Taming beasts starts with understanding bird language

Gu Chan said with a grin, "Why, it's still not enough? How about adding a little more?"

"No, no, no, Lord! This time you asked us to raise 3 billion taels of silver to send to the border as relief silver, which has already made us officials, merchants and wealthy people very uncomfortable. Now you have added more than 100 clauses to increase our taxes. I am afraid that everyone cannot accept it!"

"Yes, Lord, please think twice. It has been believed since ancient times that the taxes collected are the taxes of the people. How can we put all the heavy taxes on us?"

Yan Xishan and Guo Huai said with bitter faces.

Gu Chan's face darkened and she shouted coldly, "Stop talking nonsense. This matter is non-negotiable. You officials, merchants and wealthy people can accept these more than 100 tax increases if you are willing to accept them. If you don't want to accept them, that's fine. When the prince and his 100,000 generals come to kill us, I will be the first to send away those who don't obey. The prince will not be merciful to you then. I guarantee that he won't leave you a penny of his wealth. You can do whatever you want!"

"This..." Yan Xishan and Guo Huai were suddenly speechless.

They had to admit that compared to Gu Chan's more than 100 tax increase clauses, the prince's was indeed much more harsh. And to put it bluntly, the Jiangnan area was so wealthy that the taxation was indeed a bit heavy for them. But it did not mean that they could not afford it. It was even more impossible to say that they could not survive or make money after paying so much tax.

Therefore, they know clearly what is more important, but they just feel very painful.

Bai Jingtian tried to smooth things over and said, "You two, at this critical moment, you can't go against the lord for your own selfish interests! This move is the first of the three fires that a new official takes upon taking office. The purpose is to intimidate all the officials, merchants and wealthy people in the Jiangnan area. If you don't cooperate with him, how can he devote all his strength to helping you resist the prince later?"

"Commander Bai is absolutely right. We are indeed short-sighted." Yan Xishan hurriedly looked for a way out.

"Then it's settled. This new tax policy can be implemented just like that." Guo Huai also nodded in agreement.

The two were extremely scared of Gu Chan at the moment, because they had dealt with Gu Chan before and had suffered losses at her hands. They knew that she had a lot of tricks up her sleeve, and if they made her unhappy, she would find different ways to deal with them, and they wouldn't be able to withstand it, right?

In this situation, just admit defeat and coax the child away.

Gu Chan laughed and said, "Alright! Then you should write down the clauses written on this memorial one by one, and then post the notice for me today. I am going to take Commander Bai to inspect Chang's Wharf now. I hope that I can see the notice has been posted before I return to Jiangnan City."

"Oh! By the way, you have to write it yourself. You are not allowed to ask your lawyer or anyone else to write it." Gu Chan said with a wicked smile.

"Yes, Lord." Yan Xishan and Guo Huai responded in unison.

Gu Chan glanced at the two of them coldly, then took Bai Jingtian and Bai Hu away and went to Chang’s Wharf outside the city.

After she left, Yan Xishan and Guo Huai seemed to be relieved. They slumped down in their chairs, their whole bodies limp.

Guo Huai smiled bitterly and said, "Master Yan! I really didn't expect that I have been smart all my life and I think I have taught countless people a lesson. I don't care about ordinary people, but now I have fallen into the hands of a child. This makes me angry."

"Who said it wasn't true? I'm the Chief Censor of Jiangnan, but now I'm being controlled by him so much that I don't even dare to breathe easily. I'm really helpless." Yan Xishan also said bitterly.

"Forget it, there's no other way. I'll use him to save my life now! Once I save my life, it won't be too late to deal with him slowly." Guo Huai said weakly.

Yan Xishan smiled with a forced smile, and no longer thought about how to deal with Gu Chan in the future. Instead, he reached out for the pen with a painful look on his face, and began to copy the tax provisions on the memorial with his own hands.

More than an hour later.

Just as Yan Xishan and Guo Huai were still copying the new tax policy provisions in the study, their hands were tired from copying.

Gu Chan had already arrived at Chang’s Wharf with Bai Jingtian and Bai Hu.

As expected, Yan Xishan and Guo Huai did not lie to her. At this time, at the dock, carts of silver and silver bills were being transported in by horse-drawn carriages, and then counted one by one by the Chang family and loaded onto the cargo ship.

Bai Jingtian sighed and said, "If we don't push them, they really won't bleed so hard. Now, the people on the border are saved."

"There is hope? That's hard to say! We have to wait for these dozen large cargo ships to safely transport the silver to the border and hand it over to that brat Xuanyuan Qing. What I'm most worried about right now is what you said last night. If the prince really sends people to take the water route by boat and blocks the waterway leading to the border, then I'll be in trouble." Gu Chan said unhappily.

"What should we do? You can't go with them! What if we are stopped by the prince's navy and troops halfway? We will be doomed, right?" Bai Jingtian said, spreading his hands.

Gu Chan was extremely troubled, and for a while, she really couldn't think of a solution.

Bai Jingtian frowned and said, "How about organizing tens of thousands of officials in the Jiangnan area and letting them escort the ship?"

"It's useless. The soldiers under the prince are all well-trained and powerful. These officials from Jiangnan are no match for them. Besides, the general told me that we cannot create civil strife. If we do as you said and the two sides really fight on the boat, that would be a civil strife and the prince would have even more reason to attack me." Gu Chan said with his hands spread out.

"Oh! That's really difficult. Not only do we have to avoid him everywhere, but we can't take any action. And we have to safely deliver so much silver to the border. It's totally impossible!" Bai Jingtian said bitterly.

In his opinion, how to safely deliver the 3 billion taels of silver to the border without any conflict is a huge problem.

Gu Chan said with a stiff face, "Okay, it's useless to think about these things now. Let's wait until all the silver is loaded on the ship. I can also go back and think of a solution. A living person can't be suffocated to death by urine. I really don't believe that we can't transport this silver safely."

"Then from today on, I will stay by your side to protect you. You are everyone's hope now. If something happens to you, it will be troublesome." Bai Jingtian said.

Gu Chan squinted her eyes and glanced at him, "Do you have any intentions towards me?"

"What a joke! We are both grown men. What could I possibly intend for you?" Bai Jingtian said hurriedly to cover up.

"Oh! Okay! If you want to follow me, just follow me! It's up to you." Gu Chan grinned and pretended not to care.

Then she didn't mention the matter again, turned around and left with the white fox.

Bai Jingtian quickly followed.

Afterwards, the two of them left Chang's Wharf in a carriage and returned to Jigong Temple in Jiangnan City.