"Master! You were looking for me?"
Fang Yue arrived at Fang Hu's house and entered the room, looking hurried.
Fang Hu was brewing tea. The fragrant aroma of stir-fried tea leaves filled the air.
However, Fang Hu was built big and burly with dark skin. Seeing his refined, gentle movements as he brewed tea always gave Fang Yue the feeling of watching Zhang Fei do needlework.
"You're here. Sit down. Have some tea first."
Fang Hu sighed softly as he looked at Fang Yue. He couldn't help but feel emotional thinking about the contents of that letter.
He had originally thought that for Fang Yue to participate in the Martial Examination, he would have to wait three years until he achieved Great Success in Skin Polishing and began Bone Forging to even have a chance.
But unexpectedly, an opportunity had arisen this very year.
The letter he received today was from his own master. It said that the current Emperor of the Great Wei had changed the reign title to Wuding this year and had also reformed the Martial Examination.
An examination for Martial Scholar had been added, a new tier below the established Martial Scholars. This Martial Scholar rank corresponded precisely to the Skin Grinding Realm, the second pass of the Martial Dao.
This meant Fang Yue was just in time.
Although Fang Yue had only been practicing martial arts for a little over a year, his foundation was solid and his progress was not slow. Coupled with his innate Divine Power, his strength was much greater than that of ordinary Martial Artists in the same realm.
As a result, he even stood a chance against Martial Artists who had achieved Great Success in Skin Polishing.
Of course, even if he didn't succeed, it wouldn't be a big deal. It could be considered an early opportunity to gain some experience.
It was true that one who had just entered the Bone Forging Pass was unlikely to achieve great results in the Martial Examination, but gaining experience was still a good thing.
Seeing Fang Yue finish his tea, Fang Hu continued, "I called you here to tell you some good news. The current Emperor of the Great Wei has changed the reign title to Wuding and added a new category to the Martial Examination: Martial Scholar. It corresponds to the Skin Grinding Realm."
"In the Martial Examination for each county, thirty people can be accepted as Martial Scholars. A Martial Scholar enjoys a tax exemption on three hundred mu of land and an exemption from corvée labor for ten people in their household."
Fang Hu took a sip of tea, his gaze fixed on the liquid as if savoring the light fragrance of the leaves.
The light, stir-fried tea had a sweet aftertaste and had become his primary choice. The teas he used to drink were now unpalatable.
Hearing this, Fang Yue took a deep breath.
'Tax exemption, corvée exemption.'
'Although it's only these two benefits, they are incredibly important for an ordinary farmer.'
'In my family's situation, if we could get tax and corvée exemptions, we could save at least twenty to thirty taels of silver each year.'
'My father, mother, older brother, and older sister wouldn't have to work so hard anymore.'
'In a few years, our family could even become landowners, just like Master Liu's family in the village.'
"This is a rare opportunity. I wonder what you think, Yu'er?" Fang Hu asked.
"I want to give it a try," Fang Yue said with a nod after a moment's thought.
"Mm, it's good to try. The Martial Examination will be held in October this year, which is just over three months from now. You must seize this chance and work hard, Yu'er," Fang Hu said.
Fang Yue nodded, showing he understood.
Fang Hu then gave him a few more words of advice, after which Fang Yue took his leave.
~~~~~~
After learning about the new Martial Examination, Fang Yue trained even more diligently in the following days.
Aside from hunting in the mountains, he spent nearly all his time practicing his martial arts.
His progress in Skin Grinding also steadily increased. If it weren't for the insufficient supply of the Skin Polishing Secret Medicine—he was only guaranteed one jar per month—his speed could have been even faster.
Even so, by the beginning of the eighth month, the skin all over his body had become like cowhide, completing the first round of tempering.
「On this day,」
Fang Yue was returning from a hunt. Just as he reached the entrance to the village, he saw a large crowd gathered in the sunning-ground.
"Elders, fellow villagers, this autumn's taxes will be increased by twenty percent! Please take note of this!" A government constable in a black uniform shouted, banging a gong as he stood in the center of the sunning-ground.
"What? A twenty-percent increase?"
"Didn't they just raise the taxes the year before last? Why are they raising them again?"
"Exactly! A twenty-percent hike all at once... Are they trying to kill us?"
The moment the government constable finished speaking, the villagers of Da Liushu Village surrounding the sunning-ground erupted in an uproar.
The tax and labor duties were already heavy. Every single one of them was living by tightening their belts.
Even so, many villagers were barely getting by. If the taxes were truly increased again, many of them would likely be unable to survive.
"Heh, you think the tax is too high? Fine. Anyone who doesn't want to pay taxes has another option. The Barbarian Race is invading from the north, and the Emperor is assembling the Wuding Army. If anyone from your families is willing to enlist, they will be exempt from three years of taxes."
"Who wants to go? You can come over and sign your name right now."
The lead government constable snorted coldly, his eyes fixed on the noisy villagers around him.
He had a burly frame and had clearly practiced martial arts. His muscles were powerful, and holding a steel saber, he radiated a commanding and imposing presence.
The moment he spoke, the surrounding clamor immediately died down.
The villagers looked at each other, and for a moment, no one dared to speak.
"A bunch of troublemakers! You should know, if it weren't for the County Magistrate pleading on your behalf at the Prefecture Mansion, allowing you to pay higher taxes in place of military service, half of you would have to enlist!"
'Good iron isn't used for nails, and good men don't become soldiers.' In this era, going to war was a matter of life and death, with little chance of survival.
Besides, what good would a three-year tax exemption do? The family would lose a strong laborer, and after three years, they would still face ruin from being unable to pay the taxes.
"Hmph! Why are you all silent now?"
"Since no one is willing to enlist, then you will all obediently pay your taxes. The County Magistrate is benevolent and has specially granted you a three-month grace period."
"When the time comes, anyone who can't pay will have no choice but to take a trip to the Northwest," the lead government constable barked, then signaled his subordinates to leave.
He had many tasks and still had to notify several other nearby villages, so naturally, he wouldn't stay long.
"Sigh... damned if you do, damned if you don't. What are we supposed to do?"
"Exactly! Times are tough. They're really not letting people live!"
...
On the sunning-ground, all the villagers wore worried expressions.
And those who were already living miserably had fallen into despair.
Fang Yue witnessed this scene and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
'The truly powerful and wealthy families don't have to pay taxes at all. Instead, the entire tax burden falls on these struggling farmers.'
'Take Master Liu of Da Liushu Village, for example. Because his family produced a Scholar, he became the biggest landowner in the surrounding villages.'
'He has hundreds, even thousands, of mu of land and over a hundred people in his household, yet his family pays no taxes and is exempt from miscellaneous labor duties.'
'With the heavy tax burden forced upon the suffering common folk, it's no wonder there were so many rebellions against corrupt officials in the history of my past life.'
However, despite the sympathy in Fang Yue's heart, he was no immortal. He knew he was just a small fry who couldn't resist the laws of the Great Wei Imperial Dynasty. He couldn't help others.
All he could do was try his best to ensure his family in this life could live better. That was all.
'Therefore, in this Martial Scholar examination, I must achieve a good result.'
Fang Yue secretly made up his mind and then headed home.