This is embarrassing. Zhao Huan just issued an order to exempt Xiangzhou from taxes for three years, and now someone is collecting the market tax. The emperor is still in Xiangzhou. Don't play tricks like this.
The broken gong's voice was as loud as a bell: "If you want your shop to have business, you must pay the market opening tax in full! The more the better. It's up to you to pay more, and it doesn't matter if you pay less. But if anyone dares not pay, hmph, I will let you taste the fist of Master Bear!"
Zhao Huan and Nangong Lian'er looked at each other. Who is so bold?
Zhao Huan came to a stall owned by an old man. The stall was filled with cute little clay figurines. Nangong Lian'er happily picked out the one she liked.
"Excuse me, sir, who is the person who was shouting about collecting market opening tax?" Zhao Huan asked the stall owner.
The old man seemed quite calm, as if he was not surprised at all, and said, "Oh, this man is Xiong Baichuan from Xiangzhou City. Although he looks fierce, he is a man of justice and a man who fights for justice."
"I want this, this, and this." Nangong Lian'er happily picked a bunch of clay figurines.
Zhao Huan, the victim of this betrayal, had no choice but to pay while asking, "No, didn't the emperor just issue a tax exemption? Why is this guy here to collect business taxes again? How can this be considered as public service?"
The old man took the silver coins with a smile and said, "Sir, you are from out of town, right? This market opening tax is a levy unique to Xiangzhou. Not only does it have no influence on the emperor, but we common people are happy to pay it. Well, I won't keep you in suspense. Our Xiangzhou Magistrate Duan Xiaorong is a good official. He stipulates that the wealthy families and merchants in Xiangzhou must hold a fundraising event every month. The money raised is used to provide relief to orphans, widows, and the sick and disabled elderly in the families of soldiers on the front lines. Lord Duan also built a nursing home in the northern suburbs to take in those elderly people. This money comes from fundraising."
"But this fundraising is voluntary. Why did Xiong Baichuan say it was taxation?" Nangong Lian'er couldn't help but ask curiously.
The old man continued laughing, "Xiong Baichuan has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He looks fierce just to scare people, but he's actually very soft-hearted. We collect donations every month in Xiangzhou, and later everyone just called it a retail tax. Every wealthy family and business owner contributes, and each one donates more than the other."
Could it be that the people here are so simple and honest? Zhao Huan was very curious: "Why is that?"
The old man pointed to a yellow sign hanging above his stall and said, "See this? It's the merit plaque distributed by the state government after fundraising. It has circles drawn on it. The more circles you have, the more you've donated. Every wealthy household or business has one in front of it."
Zhao Huan then realized that every business had a yellow sign hanging in front of it. The signs in front of the rice and cloth shops were filled with circles. The old man's sign, however, only had one circle, suggesting he was a small business and hadn't donated much.
"Is there no one who doesn't donate?" Nangong Lian'er asked with her big innocent eyes.
The old man shook his head: "If you don't donate, people will look down on you. If you don't even donate this, who will buy things from you? The more these wealthy shops donate, the better their business. That's why everyone rushes to collect donations every month."
Zhao Huan suddenly realized that Duan Xiaorong was a talented person. Such a genius must be brought to the Ministry of Revenue to make money.
Upon his return, Zhao Huan specifically summoned Duan Xiaorong. Duan Xiaorong, the Xiangzhou prefect, was relatively young, eloquent, and often pointed out the political flaws of the Song Dynasty. This made Zhao Huan feel that they had met too late.
When Zhao Huan returned to the city, he had already changed into the dragon robe and was riding in the imperial sedan chair. Surrounded by the masters of the imperial guards, he left Xiangzhou in a mighty procession and headed for Bian Jing.
Zhao Huan lifted the curtain of the dragon sedan and greeted the people, feeling a sense of supremacy. The people shouted "Long live the emperor" along the way, their voices shaking the heavens.
…
Zhan Yunpeng was in a frenzied state, writing his book day and night without sleep. As the book neared its end, he recorded everything he had seen and heard in his life in the "Collection of Case Solvings".
The warden had been serving carefully, and on this day he brought paper and ink as usual.
"Master Zhan, why are you staying up all night? It's still early, and you have plenty of time to write your book." The warden walked in with pen and ink.
Zhan Yunpeng said without even looking up: "My time is running out. If I don't finish this book, I'm afraid it will be left unfinished."
The warden was shocked: "Why do you say that, Master Zhan?"
Zhan Yunpeng finally stopped writing and looked up at the warden. "Lord Li Gang came the other day. He mentioned the Shandong uprising and the conflict between the Emperor and the regents..."
Zhan Yunpeng paused, then shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Even if I tell you about this struggle for royal power, you still won't understand. The Emperor will certainly kill me to preserve his reputation for sending troops to quell the rebellion. This book has exhausted my life's energy. If anything happens to me, I must leave this book behind. I must keep it safe and hand it to His Majesty personally when I see him one day."
Live a life of integrity and have a clear conscience. Zhan Yunpeng said this lightly, as if he was talking about someone else.
The warden was shocked. Even a fool could see that the emperor wanted to protect Zhan Yunpeng. He had never expected that Zhan Yunpeng would be killed. The warden admired Zhan Yunpeng's speed and immediately clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, Master Zhan. I will keep this book close to me."
Zhan Yunpeng stood up and saluted: "Thank you so much!"
The prison warden hurriedly helped him up and said, "Master Zhan, you must be very humble. I have great respect for you. Master Zhan is not afraid of powerful people and has executed corrupt officials. Everyone in the capital gives you a thumbs up when you mention him."
Zhan Yunpeng smiled and said, "Do the people really say so?"
The warden glared and slapped his chest with a solemn oath, "Of course it's true. The story of Lord Zhan is known to everyone in the city. Jiao Zifu relied on his relationship with the Empress Dowager in Xiongzhou to give military equipment to the Jin thieves, and everyone despised him. The fact that the Jin thieves didn't get these weapons is entirely due to Lord Zhan's efforts. He saved countless Song soldiers, and the news has already spread everywhere."
Zhan Yunpeng laughed loudly, looking up to the sky: "This way, my life will not be in vain, hahahaha..."
Li Gang and his men did their utmost to resist the Emperor's authority. The Ministry of Revenue was a minor issue, but Meng Gurao, a stubborn figure, ignored the Emperor's orders. Eunuchs and senior officials repeatedly demanded payment of military funds and supplies for the suppression of the rebellion. Meng Gurao's remark was, "Without the Emperor's order, no one can take a single cent from the Ministry of Revenue. If you dare, kill me!" The intruder stormed off in anger. Meng Gurao rolled his eyes, still sipping his tea from the Diaoyutai.
The Privy Council and the Three Yamen were different. Many of the people in these departments were old ministers under the retired emperor, and they obeyed Zhao Ji's orders to recruit and mobilize troops.
The imperial court sent large armies to attack the rebels led by Wang Xiaohu several times, but unexpectedly, the rebels became stronger and stronger. Wang Xiaohu gradually eroded the Shandong territory, and the entire Shandong province was in danger.
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