Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

On the official road, dozens of large carts moved forward in an orderly manner.

Dozens of men were scattered around the carriages and horses, armed and on guard, making the defenses extremely tight.

Two riders rode side by side ahead of the procession.

The two men on the saddle were both dressed in blue robes, with fair complexions and short beards.

"The road is fifty paces wide, and every three zhang there is a tree, which is a green pine."

One of them suddenly picked up a horsewhip, pointed to a withered tree by the roadside, and said with emotion.

"In the past, the Qian Dynasty governed the country well. Emperor Qian traveled to all directions, opened up many roads, and established the position of Road and Bridge Supervisor, who was in charge of inspecting and repairing the roads."

"Now that the Qian Dynasty has collapsed, this imperial road is no longer maintained."

The imperial road of today, also known as the official road, is less than fifty steps, not even twenty, at most ten or so.

If large vehicles are meeting, one vehicle must stop while the other proceeds first in order to pass smoothly.

"The encroachment of private land on roads is not a recent phenomenon; it is a long-standing problem."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng immediately sighed.

"If I were the county magistrate, I would surely conscript the people under my jurisdiction and restore the splendor of the imperial highways of the Qian Dynasty!"

Another scholar in a green robe also spoke up solemnly.

"Brother Qi's words resonate with Yuan Cheng, but unfortunately, Yuan Cheng is unwilling to serve under Brother Qi's rule!"

"Brother Chen, why do you say that?"

The scholar surnamed Qi immediately countered with a question.

"There's no other reason than the exhaustion of the people caused by the construction of the imperial highways!"

"Yuan Cheng is lazy and cannot endure this hardship!"

Chen Yuancheng drove forward and said leisurely.

"Ah, haha!"

Upon hearing this, the scholar surnamed Qi also laughed loudly several times.

......

Since the township government was located there, it was naturally named Wohuting (Crouching Tiger Pavilion).

Within a mile of Tingxia, there are anywhere from a hundred to several hundred households.

Last year, when the population was counted, there were 700 households and more than 2,000 people in Wohuting. This does not include the servants and slaves of several large households.

If we include them, there could probably be over a hundred more mouths to feed.

Those who were merely attached to others as slaves were not registered in the household register, and therefore were not required to bear corvée labor or land taxes.

Compared to the heavy taxes levied by the government, becoming an appendage of a wealthy family meant losing one's freedom, but it was also much easier.

Therefore, many people from the Daoist community vied to become dependents of wealthy households in order to avoid corvée labor and land taxes.

There were three wealthy families in Wohu Township: the Xu, Cao, and Yan families. They all owned vast tracts of fertile land and had hundreds of slaves and servants.

The Xu family is the only cultivation family in Wohu Township, and it has Foundation Establishment cultivators among its members.

A cultivation family must have a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be considered a cultivation family.

The Xu family once produced an inner disciple of the Yunlan Sect. After turning one hundred, seeing no hope for advancement in his cultivation, he requested a post as a county magistrate.

He served two terms as county magistrate and over a decade established the foundation of his family's spiritual practice.

Cao Miao, the assistant magistrate of Wohu Township, came from the Cao family. The assistant magistrate was the deputy to the tax collector and was in charge of collecting taxes. He held a very high position and great power in the township.

After all, the position of village head must be filled by someone from outside the village, while the position of village assistant can be filled by someone from the village.

The Yan family had been merchants for generations, and most of their wealth was used to buy land and property. The family had many members, and among the three families, the Yan family was the most prosperous.

Upon entering the territory of Xiangting, we saw several people already waiting by the roadside.

Seeing the two riders approaching in an instant, several people by the roadside all straightened up and stepped forward to greet them.

"Cao Miao, the village head of Wohu Township, greets Lord Chen!"

The leader, dressed in a black robe and wearing a bronze crown, bowed respectfully.

"I dare not accept such a great gift from Lord Cao!"

When Chen Yuan was established, he dismounted, went forward to help the person who was kneeling up, and then returned the greeting.

He then greeted the other three men.

"It's freezing cold, please accompany Mr. Chen to Mr. Cao's country home to rest."

"As for the land tax, we will lead the people of Shanghuting to register and pay it."

After a few casual words, a minor official stepped forward and respectfully said...

"Mr. Chen, please!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Miao, the village official, also extended an invitation.

"This~"

Chen Yuancheng hesitated for a moment, but seeing Cao Miao's warm invitation, he had no choice but to agree.

"Brother Qi~"

Immediately, Chen Yuancheng looked at the scholar surnamed Qi, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

"Haha, it's alright. Since Brother Chen has important matters to attend to, let's part ways here and meet again another day!"

Upon hearing this, the scholar surnamed Qi laughed heartily, then bowed to Chen Yuancheng before riding off.

Before long, it disappeared from Chen Yuancheng's sight.

"This Lord Qi is quite casual and carefree!"

Cao Miao, the village official, also smiled and offered a word of praise.

