Under the Microscope Episode 2 Recap
> Under the Microscope Recap
Shuai Jiamo lay in bed, his mind drifting back to vague childhood memories. He quickly rose, hearing Feng Biyu's calls from outside. Feng Baoyu soon joined his sister, eager to discuss the goods for the provincial capital. He assured Feng Biyu that he and Shuai Jiamo would handle it, which pleased his sister. However, Feng Biyu insisted that Feng Baoyu go alone, leaving Shuai Jiamo at home.
Feng Baoyu pleaded with her to let Shuai Jiamo accompany him, following her into the house, only to find Shuai Jiamo had vanished. Shuai Jiamo had gone to the Jin'an Prefectural Office, informing an official of a major discrepancy in Renhua County's tax registers and requesting immediate correction. He presented a memorandum. The official, uninterested, dismissively told him that the matter was beyond their purview and he would need to report it to the Jin'an Prefectural Revenue Office.
Shuai Jiamo protested that the issue concerned the entire Renhua County's tax payment, not just his family, and tried to write down his calculations. When the official questioned his right as a commoner to interfere and threatened to remove him, Shuai Jiamo explained he had already been to the Renhua Revenue Office, where he was told it was a prefectural-level issue. The official reiterated that the Prefectural Yamen only accepted official documents from county governments and dismissed him.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Fang Maozhen of Renhua was outside the Jin'an Prefectural Office, instructing his subordinates to be lively and loud in welcoming Prefect Huang, ensuring Renhua would not be embarrassed. Assistant Prefect Song Ren arrived, and Magistrate Fang enthusiastically greeted him, surprised he hadn't arrived with Prefect Huang. Song Ren explained he was "checking in before he gets here." As the sedan chair arrived, Magistrate Fang approached, only to find it empty.
Prefect Huang had already arrived via a different route through the alleyways. When Magistrate Fang and Song Ren finally encountered Prefect Huang, they offered elaborate greetings. Prefect Huang dismissed the greetings, explaining that he had decided to arrive a few days early to experience the local customs of Jin'an, hoping he hadn't caused any inconvenience.
Magistrate Fang flattered him, saying all officials should be like him, but Prefect Huang humbly responded that as the prefect, he would "do my best until the day I die." After settling in, Prefect Huang discarded the greeting cards from various county magistrates, including Xu Kang of Wujiang, realizing their absence was a concerted effort to challenge his authority. He acknowledged his inability to visit the counties directly for fear of impeachment, which the magistrates exploited.
He lamented the "accumulated dust" and "turbid" state of Jin'an Prefecture, implying it needed a thorough cleaning. Back at his office, Magistrate Fang, annoyed by Prefect Huang's "doing his best" act, was informed that Shuai Jiamo had been "making trouble in the Revenue Office," insisting on tax discrepancies. Magistrate Fang, furious at the suggestion of overpaid taxes, ordered Shuai Jiamo to be flogged ten times as a warning.
As the flogging was underway, Assistant Prefect Song happened upon the scene and intervened, citing his acquaintance with Shuai Jiamo's elders. Magistrate Fang's subordinate agreed to stop the flogging but urged Assistant Prefect Song to persuade Shuai Jiamo to stop talking nonsense about tax problems, fearing it would cause trouble for them with Prefect Huang. Assistant Prefect Song then advised Shuai Jiamo not to "talk nonsense" about tax matters and to "keep to himself."
Shuai Jiamo, limping and injured, returned home to a dark house. Feng Baoyu and Feng Biyu arrived home later and were startled to find him lying on the floor. Upon learning the truth, Feng Biyu firmly supported Shuai Jiamo's intention to file a complaint, declaring that they should pay what was due, but not a single penny more. Feng Baoyu, however, worried about Shuai Jiamo enduring more flogging.
Feng Biyu encouraged Shuai Jiamo, likening his perseverance to Tripitaka retrieving the sutras. When asked if he would still go and if he was afraid of more flogging, Shuai Jiamo confirmed his resolve. Feng Biyu then insisted he first recover, and they would go together. Feng Biyu later discussed the matter with Feng Baoyu, pointing out that this was an opportunity for the Feng family to earn a good reputation in Renhua.
She explained that Shuai Jiamo, the "arithmetic nut," might need someone skilled in communication to represent him. She then revealed a significant discovery: a number Shuai Jiamo had carved on the wall as a child, "3,530," matched the amount of the Silk Poll Tax. She concluded that Shuai Jiamo was not foolish but had a clear objective in mind. Shuai Jiamo, lying on his bed, continued to observe the numbers on his wall.
The next morning, Shuai Jiamo and Feng Baoyu appeared before Magistrate Fang at the Renhua County Office. Feng Baoyu, following Feng Biyu's plan, formally accused Shuai Jiamo of assault. When Magistrate Fang inquired about the reason for their quarrel, Feng Baoyu dramatically claimed they fought over the Jin'an Prefecture's tax discrepancies, with Shuai Jiamo insisting on 3,530 taels of overpayment and Feng Baoyu calculating 3,510 taels.
The assembled crowd, already stirred by Feng Biyu, began to murmur, demanding Magistrate Fang properly calculate the taxes. Under pressure from the agitated crowd, Magistrate Fang reluctantly allowed Shuai Jiamo to explain. Shuai Jiamo, standing confidently, detailed the hierarchical tax system, explaining that Jin'an Prefecture, with its eight counties, collected summer and autumn taxes.
He revealed that Renhua County was uniquely burdened with a "Silk Poll Tax" of 3,530 taels annually, a sum whose origin and purpose were undocumented in any Renhua records. This tax, he discovered, had been collected for a century since the sixteenth year of the Chenghua reign, amounting to an astonishing 353,000 taels.
He asserted that this tax was originally intended to be shared among all eight counties but had been unjustly imposed solely on Renhua, making it an unwarranted burden. The revelation of such a massive overpayment enraged the commoners. Magistrate Fang, looking uneasy, hastily declared the matter too complex for immediate resolution and proposed adjourning court to consult the Revenue Office. Feng Baoyu quickly withdrew his assault complaint against Shuai Jiamo.
The crowd protested the abrupt dismissal, demanding an answer regarding the Silk Poll Tax. Magistrate Fang insisted that Shuai Jiamo's explanation was merely testimony for the assault case, and the tax issue required a separate, formal complaint from a qualified plaintiff. Without hesitation, Shuai Jiamo stepped forward, declaring his intent to file a plaint for all citizens of Renhua County, "regarding the unequal payment of a shared tax."
When Magistrate Fang pointed out that Shuai Jiamo, as a commoner, was unqualified to file such a complaint, Feng Baoyu, a Supplementary Student of the 3rd-class, stepped forward, offering his scholarly status as a guarantee. Magistrate Fang warned them that even if successful, they would receive no personal benefit. Shuai Jiamo calmly replied, "We only want to correct the mistake. My family has enough money." The story of Shuai Jiamo and Feng Baoyu spread rapidly throughout Renhua County.
Prefect Huang, finding the unfolding situation "interesting," realized it presented an opportunity to address the stagnation within Jin'an Prefecture. During a game of chess with Magistrate Fang, Prefect Huang informed him that he would appoint Shuai Jiamo to investigate the Silk Poll Tax case and expected results within a month. Shuai Jiamo began his investigation, targeting the summer and autumn tax records of Renhua, Tongyang, Wancheng, and Lanxi, spanning from the Chenghua era to the beginning of the Wanli era. Despite the immense volume of documents to review, Shuai Jiamo confidently promised to deliver results within five days.
