Post by Guo Huai on Jun 23, 2010 1:28:57 GMT
(My first attempt, so please be generous, and provide me with some feedback =D )
The ink is ready, Huai muttered to himself. Opening his diary and picking up his Mao Bi, or feathered pencil, Huai began to recap the strange events that happened in yet another adventurous day in Ye.
" xxxx, 196
This morning when I arrived at the premises, I was introduced to a treasurer by the name of Li Sung. Li is very busy man now - a new empire means new regime, and new regime means new policies. Nevertheless, as Chair of Internal Affairs, I have a lot to learn. When I say A LOT, I mean it.
Li began with the new Tax Act. Hell, it sure differs from the one Han uses. For instance, tax penalties used to be tax deductible, though they no longer are, and that makes a whole lot of sense. When I learned that provision back in his teen years, it never made sense. Aren't we rewarding people for remitting their taxes late? At least that bullshit ain't happening no more.
Like I said, Li is a busy man. We only had some pork baozi for lunch, only to have another official rush in and drag him out to some place else. I thought hey, at least my afternoon is free now.
I went to East market since I was told that shops there sell the best crops of rice. My assistant, Chai Si, came along to buy some vegetables as well. Along the way, some bowed to me upon seeing my robe, provided by the Yuan family to some of the higher ranked officials, while others pointed and mumbled inaudible conversations to one another. I did not grow suspicious or laid a finger on them, however - because I saw a more imminent threat in front of me - a crowd gathering.
'This makes no sense to me. So am I paying more taxes?' one man wondered.
'Of course you are!' another replied.
I made my way into the crowd, 'Why are you guys paying more taxes?' I questioned. Everybody immediately starred at me, though they mostly dipped their heads back down, except for one who dressed like a merchant.
"You are from the government right? Great. Now explain to me what is going on with this new tax system here." He showed me his books, and I began to review the numbers. It was titled, "Zhang's Rice Shop". Hell, I don't even know why I did this in the first place. I did not join lord Yuan Shao to audit some merchant's books, but my instinct tells me that if I don't do something about this, trouble will brew. All of a sudden, all eyes are on me. To relieve some of the tensions, I asked the merchant for an abacus to catch a breath for a moment. He returned with the tool, and using whatever I learned this morning, I adjusted the mistakes the silly bookkeeper must have made and arrived at the final, taxable income.
"This new taxable income figure under the Yuan regime is actually slightly lower than under the Han regime. Not to mention, you would be eligible for tax credits next fiscal year should you and the farmers you work with reach certain harvesting and sales target. Additional incentives to provide subsidized rice prices to the army are being introduced as well. So get your facts right, brother."
The crowd began to surround the books instead of myself, wondering how I reached that figure. Each began to have conversations with one another, making the markets noisy once again.
'Everybody listen! My name is Guo Huai, Chair of Internal Affairs. Let me make this clear. The Han has done nothing to reward achievers, instead they praise corruption and laziness. Just look at your old tax returns. That was total bullshit! Now look at what I have just done for this fellow. The scums from the Han Capital, all they do is rub their fat bellies. They will not stand a chance against us. Why? Because we from Ye are the most hard working people out there! We hustle day and night to earn a living. It's time to show them who is the boss.'
The crowd starred at one another, then roared in agreement with me. I threw my hands up and continued.
'And our Emperor knows that more than anyone. Nobody will be happier than him to see that everyone in Ye co-operate in making the city a better place for everybody! That is why he has tasked us in improving the lifestyle of Ye in general. One day, none of us will have to worry for the necessities of life no more. And I mean, NO MORE!'
Just as I was about to continue, a man bud in and confronted me, starring right into my eyes. Great.
'Guo Huai right? You fool...This man is spreading lies and a mere servant of that traitor. The Han has been around for centuries, they will do nothing to harm us. I, Boa Shan, can personally guarantee this.'
Who does he think he is to interrupt me like this?
'I am afraid you are the fool, petty man. Just because an empire has been around for a long time, they could not fail you? Learn from the lessons of Shang, Xia, Zhou...and of course Han now. They do not give a shit about the people, and we have been gauged for way too long! You think we have betrayed the Han? Then well, you are a shallow man. It is the other way around. The way they manage their cities encourages corruption. Many of us have lost faith in them, and you should too.'
