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

Gossip is everywhere, anytime, anywhere, wherever there are people.

Such rumors were circulating all over the capital. People were very dissatisfied before, but at that time the target was the tax office, thinking that the tax office was forcing merchants to close down. Now it's different. It turns out that what caused all this was these unscrupulous merchants trying to evade taxes and inflate prices. The tax office is now on the side of justice.

For some unknown reason, the list of owners of these businesses that closed down to evade taxes has also been leaked, and almost all of them are from prominent or wealthy families.

"Heh heh~~~~"

As dawn broke, the gatekeeper of the Cui family quickly stretched and prepared to open the gate and tidy up the area in front of it. The master would be leaving soon, and he dared not delay.

“Squeak~~~~”

It took some effort for one person to open the vermilion gate, but the scene before him almost made the old gatekeeper furious.

"Who is this? Are you tired of living? Why are you shitting in front of the Cui family's door? Come out if you dare, I'll have a go at you! You stinking beggars..."

The old gatekeeper stood there cursing for a full half hour, even disturbing the head of the household.

"What are you doing cursing so early in the morning?"

"master."

Suddenly, the patriarch's voice rang out from behind him. The old man, who had been cursing with a red face, was startled and became timid and submissive, completely losing his previous arrogant demeanor.

"What are you cursing about?"

The Cui family is an old and prestigious family in the capital. Cui Renyi is the head of the family in this generation. From a young age, he was taught by his family to prioritize the interests of the family in everything he did, so Cui Renyi values ​​money more than anything else.

"Master, someone took a dump at our doorstep."

"What, what did you say?"

Just moments ago, Cui Renyi had maintained a calm and composed demeanor, but now he wore an expression as if he had seen a ghost. When he finally saw the now-cold pile of poop, his anger surged.

"Fine, you unruly commoners, how dare you defecate in front of my Cui family's doorstep! This is utterly outrageous! Don't let me find out who it is; if I do, I'll skin you alive, I promise!"

Just moments ago he was teaching the gatekeeper, but now he's suddenly become the second gatekeeper. Cui Renyi was trembling with rage. As he stepped over the threshold, he tripped and fell forward, crashing headfirst into the pile of poop.

"Sir, there's shit."

"what!!!"

"Help! Help! The master has fallen into the shit! Help!"

Originally, there were only Cui Renyi and the gatekeeper, but the gatekeeper's shout not only summoned all the servants of the Cui family, but also immediately drew a crowd of onlookers to watch the spectacle.

Seeing this scene, everyone burst into laughter. At this moment, Cui Renyi stared intently at the old gatekeeper with murderous eyes. The old man seemed to be frightened by Cui Renyi's gaze, and stood there, cold sweat pouring down his face.

There was a pile of excrement in front of the Cui family's door, and other prominent families didn't escape it either. They were either splashed with excrement, piled with garbage, or had big-character posters written on them.

The secret chamber of a noble family.

"Old Cui, I heard you fell into the shit?"

Although the people present all come from prominent families and have had friendships for hundreds of years, it does not prevent them from engaging in open and covert struggles.

You'd better shut up.

Cui Renyi simply stared coldly at the man.

"Alright, at a time like this, you're still in the mood to argue?"

One of the older men slammed his cane down hard to stop the two from fighting.

“Even if the emperor himself comes to beg us this time, I will still teach him a lesson. Everyone has forgotten the methods of my aristocratic family.”

Cui Renyi spoke fiercely, but whether the others would listen to him was another matter entirely. However, they were of one mind on continuing the resistance.

. . . . . .

"Jian'an".

"Brother, what's the matter?"

Zhou Wu and Lu Jian'an were both young, and after spending some time together, they became good brothers. In private, Lu Jian'an would call Zhou Wu "Big Brother".

"How will business be tomorrow?"

Zhou Wu already knew that Lu Jian'an's family also ran several general stores in the capital. Previously, because they lacked business acumen and capital to compete with established families, their businesses were not doing well.

However, by sheer coincidence, after Zhou Wu's kelp and seaweed became a hit in the capital, the sales rights were actually obtained by the Duke of Lu, and business skyrocketed. In addition, with the recent closure of aristocratic shops, the business of the Duke of Lu's shops can only be described as booming.

"Thank goodness the prestigious families closed down; these past few days, the thresholds of our family's shops have almost been worn out by everyone walking around. By the way, brother, my father was saying he'd like to invite you for a drink sometime."

Why did the Duke of Lu invite me for a drink?

“My father said that if it weren’t for you, the family business wouldn’t be doing so well.”

"What are you saying? Duke Lu responded to the country's call, actively applied for business licenses, and supported commercial tax reform. The people support him because he supports the country."

"Brother, although this was a coincidence, you really helped me with the seaweed and laver."

"Since the Duke of Lu thinks so highly of me, I will pay him a visit next time."

Zhou Wu is likely to remain in the capital for some time, so it's only right that he befriends some influential figures he gets along with. Besides, the other party is Lu Jian'an's father, so Zhou Wu is indeed considering taking the opportunity to visit the Duke of Lu after this incident is over.

"By the way, Jian'an, starting tomorrow, you will lead your men to patrol these streets to prevent any malicious damage."

"Oh."

Lu Jian'an glanced at the map in Zhou Wu's hand, looking at the marked locations.

"The foreign business association will be opening tomorrow. I'm afraid the powerful families will resort to desperate measures."

"Oh, I understand, don't worry, brother."

So that's how it is. Lu Jian'an was just wondering what his elder brother meant. It turns out that the final counterattack of the commercial tax reform is about to begin.

Two days ago, Yu Xian specifically sought out Zhou Wu and took the initiative to talk to him. Now, Yu Xian's intention is that Zhou Wu will handle all matters, big and small, of the tax office, and he will keep an eye on things.

Zhou Wu understood that Yu Xian had delegated power to him. Although he didn't know the reason, Zhou Wu was no longer afraid of internal strife and could focus wholeheartedly on external matters.

Once the foreign merchants open their shops tomorrow, the established families' shops will basically be doomed. For the established families, although it won't kill the other party, it will at least be a painful but necessary sacrifice.

The next morning, the sky was clear and the weather was exceptionally good, as if even the heavens were cheering for Zhou Wu.

The heads of the noble families were still enjoying a lavish breakfast at home, and the emperor was also attending the morning court session, but it seemed that his mind was not on the court at all. Zhou Wu was also sitting in the tax office, unusually not going out, as if he was waiting for something.