Chapter 159: Nezha Enters Shu, and then Nezha leaves Zhou...
Besides, after Nezha left Zhou camp, he wanted to ask where Fu Li was, but the information had already been edited and deleted word by word.
He was still upset and wanted to find out what was so special about his face before going to see Fu Li.
After much deliberation, he turned and headed to Qianyuan Mountain. His master loved him dearly, and there was nothing he couldn't get out of him as long as he kept asking.
Unfortunately, Taiyi Zhenren was not on the mountain, and Ziyun was in Penglai all year round. There were only a few water and fire boys guarding the mountain gate and feeding the mounts in the entire Yuquan Mountain.
"Where is the master?" Nezha asked a water and fire boy.
The boy shook his head and said, "I don't know either. The master never talks about these things, and we don't dare to ask."
Seeing Nezha's bad face, the boy pointed out a way for him: "This time, the master went out riding a crane, and left behind the Nine Spirits Primordial Saint. Brother, why don't you go ask him, maybe he knows."
Jiuling Yuansheng is a nine-headed lion, one of Taiyi Zhenren's favorite pets. He usually keeps him as a pet and rarely uses him as a mount.
Nezha ran to the back of the mountain, where Jiuling Yuansheng was catching butterflies in the grass. He cautiously extended his front paws, aiming for a palm-sized white jade butterfly perched on a wildflower not far away.
He didn't use any magic power, and the butterfly was very alert. The moment he was about to pounce on it, it flapped its wings and ran away.
Jiuling Yuansheng exerted too much force, and his head became heavy, so he rolled forward several times, and then simply lay down with his hooves loose. His tail lashed out like a short whip, and his nine heads turned in different directions. One said to catch the black butterfly on the left, and another said to catch the blue butterfly on the right...
"Yuan Sheng'er!" Nezha shouted, and he stood up with a grunt, spread his hooves and ran over happily, rubbing against Nezha, asking Nezha to play with him.
Nezha snored at each of his nine heads and said with a smile, "I'm busy today, I'll play later. But let me ask you, where is the master?"
"Master?" Jiuling Yuansheng blurted out without hesitation, "Every year at this time, the master would go to the capital of Shu. There they built a temple for him, and the people worshipped him devoutly. He would always stay there for a few months every year."
Nezha thought to himself: Sure enough, there is a way if I ask him.
"Thank you. I'll come to play with you next time." Nezha waved to him and flew away on his wind-fire wheels.
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Although Yuquan Mountain was located in Shu, this was Nezha's first time visiting the territory that belonged solely to Shu. As for the mortal regimes, he was more familiar with the Central Plains.
Although the connection between the Central Plains and Shuzhong had not been interrupted for hundreds of years, it was only when he actually set foot on this land that Nezha suddenly realized: although this place and the Central Plains were under the same sky, they were like two different worlds.
The people here have a different spirit and energy from those in the Central Plains. Even the slaves bending over to work in the fields are not as skinny and numb as those in the Central Plains.
There was a boy in his early ten years old, holding a clay pot in one hand and a basket in the other, who stopped on the edge of the field and shouted loudly for his parents.
A man and woman who were weeding came over, wiping their sweat and asking their son if he had eaten.
The boy said, "My grandfather had already let my sister and I eat before I came. My sister was going to take the imperial examination, so she went to review her lessons after dinner. My grandfather asked me to take the meal to my parents."
Nezha then realized that those working in the fields were not slaves, but good citizens with registered residence and property.
He had heard of the "imperial examination" and knew it was the official selection system in Shu. According to his mother, Yin Hua, the imperial examination system was far more advanced than the hereditary nobility system of the Central Plains. Unfortunately, the intertwined power structures of the various feudal lords in the Central Plains made its promotion difficult.
What else did mother say?
Oh, by the way, there are no slaves in Shu, except for officials and common people. Even high-ranking officials cannot kill people at will, because good people are protected by the law.
Nezha stood not far away and watched the couple finish their meal before going up to them to chat.
From the conversation, Nezha learned that the Shu region today was very different from when the Holy King was here. In addition to self-employed farmers like his family, there was also another class of people called tenants.
Tenant farmers are also common people, but they have lost their own land for various reasons and can only rent land from landlords to make a living.
Fortunately, the current king is wise and has been rectifying the administration of officials since he ascended the throne. The landlords dare not go too far and only ask for 50% of the rent.
"Fifty percent? Isn't that too much?" Nezha was surprised and angry, thinking that those landlords were really going too far.
The hostess said, "Fifty percent is not too much. As long as you pay this fifty percent rent, you don't have to worry about taxes anymore. The landlord will take care of it." There was a hint of envy in her tone.
Nezha immediately realized something and asked, "Will the landlords collude with the tax officials to evade taxes? If they do, won't their share be borne equally by you, the self-cultivating farmers?"
The hostess's expression changed, and she quickly waved her hand at him: "Little brother, don't say anything careless!"
Just looking at her reaction, what else could Nezha not understand? His guess was not wrong at all.
He couldn't help but sneer, "When the king was wise and rectified the administration, the tenants only had to pay these five tiers of rent. If we were to encounter a foolish king, I'm afraid that in addition to paying this 50% rent, they would also have to bear various taxes, right?"
