The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

"You sealed off my shop?"

Jiang Zhenxue repeated these words, but there was no sign of panic on her face. Instead, a very faint smile slowly appeared on her face.

That smile was like a plum blossom blooming in the snow, beautiful yet chilling.

"What you say is true, sir. I am just a girl with no power or influence. If you want to close my shop, it is only a matter of a word."

Seeing that she had given in, the county magistrate straightened his back smugly and picked up his teacup, ready to take another sip.

Jiang Zhenxue's voice followed immediately, unhurried: "However, my study is frequented daily by scholars from Pu County, many of whom are wealthy and renowned gentlemen of the literati. This official document from the magistrate accuses my study of harboring filth and corruption..."

She paused, then looked directly at the county magistrate, her gaze sharp as a knife. "Doesn't that mean that all these students who study here so diligently every day are corrupt and despicable? Your Honor, if these words were to spread, it would surely chill the hearts of all the scholars in the county."

The county magistrate's hand, which was holding a teacup, suddenly froze.

He then realized that this small study room was no longer the easy target he could manipulate. Behind it stood one of the most promising groups in Puxian County—the students.

"You...you dare threaten me?" the county magistrate shouted, his voice stern but his tone weak.

"This humble woman wouldn't dare," Jiang Zhenxue curtsied, her tone respectful yet unyielding. "This humble woman simply believes that since taxes must be paid, there should be a procedure. A 30% tax rate is not unacceptable. However, for the sake of clear accounts and to avoid any suspicion that you, sir, are accepting bribes, I request that you provide an official document bearing the official seal, clearly stating in black and white that the person who passed the imperial examination will pay taxes at a 30% rate. If so, I will present the tax payment immediately."

Do you need official documents? And an official seal?

The county magistrate's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

How could such a shady deal possibly leave behind written evidence! This woman is clearly pretending to be ignorant, deliberately putting him in a difficult position!

"Insolence! My decision is an official document! Just pay the money, why all this nonsense!" The county magistrate, enraged, slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

Jiang Zhenxue seemed oblivious to his anger, only sighing softly with a troubled expression: "My lord, please calm down. Without official documents, I can't do this accounting, and I can't explain it to my partners when I get back. If this leads to a dispute and delays in tax payment, the consequences would be dire."

"A partner?" The county magistrate was taken aback.

"Yes." Jiang Zhenxue blinked innocently. "How could a weak woman like me have the ability to open such a shop? There must be a benefactor supporting me. It's just that the benefactor prefers quiet and doesn't want others to know."

Her words were a mixture of truth and falsehood, a blend of reality and illusion.

The county magistrate's heart pounded. He looked Jiang Zhenxue up and down. This woman spoke with extraordinary manners and had a calm demeanor. She showed no fear in the face of official authority and was certainly not like an ordinary merchant.

Could it be that she really has someone powerful backing her?

For a moment, the county magistrate found himself in a dilemma. A 30% profit was indeed tempting, but offending a powerful figure he couldn't afford to offend for such a small amount of money would be a huge loss.

He paced back and forth in the hall with a sullen face, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons.

Jiang Zhenxue didn't urge him, but just stood quietly in place, her eyes lowered, looking docile and at his mercy.

But only she knew that her palms were already sweating.

In this gamble, she was betting on the other party's greed and suspicion.

After a long while, the county magistrate finally stopped. He stared at Jiang Zhenxue and snorted coldly, "Fine! I see it's not easy for a woman like you to make a living, so I won't bother with you. Let's put the official documents aside for now. I'll give you three days to prepare the tax money, not a penny less!"

He's backing down; he wants to get the money first.

"Yes, I will obey." Jiang Zhenxue obediently replied, but her mind was perfectly clear.

She knew this was just a temporary delaying tactic. As long as the county magistrate's greed remained, today's matter was far from over.

……

As soon as they came out of the county government office, Shen Yu rushed up to them, his face full of worry: "Sister Jiang, how did it go? He didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

"It's nothing." Jiang Zhenxue shook her head, suppressing the shock she had just experienced, and her face returned to calm. "Let's go back."

Back in the study room, Jiang Zhenxue dismissed everyone around her, leaving only Shen Yu behind.

"Xiao Yu, help me draft a notice." Jiang Zhenxue's voice was cold and resolute.

Shen Yu spread out the paper, ground the ink, picked up the brush, and looked at her.

"Write it down—" Jiang Zhenxue said, word by word, "In accordance with the government's order, starting tomorrow, all expenses at the Jinbangtiming Study Room will be subject to an additional 30% tax on top of the original price, to be used for the public treasury. We hope all students will understand."

Shen Yu's brush paused, a drop of ink spreading into a black dot on the rice paper. He looked up abruptly, his eyes wide with shock: "Sister Jiang, what did you do...?"

Isn't this just exposing the county magistrate's greed to the public? This is undoubtedly a complete breakdown in relations!

"He wants 30%, so I'll give him 30%." Jiang Zhenxue's lips curled into a cold smile. "Not only will I give it to him, but I'll also let every scholar in Pu County know who wants that 30%."

What she wanted was never a temporary concession, but a radical solution to eliminate future troubles!

The next day, a notice was quietly posted in the most conspicuous place in the Jinbangtiming self-study room.

The wording of the notice was extremely meticulous. The entire notice only mentioned obeying the government's orders, without a single word of accusation. Yet, every word was like a resounding slap in the face of the county magistrate.

"What? A 30% tax increase? What kind of logic is that!" A student who was used to being frugal immediately exclaimed.

"The notice says it's a 'surcharge,' and it's in accordance with a government order!"

"Thirty percent! This is outrageous! We scholars are already poor; how are we supposed to come here to study?"

"Let's go! Let's ask the shopkeeper what's going on!"

The crowd was immediately outraged.

Jiang Zhenxue was already waiting behind the counter. Faced with the students' questions, she simply repeated her explanation with a face full of apology, her words filled with helplessness and obedience.

The students weren't fools; they immediately understood the key point.

This is not a government order at all; it is clearly someone who is jealous of the study room business and is using the name of the government to carry out extortion!

"Outrageous! How can we scholars, who devote ourselves to learning, allow such despicable people to defile this place!" Kang Mingyan slammed his fist on the table, filled with righteous indignation.

"Brother Kang is right! This matter concerns the vital interests of all of us, and we absolutely cannot let it go!"

"We're going to the county government! We're going to see the county magistrate! We're determined to get justice for Manager Jiang, and for ourselves!"

One person's voice is small, but when the voices of dozens or hundreds of students come together, they become a torrent that can shake everything.