Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire.

Chapter 414: The Golden Dragon King's Jealousy

roar~
The serfs and farmers who had worked the land all their lives watched with awe as the dragon, with a metallic luster gleaming under its belly, soared through the sky and landed in the towering gray mountain castle of the noble lord in the distance.

At this time, they had not yet realized how these flying dragons were related to their fate, until the peasants who were working in the fields returned home in the evening and heard the bell ringing at the entrance of the village. It was the voice of summons.

"What's going on here?"

“It’s not time to pay taxes yet!”

“Are we going to raise taxes again?”

When they heard the village chief's call, both the serfs without freedom and the self-cultivating farmers with limited freedom showed reluctance and uneasiness on their faces.

Because every time the bronze bell at the entrance of the village was rang, there was no good news. They were either required to pay taxes or have their taxes increased, or their hard-earned assets would be taken away for various reasons, leaving them with no clothes to wear and no food to eat.

The so-called free peasants were merely a more respectable name than serfs, but in reality they were more miserable than serfs, because the nobles regarded serfs as property and free people as unruly people, treating them harshly and exploiting them to the utmost, wanting them to sell their only land or even themselves and become serfs.

Of course, the so-called good life is only relative, in reality, it is all miserable. Therefore, facing the call that most likely came from the nobles, all the peasants were extremely resistant.

Unfortunately, their resistance can only be reflected in their emotions. In their actions, they are extremely honest, just like docile and tamed sheep, allowing the shepherd to use them at will.

When the bronze bell at the entrance of the village stopped, one by one the serfs and farmers gathered in the village threshing ground saw the knight from the castle.

The armor gleaming with metallic luster, majestic and beautiful, the long sword at the waist, the tall war horse, the fluttering flags, all these made the peasants working in the fields dig for food involuntarily reveal awe and fear in their eyes.

This is a real big man for them. Life and death are all in their hands. Even if they draw their swords and kill them on impulse, they can only consider themselves unlucky. If they take a fancy to their wives and daughters, it is their honor.

The village chief, who used to be so arrogant, was now like a pug, following the knight with a hunched back. No one doubted that as long as the knight nodded, he would immediately lie on the ground and lick the dust off his steel boots like a dog. If he had a tail, it would surely wag it happily.

However, many of the peasants standing in the front row of the grain field noticed that something was wrong with the knight. His gloomy and gray face was full of reluctance and his eyes were filled with suppressed anger, as if some unknown terrifying existence was holding a sword against his neck and forcing him to do something.

Such expressions made the peasants even more uneasy. Once these big shots were in a bad mood, it would be a disaster for them, who were as small as dust.

"In accordance with the order of His Majesty the Holy Dragon..."

However, contrary to the expectations of many peasants, the knight who seemed to be in an extremely bad mood did not draw his sword to kill and vent his emotions. Instead, he took out a piece of parchment and began to read. However, the beginning of the article was about a person who had never been heard of before, and it was no longer the great Grand Duke of Wilanda.

"Who is His Majesty the Holy Dragon?"

"Does any of you know?"

The serfs standing at the end of the threshing floor could not help but whisper to each other. They had never heard of the existence of this name before. However, the noise and restlessness soon subsided because they heard an extremely incredible order.
"From now on, the subjugation contracts of all serfs in the territory will be terminated."

The parchment made a tearing sound in the knight's hand, and the ravens at the entrance of the village were startled and flew up. The valley was silent, and only the raven's shrill cry echoed in the sky, as if heralding the arrival of something ominous.

It was not until a while later that there was a commotion among the crowd, but no serf cheered for the sudden freedom, nor did they feel the slightest bit of joy.

Because this is an order from the noble lords, and everyone knows that the noble lords are unlikely to show mercy, let alone the slightest bit of kindness. They just want to squeeze out every last bit of fat from their bones.

"Damn you Mudbloods, you deserve such a favor!"