That Boa Shan then turned around, looking like he was embarrassed and about to leave. Instead, he came back with a spear in his hand, running towards me. The crowd of merchants screamed and ran to the corner for safety. Me? To be honest, I was caught off guard...I did not bring my weapons with me. That was a bad decision. Anywho, I need to react right away. At first, I was just moving sideways and back, evading his swings. Just as I was figuring out what I can do, Chai Si threw a chair towards me. I caught it and I knew I have this in the bag. I held the chair with my left hand and induced that fool to swing to my left. His spear managed to poke a hole through the chair.
Haha, a 'chair skewer'. Mmm skewers...
Immediately, I placed my right hand on the handle of the spear. That fool tried to swing the 'skewer' around, though I overpowered him. An ordinary man cannot match my strength. I slowed pushed the 'skewer' to his right, then using the momentum, lifted my right leg and kicked him in the stomach. He fell back on the ground, holding his wound. I did not get that much on the kick. Had this happen any other day he would be coughing blood already.
I would go for the kill, but hold on. I was just spreading the greatness of this kingdom one minute ago, and the next I am about to execute someone who is merely just a confused man? He is not any different from the merchants. I am afraid killing him may scare the merchants off.
'You should be a dead man by now, but his Highness has forgiven your mistakes and will give you a chance to redeem yourself. Leave at once. GO!"
And the crowd watched the fool took off like a sprinter. I beckoned Si over and muttered some words to his ear. He nodded and left the scene.
'Whew. There is nothing to worry about, my friends. Just continue to perform your duties, and you will all be rewarded. Don't forget to take advantage of the subsidized rice incentive. Provide us with cheap rice and you will all be rich men.'
The merchants then approached me and thanked what I have done. They offered me some gold, which I declined. I said I receive pay from His Majesty already. The money should go towards those in need. Then, they offered me some rice. It is their only way to show their appreciation towards me, they say. I thanked them for their kindness, and left with some free rice.
What a day. I hope what I did today was worth it.
Guo Huai."
----------------
Knock knock. I opened the door.
"How did that go my brother?"
Si did a throat cutting gesture. "I threw him over the cliff to finish it off."
"Good. I do not know whether that maniac is a spy or not, but we cannot take any chances. Though spreading harmful rumors unfaithfully is enough to send him to hell. Anyway, go get some sleep and I will see you tomorrow"
"Take care, Master Guo."
"You too."
The ink is ready, Huai muttered to himself. Opening his diary and picking up his Mao Bi, or feathered pencil, Huai began to recap the strange events that happened in yet another adventurous day in Ye.
" xxxx, 196
This morning when I arrived at the premises, I was introduced to a treasurer by the name of Li Sung. Li is very busy man now - a new empire means new regime, and new regime means new policies. Nevertheless, as Chair of Internal Affairs, I have a lot to learn. When I say A LOT, I mean it.
Li began with the new Tax Act. Hell, it sure differs from the one Han uses. For instance, tax penalties used to be tax deductible, though they no longer are, and that makes a whole lot of sense. When I learned that provision back in his teen years, it never made sense. Aren't we rewarding people for remitting their taxes late? At least that bullshit ain't happening no more.
Like I said, Li is a busy man. We only had some pork baozi for lunch, only to have another official rush in and drag him out to some place else. I thought hey, at least my afternoon is free now.
I went to East market since I was told that shops there sell the best crops of rice. My assistant, Chai Si, came along to buy some vegetables as well. Along the way, some bowed to me upon seeing my robe, provided by the Yuan family to some of the higher ranked officials, while others pointed and mumbled inaudible conversations to one another. I did not grow suspicious or laid a finger on them, however - because I saw a more imminent threat in front of me - a crowd gathering.
'This makes no sense to me. So am I paying more taxes?' one man wondered.
'Of course you are!' another replied.
I made my way into the crowd, 'Why are you guys paying more taxes?' I questioned. Everybody immediately starred at me, though they mostly dipped their heads back down, except for one who dressed like a merchant.
"You are from the government right? Great. Now explain to me what is going on with this new tax system here." He showed me his books, and I began to review the numbers. It was titled, "Zhang's Rice Shop". Hell, I don't even know why I did this in the first place. I did not join lord Yuan Shao to audit some merchant's books, but my instinct tells me that if I don't do something about this, trouble will brew. All of a sudden, all eyes are on me. To relieve some of the tensions, I asked the merchant for an abacus to catch a breath for a moment. He returned with the tool, and using whatever I learned this morning, I adjusted the mistakes the silly bookkeeper must have made and arrived at the final, taxable income.
