Chapter 220 Something happened in the capital?
Jiang Nuanzhi didn't notice the stares of the crowd at all. Of course, even if she did, she wouldn't care. She simply said, "It's a time when we need money. Let's settle the bill for today first."
She was currently financially comfortable, so paying taxes was no problem for her, but it was uncertain for ordinary families. Fearing they might need money urgently, she decided to help them however small they could. She counted out some copper coins from her pocket and distributed them to each of them.
Her actions stunned all the men present.
Brother Wu looked at Jiang Nuanzhi with surprise several times. He had seen her from afar before; this woman was quite fat, had a sharp tongue, and was unfaithful, having an ambiguous relationship with Xie Erlang. And to make matters worse, Xie Erlang didn't seem to like her.
Now that I've seen her up close, I realize that she's not as ugly as others have described, and she speaks very reasonably. It turns out I was just being petty.
He immediately scratched his head sheepishly, "Sister-in-law, how could we accept this? We haven't finished our work yet, how could we possibly take the money?"
"Please don't stand on ceremony, everyone. Today is a special day. I wouldn't do this at other times." Jiang Nuanzhi waved her hand dismissively. "Please go back first. A quarter of an hour is just a blink of an eye. It's more important to hurry back and take a look."
Everyone thanked them repeatedly, and for a moment they didn't care about anything else, and went home on their own.
However, the young man from the Zheng family couldn't help but glance at Jiang Nuanzhi several times, and still snorted disdainfully as he left.
He must know that his father is the village head and is trying to curry favor with him, but he won't fall for it.
But didn't my little sister say she was as fat as a pig?
He thought that although this person was a bit chubby, he was quite good-looking, but his heart was too vicious, which was a waste of such a lovely face.
When I looked back, I saw Jiang Nuanzhi looking down at Li Rong, who was sitting in a wheelchair, with a smile on her lips, saying something.
The young man from the Li family curled his lip, his smile so bright—he was trying to seduce Brother Li! How shameless!
In his heart, his younger sister was not good enough for Brother Li. If it were the young lady his younger sister served, she might be a good match for Brother Li.
Jiang Nuanzhi was naturally unaware of the complicated thoughts in their minds; she simply took out the silver from her bosom in one go.
"Two taels per person, that's ten taels for our family of five. And then there's Xiao Xuanting, Uncle Xin, and the old man, that's sixteen taels in total. Good heavens, how can a large family like ours have to pay so much at once?"
Jiang Nuanzhi even found it somewhat unbelievable. This was just the tax revenue! With such heavy taxes, and people needing to eat, drink, and use the meager amount of grain they had for the year, how could they possibly feed a large family? Wasn't this taking the lives of the people?
"His Majesty is benevolent towards the people and issued an edict to reduce taxes long ago. In recent years, the people have lived in peace and prosperity, and even in this desolate and harsh land, they rarely go hungry."
Li Rong pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, "Given the current situation, something must have happened."
His face paled in a daze, and his eyes were filled with deep worry.
What is wrong with the Emperor?
How could the imperial court be allowed to collect such a large amount of tax?
Hopefully, it won't turn out the way he expects, but in any case, things have definitely changed in the capital.
Xuan Ting, your time is truly running out.
"The Li family, right? The newly bought house?"
As the two were talking, a tall and burly soldier entered and glanced at them, saying, "The day before yesterday, your village reported a population of eight people, totaling sixteen taels of silver in poll tax."
Li Rong frowned: "Young man, why have taxes increased so much this year?"
The people of the Great Wilderness are known for their fierce and unruly nature, and there are many exiles. Although the emperor collected more money from those convicted of crimes, he still allowed them to study and do business. In short, he was giving them a way out and wouldn't push them too far or cause them to harbor rebellious thoughts.
Such a large taxation makes it even more difficult for criminals to register their household registration, and it even affects various issues related to criminals, such as marriage. In the past, it was only an extra two hundred coins in tax, which people didn't care about. But now, a criminal has to pay two taels of silver in tax every year. Who would dare to marry? Who would dare to take a wife? It really sows the seeds of a big hidden danger.
"Stop talking nonsense, sixteen taels of silver, hurry up and bring it over. If you don't have it, you can use the women in your family to pay, one woman is worth two taels of silver. Or, those who can't pay taxes can be sent to the army. Your family can send three able-bodied men."
Upon hearing this, Li Rong's brows furrowed even more deeply: "Is the imperial court going to war again? Why are they still conscripting men?"
"Why do you talk so much, you cripple?"
The man seemed rather impatient, squinting as he looked over.
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and handed over the silver: "Don't be angry, sir. My husband is just a talkative man. Look, the sixteen taels of silver are all here."
After saying that, he pointed behind him and said, "That's my old house. The old folks and children are all home there. Shall I go with you, sir, to take a look?"
"No need, I'll go see for myself. You should keep an eye on your talkative cripple; he's so annoying."
As he spoke, the man glared fiercely at Li Rong, then handed Jiang Nuanzhi a stamped document with a dark expression before turning and leaving with his entourage.
As they were leaving, several soldiers were muttering to themselves, "This family doesn't look like much, but they actually have sixteen taels of silver."
Li Rong was still frowning as he watched the direction the soldiers had left, lost in thought. Jiang Nuanzhi, however, pushed him towards home, saying, "Let's hurry home and take a look. It'll be better if we don't cause any trouble."
When she entered her house, seeing that the soldiers hadn't arrived yet, Jiang Nuanzhi breathed a sigh of relief. Then she slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Oh no! I borrowed rice from Aunt Wang a few days ago and haven't paid her back yet. I wonder if she has enough money left."
Aunt Wang was also exiled here, and she also needed two taels of silver.
Jiang Nuanzhi hurriedly handed the words to Li Rong, telling him to wait for the soldiers and instructing him not to get into a conflict with them. She had just brought some rice and flour, cut a piece of meat, and picked some wild fruits that she had gathered that morning, all of which she packed into a small basket before heading to Aunt Wang's house.
Before Jiang Nuanzhi could even enter Aunt Wang's house, she heard crying and shouting coming from inside.
"Hey, you little bastard, how dare you scratch me."
A furious voice came from inside: "Little Five, didn't we get a snake today? Today, we brothers will eat dragon and tiger meat!"
"Sir, sir, this cat is being unreasonable; it didn't do it on purpose. Besides, this cat is old, and its meat isn't very tasty anymore. It would be a waste of the snake meat. Please release it."
Aunt Wang's voice, which she tried her best to keep calm, came through.
"Sir, this is my tax money, a total of one tael and a half string of cash. Please wait a moment, I'll go and get the rest for you. My friend lives nearby, and borrowing another half string of cash will be enough."
(End of this chapter)
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