Use a substitute on your wedding night to scatter the ashes of your entire family - Chapter 619: Tax Songs and Poems
Use a substitute on your wedding night to scatter the ashes of your entire family
Chapter 619: Tax Songs and PoemsLi Shuangwan handed the written document to Chen Ping: "I want you to let everyone in the streets and alleys of Shengjing know about it within two days."
Chen Ping picked it up and looked at it, his face changed: "Yes, don't worry, Princess. Beggars are everywhere. Other things may not work, but it is easy to spread a ballad."
A few people came over to take a look, and saw a song called "Tax Ballad" written on the paper:
The emperor's dragon robe is embroidered with gold thread, and the tax collectors knocking on the door make him worried every night.
Three shi of rice is divided into seven parts, and only the bran is left to feed the old cow.
Farmers put down their hoes and merchants stopped their boats, and they emptied their boxes and cabinets to collect taxes.
The neighbor’s house has a new seven-story pavilion, and the dead bodies of the starving people are piled up like hills in the west of the city.
There are half a bucket of swallow nests under the eaves, and the old tree in front of the door is peeling for three autumns.
Last night the north wind blew away the tiles, and today I have to oil them again.
Don’t ask how much rent the bright moon costs, for the tiny stars are all taxes.
If there were no gold and silver in the world, even a handful of soil would be taxed.
The word "Ling" was not used but "Lin" was used instead, which was a blatant irony to the Ling royal family.
Speaking of this, the atmosphere in Qinglan Court, which had just been relaxed, suddenly became dull.
"Chen Ping, you must protect their safety."
"Yes, I understand. As long as the Royal Guards don't show up, it won't be that easy for other government offices to investigate."
Thinking of Lu Dongqing's Jinyiwei, Li Shuangwan shook his head: "No."
Chen Ping's efficiency was indeed very high. In just half a day, everyone in Shengjing City could sing a few lines of this song that satirized the court.
Five days later, Li Shuangwan, his parents and his brother were having lunch in the flower hall.
A deputy general came hurriedly.
When Li Shuangwan saw her, he was about to call her Uncle Zhang, but then he remembered his current identity and quickly shut up.
As soon as Zhang Zizhen came in, he saw four people sitting around a round table eating. When he saw Li Shuangwan, his expression suddenly changed, and he seemed a little uncertain: "Big, big girl?"
Li Shuangwan smiled at him and said, "This must be Uncle Zhang, the deputy general beside my father, right?"
Li Huaiying smiled and said, "Yes. Zizhen, this is my second daughter, Li Shuangyan."
The eight-foot-tall man's eyes suddenly turned red. Yes, the girl he had seen grow up was gone.
Realizing that he had been rude, he quickly wiped his tears with his sleeves and said, "It turns out to be Princess Ning'an. I am here to see you, Princess."
Li Shuangwan smiled and replied, "Hello, Uncle Zhang. I always hear my father mention you. He said that Uncle Zhang saved my father many times on the battlefield."
Zhang Zizhen smiled innocently: "As a soldier, you have to trust your life on the battlefield. The general saved me more times than others, otherwise I would have died long ago. The deepest wound on the general's back was caused by the Northern Qi soldiers when he saved me."
"Zizhen, why are you here in such a hurry? What happened?"
Seeing that his deputy general and his daughter were still talking, Li Huaiying was afraid that if he knew his daughter's true identity, it would not be good for Zizhen, so he interrupted and asked.
Zhang Zizhen sighed softly, his weathered face wrinkled into a pile of yellow mud: "General, the soldiers are making trouble again."
"Make a fuss? What happened? Why are you making a fuss?"
He knew very well that the soldiers he led had strict military discipline and would not cause trouble without reason.
Zhang Zizhen's face was filled with worry. "Alas, the Ministry of Revenue has come and asked each soldier to take silver according to his rank. General, how can such a thing happen in the world? Not only have they not received their salaries for three months this year, but now they are asked to take money out to fill the treasury."
"If I hadn't stopped them, the two officials from the Ministry of Revenue would have been beaten up by the soldiers today. Now they are clamoring to go to the palace to seek justice with the Crown Prince, and I don't have the face to stop them."
"Soldiers go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, their heads are hanging on their belts, who doesn't rely on that little bit of salary to support their wives, children and parents at home?"
Li Shuangwan frowned slightly: "Why, now even the soldiers in the army have to be assigned by head count?"
Some time ago, I only heard that silver would be distributed to officials above the fifth rank in the court.
Now Ling Heng is so shameless that he has extended his hand into the military.
How shameless is he!
"Isn't it? The soldiers were so angry that their fists creaked. I have calmed them down temporarily and come to discuss countermeasures with the general."
Li Huaiying's face was gloomy: "Where are the people from the Ministry of Revenue?"
"They saw that the soldiers were going to beat them, so they didn't dare to stay and ran away. But before they left, they also said that if they couldn't collect the silver in one day, they would have to come every day."
Li Shuangwan snorted coldly and looked at Li Huaiying: "Father, have you heard about the ballad that has been circulating in Shengjing City these past two days?"
"Yes, I heard about it. A minister even read it out in public during the morning court today."
"What's the prince's reaction?"
Li Yuanqiao sneered: "How can he react? He said that this is because the people are ignorant of the difficulties of the country. The treasury is empty, and the military pay and food are insufficient. If the neighboring countries attack us again, everyone will become slaves of the conquered country."
"He also ordered the Royal Guards to thoroughly investigate the matter and kill the perpetrators on the spot if they were found."
Li Shuangwan's heart sank: "Ling Heng is crazy!"
Li Huaiying frowned: "Yan Yan, be careful with your words."
Zhang Zizhen snorted coldly: "General, the princess is right, the prince is crazy!"
Li Yuanqiao looked at his father carefully and said, "Not only that, he also sent the Five Cities Army and the Imperial Guards out to arrest anyone they saw singing. When we came back from court, they were arresting people all over the street, and they had already arrested quite a few people."
Li Shuangwan clenched his fists. The military report on the Northwest unrest arranged by Xing Yan had not yet been sent back to Shengjing.
If my father and the 5,000 Li family soldiers do not leave Shengjing, there will be no way to provoke Ling Yan to launch a coup.
Now, this is the only way to deal with Ling Heng.
"So, has Commander Lu been investigating?"
Li Huaiying nodded and shook his head: "Before anyone mentioned the ballad, Commander Lu had already asked for leave from the Crown Prince, saying that the wedding was coming up soon and he wanted a month's leave."
Li Shuangwan wanted to laugh, but couldn't. Lu Dongqing did this on purpose.
He dared to marry Miss Hu, which was already a disobedience to the royal family.
Taking a month off at this critical moment would make Ling Heng so angry that he would die.
"Ling Heng agreed?"
Li Yuanqiao's face was filled with anger when he thought of this: "He didn't agree or disagree. In front of all the civil and military officials, he said, 'Since Commander Lu is so eager to hug a beauty, you can hug a beauty every day in your mansion from now on.'"
"Sister, do you think he is forcing Commander Lu to resign? He didn't even give Commander Lu the slightest bit of face. He has been the commander of the Royal Guards for so many years. Even if he has no merits, he has worked hard, right? The prince's move is so disheartening."
Li Shuangwan curled the corners of his mouth. This should be exactly what Lu Dongqing wanted. He knew it the last time he saw him and Hu Muyan in Liuyue Tower.
Such a Northern Jin Dynasty, such a court.
Lu Dongqing had long since given up on being the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"So what was his reaction?"