Chapter 353: We're Here to Mine
From Gao Family Village, they first traversed a stretch of cement road to Zheng Family Village. Beyond that, only the winding, S-shaped dirt track Li Daoxuan had carved out with a metal scraper remained. Following this path down the mountain, they entered Heyang County.
Continuing east along the dirt track, they reached Yang Village in Heyang County.
In Yang Village, numerous laborers were already hard at work, drawing wages from Gao Family Village for road construction, creating a bustling, energetic atmosphere.
Seeing this, Gao Yiye was quite pleased. "The people of Heyang County, just like those in our Chengcheng County, have work and food," she murmured. "Wherever the Heavenly Lord's influence reaches, everyone can live a good life."
Qiu Ju chimed in, "Indeed. The Heavenly Lord is truly a good person... ah, no, a benevolent deity."
Dong Xue added, "If not for the Heavenly Lord's aid, we would still be wretched souls toiling in brothels. To think of it now, it feels like a lifetime ago."
Gao Yiye reached out and gently clasped the hands of Qiu Ju and Dong Xue. "Don't worry," she assured them, "those days are long past."
Their contingent was, in truth, quite striking. Over a hundred militiamen, armed to the teeth, escorted a large carriage. A slight parting of the curtains revealed a beautiful woman gazing out the window.
The Heyang County laborers, working on the road, couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"Hmph, you don't know? That's the Saintess of the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan Tian Zun."
"What? Who's the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan Tian Zun?"
"Have you forgotten? Last time, when Daoist Priest Ma Tianzheng prayed for rain, who did he pray to?"
"Ah! I remember now! It was the great deity who summoned the Four Dragon Kings to bring us rain!"
"Exactly! When drinking water, remember the well-digger. The only reason we received rain here is because the venerable Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan Tian Zun invited the Four Dragon Kings."
"And we have this work, earning three catties of flour every day, all thanks to the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan Tian Zun."
"Show some respect for the Saintess!"
As the laborers conversed, the news spread like wildfire. Soon, wherever Gao Yiye's carriage passed, the workers lining both sides of the road knelt and bowed. Unable to thank the deity directly, they seized this opportunity to pay their respects to the Saintess, his representative.
Qiu Ju peered out the carriage window, then turned back, "Madam Saintess, the common folk are all bowing to our carriage."
Gao Yiye smiled. "They have personally experienced the Heavenly Lord's benevolence," she said. "I truly hope that one day, all common folk across the land will know such prosperity."
Beyond Yang Village, the contingent turned southeast, crossing the flattest agricultural plains of Heyang County. This entire region had received periodic rain from Li Daoxuan, and farmers were busily tilling their fields.
It was now the spring of the third year of Chongzhen, precisely the season for spring plowing.
The Heavenly Lord's timely rain had truly made everyone ecstatic. Farmers had desperately tilled their land and sown their crops, and the entire plain now presented a scene of burgeoning prosperity.
From Yang Village to Heyang County, a distance of over twenty li across flat terrain, the group arrived in just over an hour. They hadn't sent anyone ahead, so the Heyang County Magistrate, Feng Juan, had no idea they were coming and was entirely unprepared for an official welcome.
The two old soldiers guarding the city gate were greatly startled at first glance by the arrival of a large contingent of armed-to-the-teeth militiamen, nearly striking the alarm gong.
Fortunately, some townspeople, having caught wind of the news, rushed in ahead of them, shouting at the gate guards: "That's the Saintess of the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan Tian Zun! The Heavenly Lord who brought us rain!"
Only then did the old soldiers put down their small hammers, which had been poised to strike the gong, and open the city gates wide, offering a warm welcome.
Yamen runners swiftly dashed off to inform Feng Juan, who hastily donned his official robes, straightened his cap, and then hurried out to greet them.
The moment he saw Gao Yiye, Feng Juan was stunned. He had met this young woman before; last time, she had introduced herself as Madam Li. Now, she was apparently the Saintess of the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan Tian Zun.
But Feng Juan was no fool. His mind raced: the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan Tian Zun's true name was Li Daoxuan, and as for this 'Saintess' title, she likely considered herself a woman of the divine, hence her earlier claim of being Madam Li. It wasn't entirely illogical.
In short, this person was the true authority of Gao Family Village, and must be taken seriously. He decided to disregard the "Saintess" title for now and simply treat her as Gao Family Village's leader; that couldn't be wrong.
Feng Juan formally offered his respects. "Madam Li, Third Manager," he began, "Your honored presence here is a surprise. How may I be of service?"
Gao Yiye now conversed with the magistrate without needing San Shier to relay her words; she carried herself with the bearing of a respected lady. "We have come to Heyang County this time," she stated, "because we wish to mine for coal."
"Oh? Mining?"
This request, in particular, caught Feng Juan by surprise.
"Yes, mining," Gao Yiye confirmed with a slight smile. "We wish to lease the coal mines in Jingshui Ditch."
Feng Juan's expression immediately became awkward.
Since its founding, the Great Ming Dynasty had prohibited private mining, and there had even been numerous incidents of miners illegally extracting resources, revolting, and clashing with government troops.
However, by the mid-Ming Dynasty, the court's regulation of private mines had significantly relaxed. By the Chongzhen era, they were entirely overwhelmed. Around the capital, in Jiangnan, Shanxi, and other regions, private miners began to emerge. They developed their own pits, then remitted one-quarter of their proceeds to the court as a mining tax. The court, in turn, comfortably collected the money and entrusted the coal mines to private operators. This was one of the phenomena signaling the nascent stages of capitalism in the late Ming Dynasty.
Of course, while ostensibly agreeing to one-quarter, the actual amount submitted was far less. There was no reliable method of accounting at the time; how could the government possibly know how much coal private kilns actually extracted?
Consequently, the final tax amount depended entirely on negotiations between the coal mine owners and the supervising officials. If a coal boss had strong backing, the tax would naturally be minimal, perhaps even waived altogether.
Under this premise, wealthy merchants in the Jiangnan region colluded with officials, evading almost all mining taxes, which left the imperial court with no revenue whatsoever.
This matter eventually escalated to the point where a formidable figure emerged: Wei Zhongxian.
While this Nine Thousand Year Lord had issued many misguided policies, he also produced one stroke of genius: he began taxing the coal mines operated by officials in the Jiangnan region. He forbade them from engaging in corruption and embezzlement, forcing them to surrender one-quarter of their profits to the imperial court.
This single action, however, almost alienated every civil official in the Jiangnan region...
As Feng Juan pondered this, his nose began to gush blood!
Gao Yiye was startled. "Master Feng," she exclaimed, "Your nose is bleeding!"
"Ah?" Feng Juan reached up and wiped his nose vigorously, leaving a wavy streak of red across his face. It was clear from that gesture how violently his hand trembled.
With a somewhat stiff tone, he managed, "Madam Li, you wish to lease the coal mines in Jingshui Ditch here in Heyang County? This matter... I'm afraid... I'll be frank. Ever since Wei Zhongxian's death, the court's new policies regarding mining taxes have been... *cough*... this mine is proving rather difficult to manage."
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