Arufu's suspicions were immediately dispelled; he would find out soon enough by sending someone out to inquire.
He quickly replied, "When is the tax due?"
"Starting next month," Xie Xia said, then clasped his hands in a fist salute and turned to leave.
Looking at the tax book, Arufu immediately sent someone to inform Shan Yuhou that he didn't need to leave tonight, and that they would see how things went tomorrow night.
Dan Yuhou was still worried after hearing the news, so he decided to spend the day on the ship. He couldn't let his guard down these days. If Arufu didn't know what was good for him, he wouldn't be so sure that he would abandon him.
When the merchants of Weidu heard that the Xie family had dispatched 5,000 soldiers and was making a big show of force, many of them were filled with anxiety. However, the Xie family issued a notice that very day, changing the road tax and issuing tax certificates. Everyone was told to go to the government office to collect them. Some people who received the tax certificates found that they only needed to pay five taels, even fifteen taels less, and they were overjoyed.
The merchants sent by the Xie family reminded them that this was a new decree from Prince Fengning, intended to lower the barriers to entry and welcome more merchants to purchase goods. Those who made significant contributions to trade would also receive preferential treatment.
When the merchants heard that it wasn't because of Xie Fengqing, they all breathed a sigh of relief, and those who had wanted to flee overnight were able to continue doing business with peace of mind.
The next day, however, they discovered that the goods in Weidu were not as affordable as before. The cheap goods were still priced the same, but the high-quality goods were categorized in all sorts of ways, with prices as high as 100 taels per foot. Some of the high-quality clothes even had the certification of the Royal Si family.
Tianjing has relaxed the regulations for merchants, allowing them to dress and eat in luxury. Although it was previously forbidden, merchants lived in luxury without any qualms, but now that it's officially permitted, it's like removing a shackle from their necks.
This led to a complete sell-out of Weidu's finest silks, and even with price increases, many people still bought them. Wearing them while strolling the streets of Weidu would draw admiring glances from passersby due to the silk's superior quality. This gave merchants, who had long been suppressed, a great sense of satisfaction. Furthermore, these high-quality silks were guaranteed for three years, with the option to sell them at a discounted price upon repurchase.
Clothes with insured prices could be resold repeatedly, which made merchants see the profits and they all followed suit, resulting in chaos. Even food was insured, and many people suffered huge losses. This blind following of the trend significantly increased the tax revenue of the new decree.
Xie Xia looked at the daily tax and transaction reports from Weidu and could hardly stop smiling.
"He made a profit of 30,000 taels of silver from selling luxury goods in just one day. This Weidu is truly a blessed place." He didn't forget to hand the tax form to Li Wang Silei.
Si Lei was initially very resistant to the new order, but he was quite surprised to find that the order earned him more than the entire day's trading volume in Weidu on its very first day. He even saw that his silver earnings had already reached 30,000.
The peak period for Weidu is 52,000 days, with a maximum daily volume of 28,000. This is 2,000 more than the previous 30,000.
Furthermore, Xie Xia handed the silver to Si Lei, who was quite surprised. Had Xie Xia and Feng Ning not taken away his power? It seemed that they had not taken away his power, but instead had made better plans for Weidu.
Now that he had acquired the money, he naturally dared not keep it all for himself. So he first divided it into four parts and six parts, handing over six parts to Tianjing. He kept two parts for himself and two parts for maintaining the port city's development.
He handed the petition to Xie Xia, but Xie Xia said to his face, "His Highness said that you can keep the money and do not need to hand it over to Tianjing."
Si Lei hadn't expected Feng Ning to be so generous. Or was it because Xie Zhu was specifically looking out for him? Thinking about it this way, he felt much better. At least he hadn't been suppressed, and Weidu, where he was, was still the wealthiest place.
So, he started to be less opposed to the idea of Xie Xia stationing troops. After all, Xie Xia himself was paying for the maintenance of the troops, and he, Wei Du, would get security for free, so why not?
Si Lei left happily.
Xie Xia immediately slipped into the study to write a letter to Tianjing.
When Xie Lanzhi received the letter, the woman in her arms was nuzzling against her, and the signals between the wife were constantly being exchanged at a high frequency. Helplessly, she finished reading the letter and told her, "Xie Xia wrote that he has appeased the merchants of Weidu. However, Shan Yuhou is still at the dock and has not let up."
Si Xitong immediately swept the letter away from her hand and began to roam over Xie Lanzhi's body, making Xie Lanzhi straighten her back. It seemed that she did not want to discuss politics today.
Xie Lanzhi picked her up and rolled her onto the bed.
"Let's go boating on the lake tomorrow."
