The national treasury was empty, yet everything required money. Even if she did nothing each day, massive expenditures were still necessary. All those officials and clerks under her command—didn’t they need salaries?

And the soldiers under her command—the money and grain consumed from the moment they opened their eyes each morning was enough to make her vision darken.

So when the national treasury had no money, she had to create money.

The salt and iron monopoly wasn’t even the fastest method of accumulating wealth. Just as Zhao Ming had said, taxation was.

However, the common people throughout the realm were all suffering. Although Yuzhou’s drought was light and the disaster not severe, because of the warfare over the past half year, Yuzhou had contributed greatly as logistics support. While she was fighting outside, Yuzhou alone had levied military taxes twice, plus one donation. Combined with soaring grain prices, ordinary commoners had also reached their breaking point.

Therefore, Zhao Hanzhang decided not to levy taxes on ordinary commoners, but rather to tax merchants, artisans, gentry, and officials.

She was going to promulgate the Suanmin Order.

The so-called Suanmin Order was a decree once promulgated by Emperor Wu of Han, specifically collecting property tax from merchants, usurers, and artisans.

However, Zhao Hanzhang’s ambitions were greater. Her Suanmin Order also added gentry and officials, basically encompassing all the wealthy classes in the current nation.

But she also relaxed the taxation amounts. She required merchants and usurers to pay one算 for every four thousand coins, while artisans, gentry, and officials paid one算 for every five thousand coins. In addition, there was also a vehicle and boat tax.

Except for officials and honored elders, as well as active cavalry who had a tax exemption for one vehicle and horse, everyone else had to pay one算 worth of coins for each regulation-sized vehicle or one horse. Officials and honored elders also had to pay together for their second vehicle.

Zhao Hanzhang moved extremely quickly. She went back and had someone draft the edict, planning to issue it the next day.

Ji Yuan, Ming Yu, Zhao Ming, and others all raised no objections. The Suanmin Order had existed even in Cao Wei before Jin, having already become a regular tax, only that after Jin it existed in name only and was basically not collected.

Now that Zhao Hanzhang was collecting it, all civil and military officials knew what it was for.

The national treasury had no money.

Even Zhao Ming was very tolerant and didn’t quibble, generously having his steward calculate the family’s assets and then go pay the tax.

This made Zhao Hanzhang breathe a sigh of relief. She had been waiting to be criticized, but unexpectedly Uncle Ming was so understanding. How touching.

Zhao Ming didn’t criticize her, but felt that naturally someone would come criticize her.

Sure enough, the day after the decree was promulgated, Zhao Hu dragged Zhao Song and several gentry gentlemen to storm the Zhao residence.

This was Zhao Hanzhang’s residence in Chen County, which she had taken over. Wang Shi usually lived here most of the time. Because of the recent war disaster, she had returned to Xiping. At this time, Zhao Hanzhang was living here with the little emperor and others, using it as an imperial villa.

Of course, court administrative affairs were also mostly discussed and resolved here.

Zhao Hu charged right up to the main hall. Because the guards blocked him, he couldn’t enter, and even pulling out his status as a great-uncle didn’t work.

Zhao Hu was already angry, and this made him even more furious. He directly put his hands on his hips and cursed loudly toward the main hall, “Ungrateful! Disrespectful to elders! Zhao Hanzhang, come out here! You have the face to levy taxes from me but no courage to come out?”

Zhao Hanzhang, who was reviewing memorials in the hall, froze when she heard the cursing. A guard hurried in to report: “General, Fifth Great-Uncle and Seventh Great-Uncle from the residence have arrived.”

Zhao Hanzhang put down her brush. Rather than hurrying out, she leisurely walked to the doorway and poked her head out to look.

Zhao Song was somewhat displeased, glaring at Zhao Hu, telling him to save his words for when he saw the person. What kind of behavior was this loud shouting?

Just as he finished speaking, he saw Zhao Hanzhang poke her head out to look, then almost instantly shrank back inside.

Zhao Song: …

Undignified!

Zhao Hu also saw it. His finger trembled slightly as he pointed in the direction where Zhao Hanzhang had retreated. Outrageous, too outrageous—she was actually hiding!

