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The next day, Shang Sibian resumed his normal duties at the office. As soon as he sat down, he called Ma Wen over. "I heard you've been absent from your post quite often lately."
Ma Wen replied, "My lord, there have been many issues in the Capital these past few months. I was concerned it might affect the planting situation in the surrounding farmlands, so I visited several villages."
"The planting situation? You're in charge of tax collection; are you trying to take on the responsibilities of the agricultural officials?"
"Replying to my lord, if farming goes poorly, it affects the yield per mu, and the output from one mu of land is related to tax revenue. Although our dynasty has fixed agricultural taxes, there are small adjustments made every few years. The current agricultural tax has been in place for five years now. I thought it might be time for some adjustments, so I planned to gather data on the fields in advance. When the Court shows interest, we in the Ministry of Revenue will be prepared and not caught off guard."
"See? This is why Shang Sibian values Ma Wen. Not only is he cautious and prudent, but he also anticipates what others might overlook." Shang Sibian had even imagined that if he were to advance in his position, the role of Minister of Revenue would undoubtedly belong to Ma Wen.
What a pity that someone so clear-headed would not be blinded by wealth.
Shang Sibian continued chatting, "Which villages have you visited recently?"
"Those in the suburbs of the Capital: Mawang Village, Feng Xicun, Lu Si Village..." Ma Wen listed six villages in total. Shang Sibian mentally noted them down and asked if the tax officials for these villages had been arranged. "Tax assessment is a major matter; we cannot afford to be careless."
"Rest assured, my lord. Everything has been arranged. Before going, they underwent training through the Ministry of Revenue and their assessments were all above average."
"Just above average?"
"My lord, officials from the Ministry of Revenue are ranked. The top tier stays in the Capital; those who are above average are more than sufficient for handling ordinary agricultural tax collection."
After Ma Wen finished speaking, he looked at Shang Sibian with confusion. Surely the Minister knew about these matters; moreover, as a high-ranking official, when would he take an interest in such trivialities?
Ignoring his confusion, Shang Sibian directly asked him which tax official from those villages he thought most highly of.
"Zhuang Ji from Lu Si Village. My lord, may I ask why you are inquiring about this?"
Shang Sibian chuckled lightly. "It's nothing but regarding the Royal Tomb; we need to select a group from the Ministry of Revenue to assist with accounting."
Upon hearing this, Ma Wen no longer had doubts and smiled. "If you're troubled by the list, I can recommend a few more people."
"But don't you want to go?" Shang Sibian asked him. "The Emperor is fully focused on the Royal Tomb; if this task is handled well, it could easily put you in his favor."
"No!" Ma Wen shook his head decisively. He felt close enough to Shang Sibian to share his true feelings. "This isn't a good job; there's no hope for merit here—just hoping not to be entangled by public grievances. We should choose those who speak little but work hard and live modestly; I've heard there are quite a few subsidies available."
Shang Sibian sighed inwardly again. Look at him—a man so pure-hearted! Even if one likes money, there should be limits; once you've earned enough, it's best to stop before reaching an irretrievable situation.
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