Chapter 19

On the first day of October, the county government summoned all the village stewards from the various townships to gather at the county government office.

Every village and household was waiting for news about this year’s tax collection. Once the busy season of tax collection was over, matters related to this year’s autumn harvest would also be considered settled.

“I wonder how the taxes will be this year.”

Yuan Huiru fed the chickens with rice bran, tilting her head to see if there was any activity in the village.

Usually, after the stewards went to the city for deliberation, they would immediately gather the villagers for a meeting and announce this year’s tax situation.

Although she now had money on hand, she didn’t need to worry whether taxes increased or decreased. But after all, she had been a farmer all her life, and the major events of the year revolved around these two matters.

With no result in sight, her heart was unsettled. Perhaps everyone in the village was waiting for the steward to return for the meeting.

Huo Shu split two bundles of firewood. Seeing Yuan Huiru still looking around, he stopped his hands.

The south had more rain, and after late autumn, it rained every three to five days. Today, it had been windy since morning, and the sky remained overcast. It seemed it would rain soon.

If this continued, there would likely be even fewer sunny days in winter.

Huo Shu wasn’t too concerned about the tax situation. He just felt that it had been several days since he last saw Ji Taoyu.

Since that day she returned from the city in tears, she hadn’t seemed to leave the house.

There was also no news from the Ji family or the You family in the village, as if everything had calmed down.

Fortunately, he had observed secretly that day, otherwise he might have thought the Ji family had relented and wanted to continue to hold onto their “golden son-in-law”.

It seemed that most of the villagers’ minds were focused on taxes, and there was no discussion of other matters in the village.

“Where will the meeting be held?”

Yuan Huiru heard Huo Shu’s voice and was momentarily stunned, not immediately realizing what he was asking.

“Regarding the tax levy meeting, people in our village are all going to the Li family’s house. At least one representative from each household must attend. Since you’re not fond of such matters, I’ll go on your behalf.”

But Huo Shu replied, “Taxation is a major issue for farmers, so I’ll go with my foster mother.”

“If you’re willing to go, that’s fine.”

Yuan Huiru thought that Huo Shu was tough-looking and taciturn. She rarely conversed with him when there was nothing to do, let alone with the villagers.

Since they had settled in the village, it was good to participate in a few meetings to show their faces and integrate into the community more quickly.

Around noon, Ji Yangzong returned from the city and notified those he met on the way to attend the meeting at his home in the afternoon.

Those who weren’t notified sent their laborers to inform each household. By midday, everyone was preparing lunch at home.

As soon as noon arrived, those who were quick on their feet had already gone to Ji’s house.

When Huo Shu and Yuan Huiru arrived, many farmers were already waiting in Ji’s courtyard.

There were no urgent matters in the village. Usually, there was a meeting once a month to discuss various issues affecting the village.

Whether someone’s fish pond needed to be opened for fish-selling, or if someone needed labor to repair their houses, or if someone was planning a feast, as long as they informed the Li family in advance, it would be announced to the entire village during the meeting.

Normally, these meetings were lively and noisy, as villagers rarely gathered together. However, this month’s meeting was called specifically to discuss taxation, so the atmosphere was different.

Today, everyone seemed unusually quiet in Ji’s courtyard, with most wearing worried expressions on their faces.

Yet, there were still some who couldn’t hide their smugness.

“Madam Sun is so fortunate. She won’t have to worry about taxes anymore, unlike us, who have to abide by the court’s laws every year.”

“Oh, nonsense. Even if you don’t worry about taxes, there’s always something else to worry about. You just have to learn to let go.”

“Only Madam Sun has such a broad mind. If my son-in-law were to pass the imperial examination, I wouldn’t even bother coming to these meetings.”

Several women and men gathered around Mrs. Sun, complimenting her one after another.

Mrs. Sun occasionally adjusted her hair bun and smiled, greatly enjoying the flattery.

It’s no wonder she came to listen to the meeting today. When she married into the Yu family despite objections from her own family, she faced gossip from the village. Now that she had risen to glory, she wouldn’t miss the envy from these gossipers.

