Dragon Canon

In a grand estate in the southern part of the city, the rear garden was shrouded in an array. Though it was a cold night where snow could fall at any moment, it remained as warm as spring, with emerald-green trees and clusters of vibrant flowers.

There was a lake in the garden where a pavilion spanned above it. Inside the pavilion stood a table set with exquisite food and wine, and two couches of differing heights and styles.

The Princess of Ning was wearing a light gown and reclining on one of the couches and reading a novel. Weaved from an exceptionally soft and supple fabric, her long gown draped over her like a waterfall and gave her the appearance of a freehand landscape painting with quite the graceful undulations.

Her little feet—pale with a hint of pink—were bare, wearing neither shoes nor socks. Though they looked slender, each toe was shapely with not a trace of bone visible.

Occasionally, when the story she was reading reached a climactic moment, her entire body would tense up, and the five toes of her small feet would curl, causing everyone around her to hold their breaths in anticipation.

It was at this moment a tree in the garden shook its branches, asking, “Is it time yet?”

A fish in the pond rose to the surface, gazed at the full moon in the sky, and replied, “There’s still one ke to go.”

Another fish surfaced and asked, “What could that barbarian possibly have so important that he has to delay the meeting for four whole hours and insist on showing up only at the Zi Hour[1]?”

A rock in the garden’s rockery wobbled slightly and said in an all-knowing tone, “He just received some extraordinary rewards, and these next few days are the most critical moment to refine them. It is not surprising that he would be hard at work. Besides, the dead of night is the perfect cover for his true, frail nature.”

“Kekeke...” A duck in a dark corner let out a sinister cackle. “Too bad he’ll never figure out that we are already lying in wait to bear witness to the legendary Three Thrust Wei! Although, it does mean our dear princess will have to put up with him one more time.”

The Princess of Ning said lazily, “If you’re going to act as background props, then do it properly. It’s not even time yet, and already you lot are losing your composure. Oh right, I should get a feel for this mystic treasure first, just in case I forget how to use it when the time comes.”

She flicked her finger lightly, and several gauze curtains descended out of thin air, enveloping the entire water pavilion. A pale pink hue could be seen flowing around them, preventing any mystic ability no matter how great to pierce through the veil and look inside. It did nothing to insulate the sound, though.

The background props fell conspicuously silent. A moment later, an air of obvious grief and indignation spread throughout the rear garden. They knew that the Princess of Ning must have a mystic treasure in her possession, but they hadn’t anticipated it to be only a True Lord could see through it. This was a bit much, wasn’t it?

A squad of riders galloped in the darkness of the night, heading straight for the western gate.

The riders were all glimmering with Dao energy, causing their mounts’ hooves to strike the ground without a sound. As a result, not a single person living in the houses lining both sides of the road was aware of their presence.

When the guards at the city gate saw the squad of riders charging toward them, all traces of sleep was startled out of their heads, and they hurriedly shouted, “Halt! Who dares to storm the gate in the dead of night!”

An ornate sword was presented before the gate officer, and a rider barked, “This is a sword bestowed by His Majesty; to see it is to meet the Holy King himself! I am Wei Yuan, Military Commissioner of Western Pacification, and I must leave the city on urgent military business. Open the gates at once!”

The sword bore a unique mystic imprint, and every officer guarding the royal capital knew how to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit items. After verifying the sword, they opened the city gates as per order. Wei Yuan then gathered the rest of his riders stationed within the citadels and, taking advantage of the cover of night, left the royal capital entirely and rode off into the horizon.

Meanwhile, the full moon hung high in the sky. It was precisely the Zi Hour.

It wasn’t until after they rode over ten li that Wei Yuan finally dared to look behind him. In the darkness of the night, Yingdu resembled a monster coiled upon the earth, eager to devour both men and women while leaving no trace behind.

Two hours after the Zi Hour had passed, the Princess of Ning finally could wait no longer and sent someone to the posthouse to find Wei Yuan, only to discover that the inn was completely deserted. After questioning the night patrols and the gate officers, she finally learned that Wei Yuan had left the capital city during the night. His whereabouts were unknown as a matter of course.

The princess was both embarrassed and furious, but at this point, there was nothing she could do.

At the same time, every living creature in the courtyard began to transform back to humans: some emerged from the water, while others uprooted themselves from the ground. One duck nearly forgot to revert to human form and tried to fly away on the spot. Fortunately, a nearby tree knocked it back down to the ground with a branch. This was the Jin capital; to fly about in the middle of the night was a request to be shot down.

The scions had never endured such hardships before; nor had they ever experienced the plight of the common people so intimately until tonight.

The very next day, “Summoned by the State of Ning, he fled a thousand li in the dead of night” became yet another anecdote about Barbarian Wei, sure to be brought up over tea or wine.

Upon leaving the Jin capital, Wei Yuan stopped holding back and led his cavalry into a fast march. They covered 20,000 li in three days and eventually arrived at Lai City, a city in the western parts of the western region.

Lai had a population of about 200,000, making it a major city in the west of Jin. With trade routes radiating in all directions and vast fields stretching out in the countryside, it was a prosperous city. Wei Yuan had designated it as one of his transit points, planning to rest there for a day while taking the opportunity to observe the local customs and cultures of Western Jin.

His riders naturally assumed the responsibility to handle all necessary formalities. They then camped outside the city while Wei Yuan, dressed in plain clothes, entered the city to stroll about and take in the sights.

