"By the way, where did you get this information from?"

"It's already spread quietly, and you're only finding out now. This kind of heavy taxation, which is related to the people's livelihood, seems more like a rumor that the Princess Zhenguo deliberately spread to give everyone a heads-up."

"Oh dear, if that's really the case, Princess Zhenguo is too cruel. She's going to turn this place upside down. We don't expect her to bring us much good fortune, we just hope she won't disturb our already troubled lives."

Qiao Lian'er looked at the two people who were speaking. They were dressed as ordinary civilians from Jinglang Prefecture. The person who started the conversation also looked worried. It seemed that he was just repeating what he had heard, rather than intentionally spreading rumors.

They passed by her, filled with anxiety about the future and resentment towards the veiled princess they had never met.

Pei Shijiu crossed his arms and looked at the two men with a gloomy expression, but he knew that they were not the ones who started this, so it was not good to argue with them.

Then a few more people came over and started discussing the matter, all of them filled with righteous indignation.

"Damn it, they sent a heartless scoundrel. Although the prefect of Jinglang Prefecture isn't much, he's never made things this difficult for us. This is like a devil coming to ruin our lives. What's the difference between this and taking our lives?"

“Let’s wait and see. Princess Zhenguo hasn’t arrived yet, and the specific measures and laws haven’t been issued. What if someone spreads rumors? Who knows what their purpose is? I heard that Princess Zhenguo went to Queyuan Prefecture and solved the agricultural irrigation problems in Tai County and Xuan County. If that’s true, she’s capable and cares about the people.” One of them thought to himself, appearing quite rational.

"On the contrary, there's no smoke without fire, but five times the tax is unacceptable no matter what. If pushed too far, we'll take our hoes and woodcutting knives and fight back. No matter how powerful Princess Zhenguo is, she only has one life. Whoever can take her away will be ridding our Jinglang Prefecture of a scourge, and we'll all erect a monument to their merit." Another person snorted.

Pei Shijiu's brows furrowed in annoyance; he simply couldn't bear to listen anymore.

For a moment, he felt an urge to tear this person to pieces, and without realizing it, he took a step, his whole body exuding a cold and murderous aura.

Even the emperor himself shouldn't talk about Lian'er like that!

Qiao Lian'er pulled him back, gently shook her head at him, and said, "There's no need."

There's no point in arguing with these people; they're just ordinary folks struggling to make a living. The most important thing is to know who's behind her ruining her reputation.

Pei Shijiu's brow furrowed deeply, and he asked in a cold tone, "Who did this?"

I was having a great time shopping, but now I've completely lost my mood.

He wished he could drag that person out immediately, see what they looked like, and then beat them to a pulp.

"If the other side can release this kind of gossip, so can we."

Qiao Lian'er said, "Find some people and spread the word everywhere that I will exempt Jinglang Prefecture from taxes for three years, including livestock tax, agricultural tax, commercial tax, poll tax, all kinds of taxes and corvée labor."

She has enough money to play big games, and she can afford to go through the long run.

“Great, leave it to me. Spread the word to every county and I guarantee these rumors will disappear within ten days.” Pei Shijiu said, his face full of energy.

It is his mission to solve problems for Lian'er.

"This is just empty promise, and I'm afraid many people won't believe it. I'm going to draft a law and post it in all counties and prefectures to make the propaganda based on evidence. I'm also going to give the people some benefits."

Qiao Lian'er thought for a moment and said, "Now that it's winter, each family will receive cotton-padded clothes based on the number of people in their household, and seeds for next year's planting will be distributed based on the amount of land they cultivate."

With legally mandated policies in place and tangible benefits being delivered, even the most offensive rumors will be easily dispelled.