Our family has been rebelling for generations, and you've become the top scholar in the imperia

The next day.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Qin Feng led his men to the Xishan Coal Mine, where all the coal used in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty was supplied from the Xishan area.

Qin Feng had studied the operating mode inside carefully last night after returning from the Imperial Guard.

Admittedly, the problem is significant.

There's a reason why the Ministry of Works is so poor; it's impossible that it could be in such dire straits despite being stuck in the coal business.

Coal mining was under the management of the Ministry of Industry. Which link in the process, including mining, transportation, and supply, could not make money?

"Lord Qin, although Xishan Coal Mine is nominally managed by the Ministry of Works, in reality, there are only a few mines. The rest of the mines are actually under the name of Prince Yun's Mansion, including nearby farms."

Inside the carriage.

The curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man dressed in a factory guard uniform sat in front and replied respectfully.

This man was a junior officer Qin Feng selected from the Imperial Guard last night. His name was Cao Liang, a local from the capital, and he was very familiar with the situation around the capital.

"Under the name of the Prince of Yun's Mansion? What does that mean?"

"My lord, the Ministry of Works actually grants coal mining rights to merchants, and the imperial court collects mining taxes, but..."

Cao Liang didn't finish his sentence.

But Qin Feng, inside the carriage, understood.

Legal tax avoidance.

As members of the royal family, the nobles were considered direct relatives of the emperor and were exempt from taxes regardless of their occupation.

The most serious of these is farming.

Actually, it's somewhat similar to the situation of scholars.

This situation was common in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Since the civil service came to power, the status of scholars had risen. Under the intervention of the Nanlin Party, the court issued a series of preferential treatments for scholars.

If a village produces a scholar who has passed the imperial examination, all the villagers will take the land deeds and put all their land in the scholar's name. This way, they don't have to pay taxes to the imperial court. It is basically the predecessor of the practice of "affiliation".

However... there are great risks involved. Although you don't have to pay taxes by registering under someone else's name, the government doesn't recognize it.

In other words, if something goes wrong in the future, these lands can be renamed after the scholars who passed the imperial examinations, and they will vehemently deny it, leaving no one with any recourse.

Even though the Great Zhou Dynasty hasn't caused any disasters yet, Qin Feng can foresee that if a major disaster were to occur in the future, countless people would lose their land and become disaster victims.

"How many mines does this Prince Yun's Mansion control?"

Qin Feng stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and asked.

"As far as I know, there should be forty-eight coal mines, sir. The actual situation is that the Prince of Yun's Mansion obtained the mining rights from the Ministry of Works, gave the Ministry of Works a portion of the silver, and then distributed the mining rights to merchants proportionally..."

"Isn't this percentage a little lower than the tax rate?"

Qin Feng's lips curled into a cold smile.

With things going like this, it's no wonder the Ministry of Works can't make any money, and the imperial court can't collect taxes either.

The money all went to the Prince Yun's Mansion, which obtained mining rights from the Ministry of Works at a low price and then resold them to merchants. Merchants originally bought mining rights from the Ministry of Works and were required to pay taxes according to the normal proportion. However, with the addition of the Prince Yun's Mansion, they no longer had to pay taxes, and a portion of the profits was then distributed to the Prince Yun's Mansion in a profit-sharing manner.

It only needs to be slightly lower than the tax rate.

For businessmen, paying taxes and receiving dividends are both the same thing, so they naturally choose whichever is more cost-effective.

"Let's check on the situation at the mining area first. As for the Prince Yun's residence, I'll have to think about it carefully."

Qin Feng waved his hand and said softly.

The imperial court did not stipulate that the Ministry of Works could not recruit artisans to carry out mining operations, meaning that the Ministry of Works could actually operate this business independently.

All you need to do is pay the mining tax in full.

The mining rights will definitely be taken back, but as for the Prince's Mansion, Qin Feng doesn't care about that guy.

How could a business that makes a fortune every day fall into the hands of others?

The horse-drawn carriage stopped near the Xishan mining area.

"Who is it?"

Qin Feng and his group had just gotten out of the car.

In the distance, several fierce-looking servants, carrying sticks, swarmed forward.

"This is the mining area of ​​the Prince Yun's Mansion. No one is allowed to enter. Get out of here!"

"The mining area of ​​the Prince of Yun's residence? What audacity!"

Qin Feng glanced at the group.

He waved his hand behind him.

"Take them all down! I am the Director of the Agricultural Reclamation Department, the official in charge of charcoal and fuel, and I'm not even qualified to inspect the mining area? Is your Prince Yun's Mansion planning a rebellion? This is the Emperor's mining area, what do you mean, your Prince Yun's Mansion's mining area?"

"Cao Liang, take these men into custody and interrogate them thoroughly later. I suspect they are plotting a rebellion."

Swah——

A group of guards following behind rushed up and instantly knocked down several servants.

"We are from the Prince of Yun's Mansion. Are you tired of living? How dare you..."

"His teeth are sharp and his tongue is biting, pull them all out!"

Qin Feng put his hands behind his back, gave another instruction, and then strolled leisurely towards the mine.

Cao Liang and his men followed closely behind, protecting them on either side.

Lord Miao personally gave the order: although Lord Qin does not hold a position in the Imperial Guard, he is definitely one of their own.

Working under Lord Qin in the future will be just like working for the Imperial Guard.

He originally thought that scholars were all aloof and arrogant people, so how could they possibly be one of his own?

Looking at it now...

They are definitely one of us!

The way they framed him was exactly the same as what the factory security guards did.

Moreover, Lord Qin is ruthless and vicious.

We arrived at the mine.

You can see people in tattered clothes pushing carts full of coal out of the mine.

There were also many people outside loading coal onto horse-drawn carts.

A teahouse was built nearby, where several supervisors sat, each holding a whip.

If anyone is seen moving too slowly, he immediately rushes over, shouts a reprimand, and then lashes out with a whip.

Seeing this scene.

Qin Feng frowned.

"Shouldn't mining workers be employed? How can they be allowed to act so arbitrarily? Aren't they afraid the workers will quit?"

"This humble servant is unaware."

Cao Liang shook his head. Even the factory guards didn't know what the situation was like inside the mine.

"Tell everyone to stop! I need to know what's going on!"

It depends on the situation.

It seems it's not as simple as it seems.

Moreover, after standing there for a while, miners kept pushing wheelbarrows out, and without exception, they were all thin and emaciated.

The construction workers looked at him with fear in their eyes.

Even those who were whipped dared not put up any resistance.

How could a normally employed worker do this?

He gave an instruction.

Qin Feng walked straight towards the vicinity of the tea stall.

Several construction workers stared at the approaching man, their expressions changed, and they stepped forward, whips in hand.

"Who are you?"

"Snapped!"

Cao Liang went up and slapped the man, knocking him to the ground.

"Are you blind? This is Lord Qin from the Ministry of Works, here today to inspect the mining area!"

"Look at people!"

Qin Feng walked towards the miners pushing carts across the street.

Pointing to one of the boys who looked to be under fifteen, he gestured for him to come over.

"This humble servant greets Your Excellency..."

"What's your name?"

"Your Excellency, this humble one is Gou Sheng."

"Where are you all from? How much are you paid per month for working here in the mines?"

Qin Feng nodded slightly and asked again.

The other miners kept giving the boy meaningful glances.

"Tell the truth, honestly, and these five taels of silver are yours!"

"real?"

The young man was stunned.

He hurriedly kowtowed to Qin Feng, replying through gritted teeth:

"Sir, we don't get paid for mining, and we only get one meal a day. We...we are all people from the fiefdom of the Prince of Yun's estate."