SFS Chapter 519 Broken Promise
Chapter 519 Broken Promise
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi took the letter, glanced at it, and his expression turned solemn.
"The taxes in Northern Qi were already quite high. After paying the taxes, the people only had enough grain left to fill their stomachs. How could they possibly have any extra food? The court has suddenly increased the taxes by 30%. Isn't this going to drive the people to their deaths?"
Shen Qingtan's previous guess has been completely confirmed, and she felt very heavy-hearted: "Uncle Qin originally told me that the taxes they paid in Northern Qi were very heavy, amounting to 20% to 30% of the value of the goods."
"Now, the Northern Qi has secretly set up more checkpoints in various places, intending to levy additional taxes. In addition, the court has also increased many miscellaneous taxes that were not originally included in the tax collection."
"In this way, not only will the burden on merchants increase, but the burden on ordinary people will also increase. After all, merchants will not do business at a loss, and the extra taxes will be added to the price of the goods sold to the people."
Zhao Yi read the letter word by word, his heart equally heavy: "Previously, the Prince Xian and Feng Zhihuan exploited the people of Yongqing County, which triggered a people's uprising. With this precedent in mind, Your Majesty should not dare to impose such high taxes."
He couldn't understand the court's actions: "If His Majesty intends to send troops against the Great Zhou, the first thing he should do is stabilize the internal situation. If he forces the people to the point where they can't survive, and the people in various places rise up in rebellion and overthrow his regime, how can he then attack the Great Zhou?"
Shen Qingtan understood the implication in Zhao Yi's words: "You mean... someone is deceiving their superiors and subordinates, outwardly complying but inwardly disobeying?"
Zhao Yi scoffed, “The Northern Qi intends to start a war, but its treasury is empty. If it wants sufficient food supplies, it will inevitably have to increase taxes. His Majesty has experienced the riots in Yongqing County. No matter how incompetent he is, he will not push the people to the brink again.”
"Now that the Imperial Tutor is unconscious, His Majesty has lost his pillar of support. The only people he can consult with are his trusted confidants whom he personally promoted. And these people are naturally the same kind of people as him, few of them care about the people, and each of them prioritizes their own interests."
"They understand Your Majesty's temperament very well, and they are also well aware of the current situation of Northern Qi. They will definitely advise Your Majesty to rest and recuperate for the time being. If they cannot persuade you, in order to increase the strength of Northern Qi, they will probably advise Your Majesty to increase taxes."
"His Majesty is well aware that only by increasing taxes can the national treasury be replenished. He has probably had this idea in mind for a long time, but he is hesitant because he is afraid of a mob uprising."
"If, at this time, His Majesty's trusted ministers told him that the people are well-fed and clothed, and that even if taxes were increased by 10% on top of the existing amount, the people would not go hungry, then such arguments would surely convince him."
Zhao Yi's speculation was not based on the situation of Northern Qi or the character of the Northern Qi emperor and his confidants, but on concrete factual evidence.
He handed the letter to Shen Qingtan, pointing to a sentence written by Boss Qin: "The capital and surrounding areas only saw a 10% increase in taxes, while areas far from the emperor's reach saw a 30% increase. If His Majesty had increased taxes by 30%, the capital and surrounding areas would not have seen only a 10% increase."
Shen Qingtan sighed. The Northern Qi emperor had never gone on a private visit to investigate the people's conditions, so how could he know what kind of life the people under his command were living?
Not all local officials are benevolent and compassionate towards the people. In their pursuit of promotion, they often conceal the true state of public affairs to varying degrees.
The Northern Qi emperor's understanding of the people's conditions came entirely from his officials. He probably thought that the people in various places had plenty of money and grain.
Therefore, after being advised by his trusted ministers, the Emperor of Northern Qi believed it and went along with it.
“They hold positions but do nothing, instead abusing their power to harm the people. Now that taxes have been increased, it will inevitably cause discontent among the people. Even if the people riot, they have prepared countermeasures, sending troops to suppress them, so that the people will not have the opportunity to expose the local tax re-levying.” Shen Qingtan asked, “Are you going to report this matter to the imperial court?”
