The grass in the factory should be plucked

Chapter 381 Heavy Taxes

Although the Prince of Yan insisted that it was Princess Ruili who seduced his son, she was a woman after all, and in this kind of romantic affair, no matter who took the initiative, the woman would be the one who suffered in the end.

Princess Ruili must be compensated, of course.

Princess Ruili said frankly: "What's wrong with a man and a woman loving each other?"

Since she couldn't get Duke Dingguo Xie Chang'an anyway, and she didn't want to get married, Princess Ruili proposed to go to a Buddhist temple to practice asceticism and pray for the Great Chu and Pagan Kingdoms.

Nangong Qinghe felt quite embarrassed when he received Princess Ruili's request.

Given the princess's bold and unrestrained style, if she were to go to the temple and some scandal were to arise, wouldn't that defile the quiet Buddhist place?

He asked the officials of the Honglu Temple to discuss a plan with the Pagan envoys who accompanied the princess to Da Chu.

Finally, after negotiations between the two sides, Da Chu funded the construction of a Pagan Buddhist temple for Princess Ruili to practice meditation there.

Nangong Xihe, who was thousands of miles away, laughed out loud when he learned that the matter had been accomplished: "Haha, well done!"

This was of course his idea!

The soul-sucking insect in Nangong Xihe's body has already absorbed the "dragon energy" in Princess Ruili and the three princes through the "in-depth communication" between them to nourish their souls.

The three people whose dragon energy and part of their vitality were taken away will have their lifespans shortened by at least ten years!

If they weren't afraid of taking away all their vitality at once and arousing the fairy's suspicion, these three people would have died long ago!

This little bit of "dragon energy" was naturally a drop in the bucket, so he asked Princess Ruili to go to the Buddhist temple for meditation, so that he could slowly make progress and continuously seize the "dragon energy" in the royal family's bodies for him.

Nangong Xihe curled the corners of his mouth slightly, glanced at Chu Feixue who was standing beside him with a wooden face, and couldn't help but snorted.

Even a foreign woman is more useful than her!

If it weren't for the fact that her father, Master Chu, was very useful, he would have swallowed her soul long ago!

Jiang Li was stunned when she learned about Princess Ruili's outrageous actions.

She had a feeling that there was something wrong with the princess, but even the fat rat couldn't find any evidence against her!

Jiang Li asked Fat Mouse and the others to continue monitoring and put the matter aside for the time being.

For now, she had other things to do.

Qiao Xiaoyue had sent someone to deliver a box of Xiaoyao ointment. Jiang Li opened it and saw that it contained ten pills wrapped in gold foil, each about the size of a thumb.

Xie Changan said: "One piece is five taels of silver. This box will cost fifty taels of silver."

It’s almost enough for ordinary people to chew for two years!

Jiang Li picked up one and peeled off the outer layer of gold foil. She saw that the ball was completely black and exuded a strange fragrance.

She was just about to put it in her mouth to taste it when Xie Changan snatched it away.

"You stuff everything into your mouth! Are you the same age as Bulibuqi?"

"I won't be poisoned, so just let me try it. What does it taste like and why is it so addictive?"

Jiang Li threw herself on him and kept acting coquettishly.

This time Xie Changan will not be soft-hearted. Such addictive things cannot be touched at all!

"No, let Brother Shen check it first!"

Jiang Li pouted and told Qingfeng to send the item to the Ruian Earl's Mansion and let Shen Muchun test its ingredients.

The next day, Shen Muchun came in person.

"What's the result?" Xie Changan asked

Shen Muchun frowned slightly: "Do you know opium?"

"Ophelia?" Jiang Li shook her head. "I've never heard of it. What kind of flower is this?"

"This is a medicinal material. The juice from opium fruit is solidified and dried in the shade to make a paste. This substance is often used to stop diarrhea, relieve pain, and relieve cough."

"The medical book says, 'For chronic diarrhea, take opium the size of a small bean, once a day on an empty stomach, and dissolve it in warm water. Avoid eating onions, garlic, etc.'"

"In other words, this is a good thing?" Jiang Li blinked.

Shen Muchun smiled and said, "All medicines are poisonous. It all depends on how you use them. Although opium can cure diseases, long-term use can easily lead to addiction."

"Brother Shen, what you mean is that there is opium in Xiaoyao Cream?"

"Well, the main ingredient is opium."

"Is it harmful to your body?" Xie Changan asked again.

Shen Muchun frowned: "It's hard to say, after all, I have never seen a patient who took opium for a long time."

"We all know that people who smoke hookah for a long time are prone to addiction. If they don't smoke for a day, they will be restless and irritable."

"Opium is like tobacco, slightly toxic and long-term use can lead to addiction."

"Will the combination of the two make it more addictive?" Xie Changan asked.

Shen Muchun spread his hands and said, "How should I know? Without corresponding cases, we cannot draw such a conclusion."

Xie Changan was silent.

They can't go to Jiangnan and capture a few people who have taken Xiaoyao Paste and bring them back for observation, right?

Jiang Li scratched his head: "Then we can only ask Qiao Xiaoyue, Li Chen and others to keep a close eye on those people."

"In short, this Xiaoyao ointment is highly addictive, so try not to touch it."

Shen Muchun made the final decision.

Jiang Li rolled his eyes and immediately had an idea.

On the way back home, Shen Muchun looked solemn.

In fact, he had a question in his mind that he didn't say out loud.

The method used to extract opium from Xiaoyao ointment is unique to Ghost Doctor Valley!

Others can only refine 50% of opium at most, but the disciples of Ghost Doctor Valley can refine it 100%.

Therefore, the opium content in Xiaoyao Paste is extremely high. Anyone who has taken it will most likely become addicted!

Which disciple of Ghost Doctor Valley did it? Or was it...

He had a vague guess in his mind.

If it is really that person, what should he do?

Shen Muchun was very distressed.

The next day, Jiang Li wrote a letter to Nangong Qinghe, requesting that heavy taxes be imposed on "Xiaoyao Paste".

"There is no reason to ban it, but the people should be kept away from it as much as possible, especially the military. This thing must not appear in their territory!"

If this highly addictive substance appeared in the army and every soldier became addicted, wouldn't that give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage?

Imposing heavy taxes can, to a certain extent, curb the proliferation of Xiaoyao Gao among the people.

Nangong Qinghe deeply agreed with this.

Soon, the imperial court issued an edict to impose heavy taxes on tobacco and Xiaoyao ointment. Tobacco had its tax levied an additional 30% on top of the original tax, while Xiaoyao ointment had its tax levied doubled!

The use of Xiaoyao ointment is strictly prohibited in the military. Once discovered, the person will be punished by military law!

After the imperial edict was issued, there was no reaction in the surrounding areas of the capital. After all, the Xiaoyao ointment had not yet been introduced to the capital.

In Jiangnan, there was an uproar!

Jiangnan was a prosperous place with numerous brothels and wine shops. As soon as Xiaoyao Paste came out, it became all the rage, and many literati, dignitaries, and nobles followed suit and smoked Xiaoyao Paste.

There were also businessmen who were aware of the business opportunities and opened tobacco shops specializing in Xiaoyao Paste. They were decorated very elegantly and hired handsome young waiters to serve the customers, which attracted many literati and poets.

Surrounded by mist, one feels as if they are floating in the air. This feeling of ascending to heaven makes these people who pride themselves on being elegant unable to stop.

Although it is expensive, five taels of silver per coin, wealthy families can still afford it.

Now that the imperial court has imposed heavy taxes on it, the price of Xiaoyao Cream has quadrupled overnight, and most people can no longer afford it!