Chapter 519 Broken Appointment
Hearing this, Zhao Yi took the letter and took a look at it with a serious expression.
"Taxes in Northern Qi were already high. After paying, the people only had enough food left to feed themselves. How could they possibly have extra food? The court suddenly raised taxes by 30%. Isn't this going to drive the people to death?"
Shen Qingtan's previous speculation was completely fulfilled, and he felt very heavy: "Uncle Qin told me that the taxes they paid in Northern Qi were very heavy, 20% to 30% of the value of the goods."
"Now, Northern Qi has secretly established additional checkpoints across the country, intending to impose additional taxes. Furthermore, the court has also significantly increased miscellaneous taxes that were not previously subject to taxation."
"This not only increases the burden on merchants, but also on the people. After all, merchants will not do business at a loss, and the extra taxes paid will be added to the goods sold to the people."
Zhao Yi read the letter word by word, feeling equally heavy-hearted. "Previously, the virtuous prince and Feng Zhihuan exploited the people of Yongqing County, sparking an uprising. With this lesson in mind, Your Majesty shouldn't dare impose such a high tax."
He couldn't understand the court's actions: "Your Majesty intends to send troops to attack the Great Zhou. The first thing he must do is stabilize the internal situation. If he forces the people to live in poverty and the people in various places rise up in rebellion and overthrow his regime, how can he continue to attack the Great Zhou?"
Shen Qingtan understood the implication of Zhao Yi's words: "You mean...someone is deceiving their superiors and hiding the truth from their subordinates, pretending to obey but actually disobeying?"
Zhao Yi sarcastically said, "Northern Qi intends to start a war, but its treasury is empty. If they want to have enough food and fodder, they will inevitably have to increase taxes. Your Majesty has experienced the riots in Yongqing County. No matter how foolish he is, he will not force the people into a state of panic again."
"Now that the Imperial Preceptor is in a coma, His Majesty has lost his backbone. The only people he can consult with are his trusted aides, whom he personally promoted. These people are naturally the same type as him, rarely considering the people, and each one is only concerned with their own interests."
"They understand Your Majesty's character very well, and are fully aware of Northern Qi's current situation. They will definitely advise Your Majesty to rest and recuperate for a while. If that fails, they will probably advise Your Majesty to increase taxes in order to increase Northern Qi's strength."
"Your Majesty knows full well that the only way to replenish the treasury is to increase taxes. I'm afraid he has long harbored this idea in mind, but is hesitant to fear a mob uprising."
"If, at this moment, your Majesty's trusted ministers tell him that the people are well-fed and well-clothed, and that even a 10% tax increase on top of the existing tax base won't leave them starving, then this statement will surely convince him."
Zhao Yi did not speculate based on the situation in Northern Qi or the character of the Northern Qi emperor and his confidants, but had concrete factual basis.
He handed the letter to Shen Qingtan and pointed to a sentence written by Boss Qin: "The Imperial City and its surrounding areas have only increased taxes by 10%, while those far away from the Emperor have increased taxes by 30%. If Your Majesty increases taxes by 30%, the Imperial City and its surrounding areas will not only increase taxes by 10%."
Shen Qingtan sighed. The Emperor of Northern Qi had never made a secret visit to investigate the people's sentiments. How could he know what kind of life the people under him lived?
Not all local officials are considerate and considerate of the people. In order to climb the corporate ladder, they often conceal the true state of the people.
The Northern Qi Emperor's understanding of the people's sentiments all came from the officials below. I'm afraid that in his mind, the people everywhere had enough money and grain.
Therefore, when his trusted ministers advised him, the Emperor of Northern Qi believed it and went along with it.
"They are in office but have done nothing to help. Instead, they are using their power to harm the people. The tax increase is bound to displease the people. Even if they riot, they have prepared a response plan. They will send troops to suppress the people and will not give them the opportunity to expose the local heavy taxation." Shen Qingtan asked, "Will you report this to the court?"
