Chapter 375

Xianyang City!

Even though dark currents surge beneath the surface of Xianyang City now!

Almost all nobles have already made moves!

Many are mobilizing private armies, organizing household slaves, and so on!

But... none of this can affect the prosperity of Xianyang City.

Nor can it affect the liveliness within Xianyang City!

Outside Wanhualou, beauties in thin green gauze are still soliciting customers everywhere!

On the main streets, peddlers are still hawking their wares!

Grain shops opened by the great nobles are still packed to the brim!

And in wine shops, on the streets, pedestrians are everywhere!

They have no sense of crisis whatsoever!

Indeed, at this very moment, everyone is excited, cheering!

Cheering for what?

"The new emperor far surpasses the First Emperor!"

"The new emperor far surpasses the First Emperor!"

"The new emperor far surpasses the First Emperor!"

At that moment, many were shouting, many were calling out!

They were boiling with emotion!

And the reason for this boiling excitement was that the proclamation of annihilating the Xiongnu had been posted!

It was not only the proclamation of the hundred-thousand-strong army annihilating the Xiongnu that was posted.

There was also the decree from Ying Su granting five years of tax exemption.

Even more, the decree from Ying Zheng granting five years of tax exemption had been issued!

This scene simply made all the common people in Xianyang City boil with excitement!

"Fifteen years!"

"A full fifteen years without paying taxes!"

At that moment, they shouted loudly!

Almost everyone was weeping with joy!

Countless others shouted loudly that the new emperor far surpasses the First Emperor!

They were excited to the extreme!

But when these slogans were shouted, some people reminded them that this was not only Ying Su's five-year tax exemption; there was also Ying Zheng's five-year tax exemption!

The meaning of this reminder was very clear: it was telling them to stop shouting the slogan that the new emperor far surpasses the First Emperor!

Ying Zheng is not a tyrant, not a foolish ruler!

However, once these words were spoken, they were met with curses from countless common people!

"Ying Zheng is not a tyrant? If he is not a tyrant, why did he squeeze us so hard before?"

"If he is not a tyrant, would he have made us build the Great Wall, build the Epang Palace?"

"Thirty percent!"

"I farm for a year, and in the end, I get to keep only thirty percent of the grain!"

"Half the tax must be paid to the imperial court, and twenty percent of the grain must be paid to the nobles!"

"You say he is not a tyrant?"

"If the new emperor had not opened the door for tax exemption, could he have exempted taxes?"

At that moment, the common people cursed without ceasing!

At the same time, the slogan that the new emperor far surpasses the First Emperor was shouted even louder.

The sound shook the heavens, thundering in the ears!

And when this sound entered Outside Xianyanggong, Zhao Gao was panicked to the extreme!

Without any delay at all, he quickly ordered people to shut the door to Ying Zheng's room!

Then, he glanced over toward Ying Zheng!

Ying Zheng over there was very busy!

While making tea, drinking tea, and chatting with Li Bai, he was also talking with Zheng He about sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and so on!

When the conversation grew lively, he even... he even took action himself, using a stone mill to start grinding flour!

Watching helplessly as wheat and corn turned into flour, and then were made into noodles and steamed into cornbread, he was overjoyed!

He took a bite of the cornbread, then ate a bowl of hot fried sauce noodles!

He felt extremely comfortable.

While feeling comfortable, he cried out: "In the future, every subject of my Great Qin will be able to eat fried sauce noodles, every subject will be able to eat cornbread!"

"They will not go hungry!"

"My Great Qin subjects, in the future, should not go hungry!"

Ying Zheng laughed heartily!

Excitement knew no bounds!

When Zhao Gao saw this scene, he was almost moved to tears!

He listened to the sounds outside again, and hatred made him clench his fists tightly!

These common people, what do they understand?

What do they know at all!

How can the First Emperor be a tyrant?

How could they know how much the First Emperor sacrificed for this nation?

But... thinking it over carefully, one cannot blame these common people!

Mainly... under the rule of the First Emperor Ying Zheng, their days were truly not good!

If it were not for Facing Ying Su ordering the halt of the Great Wall's construction, the halt of the Epang Palace's construction, and then a general amnesty for the realm and so on, they would still be suffering now!

"Sigh!"

Zhao Gao sighed; at this very moment, he did not know what to say either.

He could only stand far outside the door, then cover his ears, trying his best not to hear these sounds!

But... even if he does not listen, that does not mean the nobles within Xianyang City do not hear these sounds!

Even though the slogan they shout is that the new emperor far surpasses the First Emperor!

All of this seems to have nothing to do with the nobles!

Yet... every time they hear this sound, countless nobles feel extremely uncomfortable in their hearts!

The new emperor far surpasses the First Emperor?

Why does the new emperor far surpass the First Emperor?

Do you think the First Emperor Ying Zheng did not want the common people to live good lives?

Heh!

That is because he did not have the ability to do so!

After all, the Great Wall had to be built, the Qin Imperial Mausoleum had to be built, and the Epang Palace also had to be built.

There were also a million soldiers of the Qin Army to feed, salaries to be distributed across the regions, and the Qin Straight Road and Qin Express Roads to be constructed and so on!

Where in all of this did not require grain?

Tax exemption!

Sounds good, but was it exempted with words?

It was exempted using the imperial court's tax revenue!

Even if Ying Zheng were beaten to death, he would not have such ability to exempt!

But Facing Ying Su could exempt!

Why?

Because he... damn it, exempted by exploiting his own group of nobles!

Using the grain of nobles from all under heaven to accomplish his Facing Ying Su's affairs!

In the end, Ying Zheng continued to be cursed, nobles from all under heaven continued to be cursed, and only he, Facing Ying Su, gained a good reputation!