Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The bloody atmosphere of the "land title storm" had not yet completely dissipated when Han Yuan's official and business circles were once again confronted with an even faster and more brutal anti-corruption storm.

The source of this storm was not in the strongholds of powerful families, nor in their grand mansions, but in the seemingly insignificant tax card that was crucial to the flow of wealth and the support of the people.

The prosperity of the "Goods and Trade Avenue" brought in massive amounts of commercial taxes, supporting Han Yuan's enormous military and construction expenditures.

However, the enormous flow of profits, like honey attracting flies, drew in countless greedy parasites. Although Xiao Chen implemented benevolent policies such as "one-thirtieth tax" and "one-tax-for-all," and established the Maritime Trade Office to manage them, there were always countermeasures to his policies.

Some tax officials, and even low-ranking officials, abused their meager power to extort money and bribes, turning the prince's benevolent rule into a tool for exploiting merchants and enriching themselves.

"Your Highness, there have been many complaints from merchants lately."

Zhou Tong, the chief clerk of the Maritime Trade Office, reported with a worried expression, "Although the taxes are not heavy on the surface, when crossing the border, all sorts of shady practices emerge, such as fire loss, gate fees, inspection fees, and express order fees. The clerks are even more demanding, and if they do not comply, they will make things difficult in every way, detaining goods and delaying them, resulting in even greater losses. Many small merchants are suffering terribly."

"I have conducted several thorough investigations and arrested several clerks and secretaries, but this trend seems to be spreading and becoming more covert. I fear that higher-ranking officials are condoning it behind the scenes, or even sharing the spoils."

"Oh?"

Xiao Chen put down the "Jingbei Tongbao" mother coin in his hand, his eyes slightly cold. "It seems that the 'land deed storm' was not thorough enough. It failed to scrape out these parasites entrenched in the 'money eyes' all at once."

"Your Highness, should we have Night Owl secretly investigate and collect evidence before taking any action?" Zhou Tong suggested.

Xiao Chen stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the bustling street outside: "Investigating secretly? Too slow. Evidence? The eyes of countless ordinary people, witnessing corrupt officials exploiting merchants and travelers, are the best evidence!"

"Issue the order: I will be traveling incognito. Go to... the tollbooth at the 'three-way intersection' between Panshi Fortress and Zhenbei City, where the traffic is heaviest."

"Your Highness, no! That place is teeming with all sorts of dangerous people!" Zhou Tong exclaimed in alarm.

"Danger?"

Xiao Chen laughed, a laugh tinged with a cold, domineering arrogance. "In my Cold Abyss, I'll see who dares to pose a danger to me!"

"Select twenty Night Owl experts and thirty elite soldiers from the merchant protection force, all in plain clothes, to accompany us secretly. You will come along too."

"Sanchakou" is, as the name suggests, the intersection of three major trade routes connecting Zhenbeicheng, Panshibao, and Qinghe Town. It is bustling with traffic and caravans, making it the busiest tax post in Hanyuan and the most lucrative place.

Xiao Chen, dressed in an ordinary silk robe, disguised himself as a medicinal herb merchant from the south. He was accompanied by several "helpers" in similar plain clothes, and escorted two carriages loaded with "medicinal herbs" as they mingled with a medium-sized caravan and slowly drove towards the tax station.

Even from a hundred paces away, you could feel an unusual atmosphere.

The queue of vehicles stretched for nearly a mile in front of the tax card, and progress was extremely slow.

The businessmen's faces were filled with anxiety and impatience, yet they dared not speak out against it.

"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for!"

A tax collector with a crooked hat and a fierce face banged his leather whip against the side of a grain cart in front of him. "Ten cartloads of grain, and you're only reporting thirty shi as tax? Are you kidding me? It should be at least forty shi!"

"Sir, this grain is old grain, and it's not fully loaded..." the grain merchant said with a forced smile.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The tax collector glared at him. "Either pay forty bushels of tax, or pull your cart over and wait for inspection. We'll see if your grain gets moldy in three to five days!"

The grain merchant turned pale. Inspection was the most ruthless tactic. Unloading all the goods and slowly checking them would not only delay the journey but also easily damage the goods.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and secretly slip over a small piece of silver: "Please do me a favor, sir..."

"That's more like it."

The tax collector weighed the silver in his hand, his expression softening slightly. "Go ahead, thirty-five shi."

Similar scenes keep playing out.

"This batch of wool fabric has the wrong color; it's suspected of being adulterated. It needs to be confiscated!"

"Your tax invoice is blurry; please reissue it! An additional processing fee will be charged!"

"The vehicle is too wide; you'll be fined!"

There was also a tax supervisor who looked like a minor leader, sitting upright under the awning with his legs crossed. On the coffee table in front of him, there was already a small pile of copper coins and silver coins.

Without even lifting his eyelids, he tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and the clerk beside him immediately understood and raised or lowered the tax amount.

"Is this a tax card?"

One of Xiao Chen's "workers" whispered, "This is clearly a bandit's den!"

"Even more ruthless than bandits."

Xiao Chen's voice was calm, "The bandits only want money. They want money, but they also want your dignity, your time, and the last bit of trust you have in the government."

It was Xiao Chen's turn to bring his "medicinal herbs" truck.

"What are you transporting?" the tax collector with the crooked hat asked lazily.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, these are some common medicinal herbs from the south, such as angelica and astragalus," Xiao Chen said "respectfully."

"Open it and take a look."

The "buddy" opened the box, and inside were indeed some dried medicinal herbs.

"That's all?"

The tax collector glanced sideways and said, "Report ten strings of cash in taxes."

"My lord, the total price of these medicinal herbs is only twenty strings of cash. With a tax of one-thirtieth, it's only a few hundred coins..." Xiao Chen argued.

"What do you know!"

The tax collector waved his hand impatiently, "Medicinal herbs are in high demand, so the tax rate is different! Ten strings of cash, not a penny less! Otherwise, leave it here for inspection!"

"My lord, isn't this...isn't this too much?" Xiao Chen looked troubled.

"many?"

The tax collector sneered, "Poor wretch, don't try to do business!"

He saw that Xiao Chen was dressed plainly and didn't seem to be rich, but he was unwilling to give up. "How about this, you add another five hundred coins as a 'trouble fee' and I'll let you go over quickly."

"A tip?"

Xiao Chen asked in confusion, "May I ask, sir, which law stipulates this 'hardship fee'? Is it an order from the Prince or a document from the Ministry of Revenue?"

"Yo ho!"

The tax collector was surprised that this seemingly honest "merchant" dared to talk back. "You want to talk to me about the law? At this crossroads, my word is law!"

"Yeah?"