She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

When it comes to things that are profitable, Magistrate Jin'an is extremely attentive.

After Geng Qingshi left, he immediately summoned Niu Dali, the head constable of the county government.

Niu Dali was not a kind person to begin with. He was originally a street thug who later got some money from somewhere and bought the official position of head constable in the county government.

His greatest skill was using his negligible power to bully and exploit ordinary people.

The magistrate of Jin'an County ordered Niu Dali to lead a group of people to Xiaoyao Village in Qiufeng Town the next day and to collect every penny of the money the villagers earned from selling silk.

This task undoubtedly gave Niu Dali an excellent opportunity to continue his evil deeds.

Upon receiving the magistrate's order, Niu Dali was secretly delighted, and a sly smile appeared on his face.

He knew that this operation would not only please the county magistrate, but also allow him to make an ill-gotten gain.

So he agreed without hesitation and began preparing for the next day's itinerary.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Niu Dali led a dozen or so constables on horseback toward Xiaoyao Village.

Meanwhile, the villagers of Xiaoyao Village were completely unaware of the impending crisis.

They were still immersed in the joy of harvesting silk, completely unaware that a disaster was about to befall them.

Around noon, some villagers were sitting under the big camphor tree at the village entrance, enjoying the cool air and chatting.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar, catching their attention.

They looked up and saw a group of people dressed as constables riding horses and galloping toward Xiaoyao Village.

These people all had fierce expressions and an aggressive demeanor; they were clearly there to cause trouble.

Upon seeing this unexpected group of guests, the villagers couldn't help but feel flustered, wondering what had happened.

Niu Dali and the others reined in their horses not far from the villagers and stopped them.

He glared at the panicked villagers with his large, bell-like eyes and shouted, "I, the head constable, have been ordered by the magistrate to collect your taxes on silkworm sales. Anyone who dares not pay, watch out for the whip in my hand!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately erupted in uproar.

They looked at the group of ruthless yamen runners in horror and protested.

One of the old men stood up angrily, pointed at Niu Dali and said, "We worked hard to collect those silkworms from the mountain, why should we pay taxes?"

Another middle-aged man chimed in, "That's right, these aren't grown in the soil, we picked them up on the mountain, why should we pay for them?"

However, faced with the villagers' questions and protests, Niu Dali sneered and replied disdainfully, "Hmph, picked up from the mountain? Haven't you heard that all under heaven is yellow earth?"

"Captain, all land under heaven belongs to the emperor!" a constable reminded him.

"I don't care if it's yellow soil or black soil, the county magistrate has ordered you to pay taxes, so you have to pay! Whoever it is today, you have to obediently hand over your taxes! Otherwise... hmph!"

After saying that, he waved to the group of constables behind him, signaling them to begin their work.

The villagers were naturally unwilling to give up their hard-earned money so easily, so they stepped forward to argue with the officials.

However, the enemy outnumbered them and were armed, so the villagers were no match for them.

Before long, several villagers who led the resistance were beaten to the ground by the yamen runners, and the other villagers dared not make any further moves.

Just then, the village head received the news and rushed over from home.

The village head stepped forward, bowed to Niu Dali, and said, "Sir, our village is full of honest and law-abiding farmers. We don't know where we have offended you. We hope you can enlighten us."

Niu Dali sized up the village head, "Hmph, I heard your village sold a lot of silk this year, and the county magistrate specially ordered me to collect the taxes. These troublemakers not only refuse to pay, but are also trying to cause trouble... You've come at the right time, make them pay their taxes quickly!"

Upon hearing this, the village head felt a sharp pang in his heart.

They sold the silk yesterday, and today the officials came to collect the money. That's fast!

He said with a forced smile, "Sir, these silkworm cocoons were collected by villagers at great personal risk. They didn't come from the fields, so why should we levy taxes on them?"

Upon hearing the village head's words, Niu Dali waved his hand impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense and pay up, or don't blame me for being impolite."

The village head looked helplessly at the villagers, gritted his teeth, and asked, "Sir, how much tax do we have to pay?"

Niu Dali held up three fingers and waved them in front of him. "Three hundred taels!"

The village head trembled with rage upon hearing this. "Three hundred taels? That's way too much! Our entire village doesn't earn that much money in a year!"

"That's none of my business," Niu Dali sneered. "I'm just following orders. If you can't pay up, I'll arrest everyone in your village and throw them in jail!"

The village head looked at the villagers in despair, wondering what to do now.

Shen Man and her daughter Lanxiang did not go out today. Shen Man knew this as soon as the officials entered the village.

She stood in the courtyard, listening to the commotion outside. When she heard that they actually wanted to collect three hundred taels of silver in taxes, she was so angry she almost jumped up and down.

She hadn't forgotten the incident where the village head was beaten last time. Today, these yamen runners came to cause trouble again. She was determined to teach them a lesson and make them afraid of Xiaoyao Village in the future.

Thinking of this, she turned and went back into the house, whispering something in Lanxiang's ear.

"Man'er, is this okay?" Lanxiang asked doubtfully.

"It'll definitely work, Mom. I'll make them terrified whenever they hear the name of Xiaoyao Village!"

"Okay, I'll give it a try!"

After Lanxiang finished speaking, she mustered her courage and walked out of the courtyard step by step into the crowd.

"What, have you thought it through? Do you want to pay now, or beat me up first and then pay?" Niu Dali asked the village headman fiercely.

"Sir, we can't afford this tax." Lanxiang walked up to the village head, looked directly into Niu Dali's eyes, and said without fear.

"Can't afford it?" Niu Dali looked Lanxiang up and down. "Who are you? How dare you speak to me like that?"

"I am a villager from Xiaoyao Village," Lanxiang shouted. "How can ordinary people like us possibly afford such exorbitant taxes? You're forcing us to our deaths!"

"Hmph, don't think I don't know. Your silkworms sell for a sky-high price of five taels of silver per catty. How could you not afford a mere three hundred taels!" Niu Dali threatened. "Get out of here right now, or don't blame me for beating even women!"

"Sir, do you know that last year many crops in this area were flooded, but our village was the only one that escaped unscathed?" Lanxiang asked mysteriously.