Count Carlos had a yard here, which was a temporary residence for tax collectors when they came to collect taxes. However, the yard was very small and could not accommodate so many people, so Chen Hansheng had to rent a nearby hotel that was opened for caravans.
A large group of people squeezed around a narrow long table and benches to eat a typical local lunch of black bread, bacon and boiled beans. Chen Hansheng found the owner of the hotel and asked about the local situation.
"Sir, it turns out that about 50% of the land around here is the Earl's land, and the other 40% belongs to Baron O'Farrell. Earl Carlos is not the Baron's lord. The Baron is loyal to the Duke of Greenwood City in the south, Parsa Solanas. But last year, the Earl and the Baron made a deal and sold all the land to Baron O'Farrell. This is something everyone knows."
"It is obvious that the king's ministers don't know." said Chen Hansheng.
"This means that the transaction was conducted privately and was not reported to the capital." Kalanda said, "The most likely reason is that the count did not want this to be known over there. For example, the money was used to purchase weapons or recruit troops."
"Isn't he afraid of being discovered?" Chen Hansheng asked.
"The king has no time to take care of such a remote place, so how could it be discovered? Even if it was discovered, we can just say that it was not reported in time." Kalanda explained.
"You know the intricacies of this better than anyone else. It seems your Empire is not much better."
"Nobles and aristocrats are cut from the same mold."
"What kind of person is Baron O'Farrell?" Chen Hansheng asked the boss again. Seeing that the other party was hesitant, he took out a golden axe and pushed it in front of the boss, "Don't worry, your words will not be heard outside this room."
The boss was delighted. This gold coin was worth two days of renting the place. He respectfully put away the golden axe and said to Chen Hansheng, "The Baron is over sixty years old. He is from the Solanas family of Green Forest City. He is the uncle of Duke Parsa. In his early years, he was just a knight. You know, the kind of knight that is common in noble families and cannot inherit the title. Later, he went to the battlefield to fight the empire. He was lucky enough to not only come back alive, but also earn back the title of baron. He started living here more than ten years ago, and the largest house in the town is his.
The baron was a very strict person. He always said that the people here needed to be disciplined and that they would not learn the rules unless a few of them were killed. It was common for him to whip the villagers. He also never tolerated tax arrears, because he had beaten or hanged more than one or two people for this. "The boss lowered his voice and said, "Last year, when the count sold the land to the baron, he wanted to sell the serfs together. But those peasants refused to give in and knelt on the ground to beg the manager at night. So they were taken away by the manager later."
"Are the taxes heavy here?" asked Chen Hansheng.
"Of course it's heavy! At least half of the golden axe you gave me will belong to the baron. There are taxes on the door, the room, the employment, the magic crystal, the fire, the mule and horse, and many other special cases. If I were to tell you in detail, I wouldn't be able to finish until the evening."
"Wait, I don't understand? What are door opening tax and room tax?" Chen Hansheng wondered if he had heard it wrong.
"The door tax is what every shop has to pay when it opens. It's calculated based on the size of the door. My hotel is now charged six silver coins a month for the door tax. Didn't you notice that the door of the hotel is a little small? If it's bigger, you have to pay double the money.
Room tax means that you have to pay as many taxes as there are rooms in your home. Although each tax is five copper shields per month, it is not too much, but there are many rooms in the hotel.
Naturally, I have to pay extra employment tax when hiring helpers, but fortunately my son and daughter don't have to pay. There is a saying among us hoteliers that only by having more children can you make a lot of money.
The magic crystal tax is a tax on using magic crystals to illuminate a room. The fire tax is a tax on using fire to cook or heat a room.
The mule and horse tax depends on how many mules and horses a family has…” The boss explained one by one, which opened the eyes of Chen Hansheng and others.
"These do not include the offerings to the Temple of Nature and the eight days of monthly labor."
Chen Hansheng, the worshiper of the Temple of Nature, knew that it was essentially the same as the tithe on Earth, and that one-tenth of the income had to be given to the temple. In this way, the hotel owner's income was really exploited and there was not much left.
"Freemen like me are better off. Those serfs have to hand over half of their harvest directly to the Baron, and they also have to pay various taxes. You have to know that the surrounding lords don't collect that much. They only get about 40% at most. And then there's the work. Serfs have to do ten days of fixed work for the Baron every month, but the Baron won't let them have it easy. There are always various errands, and it's rare that they don't work for fifteen days."
Days like this can be described as hot and humid. There is potential for trouble. Chen Hansheng pondered secretly and asked again: "What is the strength of the Baron? How many troops and experts does he have? Do you know?"
"Sir, we small people don't know about this kind of thing. But the baron has five sons and two daughters. Last year, he held a big banquet to celebrate his fourth son becoming a mid-level warrior. It is said that he personally taught his sons how to do their skills. Recently, it is said that he is preparing a big banquet to celebrate his most beloved youngest daughter becoming an official magic apprentice of the Red Lotus Tower."
"Tower of Red Lotus? What kind of magic tower is that? I've never heard of it before." Glade interrupted.
"I know that the two most famous magic towers in the southern part of Black Mountain are the Red Lotus Tower and the Thousand Thoughts Tower, and the one closest to us is the Red Lotus Tower. They seem to be good at fire magic."
"Tsk, elemental magic." Glade curled his lips. In his opinion, elemental magic, as common as it is, is far inferior to the various rules involved in the Seven Towers.
"We can't underestimate these people. Although the baron is a minor noble, just ask a few questions and you will find out a myriad of connections." Chen Hansheng said, and then asked his boss, "What are his remaining sons and daughters doing?"
"I only know that the Baron's second and third sons are not around. I heard that they are in some army. The eldest daughter is already married to Baron Suarez in the east." said the innkeeper.
Chen Hansheng asked some more questions before sending the boss away. He said to his companions, "The situation here is much more complicated than we imagined before we came here. We need to have a good discussion about how to proceed."