Chapter 71

Chapter 72: Money as Heaven

Zhao Cheng sat in the council hall, with the managers and several tax officials from the county office on either side. He was calm, but the tax officials were trembling with fear, having just explained their purpose and now awaiting the prince's response.

During the Song Dynasty, a household registration system was implemented, where clients were not private servants of landlords but were also included in the household registers, becoming formal registered households of the state. This was considered a progressive step in history. However, they had to pay personal and labor taxes and bear the burden of summer and autumn taxes. Even if they did not bear the taxes directly, the landlords would increase the rent to pass the tax burden onto them. Although a bountiful harvest was in sight, their worries grew, unsure of what the new landlord would do.

The Song Dynasty continued to use the dual tax system. The taxes collected in summer were generally converted into cloth, hence the summer tax was also called "tax silk." Due to the Song Dynasty's submission to the northern states of Liao, Western Xia, and Jin, a large amount of silk had to be "sent" annually. Additionally, a lot of silk was needed for foreign trade and to reward officials, leading to the establishment of "tax on population" and "miscellaneous taxes." These taxes were often paid in silk, known as "personal tax silk." Both types of taxes had to be paid along with the dual taxes. In these taxes, silk accounted for half of the total silk income of the government. The tax rates of the dual taxes did not change much on the surface, but additional taxes like "purchased silk" were introduced.

After Cai Jing's reform of the "salt note system" in this dynasty, the pre-purchase system had evolved into something unrecognizable. The government no longer paid the salt equivalent to seven-tenths of the silk price, nor did it pay the money equivalent to three-tenths of the silk price. Moreover, the weight of silk per bolt was increased from 12 ounces to 13 ounces. At this point, the pre-purchase system had become an additional tax on the dual taxes, with the sole purpose of exploiting the people.

More tragically, as the pre-purchase system turned into "white taking" (taking without payment), the people had to convert the grain and silk they owed into cash, a process known as "conversion." This was essentially the monetization of payments, as commonly used in modern times. However, the conversion in the Song Dynasty was not so simple. Depending on the needs, the court could also require the people to convert the cash they owed into grain and silk, or to exchange grain and silk for each other. In more extreme cases, the people had to first convert item A into cash, then convert the cash into item B, and finally convert item B back into cash before submitting it.

After such conversions, the actual tax burden of the people reached more than twice the normal amount, thus increasing the tax burden. The government also profited from the conversion of goods to cash. After several rounds of "conversion," some people who worked hard all year ended up with nothing.

Zhao Cheng thought for a long time. He had basically bought all the land within ten miles, and the people living there were almost all tenants of the Zhao family. If the taxes were reasonable, he did not oppose the government collecting taxes from them and hoped that the tenants would pay taxes, as paying taxes according to the law was also the duty of every citizen in modern society. However, the tax burden on the tenants had already clearly exceeded their ability to bear, and it was not reasonable at all, but rather oppressive.

He also understood that he could not change the entire social situation with his own strength. All he could do was to make the tenants pay reasonable taxes, and all the so-called "conversions and transfers" should go to hell. "Mr. Zhang, I do not oppose you collecting taxes on my estate, but I hope you follow the rules and do not add any unnecessary things. Do not try to skim off any profits. If your actions cause unrest, not only will I not tolerate it, but the emperor will not let you off either. When it comes to losing your head, even your superiors cannot save you!" Zhao Cheng sipped his tea and said leisurely.

"Thank you, Your Highness, I will not dare to act rashly. We will handle things fairly!" As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang, the clerk, actually left his seat and knelt down, bowing and speaking, which startled everyone in the hall.

"Good, you are loyal to the country, and I will not treat you unfairly. Zheng Shou, you will accompany them for the next few days!" Zhao Cheng spat out his tea, suspecting that he had a seizure. It was no wonder he thought so. Corrupt officials, though only a ninth-rank official, were grassroots workers who often worked hard all their lives but remained ninth-rank. They had no great prospects and could only make some money to spend. By cutting off their "gray income," Zhao Cheng should have made them hate him, but they looked grateful.

Hearing the prince's praise, the officials were even more grateful and humbly withdrew. Outside the door, they wiped their sweat and suddenly burst into laughter, as if they had narrowly escaped death.

"Mr. Zhang, the prince doesn't seem as terrifying as they said, he is quite reasonable!" A fat tax official looked around to make sure no one was around before speaking cautiously.

"Shh, speak further away!" Zhang led the group all the way to the gate before saying, "I heard from my colleagues in the county office that the prince has a childlike nature and hates those who bully the weak. As long as you follow the rules, he won't make things difficult for you. It seems what they said is true!"

"Damn, County Magistrate Wu is a bastard who looked down on us and gave us a death mission. I thought we wouldn't survive, and I even prepared my shroud before coming!"