Seeing that the group of peasants in front of him had no reaction, the knight paused, cursed in his heart, gritted his teeth, and continued:

"All taxes will be cut in half."

Every word that came out of the knight's mouth seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth after he finished reading.

The parchment scroll in his hand was torn apart instantly, turning into fragments scattered on the ground, as if venting some kind of dissatisfaction in his heart.

However, no one paid attention to the knight's little action at this moment. Whether it was the village chief who was circling around him or the farmers below, they were all stunned.

"My Lord, what are you talking about?"

The fat and slightly bloated village chief looked at the noble knight in front of him as if he were a monster.

"Are you deaf? All taxes will be cut in half, and they will not be increased at will in the future."

The knight suppressed the urge to punch the pig in front of him and shouted impatiently.

In the past, he would have used his fist or scabbard to hit the lowly people who dared to question him, but now, he could no longer act recklessly, as the law controlled everything.

"Tax cut in half? How is that possible? This shouldn't happen. If taxes are cut in half, how can the masters and ladies survive? Sir, did you read the order wrong?"

The fat on the village chief's face was trembling and his eyes were about to pop out, alerting the knight in front of him.

Not to mention that he has been the village chief for his entire life and has never heard of an order to reduce taxes. Even his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have never seen a tax reduction. Can it still be reduced?

"Who do you think you are? You are just a pig, and you dare to question me?"

The knight, whose emotions had long been suppressed to the extreme, found an outlet for his outburst.
"I'm telling you, next quarter, if you dare to charge an extra copper, I will hang you with my own hands."

"No, I dare not."

Hearing the murderous words of the knight in front of him, although he didn't know what he was crazy about, the village chief realized that the other party was not joking and his calves were shaking, and he kept making assurances.

"Are we all free folk?"

“You only have to pay half the tax in the future?”

"is this real?"

Happiness came so suddenly that many farmers were unable to react, or rather, they could not believe that the noble lords would take the initiative to reduce taxes.

Such a wonderful order made all the farmers feel as if they were in a dream, and everything seemed so unreal.

Therefore, many farmers, after coming to their senses, slapped their cheeks in disbelief and pinched their thighs hard, using the pain to confirm that they were still in the real world, not in a dream.

Soon, there was a noisy whispering sound. The farmers were discussing, and there were also many confused voices, "I am not a farmer now, but a freeman, but I don't have my own land, so how can I make a living in the future?"

"From today on, there will be no more serfs on this land. Landless freemen can buy land on credit. First, they can buy it with a loan, and then repay it in installments with the annual harvest."

Noticing the commotion below and hearing the irritating voices of these untouchables, the knight had to supplement his previous order.

"Aren't we dreaming?"

"How is it possible? How could such a thing happen?"

Things that were too beautiful, beyond common sense and cognition, made the peasants who worked hard for a living all day wonder whether the nobles had come up with new ways to torture and exploit them, until,
roar~
The flying dragon that he had seen from afar during the day appeared over the village. The moment he saw the flying dragon, the knight, who had been irritated and impatient, suddenly smiled and shouted:
"This is a favor bestowed by the Most High and Holy Holy Dragon!"

roar~
The flying dragon fell from the sky, and the delighted, confused and puzzled farmers saw that the knight who had been so high and mighty just now showed the same posture as the village chief beside him, with a hunched back and a flattering and fawning look on his face like a pug.

"Sir, I have done what you ordered. You can ask them."

"Ok!"

The knight on the dragon's back responded, and cast his eyes towards the flattering little noble in front of him, noticing the parchment scraps under his feet.
"What are you dissatisfied with His Majesty the Holy Dragon's order?"

"No, I wholeheartedly uphold all the orders of His Majesty the Holy Dragon, and I have no complaints at all."

Seeing the knights kneeling on the ground and expressing their loyalty with tears, and the peasants who were frightened by the coming of the dragon, they suddenly understood why they heard such a dreamlike thing that could not be realized even in their dreams.

"Long live His Majesty the Holy Dragon!"

