Collecting Taxes as a Corrupt Official During the Hongwu Reign, Taxed up to 2050

Chapter 18: Is This Pure Foolishness?

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned when he heard the number of one hundred thousand taels.

Just to buy a grave site, how could it cost one hundred thousand taels?

He had heard there were twenty thousand grave sites, how much money would that be?

How could so many people in Fengyang buy grave sites?

Has Li Fan gone mad?

To be able to do such a thing, he looked at Zhang Zongbao in disbelief, curiously asking:

“Would anyone spend one hundred thousand taels to buy a grave site?”

Zhang Zongbao initially didn’t believe anyone would spend one hundred thousand taels on a grave site either, when he first heard this price, he thought it was a fantasy, thought Li Fan was daydreaming, which was why he reacted that way.

But when the first one was sold, he realized how formidable Li Fan was, manipulating human nature to the extreme, making people willingly give money, even begging and thanking profusely, having to ask favors and pay intermediaries, just to buy such a grave site, he thought he was mad at the time, but as more and more grave sites were sold, he understood why Longhu Mountain had fallen.

If the people of Longhu Mountain had even a tenth, or even one percent of Li Fan’s skill, they wouldn’t have been bullied by Liu Bowen like this, his master told him to follow Li Fan and learn well, so that when he takes over the position of Celestial Master in the future, he wouldn’t fall behind, he silently sighed, composed himself, and said:

“Sixteen grave sites have already been sold!”

Huh!

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned again upon hearing this, unable to calm down for a long time, he couldn’t understand how such a thing could happen, a grave site costing one hundred thousand taels seemed worthless, he asked puzzledly:

“Are those people fools? Why would they spend money on that?”

Zhang Zongbao saw that the emperor didn’t understand the buyers at all, so he explained:

“We’re not just selling a grave site, but an entire service. For one hundred thousand taels, you can buy a prime feng shui location near the imperial tomb, with a ceremony presided over by specialized Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain, each grave site has dedicated maintenance, four major sacrificial ceremonies are held each year! Even if family members don’t come, we will arrange for memorial services at specific times, and there will be a shrine in the main hall, with Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain chanting scriptures, burning incense, and praying daily!”

Zhu Yuanzhang didn’t expect such thorough arrangements, now it seemed spending one hundred thousand taels wasn’t a waste, after all, it perfectly resolved the matters after death, some wealth cannot be taken after death, rather than leaving it to unfilial descendants, it’s better to spend it on oneself, Li Fan was making a fortune, he absolutely couldn’t let this go so smoothly, especially now that it wasn’t clear if there were issues with the imperial tomb.

He glanced at the sand table and directly said:

“Tell the steward to temporarily suspend the sales. We’ll wait for Liu Bowen to arrive before making any decisions.”

When Zhang Zongbao heard this, he understood that His Majesty still did not believe there were problems with the imperial tomb. However, this was not something he could decide. Waiting a few days wouldn’t hurt, and when the auction in the capital starts, it would likely attract a wave of merchants. He promptly and respectfully bowed, saying:

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and continued:

“Take me to the imperial tomb and give me a detailed explanation.”

Zhang Zongbao accompanied Zhu Yuanzhang onto the carriage and began inspecting the imperial tomb, explaining as they went. The two stood on a small hill, and Zhang Zongbao pointed to a distant slope:

“Your Majesty, this is the earth dragon vein, and over there is the dragon lair marked by Liu Bowen!”

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned at the small hill, now understanding why Zhang Zongbao disparaged Liu Bowen. A small hill being called a dragon vein indeed suggested the need for a feng shui change. He pointed to the northern area and said:

“If we pile earth into a mountain in the north to serve as support, and pile earth into a slope in the south to serve as a screen, with green hills surrounding on the left and right, wouldn’t it be easier to change the feng shui? What do you think?”

Zhu Yuanzhang had always had this idea: if a location’s feng shui is bad, why not change it? There are rumors that the feng shui of Jinling City was broken by Qin Shihuang, who dug the Qinhuai River to drain the city’s dragon energy, resulting in short-lived dynasties establishing their capitals there. Couldn’t filling the Qinhuai River restore Jinling’s dragon energy?

He looked at Zhang Zongbao expectantly, wanting to hear his opinion. Zhang Zongbao was surprised by the emperor’s bold idea to manually change the feng shui of the imperial tomb. The emperor truly dared to think and act. Remembering Li Fan’s advice, he calmly said:

“Feng shui formations cannot be artificially constructed; they must occur naturally. However, they can be artificially destroyed, and once destroyed, they cannot be repaired.”

Zhu Yuanzhang was disappointed by this. He had thought it possible to change the feng shui, especially with the issue of Jinling’s feng shui always on his mind. He found Zhang Zongbao’s knowledge lacking and immediately ordered:

“Summon your master to the capital; I need to speak with him.”

Zhang Zongbao was overjoyed at the emperor’s words. If the emperor was willing to summon his master to the capital, it meant he no longer trusted Liu Bowen. All of Longhu Mountain’s efforts were finally paying off, and he must thank Li Fan properly. He quickly bowed to the emperor:

“I will immediately send someone to notify my master!”

At this moment, Xu Da arrived at the imperial tomb, having learned that the emperor was already there. He hurriedly greeted Zhu Yuanzhang:

“Your Majesty, I report for duty!”

Zhu Yuanzhang saw the panting Xu Da and asked:

“Did Li Fan agree?”

Xu Da quickly replied:

“He can give you 12 million taels, but not all at once. First, he will give you 2 million, and the rest will be paid in 20 annual installments of 2 million each.”

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment, nodded, and accepted Li Fan’s proposal. Two million taels a year would allow him to accomplish many things, and if there were indeed problems with the imperial tomb, he would get his share too.

“Return to Fengyang City!”