Xiuxian, I can travel to another world

Chapter 444 Taxes
Zhu Mansion.

Zhu Ju sat in the center of the hall, with Zhang Huyuan standing guard beside him, listening to the news that the guards had gathered from outside.

"The news of the incident in the city reached the gang leader's ears immediately, and the gang's best members rushed back on horseback."

"The monsters in the city have all been killed, but the people in the city... have suffered heavy casualties."

The southern and eastern parts of the city are alright.

In the southern part of the city, there are powerful families like the Zhou family.

There are also wealthy families in the East City, like the Zhu family, who have considerable assets and many martial artists to guard their homes, making it easy for them to resist low-level demons.

Other districts were not so fortunate.

Especially in the western part of the city.

The western part of the city is mostly inhabited by poor people, and anyone with some skills would move away. This time, it was ravaged by monsters, and hundreds of people were killed or injured in the western part of the city alone. The ditches and rivers were filled with blood.

"It is said that the Sky Eagle Bandits were originally trapped by the Green Robe Gang and the imperial court's experts, but due to an incident in the city, the siege was breached, and they were ultimately unable to capture the bandits."

The guard opened his mouth:
"even……"

"There are rumors that Hong Qingyi, the leader of the Qingyi Gang, was attacked and seriously injured by a master when he returned."

"Oh!" Zhu Ju turned his head and asked:
"What rank of master is Chief Hong?"

"A sixth-rank official," Zhang the guard replied.

“In the vast Taiyuan Prefecture, there are very few martial artists who can break through to the seventh rank. Chief Hong is one of them. He was already a sixth-rank martial artist thirty years ago, and there are even rumors that he has already reached the fifth rank.”

talking.

Shake his head slightly.

The difference between the fifth and sixth ranks may seem like only one rank, but in reality, they are worlds apart. He didn't believe that Hong Qingyi could break through.

"If Chief Hong is injured, the situation in the city may become even more unpredictable." Zhu Ju stroked his chin.

"Give the order that for the next few days, there will still be three shifts a day, and all guards must remain vigilant."

"Young Master." A man below frowned.
"The daily shifts are so tight, and it's been going on for so long, the guys are almost at their breaking point."

"Can we relax for a few days?"

"Shut up!" Before Zhu Ju could speak, Zhang, the bodyguard beside him, shouted with a dark expression:
"Young Master has been very kind to us, yet you complain about the slightest hardship. Do you still have your master in your heart?"

"Besides, there's an extra reward of silver. If you're unwilling to do it, I, Zhang, can have someone do it for you at any time. Do you really think I'm someone to be trifled with?"

"No...no." The guard below turned pale and hurriedly lowered his head.
"Young ones don't dare."

The guards had been patrolling day and night for some time and were indeed dissatisfied. Moreover, the new master was too young, so it was inevitable that they would feel resentful. Continuing to patrol was fine, but complaining was just a way to find ways to increase their wages.

originally.

Zhang, the head nurse, is on their side.

However, having witnessed Zhu Ju's strength, he no longer harbored any disloyalty and immediately reprimanded him upon hearing this.

"So be it."

Zhu Ju waved his hand:

"I'll go check the backyard."

…………

The two aunts and several brothers and sisters were in the backyard. When they saw Zhu Juxing coming, they hurriedly went up to ask him questions.

"how's it going?"

"Have all the monsters in the city been dealt with?"

"..."

"Rest assured, my ladies," Zhu Ju said, "the Green Robe Gang's experts have returned to the city, and all the demons in the city have been exterminated."
"in addition……"

He paused slightly, his gaze falling on Aunt Zhou and Zhou Nan, and said:

"Last night's turmoil resulted in the destruction of the Green Robe Gang's prison, and all the prisoners escaped from inside."

"Zhu Ji was among them."

"Ah!" Aunt Zhou was stunned, her face instinctively showing wild joy, then she quickly lowered her head:
"Zhu Ji is a wicked man. He actually dared to lay a hand on his own brother. He deserves to suffer this calamity."