"With the Western Guard's Censorate and Wu Qiu in charge of recent political and supervisory affairs, we can have a few days of leisure."
"OK!"
A note from the author:
Before I knew it, there were over a hundred chapters.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:44:05 on December 26, 2021 and 17:52:22 on December 27, 2021!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Coriander (6 bottles); Xinxin (2 bottles); and Ruthless Check-in Machine (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 103 The two leisurely strolled on the lake
As the cruise ship docked, two figures, one in gray and one in purple, stood at the stern. Xie Shangguang rowed at the bow, while rows of Xie soldiers in black armor guarded the riverbank, filling the entire river line.
Si Xitong felt incredibly disappointed. Their precious time together had been ruined by so many followers. The constant stares made her feel uncomfortable.
Sensing her wife's displeasure, Xie Lanzhi comforted her, saying, "Things are different now. Have you forgotten how many new orders you've issued?"
"Oh, so that's what it is." Having found the reason for the disappointment, Si Xitong's last bit of dissatisfaction vanished completely.
Her new decree was not obeyed by everyone, and it also hit many vested interests. These people were unwilling to accept this, so they hired assassins to kill her.
Better safe than sorry, Xie Lanzhi instructed Xie Jun to thoroughly examine everyone around them every day to prevent anyone from sneaking in.
Si Xitong didn't want to hear about politics today. She quietly enjoyed being in someone's arms, watching the still green lake. Xie Lanzhi protected her very well, almost down to the last strand of her hair. Her attitude more or less influenced her subordinates, to the point that the focus of political affairs began to shift towards Jianzhang Palace.
She was willing to delegate authority, yet she was also willing to take over. With a balance of firmness and flexibility, they governed Tianjing well. Tianjing's stable order led to significant economic benefits, naturally stabilizing the surrounding areas as well.
"I think I'll be going to Honghe next month," the person who had been avoiding any mention of business said again.
Si Xitong sighed and said, "I understand."
"You're unhappy." Xie Lanzhi keenly sensed her wife's emotions.
Si Xitong told her the truth: "We've only been married for a little over two months. Do you think I can be happy during our honeymoon?"
"Is that so? How about we make a hypothetical scenario?" To divert her wife's attention, Xie Lanzhi deliberately drew a circle in the future. The circle was a hypothetical scenario of what life would be like if they weren't in power.
Si Xitong's eyes suddenly dimmed, and her originally bright eyes lost their luster and turned gray.
"Lanzhi, this is impossible."
Xie Lanzhi's attempt to distract herself failed, and she said helplessly, "Why can't I? Just imagine some wonderful, beautiful moments."
“For example, in a peaceful and prosperous era, you are the child of this family and I am the child of that family. We are from a distinguished family, have known each other since childhood and have played together since we were little.”
"How innocent and carefree we were! Our parents were always worried about us because we were too naughty. After curfew, we would climb over the wall to go back home. If we were caught, we would get a scolding and then be confined to the house to copy the women's classics."
"Women's Classics?" Si Xitong raised an eyebrow instantly, her face full of rebellion as she said, "My father made me copy them a few times."
"And then?" Xie Lanzhi became interested. When she was a child, she was always well-behaved at school, and after school, volunteer aunties would take her to the park to play. During holidays, Ai Min's parents would take her home for dinner. Except for the time when she was busy preparing for graduate school in college, it seemed like she hadn't had a family reunion dinner with anyone for a long time.
However, in this world, she had already married and made up for all the family reunions she had missed in the past. So she had no regrets.
Si Xitong recalled her father's punishment of copying the "Women's Classics." At that age, she was full of curiosity and would ask her father anything: Why couldn't women govern? Why were women confined to the inner palace? Why was it always the wife's fault when the husband did something wrong? Was it the wife's fault for the husband's lack of teaching? If so, wrongdoing could simply be blamed on women; why bother thinking about it? Why bother learning Confucianism and Mencius's teachings? Women were required to stay in the inner palace, yet they were also expected to be open-minded, magnanimous, tolerant, and forgiving like Guanyin. Men studied the words of sages to become gentlemen and serve the people. Women, on the other hand, were seen as lacking virtue and therefore talented.
Si Xitong once learned about the saying "lack of talent is a virtue," which was misunderstood and biased in every dynasty, and even became a fallacy about virtue.
She never took these words seriously from a young age. When her father occasionally scolded her for not knowing manners, she would be unhappy. Her father would then tell her to be self-reliant and virtuous.
Her father's education of her was contradictory, with mixed reviews. Her mother, when she was alive, said that her father was a fickle and capricious person.
“I don’t take many of my father’s words to heart,” Si Xitong said, looking up at her. “But sometimes I do take many of his words to heart.”
