Chapter 331: Spring Ploughing and Sacrificial Ceremony [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Despite the chaos of the world, it is still quite simple and honest to some extent. After all, they could never have imagined such an outrageous way of "legal tax avoidance"! Merchants also know that the law is imperfect and there are many ways to exploit loopholes.
But their method is to repeatedly bounce back and forth on the baseline.
Those in power can get rid of them at any time if they are unhappy.
In contrast, Shen Tang's proposed solution...
Honestly, that would send Wu Xian's blood pressure soaring! You have to understand that the various taxes these days are basically listed clearly, one by one, one by two, in a row and line, and you just have to pay taxes according to them! Not to mention a traditional merchant like Xu Jie.
He looked at Shen Tang with an expression that seemed to completely disbelieve her, and after a long while, he finally managed to utter a single sentence: "This...this...if we do this, the lord will probably be furious..."
Xu Jie had never witnessed Wu Xian lose his temper and fly into a rage. But he had a feeling that if he did it, he would probably be lucky enough to see it.
Shen Tang simply smiled: "Why is he angry?"
Xu Jie remained silent.
Shen Jun actually had the nerve to ask Wu Xian what he was angry about.
Then Shen Tang shamelessly said, "He shouldn't be angry; he should be grateful to us. Tell me, which of the methods I listed above can't be used? Take 'pairing goods' for example. The customer spent money on other goods, but only spent one tael of wine. The wine tax should also be paid on that one tael. Did we evade taxes? No, we paid the wine tax honestly."
“Blind box lotteries work on the same principle.” Shen Tang carefully broke the items apart and forced them into Xu Jie’s little head, frantically trying to sell and brainwash him, “Are customers buying alcohol? No, they’re buying a lottery entry, a game! The alcohol is the prize for playing the game! What law currently taxes free prizes?”
Xu Jie said with difficulty, "No..."
Shen Tang slapped his back in a fit of emotion.
"That's right! Since they can't find anything unreasonable about us even after searching through the law, then we are reasonable! Since we are reasonable, then it's allowed! Since it's allowed, then we can do it!"
Xu Jie's eyes became indescribable—he suspected that Shen Jun had been switched at birth! How could these words possibly come from the mouth of the sincere, warm-hearted, kind and benevolent Shen Jun?
impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
“Notes”.
Shen Tang still had a smile on her lips.
But that one word, "Wen Zhu," sent a shiver down his spine.
It reminded him of Wu Xian's chilling tone when his brothers were stabbed and he wanted nothing more than to kill them. That was when he saw the ruthlessness in Wu Xian! However, this feeling was fleeting, so quick that it seemed like an illusion.
Shen Tang asked, "Surely one of them will be usable?"
These words also carried a hint of coercion.
Just like Wu Xian's previous "threat" to Shen Tang.
She forced Xu Jie to "legally avoid taxes" this time!
"Of course." Xu Jie suppressed his discomfort and forced a smile as he replied, "Only today do I realize what it means to 'learn from your words, which is better than reading for ten years.' I observe that Mr. Shen has a remarkable talent for business. If he dedicates himself to managing his affairs, he will surely become one of the wealthiest men in the world!"
Shen Tang replied, "Merchants? That won't do."
"Why? Doesn't Lord Shen also dislike merchants?"
Shen Tang shook his head and said bluntly, "Never before. Merchants have their own significance. But Wen Zhu may not have heard the proverb, 'Store grain but not guns, and your home is a granary; store guns but not grain, and everywhere is a granary.' Merchants have money but no matching military force to rely on. They do not engage in production but are capable of amassing wealth. Sooner or later, they will become grain stores in the eyes of wolves and tigers."
She patted Xu Jie's shoulder, whose expression was stiff.
"It's better to have what others have than what others have!"
Why must we choose one of the two?
Adults, we want them all!
Having frightened Xu Jie, Shen Tang's anger subsided by three-tenths, but she still had seven-tenths left to process on her own.
Gu Chi could hear Shen Tang's inner monologue from afar, which sounded like a firecracker exploding in the air. Eleven out of ten sentences were curses directed at Wu Xian and Xu Jie, the master-servant duo. Chu Yao, who had come with him, stopped and looked at him with suspicion: "Why isn't Wang Chao going in?"
Gu Chi smiled bitterly.
Whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll still get stabbed. Just as I was hesitating whether to go in or not, I heard a voice from inside the house say, "Come in."
The two exchanged a glance and stepped inside at the same time.
Anger still lingered on Shen Tang's face.
"Why is my lord angry?" Chu Yao bent down to tidy up the books on the low table that Shen Tang had overturned. "Because of Xu Jie?"
They also received a message from Xu Jie.
“You’ll see when you take a look.” Shen Tang handed the two of them several volumes of account books that Xu Jie had brought. They read them quickly, exchanged them, and a knowing look flashed in their eyes.
Shen Tang wished she could overturn the low table in front of her as if it were Xu Jie, and said angrily, "Guess what he said?"
Chu Yao asked gently, "What?"
"The seedlings are all good seedlings."