Zhao Hanzhang probably also realized that hiding was useless. Before long, she appeared at the doorway, her face blooming with a brilliant smile, very respectfully inviting them into the great hall.

Zhao Hu snorted imposingly and strode past her into the great hall. The three gentlemen he had brought exchanged glances, following nervously and fearfully.

They had gone to complain to Zhao Hu, but hadn’t expected he would immediately drag them to the Zhao residence to settle accounts with Zhao Hanzhang.

To be honest, they were all familiar with Zhao Hanzhang. After all, whenever military funds needed to be raised, she would appear and dine and drink with them, incidentally discussing Yuzhou’s future development prospects.

Then they would contribute money.

But that was just dining acquaintance. As for private interactions… they were more familiar with Zhao Ming, Ji Yuan, and the others.

For some reason, they were all somewhat afraid of Zhao Hanzhang, even though she was always smiling.

Zhao Hanzhang invited them into the great hall, had someone serve them tea, then sat down. “Seventh Uncle-Granduncle, what matter has made you so furious?”

Zhao Hu sneered and asked: “What’s this about the Suanmin Order? This year while you were fighting and short of military funds, I gave you thirty thousand shi of grain alone, plus a hundred thousand shi of grain at the lowest grain prices, not to mention the money. Zi Nian took at least five hundred thousand coins from me, and then there are those medicinal materials—your army still owes me money for medicinal materials.”

Speaking of this made Zhao Hu angry, and he couldn’t help complaining: “I asked you for money, and you told me to find Fan Ying. Where is Fan Ying? She’s on inspection tours in Bingzhou and Youzhou, and you lied to me, you…”

“Enough, enough,” Zhao Song said. “These are two different matters. Don’t mix them into one thing.”

“This is one matter!” Zhao Hu couldn’t help stamping his foot, shouting loudly: “This is about her deceiving me, being ungrateful in all things. And there’s more—in the past few years, didn’t you have Changning watch me? Otherwise, every year when paying taxes, Changning doesn’t watch anyone else, just me!”

Zhao Hanzhang hastily soothed him: “Seventh Uncle-Granduncle, I know you’ve supported me greatly. I keep it all in my heart. It’s just that public is public and private is private. Though I remember the private feelings, I also can’t exempt a national policy for selfish reasons, can I?”

“Nonsense! Stop spouting high-sounding words. The Suanmin Order has always only targeted merchants, usurers, and craftsmen. Am I a craftsman? Or a merchant? Or did I make usurious loans?” Zhao Hu fully suspected that Zhao Hanzhang had included gentry just to grab his money. “I’ve never heard of gentry also having to pay Suanmin money.”

Zhao Hanzhang sincerely asked: “Why shouldn’t gentry need to pay?”

Zhao Hu stated righteously: “Scholars originally don’t need to!”

Zhao Hanzhang: “What’s the reason?”

Zhao Hu choked. Wasn’t this common knowledge? Why was she asking him for reasons?

Scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant—the status of scholars was second only to the imperial family. They originally didn’t need to pay!

Seeing he couldn’t answer, Zhao Hanzhang sighed: “Seventh Uncle-Granduncle, they’re all wealthy people. How can you discriminate against the scholarly class? Since everyone must pay Suanmin money, we can’t leave them out, otherwise it would be looking down on them.”

This was simply nonsense!

Zhao Hu wanted to curse. Zhao Song glared at him, then turned to Zhao Hanzhang and said: “Sanniang, the realm needs scholars to stabilize and manage it. All officials come from scholars. Therefore, taxation throughout the realm is more lenient toward the scholarly class. If you show no leniency, how can you expect them to serve you effectively?”

China had a special national condition. From ancient times to the present, the political bureaucratic system had enormous attraction for intellectuals, which was why most people associated reading with becoming an official.

Scholars like Ji Yuan, because of special circumstances preventing them from becoming officials themselves, would choose to serve certain people, attempting to participate in political activities through officials as intermediaries.

Why were intellectuals so keen on becoming officials? Wasn’t the most fundamental reason the benefits that being an official brought?

These benefits were comprehensive, including not just money and wealth, but also status—special status.

For example, the gentry class could be exempted from many taxes.

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