Liang Shixian smiled.
"You cannot trick this humble official. This factory may have been started under my lead, but I do not intend to keep any shares. I plan to sell them off."
Zhu Youjian blinked.
"Oh?"
Liang Shixian replied calmly, "An official should not do business, and a businessman should not be an official. I am very careful about that rule."
The truth behind this attitude had spread across Gao Family Village long ago.
Inside the Dao Xuan Tianzun Liberation Zone, Liu Maopao had once transferred his restaurant and wool textile factory to the village committee. After the story was broadcast on the news, it spread across the entire village.
According to information leaked by the saintess, after Liu Maopao made that decision, Dao Xuan Tianzun had been extremely pleased. The immortal had praised Liu Maopao enthusiastically and even invited him to cook coconut chicken together.
Cooking together with Dao Xuan Tianzun personally.
That was an honor so rare that many people turned red with envy just thinking about it.
Liu Maopao's story soon became a model example that everyone talked about.
The people of Gao Family Village finally understood something important.
Dao Xuan Tianzun did not like politicians who also ran businesses.
From then on the villagers began following the same principle.
If you were an official, you did not engage in business.
If you were a businessman, you did not serve as an official.
This rule had not yet been formally written into law, but everyone understood that the village was currently in a transitional stage.
Anyone who held both roles at the same time should quickly give one of them up.
Otherwise one day Dao Xuan Tianzun might become displeased. That would be extremely embarrassing.
Under this principle, even Miss San, the daughter of San Shier, voluntarily gave up all her shares in the fertilizer factory. The factory was turned into a village-run enterprise to prevent her father, the highest administrative officer of Gao Family Village, from channeling benefits toward her business.
If even San Shier family could do that, nobody else dared refuse.
Liang Shixian was one of the earliest officials from Gao Family Village. Naturally he would follow the same trend.
If he established a fertilizer factory here in the capital and later the Dao Xuan Tianzun Liberation Zone expanded into Beijing, then he would end up both an official and a businessman.
That was a major taboo.
So he absolutely had to withdraw from the fertilizer factory.
Before leaving, however, he needed to establish the tax system for it.
This would serve as a demonstration.
In the future, no matter who took over the fertilizer factory, they would still have to pay Value Added Tax. Whether the tax was paid to the court or to the next owner made little difference.
As long as the rules were established now, anyone who tried to overturn them later would face great difficulty.
Zhu Youjian naturally had no idea about Liang Shixian's real reasoning.
In his eyes, this small Assistant Prefect of Shuntian standing before him was a pure and honest official who devoted himself entirely to the country.
The emperor felt a bit touched.
He reached out and grabbed Liang Shixian's hand.
"Beloved minister, since you think of the nation in this way, I will certainly not treat you poorly."
Zhu Youjian immediately summoned a eunuch and began drafting regulations.
Many existing industries had already been controlled by merchants for generations. Collecting new taxes from them was almost impossible.
But the fertilizer factory was something new.
Establishing new rules for it was easy.
With a grand stroke of the brush, Zhu Youjian established a Value Added Tax.
Every time the fertilizer factory sold a batch of fertilizer, a certain percentage of tax would be included in the sale price.
The buyer would effectively pay the tax.
Both buyer and seller would keep invoices, which could later be used to verify accounts.
Of course, in an era without big data, merchants could easily falsify accounts or evade taxes. Manipulating invoices was also not difficult.
But as long as the rules existed first, the problems could be fixed gradually later.
That was still better than having no rules at all.
After finishing this arrangement, Zhu Youjian felt refreshed.
He felt as if a huge new stream of revenue was about to pour into the imperial treasury.
He even began counting on his fingers.
Which industries had the least resistance?
Which sectors could be targeted next with Value Added Tax?
He was happily calculating when suddenly someone came running.
The Grand Eunuch Gao Qiqian rushed over.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Zhu Youjian looked puzzled.
"What is it?"
Gao Qiqian's face was full of excitement, mixed with a trace of vicious satisfaction.
"Sun Chuanting has returned from suppressing the bandits."
Zhu Youjian brightened.
"Oh! He has returned."
A few days earlier, news had already reached the capital that Sun Chuanting had defeated the rebel army. Shortly afterward came another report that Chuang Wang had been killed.
At that moment Zhu Youjian felt as if he had been strapped to a flying machine.
And now the victorious general himself was returning to the capital, bringing Chuang Wang's head with him.
This was truly joyous news.
The rebel leader was dead.
A new source of tax revenue had been found.
Under the wise leadership of Zhu Youjian, the Great Ming Empire would surely move toward a glorious future.
Zhu Youjian laughed loudly.
"Minister Liang, keep an eye on the fertilizer factory matters. I will go to the city gate and take a look at Chuang Wang's head."
Liang Shixian smiled faintly.
"Your Majesty may rest assured."
Zhu Youjian laughed again and departed under the protection of his guards.
Seeing how happy the emperor was, Gao Qiqian hurried to follow him. He leaned closer and spoke in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, you have not forgotten that Sun Chuanting once struck this old servant, have you?"
Zhu Youjian paused.
Gao Qiqian continued with indignation.
"He is simply a vicious warlord. He dared to strike the imperial supervisor you sent. Clearly he has no respect for Your Majesty at all."
The smile on Zhu Youjian's face slowly faded.
"Oh? Did something like that happen?"
Inside his heart Gao Qiqian cursed.
This fool forgot again.
He quickly retold the story about how Sun Chuanting's men had beaten him. Naturally he left out the part where he had forced his way into the military camp gate.
Zhu Youjian nodded.
"Ah, I remember now. That did happen."
He continued calmly.
"Those who have rendered merit must be rewarded. Those who have committed faults must also be punished. You need not worry."
Soon Zhu Youjian arrived at the capital's main gate.
A massive crowd had already gathered.
Officials stood in neat ranks while common citizens packed the surrounding streets.
For years the roving rebels had ravaged the land, leaving the empire in chaos. Officials and civilians alike had suffered greatly.
Sun Chuanting, however, had defeated two successive Chuang Wangs.
That was a legendary achievement.
By now he had become something like an idol in the capital.
People at the city gate were shouting his name loudly.
If he had not been such a high-ranking official, some people might have rushed forward and tossed him into the air in celebration.
When Zhu Youjian arrived, the crowd automatically split apart.
Sun Chuanting walked forward through the middle path.
On both sides stood cheering crowds.
In the center stood ruler and minister facing each other.
Zhu Youjian smiled.
"Minister Sun, where is the rebel Chuang's head?"
Sun Chuanting immediately raised a box with both hands.
Inside was the head of Chuang Wang.
Zhu Youjian took the box and glanced inside.
The moment he saw it, he burst into loud laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Never before had he felt the empire so secure.
Everyone present believed he would reward Sun Chuanting on the spot.
Instead Zhu Youjian suddenly put on a serious expression.
"Minister Sun has worked hard in battle and traveled far. You must first rest peacefully for several days. After you have recovered, we will discuss state affairs."
Everyone around them froze.
"Huh?"
Sun Chuanting, however, showed no sign of surprise.
He simply smiled calmly.
"This minister obeys the imperial decree."