Not only Mrs. Sun, but other wives from the Yu family also received compliments from the villagers.

Huang Manjing served tea to the villagers. Seeing Mrs. Sun chatting happily among the villagers, she avoided them and simply placed the tea on the table without engaging.

Huo Shu leaned against the stone wall of Ji’s courtyard, silently observing the situation.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Ji Yangzong gathered everyone and briefly took attendance. Seeing that people from all households in the village had arrived, he was about to start the meeting.

At the door, Yu Lingxiao unexpectedly arrived as well, to the surprise of everyone.

Everyone looked over and started murmuring.

“Uncle Ji, I’m late.”

Yu Lingxiao bowed to Ji Yangzong.

Ji Yangzong glanced at him, gestured for him to come in quickly, but didn’t say anything.

The villagers were surprised for a moment. Before they could gossip, Ji Yangzong began discussing the taxation issue.

“The tax collection by the prefecture this year has been finalized, and the land tax remains the same, with forty percent to be handed over. But there have been some changes in other areas.”

Ji Yangzong unfolded the notes he had taken at the prefecture today. “I’ll read it out for everyone now, and it will be posted at the door for those who didn’t catch it.”

Upon hearing Ji Yangzong’s words, the farmers knew that taxes might have increased again, so they remained silent.

“The poll tax is one hundred and twenty wen per person, two hundred wen per adult, and five hundred wen per household. In addition to these, there’s a new levy this year, fifty wen per adult. They say the war in the northern region has ended, and those soldiers who have been guarding the borders for years, even if they haven’t achieved much, have still endured hardships. Now that the army is returning to the capital, it’s customary to reward them.”

The farmers had already been complaining about the taxes they had just heard about. Upon hearing about the new levy, they all began to protest: “Last year, the poll tax was only one hundred, and this year it has increased by twenty. The adult poll tax has also increased by fifty, and the household levy has increased by one hundred. That’s a total increase of one hundred and seventy wen, not even counting how many people are in each household.”

“Having to pay the levy per person instead of per household is unfair, especially for families with only one or two members.”

“Year after year, the taxes keep increasing. Dozens more here, dozens more there. How much does a stone of grain even sell for?”

“These soldiers who went to battle came from our village, yet we have to pay the levy. In the end, the money may not even reach the soldiers’ hands. We’re just being used to fill the treasury, without gaining anything.”

The courtyard quickly filled with complaints.

Members of the Yu family heard about this year’s taxation and couldn’t help but shake their heads, secretly delighted.

The higher the taxes, the better treatment they would receive.

Ji Yangzong was clearly accustomed to such scenes and let the people grumble for a while.

With his hands behind his back, he saw that it was almost time and said in a low voice, “Alright, the laws decreed by the court are not something we common folk can influence. Everyone, get ready, pack the grain you need to pay, prepare the tax money, borrow if you need to, but don’t delay.”

“Both taxes must be paid, otherwise the officials from the prefecture will start complaining. They’ll blame our village for any delays in collection.”

The villagers murmured, “The Li family has a good son-in-law. Even if the taxes soar, it doesn’t affect him. It’s easy to give orders when you’re not the one suffering.”

“Indeed, nowadays it feels like the time for us to pay taxes has been dragging on. He keeps records of everything harvested in the village; how could he not know what’s going on?” Ji Yangzong stood nearby, listening intently to the villagers’ discussion, but he didn’t reprimand them. He glanced at Sun Yuanniang, who stood proudly in the crowd. When their eyes met, seeing Sun Yuanniang’s mocking expression, he sneered inwardly. He knew well enough what this woman named Sun was thinking.

“Alright, alright, I know everyone is unhappy about it. We’re all helping each other get through tough times as fellow villagers. We’ve managed to endure year after year, and now our village has produced a Jinshi scholar. In the future, he will surely bring honor to our village.”

After praising Yu Lingxiao, Ji Yangzong continued, “Apart from taxes, there are also some other matters in the village that need to be announced. Zhao Changde’s family, ten years ago, he went to the front lines and never returned. Yuan Huiru has recognized Zhao Changde’s adopted son as her own, and he has settled in the village. From now on, he is one of us. Let’s not treat him differently from outsiders. The Zhao family has had it rough, so let’s all look out for each other.”