As expected Lai was a bustling city teeming with people and brimming with the vibrancy of daily life. The city contained grand estates with high walls and deep courtyards, as well as sprawling shantytowns. It was somewhat reminiscent of Willow Ash Town, though it was considerably wealthier.

Wei Yuan wandered through the city’s streets and alleys, neither shying away from the fierce retainers of wealthy families nor turning his nose up at the filthy sewage water that ran everywhere in the shantytowns. Just walked, observed, and occasionally struck up a conversation. A whole day passed like that.

When nighttime arrived, Wei Yuan finally arrived at the commandery administrator’s residence, where the official was already waiting for him with a banquet laid out.

The commandery administrator was slender and of a certain age. His name was Wang Duan; he had passed the imperial examination 40 years ago and was now over 70. He had attained an Avatar for 11 years but had not made an inch of progress since.

After three rounds of wines and the customary pleasantries were exchanged, they got down to business.

Wei Yuan said, “I have long heard of Lai’s prosperity, and seeing it today, I find that its reputation is well-deserved. As I am new to governing a region, there are still many things I do not fully understand, and I would like to seek our guidance, Lord Wang.”

“I will speak openly and without reservation.”

Wei Yuan continued, “I have two questions. First, the population of the city seems to far exceed the numbers recorded in the household registers. I wonder where these additional people have come from. Second, many of the city’s facilities are dilapidated from years of neglect. Given Lai’s wealth, I do not believe it lacks the means to repair them.”

Wang Duan chuckled and said, “Already putting this humble official to the test, Lord Wei? Let’s start with the population. Lai currently has one hundred and eighty-nine thousand registered households, but the actual number is likely more than double that. However, these additional people are listed in the private ledgers of the city’s prominent families instead of the official registers.”

Wei Yuan looked thoughtful. “Is it because of the household tax?”

“That is exactly correct.”

Western Jin imposed a household tax—commonly known as a head tax—that was levied based on registered households. It was why this age-old saying exists: “A thriving population ensures ample tax revenue.”

Wei Yuan continued to shoot detailed questions at Wang Duan, and true to his word, the official answered every word without reservation.

To avoid paying the household tax, many of the city’s residents chose to sell themselves to wealthy families and become unregistered servants. The city’s wealthy families were predominantly surnamed Xu or Lü, with the two surnames alone accounting for 80% of the total. The remaining 10% or so were surnamed Li, Hsu, and Bao, and the wealthy families who were not part of any one of these noble clans accounted for less than 5%.

By this point, the wine had made him slightly tipsy, so Wang Duan started giving more in-depth answers. “Lord Wei,” he said, “the two questions you asked earlier are really one and the same. Lai City may appear prosperous, but in reality, its treasury is empty. Where would they even find the money to repair the city facilities? Do you know how much of my annual revenue in silver comes from wealthy families?”

Wang Duan didn’t need an answer from Wei Yuan. He held up a single finger.

Wei Yuan exclaimed in shock, “Ten percent?”

Wang Duan nodded. “Ten percent only! And of that ten percent, most of the tax silver was collected from the local tycoons outside the Seven Surnames. The remaining ninety percent is contributed by the one hundred and eighty-nine thousand registered households.”

“What if we set aside the tax silver and look only at the total income?”

Wang Duan smiled and said, “You’re testing me again, Lord Wei. I don’t even need a petty official to look into this—a quick look is enough to reveal everything. In terms of total income, the ratio is not only reversed, but also much more uneven.”

“So, you’re saying that the commonfolk is paying ninety percent of the taxes despite earning only ten percent of the total income of the city?”

“It’s the same everywhere under heaven.”

Wei Yuan chuckled. “I’ve noticed that the neighborhoods surrounding several large estates are remarkably well-maintained and clean. Surely the repair funds couldn’t have all gone into them?”

“You mean the Upper Three Districts? As a matter of fact, they do, and it still wasn’t enough. The wealthy families had to contribute some of their own money to achieve the appearance you see today.”

“I see! Cheers!” Wei Yuan raised his cup.

There was no need to ask further questions such as why were some small shops clearly thriving, yet their owners were dressed in rags and their homes were bare? The burden called 90% of the city's taxes was the answer.

Moreover, since the wealthy families in the Upper Three Districts had to pay out of their own pockets to maintain their own neighborhoods, they must have put considerable pressure on Wang Duan to collect even more taxes.

After eating and drinking his fill, Wei Yuan took his leave.

Before leaving, Wei Yuan asked one final question, “Why not collect more taxes from the wealthy families? To them, it’s like taking one strand of hair from nine oxen[2].”

Wang Duan replied, “Lord Wei, you hold a high office now. How could you not know that, while there are many ways to collect money, every single one is fraught with immense difficulty? Since ancient times, the simplest way to collect taxes has always been from the common people.”

“But if we collect too much, won’t that drive the people to revolt against the authorities?”

Wang Duan chuckled and said, “Indeed, this humble official would have to crush a few rebel groups should it come to that.”

Wei Yuan bowed and said, “Thank you for your guidance, Lord Wang. I must take my leave.”

Only after Wei Yuan’s figure had vanished did Wang Duan return to his residence. After ordering the gates to be closed, he shook his head and muttered one word: “Childish.”

1. 11pm to 1 am. ☜

2. The English equivalent is a drop in the bucket. I probably won’t translate it this way again but I just want the readers to know how the Chinese equivalent reads like. ☜

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