"Brother Lou, you are well-informed. Please give me some advice. Should I resume my slavery?" Sister Chunxiang looked worried. The court suddenly added a head tax. They have many children, all of whom are grown up. All of them have to pay the tax. She was worried to death when she thought that she had to pay this tax every year and the price might increase in the future. "I heard that slaves don't have to pay head tax, and the master is responsible for everything. Otherwise, I will ask the Marquis' Mansion to restore all the children to slavery. Anyway, I was born in the Marquis' Mansion. Now I just want to restore my previous status." Chen Guanlou was also a little worried and didn't know how to suggest. According to his idea, he would definitely choose to be free. Nothing is more precious than freedom. But from the perspective of Sister Chunxiang, restoring slavery would not change her life. Relying on the Marquis' Mansion, she might live a little better than now, and save head tax. In the past, Manager Liu's family were all slaves, and they lived happily, more comfortable than the landlords. The most important thing is that people these days do not feel ashamed of being a slave. As long as they do not take the imperial examination, it does not matter whether they are a slave or not. Instead, they will be protected by the master's family.
"I can't help with this matter and cannot give any suggestions. Sister-in-law should discuss it with the eldest brother to see what the rules are. Also ask Da Wang and others what they think." "I must ask, I am just hesitant whether to take this step. The head tax is not much, but it is a lot for the whole family. Da Wang has your help and has a job, so he must not be a slave. But the children below all rely on the Marquis's Mansion for food, and it seems that it makes no difference whether they are slaves or not." "You should discuss it with the children, they are all grown up and have their own ideas. Don't make your own decisions, lest the children feel resentful." Chen Guanlou could only persuade in this way. This matter concerns the fate of a family for decades to come, and he can't give any suggestions. It's like matchmaking. If it's good, it's good. If the couple becomes a resentful couple, the first person to be scolded is the matchmaker. This kind of thing has no benefit at all, but will cause trouble, so Chen Guanlou said he would stay away from it. Chunxiang's wife followed the advice and held a family meeting, attended by all family members. Dawang firmly opposed slavery. He is now working in the government office and has an income every month, which is not bad. He can afford the head tax. However, Chunxiang's wife also has her own opinion, "We can afford it now, but what about the future? You get married, your brothers get married, and there will be more people in the family, which means more head taxes. When your children grow up in the future, there will be another head tax. You can calculate it yourself, how much will it cost in more than ten years. How can we afford it? I was originally a child of the Marquis's family, and now I have restored my status as a child of the family. Except for the change in status, everything remains the same." "No! I finally got rid of slavery, I will never agree to restore slavery." "Okay! You can choose not to join the slavery, but your father, I, and the two little ones will return to slavery." "Mom?!" "It's settled." Chunxiang's wife is very determined, and no one can persuade her. Da Wang found Chen Guanlou, hoping that he could come forward to persuade her. Chen Guanlou waved his hand. He couldn't help with this matter. "The Marquis's Mansion has always been very tolerant of children born in the family. If it really doesn't work, it won't be too late to redeem them when you have money in the future." "But..." "Why don't you persuade them yourself?" Chen Guanlou casually perfunctorily dismissed Dawang. There are many cases similar to Chunxiang's family around. Chen Guanlou decisively hid out and went to Master Du's house to drink. Master Du's family are all scholars. No matter how expensive or how much the head tax is, they will pay the money and will never join the slavery. This is the difference in thinking brought by identity.
Master Du has aged a lot. He is old and lacks energy. But every time he sees Chen Guanlou, he is still very happy. A pair of friends who are close to each other, drinking under the moonlight. "Teach for a few more years. When I can't teach anymore, I will go back to my hometown to retire." "You are still energetic, so you can teach for another ten or twenty years." "No, no. My eyes are blurry now, and I am exhausted from teaching a bunch of idiots. I have taken the initiative to apply to teach the young ladies. The idiots will be taught by the young people." Chen Guanlou naturally saw that Master Du was old and frail. Birth, aging, illness and death, the laws of life, cannot be changed by human power. "I'll see you off when you leave the capital!" "I dare not let you see me off! I'm already satisfied that you can drink with me." "Why should we be so polite? Is there any difficulty at home? The government didn't come to collect taxes, did it?" Master Du nodded, then shook his head, "The government came to inform us of the deadline for payment, and they were very polite. After all, this is the territory of the Marquis' Mansion, don't worry, the government won't mess around. But... I always feel that if this goes on, it's a bit ominous!" Chen Guanlou smiled, "The government is bloated, the number of people eating public food is increasing year by year, and the places where money is spent are also increasing year by year. The income of the court is so little, and it's only a matter of time before taxes are increased. This tax, it's impossible to reduce it after it's increased. We have to learn to adapt to the days of increased taxes in the future." "It won't get better?" Master Du's eyes were slightly cloudy, and he was very disappointed. This was not the world peace he hoped for. "It's hard to get better. It's good enough to maintain the status quo. Think about it, unless all the idle people are laid off. But everyone knows that this is impossible. For example, who can solve the problem of the army eating empty salaries?" Ah! Master Du sighed, feeling a little depressed, "The emperor is the orthodox!" Chen Guanlou laughed again, "That position, what difference does it make whether it's a human or a dog?" "You can't say that. If the monarch is wise..." "Master, you are also a scholar. The dynasty has been three hundred years, how many wise monarchs are there? This kind of gambling-like alternation of imperial power, tsk..." Chen Guanlou didn't want to comment. The alternation of imperial power is completely like opening a blind box. It looks magnificent and perfect on the surface, but you can only know whether it is fragrant or smelly, whether it is a human or a ghost after opening it. System! Master Du couldn't refute it for a while. He has read a lot of history books, so he naturally knows that what Chen Guanlou said is right, it is indeed like gambling. If you win the bet, the people of the world will have a good life for a few years. If you bet wrong, the people of the world will suffer. Alas! No sigh! "Is there no good way?" "Put a dog in that position, it will probably do a better job than a person!" "Ridiculous! Don't say that." Master Du shook his head and smiled bitterly. He has adapted to it now. Chen Guanlou may say treasonous words at any time. I used to be very worried. Now!
It doesn't matter! For a ninth-rank warrior, a few words of disobedience are not a big deal. Anyway... an emperor who raises taxes is not a good emperor! The head is determined by the butt! His butt is sitting in the position of the people, and he will never empathize with the imperial class!