Eat the whole family? I emptied the storehouse of the Marquis' Mansion and married the crippled

Chapter 323 Beggars in the City

"If I remember correctly, the refugees who were exiled here are all under the jurisdiction of the government. We can check the extra money carefully."

Ye Jintang looked at Xiao Mo in a good mood. He didn't expect that they would gain something as soon as they came out.

Even though the price difference is only a hundred or so coins per person per month, it can still add up. Ningchuan City is a place of exile, and the thing it has the most is refugees.

"I've made note of this matter. I'll send someone to investigate it later."

When Xiao Mo heard what Manager Qiao said, his brows furrowed. He had long expected that various problems would arise in Ningchuan City, but he did not expect Hua Cailiang to be so bold as to blatantly make money from the refugees. He didn't know how much money he had extorted from other places.

"Be careful not to alert the enemy. Just one or two pieces of evidence will not save the Hua family's life."

"I see."

"Manager Qiao, first recruit half refugees and half ordinary workers to see if there is any difference in their work. Report to me in time."

"Yes, boss, I have one more thing to say. Our shop will be open in a few days. The government has sent someone to inquire about the scale of our shop and asked us to pay the city tax in the next few days."

"We have to pay city taxes before we even open our business? How do we pay this? Isn't the city tax based on the monthly turnover of the store?"

Manager Qiao explained with a bitter look on his face, "This month is only halfway through, and the official said that we should pay a fixed amount first, and then we will have to pay 200 taels of city tax starting next month, as normal, and a business tax of 300%."

The so-called 10% tax means that the store’s total turnover is taxed at 10%, not % of the profit.

The city tax is equivalent to the stall fee. All shops on Ronghua Street pay different city taxes depending on their size.

"Ningchuan City is such a poor place, but they actually charge 50% business tax. Hua Cailiang must be crazy because of poverty. Even in the capital, the tax rate is only % to . As for the city tax, he might as well rob it. The city tax in other prosperous cities is only taels per month."

When Xiao Mo heard this, he was so angry that he laughed. It would be strange if Ningchuan City was not poor with such heavy taxes.

If merchants cannot make money, they will naturally not come, and those who can make money probably have other ways of their own.

With such a vicious cycle, it would be strange if Ningchuan City could get better.

City tax and commercial tax are only one aspect. Ye Jintang and Xiao Mo plan to go for a walk on the street to see if there are any other more bizarre taxes.

"Boss, this is the profit of drugstores in various places in the past few months."

Manager Qiao showed Ye Jintang the account book that he had prepared long ago.

"The accounts from other cities can be sent to us thanks to the carrier pigeons raised by the boss. Even in windy and snowy weather, the carrier pigeons can deliver the news back."

"The carrier pigeons I raise are all relatively large in size. Unless there is a heavy snowstorm, it will not affect their speed in delivering mail."

While he was speaking, Ye Jintang had already opened the account book and was checking the accounts at a glance.

Coming all the way from the capital to Ningchuan City, Ye Jintang opened more than 20 pharmacies, a dozen grocery stores, as well as rouge workshops and more than a dozen dim sum workshops.

The initial investment alone amounted to over one million taels of silver. According to the original plan, it would take at least half a year to a year to make back the investment costs.

But looking at the accounts in front of her, the time it takes for her to recover her costs might be shortened a lot.

Not to mention anything else, just over 20 drugstores have earned her more than taels of silver. She knew that the pharmaceutical industry made money, but she never expected that opening a drugstore in Tianqin State could make so much money.

The purchasing power of silver in Tianqin State is still very strong. A shop can earn several thousand taels of silver in just one month after opening, which is extremely incredible no matter which city it is in.

Looking at the account book in front of her, Ye Jintang felt very happy. In order to open the shop along the way, she had to take a detour several times. At that time, she was worried that the detour would waste time. Now it seems that everything is worth it.

These shops will become the hens that lay golden eggs in the future, producing gold for her continuously.

"Master Qiao, you need to pay more attention to the operation of the pharmacies in other cities. I'm very busy recently and I'm afraid I can't take care of it."

"Don't worry, Boss. I will keep a close eye on the pharmacy and make sure there are no mistakes."

"Well, settle down in Ningchuan City in the next few days. You, Bai Ziyao, and my cousin should walk around the city more often to see if there are other businesses that can make money. If you find a suitable one, come and tell me. The last thing I lack is money."

"Yes."

Manager Qiao agreed to all the requests.

"Boss, I have something else to say. Our pharmacy is about to open. I'm afraid someone will come to inquire about us. Do we need to keep a low profile and hide our identity as the boss?"

"No, just do it boldly. It doesn't matter if someone finds out that the medicine shop or other workshops are owned by the royal palace."

"Yes, then I'll go ahead and do it."

Ye Jintang and a few others talked in the pharmacy for a long time before leaving.

"Where are we going to stroll later?"

Xiao Mo helped Ye Jintang tighten her cloak and helped her get into the carriage.

I don't know when tiny snowflakes started floating in the gray sky again.

"Let's just walk around the city and see how the people there live."

"Okay, then let's stroll along Iron Fan Street. That street almost runs through East and West Ningchuan City."

Snowflakes were floating in the sky, and there were noticeably fewer pedestrians on the street. Horse-drawn carriages were moving slowly on Tieshan Street, and occasionally one or two small vendors pushing wooden carts could be seen. Apart from shops, there were few stalls on both sides of the street.

"It's strange. Logically, there should be a lot of vendors on Iron Fan Street. Why are there only a few?"

"It's probably because the city taxes are too high. Small vendors simply can't afford it, so they can only push a small cart and hawk their wares along the streets in the city."

"Well, under heavy taxes, it will be extremely difficult for ordinary people to earn a living."

In order to get a better understanding of Ningchuan City, Ye Jintang got off the carriage and walked slowly along the uneven streets with Xiao Mo.

There are not many small vendors on the street, and the shops on both sides are also deserted. Some shops have even closed and only have wooden signs saying "for sale" hung up.

After walking for less than a cup of tea, they met several beggars begging for alms.

Those beggars were mostly children and the elderly, and they looked very pitiful.

“Do you feel that there are too many beggars on the street?”

"In the city of exile, it is not uncommon for children without parents and elderly people who have lost their ability to work to become beggars."

Xiao Mo meant that Ningchuan City was a place where no one cared. Beggars with some labor force would have been caught mining or working for free long ago. They would not be allowed to beg on the streets.

"Alas, life is really not easy for the lower-class people in Ningchuan City."

After working hard all your life, you end up begging for money. It would be better not to come to this world.