

162 Award Ceremony

It's the 15th of every month again. Since the implementation of the city entry tax, Hanshan County is more lively than a temple fair on this day.

Although Wang Wenzhou had taken control of the issuance of good citizen certificates, many people still used connections and connections to obtain them.

Wang Wenzhou knew about the shady dealings; it was all his subordinates with some authority who were taking bribes without permission. Wang Wenzhou didn't pursue the matter further; too much clarity would leave no room for wrongdoing.

The same applies to a country, a county, or even a workplace. If a leader wants to slack off, they need the loyalty of their subordinates. Besides family, the most trustworthy people are those with "minor flaws."

Many people are promoted despite having problems because their superiors hold evidence against them, and they dare not be disloyal. This is the rule of "corrupt officials." These corrupt officials will never turn against their boss, because if the boss falls, they will fall too.

The current emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen, failed to grasp this point. In terms of both character and ability, Chongzhen was among the best of all the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Yet, he became the ruler who brought about the downfall of his country.

In Wang Wenzhou's view, the reason why Chongzhen lost his country was very simple: he had completely severed ties with the bureaucratic group.

Previously, when Wei Zhongxian was in power, the emperor could suppress the Donglin Party by relying on the so-called eunuch faction. But Chongzhen, this hot-blooded youth, ignored his brother's dying instructions and, as soon as he ascended the throne, killed the loyal eunuch.

Eunuchs have a terrible reputation in later generations. But the truth is quite the opposite; they were often the most loyal to the emperor. For example, when Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself, the only person by his side was the eunuch Wang Chengen.

The eunuchs had a bad reputation, mainly because the civil service group firmly controlled the narrative. The power of words can be easily spread, and the power of a scholar's pen should not be underestimated. These wicked bastards were incredibly shrewd when they started slandering people.

For example, the real Chen Shimei in history was originally an honest official. As a result, he was condemned as a heartless man, and the name Chen Shimei has become synonymous with scumbag.

Wang Wenzhou glanced at the ledger. This month, the number of people with good citizen certificates in Hanshan had increased to more than 50, and there were still more than 10 refugees in the refugee camps outside the city.

The total tax payable this month is 48000 taels of silver, which means the grand prize is 24000 taels of silver.

Wang Wenzhou handed the ledger to Cheng Benqing, cupped his hands in greeting to the onlookers, and said, "As you all probably know, the lottery was drawn this morning. Because of the Wei Shilin family massacre last month, the grand prize procedure is different from before. In order to protect the personal safety of the winners, the lottery was drawn earlier. Now, please welcome the grand prize winners."

The Wei Shilin family massacre shocked the entire Hanshan County. Everyone knew that Wang Qingtian was doing this to protect the lottery winner. Nobody wants to win a big prize only to die before they can enjoy it.

"Ah..." Everyone was stunned when they saw the grand prize winner.

This isn't an awards ceremony; it's clearly a stage for a theatrical performance.

Eight grand prize winners walked onto the platform. Each of them was dressed in theatrical costumes, and most importantly, their faces were painted with masks. Even their closest relatives probably wouldn't be able to recognize who they were.

Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly and pointed to the person with blue face paint, saying, "Please welcome the first prize winner, Dou Erdun."

"Haha..." The audience burst into laughter.

Dou Erdun cupped his hands in greeting to the people below the stage and jogged over.

Wang Wenzhou spoke up: "Dou Erdun, the first prize is 12000 taels of silver. Do you want silver notes or cash?"

Dou Erdun leaned over and whispered a few words.

Wang Wenzhou nodded and explained to the people, "Dou Erdun was afraid of revealing his identity, so he spoke in a low voice. I have no choice but to accept it. There are just some wicked people who can't stand seeing others have money. So what if someone is rich? They earned their money through their own abilities! For example, last month, Wei Shilin, whose entire family was wiped out, won a big prize through his own abilities. In the end, he lost his life before he even had a chance to spend the prize money."

"yes……"

"Many people are just jealous and can't stand it because others are doing better than them."

"The Wei Shilin family massacre was committed by Lin Qing and his gang of thugs. They deserve to be torn to pieces."

The people were talking a lot.

Dou Erdun stepped down from the stage with the silver notes and, under the protection of several yamen runners, headed towards the yamen (government office). Wang Wenzhou explained that award winners would first go to the yamen to remove their makeup, and then take a final look before heading home. This was done to prevent being followed by criminals.

The people understood that Wang Qingtian was truly devoted to serving them. He had thought of everything he could for the people.

Of course, the common people had no idea that Dou Erdun was a plant hired by Wang Wenzhou. Dou Erdun was none other than Sheng Liang, the "Little Car God." Wang Wenzhou promised that the entire prize money would go to the "Little Car God" so he could marry Li Yajing.

Wang Wenzhou pointed to the remaining people and said, "Next, please welcome Dian Wei and Zhang Fei..."

These seven second-prize winners were all due to luck. Wang Wenzhou didn't go to such extremes; in fact, if he wanted to cheat, he could have easily won all the second prizes.

Wang Wenzhou felt that no matter how secretive the operation was, over time, word would inevitably spread that someone had won the prize. If no ordinary person won, and the public discovered the scam, the prize would be considered a fraud, and the tax receipts would be impossible to sell. He believed in moderation; he shouldn't be too greedy. He would reap the benefits, but the people could still get a share.

Wang Chengen stood in the crowd. His main purpose in coming to Hanshan was to investigate the city's entry tax. Of course, he would investigate every detail thoroughly.

"Have you found out who the winner is?" Wang Chengen asked.

Sun Bing smiled wryly and said, "I had already sent spies to the Hanshan County government office. The spies found out that the first prize winner was Wang Wenzhou's wife's nephew, and the second prize winners were a merchant who bought tax stamps and a few ordinary people."

"Haha..." Wang Chengen said with a laugh, "Wang Wenzhou is really good at making money."

"Hmm..." Sun Bing wanted to say something more.

"What else did you find?" Wang Chengen asked.

"My investigation has revealed that the biggest buyer of tax invoices is Geng San, the same Geng San who competed with you for the last item at yesterday's auction. According to our spies, Wang Wenzhou is also behind Geng San," Sun Bing said.

"Haha..." Wang Chengen laughed loudly, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. I've finally figured out how the city entry tax works. It turns out, it was all a scam."

Sun Bing nodded. Wang Wenzhou was indeed a fraud, and his methods were incredibly sophisticated. If he hadn't used dozens of top-notch agents from the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they wouldn't have uncovered so much inside information. If Wang Wenzhou continued down this path, even for decades, as long as those in the know didn't expose him, ordinary people would never know it was all a scam.

"Let's go, let's return to the capital immediately!" Wang Chengen said.

"Yes!" Sun Bing waved his hand, and several guards hidden around Wang Chengen quickly followed.