Chapter 1687: Chapter 1687: Envy

Inside Mingwei Palace, Elder Pei grew somewhat anxious. "Your Majesty, the taxes of these past two years are already heavy. Only a few months ago we added the Kangrong tax, and now we would increase the taxes on shops in all regions. I fear there will be complaints everywhere. This matter would be best considered thrice before acted upon."

Emperor Jingyuan had been waiting for precisely these words. He looked at Elder Pei and asked, "Then what fine stratagem does Our beloved minister have to fill the national treasury? Shall We confiscate a few more nobles’ households, or shall your noble families offer up their Silver yet again?"

These words were laden with murderous intent; Elder Pei’s legs went weak. Forcing himself to steady, he said, "Your Majesty, only a few months ago the Shen and Sun families led all the great houses of Great Chu in presenting Silver to the court. If we ask for more now, I fear it would be excessive."

Bang!

Emperor Jingyuan slammed the table in fury, pointing angrily at Elder Pei. "Excessive? Will it only not be excessive when the Rong bandits come and slaughter your entire clan?!"

He then pointed at each of the cabinet ministers in the hall. "Let Me tell you, this war is already upon us. We must put forth Gold and Silver to support this Kangrong War. If we cannot withstand them, all of us will die. No household should dream of preserving itself alone, and I will not permit anyone to harbor a divided heart at such a time!"

Those words were grave indeed; he was one step short of saying that if they did not hand over Silver, they must be plotting rebellion.

Thud, thud, thud!

Everyone in the hall, Mai Cong included, knelt down. "Your Majesty, calm your anger. We ministers bear no divided heart toward Your Majesty or toward Great Chu!"

Ha—no divided heart?

It would be strange if Emperor Jingyuan believed that.

His Imperial Grandfather had once told him to beware the noble families and seize any chance to kill them.

Yet Great Chu required Ministers to govern the realm; otherwise he truly would have wished to slaughter every last noble family.

Elder Pei’s body trembled as he secretly glanced at Elder Ying... Old fox, your grandson-in-law is the Emperor’s confidant; hurry up and speak in opposition. Even if the Emperor flies into a rage, for your grandson-in-law’s sake he will not cut you down too ruthlessly.

Elder Ying understood, yet in his heart he did not wish to speak too much.

Mai Cong had long since told him: if the war between Great Chu and Da Rong drags on, the treasury will grow ever more depleted. Once there is no Silver left in the treasury, the Emperor will surely turn his blade upon the great noble families and nobles to demand Silver. The noble families must give it—or die.

Yet he himself was a man of a noble family; he could not fail to say anything at all on their behalf. Just as he was about to speak, the Minister of Rites spoke ahead of him: "Your Majesty, this minister believes that at this time to increase taxes on shops in all regions and take Silver from the wealthy households is far wiser than adding taxes upon small farmers. This minister concurs."

Ouyang Zhang!

Several cabinet ministers and Chiefs of Staff cursed him inwardly. Which side did this Ouyang Zhang stand on? Did he not understand that with this move Emperor Jingyuan meant to cut flesh from their noble families?

Ouyang Zhang ignored them entirely and continued speaking to Emperor Jingyuan. "Yet shops everywhere must also conduct business. Some shops are opened by ordinary households; a single modest shop may need to support dozens of mouths. Therefore these shop taxes must not be levied too heavily, and at most should be collected once every three years. Otherwise we may invite a disaster like Changlin Calamity in the Great Zhou Period."

In the Great Zhou Period, whenever the court lacked Silver, it delighted in scraping Silver Coin from merchants. The worst occasion was when the court directly sent men into merchant families to open their vaults and seize Silver. The matter grew grave; the great merchants of the two prefectures Chang and Lin revolted.

They used Gold and Silver to purchase troops, subsidizing Generals across the land so that those Generals might, with Silver in hand, establish themselves independently. In the end they split off half of Great Zhou’s territory. The Great Zhou Dynasty suffered grievous damage to its vitality; after barely enduring for several decades, it was finally supplanted by the former dynasty.

Because of that lesson, the former dynasty rarely collected taxes from shops. And Emperor Jingwu, having witnessed the sufferings of the people and knowing how difficult small trade was, did not levy taxes on shops after founding Great Chu, instead only confiscating households and seizing the wealth of the noble families.