Chu Yaozhong's translation: "It's just that the price is a bit high?"
"The farm tools aren't brand new, but they're cheap!"
Chu Yao laughed and said, "It's probably an old item that was used in previous years. It's not unusable, but it probably won't last long."
Shen Tang grew increasingly angry, gritting her teeth: "The oxen are all old oxen with many years of service and rich experience!"
Chu Yao and Gu Chi exchanged a glance.
They gained a deeper understanding of the cunning and deceitfulness of merchants.
"Is that an old ox that's past its prime?"
Shen Tang slammed his hand on the low table, making a loud clanging sound.
"Listen to this! Do Wu Zhaode and Xu Wenzhu think this is a garbage dump? A garbage bin for disposing of swill? They spent over 2,300 taels of silver on this piece of junk, and they even embezzled the change! This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
Chu Yao and his companion could only try to persuade Shen Tang, one after the other.
They were prepared for Wu Zhaode and his companion's shady dealings—how could Wu Zhaode possibly stand by and watch his own 10,000 taels of silver flow into Shen Tang's hands? He simply couldn't do it without causing some trouble.
Our lord suffered because he didn't understand.
Shen Tang smirked and swore emphatically, "But I've turned the tables on you. You tricked me once, but do you think you can trick me every time? If I don't completely sow discord between Wu Zhaode and Xu Wenzhu, I'll write my name, Shen Youli, backwards!"
Saying such harsh words isn't enough.
"A promise is a promise; a dog won't keep its word!"
Chu Yao: "..."
Gu Chi: "..."
Actually, they admired Wu Xian and Xu Jie quite a bit; these two actually had the ability to push Shen Tang to this extent!
That's truly amazing!
Shen Tang fanned himself with his hand.
My mind calmed down, and reason returned.
"Is there something amiss with Wu Hui and Wang Chao?"
This makeshift team, with its corporate culture of "poverty" and "007," began a frenzied internal struggle under the leadership of its boss, Shen Tang. Unless something extraordinary happened, Shen Tang rarely saw either of them.
Chu Yao: "For the spring plowing sacrifice."
"Spring plowing and sacrificial rites?"
The river thaws in February, and spring warms in March.
After this snowfall ends, the weather will get warmer day by day.
To pray for a bountiful harvest in the new year, a ceremony is held to worship Jumang, the god of spring, before the start of spring plowing, with the aim of bringing good fortune.
Chu Yao and his companions weren't particularly interested in such activities, but ordinary people believed that something was missing without the sacrificial rites.
If a famine occurs that year, it is easily attributed by the common people to reasons such as "disrespecting the God of Spring, which angered the God of Spring," and this can be easily exploited by those with ulterior motives. When the people's hearts are in turmoil, chaos ensues.
"If that's the case, then let's do it."
She was happy to go through the motions to save trouble.
However, Shen Tang did not expect that she would have something to do with this.
Before the spring plowing ceremony begins, a respected elder from the local community will read aloud a pre-written article for worshipping the god of spring, or recite or sing a poem related to farming.
Then burn the article and send it to the Spring God in heaven.
Then came the "performance" segment.
The oxen were ordered to plow the land, and the wooden plow cut through the soil.
Then the village headman would scatter grain seeds.
The others followed behind, handling the farm tools.
A group of people were busily working in the fields, demonstrating the process of farming. Afterwards, there was a sacrifice of livestock to the god of spring, with the village head leading the crowd in burning incense and praying. After everything was over, the common people who participated in the event would receive a share of the sacrificial meat.
Even the process of "dividing the meat" is quite particular.
The size and cut of meat received by a family vary depending on their wealth, poverty, land ownership (more or less), seniority, or reputation. Even something as seemingly simple as "distributing meat" is rife with intrigue and social dynamics.
Shen Tang: "...Do I have to do this too?"
It's a nightmare for people with social anxiety!
Chu Yao shook his head: "Yes and no."
The procedures he mentioned are generally carried out by villages or clans. Shen Tang is the prefect, and the spring plowing and sacrificial rites are similar. The meat can be divided however one likes.
Anyway, he and the others won't have any objections.
Shen Tang: "..."
They presented another booklet.
The records documented the allocation of farmland, tools, oxen, and seedlings. Since the re-registration of the commoners in Fugu City had already been completed, this process didn't take much time.
Xu Jie and Wu Xian made some changes to the oxen and farm tools, but it didn't have much impact. Anyway, they don't use oxen to plow the fields now. It's just that Zhao Feng is a little tired—hehe, after all, they're not their own martial arts masters, so they don't feel bad about using them!
As for seedlings and grains, the quantity is sufficient.
Solve the immediate crisis.
Shen Tang read the entire booklet word by word.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
This is the only good news today.
Shen Tang pointed to the record of the wooden plow and said, "We'll find two carpenters later. There's a lot we can do with the wooden plow."
Modern wooden plows are all straight-shaft wooden plows.
It is bulky, difficult to turn around, and has low tillage efficiency.
