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

When the auspicious time arrived, as if by prior arrangement, the sounds of gongs and drums resounded throughout the capital, along with dragon and lion dances—it was incredibly lively.

Even sitting inside the tax office, Zhou Wu could hear the deafening sound of gongs and drums, and he smiled slightly.

"Stable."

According to Zhou Wu's statistics, the foreign businessmen organized by Deng Yuanliang all chose an auspicious day to open their businesses today, wanting to create a grand spectacle.

The patriarch of the wealthy family could hear the commotion on the street even from his home.

"What's going on outside? It's not even a holiday."

"Reporting to your master, many shops have suddenly opened on the street."

"what!"

The once leisurely patriarch of a prominent family was suddenly terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat as many shops opened at the same time.

Having lived most of my life, how could I not know that I'd fallen into a trap?

"Good, so that's why the emperor wasn't in a hurry. He was waiting for us here. Go and investigate the background of these shops. Let's see who in the capital dares to oppose our aristocratic family."

The violent heaving of his chest revealed that the aristocratic family was truly panicked this time. They thought victory was assured, but unexpectedly, their home was stolen.

The servant who had gone to gather information returned quickly.

"It's clear now."

“Returning home, I’ve found out that at least a hundred shops in the capital opened today, and all the owners are from out of town. The locals are buying them like they’re throwing money away.”

"It's over."

It was obvious that these hundred-plus shops were organized by someone. Otherwise, Cui Renyi would never have believed that it was such a coincidence that ordinary people who had been lacking daily necessities for some time had all rushed into these shops run by outsiders. He had originally planned to put pressure on the emperor to beg him to raise prices so that these poor people would have no choice but to buy. But now, he had been outmaneuvered.

Moreover, due to the previous rumors, the family's reputation is now completely ruined, and they probably won't be able to keep the shop open.

in the secret room.

"It's over, it's over."

"We've been tricked by that dog emperor this time."

"Stop wailing, everyone. It's just a few shops. If they're gone, they're gone. Even without the shops, we're still a prestigious family."

It was still the oldest person, and everyone stopped complaining and grumbling upon hearing this.

"Uncle Zhu, what do you suggest we do? Are we just going to let it go like this?"

"I just can't swallow this."

"Who said we should let it go? A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. The reason why our family has been able to survive for hundreds of years is because we know how to be patient. You all wail and complain at the slightest thing. And you are the patriarchs of your own families? Humph, you are spineless."

Among the current heads of many aristocratic families, Zhu Rong of the Zhu family, the oldest, was the calmest. After he angrily berated everyone present, they also came to their senses from their anger. Indeed, the aristocratic families that have survived to this day have all relied on forbearance; otherwise, they would have long since disappeared into the river of time.

“We’ve lost, so let’s close all the shops and let the emperor see that we won’t lose face even if we lose the battle. Each family should focus on their other businesses for now. There’s plenty of time and opportunities ahead.”

"Yes."

The eldest brother made the decision immediately, and everyone knew that it was impossible to fight the emperor head-on, so they all expressed their agreement.

The commercial tax reform lasted for about a month, and finally ended with the defeat of the powerful families.

In the palace, Li Tiancheng looked at the secret report in his hand, feeling extremely happy. Since his ascension to the throne, he had suffered countless losses at the hands of the aristocratic families. In his memory, this was the first time that he had made the aristocratic families admit defeat openly and fairly, and he could finally vent his anger.

With the pilot program in the capital, the next step was to promote it nationwide. Although there would be some obstacles, the local obstacles were not a big deal because of the precedent set in the capital. The tax office's attitude was to do it if it could, and close down if it couldn't. Merchants were profit-driven, and there were plenty of people waiting anyway.

The biggest difference between commercial tax and agricultural tax is that the agricultural tax of the Great Dragon Empire is paid twice a year, in summer and autumn, in June and November respectively, while the commercial tax of Zhouwu is paid monthly.

Agricultural tax is based on the fact that the base amount can only be determined after the grain has ripened, but commercial tax can be collected monthly by the tax office. Moreover, commercial tax is a huge amount, so monthly collection is more reasonable, and the court can always have revenue to deal with some emergencies.

When the first month's business tax revenue came in, it left Li Tiancheng speechless with shock.

"This, this, this is really a month's business tax?"

Li Tiancheng was stunned when he saw the numbers on the financial report. Although Zhou Wu had said before that commercial tax would become the main source of revenue for Dalong, he did not expect it to be so much.

Last year, the total tax revenue of the Great Dragon Empire, including grain, silk, cloth, and copper coins, amounted to approximately eight million strings of cash, which averaged out to 660,000 strings of cash per month. However, the commercial tax revenue for the first month alone reached 1.03 million strings of cash, far exceeding the national tax revenue. Moreover, this amount does not even cover the entire country's commercial tax revenue.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is only a part, because the tax office has not yet covered many remote areas, but it will cover the whole country by the second month at the latest."

"Hahaha."

Li Tiancheng felt like he was going crazy; the annual tax was now almost 1.5 times higher than before.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Li Tiancheng had always lived frugally. Now that he suddenly had money, he didn't know how to spend it.

"Zhou Wu, you have made a great contribution this time. I will reward you handsomely. Tell me what you want, and I will grant it."

"Serving the Great Dragon is my duty."

"Haha, Zhou Wu, today it's just the two of us, ruler and subject. Speak freely and boldly, and I will certainly grant your request."

This was the first time since Li Tiancheng became emperor that he had given his ministers an empty promise, leaving them to fill it in themselves. However, Zhou Wu was someone who had watched so many TV dramas and had high emotional intelligence, so he naturally wouldn't make an exorbitant demand.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that I resign as Junior Supervisor of the Tax Bureau once all the work of the Tax Bureau is running smoothly."

"Hmm, alright, I answer... Eh, why is that?"

Li Tiancheng thought Zhou Wu was asking for a promotion, which he thought was normal; who wouldn't want to move up in rank? He was about to agree when he realized that Zhou Wu wanted to resign as the Junior Supervisor of the Tax Bureau.

"Your Majesty knows that I am a military officer. I can manage this tax office temporarily, but if I continue to do so, I am afraid I will cause trouble for Your Majesty."

Although Zhou Wu spoke tactfully, he did give Li Tiancheng a heads-up: the tax office would inevitably become a very powerful government agency in the future. It wasn't that Li Tiancheng didn't trust Zhou Wu, but rather that Zhou Wu was still too young. If he were put in that position now, it would only harm him.