Time Travel: The Useless Prince, First Destroy the Princess

The sun was shining brightly outside, and the muddy road from yesterday had dried up. Liu Zhao unconsciously looked at his shoes, which were covered in mud.

Fortunately, businessmen have a keen eye.

Not far away, someone was shouting to sell shoes and umbrellas.

Liu Zhao took Chu Lan to buy a replacement and also bought two umbrellas.

The weather in Luojing is like winter when it rains and like summer when it is sunny.

It was summer now, and when the sun came out, the heat was extremely intense.

It felt like there was hot air floating on the road.

The weather was nice and there were a lot of people outside.

Actually there are women too, but most of them are women and children.

There were indeed very few young women. Occasionally there were two who looked young, but they were not very pretty and dressed very simply.

Some of them run small businesses, probably selling needles and thread for daily use.

There were also some people shopping, and they walked very fast!

Although the restrictions on women at this time were not absolutely strict, generally speaking, the status of women in this era was not high.

Liu Zhao looked very curious, and so did Chu Lan.

The two of them wandered around the street.

Although they are all dirt roads, the streets are connected in all directions, both horizontally and vertically, and there are also some alleys.

Both sides are separated by bowl walls, just like a residential area in modern society.

Overall, as long as it doesn’t rain, it’s okay to just go shopping!

It was already noon, and the scorching sun was making the ground smoke.

There is inevitably a smell of earth in the air.

"Da da da!"

A fast horse galloped past, raising a cloud of dust.

He shouted loudly, "The city order has arrived!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw an ox cart slowly stop.

Then a short and fat man got out of the car.

To be precise, two women helped a man walk down.

Liu Zhao glanced at the man and instantly thought of a word: obscene.

But it’s a bit strange, why let the guide ride a horse?

Instead, he rode in a bullock cart?

For stability?

The man was very fat and seemed to have difficulty breathing. The two women helped him walk and fanned him.

Many people suddenly rushed out of the shops on both sides and came forward to bow and nod before the fat man.

"Mayor, please come to the shop and have a seat!"

"Mayor, our shop has prepared the food and wine, and is waiting for you!"

For a while, the market was filled with flattery.

The mayor seemed to enjoy this feeling of being superior.

"Mayor? What kind of official is he? He looks so arrogant!" Liu Zhao thought.

After everyone had finished speaking, he raised his hand and shook it.

"I'm here to collect taxes today, not to eat!"

"Taxes?"

Everyone asked in unison, filled with surprise.

"Yes, the Tianzhong Festival has passed, and it's time to collect taxes for the second half of the year!"

The mayor spoke loudly, with a tone that required no questioning or objection.

"Shouldn't it be collected after Tianzhong Festival? Why is it early?"

Someone asked in a mutter.

"Humph! Do I have the final say on when to collect, or do you have the final say on when to collect?"

The mayor was obviously dissatisfied and looked at the person who was grumbling.

The person who was mumbling shut up instantly.

Whoever stands out will be beaten!

"Mr. Mayor, is this a decision made by the court?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Who, come out and speak?"

The mayor shouted sternly.

But no one in the crowd dared to speak out.

"Damn it, if it wasn't the imperial court that decided it, was it you unruly people who decided it? If I could tell who you are, I'd peel off your skin and pull out your tendons!"

The mayor said viciously.

"Sir, this man is so vicious!" Chu Lan couldn't help but say softly.

"It's okay, I'm with you!"

"Mayor, how do you calculate the tax?" a middle-aged man asked with a frown.

"The tax amount remains the same as at the beginning of the year. You have three days to prepare the money, or I'll send someone to collect it! Anyone who doesn't give me face will forget about staying in this city!"

"Alas!" Someone sighed softly, but dared not say anything.

Indeed, the man in front of them had the ability to prevent them from doing business.

"If you have any questions, I'm right here, tell me!"

After the mayor finished speaking, he slowly scanned the people in front of him.

No one dared to say a word.

"Great, if everyone agrees, then that's it! Pay the taxes obediently in three days, and you'll be fine, and I'll have a good life too! If you make me sad, I'll make your whole family sad!"

After the mayor finished speaking, he turned around and hugged the two women.

"Come on, I'll take you guys to drink some wine!"

After saying this, he got on the ox cart and drove away slowly.

The only one left was the businessman standing there sighing.

"What kind of world is this? Do we still want to live?"

Seeing the mayor walking away, everyone started to speak loudly and angrily.

"That's right, Chen Si, how about we go and sue the authorities?"

"There's no point in suing the officials. Mayor Zhu was appointed by those corrupt officials. I'm afraid the mayor will come to your shop before you even get to the government office!"

"Officials protect each other, and all crows are black. Just bear with it!"

Someone sighed.

"How about we rebel? Damn it! I only make a few taels of silver a year, and the imperial court takes half of it. I don't want to live anymore!"

"Wang San, keep your voice down! If the government hears you, you're dead!"

"I'm dead, I'm going to rebel now!" Wang San looked very strong and hit the ground with a wooden stick.

"Forget it! You're only in your twenties, why are you rebelling? Besides, only the government knows whether this was decided by the imperial court!"

"Bah! If this wasn't the emperor's idea, would Mayor Zhu dare to collect it randomly?" Someone echoed.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

At this time, an older man came over.

"Master Wu! You're here too!"

"How can I not come when you collect so much tax?" Mr. Wu also looked unhappy.

"Master Wu, what should we do? Are we just going to let others slaughter us like this?"

Wang San said unconvinced.

"Wang San! Has the baby had his milk?"

Master Wu stared at Wang San and asked.

"Grandpa, I didn't eat!"

"Then go back and let the child have milk first, young man, don't be impulsive!"

Wang San blushed a little, but didn't leave.

"Think about it, what will be the end of rebellion?"

"The worst that can happen is beheading and the whole family will be executed!" Wang San seemed to be indifferent.

"Young man, if society rebels whenever it's dissatisfied, what will become of it? It doesn't matter if you die, but what about your wife and children? What about your neighbors? Will they all die with you?"

Master Wu said earnestly.

"Master Wu, are we just going to let the government bully us?"

"I think we should just put up with it! Alas! This is based on decades of experience! The current emperor is not good, but compared to the emperors of the past, he is much better!"

Master Wu sighed.

"Yes! The emperor's taxes are indeed much less than before!"

Someone agrees.

"Oh! Forget it! It's been a tradition since ancient times not to fight against officials. Just pay the tax! It's just in advance, just bear with it!"

The man said this while persuading Wang San next to him.

"Well, come to think of it, there was chaos and war in the past and I didn't even have time to do business. Now at least I can still do some business! At worst, I can kill a few more animals to pay off my debts!" ​​Wang San was completely shaken and walked away with the wooden stick in his hand.

The others also dispersed.