Xu Jingzong finally realized that fighting alone, he had no way to survive in the circle of meritorious nobles. Therefore, he began seeking friends for himself. Xue Zihuai was an excellent opportunity—as long as he took Xue Zihuai under his tutelage, the brothers Xue Wanche and Xue Wanren would become his allies. As for Princess Danyang, Xu Jingzong never believed that a temperamental, arrogant, and extravagant woman would become an obstacle to him.

Anyone with even a bit of vision could already see that a great era had arrived. This was the best of times and also the worst of times. Those who could follow the great tide of history would thrive like fish in water, while those unable to keep pace with the times would feel utterly out of place in this new era. Old concepts were making their final struggle against new ideological currents. Yun Ye believed that the fangs of the new age had already emerged and had already bitten into the throat of that old man called “the past.”

Li Er and Zhangsun continued to wander through the streets and alleys of Yuezhou, sometimes even appearing in the farmlands on the outskirts. They no longer concealed their identities but purposefully inspected the new city in the company of Han Cheng and Qian Sheng.

At the place where Yun Ye had once carelessly thrown rice seedlings, a small temple had appeared. The inscription was still there, its sarcastic tone unchanged, except for one additional sentence at the end: “By year’s end, this field yielded ten percent more.”

Inside the temple was a statue of Yun Ye. No one knew who had carved it, but it captured Yun Ye’s lazy appearance perfectly—holding a bundle of rice seedlings and throwing them into the field.

“Even his fooling around can lead to the common people spontaneously building him a statue. I truly have nothing to say.” Li Er entered the temple and patted the statue’s head with his hand, deeply moved. Was this fellow’s magic due to luck, or was he truly protected by the hundred gods in some mysterious way?

“Your Majesty is unaware—when Marquis Yun, dressed in golden crown and brocade robes, insisted on farming, this humble subject felt it was inappropriate. However, for a young nobleman to have the inclination to farm was already rare. Who could have imagined that his farming method was to swing the seedlings around and throw them everywhere? You didn’t see it, Your Majesty—all the other fields had seedlings planted neatly and orderly, but the field Marquis Yun planted was a complete mess.”

“This humble subject thought he was just fooling around, treating such an important matter as farming like a joke. I was so angry that I resigned from office and planned to return to the countryside to teach. This humble subject never imagined that the fields others had painstakingly planted in neat rows would have seedlings that couldn’t match the growth of his carelessly thrown ones. So this humble subject withdrew my resignation, planning to wait until the autumn harvest to see. The result is what you see now—this humble subject had no choice but to slap my own face and carve those final words on that stone tablet.”

Zhangsun was not surprised by Yun Ye’s magical abilities. Looking at the rice fields about to be harvested, she asked, “This palace observes that the seedlings in the fields are still orderly. Since Yun Ye can produce ten percent more grain by throwing seedlings randomly, why don’t the common people learn to do the same?”

Qian Sheng smiled bitterly and said, “Your Majesty, the common people depend on the harvest from these fields for their survival all year round. Who would dare to be careless with the seedlings in the soil? Throwing seedlings randomly has been unheard of since ancient times. The common people believe Marquis Yun succeeded because blessed noble ancestors were protecting him. They think they, with their lowly lives and bodies like paper, don’t have such fortune and that it’s safer to farm according to the ancestral methods.”

Zhangsun sighed and exchanged a glance with Li Er before continuing forward. Li Er looked at the verdant mountains surrounding them and asked Han Cheng, “This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides and near water on one side, with swamps everywhere and mosquitoes running rampant. Why do we rarely see wild beasts? I previously heard that Cloud Dream Marsh was full of dragons and that the mountains were teeming with tigers and leopards. Yet today, after we君臣 have walked here all day, why is it so difficult to see even small beasts like foxes?”

Han Cheng bowed and replied, “In response to Your Majesty, this humble subject now only laments that there are too few dragons and that the traces of tigers and leopards are hard to find.”

“Oh? Why is this? Dragons, tigers, and leopards are all pests. Why do you have such lamentations?” Li Er knew there must be a reason and didn’t rashly draw conclusions. Instead, he asked aloud. The encounter from a few days ago still bothered him. Many things about Yuezhou were different from other prefectures. One of them was that the gates of Yuezhou city never closed. After the latter half of the night, there would be an endless stream of carts and horses entering Yuezhou city. After inquiring, he learned that Yuezhou city didn’t allow merchants to bring in goods during the day—they could only transport goods into Yuezhou after midnight when the markets were empty. The reason was that the prefect believed pigs and sheep passing through the market were unsightly.

“Your Majesty, although dragons, tigers, and leopards are all pests, every part of them is treasure. Dragon hide, after tanning, becomes the finest leather. Boots made from it last for years without deterioration. What Your Majesty doesn’t know is that the best tanning craftsmen can separate one dragon hide into four layers. Even so, Marquis Yun is still not satisfied and believes that separating it into ten sheets is acceptable. The separated crocodile skin is soft as silk and tough as hemp, making it the top choice for manufacturing various trunks and cases. Look, the bags those female officials are carrying on their backs are produced by the Yun family shops. The prices are ridiculously expensive. With this humble subject’s salary, I can’t buy many such bags in a year.”

