After he finished speaking, he saw Fang Qing looking at him with a smile.
"What's wrong?"
"I just feel that you're becoming more and more concerned about these things."
It feels good to be doing something together so earnestly.
The next day, they left through the back door in a discreet carriage and traveled out of the city.
The weather in Yongzhou was getting warmer at this time, and they were like ordinary people in the city going out for a spring outing.
They left the carriage by the river and walked hand in hand toward the farmland.
At this time, there were farmers weeding in the fields. Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an found an old man to chat with under a big tree.
The old man, noticing their accents weren't local, wasn't wary of them and answered almost anything Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an asked.
Fang Qing wasn't confident she could get any information, but when Zhao Shi'an asked about taxes, the old man cursed at her in a way she couldn't understand.
"The imperial court is just sucking the blood of us common people. The taxes in Yongzhou are 10% higher than in other places. They say that Yongzhou is located on the border and there are frequent wars, so it should collect more taxes. But the taxes keep rising every year."
"Last year, we were hit by a natural disaster and there was no harvest. If it weren't for the Northwest garrison providing us with military rations, we wouldn't have survived. The imperial court not only doesn't care about the lives of us ordinary people, but also continues to levy land taxes on us. They are really pushing us ordinary people to the brink of death."
The old man's eyes reddened as he spoke.
Even though Fang Qing wasn't very knowledgeable about tax collection, she knew that taxes were levied based on the grade of the land and the harvest, but she had never heard of taxes being levied by region.
"Are you sure it's the imperial court that's levying taxes, and not the local government oppressing the people?" Zhao Shi'an asked.
“Our Prefect of Yongzhou, Lord Li, is a good official. How could he oppress the people? We have seen the documents from the imperial court. Lord Li understands the hardships of us people and always tries to reduce our taxes.”
As they were talking, an old man came over from under the big tree.
The old man continued, picking up where the previous old man left off: "You didn't see Lord Li. He's frugal and simple. As a prefect, he's practically penniless. I've lived this long and never seen such a good official."
Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an exchanged glances.
"From what you're saying, you've not only met this Lord Li, but also visited his home?" Fang Qing asked.
The old man was clearly taken aback.
"I have met Lord Li, but I have never been to his home."
The old man said, "Of course, some people have seen it. I know you don't believe me, but you'll understand once you find out. It's hard to explain to outsiders."
As they were talking, the old man and the old man carried their hoes home, while Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an continued their stroll.
Those two old men were just the beginning; almost everyone they met afterward said the same thing.
This made Zhao Shi'an and Fang Qing curious about the matter.
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