The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 422

Although the number of officials arrested by Yang Shengzhai was not large among the officials of the Jiangnan faction, his deterrent effect was enormous, and other officials in Jiangnan Province were waiting for the outcome of the case.

A little over a year ago, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would not have let this rule-breaking happen, let alone arresting people according to the rules. But times have changed.

The situation in Jiangnan is now vastly different from what it was a year ago, thanks to the efforts of Zhou Chu.

Leaving aside the fact that Yan Song and those officials outside the Jiangnan faction truly hold the power in the entire Jiangnan province, even if some officials from the Jiangnan faction have gained some influence, they dare not be too outspoken. They would never do something like the previous siege of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or even the prison.

Officials from the Jiangnan faction are said to be very united, yet they are not united at all. When it comes to personal interests and gains or losses, everyone has to weigh the pros and cons.

Nobody wants to get themselves involved in these things. Before doing anything, their first consideration is self-preservation, not risking their lives for the benefit of others.

In the past, the Jiangnan faction could control everything in Jiangnan Province. They could act recklessly and even risk their lives because they knew that no matter how outrageous their actions were, someone would always bail them out afterwards.

However, at this time, the Jiangnan faction was not very strong, especially after the profits from smuggling overseas were basically gone, and people's hearts were scattered. They gathered for profit, and naturally they would disperse for profit.

It's unrealistic to expect many people to completely extricate themselves from what they did in the past, so they still have to stand within this faction. But if they are asked to contribute, their first concern is their own safety, since no one can back them up.

While the fate of the arrested officials remains undecided, Yan Song announced another policy: to increase the commercial tax from one-thirtieth to one-tenth. Furthermore, the collection of commercial tax revenue would be included in the performance evaluation criteria of the performance appraisal system. This news caused an uproar among all the officials.

"Lord Yan, are you dreaming? Collecting even one-thirtieth of the taxes is as difficult as climbing to heaven, let alone one-tenth. Isn't that competing with the people for profit?"

An official from the Jiangnan faction stood up immediately when Yan Song announced the decision, showing no respect for Yan Song whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Yan Song looked at the official. Yan Song's more than a year in Suzhou Prefecture, coupled with his previous experience as an official in the capital, had made him a completely different person.

At this moment, Yan Song exuded an air of authority in every word and action. He simply looked at the official without saying a word, yet everyone felt somewhat suffocated, not to mention the official facing Yan Song directly.

"Lord Yan...Is there anything wrong with what I said?"

The official was naturally unwilling to admit defeat, so he could only bite the bullet and say...

"Whether it's right or wrong, I won't comment for now. I haven't even finished explaining my decision, and you're already so eager to stand up and refute my words. Who gave you the audacity?"

When Yan Song spoke these words, his eyes gleamed with a cold light, like a tiger eyeing a hunter. Though he was quiet, his gaze made the man tremble with fear.

“I…I…”

When Yan Song questioned him like that, the courage he had finally mustered vanished instantly, and he was at a loss for words.

Yan Song looked at him with disdain and ignored him, turning his attention to the others instead.

"I haven't finished speaking yet. In the future, although the commercial tax will be one-tenth, whoever collects it will receive a portion of the original tax as a reward, as long as it is legal, reasonable, and not excessive or corrupt. In other words, no matter how much commercial tax you collect, 30% will be given to you as a reward, and the remaining 70% will go to the imperial court. Does that seem like too much?"