“Dragon meat is even more sought after now. Physicians believe dragon meat can nourish qi and blood, relieve asthma and stop coughs, so wealthy households all keep dried dragon meat for when it’s needed. As for tigers and leopards, it’s the same. The fur garments made by master craftsmen from Chang’an are now being sold to Dashi. Twenty percent of Yuezhou city’s industry is supported by these dragons, tigers, and leopards.”

“Now, not only can we not see large dragons around Yuezhou city, even small ones are nowhere to be found. Tigers and leopards can only be seen if you enter deep into the mountains. Because of this, the trunks and furs made in Yuezhou have become much more expensive. This humble subject is very worried that the disappearance of these menaces will impact Yuezhou. Unexpectedly, the Yun family actually brought in small dragons from Poyang Lake to raise artificially. Raising tigers and leopards is probably already in the Yun family’s plans.”

Li Er called over a female official accompanying them and had her bring over her backpack. Li Er tugged at it a few times with his hands, then opened it to look. The female official’s pretty face immediately turned crimson—inside were all women’s personal items. Li Er paid no attention and turned it over, dumping everything onto the offering table in front of Yun Ye’s statue. He carefully examined a copper logo on the backpack showing a crocodile surrounded by clouds.

“This palace has many such bags. Whenever the Yun family has new goods, they send some to the palace. It’s just that this palace didn’t know their value—how expensive could a bag be? Huan Nu, how much did you spend on this bag?” Zhangsun stepped forward, took the bag without reproach, and asked her female official.

“In response to Your Majesty, this is what this slave saved from two years of allowance and bought yesterday at the Yun family’s old shop. It cost twelve silver coins.” The female official hung her head low, not daring to look at Zhangsun. Your Majesty had always advocated frugality and didn’t approve of such behavior.

“Twelve silver coins?” Zhangsun cried out in surprise and slapped the female official on the head with her hand. “The Yun family’s prices have always been heartlessly black! Fifty dan of grain just to buy this thing?”

Seeing Zhangsun’s anger, Huan Nu quickly knelt down to beg forgiveness. The other female officials all placed their bags in front of Zhangsun and knelt down to apologize as well—every single one of them had one.

Han Cheng cupped his hands to plead for these female officials: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This humble subject’s household has one wife, one concubine, and three daughters, and they have as many as ten such bags. For them, bags are their greatest desire besides jewelry. They accompanied Your Majesty from Chang’an to Yuezhou—this humble subject would find it strange if they didn’t purchase some bags.”

“Are you saying that it’s become normal for women to buy these things?” Zhangsun asked Han Cheng in disbelief. These items were, after all, too expensive for ordinary families to afford.

“Indeed so. This humble subject has some old friends in Chuzhou and Chengzhou who write letters asking this old man to purchase several new-style bags for them. To speak shamefully, this humble subject’s salary all goes toward this.” Qian Sheng also chimed in from the side.

“Outrageous! This is all outrageous! Where have their priorities gone? How is a bag worth fifty dan of grain? This palace will go right now and ask that scoundrel Yun Ye—where is the heavenly justice in exploiting the people’s wealth like this!”

Li Er, however, laughed and pressed down Zhangsun’s gesticulating hand, saying, “I actually think setting the price high is correct. Those who can afford to buy these bags are not from poor families—at least they must have food and clothing secured. This item can fundamentally divide a woman from ordinary common women into two different classes. Twelve silver coins is not much. Qian Sheng, what did Yun Ye say?”

Qian Sheng replied helplessly, “When this humble subject initially asked the Yun family people, they said they’re not selling leather bags—their family only sells a noble lifestyle. This leather bag is merely an indication that the owner lives in wealth and prosperity.”

Li Er chuckled and said, “I remember now—Yun Ye previously petitioned to impose a luxury tax. At the time, I dismissed it. Now it appears Yun Ye was sounding an alarm bell for me. Very well, earning fifty dan of grain from one leather bag is indeed excessive. Someone come, draft an edict. Order the Secretariat to compile a list of luxury goods and raise their tax rate threefold…”

After Li Er announced his decree, he let the female officials stand up and didn’t intend to reprimand them. He had inadvertently discovered a loophole and quickly plugged it—this couldn’t help but be called a victory.

The news that the Emperor was preparing to levy a luxury tax immediately set Old Zhou’s anxious heart at ease—the head manager of the Yun family’s old shop. Making money while feeling uncertain was unsettling. Now it was good—the court had begun collecting heavy taxes. This was excellent news. The Yun family’s business had always prioritized stability above all—everything must be reasonable, rational, and legal. The introduction of the luxury tax immediately dispelled earlier worries.

He brewed a cup of hot tea, found the most comfortable chair to sit in, and thought: this year, the master’s wooden plaque should fall into this old man’s hands, right? Collecting heavy taxes? Exactly how much was levied? He needed to ask—he hadn’t heard clearly just now.

“Fu Shou, Fu Shou, tell me, did His Majesty’s decree actually state what the luxury tax rate is?” Old Zhou put down his tea bowl and asked the shop assistant who had just reported the news.

“Shopkeeper, His Majesty set the luxury tax at three times the current tax rate.” The assistant quickly answered.

“What?” Old Zhou jumped up from his chair, his sleeve knocking over the tea bowl. He said to the assistant in panic, “Quickly go tell the Marquis that His Majesty is acting rashly again! Three times—how can it be three times? Does His Majesty know what he’s doing? If this passes through the Three Departments, our family will definitely be cursed to death.”