Chapter 1513: Chapter 1520: Her Space, Her Past Life (3)

Cai Wei said, “I plan to open a glass shop, a jewelry shop specializing in jade and pearls, and a ginseng shop in each state and mansion of the Great Jin Nation. Could you help me find suitable premises and also find around a hundred appropriate people to be shopkeepers?”

This task was incredibly challenging for Cai Wei, but for Nangong Yi, it was merely a matter of a few words. Thus, he said: “I can help you, but once the shops are opened in each state and mansion, they must be managed by my people; you are absolutely not to manage them yourself. As long as you agree to this condition, I can issue an order to deal with this matter tomorrow.”

He was terrified by Cai Wei’s recent disappearance from the palace. Even now, he shudders at the thought of her disappearance. Therefore, anytime it comes to Cai Wei traveling far, no matter how important the matter, there is only one response from him: “No!”

Indeed, even if he didn’t say so, Cai Wei had no intention of personally managing the businesses. She was pregnant with a growing belly and the baby was getting bigger each month, so she was simply unable to go out and handle the business. Thus, her plan was just to find reliable people to start the shops and then manage them well.

So, the man’s request was really unnecessary. She said: “Alright, it’s agreed. No regrets allowed!”

Nangong Yi gently tugged at her hair and Laughed and said, “You clever little thing, you think too far. When have I ever gone back on my word for anything I’ve promised you?”

Cai Wei thought for a moment and found that he hadn’t indeed. Every promise he had made to her had been kept, and she realized she had misjudged his noble intentions with her cynical assumptions.

The man, not upset by her cynical assumptions, grew curious about her confident approach: “Quick, tell me, what exactly are your ideas on tax reform?”

Cai Wei smiled nonchalantly and uttered three words: “Two-tax law.”

“Two-tax law? What does that mean?” The man looked confused and said, “Madam, what do you mean? Please explain more specifically.”

After pondering for a while, Cai Wei elaborated in the simplest academic terms: “Essentially, the two-tax law is set by the Central Government defining the total amount of tax which is then apportioned for collection across various regions; household registrations are done based on current residency without distinguishing between principal and dependent members; each household pays household tax based on assets and land tax per acreage, abolishing the rent service and supplies tax system and all miscellaneous tasks and taxes; moreover, taxes are collected in two installments – summer and autumn. Fundamentally, it replaces the rent service and supplies tax system with household and land taxes, achieving ‘no distinction of principal and guest in households, residence determines registration; no distinction of adult male, wealth determines tax bracket’… Do you understand now?”

With such detailed explanation, as the Monarch of a country, he of course understood. His stunned silence was not due to a lack of comprehension. On the contrary, he fully grasped her intentions, which left him utterly astonished.

After Cai Wei had finished explaining, she saw the man staring at her for a long time, prompting her to touch her own face curiously and ask, “Eh? What are you looking at? Is something wrong with my face?”

After a long pause, the man finally spoke softly, “Cai Wei, how do you know all this?”

Before Cai Wei could answer, the man continued, “Don’t tell me you learned it Inside Space. I’ve been everywhere in that Space these days, and I’ve looked through all the Books; there isn’t a single book about taxation, not to mention books on Arabic Arithmetic or gun production methods. There’s simply nothing like that here.”

“Why do you know all these? A woman who grew up in the countryside, yet knows many things that she should, by all means, have no knowledge of, surpassing even many carefully groomed privileged daughters. Even if your father is a Scholar, he himself doesn’t possess this knowledge. This is really strange, not to mention, your courage, wisdom, and determination. Your upbringing absolutely should not have shaped you into who you are now, even if it were a matter of extraordinary talent, it could not deviate so completely from one’s environment.”