Chapter 65: Tax Collection
The merchant put a fake smile on his face and politely asked, "Didn’t we just pay the tax two days ago? Why is the Emperor going to collect taxes again? What kind of tax is it now?"
The soldier’s face darkened, and when he spoke, there was a bit of displeasure in his voice.
"We only do what we ordered." He said with a frown on his face.
After speaking, he took out a bamboo scroll from his waist, opened it and asked, "What is your name, Sir?"
The merchant frowned, but he didn’t dare to confront the soldiers. He lowered his eyes to hide his anger, and answered the soldier’s questions. Knowing his name, the soldier looked for his name on the list for a while.
"You need to pay twenty thousand taels of silver." The soldier spoke after a while.
The merchant was taken aback when he heard the total amount of taxes he had to pay. "What?! Twenty thousand taels of silver?!"
He staggered as his eyes darkened. Fortunately, the manservant reacted quickly and supported his body before he fell to the ground. After the dizziness subsided, the merchant looked at the soldiers pleadingly.
"Sir, where did I get so much money? I just paid taxes two days ago, and I really have no money right now. Can... Can you give me more time to collect the money?" He asked with hope in his eyes.