Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 1036: Chapter 947: Official of the First Rank 8

While Murong Shuangshuang was busy practicing martial arts and hunting to improve her life, Fang Keixin finally gave up hope of returning to the modern world. She pestered her father, Fang Laoer, to change her name from the rustic Fang Sanya to Fang Keixin, and began to think about earning money to improve her family’s life.

These matters had nothing to do with Murong Shuangshuang. She was busy practicing martial arts and improving her family life. Although Murong Ting could barely pay the full taxes, Murong Shuangshuang knew that the court would continue to increase taxes this year.

To avoid being reduced to slavery and auctioned off by the government, Murong Ting would go to the deep mountains to collect herbs and ended up breaking his leg while picking a Lingzhi mushroom growing on a cliff, bedridden for half a year before he recovered.

In the end, to earn money for the ever-increasing taxes, Murong Ting had no choice but to become a bell doctor, traveling from street to street. When he was home, he would help Mrs. She with chores. Although Mrs. She was not in good health, the heavy work was taken over by Murong Ting, so her health was just frail and nothing serious.

But when Murong Ting was forced to leave home to earn money, and without his care, the household tasks fell on Mrs. She’s shoulders. Her body was not suited for such labor, and her health quickly declined.

Unfortunately, as the court’s taxation became heavier and heavier, in the end, the common people had no way to survive. The oppression led to rebellions, with uprising armies sprouting like mushrooms after the rain.

Of course, in times of chaos, it doesn’t mean there aren’t places to live peacefully, those are places controlled by major forces with rebellious intentions against the corrupted court.

These forces include influential princes and aristocratic families who obeyed the court’s rules in appearance but actually governed their land according to their own beliefs, garnering the people’s support.

If one went to these places, there would naturally be a way to live. Back then, Yu Family Village was governed according to Luo Yunchuan’s father, Luo Zhongchen’s ideas. Unreasonable taxes and levies were eliminated, and the common people lived a much better life.

However, that was a few years later. Although the court was utterly rotten with no chance of saving, this big ship had not yet disintegrated, and any rash action would be crushed, like those peasant rebels serving as cannon fodder, who were the main force leading to the court’s disintegration.

When the great ship of the court disintegrated, these peasant rebels serving as cannon fodder would gradually disappear or leave behind a bigger force, but most peasant rebels would naturally dissolve. It is during this time, when chaos ensues, that it truly becomes the stage for Fang Haqiang to emerge and compete for the world.

At present, one must endure several years of the court’s oppressive taxation and exploitation. For these few years, nothing can be done about it. Although Fang Keixin managed to earn money in tens of ways, without Luo Yunchuan to back her up, all her revenue-generating ventures were cunningly snatched away by others. Had she not been quick-witted, she might have even ended up in prison.

Before Yu Family Village was incorporated into Luo Zhongchen’s territory, the lives of the people there were increasingly hard. Just as they were about to raise the banner of rebellion, Luo Zhongchen, the Inspector, appeared like a savior, allowing his governed people to finally breathe, get enough to eat, and escape the state of having thin necks and big heads.

Due to the court’s corruption, life became even more difficult for the common people in times of chaos, facing the threat of war at any moment. However, it was for this reason that garnering public support was easier. As long as there was a force willing to support the people and let them live a peaceful life for a few years, the people would genuinely support them.

The era of chaos was still a few years away, and the common people were enduring hardships, just like Yu Family Village. To cope with the increasingly harsh taxes, Murong Shuangshuang decided to collect more valuable items from the mountains. Naturally, she did not consider hunting, as it provided limited earnings. She wanted to find something that would bring in big money.

After searching the mountains for half a month, Murong Shuangshuang finally found a treasure—a piece of mixed jade. Although it was jade, it was full of impurities and unusable for anything substantial. But to Murong Shuangshuang, this piece of jade was a treasure, perfect for making a jade carving ornament.

Creating the jade carving ornament required some skill and professional tools, which were expensive, and Murong Shuangshuang couldn’t afford them. Fortunately, she had cultivated some Inner Strength, not much, but it was enough to infuse into a small knife for carving jade. The cost of a small knife was much cheaper than a set of jade carving tools.

Murong Shuangshuang brought the items home and began carving day and night. Because of the permanent hypnotic suggestion to trust Murong Shuangshuang without question, Murong Ting and Mrs. She were not surprised by their daughter’s newfound carving skills and readily accepted it.

With the help of Inner Strength, Murong Shuangshuang completed the jade carving ornament in three days. Interestingly, carving was a hobby she had while cultivation, and although her skills were not as high due to the seal, she produced a very beautiful finished product based on memory alone in her first attempt.

After completing the carving, Murong Shuangshuang had Murong Ting take her to the county town for a simple reason: tomorrow was the County Magistrate’s birthday. As the local parent official, this County Magistrate was very greedy. His birthday was an indirect way to extort the people’s hard-earned money from merchants and even individual villages, which each had to present a gift.

Of course, if the gift was particularly to his liking, he might later give preferential treatment when you needed something from him. Murong Shuangshuang’s plan was to use the jade carving ornament to offset this year’s taxes.

The County Magistrate did not live in the county government but had built a large mansion separately. It was the most bustling place in the whole county town today, filled with carriages and throngs of people celebrating.

Murong Shuangshuang and Murong Ting dressed very plainly, but Murong Ting, being educated, had an air of scholarship about him. In those days, people still respected scholars.

The guard at the County Magistrate’s gate, though having a bit of a condescending look, was polite enough to Murong Ting, who looked like a scholar. When Murong Ting mentioned that they had a birthday gift, the guard helped carry it inside.

The County Magistrate heard that a commoner had personally carved a jade ornament as a birthday gift for him. Though he didn’t care about things sent by a poor commoner, he was quite pleased as it symbolized his popular support.

But when the ornament wrapped in a plain wooden box was taken out, the County Magistrate was immediately stunned because the jade carving ornament, which he hadn’t cared for, was simply too beautiful!

It was evident to the County Magistrate that it was carved from a piece of mixed jade, but now the ornament was of considerable value due to the excellent craftsmanship.