Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 332 Training a "Dog" Like Smoke

Of course, this does not mean that these farmers actually have an easier life than farmers in other regions.

The fact that the people of western Liaoning were exempt from paying taxes to the imperial court in the capital did not mean they were exempt from paying taxes altogether.

As subjects and commoners of the Liao princess's fiefdom, they also had to pay taxes to Murong Ruyan, the princess who was nominally entitled to the fiefdom!

However, since the entire Xiao Kingdom was previously ruled by a people born from the Linmu civilization, the Xiao Kingdom did not attach as much importance to agricultural taxes as the Southern Chu Kingdom, and the agricultural taxes collected were very low, even reminiscent of the "golden age of ancient times." This was a common tactic used by court officials to flatter the emperor.

After all, what the Xiao Kingdom values ​​most is the head tax.

Furthermore, in order to collect poll tax, the entire Xiao Kingdom used every means at its disposal to implement an ancient version of "population census." At its peak, the practice was so prevalent that a "population census" was conducted every six months (when the inhuman emperor was on the throne and exploited the people). This was arguably the most rigorous practice in ancient civilization, and its level of rigor was almost comparable to the early days of modern industrial civilization.

Therefore, strictly speaking, this practice of collecting a "share" on top of agricultural taxes is actually equivalent to a disguised form of oppressive taxation. Add to that the poll tax and the exemption tax, and all in all, no one was willing to respond to Murong Ruyan's call and volunteer for these three projects!
Although nominally, as the "land of the dragon's rise," the Liaoxi area was not required to pay poll tax, which was a preferential treatment given by the imperial court to the Liaodong region and the Baishan clan for many years.

However, the initial preferential treatment has become a thorn in the side after generations of emperors have ruled. Otherwise, Murong Zhen would not have seized the opportunity to grant Liaoxi to Murong Ruyan.

Oh, you're asking how he dared to so easily grant away the "land of the dragon's rise"?
Just kidding! When the Mohe people were conquering the world, dozens of tribes came together to march south. There were more than a dozen "land of origin" alone. The largest "land of origin" in Liaoxi belongs to the Baishan clan, not the Murong clan. They can't even collect taxes. Not only do they have no income, but they also spend money year after year to support those parasites from the Baishan clan. Murong Zhen has long disliked them!

Now that we've given it to them, what can the Bai Shan clan do? Do they dare to rebel?

Most importantly, if the people here were truly living a comfortable life, that would be fine. But the fact that Murong Zhen was unaware of the tax exemption policies of this "land of origin" was something others didn't know about.
They still collected what they were supposed to collect, but all the wealth ended up in the hands of local tyrants—those Mohe nobles who had helped the emperor rise to power!

In some places, they are even more audacious than other places that pay taxes normally!
The emperor bore the infamy, while the benefits went to those Mohe nobles. What was even more outrageous was that during festivals, those wretched creatures would use a pittance of the wealth they had plundered from the people to send some local specialties to his desk, and he would have to grit his teeth and send back a bunch of nice things in return!

Sending too little won't do! It won't reflect the high-class, sophisticated, and classy nature of an emperor!
What kind of mess is this?!

"They use my money, give me a pittance, and then try to squeeze more money out of my pocket. Should I thank them?!"

"This is outrageous! Do they even respect me as the emperor?!"

"Is this the world of the Baishan, Tudan, Pucha, and Wule clans, or my world?!"

"Am I some kind of unfortunate wretch?!"

Murong Zhen, who was furiously reading more than a dozen cultivation novels sent to the palace by his own younger sister, skillfully used all the newly learned verbal tics to mutter incessantly to his only non-Mohe noblewoman, the sweet and soft-spoken Consort Pei.

After all, which emperor could tolerate such a thing?
That was then. In the slave society era, tribes could only seize power through alliances and systems, and this tribal sentiment of "good buddies" and "brotherly affection" was carried into governance.

However, as the Mohe people increasingly learned from the systems and culture of the Central Plains, especially after being taught by a famous Confucian scholar from the Central Plains, Murong Zhen became increasingly intolerant of this way of distributing power.

Centralized power was inevitably the ultimate direction for every feudal dynasty.

Therefore, when Murong Zhen looked at these Mohe nobles who held privileges and, when they rallied, even became a force capable of shaking the Murong clan, he felt increasingly displeased. However, no matter how much displeasure he felt, he had no opportunity to resolve the issue.