Zhao Yi slowly shook his head: "Let's put it aside for now and talk about it after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Our ideas coincide with each other." Shen Qingtan rolled up the letter and placed it on the oil lamp to light it. "We have to make preparations for both situations and act accordingly."
Zhao Yi hummed softly, thinking about the conscription matters in his mind.
Now that taxes have increased, conscription is inevitable.
If conscription is carried out and the court fails to handle the matter properly, even if a large number of troops are sent to suppress the people, they will not be able to withstand the overwhelming force of numbers and will definitely cause unrest.
By then, the Northern Qi emperor's regime would probably be in jeopardy.
After all, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.
"Let's not think about these things for now." Zhao Yi carried Shen Qingtan by the waist and went to the inner room. He put her on the bed and took off her coat. "You must be tired after such a long journey. Rest first. We can talk about the rest tomorrow."
"good."
Shen Qingtan lay down in the bed consciously, pulling the quilt to cover her chest, but saw Zhao Yi standing by the bed without unbuttoning his belt, obviously not intending to sleep with her.
She sat up, hugging the quilt: "Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I still have things to take care of." Zhao Yi leaned over and kissed her forehead: "You go to sleep first."
Shen Qingtan nodded, lay back on the bed, and watched Zhao Yi extinguish the oil lamp and tiptoe out of the main house.
Although she was very tired and sleepy, she couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned in bed, finally lying on the outside of the bed, staring at the bright moon outside the window with her eyes open, her thoughts gradually drifting away.
Before setting off for her fiefdom, she wrote letters to her father, mother and four brothers respectively, but only received five replies.
Only cousin Changsheng did not reply to her letter.
Before she left Da Zhou, she left a letter for her cousin, in which she made an appointment with him to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival together this year.
But she broke her promise and did not return to Da Zhou before the Dragon Boat Festival, and she could not even go back for the Mid-Autumn Festival. So she apologized to her cousin in the letter and explained why she could not return to Da Zhou to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with him.
Then she said that if her cousin was free, she would come to Yingcheng and she would try to go there to meet him. If he was not free, she would come to Yingcheng in person to apologize when she had the chance.
However, she did not get a response from her cousin.
Shen Qingtan thought that the letter was not delivered to her cousin. After all, with their brother-sister relationship, her cousin would definitely write her a reply regardless of whether he could understand her situation or not.
But the person who delivered the letter repeatedly assured her that the letter was delivered to her cousin.
Shen Qingtan sighed, looking forward to receiving a letter from his cousin tomorrow.
Until the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shen Qingtan still had not received Gu Changsheng's letter.
Zhao Yi and several officials from his fiefdom returned from outside the palace and saw Shen Qingtan smiling in the front hall, counting the gifts she had prepared for her family. Her eyes were filled with anticipation for a long-awaited reunion. As she picked up one of the gifts, the joy on her face turned to disappointment.
She felt guilty for not being able to fulfill her promise to Gu Changsheng.
When Shen Qingtan received replies from her family one after another, Zhao Yi realized that something was wrong with her.
Because she would ask Liu Yue, who was by her side, every day if she had received Gu Changsheng's letter.
But every time she got an answer, she was disappointed.
This situation became particularly obvious after they arrived in Yuncheng.
She went from asking once a day to asking three times a day.
Without exception, the result is the same.
At this time, Liu Yue and Ting Xue moved the gifts counted by Shen Qingtan onto the carriage one by one.
Zhao Yi put aside his thoughts and came to Shen Qingtan's side: "Manman, shall we set off to see my father-in-law now?"
Shen Qingtan nodded: "Okay, we can't let father and brother wait for us."
The group went to the border between the two countries.
The carriage slowly stopped. Zhao Yi opened the curtain and reached out to help Shen Qingtan get off the carriage.
Shen Qingtan stopped and looked up at the group of people opposite him, and was stunned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
