Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

As December arrived, the weather grew increasingly cold, and the number of pedestrians on the official road decreased significantly.

In previous years, on days like this, the people of Shanghuting would have already stayed at home, never venturing out.

Those with wealth indulge in drinking and merrymaking, visiting relatives and friends, while those with poor families have to squeeze their entire family onto a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) for warmth.

This year, however, things are quite different.

As Tingjun Chen Yuancheng had previously stated, those preparing for the enemy drills could eat breakfast and lunch at the pavilion on the days of drills.

The two meals provided, morning and noon, were like a timely gift to the people of the Daoist community during this cold winter season.

As a result, more than a hundred people gathered at the training ground on the west side of the pavilion, and the training was in full swing.

By noon, the drills to prepare for the enemy had ended.

After lunch, the people of the Dao did not leave but remained gathered on the training ground.

Before long, Tingjun Chen Yuancheng had reached the front of the procession.

"I have kept you all here today because I have a favor to ask of you!"

At this point, Chen Yuancheng bowed to everyone.

The people of the Dao looked at each other in bewilderment upon seeing this scene.

A few breaths later, all the Daoist followers returned the salute and shouted loudly, "Lord Ting has treated us commoners so kindly. Now that Lord Ting has summoned us, how dare we not give our lives!"

"Thank you all for your help!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng immediately shouted loudly.

"But today it is getting colder, and among the people of the six-mile road, there are many who are poor, lacking food and clothing, and struggling to keep warm in the cold."

"I now wish to build a house or cellar for poor Taoist priests to live in and keep warm."

Chen Yuancheng looked around at everyone and spoke solemnly.

"May I ask, Mr. Ting, what is a house cellar?"

Upon hearing this, an old Taoist priest pondered for a few moments and then asked in a loud voice.

"Dig a pit, pave it with blue bricks, cover it with soil, and inside there is a fire channel and a small window so that you can light a fire for warmth."

Chen Yuancheng immediately replied loudly.

"Blue bricks are expensive, how about earthen bricks?" another Taoist priest asked loudly.

"That's acceptable!"

Chen Yuancheng pondered for a few moments, responded, and then asked, "Gentlemen, it's freezing cold. Would you be willing to join me in breaking ground?"

"Lord Ting is kind and compassionate, caring deeply for us common people. We are willing to obey Lord Ting's commands!"

The people of the Dao all shouted in unison.

Zhao Xian, standing in the group, also loudly echoed, "This cellar must be the result of Tingjun's painstaking thinking these past few days."

Compared to the method of digging a hole in the ground that I proposed, it is better.

Suppressing his thoughts, Zhao Xian prepared to go home to get a wooden shovel. Tingjun was decisive and efficient, and they would start work in the afternoon.

"Kuro!"

A shout came from afar, and Zhao Xian looked over to see Chen Yuancheng waving at him.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately strode over.

"Greetings, Mr. Ting!"

"Jiulang, get up quickly! If it weren't for Jiulang's guidance on digging a hole that day, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to come up with this method."

Chen Yuancheng quickly helped Zhao Xian up, and then said with great emotion.

After speaking, Chen Yuancheng bowed to Zhao Xian.

"Your Majesty's thoughts have saved countless lives; please accept Yuan Cheng's bow!"

Zhao Xian was not about to accept Chen Yuancheng's bow, so he immediately stepped aside and returned the bow.

"This is all thanks to Mr. Lai Ting's extensive knowledge and insightful opinions; Jiu Lang was merely spouting nonsense!"

"Let's see how effective it is in seven or eight days!"

Chen Yuancheng gazed into the distance, watching the Daoist people gradually depart, and smiled calmly.

"Once the twelfth lunar month arrives, it's time to prepare for this year's land tax."

At this moment, a scholar in a green robe behind Chen Yuancheng suddenly spoke in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, both Chen Yuancheng and Zhao Xian's expressions changed slightly.

In the counties and prefectures under the rule of Yunlan Sect, spirit fields are required to pay 70% of the land tax, while ordinary fields are required to pay 50%.