But now Great Chu is tottering; they have no choice but to extend their hand toward shops throughout the land... The farmers truly cannot be scraped for Silver Coin any further; to scrape again would bring calamity.

Minister Fang of the Ministry of Revenue also said, "Your Majesty, this minister concurs with this policy. Yet Lord Ouyang speaks most rightly: in levying taxes upon shops everywhere—how to levy, and how much—must be deliberated at length, so that no disturbance may arise."

Elder Ying glanced at Lord Fang and finally spoke. "This minister also agrees."

Since Minister Fang had already agreed, if they yet opposed, they would surely invite misfortune.

Elder Shangguan was no fool. He stepped out and said, "This minister seconds the motion."

Hearing this, Emperor Jingyuan’s dragon heart was greatly pleased. He sank half his body into the cushioned chair and eyed Elder Pei. "Elder Pei, since everyone agrees, then you shall speak: how much should be levied in taxes upon shops in all regions?"

This...

Elder Pei felt a death-wish rise in his heart. Was this not deliberately handing him the knife and making him cut the flesh of the noble families?

But he understood Emperor Jingyuan’s temper. At this point, if he did not stab the noble families and nobles at least once, Emperor Jingyuan would not let him off.

After much deliberation Elder Pei said, "Your Majesty, this minister believes that it would be best to levy a ten-percent tax once every three years."

"A ten-percent tax every three years—you are quite tender-hearted toward those shops!" Emperor Jingyuan was displeased.

But Ouyang Zhang held, "Your Majesty, this minister believes that collecting shop taxes once every three years is very suitable. Moreover, as this will be the first levy, stability must come first."

Mai Cong also said, "Your Majesty, Lord Ouyang speaks most truly. We must first seek stability; if Treasury silver remains insufficient thereafter, we can collect again."

If trouble arose at the outset, then this matter of collecting taxes from shops could not be carried through.

Hearing this, Elder Pei chuckled inwardly.

Ha, he was no fool. He had guessed the other ministers would agree, and only then proposed the notion of a ten-percent tax every three years.

"What does Minister Fang think? With such a method of collection, will the Silver suffice for the Kangrong War?" Emperor Jingyuan placed considerable trust in Minister Fang and posed the question.

Minister Fang did not equivocate. He immediately requested brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, made a rough calculation, and after a quarter-hour replied to Emperor Jingyuan, "Your Majesty, if the soldiers can withstand the Rong bandits’ assault and hold Long’an Prefecture, and if Great Chu suffers no great natural disaster, then these shop taxes will suffice to support the Kangrong War for this year and the next."

He added another sentence: "The southern regions are wealthy, with many shops."

This was precisely why Emperor Jingyuan had placed Lord Fang in the post of Minister of Revenue: when it came to raising and saving Silver, Lord Fang was truly useful.

"Excellent!" Emperor Jingyuan was greatly pleased and felt the Da Shi lifted from his heart. So long as there was enough Silver, he could maintain the army, let the soldiers resist Rong, and even step into Rong Territory to extinguish Da Rong entirely.

However...

Ouyang Zhang said, "Your Majesty, when collecting shop taxes in the various regions, Imperial Censors should be dispatched to accompany the mission, to prevent those who levy the taxes and local officials from twisting public duty to private malice and harming the commoners everywhere."

Ouyang Zhang spoke of commoners and did not mention those shops whose patrons behind the scenes were noble families.

He further said, "Moreover, only after examining a shop’s accounts for the past year may taxes be levied in proportion to that shop’s income. This will prevent some from under-reporting their accounts to pay less tax, and others from falsely accusing other shops of earning too much, thereby maliciously ruining another’s shop."

Emperor Jingyuan nodded as he listened. "What Our beloved minister says is most fitting. It shall be done thus."

Emperor Jingyuan and the Ministers deliberated until the sky was fully dark before they had finally settled the matter of levying a ten-percent tax upon shops throughout the land. He then had a secretary draft an imperial decree, to be dispatched at top speed, eight hundred li in a day, to all prefectures for promulgation.

Traveling together with the imperial decree to all regions was also the prescription for the Insect Attractant.

Emperor Jingyuan said, "The poisonous insect disease has already appeared in the Capital. Hidden sufferers will surely exist in all regions. The prescription for the Insect Attractant must be sent to all regions as swiftly as possible, and the preparation of medicine hastened."

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