Protect Our Clan Leader
Chapter 1108 - 78: Drain the Firewood from Under the Pot! Flip the Table Over_4

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His children had all settled down, and his spouse had passed away a few years prior; running a small stall was merely a way to pass his idle time, and it also meant there would be people to chat with and while away the hours.

At that moment, several burly men who worked as manual laborers in the merchant house were sitting in the shade, sipping tea and resting their legs, while chatting in a sporadic and relaxed manner. Old Liu was all ears on the side, listening with great interest.

"Have you heard? A few days ago, the Li family from the south of the city was also audited. A lot of their properties and shops were thrown into chaos. This time the Li family is really in bad luck. If they can't pay the supplementary taxes, they might have to pawn their properties to cover the shortfall," said Strong Man Number One, sighing with emotion.

"They got what they deserved!" Strong Man Number Two said dismissively, "If they had just paid their taxes honestly like we do, would they be in such a sorry state now? Besides, haven't we seen loads of prominent families getting audited these days? Like the Sun Clan from the south of the city, the Hang family from the north – they've all made a fortune under the protection of the An Duke's Mansion in the past few years. Which one of them hasn't got what they deserved?"

"Heh heh~ Do you think I feel sorry for the Li family from the south of the city? I pity the sixteenth concubine that Sixth Young Master of the Li family just married this year," Strong Man Number One chuckled wickedly, "That young woman is so sprightly and lovely, nearly as beautiful as an immortal girl from the heavens~ Now that the Li family's in such a mess, she's definitely going to suffer too~"

"Get outta here! You talk as if you've seen her yourself," Strong Man Number Three laughed and scolded him.

"Why wouldn't I have seen her?" Strong Man Number One revealed a proud grin, "That little lady is from the same alley as my home. When she was small, I even bought her candy and held her little hand. Just a few days ago, when she visited her maternal home, I heard her family complaining. They said that good-for-nothing Sixth Young Master Li is so despicable that he gave away all the stuff from Cu Yun, and still had the gall to take it back to cover that 'what's-it-called' tax."

Listening to their discussions, Strong Man Number Four on the other side bared his teeth, feeling gloomy, "I don't even have a wife yet, and that Sixth Young Master of the Li family can marry eighteen concubines. The damned nobles..."

"I think you've just got too much energy and started thinking about women..."

The burly men talked and talked until they burst out laughing, the atmosphere becoming very lively.

All these strong men were permanent workers at a large merchant house, and their cultivation bases were around the level two or three of the Vital Energy Refining Realm.

Some large merchant houses, in order to boost the morale of their permanent workers and enhance their strength – as well as to increase the security of transporting goods through wilderness areas – would teach them some basic Cultivation Methods.

Even though these were inferior Cultivation Methods that could not advance past the Spirit Platform Realm in a lifetime and had no corresponding tactics, which only served to strengthen the body, these workers still counted as Profound Martial cultivators of sorts. With a wider circle of contacts and better insights than ordinary folks, they were naturally more well-informed.

As they chatted, the conversation soon circled back to its original topic.

"Speaking of which, our employer is still pretty steady. Take a look at the 'Fortune Line' next door – their shopkeeper has been so anxious these past few days that his mouth is full of blisters. I heard their employer was anonymously reported and something came up in the investigation. If it's serious, the whole Fortune Line might be dragged down with them."

"That's why it's so important to have the right employer. If the employer has no issues, we can sit here and chat leisurely. Otherwise, we'd be scrambling to find a new job," Strong Man Number One seemed to have better information, "I have a brother who works as a permanent worker in a merchant house under the Kang Commandery Prince. He came to drink with me awhile back and complained that their merchant house was barely staying afloat. The Three Talents Section conducted an audit and said they owed decades of taxes. They sealed their warehouses and carried bags of gold notes to the Three Talents Section... The shopkeeper vomited blood on the spot and is still bedridden..."

"Oh, my goodness, that tax evasion must amount to 'several hundreds of billions' of Qian Gold, right?" Old Liu got excited and couldn't help but interject.

"Heh heh~ We don't know about that. It's a lot anyway," Strong Man Number One chuckled, "I know for sure, no matter how hard we work, we could never earn even a fraction of what they've got."

"If you ask me, it's high time for a good and thorough investigation. Those high-ranking families always look down on people, acting arrogantly because they have high cultivation bases and prestigious backgrounds. They monopolize the best resources but do nothing worthwhile. Not a single one is good news!"

"Hey hey hey~ You can't say that," Strong Man Number One immediately took offense, "The Ding Duke's Mansion, the Dede Prince's, and the An Duke's Mansion – weren't none of them found with issues? And our employer is without problems too, right? This shows there are good ones among the prominent families. We need to speak fairly and not generalize everyone together."

"That's true. I can't complain about our employer treating us decently," Strong Man Number Four nodded, finding himself unable to retort.

"Actually, compared to the Kang Commandery Prince, I think the An Commandery Prince is much more reliable; at least he truly cares for the common people," Strong Man Number Three sipped his cold tea and spoke with authority, "If the An Commandery Prince ascends to the throne, at least our lives as common folk will definitely get better and there will be less oppression from the prominent families. But if it's the Kang Commandery Prince who takes the throne, then it's hard to tell."

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