Although the notice did not explicitly state how much the tax reduction would be for these commoners, the fact that taxes would not be increased was cause for celebration.
Soon, most of the county's residents learned of the matter.
The local gentry and powerful families living in the county were displeased upon receiving the news and immediately began to stir.
The next morning, they crowded the county office just as it opened, directly waking the sleeping Magistrate Wu.
Magistrate Wu had gone to bed late the previous night, unable to sleep due to the imperial decree. He had finally fallen asleep in the latter half of the night.
He was woken early in the morning, but dared not do anything.
After dressing neatly, he invited them into the courtyard to be seated.
Magistrate Wu sat in the head seat, looking at these gentry and powerful families with a headache, and asked, "My lords, what brings you all to seek me out?"
"Magistrate Wu, is the content of the notice true?"
"It bears this county's seal, how could it be false? The imperial envoy visited this county yesterday, and you all received the news. The content of this notice comes from His Majesty's decree!"
Magistrate Wu replied irritably, his hands cupped towards the direction of the capital.
"How can this be?"
The gentry and powerful families shouted in protest.
"Don't shout, don't shout, everyone be quiet."
Annoyed beyond measure, Magistrate Wu waved his hand and shouted.
"Magistrate Wu, although our families are wealthy, we have many people at home, and our daily expenses are substantial. If our taxes are increased, how will we feed so many people? How will we live!"
"Exactly! How can His Majesty disregard the people's will like this? He wants to increase our taxes! We are all staunch supporters of His Majesty. The world cannot do without our efforts to maintain peace and prosperity!"
"Magistrate Wu, you see the people's excitement. Why don't you write a memorial to His Majesty, explaining the difficulties of our prominent families?"
Listening to their shameless words, Magistrate Wu couldn't help but laugh: "My esteemed members, do you truly believe this county is unaware of your situation? Although the notice indicates an increase in your taxes, what is your actual loss when it is implemented?"
"How is there no loss?" one shouted indignantly.
"Heh heh~ Don't think this county knows nothing! You have already exchanged your land for factory qualifications with the Royal Chamber of Commerce. Do you still have even a tenth of your former land holdings? I fear it's only this much left. With this, esteemed members, what are you afraid of in paying more taxes? How much land do you have left to be taxed?"
"Furthermore, this county has heard of the Royal Chamber of Commerce's rules. Doing business requires adhering to the chamber's rules, one of which is to pay thirty percent in commercial tax. Haven't you already been paying taxes? What are you afraid of?"
"..."
Magistrate Wu's words stunned the gentry and powerful families.
After careful consideration, they thought, "Oh, that's right. Most of our land holdings have been exchanged for factory qualifications. We only have a hundred mu or so left for personal use, which isn't much, and the tax won't be too high."
And the commercial tax, in accordance with the Royal Chamber of Commerce's management, was already being paid before the notice.
The gentry and powerful families who had deeply cooperated with the Royal Chamber of Commerce had nothing more to say. However, one powerful family was spitting blood.
They angrily exclaimed, "You all cooperated with the Royal Chamber of Commerce, but my family hasn't yet. Am I destined to pay more taxes because of this?"
"Uh, perhaps you should also cooperate with the Royal Chamber of Commerce?"
Magistrate Wu asked uncertainly.
"..."
The powerful family member was taken aback. Seeing the relieved looks from the surrounding gentry and powerful families, they felt even more dejected.
"Forget it, forget it, alas."
Thus, a crisis that was expected to be difficult to handle ended just like that.
Watching the departing figures of the gentry and powerful families, Magistrate Wu wiped the sweat from his forehead, filled with admiration: "Prime Minister Chu is indeed worthy of being a prime minister. He made preparations before the reform. It seems difficult for the gentry and powerful families in this county to object."
"The combined output of the land is not as good as the income from running factories. Which family would maintain so much land? The factory income is so high, and if they don't comply with the management and pay commercial tax, they will lose that qualification. In any case, after paying taxes, the income is still higher than maintaining land."
"Prime Minister Chu's move can almost be said to have preemptively eliminated the possibility of these people causing trouble during the reform. Even if some powerful families still have a lot of land and are unwilling, they will likely be isolated and powerless."
"Brilliant!"
Magistrate Wu praised inwardly, but then his expression turned bitter: "Alas, it's just that my official position is no longer as lucrative! If I continue to make money, it looks like they're going to settle accounts. If I don't, how will I get by?"
"Why didn't Prime Minister Chu leave a way for me to get rich in my official career? It's bitter, so bitter!"
The imperial decree was disseminated, and notices were posted. In many counties, there was surprisingly little uproar from the gentry and powerful families. The fundamental reason was that it was not cost-effective.
The income from land could not compare to the income from running factories. The former was hard work for a year and still less than the factory income, with a longer payback period. And to resist the imperial court for the sake of a small portion of land was a matter of losing one's head, the price was too high.
However, while the counties were not in an uproar, the prefectural cities became restless.
The aristocratic families and the powerful nobles collectively exploded.
In Jing Prefecture, Liuzhou, within the King of Jing's mansion.
"Damn it! What is my niece thinking? Why is she carrying out reforms? Isn't this a peaceful life good enough?"
The King of Jing, upon receiving the news, furiously smashed furniture in his room.
After smashing things and calming down somewhat, the King of Jing called for someone to clean up and summoned the mansion's strategists.
"Tell me, what do you think of this court reform?"
The King of Jing asked, holding a teacup and blowing on the tea.
The Head of the Household, with a bitter face, said, "Your Highness, we must dissuade His Majesty from his intention to reform. Otherwise, if all fifty thousand mu of land in the mansion are measured, who knows how much grain tax will have to be paid! But it is likely to be substantial!"
The King of Jing knew what the Head of the Household meant by "substantial." This was not just substantial, but several times over!
The mansion's ledger showed fifty thousand mu of land, but in the external ledger, the King of Jing's mansion had only about five thousand mu. Once measured and verified, the hidden forty-five thousand mu of land would have to be taxed.
Assuming a yield of one and a half shi of wheat per mu, forty-five thousand mu would produce 675,000 shi annually. At a tax rate of twenty percent, an additional 135,000 shi of grain tax would have to be paid.
This equated to 1,350,000 dou. At a grain price of fifty wen per dou, this would be 67,500 taels!
This was only based on the current preferential tax rate for the imperial family, not the commoner's thirty percent grain tax! Moreover, looking at the situation, commercial tax would also have to be paid. How much money would the hundred or so shops, several restaurants, and inns have to pay in commercial tax?
It was likely that the combined grain and commercial taxes would add up to an extra hundred thousand to two hundred thousand taels per year!
One should know that a common soldier earned only one tael of silver a month. This would be enough to pay the monthly silver for two hundred thousand soldiers!
"I naturally know this. Otherwise, why would I call you here? Hurry up and think of a solution for me!"
The King of Jing shouted irritably.