"Brother Qi has always been like this, Lord Cao, please!"

Chen Yuancheng did not want to mention the scholar surnamed Qi too much, so he simply said a few words and led his horse forward.

After Chen Yuancheng and Cao Miao left, the other three also called on the villagers of Huting and went with them to pay their land taxes.

......

The place for paying land taxes was an open space outside the village house. Only after the people of Shanghuting arrived would a minor official carry a balance scale and a box of bamboo slips out of the village house.

The day the land tax is paid is also the day the government calculates the population, and the village chiefs have already arrived.

Zhao Zhong, the head of Yangping Village, was seriously injured on the night of the bandit attack. He had been recuperating at home for more than a month and had now recovered considerably. So he also came here by oxcart.

Six miles from Shanghuting, starting from Dawang Village, the village head Wang Yi called out names, and those whose names were called stepped forward to pay their land tax.

Although this was not Zhao Xian's first time visiting Xiangting, it was his first time paying land taxes, so he was naturally quite curious and went forward to watch.

"Wang Niu, a resident of Dawang Village, has a family of five and eighteen mu of land. According to the law, he is exempt from the land tax for ten mu, and should pay the land tax for eight mu."

"This year, the tax will be 1.3 shi per mu!"

"Your family must pay 10.4 shi of millet!"

The minor official, holding a bamboo slip in his hand, shouted loudly.

The tax rate of 1.3 shi per mu remains unchanged from last year. Since the county magistrate took office more than ten years ago, the tax rate of 1.3 shi per mu has remained unchanged every year.

Chen Yuancheng's claim that the county magistrate was benevolent stemmed from this.

That day, I heard my uncle Zhao Li say that in the other counties outside Rongtai County, the tax was not only one shi and three dou per mu, but many far exceeded that amount.

Therefore, Uncle Zhao Li also praised the county magistrate for his benevolence.

Suppressing his thoughts, Zhao Xian saw Wang Niu carrying five large baskets of millet on his shoulders and in his hands as he approached, along with a small cloth bag filled with golden talisman coins.

"Five hundred coins and five and a half bushels of millet; please check them, Your Excellency!"

The burly man said with a fawning smile.

The clerk nodded slightly, and another clerk stepped forward to count the items.

First, he poured out all the talisman coins from the small cloth bag and counted them carefully. Then he poured all the millet into one side of the balance scale, while the other side had stone weights.

After all five large baskets of millet had been weighed, the clerk immediately announced loudly, "Five hundred coins for the talisman, five bushels of millet, plus forty coins for the talisman!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man seemed to have been prepared, and immediately took out a small string of talisman coins from his pocket and respectfully offered them.

The clerk behind the desk merely glanced at it before nodding slightly.

"Pass!"

With a shout, the burly man felt relieved, wiped the sweat from his brow, and quickly stepped back.

Zhao Xian was a little further away and didn't see the sweat on the burly man's forehead.

Seeing that there were no spilled millet grains around the scale, he nodded slightly, but he did not see the legendary skill of kicking the bucket and pouring the water droplets.

Afterwards, the villagers came forward one after another to pay their land taxes, and there were no problems.

When another short, thin Taoist priest stepped forward, he was carrying only a small cloth bag.

"Wang Ze, a commoner, owns twenty mu of land and is required to pay thirteen shi of millet."

The clerk glanced at the man and then shouted loudly.

"Go and take inventory!"

The clerk sitting behind the desk and the clerk who went to count the items exchanged a subtle glance, and then spoke in a low voice.

A moment later, the clerk in charge of counting immediately shouted, "One thousand two hundred and sixty talisman coins, forty more are needed!"

"Nonsense, I counted them at home!"

Upon hearing this, the short, thin Taoist priest immediately shouted angrily.

"Hmph, if you don't believe me, go and count it yourself!"

The clerk in charge of counting snorted coldly, then tossed the money bag to the short, thin Taoist priest, a sneer spreading across his face.

Upon seeing this, Wang Yi, the head of Dawang Village, frowned slightly, but instead pulled the short, thin Taoist priest aside and whispered something in his ear.

After a dozen or so breaths, the Taoist priest searched through his pockets and only managed to scrape together a small handful of talisman coins. He then borrowed some from other Taoist priests he knew nearby, which brought him to a total of forty talisman coins.

"Wang Ze's elder brother died of illness at the beginning of the year. In previous years, it was his elder brother Wang Gao who came to pay the land tax."

"This is Wang Ze's first time here, and he doesn't know the rules."

Suddenly, his uncle leaned over and whispered something to Zhao Xian.

"Rules? What rules?"

Zhao Xian was slightly taken aback and pressed for an answer.

"Each household must pay an extra forty talisman coins, or forty catties of millet!"

Zhao Li's lips curled slightly as he looked at Zhao Xian with a half-smile and said.

"How could this be!"

"What if the people who follow the Way do not pay?"

Zhao Xian exclaimed softly and pressed for more information.

"Not paying? Someone else will pay for him!"