Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 815 - 635: The Great Path Shines to Eradicate Treachery and Evil, Qingtian Gradually Resolves Mortal World’s Affairs_2

Chapter 815: Chapter 635: The Great Path Shines to Eradicate Treachery and Evil, Qingtian Gradually Resolves Mortal World’s Affairs_2

During the entire Great Yan Dynasty, taxation was primarily based on agricultural taxes.

In the mid-to-late period, due to land annexation and sharp reduction in taxes, the national treasury gradually ran short of funds, so the Court began to levy business taxes.

However, this action severely harmed the interests of the Huang Family and the entire Jiangnan business group.

The officials in the Court, on the other hand, had intricate connections with these groups.

Thus, they began using every possible means to vehemently urge the Emperor to abolish business taxes, arguing that "the state should not compete with the people for profits, and should enrich the populace."

Yet, the common people who supported the officials did not know that the "people" here referred not to them, but to the bureaucratic scholars represented by the Huang Family and other aristocratic clans.

A few years later, someone petitioned to open mines to levy mineral taxes.

However, most of the mines in various regions were controlled by landlords and deeply rooted local bureaucrats and powerful clans, so the mineral tax naturally threatened their interests.

Thus, the officials again fiercely opposed the mineral tax, even inciting the uninformed populace of the Jiangnan region to violently resist taxes.

They even killed tax collectors in the street, resulting in a bloody incident involving hundreds of people.

Under the strenuous advisement of the officials, Emperor Shenzong had to halt the collection of mineral taxes shortly thereafter.

This coincided with a series of natural disasters during the Little Ice Age.

Without the most lucrative business and mineral taxes, the state could only continuously raise agricultural taxes, exploiting the already struggling lower-class people.

With their ability to withstand risks diminishing, even minor disturbances forced them to sell ancestral properties, becoming tenants of the gentry houses.

This allowed the latter’s estates to grow larger through land annexation.

In essence, the Great Yan Dynasty was drained dry by the parasitic officials and powerful gentry, dying of poverty!

Only the gentry families like the Huang Family were thriving with prosperity.

Moreover, with maritime smuggling, salt merchants, concealed populations, and temple sacrileges... the sins of the barbaric clans were countless.

If it weren’t for Wang Yuan and his Daoist Skill Industry, the Dragon Qi Prohibition, and the "Succeeding Saint" Human Ghost, even if Zhou Jinhuan ascended to the emperor’s throne, he could only keep cooperating with them against his wishes.

Yet, they just possessed these!

They had no fear of taking action against these parasites.

Nor would they allow another "Supreme Emperor" to preside over them.

At this point, if large clannish families like the Huang Family, who worshiped the wrong temple, did not run, they might find themselves unable to escape at all.

"Enough with the nonsense, all aboard!

Our family has plenty of gold and silver and private soldiers, even if all misdeeds are committed, retribution will not come upon us.

After going to sea, we will seize several large islands near the golden waterways of the Southern Ocean countries, and let our Huang Family play as the landlord king."

Old Master Huang’s words reinvigorated the anxious military spirit.

Just as they were about to lead the whole family onto the sea ship, a commotion suddenly arose from the back of the queue, causing them to halt.

"What happened?"

Shortly after, two private soldiers dragged a young man with broken legs and a bruised face swiftly in front of them.

"Master, this person has been sneakily trailing our convoy from the clan estate all the way here."

Looking at the youth filled with hatred, Old Master Huang and his son were bewildered.

They had committed so much evil that it was impossible to keep track of all their enemies.

However, upon hearing a few words whispered by the butler beside them, their brows furrowed deeply.

"Yang Da? That last surviving offspring of Yang Honest’s family?"

The tragedy was nothing new, just like the countless repetitions over the past thousand years that make one’s heart ache.

The Yang family father and son worked hard to clear land, meticulously tending to their fields day after day, digging channels and fertilizing overnight.

It took them several years to turn barren land into high-quality irrigated fields.

In no time, the Huang Family took interest, bribing the troublesome clerks to force-buy their fields.

The Yang Family, although not wealthy, had some savings over the years, and naturally could not sell their lifeline until forced by dire circumstances.

Yet, soon after, Yang Honest’s young daughter was kidnapped by mountain bandits.

Overnight, Yang Honest’s hair turned white, and helplessly he agreed to sell the land, hoping for his daughter’s safe return.

But what he received was only his daughter’s dishonored and cold corpse.

Knowing himself to be as insignificant as an ant before the Huang Family, there was no hope of avenging his daughter.

In despair, Yang Honest, angry and ashamed, drowned himself that night.

Yang Da, however, survived when Huang Family’s servants set fire to the house, disguised himself as a beggar, wandering for months, always looking for a chance to avenge.

Seeing the beastly dynasty fall and the Huang clan hurriedly packing their gold and valuables clearly intending to flee, he relentlessly followed.

In the pre-Post-Yan era, with royal authority not yet reaching the countryside, such local affairs had no recourse.

Even if a righteous government office intervened, it was useless.

In the morning, the lawsuit might be won, but by evening, Yang Da, the victim, would have been decapitated by other members of the Huang Family.

The murderer could easily hide in a village fortified by clan power, making it impossible to find him.

Now, with the wrongdoer within their grasp, tying a rock to him and throwing him into the sea would naturally leave no trace.

However, at this moment, despite being blood enemies with the Huang Family, Yang Da’s spirit was not crushed; instead, he displayed a chilling smile, even with one tooth missing:

"You cannot escape!

In this cannibalistic world, someone finally stands for us poor folks!

Last night, the ’Great Yan Daily’ in my dream reported that the Emperor has ordered the accounting of the local wicked gentry, marking the first severe crackdown."