Chapter 1169: Chapter 737: Half Moon

Benefiting from decades of governance under the Jiajing Dynasty, the Immortal Tax Law spread with extreme efficiency to various local government offices across Dayan. However, just like a bomb dropped into water, it lay dormant before eventually erupting, plunging the Fourteen States of Dayan into an eerie silence during this period.

The last calm before the storm.

Half a month has passed since the day of the Northern Hunt.

Many events have occurred in the Capital City these past days.

Although the Immortal Tax Law stirred up tremendous waves in the imperial court, ninety-nine percent of the common folk remained unaware. Even when war completely breaks out, they would still be clueless about the reasons behind it.

As for the impact felt most by commoners in the marketplaces, it was possibly the withdrawal of the Golden Armor Forbidden Army outside the city and the Imperial City Department’s relaxation of entry and exit controls in the Capital.

Di’an has been peaceful for a long time, and a state of military control has not been present for decades. Now that normalcy has resumed, scholars and literati in taverns and brothels are speculating about the reasons behind these decrees.

Some say these forbidden troops were redirected to the front lines to prepare for war, others say they were originally meant to guard against the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s usurpation. Now that the new law has been issued, there will be no conflict between the Imperial Family and the Prime Minister’s Mansion for the time being. There are also those who claim that His Majesty has eliminated the treacherous Prime Minister, so there is no need for precaution.

These are all reflections by Confucian scholars and literati based on fragmentary information, coupled with some imaginative speculation, resulting in their so-called insights.

If wrong, they act as if nothing happened.

If right, they are considered prescient, earning them fame.

But even if spoken without intent, it is listened to with purpose.

Various rumors filled the streets and alleys of Di’an City for a time, yet it was these rumors that alleviated much of the oppressive atmosphere overshadowing the Capital City.

Of course, these are merely the views of ordinary citizens.

The oppressive air within the Imperial Capital did indeed dissipate significantly, but this was because the wealthy merchants and mid-level sects within the city received precise information from the court.

Although the Immortal Tax Law is a disastrous national policy, it could be considered as a clearing of all negative factors.

Since the onset of autumn, when the Imperial Guards sealed the city, those most anxious were these people.

These wealthy merchants and mid-level sects are unlike the aristocrats; they don’t have the right to place early bets in gambling, cannot become “celestial connectors,” and lack the means to pledge themselves to powerful names. However, the wealth and power they possess allow them to know slightly more than the common folk below.

This truly feels quite hopeless.

Nothing is more frightening to a person than the unknown,

and to a power, the most frightening thing is the change in national policy.

As long as the ministers at court do not implement the national policy, no one dares to act rashly. Now that the situation is settled, their previously unsettled hearts are finally at ease.

With the clouds of war already unavoidable, what remains is each party’s ability to manage risk, and Di’an, as the capital, should remain a relatively safe area of Dayan for a long time.

But just as they pondered this, news from the Imperial City Department plunged them into anxiety once more.

The Second Prince led troops into the north city.

…

The moon is bright and the stars sparse.

In this half month’s time, Xu Yuan stayed in the Mòyǐn Pavilion, reviewing the snowstorm of folded memorials arriving from various places.

Most were concerning matters related to the Immortal Tax Law.

On that day, the memorial he presented in court was named after the Immortal Tax Law, but it actually contained no substantive content, only broadly justified the necessity of the tax from macro and micro perspectives.

If the Immortal Tax Law were a bullet, then Xu Yuan was merely the one to pull the trigger.

The true Immortal Tax Law was an enormous system, refined step by step under his father’s leadership over the past decades.

The documentation was over a million words in total, encompassing hundreds of new laws, thousands of new regulations, various guidance notes, and the order of implementation along with thousands of contingency plans for potential incidents.

Indeed.

There are two versions, one outward-facing, one inward-facing,

the outward being the publicly executed version of the Immortal Tax with sect collaboration as a premise.

The inward focuses on preparation for war with sect mobilization as a premise.

The chamber was silent, the Inscription Lamp exuded a cool, dim light, illuminating the last folder on the desk. Xu Yuan, with brows tightly knit, leaned back on the chair, lightly pressing his slightly sore brow, recalling the contents of the memorials these days, finally letting out a sigh.

If he were to use a single word to describe his evaluation of the new law’s implementation, “chaos” would undoubtedly be the most fitting.

Before soldiers were moved, provisions were readied first.

Even though various preparations were made, the moment implementation began, countless issues surfaced instantaneously.

The understanding gleaned from paper was shallow.

Empty warehouses, collapsed mines, martial schools unable to provide sufficient martial apprentices, the shortage of medicinal herbs and spirit stones, and so on…

Just entering a state of preparedness brought chaos that suffocated Xu Yuan. If actual combat initiates, he couldn’t imagine the kind of disorder that would ensue.

However, the only consolation was that this chaos was still within the acceptable range of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, or rather the creators of the “Immortal Tax Law” had anticipated such incidents, leaving plenty of leeway…

Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan thought of these absurd matters, and couldn’t help but chuckle in exasperation:

“These pests really ought to be dragged out and executed.”

“If you kill them, there’ll be no one left to do the work for you, though.”

A seductive voice came from outside the top floor of the Mòyǐn Pavilion.

Xu Yuan opened his eyes, and Lou Ji entered through the door.

Tonight, she wore a plain white robe, though she maintained her habit of economizing on fabric. The ethereal simplicity of the white robe formed a unique allure with this older woman’s temperament.