Shen Tang cannot always rely on the Martial Warriors to cultivate the land. After all, the Martial Warriors' main battlefield for a long time to come will be the battlefield, not the farmland. Improving the wooden plow is the key.
Chu Yao and the other man didn't ask any questions and simply replied, "Yes."
Although their lord is young and often talks a lot, she is absolutely reliable when it comes to being dependable. Or rather, her cynicism is just a mask to conceal her true nature.
Shen Tang rubbed her aching temples.
I've thought about it for a while but haven't come up with anything missing.
He then said, "Let's leave it at that for now."
The ice and snow are melting, and it's the perfect time for spring plowing.
Shen Tang has been doing his homework these past few days, after all, it's his first time presiding over the spring plowing ceremony, and he needs to be familiar with the procedures. Xu Jie left five days before the start of spring plowing, since Tianhai has the same custom, and as an important member of Wu Xian's staff, he needed to be present.
Shen Tang shrugged inwardly, not trying to persuade him to stay.
I just reminded him to "legally avoid taxes" on the day he left.
Xu Jie forced a smile and left with fifty jars of "last year's limited edition" spirit wine—if he hadn't stopped her, Shen Tang would have encouraged him to release a limited edition of the current year, repackage it, and fleece a big fat sheep.
Xu Jie: "..."
There's absolutely no need for that.
One case of "legitimate tax avoidance" is enough to make the lord furious.
On the day of spring plowing, the sky was clear and there was a gentle breeze.
The sacrificial ceremony went very smoothly.
Wow, that's huge! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
An inauspicious start!
"Qi Yuanliang! Look what you've done, you cat!"
Shen Tang's blood pressure spiked instantly.
Unexpectedly, Su Shang ruined her cheat sheet with a single pee. Seeing the danger, Su Shang, now the size of a fully grown female cat, darted towards her human owner with a powerful sprint, meowing softly in a sweet, affectionate tone.
As a beautiful young woman with a literary and artistic cat as her owner, Su Shang has grown rapidly these past few months. Despite being a female cat, she has a round, chubby face. Her round eyes are absolutely captivating; who could resist her?
At least, I pray that the pet owner can't be kind!
He couldn't even bear to see Su Shang catch the rats; he wished he could skin and clean each rat and put it on someone else's plate!
"My lord, what is this?"
Shen Tang pinched her nose with one hand and twirled a corner of the cheat sheet with the other: "Look what it's done! This is a eulogy I specially prepared, and I almost went bald because of it!"
Unfortunately, there's no cloud storage backup available!
Qi Shan frowned as he looked at Su Shang, who was nestled in his arms, kneading her breasts with an innocent expression: "Does my lord still remember?"
"Do you remember what you wrote each day?"
Qi Shan was straightforward: "Yes."
"But I won't!"
Ugh!
It's too late to rewrite it now.
Shen Tang had no choice but to rack his brains to think of a suitable article.
Qi Shan knew a lot, but each piece was obscure and lengthy. With time running out and Shen Tang anxious, she inexplicably couldn't remember anything. In the end, she had no choice but to give up.
"Forget it, let's just cram at the last minute."
She can handle long pieces, but short ones.
Shen Tang, dressed in the attire of a prefect, hurried over, lifting her skirt. Almost all the officials in the administrative office were already present.
Qi Shan, Kang Shi, Chu Yao, Gu Chi, and Gong Shuwu were in the first row behind Shen Tang. After them were all the high-ranking officials of Fu Gu Zhi, followed by Li Li, Bai Su, Lin Feng, Yu Zi, Tu Rong... In fact, Zhao Feng should also be in the front row, but since he was under Wu Xian's command, he declined the invitation and only brought a few trusted subordinates to watch the excitement from the front row of the crowd.
Occasionally, you can hear whispers among the crowd.
Upon closer listening, it all seemed to relate to Bai Su, Lin Feng, and the other two.
It turns out that the spring plowing ceremony in Fugu City is a very solemn occasion, and women are not allowed to participate; they can only watch.
But since Shen Tang allowed it, the officials couldn't easily stop him.
The common people dared not openly make a fuss because of Shen Tang.
In front of the sacrificial altar.
Shen Tang secretly took a deep breath.
She chose a very familiar poem.
Yes, that's the only thing she can think of right now.
The onlookers held their breath as the beautiful prefect spoke in his distinctive, clear voice: "By the God of Spring, I, Shen Youli, the Prefect of Heyin, along with all the officials under my jurisdiction, pray for a bountiful harvest and good fortune for the people of Heyin in the new year."
"May the God of Spring be merciful and protect you."
May you sow a single grain in spring and reap ten thousand grains in autumn!
The next line is: "There is no idle land under heaven, yet farmers might as well starve to death."
That's very unlucky.
What she wanted was for no more starving people to die under her rule!
_(:3」∠)_
After hesitating for a long time, I feel there's no better agricultural production boosting buff than this.
Shiitake feels she's really too fat, and her endocrine imbalance is extremely severe. She's made up her mind to sign up for a weight loss training camp next week, and she's determined to lose weight!
(End of this chapter)
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