What’s even more hateful is that even if the tenants paid the taxes, they would only go into the pockets of the landlords and corrupt officials, and the misfortune of the self-cultivating farmers would always remain the same.
If this continues, farmers will be forced to sell their land to avoid the heavy taxes. Land will become more concentrated, but the government will receive less money...
Nezha immediately grasped everything that Fu Li had taught him, and understood everything in an instant.
When she heard him talking about the landlords before, the hostess was horrified. But now, when she heard him talking about the king, she was no longer alarmed. She sighed and said, "Anyone with a discerning eye knows this. This is how the world is. Just take your time and live it slowly. At least it's much better than the Central Plains."
Nezha was speechless. He really couldn't refute this statement.
If these people were to arrive in the Central Plains, without a noble bloodline, they would likely soon be reduced to slavery. Not to mention the 50% rent, they would likely work day in and day out without even having enough to eat.
When they parted, the couple reminded him that the closer they got to the center, the more prosperous it would be and the more important people there would be. He had an outstanding appearance and was a single man, so it would be best for him to cover his face.
Nezha laughed and said, "Why, is there anyone who dares to rob a man?"
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He thought he was just joking, but he didn't expect that he would actually encounter a man being kidnapped.
That day he arrived at an exceptionally prosperous city, and as was his custom, he went to the largest local restaurant to inquire for news.
But soon after he sat down, a group of slim women came over. One of them pointed at him and said, "Look, boss, this is her. Isn't she pretty?"
The leader stared at him for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad, much better than the previous ones. Present this to me, and the Lord will surely reward me handsomely."
Nezha was originally planning to beat them up and leave, but when he heard the words "those few from before" and "Your Majesty", he decided to stay put and wait and see what was going on.
If the few people who were kidnapped earlier were still alive, he would rescue them, which would be considered a good deed.
As a result, a conflict broke out between the two sides, and Nezha pretended to be defeated and was captured by them.
Perhaps because of his good looks, he was locked up in a separate room. The next morning, a gorgeously dressed woman, led by two fair-skinned male servants, came to see him.
The woman walked around him two or three times, looked her up and down, and asked him where he was from and what he was doing there.
Nezha said that he was from the Central Plains and came to Shu to broaden his horizons.
After hearing this, the woman's eyes were obviously less vigilant, and she said in a seductive tone that she would give him wealth and glory.
"Prosperity and wealth?" Nezha raised an eyebrow, finding it a little funny. "What do you mean by prosperity and wealth?"
The woman said, "The king has only been on the throne for three years. His harem is empty and he has no children. Officials from all over the country are interested in sending beauties to the palace. Isn't that a great fortune?"
Nezha nodded, indifferent, and simply asked: "Besides me, how many other people have you prepared?"
The woman said, "Including you, there are five of us in total."
Nezha asked again: "Is this your fiefdom?"
"You are indeed from the Central Plains and don't understand the rules of our Shuzhong." The woman smiled and shook her head, "You don't know that the titles in our Shuzhong are different from those in the Central Plains. We only have fiefs, not land.
The reason I, the Marquis of Danyang, am not in the capital is because the King values me so highly that he has appointed me here to serve as the governor and to rectify the administration of officials."
She looked at Nezha again and asked with a smile, "You are well-dressed and well-spoken, with a fair and rosy complexion and a tall stature. You must be a descendant of the nobility in the Central Plains, right?"
Nezha thought about it and realized that his mother was a princess of the Shang Dynasty and the commander of Chentang Pass. He could really be considered a descendant of the nobility, so he nodded.
The Marquis of Danyang sneered and said, "I think so. Apart from the nobles, how many people in the Central Plains can have enough to eat? Let alone keep themselves clean and healthy.
Believe me, even if you are a noble from the Central Plains, the abundance of products and the variety of delicacies in Shu are beyond your imagination. As long as you are chosen by the king, you will enjoy wealth and glory beyond the reach of the Central Plains."
Her words showed her disdain for Zhongyuan.
Nezha deliberately challenged her: "But the nobles of the Central Plains have fiefdoms, and they are the masters of their own fiefdoms. Aren't you envious?"
The Marquis of Danyang sneered, "That is the source of national chaos. What is there to envy?"
After hearing this, Nezha was able to truly distinguish between the nobles of the Central Plains and the officials of Shu.
It is not only a geographical difference, but also a difference in cognition.
Nezha: "I have another question."
"you say."
"Did those four people all volunteer to enter the palace?"
"Of course," said the Marquis of Danyang. "I promised them that if they were willing to enter the palace, I would give their families a sum of money. At local prices, that sum would be enough to buy dozens of acres of land and live a self-sufficient life."
After hearing this, Nezha's desire to save people immediately faded.
He felt that the Marquis of Danyang wasn't too bad, so he decided to give her a chance and asked, "If I say I don't want to, will you let me go?"
"You don't want to?" Marquis Danyang was stunned for a moment. "Why did you come back with them if you didn't want to?"
Nezha sneered, "If I say they robbed me, would you believe me?"
The Marquis of Danyang's expression changed, and he angrily said, "This is outrageous!"
She strode to the door, suddenly opened it, and said to her confidant: "Go and check how those who selected the candidates were selected? Didn't they say it was voluntary?
"I was sent to the palace unwillingly, and if someone just whispered something in my ear, I'd be in big trouble. Do you think I'm not dying soon enough?"
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