The reason why the process includes mentioning the amount of unmarried tax is primarily to remind men and women who refuse to marry that they will bear a heavy tax burden if they do not follow the law and policies.
The village official stood in the most conspicuous open space, reading out the personal information of all the men who had been recruited from across the county to accompany their brides this year.
During this time, the woman can assess the man's situation herself. If she finds someone she likes, and the man happens to be interested in her as well, then both of them can happily get engaged and married.
If you don't find any of them appealing or attractive, then choose based on your criteria.
If nothing goes right, or if the person she likes doesn't like her back in the end, she has no choice but to settle for someone else.
He married any woman who chose him without hesitation.
However, some people like Jin Duobao, who refuse to compromise themselves, can only rely on their family's financial resources to support themselves.
Zheng Quchi's current misfortune lies in his extreme poverty. After paying the "unmarried tax" for Sang Xuanqing to the county, he could no longer afford to pay Zheng Quchi's tax.
She considered that after resolving all the troubles left behind by "Sang Xuanqing" within a year, she would try to get "Sang Xuanqing" a disability certificate. In Ye Kingdom, people with permanent disabilities like Brother Sang could be exempted from unmarried tax.
However, without connections in the court, it's difficult to obtain fake documents; one must act according to circumstances.
“Shangyi Village, Shishan, sixteen years old, with parents, eldest brother, third brother, and youngest sister, a total of six people in his family. He is a registered resident and is participating in a wedding procession for the first time. He should pay an unmarried tax of five hundred copper coins. If he marries this year, he will be exempt.”
Families with many members and diverse needs are not eligible and will be eliminated.
“Hegou Village, Huangnan, age seventeen, at home… Participating in the wedding procession for the second time, he should pay an unmarried tax of one thousand copper coins. If he marries this year, he will be exempt.”
This family runs a small business in the county, with a meager income, and since they are an only child, they definitely wouldn't want him to marry into their family, so they are eliminated.
Zheng Quchi kept a close eye on the introductions of potential suitors made by the village officials and made a selection accordingly.
But either the age is not suitable, or the family members are complicated. There is another one from elsewhere who is the right age, but he has no fixed abode and nothing else... But the sisters next to them muttered that this person is a habitual thief who steals chickens and dogs. Everyone in their village hates him and curses him. They would rather pay money than marry him.
Zheng Quchi thought, "If others don't want it, I can't take it either."
disuse.
When more than half of the people had been read, the village official continued reading the next person's name. He had just uttered the word "Liu" when suddenly the sound caught in his throat.
He stared wide-eyed at the roster in his hand.
This unusual behavior puzzled everyone.
But the village official quickly recovered, though his expression still held a strange look: "Liu Fengmian, twenty-one years old, no father or mother, no brothers or sisters, an outsider, no house, no job..." He swallowed hard and continued, "He has been absent from the wedding procession for four years and should pay an unmarried tax..."
He took a deep breath, then, stabilizing his astonishment, announced an astronomical figure that left everyone speechless.
Everyone was shocked and turned to look at the man named Liu Fengmian in the corner.
His eyes were covered with gauze, revealing only his pointed chin and a pair of moist, reddish lips.
She is tall and slender with an outstanding temperament.
He hadn't noticed because the men were blocking his view, but now that they were curious and turned around to look, they had completely exposed him.
With his physique and outstanding appearance alone, he could outshine all the tiny, insignificant lights, just like the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars.
For a moment, everyone present was glued to the screen.
But his eyes were covered with gauze, was he blind?
People couldn't help but speculate.
But there was another person present who reacted even more strongly.
That is Zheng Quchi.
When I first heard the name "Liu Fengmian," it sounded vaguely familiar, but I didn't think much of it. As I listened to the village chief's introduction, I exclaimed "Eh!" and became more and more excited.
She never imagined that someone could meet all her criteria so perfectly. She felt that her dream marriage partner had finally arrived as scheduled.
Her curiosity was piqued to its peak; she couldn't wait to see what the other person looked like. Being short, she tiptoed and peered through the gap, finally managing to see the other person's face clearly—
Holy crap!
She finally realized, belatedly, that she had indeed heard the name "Liu Fengmian" before, about a month ago.
This "Liu Fengmian" is actually the same Liu Fengmian?!
Wasn't he Yuwen Sheng's strategist? Although this was just her wishful thinking.
How did he end up in this rural matchmaking group?
Just as she was overwhelmed with thoughts, she heard the village official announce the exorbitant unmarried tax he was to pay—
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he felt numb.
She seemed to know... why he came for the blind date.
As the saying goes, even a hero can be brought down by three coins, but what weighed on him was far more than just three coins.
Let alone a mere strategist, even a general like Yuwen Sheng wouldn't be able to easily afford this amount.
Look at him, he used to be dressed in fine clothes, but now he's fallen on hard times.
So, was he forced to come looking for his wife out of desperation?
Zheng Quchi felt her heart bleed as she thought about how she had finally met a man who was tailored to her specifications, but now she had to give him up.
But what can she do if she doesn't give up? She is "Sang Xuanqing". If she marries him as Zheng Quchi, what if her identity is exposed and he tells Yuwen Sheng?
Seeing that everyone seemed shocked by the numbers, the village official quickly reassured them, "This...this might be a mistake on the part of the county magistrate. I'll go back and check with him later."
Oh, I see.
Others blindly trusted the village chief's words and accepted it.
But Zheng Quchi didn't believe it. Ancient calculations weren't done with Arabic numerals, where shaky hands would omit punctuation marks, or dizziness would lead to drawing extra digits after the numbers. It was all about writing characters literally.
The chances of making a mistake are extremely low, especially with such a large amount; it's almost impossible.
The women present couldn't help but steal glances at Liu Fengmian.
The man was so alluring just from the lower half of his face that they were drooling.
But when I think about how he is an unemployed vagrant, a stranger from out of town, and has no house or land, I wonder if I would have to sleep on the streets if I really married him.
Moreover... he's blind and probably doesn't even have the ability to take care of himself.
Some timid women felt as if they had been doused with cold water, and slowly gave up their desire to get married.
This self-introduction was actually a little trick Wang Zebang used. He had some of the common flaws of straight men, believing that a general like him should never marry a woman who was after his money.
She must be kind, loving, and able to share joys and sorrows with a penniless general, never abandoning him; otherwise, she would be materialistic, opportunistic, and lack the discerning eye to recognize talent.
In fact, if Yuwen Sheng hadn't been using a cane and wasn't "blind," there might have been people who were momentarily blinded by his handsome looks.
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