Pay the Tax and the People Die; Refuse and I Die
The Old Scholar Tree stood beside them and said:
"Are you done talking? You've been rambling on and on, haven't you?"
This family used to be so kind, why did they abandon you? Are you going to leave with them too?
The trees stared in disbelief. "Where did you come from? I've never seen you before!"
"This tree is so thick, it must be hundreds of years old! When did it appear here?"
"Are people really this amazing nowadays? They even bring their trees with them when they move houses, tsk tsk tsk..."
Then they saw over a hundred trees walk over, trembling as they exclaimed, "Trees can walk? Wow! That's amazing!"
"You bet! So cool, so awesome! Hey sir, can I join you?"
The old, ancient tree next to it chuckled and said, "The environment here is... really... nice...!"
The Old Scholar Tree shook its branches and said, "Old Ancestor, you will live here from now on."
The old tree nodded and said, "I... know... I'm... not... good... and won't... cause... trouble."
The Old Scholar Tree looked at it and said, "Next time I'll bring you some tonics. After you eat them, you'll be able to walk like the wind, and your legs will be nimble again."
Zhou Wanwan looked at the courtyard and said, "Not bad, this courtyard is quite big."
Feng Yunting said with a smile:
"It used to be the official residence where a high-ranking official of the second rank lived after he retired to his hometown, so I bought it for you."
"It's quite suitable for us to stay here; it's very close to the exam venue."
Zhou Wanwan nodded and said, "Yunxi County seems quite nice."
Then came the announcement that the Yunxi County had arrived. The Yunxi County was a refined and cultured man, and he was stunned when he saw Zhou Wanwan at the head of the table.
He noticed Zhao Muyuan standing to his left, and after observing the people in the room, he broke out in a cold sweat.
This room contains officials from both the previous and current dynasties, and all of them are high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above.
Has he gone to the wrong place?
He stammered, "Magistrate Shen Yu'an of Yunxi County pays respects to my esteemed teacher."
Zhao Muyuan smiled and said, "It's kind of you to remember me. Please sit down. The lady upstairs is my mistress; she's the one who saved me."
"Master! "Shen Yu'an's legs went weak. What kind of person could Grand Tutor Zhao Muyuan call "Master"?
Although he was slow-witted, he wasn't stupid either. He immediately knelt down with a thud. "Your humble servant Shen Yu'an pays his respects to Your Majesty."
Zhou Wanwan lowered her head and looked at him, saying:
"Get up! There are no outsiders here, no need to kneel."
Shen Yu'an, I see you've done a pretty good job managing this place!
Shen Yu'an quickly knelt down, shook his head, and said:
"Yunxi County is not doing well. This is the main city, and it looks pretty good, but outside of here, the people there are living a very hard life."
I feel the burden on ordinary people is too heavy this year, which is why this year's taxes haven't been paid yet.
Zhou Wanwan asked, "How exactly are the taxes paid here this year?"
Shen Yu'an quickly replied:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, all taxes set by the court must be paid."
Ordinary people had to pay land tax, poll tax, and all sorts of other exorbitant taxes and levies; none of them could be avoided.
Zhou Wanwan scoffed, "This year's harvest is so bad, there's almost no yield, and people are barely able to afford food, yet they still have to pay such heavy taxes?"
Shen Yu'an gave a wry smile and said:
"If I dare to refuse to hand it over, the first thing I will do is be to be dismissed from my post, questioned, and imprisoned."
The higher-ups will accuse me of deceiving the emperor, harming the country, concealing treasury funds, and disobeying imperial orders.
At best, their property would be confiscated and they would be exiled; at worst, they would be beheaded, and their entire family would be implicated and exiled.
He sighed and said:
"But if the taxes are forcibly levied, the people will have no harvest to begin with. After paying the land tax, poll tax, and miscellaneous levies, they will have no grain left in their homes."
The old and weak starved to death by the roadside, the young and strong sold their children, nine out of ten houses were empty, and people fled everywhere.
If we hand over the money, the common people will die; if we don't, the officials will die.
This is driving people to their doom! I haven't been able to sleep these past few nights, and I don't know what to do."
Zhou Wanwan thought of "The On the Snake Catcher of Yongzhou".
In the past, strange snakes were found in the wilds of Yongzhou. People could catch snakes to pay taxes, and they were willing to risk being bitten to death by venomous snakes to catch snakes for generations, rather than give up this job.
This is because the poison of exorbitant taxes is more potent than that of a venomous snake.
Zhou Wanwan looked at him with a half-smile and said:
Would you like to grow sweet potatoes and cassava? These two crops have high yields and are easy to grow.
I can give you seeds and teach you how to plant them. Also, you should stock up on water, because the disaster years have only just begun.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yu'an trembled and said, "The year of disaster has only just begun, what does that mean?"
Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said:
"What I mean is, we can still see water now, but when the real disasters come, we won't even be able to see water anymore."
Shen Yu'an, are you willing to follow me? If so, sign an agreement.
Grand Tutor Zhao Muyuan:
"We've already signed this agreement. Take a look, and sign it if you're willing."
If you don't want to, then pretend you were never here today.
Shen Yu'an looked at the agreement; it was a contract of servitude.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then shakily signed his name.
"I am willing, I believe my mentor's words, and I truly have no other choice."
"If what you say is true, I'm willing to try. I want the people of Yunxi County to live." For Shen Yu'an, he had no other choice.
This agreement is tantamount to a pledge of allegiance.
Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said:
"I'll have someone bring over the sweet potato and cassava seeds tomorrow, and then someone will teach you how to plant them."
These two grains are not only high-yielding, but also drought-resistant.
Sweet potatoes and cassava are drought-resistant, adaptable to various soil conditions, have high yields, and are easy to grow.
It was during such a famine that this life-saving grain was able to save the lives of the people in the county.
Shen Yu'an knelt down and said, "Thank you, Master."
The next day, Zhou Wanwan took out sweet potato vines and cassava stems. They had only planted the cassava a few months ago, and it was brought back from the Western Regions by a few tree people.
At first, Zhou Wanwan didn't take it seriously, but the yield was extremely high after planting this acre of land, which surprised her.
Under normal circumstances, a good harvest of ordinary cassava from one mu (approximately 0.16 acres) can yield about 3,000 jin (approximately 1,500 catties), while a less favorable harvest will yield only about 2,000 jin (approximately 1,000 kg).
But Zhou Wanwan channeled energy into the cassava vines, and by the time the cassava was harvested, the cassava in the soil was thick and long, sprouting out in clusters, making it impossible to harvest them all.
In the end, the yield was over 8,000 jin of cassava per mu, which was two to three times more than usual.
Although cassava contains a slight toxicity, it is safe to eat if peeled, soaked in clean water, and cooked thoroughly.
Shen Yu'an looked at the sweet potato vines and cassava stems and asked, "Can these things grow into food?"
Zhou Wanwan nodded and said:
"That's certainly possible. Why don't you have someone cultivate a few dozen acres first?"
Remember what I told you: stock up on water.
Shen Yu'an dared not delay and immediately ordered his men to do as instructed. As for taxes, his master had changed, so why should he pay taxes?