"This new taxable income figure under the Yuan regime is actually slightly lower than under the Han regime. Not to mention, you would be eligible for tax credits next fiscal year should you and the farmers you work with reach certain harvesting and sales target. Additional incentives to provide subsidized rice prices to the army are being introduced as well. So get your facts right, brother."
The crowd began to surround the books instead of myself, wondering how I reached that figure. Each began to have conversations with one another, making the markets noisy once again.
'Everybody listen! My name is Guo Huai, Chair of Internal Affairs. Let me make this clear. The Han has done nothing to reward achievers, instead they praise corruption and laziness. Just look at your old tax returns. That was total bullshit! Now look at what I have just done for this fellow. The scums from the Han Capital, all they do is rub their fat bellies. They will not stand a chance against us. Why? Because we from Ye are the most hard working people out there! We hustle day and night to earn a living. It's time to show them who is the boss.'
The crowd starred at one another, then roared in agreement with me. I threw my hands up and continued.
'And our Emperor knows that more than anyone. Nobody will be happier than him to see that everyone in Ye co-operate in making the city a better place for everybody! That is why he has tasked us in improving the lifestyle of Ye in general. One day, none of us will have to worry for the necessities of life no more. And I mean, NO MORE!'
Just as I was about to continue, a man bud in and confronted me, starring right into my eyes. Great.
'Guo Huai right? You fool...This man is spreading lies and a mere servant of that traitor. The Han has been around for centuries, they will do nothing to harm us. I, Boa Shan, can personally guarantee this.'
Who does he think he is to interrupt me like this?
'I am afraid you are the fool, petty man. Just because an empire has been around for a long time, they could not fail you? Learn from the lessons of Shang, Xia, Zhou...and of course Han now. They do not give a shit about the people, and we have been gauged for way too long! You think we have betrayed the Han? Then well, you are a shallow man. It is the other way around. The way they manage their cities encourages corruption. Many of us have lost faith in them, and you should too.'
That Boa Shan then turned around, looking like he was embarrassed and about to leave. Instead, he came back with a spear in his hand, running towards me. The crowd of merchants screamed and ran to the corner for safety. Me? To be honest, I was caught off guard...I did not bring my weapons with me. That was a bad decision. Anywho, I need to react right away. At first, I was just moving sideways and back, evading his swings. Just as I was figuring out what I can do, Chai Si threw a chair towards me. I caught it and I knew I have this in the bag. I held the chair with my left hand and induced that fool to swing to my left. His spear managed to poke a hole through the chair.
Haha, a 'chair skewer'. Mmm skewers...
Immediately, I placed my right hand on the handle of the spear. That fool tried to swing the 'skewer' around, though I overpowered him. An ordinary man cannot match my strength. I slowed pushed the 'skewer' to his right, then using the momentum, lifted my right leg and kicked him in the stomach. He fell back on the ground, holding his wound. I did not get that much on the kick. Had this happen any other day he would be coughing blood already.
I would go for the kill, but hold on. I was just spreading the greatness of this kingdom one minute ago, and the next I am about to execute someone who is merely just a confused man? He is not any different from the merchants. I am afraid killing him may scare the merchants off.
'You should be a dead man by now, but his Highness has forgiven your mistakes and will give you a chance to redeem yourself. Leave at once. GO!"
And the crowd watched the fool took off like a sprinter. I beckoned Si over and muttered some words to his ear. He nodded and left the scene.
'Whew. There is nothing to worry about, my friends. Just continue to perform your duties, and you will all be rewarded. Don't forget to take advantage of the subsidized rice incentive. Provide us with cheap rice and you will all be rich men.'
The merchants then approached me and thanked what I have done. They offered me some gold, which I declined. I said I receive pay from His Majesty already. The money should go towards those in need. Then, they offered me some rice. It is their only way to show their appreciation towards me, they say. I thanked them for their kindness, and left with some free rice.
What a day. I hope what I did today was worth it.
Guo Huai."
----------------
Knock knock. I opened the door.
"How did that go my brother?"
Si did a throat cutting gesture. "I threw him over the cliff to finish it off."
"Good. I do not know whether that maniac is a spy or not, but we cannot take any chances. Though spreading harmful rumors unfaithfully is enough to send him to hell. Anyway, go get some sleep and I will see you tomorrow"
"Take care, Master Guo."
"You too."
