Trying to Rebel?

Liu Xiuyuan coughed and asked, "Master, what do we do now?"

"What do you mean, what should I do? Of course, I have to go to the city. I need to settle accounts with Cheng Xiao, and I also need to see how my old friend is doing." She considered Cheng Xiao an old friend, after all, she had given her a considerable sum of money.

One hundred thousand taels of silver! That's more money than many people could earn in a lifetime.

How great is Cheng Xiao?

Zhou Wanwan gritted her teeth and said, "Let's go, into the city."

Liu Xiuyuan's legs felt weak. If they really got into the city, wouldn't they just be arrested?

It's alright if he gets arrested, but what if this Little Ancestor gets arrested?

"There are still a lot of people ahead, why don't we just go?"

Zhou Wanwan angrily said:

"He won't let me into the city, but am I supposed to go no matter what? Am I supposed to just follow his orders?"

"Go ahead and lock me up in jail if you dare. If you really do, I'll make his house a living hell."

What solutions does Liu Xiuyuan have?

His master was just that tough; he drove the carriage straight in, only to be stopped by the guards. One guard frowned and asked, "What are you twenty-odd people doing entering the city?"

Liu Xiuyuan looked at them and said, "Brother Cha, let's go inside and sell vegetables."

The guard looked at the carriage road and said, "Lift the carriage curtain and let's see what's inside."

Liu Xiuyuan lifted the carriage door and saw that it was indeed filled with baskets of vegetables.

The guard said:

There are 21 people in total, so I'll charge you 42 coins.

These vegetables are good too, but a basket of them costs five coins.

Liu Xiuyuan was a little confused. "These vegetables are all grown by ourselves, and we still have to charge for them?"

"Hmph? What else? These are all stipulated by the county magistrate."

Either I won't sell it, or it's five coins per basket. Since your cart has twelve baskets, then give me sixty coins!

"Hurry up, hurry up, there are so many people in line behind us!" the gatekeeper said impatiently.

Zhou Wanwan was furious when suddenly a guard looked at their faces and said, "Don't you think they look familiar?"

"I see heads every day, I'm sick of it. Aren't people all the same? Two eyes and one nose."

The guard scratched his head and said, "That's true, but wait a minute! Look at this little girl, look at this little girl."

He had barely finished speaking when he fainted, and several guards carried him away.

Zhou Wanwan waved her hand and said, "Let's go, let's go, what are you standing there for? We don't even need to pay the toll."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd behind him moved, and a group of people rushed into the city.

The guards shouted, "What are you doing? Trying to rebel? Hey! Hey! Don't run, it's a toll!"

Zhou Wanwan sneered:

"Cheng Xiao is really crazy; she wants to make money from anything."

There are about 20 of us, and he actually wants to make 100 coins off us.

They're really desperate for money.

Isn't Cheng Xiao desperate for money?

It's true that the Cheng Family gave him over a million taels of silver, but all of that silver has to be repaid.

He has no other choice but to use his official position to make money.

To be honest, the position of county magistrate isn't exactly high-ranking, but it's not insignificant either.

But if you really want to make money, there are still ways.

Cheng Xiao sat in the theater listening to the opera, while Jiang Wu poured him tea, saying, "Come, come, brother, here's some tea for you."

Cheng Xiao looked at him and said:

"Jiang Wu! You're so quick-witted, you're really got a knack for business."

Do you know how much money you can collect from the city gate fees every day?

Jiang Wu chuckled and asked, "How much?"

"More than one hundred taels a month, that's more than three thousand taels a month, and more than thirty thousand taels a year."

Jiang Wu looked at him and said:

"Collecting a city gate fee is nothing! Listen, we'll use all these tricks."

A checkpoint was set up on the official road, and all passing caravans and cargo ships had to pay a protection fee.

When ordinary people go to court, they first have to pay for the complaint and the court hearing. Whether they win or lose, they have to pay a service fee.

During festivals and holidays, the local gentry and wealthy landowners would have to send you gifts—silver, grain, antiques—you couldn't miss a single one!

There are also jobs like repairing city walls and building river embankments. Just inflate the material costs and deduct the craftsmen's wages, and that's how the money comes in, right?

Salt and iron are controlled by the imperial court. We can secretly resell some, or collect protection money from smugglers, and make a sure profit!

Those wealthy landowners, like Master Zhang from the east of the city, had their hundreds of acres of fertile land claimed to be hidden from taxes, just to scare him.

If he knew what was good for him, he would naturally hand over the silver notes obediently.

If they don't know what's good for them, they'll just take his land!

Cheng Xiao waved her hand and said:

"I've thought about all of that. It's not that easy."

If the imperial court finds out, it's a capital offense."

Jiang Wu looked at him and said:

"As long as there are people in the imperial court, what are you afraid of?"

I know a father-in-law, you probably know him too, Eunuch Hai. I know him, why don't you meet him?"

Cheng Xiao frowned and said, "Eunuch Hai? Why would I want to see him? But I remember that Eunuch Hai and the Feng Clan have never gotten along."

"Yes, so... this is an opportunity. If you can get in touch with Eunuch Hai, someone from above will protect you. What are you afraid of?"

Cheng Xiao thought for a moment and said, "I remember that Eunuch Hai is a favorite of the current emperor."

"Yes, that's right, have you thought this through? This is an opportunity," Jiang Wu said directly.

This Eunuch Hai was quite a figure; the Hai Clan was originally a respectable official family within the Ministry of Revenue.

Hai Jingshan, the father of Eunuch Hai, used his cunning to patronize a faction in the imperial court and profit from their influence.

Chancellor Feng was already irreconcilably opposed to that faction. Seizing the opportunity, he directly presented the evidence of the Hai Clan 'Hai Clan embezzlement to the Emperor, with irrefutable proof in black and white.

An imperial edict was issued, and the entire Hai Clan was convicted.

The men were either beheaded or exiled, and twelve-year-old Hai Yan was sent to the palace to become a eunuch.

He was thrown into the palace and made a lowly cleaning eunuch. Every day he had to get up before dawn to sweep the courtyard and empty the chamber pots. Being scolded and beaten was a daily occurrence.

But he harbored a fierce determination, always keeping his eyes and ears open, rising from the bottom ranks of sweeping and cleaning to serving the emperor, becoming a favorite who had the emperor's absolute authority.

Cheng Xiao has no other choice now. He has already offended the Feng Clan, and there is no powerful backer he can rely on.

He nodded and said, "Alright! Let's meet then!"

Soon, Hai Yan came out, smiling broadly, and said, "Magistrate Cheng, how have you been?"

Cheng Xiao gave a wry smile and said, "Please don't make fun of me. I'm probably a laughing stock in the Upper Capital now."

Hai Yan laughed heartily:

"A joke? What's so funny? Who could be funnier than me?"

"For a jack-of-all-trades to be in the Upper Capital is truly a joke!"

"Eunuch Hai, you're now a favorite of the Emperor. I've heard that His Majesty highly values you. You're no longer a joke."

Hai Yan said with a half-smile:

What use are the emperor's favorites?

My Hai Clan was ruined by the Feng Clan. I hate the Feng Clan family to the core for the rest of my life.