"Brother, you're right. Wu Jinxian forced us to set up checkpoints last time, and we were scolded by the county magistrate and the vice-magistrate, losing face in front of our colleagues. He has been holding a grudge against us and sent us here to get us killed!"

"Don't always think the worst. I heard from my second cousin's brother-in-law, who works in the county office, that they were robbed by the prince when they were delivering an imperial edict. Their team leader was smart and paid a bribe, and Cai, the high official, thought he was an imperial envoy, scolded a few words, and almost had the prince chop him up. Later, they were released, and each of his subordinates received a gold leaf. Is it a blessing or a curse?"

"Stop talking nonsense. We have studied 'The Guide to Law Enforcement in the Zhao Estate' several times. We must be fair and polite in our work. The tax amount is what it is, and our lives are only one!" Zhang interrupted their complaints.

"Mr. Zhang, the county magistrate gave us a task, and we will be beaten if we fail!"

"Ha, what's to be afraid of? If we don't collect enough, we'll say the prince kept some for us. The county magistrate wouldn't dare to go to the prince's mansion to ask!"

"Mr. Zhang, you are wise, we can't match you!" The tax officials immediately flattered him, thinking that as their leader, he would be the first to be beaten, so they had nothing to fear. They all felt confident and happily went to collect taxes.

Poor Zhao Cheng, thinking he was smart and had intimidated the tax officials, did not realize that his "infamous deeds" were being used by the cunning officials. Not only did they successfully complete the tax collection, but they also made a fortune, all at his expense. However, the tenants were all overjoyed, as this was the least summer tax they had ever paid, and the credit went to the prince!

After the summer harvest, the tenants were busy planting rice. Fortunately, a dam was built and the water channels were dredged in the spring, and most of the fields were timely irrigated, ensuring the timely planting of rice seedlings. In contrast, the other estates around them were not so lucky. After harvesting wheat, they faced a long drought and could only plant some miscellaneous grains, delaying their harvest for half a year. After paying the autumn tax, their families might have to beg on the streets.

The tenants were grateful to the prince for his kindness. After finishing their work in the fields, they immediately began to pave roads and build new villages. Everyone knew that after the new houses were built, they would have a room of their own, so they worked hard without needing to be urged, all hoping to celebrate the New Year in their new homes.

The weather was getting hotter, and Zhao Cheng, apart from practicing martial arts in the morning, mostly stayed indoors or in the garden to avoid the heat, rarely going out. He spent most of his time reading books or writing and drawing on paper, not knowing what he was busy with.

"The workshop needs to be expanded, and the smeltery should be built by the end of the year. After the brewery distributes dividends at the end of the year, production can start immediately. This year, due to the drought, there is not enough water in the reservoir to raise fish, but we can only wait until next spring. However, the feed factory and the livestock farm must be built quickly, otherwise, the distillery waste will be wasted. The mill must also start production soon, as the bran can be used as feed, and the pigs and poultry can be sold before the New Year. The greenhouse also needs to be built, and we aim to reach twenty acres this year. The investment is not large, and we can make a good profit. Should we also build a textile factory to gather the women in the estate and give them something to do, which can also increase income?" Zhao Cheng counted the money in his pocket and planned for the future.

"Money, why can't I find a gold ingot on the road or grow a money tree in the ground?" After calculating for a long time, the gap was still large. The estate had spent too much money this year, and it was not enough. Zhao Cheng could not help but lament.

"Second Master, if it doesn't work, we can increase the rent a bit, which can increase income!" Seeing the prince worried about money, Jianxi could not help but suggest.

"No, the tenants work hard in the fields and don't have much money left. It would be too cruel to increase the rent," Zhao Cheng rejected Jianxi's suggestion without hesitation.

"Second Master, then we can pause the workshop and reduce production. The warehouse is already full of harvesters, and the labor and material costs are not small!" Jianxi suggested again.

"No, in a few days, we will receive a large order. This inventory might not last long, and we will make a profit next year. We can't stop!" Zhao Cheng rejected it again.

"Second Master, you have enough money. All this fuss and trouble have spent it all. Now we can only pawn things!" Jianxi said helplessly.

"Is that so? Look around, what is valuable? You can take it and pawn it. Aren't those two little turtles quite valuable? You can pawn them!" Zhao Cheng found Jianxi's words amusing and pointed to the two green turtles on the windowsill, thinking to himself that as the Prince of Yanzhou, a person from a thousand years later, he should not have to live by pawning things, or it would make people laugh.

"Ha, Second Master, you're dreaming. Pawn shops don't accept live animals, and even if they did, no one would want them. The glass vase might fetch a few hundred strings of cash!" Jianxi knew the prince was teasing him and deliberately said in a huff.

"Glass, glass, damn, isn't this the thing that turns earth into gold?" After hearing Jianxi's words, Zhao Cheng fell into a trance, muttering to himself.