The whole family travels through the book, the plot is broken but the characters are not

Although Han Qingyun was helpless, he no longer worried when he thought of Li Jixin's ability.

Even if Li Er wanted to make trouble, Prince Lin and the Crown Prince would certainly not let him do whatever he wanted. I think they have already made a backup plan.

After everyone settled down, Lu Fugui found Manager Wang and asked about the situation in Shangyang Prefecture.

Shopkeeper Wang said that nowadays, in addition to normal taxes, major shops also have to pay city maintenance, security, land occupation and other fees every month.

For a restaurant like Fugui Restaurant, such expenses are more than three hundred taels per month, which is four thousand taels per year.

Adding in taxes, given the current situation in Shangyang Prefecture, there aren’t many shops that can survive.

Lu Fugui smiled bitterly and shook his head. No wonder many shops were closed along the way, looking very deserted.

The same situation also occurred in his shops in other prefectures, including Luocheng.

On the surface, taxes remain unchanged, but more and more fees are collected under different names.

But no other prefecture is as blatant as Shangyang Prefecture.

A few years ago, there was no such situation in Shangyang Prefecture.

Han Qingyun also looked heavy.

When he came to Shangyang Prefecture to take part in the provincial examination six years ago, Shangyang Prefecture had a clean administration, prosperous streets, and the people lived a good life.

Only three years after Yao Zhifu left office, things have turned out like this...

Li Jixin sat between Han Qingyun and Lu Changping, turning a small dagger in his hand.

"Draining the pond to catch all the fish, you idiots!"

Shopkeeper Wang opened his eyes wide and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Young Master, please don't speak. Don't let anyone overhear. Lord Chen is the younger brother of the current Empress Dowager Chen and the uncle of the Emperor. He loves the people like his own children and is honest and upright..."

A half-smile appeared on Li Jiren's face.

"Master Lu, is your shopkeeper blind or blind in heart?"

Shopkeeper Wang's words came to an abrupt end.

He looked at Lu Fugui, then at Han Qingyun.

Who is this young man?

She was prettier than anyone he had ever seen, but her mouth was so mean.

But he didn't dare to confront the boy.

She looked like she was only in her teens, but her aura was so strong that he couldn't help but want to kneel down.

Lu Fugui pursed his lips and said nothing. When did Manager Wang learn to lie with his eyes open?

Looking at these people, Manager Wang suddenly had an idea.

How many young men in the world can there be who look like this?

His employer and his young lady's family were all taken to Ji Yang.

The identity of this young man is self-evident.

Shopkeeper Wang slapped his lips, a little flattering.

"Young Master, you may not know that the government office posts notices on the streets every once in a while.

This notice lists... ahem, the great achievements of that person. Citizens are required to recite it, and the government occasionally conducts spot checks. If you can't name it, you'll be fined.

Han Qingyun rubbed his forehead and thought he was quite good at political propaganda.

Normal propaganda is fine, but forcing people to recite and fining them will only backfire.

Li Jixin held his chin with his left hand. "Great achievements? Li Zhaocai has such a thing? Give me an example."

Shopkeeper Wang was startled by the three words "Li Zhaocai".

His ancestors.

That's the emperor's name, how could...

Shopkeeper Wang was stared at by Li Jixin's teasing eyes, and he dared not be distracted anymore and answered honestly.

"Last August, when the notice was first posted, Bashu County had a bumper pepper harvest."

"The good pepper harvest is a blessing from heaven. What does it have to do with Li Zhaocai?"

Shopkeeper Wang blinked. Of course he knew it was okay.

But the notice said, "God bless our emperor, Bashu County has a good pepper harvest..."

Han Qingyun couldn't help laughing and quickly picked up the teacup to hide his smile.

"The bumper pepper harvest in Bashu County is his credit. But what about last year's floods in Chenliu County, locust plagues in Huzhou Prefecture, and poor harvests? Could that be considered divine punishment?"

Shopkeeper Wang lowered his head, he didn't dare to answer this question.

"Go on!"

"Last December, the second notice was posted. For the first time in sixty years, the national treasury had a surplus of two million taels."

Even Lu Fugui couldn't stand listening to this.

Treasury?

surplus?

Two million taels?

What is this thing called?

