Chapter 277: These Must Be Collected
After he completed his inspection of the county town, Li Daoxuan's gaze finally settled on the county yamen.
It was already dusk, but Liang Shixian hadn't left for the day. He remained seated in the yamen, a stack of dossiers piled beside him. His clerk from Shaoxing was also bustling about, meticulously organizing various documents into volumes and presenting them.
Li Daoxuan glanced at them curiously, and saw that Liang Shixian held a ledger of "debts." It meticulously recorded how much grain he had borrowed from the Li family in Gao Family Village on a certain date, and how much more he had borrowed from Gao Family Village on another date...
It was a thick volume!
Filled entirely with such entries.
Liang Shixian held the ledger, a look of profound wistfulness on his face. "I thought I owed countless debts to a hidden, ancient family," he sighed, "but now I realize it was relief grain, a divine gift from the Heavenly Lord. Alas, this ledger has become quite the joke."
The clerk from Shaoxing replied, "The Heavenly Lord probably doesn't lack these trifles, so surely he won't expect us to repay them? After all, we didn't embezzle any of this grain; it was all distributed to the common people."
Liang Shixian nodded. He understood now: when he first went to the Li family to borrow grain, and they so readily provided it for him to make gruel and save lives, it was all the Heavenly Lord's compassion for humanity.
"Hmm? Wait!"
Oh, right, Steward San Shier had said they wouldn't pay taxes on behalf of the people!
Back then, not seeing the Li family as divine, he hadn't thought deeply about the matter. But now, recalling it, a sudden sense of unease settled over him.
He lowered his voice. "Clerk, I sense something amiss."
The clerk asked, surprised, "Pray tell, Master."
Liang Shixian continued, "Since the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan has already sent down rain, alleviating the drought in Gao Family Village, Zhengjia Village, Zhongjia Village, Wangjia Village, and a host of other settlements, allowing these villages to produce grain, why have none of them shown any intention of paying taxes?"
The clerk from Shaoxing stiffened, his brush pausing in mid-stroke.
Liang Shixian pressed on, "Nearly ten thousand refugees in the county town are now building roads under the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan's organization. Although their wages are generous, they also aren't paying any taxes. I momentarily forgot about this, simply delighted that they were able to survive. But now, upon reflection, if they continuously fail to pay taxes, won't that create a significant problem? The Imperial Court... if the Imperial Court investigates, how am I to explain myself?"
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but grin. "Hahaha, you're right, I'd forgotten about that too. You, as an official, actually remembered."
He was right; everyone else might easily forget such a detail, but a county magistrate would remember it clearly.
Because collecting taxes was a magistrate's most significant "achievement." If he managed it well, promotions came swiftly. If not... well, let's just say it wouldn't be good.
The clerk from Shaoxing was also taken aback. After a few seconds, an awkward expression crossed his face. "Master," he said, "regarding these taxes... I suggest we continue to postpone collection."
Liang Shixian frowned. "I postponed it last year. Do you mean to postpone it again this year?"
The clerk whispered, "Employ the same method you used last year to keep postponing it. It is absolutely impossible to collect taxes at this time, otherwise, it would be acting against the will of Heaven. Forgive my bluntness, but all the money and grain currently in the hands of the common people were bestowed by the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan. Barely any of it came from their own harvests. If you collect taxes now, you wouldn't be collecting from the common people, but directly from the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan himself. What if he becomes angry and a giant palm descends? How could you possibly resist? Furthermore, you are the magistrate of Chengcheng County; you cannot leave this county. There would be nowhere for you to run, even if you wished to."
Liang Shixian stammered, "Uh, it seems you're right. But collecting taxes is my duty as an official. I've postponed it for a year already, doing my utmost. Since the Heavenly Lord possesses infinite power and cares deeply for the populace, perhaps he could conjure some grain to help the common people pay their taxes, saving our remote, impoverished county from the constant scrutiny of the Imperial Court, which has long been fixated on these poor people."
As he spoke, he suddenly felt that something was still amiss. Was there some detail from the depths of his memory that he had forgotten?
No! He had to think carefully.
Liang Shixian, a man of vast learning, immediately activated a memory retrieval mode in his mind. Scenes he had witnessed, conversations he'd had, every single word spoken, flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Then, with a mental "ding," it settled on a remark made by San Shier.
"What happens after it's submitted? Who does it fall into? Are you certain all the tax silver reaches the national treasury? And even if it does, will it ultimately benefit the common people?"
It was clear: the Heavenly Lord was unwilling to pay taxes to the Imperial Court.
Liang Shixian let out a long sigh. "Indeed, these taxes truly shouldn't be collected after all."
Hearing Liang Shixian's dilemma, Li Daoxuan seriously considered a question: Should taxes be collected at all?
Yes!
Currently, Gao Family Village's operations were, in fact, abnormal. They relied entirely on his continuous supply of resources to function. Everything in the village's treasury came from him, so it wasn't a normal system.
But without his "golden finger" (cheat ability), for a reliable system to operate, taxes were essential. Tax revenues were needed to fill the national treasury, and the treasury's funds used to build the nation.
Without a national treasury, who would pay when a road needed to be built? Should they appeal to the common people to raise funds? If things were done that way, the entire world would fall into disrepair.
So, taxes definitely had to be collected. However, the method of collection had to change.
The poor shouldn't be taxed; instead, those with middle-income or higher should bear the burden. This, however, was quite complex.
There were many intricacies involved!
Li Daoxuan didn't believe he could simply come up with the best solution off the top of his head. It seemed he would need to spend some time researching how to collect taxes, how much to collect, and from whom, to formulate a detailed plan.
Of course, these collected taxes absolutely could not be handed over to the Imperial Court. They had to remain in the county treasury, and then be used to enrich the common people of Chengcheng County. This was another topic entirely. He needed to be clear on everything before acting; he couldn't be rash.
Until that plan was formulated, he would let the people of Chengcheng County enjoy themselves a little longer!
He shifted his gaze to the bookstore. There, Gao Yiye sat in the library chamber, collaborating with four young women, redeemed from a brothel, to research and illustrate the third volume of "The Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan's Demon-Slaying Chronicles." The story in this volume had already progressed to the county town.
With the help of the four young women, the artistry had significantly improved. They had even depicted a scene of a vast army besieging the county town, with the Heavenly Lord striking down with a single palm, and the rebels falling to their knees, begging for mercy...
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "That little girl, her plot is surprisingly current with events!"
"Yiye! Starting tomorrow, you'll be busy. Tell the story to the four young women and let them handle the drawings. You'll help me with other matters, liaising with the magistrate. We're going to transform the county town."
Gao Yiye's spirits lifted. "Your wish is my command!"
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