这条建议从恢复旧法开始：「异时算轺车贾人缗钱皆有差，请算如故。」公卿先讲理由：郡国颇被灾害，贫民无产业，商贾滋众，贫者畜积无有，皆仰县官。接着是一张单子：谁报、报什么、报多少、少报了怎么办。这些话是臣下的发言，原文前面写着「于是公卿言」；后文才称它为「缗钱令」。建议与诏令，本篇分开写。
谁要自报，几算
第一个意外是覆盖面。「诸贾人末作贳贷卖买，居邑稽诸物，及商以取利者，虽无市籍，各以其物自占。」商人、末作、放贷的、买卖的、在城邑囤货的、靠做买卖取利的——「虽无市籍」四个字，把范围从登记在册的商人扩到一切以商取利的人。动词是「自占」：官府不来盘店，是叫货主自己把货写下来。
税率两档：商人「率缗钱二千而一算」，有租及铸作者「率缗钱四千一算」。车与船另算，车按身份、船按长度：「非吏比者三老、北边骑士，轺车以一算；商贾人轺车二算；船五丈以上一算。」三老与北边骑士的轺车一算，商人的轺车二算，五丈以上的船一算。
一算值多少钱，两页不说。没有注、没有换算，整张单子都用它自己那个单位写成。一般认为一算指一百二十钱，但这是旧注的说法，两页没有；本篇不拿它折算税率。所以这里能写的只有原话：二千一算、四千一算、一车一算、一船一算——不能换成百分比。
匿报与告发
罚则两句：「匿不自占，占不悉，戍边一岁，没入缗钱。」接着是改变整件事性质的一句：「有能告者，以其半畀之。」没收的财物一半给告发者。一条财产申报，写到这里变成了一份对邻人的赏格。同一段还挂着一条禁令：有市籍的商人及其家属「皆无得籍名田，以便农。敢犯令，没入田僮」——商人不得以自己名义占田，犯了就没田没僮。
从条文到运动
令下之后，先立了个样子。天子尊卜式——那个上书愿输家财一半助边的牧羊人——拜为中郎，赐田，「布告天下，使明知之」。没用。「百姓终莫分财佐县官」。于是「告缗钱纵矣」。先「分遣御史廷尉正监分曹往，即治郡国缗钱」。执行的现场只有三句：「杨可告缗遍天下」，「中家以上大抵皆遇告」，「杜周治之，狱少反者」。一个主持的人、一个审案的人、一句涉案面，就这么多。
然后是清单，也是全篇唯一的数字，而它们全是概数：「得民财物以亿计，奴婢以千万数，田大县数百顷，小县百余顷，宅亦如之。」社会后果一句：「于是商贾中家以上大率破，民偷甘食好衣，不事畜藏之产业。」这些不是统计，是原文自己的量词；本篇不合计、不推算。
钱、田、人各有去处
这是全篇最落地的一段。钱分给各官署：「乃分缗钱诸官，而水衡、少府、大农、太仆各置农官，往往即郡县比没入田田之。」人没有放：「其没入奴婢，分诸苑养狗马禽兽，及与诸官。」没收来的田就地设农官去种，没收来的人分到苑囿与各官署——到这一步，缗钱令才从一纸文书变成一套编制。编制是要花钱的：「诸官益杂置多，徒奴婢众，而下河漕度四百万石，及官自籴乃足。」
两种传本不是同一份读法，差异照录。先是字：①作「缗钱」，②多处作「嬢钱」（如「率嬢钱二千而算一」「告嬢遍天下」），按其当作缗钱理解，引文照录原字并注。再是词：①「大抵皆遇告」，②「大氐皆遇告」——氐即抵。再是结论句：①「用益饶矣」，②「用少饶矣」，益与少一字之差，句意方向不同，两说并列，不裁断。同一段还有一个差异：①「没入田僮」，②「没入田货」。
两页不给的年份
两页都不给年份：算缗起于何时、告缗止于何时，原文没有，本篇不补。后文倒有两处可以免：招民去新秦中，条件里写「以除告缗」；入粟甘泉的人，「以复终身，不告缗」（②作「不复告嬢」）。能免，说明它是一时的政策，不是常设税目——所以本篇不写「从此确立财产税」。规则可以一句一句抄下来，结果只能用「计」和「数」来称。
延伸阅读：九品中正：一句话立的制度，一篇疏骂它 · 孝廉：一个郡国推一个人 · 河东盐池：北魏的盐、官司与罢禁
参考来源与延伸阅读
- 司马迁《史记》卷三十〈平准书〉（维基文库本，未与点校本复核） — The levy is introduced as a speech of the senior officials — 'then the ministers said' (於是公卿言) — restoring an old rule: 'in former times the carts and the cash of merchants were counted at fixed rates; let them be counted as before' (異時算軺車賈人緡錢皆有差，請算如故). The schedule: merchants, small manufacturers, lenders and traders, 'even without a market register, shall themselves declare their goods' (雖無市籍，各以其物自占), 'one count per two thousand cash' for merchants and 'one count per four thousand' for artisans; carts and boats by status and length; concealment means 'one year on the frontier and confiscation of the cash' (戍邊一歲，沒入緡錢); 'anyone able to inform shall be given half' (有能告者，以其半畀之). Then execution: after Bu Shi was honoured and the people still did not contribute, 'denunciations of the cash tax were let loose' (於是告緡錢縱矣); 'Yang Ke's denunciations ran through the empire, households of middling means and above were mostly accused' (楊可告緡遍天下，中家以上大抵皆遇告); 'Du Zhou judged them and few were reversed' (獄少反者); goods were taken 'counted by the hundred million, slaves by the thousand and ten thousand, fields several hundred qing in a large county and a hundred-odd in a small one' — all approximations. The takings went to the offices, which 'each set up agricultural officials and often farmed the confiscated fields on the spot' (各置農官，往往即郡縣比沒入田田之), and the confiscated slaves 'were distributed to the parks to feed dogs, horses and birds and beasts' (分諸苑養狗馬禽獸).
- 班固《汉书》卷二十四〈食货志〉（维基文库本，未与点校本复核） — The same passage in the Hanshu, with variants that are quoted as they stand. The page writes 嬢 for 缗 in several places — 'rate two thousand of 嬢 cash to one count' (率嬢錢二千而算一), 'denunciations of 嬢 ran through the empire' (告嬢遍天下) — a transcription error for 缗錢, noted but not silently corrected. It has 大氐 for the Shiji's 大抵 in 'households of middling means and above were mostly accused'; 沒入田貨 where the Shiji has 沒入田僮; and it closes the passage '用少饒矣' where the Shiji has '用益饒矣' — one character apart, and the sense runs differently, so both readings are given side by side without adjudication.