Until the appearance of his previously unknown imperial sister, the sixth princess Murong Ruyan, a disciple of an immortal who was born into the royal family, whose current alliance was naturally the same as his, and who could never threaten his position!

An external force breaking the deadlock is far more effective than any scheme or plan devised by oneself.

Murong Ruyan's title of "Princess of Liao" comes from this.

Of course, these acts of deceiving superiors and concealing the truth, and of lining one's own pockets in a seemingly reasonable manner, were unspoken rules among the Mohe nobles. Many court officials of Central Plains origin were unaware of them, let alone ordinary people.

All they knew was that they already had extremely heavy taxes and levies, plus a considerable agricultural tax, which was barely enough to feed them. If they were to take another layer of "profits" for the "immortals," how could they possibly survive?
Who cares about being an "immortal" or a "demon"? Anyone who does something that will leave them starving is an idiot!

The common people thought this way mainly because they had no understanding of things like "divine seeds" or "spirit rice," but the Mohe nobles in those areas were a different story.

"Princess, the Baishan clan is willing to dedicate the entire clan's strength to serving you, and will serve you with the utmost loyalty!"

After finalizing the plan and starting the "bidding" process—that is, finding suitable locations and "project" participants—Bai Shan Hei Lang privately, unusually, displayed his loyalty in a refined manner, wishing he could secure all three "projects" under the Bai Shan family's name. His gaze was as resolute as could be, and his expression as sincere as could be.

Murong Ruyan curled her lips into a smile, casually extending her hand to examine the nail polish on her fingertips, and lazily asked, "Oh? Does the Empress Dowager know that your Baishan clan is to pledge allegiance to a princess?"

Bai Shan Hei Lang immediately lowered his head, his tone respectful yet warm, and his words carried a hint of Liaoxi dialect, sounding somewhat naive: "Look at what you're saying, our Bai Shan clan has always been loyal to the court. Serving you, Princess, is serving the court! Besides, Guangning Prefecture is now your territory, so doing as you command is only right and proper!"

"is it?"

The vague answer from Bai Shan Hei Lang did not satisfy Murong Ruyan. She smiled and looked up at the vast horizon in the distance.

Mingzhu Villa is built on a low mountain called Jingshan.

Liaoxi is bordered by mountains on the left, right, and north, and faces the sea to the south. The middle is a flat plain with few hills and mountains. Jingshan, where Mingzhu Villa is located, is one of the highest mountains in Guangning Prefecture—if 300 meters above sea level is considered a mountain.

Murong Ruyan was standing on the highest building in Mingzhu Manor – Mingzhu Pavilion.

This pavilion has five floors, but the first and second floors are built of stone and were originally a warehouse for Mingzhu Manor. The third and fourth floors are wooden buildings, and the fifth floor is the pavilion itself, which has limited load-bearing capacity and cannot be used for living. Mingzhu Pavilion was a place that Baishan Heilang hastily prepared before Murong Ruyan arrived in Liaoxi. It is the tallest and largest building in the entire Mingzhu Manor, and it has never been inhabited. It is the most suitable place for the Grand Princess of Xiao Kingdom, who is also the de facto "lord" of Liaoxi, to stay temporarily.

It's impossible to let the princess live in the courtyard she used to live in; it's not like we don't have the means, and it would be somewhat disrespectful.

At this moment, Murong Ruyan looked out from the rooftop terrace of Mingzhu Pavilion and saw almost the entire Guangning Prefecture in her view. Even the rolling hills and the boundless plains and forests in the distance were clearly reflected in her eyes.

"Do you know what title my elder brother bestowed upon me?"

Murong Ruyan suddenly asked.

"Grand Princess."

Upon hearing this, Bai Shan Hei Lang immediately bowed deeply, lowered his head, and only dared to look at his toes, with fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Liao Kingdom".

Murong Ruyan said slowly.

White Mountain Black Wolf instinctively looked up sharply, but then realized that his behavior was really offensive, so he hurriedly lowered his head again, not daring to say a word, his heart pounding, listening to his own short breaths.

"My title is Princess of Liao."

Murong Ruyan glanced lightly at the local magistrate, who seemed intimidated by her, before looking back at the rolling hills and vast land. She added, "Of course, you can assume that all princesses and princes, after receiving fiefdoms, take the name of their kingdoms, which seems unsurprising, but..."

"Guess why my royal brother didn't simply increase the fiefdom I had when I was a princess of Jin, but instead changed it to Liaoxi, a place that never belonged to the court?"

