After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 707 - 697: Submission

The Old Madam Chen and the Second Madam Chen nodded continuously, "Exactly."

Beside them, Xiao Zhi immediately said, "That’s the reason for me too."

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at him, then asked the Chen Family, "How many people are in the family now, what are their ages, how many servants do you have, and how many acres of land are you cultivating?"

Zhao Hanzhang asked in detail, causing Madam Chen’s face to turn slightly pale, looking a bit embarrassed. She glanced at the onlookers outside the county government; given this distance, if they lowered their voices, the outsiders wouldn’t hear, but still...

She looked towards the Xiao Family.

Zhao Hanzhang also turned to look at the Xiao Family, weighing whether to have someone first escort the Xiao Family out, when Madam Zhao had already quietly begun to report.

The Chen Family... had run out of money.

The Chen Family didn’t leave Luoyang back then, so naturally, their houses, land, and shops were preserved and weren’t taken by Zhao Hanzhang; they even had a considerable amount of money left.

But when Zhao Hanzhang brought the army into Luoyang, they lacked food and water. To sustain her soldiers until further supplies arrived, Zhao Hanzhang had them "donate" a batch;

Later, when the emperor moved the capital and left, grain in Luoyang became expensive. They spent a lot, also for burying family members, leaving them with hardly any money.

Now the fixed assets in Luoyang aren’t valuable. They would need to wait a long time even to sell the shops, and prices were depressed, not to mention the land.

Outside the city, there’s a large swath of wasteland; those wanting to buy land can do so from the government.

But as an aristocratic family, the Chen Family needed money to maintain a decent lifestyle. Yet, the situation in Luoyang wasn’t good, and goods were somewhat expensive.

Zhao Hanzhang had them pay additional taxes; even if they had no adult males exempting them from labor services, the burden was still heavy.

So they decided to flee, seeking refuge with other relatives and friends.

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at them and asked, "Where do you plan to go for refuge?"

Madam Chen lowered her voice further, guiltily saying, "To Yun City."

Zhao Hanzhang cast a look of indescribable expression at them and then turned to ask Xiao Zhi, "You also plan to go to Yun City?"

Xiao Zhi, feeling guilty, softly responded, "I have an uncle serving near Your Majesty, so I want to seek refuge, coincidentally taking the same route as the Chen Family, so I..."

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but shake her head, while Zhao Kuan quietly muttered "fools" to himself.

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t expose them, instead inquiring about the Xiao Family’s assets, population, and their tax liabilities.

The assets of a family are a secret; when abundance, it’s alright, but too little would be too shameful.

That’s why Madam Chen was so hesitant; their household was indeed in dire straits.

However, since the Chen Family had spoken up in the presence of the Xiao Family, Xiao Zhi hesitated for a moment but still told the truth.

Only then did Zhao Hanzhang say, "Do you know why it’s difficult for you to make ends meet?"

Because you collect our taxes.

The three families silently replied in their hearts.

"Because you report more land than is actually farmed, and taxes are calculated based on the registered land. Even if I halved the taxes this year, you still owe a considerable amount of grain tax," Zhao Hanzhang said. "Why report an inaccurate amount of land?"

Madam Chen hesitated for a moment then said, "You issued a decree stating that even if the land has an owner, if it’s not cultivated for over three years, it will be reclaimed by the government, so..."

Zhao Hanzhang understood; they were reluctant to relinquish their land.

She expressed understanding, for who would want to give away meat they’ve taken a bite of?

Zhao Hanzhang sighed and said, "It’s my fault for being somewhat presumptive."

Madam Chen and the others were startled and grew somewhat uneasy, glancing at each other.

Zhao Hanzhang had already quickly made a decision in her heart. She said to Madam Chen and Xiao Zhi, "Both of you, meritorious deeds deserve rewards, mistakes deserve punishment. Since you violated the law, you must be punished. However, considering it’s your first offense and you helped improve the law, the punishment from the government will be lenient."

Zhao Hanzhang turned to look at Zhao Kuan.

Zhao Kuan immediately said, "I will considerately reduce the punishment."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded.

Xiao Zhi was greatly disappointed, "Still getting punished..."

Zhao Hanzhang said with deep meaning, "Naturally, otherwise who would follow my laws?"

"Xiao Zhi, who suggested you go to Yun City?" Zhao Hanzhang asked, half smiling, "Are you aware that Yan State and Qingzhou under Gou Xi and Gou Chun’s governance lack any law or order?"

"Gou Xi even kills his close aides who’ve been with him for over a decade without hesitation. What leverage do you two families have to be favored by him?"

Xiao Zhi’s face slightly changed, and Madam Chen’s face also turned pale.

Zhao Hanzhang said softly, "Here, I can ensure everyone complies with the law under me, but you should have heard about the character of Gou Xi and Gou Chun. I advise you, even if one day you really need to escape Luoyang, you shouldn’t head to Yun City but directly south to Jiangnan."

Going to Yun City would mean spending more than half the journey within Yu State, where there are fewer bandits, while heading to Jiangnan would mean uncertainty about making it there alive.

The Chen Family and the Xiao Family both looked displeased.

At the same time, they secretly regretted it all; Zhao Hanzhang was right, they shouldn’t have fled in the first place, and now it’s a case of losing more than they gained.

Madam Chen glanced at Xiao Zhi, pursed her lips, and said nothing.

She had decided to flee with her family because of Mrs. Xiao, who had some kinship with her. Hearing that life in Luoyang was unbearable, she decided to flee with them after careful consideration.

Unexpectedly, they were caught midway.

But in front of Xiao Zhi, Madam Chen didn’t betray him.

But Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t foolish; while she might not be an expert in reading people, she wasn’t lacking in the skill either.

She looked at Madam Chen and then glanced at Xiao Zhi; what was there not to understand?

So she just stared at Xiao Zhi.

Xiao Zhi’s face changed colors, and under Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, he softly said, "It was the Xiao Family in Xin’an who said if I intended to go to Yun City, I could meet them outside the city, and they would send someone to escort us all the way."

Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Why are you going while they aren’t?"

"They’re going too, but they have some family business to handle and will depart a little later than us."

Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, her gaze resting on Xiao Zhi’s eyes, asking, "How many people know about your escape?"

Xiao Zhi opened his mouth but said nothing.

Zhao Hanzhang stood up and turned to the side, saying, "Mr. Xiao, please talk in the back hall."

Xiao Zhi sat on the mat, reluctant to go, but even though Zhao Hanzhang wore a smile and her gaze was calm, not fierce, he still shivered with a sense of immense pressure and involuntarily stood up to follow her to the back.

There was also a desk in the back hall; Zhao Hanzhang casually dragged an inkstone over, poured a little water in and began to slowly grind, pointing to the white paper on the desk. "Mr. Xiao, you may consider carefully who knows about this while I prepare the ink."

Xiao Zhi was drenched in sweat. He wanted to show some backbone, refusing to yield under force, but every time he lifted his head to meet Zhao Hanzhang’s indifferent gaze, he involuntarily pulled the white paper towards him.

He quickly bowed his head, trying to calm himself, his mind in a muddle as he thought of words of refusal; after some effort, he thought of two lines. But when he looked up, those words wouldn’t come out; his heart pounded, and he instinctively reached for a pen...

Zhao Hanzhang also finished grinding the ink, gently placing the ink stick down and pushing the inkstone towards Xiao Zhi. "Write."

Xiao Zhi almost burst into tears, but still, with trembling hands, dipped the ink and began to write names.