Han Qingyun couldn't figure out whether such a thing was done by Emperor Zhaowen or by Chen Su himself.

Is this something a normal emperor can do?

The country of Dayu was not poor, but the imperial court had always been very caring towards the people and the taxes were not high.

Moreover, the Dayu Kingdom faced many foreign enemies and had to maintain many soldiers.

The country has a large area, and every few years there will always be one or two places affected by disasters.

The income of the national treasury is not only used for wars and military maintenance, but also for disaster relief. The annual revenue and expenditure of the national treasury can only barely maintain a balance.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaoxian, he allowed Prince Mingyi to amass wealth from the people.

The national treasury and Emperor Xiaoxian's private treasury were unprecedentedly rich.

After Emperor Yongle killed Prince Mingyi and forced Emperor Xiaoxian to abdicate, almost all of the royal private treasury was incorporated into the national treasury.

At that time, the people were living in misery, and most of the money in the national treasury was used to restore people's livelihood.

The treasury was empty again.

Later, Emperor Huiren came to power and once again reduced the people's taxes.

The poor treasury is no secret in Dayu State, and it is also the main reason why the people of Dayu love their country and protect their country.

If last year's surplus was truly due to the stability of the domestic economy and the collection of taxes by local government offices, then it can indeed be considered a meritorious deed.

However, the economy of Dayu Country has been declining in recent years.

Not to mention that Ji Yang has suffered from disasters for years, there was also the flood in Chenliu County last year and the sudden locust plague in Huzhou Prefecture, which left the people with almost no harvest.

Not only could these two places not collect taxes, but the national treasury had to provide subsidies.

After the incident in Wuping County, the tax grain and tax silver from the six surrounding prefectures were all paid to Jiyang.

In the battle between Minzhou Prefecture and Dongling Kingdom, Dongling Kingdom advanced rapidly and the entire Minzhou Prefecture suffered heavy losses.

Under such circumstances, the imperial court was actually proud of the treasury surplus of two million taels.

This money is definitely not just taxes!

The veins on Li Jixin's forehead were throbbing.

He knew that Li Zhaocai was not smart, but there were many smart people in the court.

He couldn't understand why these people didn't dissuade Li Zhaocai from doing such a stupid thing.

Not to mention whether it is embarrassing or not, the country of Dayu is now as leaky as a sieve, and there are spies from the enemy everywhere.

Li Zhaocai actually openly disclosed the situation of the national treasury.

Is there water in his brain?

"go on!"

Shopkeeper Wang was startled by Li Jixin's cold tone.

Not to mention Li Jixin, Lu Fugui, Han Qingyun and Lu Changping, who had been silent, looked no better than him.

Shopkeeper Wang swallowed his saliva.

"In March of this year, the third announcement was made. Lord Xu, the prefect of Changxing, presented a strange stone with a line of naturally formed large characters on it: Zhao Wen Chu, Da Yu Xing."

"Hahahaha..." Li Jixin fell on Lu Changping with laughter.

"They say Xu Rui has a heart that's willing to bend his knees and rise up, and that's really... interesting.

This kind of natural wonder should be very useful to fool ordinary people. But why have I never heard of it?

Given Li Zhaocai's character, this kind of thing would definitely be publicized, and the stone would have to be taken out and shown around the country."

Lu Fugui had heard of this incident, but it had only been circulated in a small circle in Changxing Prefecture.

Even the imperial city of Luocheng has no such news.

Lu Changping also knew about this: "If the people are living a good life, who cares whether it is true or false? They will just agree with it.

The story of the strange stone was first spread in Changxing Prefecture. However, under the management of Lord Xu, Changxing Prefecture was in a very high position.

The people of Changxing Prefecture made quite a commotion because of this so-called strange stone, but the matter was suppressed.

In this situation, continuing to spread rumors that don't align with reality is bound to backfire. Besides, I'm afraid the stone isn't realistic enough."

Li Jixin was amused again by Lu Changping's "the sky is three feet high".

After laughing, I couldn't help but sigh.

Changxing Prefecture is adjacent to Yuezhou Prefecture, the most prosperous prefecture in Dayu Kingdom.

When my royal grandfather was alive, Changxing Prefecture was also a very prosperous city, but now the people of Changxing Prefecture are being severely exploited...