Bai Shan Hei Lang's back bent even lower, and his breathing became more and more rapid. He kept his head down and said tremblingly, "Your Highness, the princess is joking. Liaoxi is the land where the dragon rose, and the Bai Shan clan has always been loyal to the court."

"Yes, it is the place where the dragon rose, so it never collects taxes to treat the people here well. After all, the Baishan clan has produced five empresses and two empress dowagers."

Murong Ruyan's tone was very calm, as if she were talking about the weather, but what she said made Bai Shan Hei Lang's knees suddenly buckle.

"But on my way here, I've heard that the people here are paying just as much in taxes as they used to!"

With a thud, White Mountain Black Wolf knelt down on the ground, his forehead hitting the wooden floor with a thud.

"Princess! The Baishan Clan has never harbored any disloyal intentions!"

Murong Ruyan didn't turn around, and coldly said, "Is it that you don't have the ability, or that you dare not?"

"Absolutely not!" Baishan Black Wolf answered loudly without hesitation: "Princess! The Baishan clan is a clan that has sworn brotherhood with Emperor Murong Taizu. They have sworn to assist the Murong clan. Even if the Great Mohe Mountain collapses and the Bailang River dries up, the Baishan clan will not break this oath! Please, Princess, understand!"

"My brother and the Empress Dowager have been at odds for many years. Even if your Baishan clan is very isolated from the news, you should know about this."

Murong Ruyan finally turned around, looked down at the White Mountain Black Wolf lying on the ground, and said, "Of course, I can imagine what the elders of the White Mountain clan are thinking. It's nothing more than 'a mother and son can't hold a grudge overnight,' 'the White Mountain clan has been cultivating in the court for many years and their position is stable,' and 'the Grand and Little Imperial Uncles control nearly half of the government, so the knife will never fall on the White Mountain clan,' but..."

"Empress Dowager Baishan is now over fifty years old. To put it bluntly, mortals have limited lifespans. How can they compare to the disciples of immortals like my Baishi Immortal Sect? My imperial brother can still obtain some rare and precious materials from me to prolong his life. It's not impossible for him to have my master teach him a few immortal techniques in the future. As for the Empress Dowager... alas, she is too old. This princess is willing but unable to do so..."

"If Your Majesty still intends to rely on the Baishan clan to assist the next emperor, then he will only slightly smooth out the Baishan clan's rough edges so that it can be handed over to the next emperor. After all, no matter how well a newly tamed wolf is handled, it is not as good as a dog that has been raised for generations."

"But what if my brother, the emperor, sits on the throne forever? I wonder if the Bai Shan clan has considered what will happen to you then?"
There is an old saying among the people of the Central Plains: "When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away."

"A dog that's been raised for generations, plump and strong, is perfect for slaughtering and stewing, isn't it?"

The attic fell into complete silence.

Neither of them spoke when suddenly, a soft thud, like a water droplet hitting a wooden board, broke the tense atmosphere.

It was the sweat that the white mountain wolf had gathered from its forehead, rolled down to its chin, and then dripped down.

"The Baishan clan originated from the banks of the Bailang River. I have never forgotten our origins; it was a clan called the 'Bailang Tribe'."

White Mountain Black Wolf suddenly spoke these words without changing his expression, his tone completely devoid of any sense of humility as a descendant of slaves from the White Mountain Clan. He even seemed to take it for granted that he truly belonged to the White Wolf Tribe.

Murong Ruyan slightly curled the corners of her lips, looking down at Baishan Black Wolf as he slowly straightened up and raised his head. Then she heard him continue, "Back then, there were two tribes on the banks of Bailang River, one in the south and one in the north, both called 'Bailang Tribe.' Therefore, the stronger Northern Bailang Tribe was renamed Baishui Clan, while our smaller Southern Bailang Tribe was renamed Baishan Clan."

"Unfortunately, the Bai Shui clan was also unlucky and failed to win the throne. It was only thanks to the heroic spirit of Emperor Murong that more than forty Mohe tribes conquered the Xiao Kingdom. As a brother tribe, the Bai Shan clan has achieved its current status."

"Changing 'White Wolf' to 'White Mountain' back then was a compromise. Now, our tribe is loyal to the court and is the most powerful tribe in the territory under the princess's control. How can we give in again?"

At this point, the White Wolf suddenly raised its voice and promptly prostrated itself in worship, saying, "I, the White Wolf Clan, am willing to be the Queen's right-hand man, assisting her in advancing eastward, conquering the world, and seizing Liaodong!"

(End of this chapter)