"Old man, how much grain can you harvest from one mu of rice paddy this year? How much land rent do you have to pay? How much tax do you have to pay?" Seeing that Ye Jingchen hadn't spoken for a long time, and the old man was uneasy because of his silence, Ye Jingming asked.

The taxes levied on the people of Daeyu mainly consisted of two types: household tax and land tax.

Household tax, as the name suggests, is a tax levied on a per-household basis.

Household tax is levied on a household basis, based on two factors: the number of people and assets within the household.

Local tax, also known as "land tax," is levied based on factors such as the price, area, or income of the land.

In addition to these two taxes, there was also corvée labor.

This means that adult males must perform civil and military service for Daeyoshi. If they do not wish to serve, they must pay a hefty fine or find someone to take their place.

Because of the existence of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the Xie family army, the border of Dayuan is peaceful and the army is stable. There is no need to force the people to perform heavy military service, which is the main reason why the people regard the Xie family army as their guardian deity.

As for civil service, since no major projects have been built in Daeyu in recent years, civil service only needs to be performed once a year, for one month each time.

Service was based on proximity, and generally involved tasks such as dredging waterways, building dikes, repairing roads, or reclaiming wasteland. Meals were provided daily, along with a wage of five copper coins.

Ordinary people usually choose to serve in the winter when they are idle at home, so that they can complete their tasks and earn some wages.

Ye Jingchen learned about these things when he helped Xie Shaoling write the business plan.

In fact, the punishment for those tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers was also to perform civilian labor, the only difference being that they received no wages.

Moreover, what Jizhou County did was not just dredging waterways and building dikes. Xie Shaoling's plan connected all the waterways in Jizhou County, controlled the direction of the rivers, made it easier to irrigate farmland, and also allowed for better diversion of water.

Ye Jingming's question made the old man's figure hunch over even more.

"This year's harvest is indeed better than in previous years, with a yield of more than one shi per mu. However, half of this yield has to be paid to the landlord as land rent, part of which is used for household tax and part for corvée labor. In the end, only 30% ends up in our hands."

"But—even if we have 30% left, we won't be able to keep it. When the government sees a good harvest, they will definitely levy taxes under other pretexts, leaving us only enough food to barely survive! For so many years, it's been the same old trick over and over again, and I'm used to it!" His voice was full of bitterness as he finished speaking.

After a year of hard work, only a fraction of the harvest remains. Who wouldn't feel miserable?

"The taxes collected by the imperial court every year are announced to the world and widely publicized. How dare they create their own categories and levy taxes on their own? What audacity!" Wu Zemin said, somewhat agitated.

At his age, his family has gradually started to teach him about current affairs. Taxation is the foundation of the country and must not be allowed to go wrong!

"If woodworms infest the roof beams and are not removed in time, they will only multiply and eventually bore through the beams, causing the house to collapse," Ye Jingchen said calmly.

The roof beam of Dayuan may still look bright and shiny on the outside, but it may soon be hollowed out by termites.

The little ones understood the metaphor.

As princes and princesses, the rise and fall of Da Yuan was closely related to their own honor and disgrace, and the common people were their responsibility.

If officials in the capital dare to oppress the people, what about in other places?

"Thank you so much, sir! You've worked so hard!" Ye Jingchen took out a gold bean from his purse and gave it to the old man.

The gold beans that the imperial concubine gave him unexpectedly came in handy so soon.

"Gold, gold!" The old man looked at the gold bean in disbelief, and even put it in his mouth and bit it.

"Thank you, young master! May good people live a long and healthy life!" After accepting the gold beans, the old man immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Ye Jingchen.

Ye Jingchen stepped forward and stopped him from knocking.

“Old man, His Majesty is not incompetent. He will uphold justice for you, and your lives will improve,” Ye Jingchen said to him.

"Then I'll take your kind words, young master!" The old man received a golden bean, and his face finally lit up with joy.

After the old man left, Ye Jingchen led them for a walk in the fields.

The children had mixed feelings as they watched the villagers working in the rice paddies.

A good harvest should be a joyous occasion, but these tenant farmers toiled for a year, and their harvest was barely enough to keep them from starving. What hope was there for them?

The little ones were very quiet on the way back from the fields.

Ye Jingchen thought to himself, it's too early to stay silent now, they don't know how hard farming is!

There are so many pavilions and ponds in the Eastern Palace. Next spring, we can fill in one of them and turn it into farmland, letting them try cultivating it themselves. Perhaps then they will truly understand how hard life is for ordinary people.

As they passed through the village again, no one complained.

However, when they had only gone halfway, they encountered the Eastern Palace Guards who came looking for them in a hurry.

This palace guard was supposed to stay near the carriage with the coachman, but he came looking for them instead.

"Your Highness, there's a battle between two groups of people at the village entrance. It's very chaotic, we can't go any further!" he said anxiously.

Ye Jingchen's expression hardened. Were they coming for them?

He made the decision to bring the kids to this village yesterday on short notice, and only told a few people. Among those people, there shouldn't be anyone who betrayed him.

What should we do now?

Bypass the village entrance?

There are indeed detours in this village, but it's bordered by mountains on one side and rice paddies on the other.

The other side of the rice paddy offers a wide view, making it easier for criminals to spot their movements, and it's also far from the Xishan Palace.

Going up the mountain would provide cover and make them less likely to be discovered by criminals, but the mountain paths are difficult to traverse, and given their young age, accidents could easily happen.

Moreover, what if there are bad guys hiding on the mountain?

"Find a place to hide right now!" Ye Jingchen decided immediately.

Of the two groups fighting, one must be people sent by the emperor to secretly protect them. If something happens here, the emperor will definitely know and will send people to rescue them soon, so they cannot panic.

There were thatched huts nearby, some locked and some unlocked.

"Wei Yi, that one." Ye Jingchen pointed to a house with its door slightly ajar by the roadside.

Wei Yi immediately rushed into the room, and a moment later rushed out again to tell Ye Jingchen, "No one's here, it's safe."

"Let's go inside and hide for a bit," Ye Jingchen said to the kids.

It's too conspicuous in the village; it would be easy for bad guys to spot it.

The little brats all went inside, and half of the Donggong Guards stayed outside while the other half went inside, making the already small room packed full.

The thatched hut not only looked simple from the outside, but was even simpler inside, containing only a bed and some wooden necessities.

"Don't be afraid, Father will send people to rescue us soon," Ye Jingchen comforted them after they had taken refuge inside the house.