Tax Collection

"Xiao Yi, we've eaten, so we'll be heading back now." Seeing that the others were about to leave, Luo Yi picked up a piece of tiger meat weighing thirty jin and handed it to Meng Gang.

"Thanks for your hard work today, Uncle Meng and Xiao Yu. This is the payment I promised you."

After chatting for a while, the three of them saw Meng Gang and his son out of the courtyard.

After they left, Luo Yi looked at Wang Meng with a sly grin. "Uncle Wang, I've got something good for you. You're sure to find it useful."

With that, he took out the "Tiger Whip" he had cut off and handed it to Wang Meng.

Looking at the enormous Tiger Whip and thinking of how he'd been struggling these past few years, with his wife always complaining that he couldn't perform, Wang Meng's old face flushed red. Ignoring Luo Yi's strange look, he tucked the Tiger Whip into his robes.

Seeing Wang Meng accept the Tiger Whip, Luo Yi picked up two pieces of tiger meat, each weighing around thirty jin, and handed them to him.

"Uncle Wang, one piece is for you. For the other, could you please deliver it to Chen Liu's family?"

Hearing that one piece was for Liu Zi, Wang Meng nodded.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they saw Wang Meng out. Luo Yi looked at the four hundred jin of tiger meat left in the courtyard.

The weather had been very hot lately. If they didn't process the meat soon, it would start to stink and spoil within a day or two. Then they might get sick from eating it.

Remembering how cured meat was prepared in his previous life, he went into the kitchen and took out the two jin of Coarse Salt he had bought in the county town. He called Luo Xi over to help, and the two of them salted all the tiger meat.

Since salting it might not be enough to preserve it, he also told his younger sister to smoke the meat again after she got up the next morning.

After finishing with the tiger meat, Luo Yi remembered he hadn't trained that evening. He went into the kitchen and set the Tonic Medicine to boil. After swallowing a piece of Bear Gall, he began practicing the "Fierce Tiger Skin Refining Technique" in the courtyard.

After taking the Bear Gall and Tonic Medicine, he practiced for three and a half shichen before the warm current in his abdomen gradually faded.

Looking at the Panel, he saw:

Host: Luo Yi

Age: 16

Realm: Skin Refining (Minor Accomplishment)

Skills: Basic Archery (Great Accomplishment 120/400)

Fierce Tiger Skin Refining Technique (Minor Accomplishment 77/300)

Traits: None

His evening practice had increased his progress by 42 points. Luo Yi was very satisfied with that.

After finishing his training, Luo Yi, worn out from a busy day, went back to his room, lay down, and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Luo Yi was still deep in a sweet dream.

Outside the courtyard, he could hear women pleading for mercy and children crying and wailing, mixed with the desperate screams of several people.

Awakened by the noise outside, Luo Yi got up from the ground.

He went into the courtyard and saw his younger sister sitting at the stone table, looking worried. He approached the girl.

"What's wrong, Xiao Xi? You're already looking so unsettled this early in the morning."

"Brother, when I got up this morning, I saw that many families in town didn't have enough silver to pay the Autumn Tax, so all the adult men in their households were arrested."

She had heard the tax officials who came to collect taxes say:

"Recently, the Regional Military Commander of Cloud Prefecture received an order from the Imperial Court. The prefectures and counties around Qingzhou must wipe out all the Rebel Army roaming Qingzhou before winter sets in this year and take back Qingzhou from them."

"After receiving the order, the Cloud Prefecture Governor and the Regional Military Commander considered that Cloud Prefecture's military funds were running short, and the Imperial Court hadn't allocated any funds."

"The two men petitioned the Imperial Court to raise this year's Autumn Tax. The extra taxes collected would be used to fund the army Cloud Prefecture is sending out on this expedition."

"The Great Qi Emperor, wholly absorbed in alchemy and the pursuit of immortality, had no interest in governing. After several Cabinet Grand Secretaries discussed the petition, they approved it."

This year's Autumn Tax in Cloud Prefecture had been raised from one tael and five qian last year to five taels of silver.

Just as the two of them were talking:

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!" A pounding came from the door.

"Open up! Open up! Open up!"

Hearing the rough knocking outside, Luo Yi knew the Imperial Court's tax officials had come to collect from his family.

He tucked the Dao at his waist and opened the front gate.

Before him stood a group of tax officials dressed in official robes, long sabers at their waists, and muscular builds.

Behind them, they were also escorting several prison carts.

Inside the carts were residents from nearby towns and villages, beaten until their faces were bruised and swollen.

When the gate opened from the inside, one of the tax officials at the head of the group stepped forward.

He swung the long whip in his hand at Luo Yi.

As he lashed the whip, the leading tax official cursed, "You lowly commoner! It takes you this long just to open a door? You've kept all the brothers waiting. Let's see if I can't whip you to death!"

Hearing the tax official's abuse and seeing the whip swing toward him, a cold glint flashed in Luo Yi's eyes. That strike would leave him flayed and bleeding at the very least, all because he'd opened the door a few seconds late. The officials of Great Qi really were tyrannical!

If he were alone, he could kill these men and be done with it. At worst, he could flee to Qingzhou and join the Rebel Army, or find a mountain and become an outlaw.

But his younger sister was in the courtyard with him. Luo Yi forced down the murderous rage boiling inside him.

He dodged the whip flying at him.

Seeing that the young man actually dared to dodge, the leading tax official grew even angrier.

"I whip you because I'm giving you a chance, and you still dare to dodge? Let's see if I can't whip you to death!" He lashed at Luo Yi again and again.

Looking at the tax official's crazed expression,

Luo Yi cursed his bad luck inwardly. It looked like there was no way to settle this peacefully.

Being bullied like this for no reason also stirred up a surge of anger in Luo Yi. He reached out and caught the whip aimed at him.

Looking at his younger sister in the courtyard, and remembering that he was only a Skin Refining Martial Artist, he forced down his murderous rage and walked up to the leading tax official.

He took five taels of silver from his robes and put them in the leading tax official's pocket.

He said quietly, "A small token of my esteem, sir. I hope you'll accept it."

Seeing the silver tucked into his pocket, the crazed tax official's expression instantly softened.

"You should've done that from the start, kid. You nearly ruined the good feeling between us."

Watching the tax official change his tune faster than flipping a book, Luo Yi's mouth twitched.

"You're a sensible kid, but you still have to pay the tax you owe."

The leading tax official called out to a clerk behind him who was holding a Household Register:

"Old Tang, check this man's household registration and how many people are in his family."

"Yes, sir." The clerk flipped through the Household Register.

"I found it! Sir, the Household Register shows that there are three people in the family."

"The head of household is Luo Gang, a hunter from Dongsheng Town. His son is Luo Yi, a Tongsheng from Dongsheng Town. His daughter is Luo Xi, a farmer from Dongsheng Town."

"You must be Luo Yi, the Tongsheng, right? Your family has three people, so you owe fifteen taels of silver."

"Fifteen taels?"

"Sir, my father went into the mountains this month and disappeared. He's presumed dead. Everyone in town knows about it. Does he still have to pay taxes?"

"Young man, you can't put it that way. The people in town know your father is dead, but the officials in charge of the Household Register don't."

"To prevent people from evading taxes, the Imperial Court issued an order long ago: as long as your name is still in the Household Register, you have to pay the Autumn Tax."

Hearing the leading tax official's explanation, Luo Yi understood that these men weren't deliberately targeting him. He took fifteen taels of silver from his robes and handed them over.

After accepting the silver, the leading tax official waved his hand and led his men away, hauling the prison carts toward the neighboring house.