If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

After Zhou Wu had ascertained the situation, he went to the palace again to meet the emperor.

Tax reform is now a done deal and there is no room for negligence.

royal palace.

"Zhou Wu, your ministers have been very critical of you lately."

Upon meeting, Li Tiancheng couldn't help but complain that he had been driven crazy by the ministers' nagging these past few days. He supported Zhou Wu's tax reform, but he hadn't expected Zhou Wu to be so radical.

"Your Majesty, everything is difficult at the beginning. Besides, it's only right that they make a fuss when we're trying to get them to pay taxes."

"You have a pretty good attitude."

Li Tiancheng originally wanted to take the opportunity to give Zhou Wu a warning, but he ended up laughing at a few words from the other party.

"I almost starved to death back then, so I can endure this little hardship."

When Zhou Wugang first transmigrated, he had also experienced hardship.

"What business do you have with me today?"

"Your Majesty, I have a plan that can weaken the influence of powerful families while implementing tax reforms."

"Oh, tell me."

"Now that the powerful families in the capital are finding that force is not working, they have started to resist softly, deliberately trying to force us to close our shops, thinking that this will force us to submit. But I have thought of a good way to guarantee that they will be crying and begging to reopen when the time comes."

"Oh."

In the past few days, most shops in the capital have either been sealed off by Zhou Wu or have closed down. Li Tiancheng naturally knew that this was the work of the aristocratic families, who thought that they would stop operating once they left the capital. In fact, this tactic of the aristocratic families did indeed cause Li Tiancheng some concern.

If Zhou Wu doesn't come to see him today, he will summon Zhou Wu to the palace to discuss countermeasures.

"I think we should let them close down. We can take this opportunity to attract more foreign merchants to the capital and enrich the city's business district. This will also reduce the influence of powerful families in the capital."

"You should keep this in mind, but where can we find merchants to bring to the capital?"

"I have a solution."

"Then go ahead and do it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The capital city of the Great Dragon Empire is the most prosperous place. It is rumored that gold is everywhere. Merchants from all over the world come here, and it is the ultimate goal of merchants in the Great Dragon Empire. If the noble families do not cherish it, then people will fight tooth and nail for it.

After returning, Zhou Wu immediately wrote a letter to Deng Yuanliang. In business matters, Deng Yuanliang was definitely the most influential person under Zhou Wu. Moreover, Deng Yuanliang had also made many connections with various chambers of commerce while running maritime trade, so finding someone to come to the capital to take over was extremely easy.

In the following days, as if they had planned it all, all the aristocratic families were shut down or closed down. Other families, seeing that things were not going well, all began to apply for their own business licenses. The shops that had been shut down before also went to the tax office to apply for licenses. But at this point, Zhou Wu was not going to compromise so easily.

"fine?"

Shop owners whose businesses had been shut down went to the tax office to reissue their business licenses after receiving instructions from their employers, only to be told that they had to pay fines.

"Yes, taxes are levied by the state, taken from the people and used for the people. How can you do whatever you want with them? Your Majesty has already shown mercy by not throwing you in jail for resisting law enforcement."

I had no choice but to accept the fine since I had offended them.

After news spread that a huge fine would be imposed for reissuing a business license, the aristocratic family considered their passive resistance to be wise.

"Haha, these idiots have no backbone at all. They've already given up after just a few days and have to pay a fine."

"It's not their fault. Their resources are nowhere near as strong as ours. As long as we have a few powerful families, the emperor will eventually come begging to us."

"Exactly, with so many people in the capital, how can we possibly leave?"

"They don't even bother to find out that the food, drink, and daily needs of so many people in the capital depend on just a few of our families. Humph."

While the aristocratic families were still immersed in their own beautiful dreams, Zhou Wu had already met with the chambers of commerce from all over the country brought by Deng Yuanliang.

"I know that you have all been thinking about expanding your business to the capital, but due to various factors, it has not been possible. I suppose Yuanliang has already told you this before you came. Yes, now the opportunity has arrived."

There were at least a hundred people in front of Zhou Wu. They were all business leaders from various parts of the Great Dragon Empire. Although they could not compare to the accumulated wealth of aristocratic families over a hundred years, they were all quite powerful.

"My lord, I would like to know, if we are to enter the capital this time, what guarantees will you give us?"

Since they were businessmen, they naturally prioritized profit, and someone immediately asked Zhou Wu, who represented the imperial court, what kind of welfare policies they would receive in return.

"That's a good question. I like everyone to be open and honest, and I'm sure you're all aware of the situation in the capital recently. But before that, I'd like to ask you all: are you familiar with the imperial court's tax reforms, and do you agree with the new commercial tax policy?"

The aristocratic families went on strike because they disagreed with the new commercial tax policy, so Zhou Wu now needs to confirm whether the merchants in front of him share the same view.

“Sir, we all understand the new commercial tax. To be honest, we are all merchants, and we are certainly not happy to pay so much more tax for no reason. But if everyone’s efforts can be rewarded, then it’s a different story.”

One of the businessmen stood up and voiced the sentiments of everyone present.

"Alright, now let me talk about the special benefits I'll be giving you. First, after your businesses are established in the capital, the first year will be a probationary period, and your commercial taxes will be directly reduced or exempted. Second, those who are not registered residents of the capital will be directly transferred to the capital after their businesses have been operating for a year. Third, those whose families have officials in their household will be directly transferred to new positions. Finally, the tax authorities will give priority to protecting you all in the face of unfair and malicious competition."

Zhou Wu's four welfare policies were actually the result of a long period of careful consideration.

First of all, the tax exemption is the most direct attraction, and it's a year-long exemption. You have to understand how much money you can save by doing business in the capital every day with a year-long tax exemption.

Secondly, most of the people here are not from the capital. The household registration system in the capital during this era was very different from that in later capital cities. The first advantage was in educational resources. Just like in later times, people with the same academic level could enjoy better education in the capital.

The Imperial Academy, the highest institution of learning in the Great Dragon Kingdom, has a large number of students with Beijing residency. This tells a lot. These businessmen are not short of money, and they all want their sons to pursue a career in government. So, while Beijing residency may not be of much use to ordinary people, it is a huge temptation for these businessmen.

Thirdly, those who are already civil servants but have no suitable positions have to wait. Ordinary people may wait their whole lives without getting a position, but things are different now. The court has promised to give priority to their families. Many of these business families already have official positions, regardless of how they obtained them.