Back then, a notice came down saying that 2,700 people had gone missing in Suijin Town and 50 had died, and that the local government should provide compensation.
One tael for each missing person, five taels for each deceased person.
The compensation for each person is not much, but the number of missing persons is too large. Even if each person receives one tael of silver, it would still amount to more than three thousand taels.
Because all the officials in Qili County and Pingyang Prefecture had been replaced, chaos reigned, and no one cared about the affairs of Suijin Town. The written agreement was just a piece of paper and no longer mattered.
Furthermore, in the town of Suijin, missing persons or those with unknown household registrations, or those whose entire families were wiped out, have no one to claim compensation.
The silver that came out of the treasury became dead accounts as soon as it reached Qili County.
Now that Old Master Zhang brought it up again, Sun Wuming was immediately furious: "Outrageous! What compensation money? Where did you hear this rumor?"
"I'm only in charge of collecting taxes; I don't know anything about what you're talking about. Anyway, you're evading taxes right now. If you don't pay, believe me, I'll throw you in jail right now!"
Seeing him trying to renege on his promise, Old Master Zhang trembled with anger: "You covet thousands of taels of silver for lives, yet you won't even let go of a hundred or two coins. You're truly heartless! Aren't you afraid that the wronged spirits will haunt you every night?"
Upon hearing that the wronged spirits were haunting him, Sun Wuming felt a chill run down his spine. However, he genuinely knew nothing about compensation, and even if it existed, he couldn't afford it.
Knowing that this Broken Gold Town was a cesspool of rocks, smelly and hard, Sun Wuming's mind raced.
If we fail this time, it will be much harder to pry it open next time.
No matter how much, even just a few coins, we have to open this door.
Sun Wuming's face darkened: "Guards! Arrest this troublemaker!"
Deception and threats—one of them will always come in handy.
The four constables who came with Sun Wuming shook their chains, intending to step forward and arrest him.
"Who dares to lay a hand on me!"
"The county government ignored us, and now that we have some money to live on, they're trying to rip us off again. I'll fight you to the death!"
"They don't care about the dead, they only torment the living, so they'll have to pay with their lives."
Because the county government came to inspect taxes, apart from those working in the fields, there were thirty or forty people from the food factory gathered inside and outside the guild hall.
Upon hearing that they were going to arrest someone, Hu Qing slammed the gate shut and roared, "If you want money, trade your life for it!"
Sun Wuming slammed his fist on the table, his voice trembling with fear: "You are showing contempt for the law, and you will be punished."
He only brought four constables with him this time.
Ordinary people are afraid of officials, and under normal circumstances, four yamen runners are enough for him to exert his official power.
But that won't work in Broken Gold Town. These people aren't ordinary farmers; you can't scare them with just a few words.
Sun Wuming wanted to arrest Old Master Zhang, but Hu Qing immediately closed the courtyard gate, indicating a direct confrontation.
The noise from the Broken Gold Guild Hall carried far, but Xue Zhuang's home was quiet and peaceful.
Manager Mi, equally imposing, sat at the head of the table, a contract spread out in front of him, looking at Xue Zhuang with a forced smile.
He had just spoken with that man in town.
If the price hadn't been disagreed on, he would have immediately obtained the technology to make acorns non-bitter.
Once they obtain the secret, the contract in Broken Gold Town is no longer so important to Tianxiang Tower.
Or rather, by dealing with Xue Zhuang, he could gain some benefits again.
"Xue Zhuang, you signed this yourself. I said that the vermicelli could only be sold to my Tianxianglou. You dare to sell it to others? Do you not respect Mickey or Tianxianglou?"
At this moment, Xue Zhuang was forced to kneel on the ground by two burly men, gritting his teeth at Manager Mi.
When the county tax official Sun arrived, he brought with him a dozen or so yamen runners. It was unusual for a minor official to travel with so many people, but it was barely considered normal in the chaotic Yunzhou, since there were refugees and bandits everywhere.
It's quite normal for these "yamen runners" to request to patrol Suijin Town.
Suijin Town is an area within the jurisdiction of Qili County. It is routine for the government to resume management and collect data.
But after these yamen runners had gone around in circles, they kept telling him to go to remote places.
And some people disappeared without anyone knowing when.
It wasn't until he spotted Manager Mi in a corner that Xue Zhuang realized something was wrong.
There was no sign of Manager Mi in Tax Collector Sun's carriage. When did he arrive?
By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late; he was restrained before he could even resist.
Now, being held down by the fake constables, Xue Zhuang glared and roared, "You surnamed Mi, when did you say you were only selling to your family that day? Was it in the contract?"
Manager Mi crumpled the two contracts into a ball: "If I say there is, then there is. If not... just write another one and you'll have one!"
Seeing that he was about to break the contract, Xue Zhuang angrily cursed: "Your Tianxiang Restaurant is a big restaurant, and you can't even keep your word for a six-coin deal."
Manager Mi laughed heartily: "Who says I don't keep my word? Just write another one, three coins per catty, and Tianxianglou will buy as much as you have."
Every time our people come to Broken Gold Town to transport goods, you don't have to go through the trouble of selling them piecemeal. You couldn't possibly have such a good deal even if you begged for it.
Xue Zhuang struggled to get up, but the burly man pressed him down even tighter. He could only tilt his head and grit his teeth: "I can't sign. Three coins per pound is practically free. You guys are too greedy."
Now, the town of Suijin collects acorns from various villages for a long time, and the price fluctuates slightly, rising from three coins for ten catties to five coins for ten catties. People from each village go up the mountain to collect them whenever they have time.
Even with rising costs, the profit margin for vermicelli is still high.
Making acorn noodles requires a lot of manual labor; grinding the paste and mixing the starch are physically demanding tasks, and dozens of people rely on this for their livelihood.
If Tianxianglou were to lower prices and monopolize the market, the people of Suijin Town would be working for nothing and would only be able to barely make ends meet.
The food factory is just starting to do well, and people are already trying to take advantage of it.
The town of Broken Gold has already been robbed; it's impossible for them to give away their money tree again.
Seeing Xue Zhuang's stubbornness, Manager Mi snorted coldly: "If you don't sign, someone else will."
Xue Zhuang's heart skipped a beat. In order to increase sales, Old Master Zhang had given each department the right to place orders.
If Hu Qing and his team didn't know Mickey's background and signed the big order without knowing it, they would be in big trouble.
“Mickey, I am a military household member. This is a garrison. If you want to act recklessly, think carefully about the consequences.”
"What consequences? Heh, a mere garrison, just manage those soldiers. How dare they overstep the government and interfere in civil affairs? Aren't they afraid of being impeached and disrupting local stability?" Mickey said confidently.
His visit this time was not rash. The county officials and clerks were checking taxes, which meant that the government was managing the households, and the garrison had no right to interfere.
All he had to do was amend the contract to increase the tax paid to the county official by 10%, and the land would belong to Tianxianglou.
Xue Zhuang was filled with regret at this moment!
Manager Mi came to town with the Qili County government, and his followers were all dressed as yamen runners, so no one was on guard.
Not only did they beat him up, but they also detained the people who made acorn noodles in the house, waiting for him to sign so they could find someone else to take his place.
The garrison has not yet received any news.
Are the people of Broken Gold Town destined to have no good life?
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