At noon, two horses entered the city.
But the moment they entered the outer city, Feng Xiu sensed something was wrong.
There were far fewer pedestrians, residents, and refugees on this main street than usual.
A group of men in gray robes stood outside each of several shops, alongside shopkeepers whose faces were full of reluctance.
Among the gray-robed men, someone carried a wooden box.
One of the men took a cloth pouch from a shopkeeper and emptied it into the box.
Silver clattered against the wooden bottom of the box.
The gray-robed men worked briskly, one collecting money and another keeping accounts.
Taken as a whole, they looked nothing like government runners.
Feng Xiu reined in his horse, his gaze falling on another group of gray-robed men.
Their leader wore a black embroidered uniform with silver patterns on the lapels and a long saber at his waist.
He stood outside a grain shop, speaking to its owner.
"Are those men from the Embroidered Uniform Directorate?" Zhou Xiao asked quietly.
Feng Xiu frowned.
On the road, he had told Zhou Xiao about the Embroidered Uniform Directorate. It monitored the martial world and wielded considerable authority.
But he had never heard that collecting taxes fell under its jurisdiction too.
"My lord, didn't we already pay this month's business tax last month?"
The grain shopkeeper's voice was bitter, carrying a note of pleading.
The man in black remained expressionless, his tone flat. "This is the war-preparation levy, earmarked specifically for defending against Black Abyss Monsters. Every household must pay it, not just you."
"But, but this is far too much..."
The shopkeeper faltered and tried to say more, only for the man in black to cast him a look.
The words caught in his throat, and he dared say no more.
Trembling,