Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

In Lingnan, rows of tricycles mixed with horse-drawn carriages passed by on the newly built cement road by Qin Ming.

They have been building more and more roads recently.

Not only did it speed up the circulation of goods, but it also promoted trade between several major local cities.

Although the local governors did not dare to approach Qin Ming openly, they acted very honestly.

He secretly ordered the merchants in his town to rush towards Linjiang City.

"It's really comfortable in this era without dump trucks."

Squatting on the side of the road, Qin Ming sighed as he watched the passers-by.

Even cement roads will wear out.

Sometimes you may encounter some heavy vehicles carrying goods and they may be crushed.

But this era was different. Their tricycles and horse-drawn carriages could not carry much cargo.

Since the damage to the road surface is small, the cost of Qin Ming's road construction and maintenance is naturally reduced a lot.

It can collect tolls while reducing costs.

Qin Ming felt that this deal was a pretty good one in ancient times.

Of course, so that they can leave with peace of mind.

Qin Ming also arranged a group of people himself.

Help patrol these highways.

After all, the times are still not very stable these days, and sometimes you may encounter some bandits when traveling through the mountains and forests.

This is likely to hinder their progress and cause congestion.

The army had nothing to do, so Qin Ming asked them to come out for physical training on weekdays.

Just run along these roads and see if there are any petty thieves who can be dealt with directly.

There were indeed some robbers at the beginning.

But after Qin Ming killed several rounds, he never saw such a person again.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the court."

Just as Qin Ming was observing the road here, Chang Baishan came to him with a letter.

"what's up?"

As Chang Baishan is the captain of his guard, Qin Ming will not be on guard against him.

He would also be asked to help review the intelligence sent by the court.

"The imperial court has taken action. His Majesty intends to increase taxes in Lingnan."

"How much?"

"Twenty percent."

"Someone tipped off the old man."

Qin Ming frowned slightly and quickly guessed the situation.

Their development has always been very low-key.

It was only when I went to Wu Dingbo to ask for the goods last time that I was a little ostentatious.

I didn't expect the court's counterattack to come so quickly.

The last time I killed Xiao Tiance and Yang Lian at the border, I can use this great achievement to offset it.

But this time, they caught me again.

Emperor Qian's pent-up anger naturally had to be cooled down.

"Your Highness, what should we do? A 20% tax is not a small amount."

Chang Baishan clenched his fists. After following Qin Ming for a long time, he became bolder.

Anyway, all his family members have been brought to Lingnan, so he is not afraid of what the court will do.

At worst, I can join Qin Ming in opposing the imperial court.

"It's okay, I guessed they would do this."

Qin Ming waved his hand lightly.

"The eggs produced by poultry such as chickens, ducks and geese are used to offset the extra grain they pay."

Their animal husbandry now has taken shape.

The eggs produced can help subsidize the extra grain that local farmers pay.

Qin Ming arranged for the surrounding prefects to do the accounting so that he could get another batch of grain to return to the people.

At least there is no need to worry about food issues.

But they now have another problem, which is taxes such as business taxes.

These things also added 20% out of thin air, directly destroying Qin Ming's profit margin.

Emperor Qian was about to reach into Qin Ming's pocket to grab the money.

"What about taxes on other industries?"

Chang Baishan obviously got the point and waited for Qin Ming to continue speaking with a worried look on his face.

But Qin Ming spread his hands and uttered two words.

"smuggling."

"what?!"

Chang Baishan looked at Qin Ming in disbelief.

The imperial court came to rob Lingnan of its money, but Qin Ming was so fierce that he overturned the table.

"Your Highness, even if we go against the imperial court, it's better than smuggling directly."

"What do you know? We're so poor right now. I'm going to stop construction after I finish this road."

Qin Ming looked at the road that was spreading in the distance and spoke softly.

The reason for building the road by oneself, in addition to controlling transportation, is that he hopes to have the power to conceal the truth in the future.

This was also Qin Ming's preparation for smuggling.

The court's commercial taxes were too high.

This was indeed normal in an era when agriculture was emphasized and commerce was suppressed.

But Qin Ming is a modern man and knows how much money the court has lost with this trick.

It had already reached an extremely high level.

Now they are raising taxes again!

Since Qin Ming can’t afford to play now, then everyone should stop playing!

"The taxes I paid in Lingnan in one year were enough to cover their expenses for the past three years, so I don't owe them anything."

Qin Ming believed that he had done his best.

But now they are faced with a problem, that is how to avoid the inspection of the shadow guards.

"Your Highness, don't you know what a shadow guard is?"

"Of course I know, so I have to think about how to deal with them."

Qin Ming looked at the soldiers running around training, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Chang Baishan spread his hands, and Qin Ming's various measures were implemented.

Now he really couldn't understand what Qin Ming was going to do.

"Okay then, just call me if you need anything."

Since he couldn't figure it out, Chang Baishan simply stopped thinking about it.

I had no choice but to squat next to Qin Ming and look at the road in the distance with him.

Just after the two finished talking about the matter, Wan Shu hurriedly found Qin Ming in a carriage.

"Come up, something big has happened, you know?"

"Of course I know. The tax rate has been raised by 20%."

Qin Ming just spoke, and it was useless no matter how fiercely they fought below.

As long as someone in the court comes up with some specific targeted policies.

By then, no matter how many means they have, they will not be able to resist.

Now Wan Shu finally experienced the feeling of being targeted by the imperial court.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to run to Qin Ming so quickly and tell him about this.

"Then you're not in a hurry?"

Wan Shu looked at Qin Ming in surprise.

"Just smuggling, I need your help to investigate something recently."

Qin Ming got on the carriage and mentioned the matter of the shadow guard to Wan Shu.

Upon hearing this, Wan Shu immediately shook his head.

"Impossible! There's no way we can investigate all those Shadow Guards!"

"We are just a small Lingnan Chamber of Commerce. If they find out about our actions, you won't be able to protect us."

"Lao Chang will go with you."

Qin Ming naturally would not stay out of it.

This time I checked the whereabouts of the shadow guard just to make myself less passive.

As for his later thoughts, Qin Ming would not tell them all.

"You're taking action too? If the imperial court knew you were working against them, and even trying to smuggle, then everything would be over."

Wan Shu wanted to stop Qin Ming, but Qin Ming looked at her meaningfully.

"Sometimes a plan full of loopholes can have many changes. Do you believe it?"

"you……"

At this moment, Qin Ming approached her and slowly uttered a few words in Wan Shu's ear.