Chapter 109: Can't Play the Blind Fool

Hearing this, Fang Zhenghua recalled the rumors he had heard while accompanying the Emperor on his stroll earlier—as the head of the inner factory and the Eastern and Western Depots, he had some understanding of prices in certain areas, and the prices here did seem considerably higher.

With this in mind, he asked:

"Though we have only recently arrived in the capital, we have heard something of these matters. Why is it that within the same capital city, only these few streets have such outrageous prices?"

The shopkeeper felt that these three men—the Chongzhen Emperor and his companions—spoke with uncommon refinement, unlike ordinary folk, yet judging by their clothing and attire, they looked like common traveling merchants. Unable to discern their background, he dared not speak too freely.

Seeing the shopkeeper's hesitant expression and his reluctance to speak, Fang Zhenghua gave a cold snort and said with an arrogant countenance:

"Do not be afraid. This gentleman here is acquainted with the current Chief Grand Secretary, Lord Wei. Even if the officers of the Five Wards Troops and Horses Office came, they would have to show some respect."

The Chongzhen Emperor shot him a glare for having boasted on his behalf, then also nodded and said:

"The current Chief Grand Secretary and I do share some acquaintance. Besides, we are merely asking casually—whatever we hear will be forgotten three steps out the door. No trouble will come of it."

"So you are honored guests!" The shopkeeper's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. He no longer remained seated but rose and bowed, then pointed at a sign hanging before a shop across the street and said:

"Gentlemen, don't be fooled by how small that sign is—there's a great deal of hidden meaning behind it!"

"That sign was put up by the Tax Assessment Office. Only shops with connections at court can hang such a small sign, and once hung, all tax payments are completely waived. For small businesses like ours, what connections do we have at court? Lord Wu brings the Tax Assessment Office people around, collecting taxes every few days without fail."

At this point, the shopkeeper pointed outside and said with a heavy sigh:

"You see, our business can't be done, but theirs thrives! There's hardly anyone to be seen in this area anymore—this is how it is all day."

Hearing this, Chen Qiyu suddenly laughed. "Shopkeeper, taxes are the same everywhere under heaven—everyone must pay them. If those who should pay don't, there are naturally special inspectors to look into it. But you pay what you owe, so it shouldn't be that you don't even get a few customers a day. What's the reason for that?"

The implication was that Chen Qiyu felt paying taxes was perfectly normal, and these shops' dismal business was entirely due to poor management on their part, having no direct connection to the taxes.

Chen Qiyu was somewhat impatient, jumping to conclusions before hearing the full story. Fang Zhenghua, however, was in no hurry to conclude and asked instead:

"Shopkeeper, what does what you just said have to do with the high prices in this area?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and said: "The more taxes are collected, the harder it is for small businesses like ours to get by. We have to raise prices just to break even—otherwise, wouldn't we just be getting poorer the longer we stay in business?"

"Every layer of tax they add means we have to raise prices another notch. Back and forth, it's become today's prices. Though fewer and fewer people pass by, there's simply no helping it."

The Chongzhen Emperor found this strange. As far as he knew, the Tax Assessment Office had long since lost most of its authority, and he had never decreed which shops should pay taxes and which should not.

What was most interesting was that he hadn't received a single copper coin of this tax money—so whose pockets were it going into? Just as this thought crossed his mind, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

An official wearing a ninth-rank robe strode in, followed by several runners. After entering, he couldn't be bothered to spare the Chongzhen Emperor and his companions a single glance, instead calling out in a shrill voice:

"Shopkeeper! Where's the shopkeeper?"

As if seeing some great personage, the shopkeeper immediately abandoned the Chongzhen Emperor and his two companions, plastering on a smile as he hurried forward to greet him, his face beaming with an ingratiating grin:

"Lord Wu has come! My humble shop is truly honored by your presence!"

This Lord Wu seemed to greatly enjoy such flattery, nodding with evident satisfaction. Without wasting words, he casually found a seat, looked around, and said:

"This official is hosting a banquet at his residence tonight to entertain honored guests. As for who they are—no need for you to know. Do you have any wine? Bring out as much as you have!"