“If he comes looking for my daughter and me, I will have him arrested.”

"No need," Zhu Ju waved his hand.
"Someone saw him leave the city in the chaos, but we don't know where he went. He probably won't come looking for you."

"Yes." Aunt Zhou's eyes dimmed.
"Let him be."

Zhou Nan, standing nearby, tugged at her sleeve. "It's better for my brother, Zhu Ji, to be far away than to face the executioner's block."
*
*
For several days.

Funerals were frequent in the city.

It is said that coffin shops had to work overtime to hire people to make coffins in order to meet the needs of funerals in the city.

Thanks to Zhu Ju's prior preparations, no one in the Zhu family was injured or killed, but the Zhu clan was not.

Several clan elders tragically perished.

thus.

In the past few days, Zhu Ju has frequently visited various Zhu families to pay respects to the clan elders who had the accident and to offer them monetary gifts.

They were constantly on the go, never having a moment's rest.

"Master."

The servant reported:
"Deacon Guo has come to visit."

"Oh!" Zhu Ju, who was reading a travelogue written by a martial artist, looked up upon hearing this and said:

"welcome!"

"No need," Guo Jie said in a low voice as he strode over.
"I'm already here."

Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow, glanced at Zhang Huyuan, who looked embarrassed behind the other man, and waved him away.

"I've heard that the gang has been very busy lately, so Steward Guo should be quite occupied. How come you have time to come here?"

"I've come to see you because I have something to discuss." Guo Jie frowned, speaking with some impatience.
"I've come to inform you that this year's autumn tax will be collected ahead of schedule, and it will be collected together with next year's two taxes."

"A total of thirty thousand taels of silver!"

"Hmm?" Zhu Ju's face darkened.
"Deacon Guo, you just took 40,000 taels of silver from me not long ago, and now you want another 30,000 taels?"

"It's not what I want!" Guo Jie said.
"Many of our gang members have been killed or injured in this bandit suppression operation, and with the rampage of demons, the gang is short of money."

"Besides, this is a tax, which you will have to pay sooner or later. This is just collecting it in advance."

"Hmm..." Zhu Ju asked:
"Do other families also pay?"

"of course."

"The same amount of silver?"

"almost."

Guo Jie's expression grew increasingly impatient.

"Thirty thousand taels of silver!" Zhu Ju sighed softly.
"Deacon Guo should have heard that in order to raise those 40,000 taels of silver, I have violated the family tradition by selling the formula for dyeing cloth with black jade. I'm afraid I won't be able to raise that much silver in a short time."

"I'm not here to listen to your complaints," Guo Jie said coldly.
"The Zhu family has amassed such a fortune in just two or three decades by leveraging the Green Robe Gang's connections. Now that the gang is in trouble, you should naturally lend a hand."

"I need to see 30,000 taels of silver within half a month. If I don't pay by then..."

"Humph!"

He snorted coldly:
"Since the Green Robe Gang was able to cultivate the Zhu family, it can naturally allow other families to take their place."

"Farewell!"

Zhu Ju remained expressionless and picked up the teacup beside him.

"Deacon Guo, please take care."

"Young Master." Once Guo Jie was gone, Zhang, the head guard, entered the room and whispered his report.

"The man surnamed Guo barged in without waiting for the gatekeeper to pass on the message. I tried to stop him... but I couldn't."

talking.

He looked ashamed.

The older a person gets, the more timid they become; this is exactly what happened to him.

Guo Jie was a steward of the Qingyi Gang and represented the gang. As a mere guard, he certainly wouldn't dare to forcibly stop them.

"understood."

Zhu Ju remained noncommittal.

"Help me investigate whether everyone has to pay taxes in advance this time, and how much tax other families paid."

"in addition……"

He sighed:
"Get in touch, I need to sell two shops."

(End of this chapter)