If Little Phoenix had been brainwashed by traditional female virtues and doctrines from a young age, she would not be as good at accepting new things as she is now. Her thinking is not fixed, and on the contrary, she maintains a very independent personality.
She thought her parents must not have taught her any ignorant or bad habits from a young age. That's why Little Phoenix said she wouldn't take it to heart, but she also took it to heart.
Listen to what is useful, and ignore what is useless.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Then your childhood was pretty good, unlike mine when I was a child, I was so scared that I didn't dare to go to the toilet because a teacher was too fierce, and I almost embarrassed myself in the classroom."
"Even Lanzhi has moments of fear?" Si Xitong had heard her talk about her own experiences before, but this was the first time she had heard her share her embarrassing moments.
Xie Lanzhi hugged her and said, "How could I not be afraid? But it's all in the past. Now I'm fearless because I've eaten the gall of a bear and the gall of a leopard."
So much has happened in the past two years. Chaotic times no longer provide the sense of security that we have with brave warriors in modern times. In this world, we have to solve everything ourselves, and we have to conquer our own sense of security.
At the same time, Xie Lanzhi unknowingly became a source of security for the people of the entire south. She transformed from someone who was being protected into a warrior who protected others.
"The bravest thing I ever did as a child was probably rescuing Aimin from human traffickers. That was also what I was most afraid of. Fortunately, everything turned out alright in the end."
Si Xitong gently held her hand, lowered her head and remained silent. Afterwards, she said to her chest, "So Lanzhi was so good at protecting people even when she was little. You were so young back then, you had no ability to protect people at all."
"It's precisely because we're young that we need to know how to protect ourselves," Xie Lanzhi said. "Because besides ourselves, there are only police officers; probably no one else can protect us."
She had no complaints whatsoever; she simply accepted reality.
Si Xitong felt a pang of sadness in her heart. It turned out that she wasn't born knowing how to protect people, but rather that no one was there to protect her.
"If someone were protecting her..." She hesitated, but Xie Lanzhi was so focused on talking about her own affairs to distract his wife that he didn't notice her wife's mood changing so quickly.
She said, "If someone protects me, I might become a little spoiled and less obedient."
He'll probably end up like that brat rowing the boat. Xie Shangguang's parents are ordinary people; only his grandmother has the ability to maintain the family business. However, Xie Shangguang has no shortage of family wealth or parental love. Therefore, because he's been spoiled, he's often oblivious and lacks social skills.
"Tch!" Xie Shangguang touched his nose and continued to prop up the bamboo pole.
"What's wrong with being a little naughty when you're young?" Si Xitong suddenly said, "Lanzhi doesn't need to feel regretful."
Xie Lanzhi didn't understand why her wife was so emotional, but she still nodded and obeyed her wife.
"Meeting you has left me with no regrets. And please don't be sad because of me. I don't have many regrets." She didn't forget to remind her, afraid that she might overthink things.
I know she loves to remember what she says, but today she really said it on a whim, so there's no need to write it down.
Because she already felt an abundance of love. There is no more compatible couple in the world than them. They share the same ideals and the same great cause, and they even sleep in the same bed, sharing dreams and dreams. They have already surpassed most small-scale couples and large-scale couples.
They are not only wives and lovers, but also partners who share weal and woe, and good teachers and helpful friends!
With this little phoenix, what more could a woman ask for?
After the two tacitly changed the subject, they hugged even tighter and clung to each other more firmly. Xie Shangguang, whose face was numb on the bow of the boat, felt like a dog.
Laughter and banter could still be heard from the stern of the boat: "Lanzhi, did you ever play pitch-pot when you were little?"
"No, but I can dunk. I'll ask the Ministry of Works to build a basketball court sometime, and we can wear our uniforms and play basketball together."
"Is it also a throwing game?"
"Although it may not be as elegant as pitch-pot, it exudes youthful vitality and has its own unique charm."
"Now that you mention it, I'm really curious. And what about the jerseys?"
Xie Shangguang listened intently, his ear pressed close. Then he heard Xie Lanzhi say, seemingly slyly, "Two bare chests, shorts revealing legs, a ball in her left hand!"
Si Xitong said in a reproachful voice, "How annoying!"
“We can play ball with the doors closed. Also, I never get a clear look at you at night because you're always covered up in long robes and gowns. How about we try short shirts and shorts tonight, we can wear them as pajamas. It's so hot anyway.”
"Lanzhi, you're so naughty today! If it were tonight, could we try it?"
Xie Shangguang's face immediately turned bright red. The Marshal was utterly shameless!
Won't she set a bad example for the mistress?!
The reflections of boats on the lake, the ripples on the water, and the cheerful laughter of young women create a scene of tranquility and peace.