For commoners like Zhao Xian's family, each household can be exempted from taxes on ten mu of ordinary farmland.

While it appears that the people of the Dao are treated quite well, in reality, the Dao people themselves are struggling to make ends meet.

The reason is that in order to exempt these ten acres from taxation, each household needs to have a Taoist cultivator, whether it be Qi cultivation or martial arts.

Let alone making great progress in cultivation, just maintaining the cultivation of a single cultivator without regression requires a considerable amount of resources.

Take Zhao Yi, the father, as an example. His cultivation level is at the tendon training level, making him a second-rate martial artist. Not to mention meat, he needs four catties of millet every day.

In a year, that's over a thousand catties, nearly fifteen shi of millet.

The family had eighteen mu of ordinary farmland, which yielded two shi and six dou of millet per mu. After deducting the exempted land tax, they only had about thirty shi of millet a year.

This does not include their mother, Zhao Xushi, and the three siblings.

During the lean season, the family of five had to eat only one meal a day.

Their family was considered quite wealthy among the more than 400 households in Shanghuting.

One can only imagine what kind of situation the Daoist people, who are even worse off than his family, must be in.

After paying the land tax each year, Zhao Xian would lose a few of his childhood friends.

There was nothing more to it than being held hostage by a prominent family in the village as a slave.

That's considered good; two of their companions had already taken the blame for others, their heads chopped off and displayed publicly.

A life is worth only a few thousand coins.

This year's land tax will be collected soon, and I wonder how many more people will be sold into slavery!

Zhao Xian sighed inwardly, bowed to Chen Yuancheng, glanced at the scholar in the green robe, and then turned and walked towards Yangpingli.

"Is this the young man you've chosen?"

Glancing at Zhao Xian who was heading into the distance, the scholar in the blue robe behind Chen Yuancheng asked with a smile.

"Jiulang is resolute and honest in character, and diligent in his cultivation; naturally, I have high hopes for him!"

Chen Yuancheng immediately replied with a smile.

"It's a pity that my spiritual root is a bit lacking!"

The scholar in the green robe behind him had a fleeting glint in his eyes before he sighed and said...

"Brother Qi, if it weren't for your spiritual roots and talents, would we have become acquainted?"

Suddenly, Chen Yuancheng turned around and looked at the scholar in the green robe, and smiled faintly.

"Let's wait seven or eight days and see if that cellar is effective!"

"Please take care of me these next few days, Brother Chen!"

The scholar surnamed Qi nodded slightly and then headed towards the pavilion.

With a soft sigh, Chen Yuancheng turned and walked towards the pavilion.

......

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Wohu Township has seven villages under its jurisdiction. In the twelfth lunar month, when the land tax is to be handed over, each village organizes its residents to escort the millet to the site, which takes two days.

Shanghuting is far from Xiangting, so it is naturally ranked last.

It is now the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, and it is finally the turn of the people of Shanghuting to go to the village government to pay their land taxes.

Early morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

At Shanghu Pavilion, the sounds of roosters crowing, dogs barking, and people talking incessantly filled the air.

On the official road in front of the pavilion, dozens of large carts were already prepared, and the drivers would occasionally take out a handful of roasted millet from their pockets and stuff it into the mouths of the mules and horses.

From Shanghuting to Xiangting, it is nearly twenty li.

Each household had to pay several hundred to several thousand catties of land tax, which couldn't all be carried by hand, so the mules, horses, donkeys, and oxen of the local government had to be conscripted to help.

This year, Uncle Zhao Li bought a bull, and Zhao Xian's family and his eldest uncle's family also benefited from it.

They would load the millet from a few households onto the oxcart, and the rest of the people would follow along. Compared to previous years, it was much easier.

Zhao Xian's family was to pay 10.4 shi of millet. According to the Qian law, land tax could be offset with talisman coins, and one shi of millet was about one hundred talisman coins.

Zhao Xian then brought a thousand coins and seventy or eighty catties of millet.

Bring some extra millet; it will come in handy.