"Sigh... Some people are always restless, always trying to put on a show to intimidate others. I'll go back to rest now."
Emperor Zhaowu broke free from Wang Yushi's support and slowly walked out of the palace. By the time he reached the door, his figure had become upright and straight, and his aura had become majestic and imposing, making it impossible for anyone to imagine how weak and amiable he had been just moments before.
When the news of Imperial Censor Shen Ba's exile to Yazhou by Emperor Zhaowu arrived, some people in the capital finally realized the power of the Huang family's backing. Everyone quieted down and stopped having any thoughts, since it was just a matter of earning a little less, and it wasn't worth fighting to the death with the Huang family's shops.
However, a new tax policy from the Ministry of Revenue infuriated all the spice merchants, making it impossible for them to resist without a fight.
The Great Xia Empire levied a "luxury goods tax," requiring all shops, regardless of who owned them, to register and pay taxes on any "luxury goods" they dealt in.
The Ministry of Revenue announced tax rates for more than a dozen "luxury goods," including several spices such as pepper and nutmeg, which were subject to a "luxury goods tax" of one in ten.
Various noble families with spice businesses used their connections in official circles to fight back, pushing the bigwigs of the Ministry of Revenue into the eye of the storm and impeaching them mercilessly.
As a result, the Ministry of Revenue calmly accepted the impeachments from its colleagues in the court, and then presented a tax payment receipt for the "luxury tax" to Emperor Zhaowu, who had not yet expressed his opinion.
Just yesterday, the manager of Huang's shop led a caravan of mule carts into the Ministry of Revenue's tax office and paid a month's worth of "luxury tax" in copper coins, gold, and silver worth 100,000 taels.
"Hehehe! ...This...is really profitable!"
Looking at the receipts in his hand, Emperor Zhaowu, who was usually expressionless, laughed out loud, silencing everyone in the court. They couldn't figure out what the emperor meant—was he referring to the Huang family's shop or mocking them? (Or search "Remember to remove the '/' when searching, otherwise you won't find it," here's a sister to help you find books and chat with you!)
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