Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand human suffering and the realities of life.
Money—everyone needs money.
Princes need money, crown princes need money, nobles need money, aristocratic families need money, and the emperor needs money even more!
Building an army requires money, and daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea all cost money.
Therefore, maintaining market stability, generating stable tax revenue, and having imperial merchants pave the way for profits is the long-term solution.
Besides, the poor earn their money through hard work and sweat; in fact, those doing business everywhere are often the poor.
Even if you squeeze every last drop from the poor, you won't get much money.
To work, you need to recruit people. Recruiting people requires paying them salaries, giving them bonuses during holidays, and rewarding those who do a good job.
Without money, no matter how eloquently you preach, no one will follow.
That's reality!
In those days, hiring even a literate scholar to do clerical work required at least two thousand coins in salary and fifty to sixty bushels of millet annually, plus cloth and meat for festivals. This brought the annual budget to at least ten thousand coins.
Amidst the rushing crowd, a young clerk in a blue robe, a short sword at his waist, strolled across the Ba Bridge, inspecting the security.
Those passing by gave him sidelong glances; even the few wandering knights resting under the willow trees nearby immediately fled upon seeing him.
Only after he left did the wandering knights emerge and whisper among themselves, "That must be Zhang Tang from Honggu Plain!"
"Yes! That's him!"
"I heard he's quite something. He could recite the Han laws fluently at fourteen or fifteen. I heard that a few days ago, Wang Da from the market, relying on his uncle being a steward of the Imperial Household Department, came to Baqiao to collect money, but he fell into Zhang Tang's hands and was arrested without explanation and thrown into the Court of Justice's prison. He's still not out!"
"Luckily we ran fast. If we had fallen into his hands, what would have happened?" someone said fearfully.
These wandering knights weren't afraid of ordinary officials, because most people showed leniency.
But they were afraid of these rigid officials who strictly enforced the Han laws, because there was no room for leniency. Falling into their hands meant certain death, if not death!
And Zhang Tang was already quite famous in his youth.
Even today, low-ranking officials in Chang'an still circulate the story of Zhang Tang interrogating rats as a child and, according to the law, executing them severely.
Watching Zhang Tang's retreating figure, a local ruffian spat and muttered viciously, "Serves him right! How can someone as stubborn as him ever gain the favor of his superiors?"
Before he finished speaking, a mounted guard rode up, a soldier in imperial armor. He stood on his horse, looked around, and asked, "Where is Zhang Tang of Hongguyuan? Governor Lu Ming of Liangzhou requests your presence!"
The ruffian stared in disbelief, nearly biting off his own tongue.
"How could this be?"
Hearing the call, Zhang Tang was initially hesitant to believe it, until the knight called again, "Where is Zhang Tang of Hongguyuan?"
Only then did he push through the crowd, step forward, and bow, saying, "I am Zhang Tang!"
The knight dismounted, looked at Zhang Tang, and bowed deeply, saying, "Lord Zhang, I, Prefect Jia Xu, have ordered you to come over." He then produced a silk scroll bearing the official seal of the Prefectural Government, asking Zhang Tang to verify its authenticity.
Zhang Tang took the document in a daze, only to see that it stated, "The clerk of the Inner Secretariat, Tang, is to act on behalf of the Prefectural Governor."
Zhang Tang felt countless eyes on him. His mind raced; he felt happiness had come too suddenly.
In the Prefectural Governor's residence, this was Lu Ming's office, separate from the Prefectural Government's.
It wasn't used much, often remaining idle. Although there were minor officials and clerks there, he rarely came.
As a hands-off manager, he adhered to the principle of being as lazy as possible.
Only for a short period at the beginning could one see Lu Ming diligently working; for the rest of the time, he continued to work tirelessly.
Only, this work had changed from official duties to women—he was working tirelessly on women, managing a multitude of tasks every day!
Lu Ming sat in the main seat, with Zhang Tang standing before him. Zhang Tang was handsome, and looked no older than Lu Ming, not even having grown a mustache.
"You're the Zhang Tang who judged the rats?" Lu Ming asked calmly, trying not to let Zhang Tang detect his emotions.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, that was merely a rash act of my youth and ignorance," Zhang Tang replied respectfully, but inwardly he was extremely nervous, as this was his first time encountering a high-ranking official.
This was already the most prestigious position; even the so-called Nine Ministers and Three Dukes didn't have as much power as the governor.
A governor could oversee finances, military affairs, administration, personnel, and so on—no matter how small or large, anything within his jurisdiction was subject to his authority.
"I've heard you're well-versed in Han law, adept at using criminal law, and able to distinguish right from wrong?" Lu Ming asked again. This was how talent was recruited in ancient times; however, regardless of the method, such necessary assessments and responses were always required.
Zhang Tang grew up in an official family; his father had even served as the Prefect of Chang'an. Therefore, he was familiar with the ways of the upper class, having been exposed to their practices from a young age. He bowed, relying on the knowledge he had learned from his father, and said, "This humble one dares not accept your praise, Your Excellency. However, my family has been followers of Han Fei for generations, so I have some knowledge of the law. I humbly request Your Excellency's understanding!"
"I ask you, according to the law, how much straw and fodder is collected annually?" Lu Ming suddenly asked an obscure question. Although he had experienced hardships in his early years, it had also given him valuable time and space to hone his skills. Without a systematic approach, he would have followed the established path of being recommended for the civil service examination, becoming either a county magistrate or a wealthy man. Ambitious ambitions were useless in the world of conquering the land. A commoner without talent and resources could not possibly achieve great things through mere enthusiasm.
The laws of the Han Dynasty, especially the civil law, were essentially inherited from the Qin Dynasty.
However, there were slight differences. After incorporating Huang-Lao school of thought, Han law became more lenient compared to Qin law, leaving greater room for maneuver on many issues.
For example, Qin law stipulated that taxes and punishments were applied equally to all regions and counties.
But Han law was flexible, shifting the legal system from rule of law to rule of man, making it less rigid.
In the internet age of his later life, Lu Ming had once naively believed that rule of law was better, and was therefore a Qin dynasty enthusiast.
However, after his experiences in his previous life, Lu Ming's thinking had changed.
In this era, rule of man truly was the only option.
Playing the game like the Qin dynasty, even without Zhao Gao, would eventually lead to its downfall.
The reason is simple: explaining the law to an illiterate peasant is like casting pearls before swine.
Therefore, the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising was predictable.
Lu Ming's question to Zhang Tang was rather obscure, stemming from an article in the Household Law. Generally, only officials close to the people, like county magistrates and prefects, would be familiar with such a question.
Moreover, there was a small trap in the question.
Lu Ming wasn't trying to stump Zhang Tang, because he knew how capable Zhang Tang was; this question wouldn't stump him at all.
The famous story of Zhang Tang judging the rat.
That's a sign of child prodigy, like Sima Guang smashing the water jar.
Lu Ming asked this question simply to show Zhang Tang that he also understood the law, and wasn't some ignorant playboy, much less a carefree parasite.
Therefore, it was best not to try to outsmart him in the future.