Yun Ruoxi originally thought that they would have to wait at the post station for a few more days, but unexpectedly, the county magistrate and his men came over in the afternoon of the next day.
Inside the Caiyun Town Post Station
The Xiao family members stood respectfully in the yard, listening to the county magistrate speak.
"My name is Wang. This time, I'm here at the request of the county magistrate to explain the settlement procedures to you."
Xiao Jing bowed and saluted, "Master Wang, you are too polite."
Xiao Jingxuan stepped forward at the right time and stuffed a purse containing ten taels of silver into Lord Wang's hand.
Lord Wang calmly squeezed the purse in his hand, feeling the weight of the silver and feeling very satisfied.
The smile on his face also became more sincere. "It's like this. Although the people of Wu'an Marquis Mansion had their property confiscated and exiled, they were not reduced to pariah status. Therefore, they settled in Caiyun Town and became ordinary commoners."
Xiao Jing: "That's natural!"
Lord Wang: "Don't worry, Lord Xiao. After all, we were once colleagues. Although Caiyun Town is the most backward town in all of Qiongzhou, the people here are simple and honest. Especially Taohua Village, where you are going next. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but the people are also very friendly. It's just that life... isn't easy. But don't worry, after all, you are new villagers settled in Taohua Village. As long as you are willing to reclaim the wasteland, you will be exempt from taxes for the first three years."
Yun Ruoxi thought that Qiongzhou was close to the sea, and wondered if Taohua Village was also on the seaside.
Xiao Jingrui looked at Yun Ruoxi and saw that she seemed to have something to say. He walked to her side calmly and asked, "Madam, is there anything you are curious about?"
Yun Ruoxi nodded and whispered in Xiao Jingrui's ear, "I want to know if Taohua Village is near the sea?"
Although Xiao Jingrui heard what he said, what he thought more about was that Yun Ruoxi was very close to him. He could smell the faint fragrance of his wife, and even his ears felt itchy.
Yun Ruoxi looked at Xiao Jingrui and saw that he didn't say anything for a long time after listening to it, and she even stretched out her arm to nudge him.
"Bujun, did you hear me?"
Xiao Jingrui came back to his senses and nodded, "I heard it, Fu Jun will go ask now."
Xiao Jingrui hurried forward and stuffed another purse into Lord Wang's hand, which also contained a ten-liang silver ingot.
"I'm truly sorry to trouble you, sir. May I ask, sir, is Taohua Village near the sea? I wonder how we should pay taxes on goods we capture at sea?"
Lord Wang was stunned for a moment, then realized that the Xiao family came from the capital and did not understand the rules of the coastal areas, so he gave a brief explanation.
"As long as we are in Qiongzhou, almost all villages are close to the sea. Only county towns are located inland. As for your concerns about taxes, if you are an ordinary villager's fishing boat, you only need to pay one-tenth of your boat's earnings to the court. The rest is your personal income. If it is a medium-sized fishing boat, you need to hand over one-fifth, and if it is a large fishing boat, you need to hand over one-quarter."
Xiao Jingrui: "Does it mean that everything we gain from every voyage must be handed over? Isn't that too much trouble? We have to go to the government to pay taxes every time!"
Lord Wang continued to explain, "Taxes are paid twice a year, once in the first half of the year and once in the second half of the year. Of course, fishermen who own boats will go to the government office to get fishing tickets, and all transactions in the market will be recorded. Fishing boats can only dock at government-run docks to sell their cargo, so everything is recorded, so there's no need to worry."
Xiao Jingrui: "Then if it's seafood that children pick up at the beach, do they also need to pay taxes?"
Lord Wang shook his head slightly. "These are unnecessary. All taxes are only imposed on families with boats that need to go out to sea to fish. Of course, there are also many families who are reluctant to go out to sea. After all, going out to sea is dangerous. Many people choose to reclaim wasteland and pay taxes normally like the people in the inland areas."
Xiao Jingrui: "Thank you, Lord Wang, for clearing up my doubts. We understand now."
Lord Wang said, "Since that's the case, everyone, please pack up and follow me. You've arrived within the time limit stipulated by the court. Although one family is missing, the news of the Yongzhou flood has already reached the court, so it's normal for someone to be missing. If they don't return within three months, the court will publish an announcement with their portraits. No matter where they live, they will be wanted by the government, and they will eventually return to Qiongzhou."
Yun Ruoxi was originally curious in her heart. She wondered why the government officials let them go so easily when the people from the second house were not there. She didn't expect that they had a backup plan.
Come to think of it, in modern times you need an ID card to go out, and in ancient times, you also needed a household registration and a travel permit to go out.
Xiao Jing: "In that case, I'll trouble you to lead the way."
Sir Wang, you brought four constables with you on this trip. Two of them ride on horses and two drive the carriage. Naturally, you will ride in a carriage.
The Xiao family followed behind, and Lord Wang didn't seem curious at all about the fact that the Xiao family had a carriage.
In fact, this matter is also easy to understand. Although the Wu'an Marquis Mansion is in trouble, it is said that the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xiao family is the only granddaughter of the Duke of Ying.
Just yesterday, the five sons of the Duke of England's mansion bought houses in the town, which seemed to be an advance arrangement for their sister.
Lord Wang is just a small county magistrate. He has helped the Xiao family. Maybe he can rise to a higher position in the future by using the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion as a platform.
In fact, as early as a month ago, the county magistrate had received a letter from the Duke of Ying's Mansion in the capital, although it did not specifically ask them to take care of anything.
But the meaning is very clear. In the future, people from the British Duke's Mansion will come here to buy houses and recuperate.
This is an opportunity for the county magistrate and Lord Wang, so both of them attach great importance to it.
As a result, when he heard that Yongzhou was flooded, he was secretly worried that something might happen to the people in Wu'an Marquis Mansion, and the opportunity would be lost.
Generally speaking, those who were sent to Lingnan to serve as officials must have no connections in the court or had offended important figures.
It is extremely difficult to return to the capital to be an official. This time, the people from the Wu'an Marquis' Mansion were exiled, but they were not reduced to slavery, and they were backed by the people from the Duke of Ying's Mansion.
Lord Wang would naturally seize this opportunity, perhaps he could speed up his return to the capital.
When thinking of the man in the capital, Lord Wang's face turned cold, and he secretly hated him in his heart: Don't let me get the chance. As long as he can return to the capital, the first thing he will do is to take revenge.
A group of several carriages were heading towards Taohua Village in a mighty procession.
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