A flicker of hesitation passed over the shopkeeper's face, but he still made a gesture of invitation with his hand. "Waiter, why haven't you taken Lord Wu and his men to fetch the wine yet?"

The shop assistant, who had been all smiles just moments before, darkened. He stood frozen for a long moment, then let out a long sigh and retreated into the back room.

This group came in a hurry and left in a hurry, barely spending any time in the inn. They arrived empty-handed, yet each left carrying a large jar of wine, without paying a single coin from start to finish—truly returning fully laden.

It was plain to see the pain on the shopkeeper's face, but throughout it all he could only maintain his careful smile. Only after they had left did he shake his head and sigh to himself.

"No point doing business for the rest of the month."

Chen Qiyu had been watching closely the entire time. Only after the last runner carrying a wine jar walked out did he suddenly rise to his feet and say angrily:

"This is outrageous! Beneath the very feet of the Son of Heaven in the capital, such conduct exists—utterly lawless! Have they always done things this way? Taking wine without paying?"

Fang Zhenghua did not rise, but his eyes narrowed, killing intent plain to see.

Clearly, in the mind of this Fang, the head of the sect, it was laughable that such a petty clerk who couldn't even grace the proper stage had become a lord of all he surveyed. A mere commissioner of the Tax Assessment Office, only a ninth-rank official, yet acting so brazenly in the capital!

The Chongzhen Emperor had not expected such filthy corruption to lurk beneath the capital's prosperity. He took a deep breath and asked with a calm expression:

"Shopkeeper, besides being commissioner of the Tax Assessment Office, what other background does this fellow surnamed Wu have?"

"Gentlemen must be speaking of Wu Wei—he's a relative of the imperial family!" The shopkeeper's face filled with fear at the mention of this, and he lowered his voice:

"Lord Wu is a close friend of Zhu Zhen, nephew of the Duke of Cheng. Isn't that being a relative of the imperial family? How could small merchants like us possibly afford to offend such people!"

The Chongzhen Emperor had initially been somewhat puzzled—if he encountered his cheap relatives in the capital, and it truly was Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Cheng, handling it would be troublesome. But after hearing the full story, he burst out laughing.

Well now—so that's what counts as a relative of the imperial family?

By these common folk's reckoning, there would be far too many imperial relatives under heaven. Even that Zhu Zhen fellow wasn't worth a single clove of garlic himself. This fellow surnamed Wu—he'd be the first to be dealt with!

With this in mind, the Chongzhen Emperor now had some understanding of the matter. He rose and walked as he spoke:

"Come, follow me... follow your master here to see just what honored guests this Lord Wu is hosting!"

The shopkeeper and the shop assistant were utterly bewildered upon hearing this, unable to fathom what background these gentlemen had. Even as friends of Chief Grand Secretary Lord Wei, hearing the name of the Duke of Cheng should have given them at least some pause.

Fang Zhenghua deliberately slowed his steps on the street outside. Once the Chongzhen Emperor and Chen Qiyu had turned a corner, he turned back, waved his hand, and solemnly said a few words to a runner who hurried over, then quickly caught up.

Along the way, the Chongzhen Emperor made deliberate inquiries and found that things were exactly as the shopkeeper had described—even eggs cost three wen apiece, and it wasn't just this one street; the surrounding streets were all the same, with cloth, firewood, rice, oil, and salt all priced considerably higher.

What in the hell could ordinary folk afford to buy at these prices? They probably couldn't even afford a single grain of rice. With this kind of tax collection, no wonder kingdoms fall, no wonder the refugees keep growing.

If he hadn't known, so be it—but now that he did, he couldn't just play the blind fool. He couldn't be emperor for nothing; he had to stand up for the people!

With this thought, the Chongzhen Emperor gave a cold snort. It seemed he would have to personally visit this fellow surnamed Wu's residence for some fun—perhaps he might even hook a big fish, and then deal with them all at once.