Although I don't know who His Majesty the Holy Dragon is, an existence that can liberate all serfs, provide them with land, and cut taxes by half must be the most benevolent existence in the world.

……

"You are free!"

When Sally, with sleepy eyes, followed a group of sisters in a daze and was taken to a closed place by the gloomy old procuress, she vaguely heard a man's voice coming from the high platform in front.

"Freedom of what?"

Sally, who didn't understand the meaning of this sentence, looked around and saw many familiar faces here, including prostitutes hanging out in taverns and dancers in brothels.

There were singers and dancers serving the nobles, and prostitutes providing relief to rude adventurers. From the elegant to the vulgar, all practitioners in the entire city were gathered in one place.

The air was filled with the smell of cheap powder and high-end perfume mixed together, making people feel nauseous, mixed with a faint fishy smell and the stench of rotting dead fish.

"From today on, you no longer have to sell your body for money. This is illegal. Similarly, no one can force you to do this. This is a crime!"

The man's voice continued to ring out, his loud voice drowning out all the noise and whispers.

"what?"

Many prostitutes and dancers just stared blankly at the man standing on the stage reading, not understanding what was going on, and some even burst out laughing.

What is illegal? What is a crime? Isn't this going to destroy the entire industry and stop them from making money?
Many brothel owners and bar owners present could not help but clench their fists, but when they saw the guards with scaly patterns on the necks of the man on both sides, they quietly loosened their fists.

"It sounds good. We won't be oppressed anymore. But we have nothing except our bodies. How can we make a living? You can't let us starve, right?"

"That's right. I became a prostitute because I was afraid of starving. If you ask me to stop, what will I eat? How about you support me? I think you're pretty good."

"Hahaha!"

There was a burst of women's laughter in the venue.

"Of course we won't let you become homeless, hungry or cold. We will first give you a physical examination and treat any diseases you may have. Then we will organize your studies and help those who can't read to get rid of their illiteracy. We will also teach you to master the production skills you are interested in so that you can earn money with your own abilities."

The man's expression was calm, and he did not lose his composure at all because of the teasing. He still spoke with a very friendly smile.

"so good?"

"of course."

Faced with many questioning and distrustful looks, the man's gaze remained firm.

"Why? What do you want?"

"Yes, it won't do you any good. Why are you helping us?"

"Because you are the people of the Holy Dragon. The people of the Holy Dragon should not sink into sin, and the land of the Holy Dragon does not allow any place of illegality and crime to exist."

……

"During this week's crackdown on pornography and illegal activities, the Principality of Blue Mountain has cumulatively rectified and rescued more than 138,200 skilled women, thoroughly investigated and blocked 8,562 illegal operating venues, cracked down on 1,532 illegal criminal gangs, detained more than 140,000 criminals, and sentenced 60,000 to death..."

While closing his eyes to rest, Alexander did not forget to listen to the results of the governance of the major vassal states. This was the political achievements reported to him by the vassal states, but it was also the achievements he presented to his great-uncle Noah.

Although he didn't understand why Noah, who now had contact with gods, cared so much about mortals, for Alexander who wanted to please his uncle, this was not important. As long as he could satisfy his uncle, the rest was not important.

"Asteria, a gifted person favored by the will of the sky and nature, was blessed with the true blood of her great-uncle Noah after she was born!"

The Golden Dragon King, who had received the results report from his vassal states, did not maintain his good mood for long, because he had been troubled by one thing recently. Whenever he thought about it, he would be depressed and sad, and there would be resentment and injustice in his heart.

Alexander, as the head of the Augustus family, was of course happy to have such an outstanding descendant of the family, and the family's power was further strengthened.

But what made him uneasy was that such an outstanding descendant of Augustus was not his offspring. What made him even more upset was that all his offspring now combined were not as good as this one.

Because he does not have a child who can inherit the blessing of true blood, and anyone who does will die. If not for this, he would not be so unwilling. If there was someone like him, he would be much calmer now.

(End of this chapter)