Zhao Yi slowly shook his head: "Let's put this aside for now and talk about it after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
“Our thoughts coincide.” Shen Qingtan rolled up the letter, lit it on the oil lamp, and said, “We need to prepare for both possibilities and act accordingly when the time comes.”
Zhao Yi gave a low "hmm" as he thought about the conscription matters.
With increased taxes, conscription is inevitable.
If soldiers are conscripted, and the court handles the matter improperly, even if a large army is sent to suppress the people, it will not be able to overcome the overwhelming force of the people, and it will inevitably cause unrest.
At that time, the Northern Qi emperor's regime would likely be in jeopardy.
After all, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.
"Let's not think about these things for now." Zhao Yi carried Shen Qingtan to the inner room, placed her on the bed, and took off her outer clothes. "You must be tired from the long journey. Rest first. We can talk about the rest tomorrow."
"it is good."
Shen Qingtan consciously lay down in bed, pulling the blanket up to her chest, but saw Zhao Yi standing by the bed, not having untied his clothes, clearly not intending to sleep with her.
She sat up, still wrapped in the blanket: "Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I still have things to take care of." Zhao Yi leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You go to sleep first."
Shen Qingtan nodded, lay back down on the bed, and watched Zhao Yi extinguish the oil lamp before quietly leaving the main room.
Although she was exhausted and extremely sleepy, she couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned in bed, eventually lying on the outside of the bed, staring at the crescent moon outside the window, her thoughts gradually drifting away.
Before setting off for her fiefdom, she wrote letters to her father, mother, and four brothers, but only received five replies.
Only her cousin Changsheng did not reply to her letter.
Before leaving Da Zhou, she left a letter for her cousin, in which she made a promise with him to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together this year.
However, she broke her promise and did not return to Da Zhou before the Dragon Boat Festival, nor could she go back for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Therefore, she apologized to her cousin in the letter and explained why she could not go back to Da Zhou to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with him.
She then added that if her cousin had the time, he should come to Yingcheng, and she would try to go there to meet him. If he couldn't make it, she would personally visit him to apologize when the opportunity arose.
However, she did not receive a response from her cousin.
Shen Qingtan wondered if the letter had simply not reached her cousin. After all, given their sibling relationship, she was certain that her cousin would send her a reply, regardless of whether he understood her situation or not.
The messenger repeatedly assured her that the letter had reached her cousin.
Shen Qingtan sighed, hoping to receive a letter from her cousin the next day.
By the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shen Qingtan still had not received a letter from Gu Changsheng.
Zhao Yi and several officials from his fiefdom returned from outside the mansion and saw Shen Qingtan smiling broadly as she counted the gifts she had prepared for her relatives in the front hall, her eyes filled with anticipation for their long-awaited reunion. But when she picked up one of the gifts, her joy vanished, replaced by disappointment.
She felt guilty for not being able to keep her promise to Gu Changsheng.
As Shen Qingtan received replies from her family, Zhao Yi noticed that something was wrong with her.
Because she would ask Liuyue, who was by her side, every day if she had received any letters from Gu Changsheng.
But each response she received disappointed her.
This situation became particularly evident after they arrived in Yuncheng.
She went from asking once a day to asking three times a day.
Without exception, the result was the same.
At this moment, Liuyue and Tingxue carried the gifts that Shen Qingtan had counted one by one onto the carriage.
Zhao Yi gathered his thoughts and went to Shen Qingtan's side: "Manman, shall we set off now to see your father-in-law?"
Shen Qingtan nodded: "Alright, we can't keep our father and brothers waiting for us."
The group headed to the border between the two countries.
The carriage slowly came to a stop. Zhao Yi lifted the carriage curtain and reached out to help Shen Qingtan down from the carriage.
Shen Qingtan stopped and looked up at the group of people opposite her, and was stunned.