“Furthermore, regarding the marriage between the Ji and Yu families, let’s not talk about it anymore. They are married now, so if anyone wants to arrange a marriage or seek a marriage proposal, they can do so.”

Ji Yangzong’s words were straightforward. There have been cases of engagements being broken off after being agreed upon, so this wasn’t particularly rare. Even widows remarrying after marriage was not unheard of. They had seen such situations before.

While the villagers were still preoccupied with the increase in taxes, other matters seemed less significant. However, upon hearing about the cancellation of the marriage between the Ji and Yu families, they were surprised. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, but the village would only announce the cancellation without providing reasons, and no one dared to inquire further.

“That’s it for today’s announcements. If there’s nothing else, everyone can go home.”

The farmers stirred, pairing up and heading back.

“How could such a good marriage be broken off just like that? This Li Zheng is really foolish. We waited for so many years just for Yu Erlang to achieve something, and now that he finally has, the marriage is off.”

“Do you think Li Zheng looks foolish? It’s probably the Yu family that refused.”

“The Yu family is really heartless. Li Zheng helped them a lot back then.”

“The world has changed, people’s hearts aren’t what they used to be. I guess we shouldn’t expect the Yu family to do us any favors in the future.”

“Forget it, who has the time to worry about the affairs of those wealthy families? What about this year’s taxes?”

The villagers whispered as they left, avoiding the Yu family members. The discussions continued.

“Mother, didn’t you say Uncle wouldn’t announce this? And now there’s no turning back!”

Upon hearing Ji Yangzong’s announcement, Yu Lingxiao felt like he had been hit out of the blue. His eyes reddened, and he anxiously grabbed Sun Yuanniang’s arm. Things had suddenly escalated beyond what the mother and son had expected.

Sun Yuanniang was also taken aback and hadn’t recovered from her surprise. She didn’t expect the Ji family to be so stubborn and reject such a good marriage opportunity. She had underestimated Ji Yangzong.

Seeing her usually refined and polite son lose his composure, she quickly comforted him, “Since their family insists on calling off the marriage, let them have their way. At least we won’t have to make efforts to meddle anymore.”

“Mother!”

Seeing his mother’s reaction, Yu Lingxiao felt even more anxious. Since his mother seemed uninterested in this marriage, he let go of her hand and said, “I’ll go talk to Uncle myself.”

“What are you going to say to him?”

Seeing her son being stubborn, Sun Yuanniang wanted to go after him, but he was too fast.

“Arshu, let’s go back.”

Today, Yuan Huiru heard two major events and felt somewhat unsettled.

Seeing that most of the villagers had left, she also prepared to leave.

Huosu’s gaze fell on the movements of the Yu family mother and son. Seeing Yu Lingxiao’s lost look, he regretted his impatience.

Ji Yangzong hadn’t made a decision yet. How could he let this man go crazy under his nose?

Huosu bid farewell to Yuan Huiru, “Mother, go back first. I need to discuss something with Li Zheng.”

Yuan Huiru was surprised by Huosu’s actions, but he was already a grown man, so he must have his own reasons. She tactfully didn’t ask, “Alright, come back soon.”

“Yeah.”

After that, Huosu went forward.

Yu Lingxiao found Ji Yangzong and called out excitedly, “Uncle!”

When Ji Yangzong heard someone approaching, his brows furrowed. He didn’t want to deal with anyone.

Seeing someone about to come over and pester him, Ji Yangzong felt extremely annoyed. He was afraid he couldn’t control his temper and might even curse. Just as he was about to ask Big Niu to stop the person, a tall figure stepped forward before Yu Lingxiao, “Li Zheng, I have something to discuss with you.”

Seeing Huosu, Ji Yangzong’s expression softened, “Huo Yishi, if you have anything to say, let’s discuss it inside.”

With that, he pretended not to see Yu Lingxiao and led Huosu straight into the house.