Chapter 2816

"Often?" Yun Xi asked.

"Yes, it started half a month ago." The old man looked around to make sure no one was listening, then whispered, "Actually, if the fee were lower, people could understand. But some gatekeepers don't think that way. They charge ten copper coins per person to enter."

The old man sighed and shook his head. "Even during the most tense times before, the fee wasn't this high. The most was three copper coins per person. Now it’s ten. You can imagine how bad it is."

"Didn’t the Emperor order that gatekeepers are not allowed to charge fees?" Yun Xi frowned slightly.

"The Emperor did issue such an order. But haven’t you heard? Where there is a policy from above, there is a countermeasure from below. Plus, everyone has been doing this for so long that even if someone knows it’s wrong, no one dares to report it." The old man sighed again. "But fortunately, our Great Ru is developing fast, so we can still afford these fees."

Yun Xi said nothing. Yang Xue’en returned shortly after. "Master, the city guards are selected by the Ministry of War. This time, the temporary guard team is made up of idle rich youths and bullies, so they don’t care much about Great Ru’s rules."

A temporary team is just a makeshift group.

"I see." Yun Xi smiled faintly. "The Ministry of War is currently supervised by Grand Secretary Wang." He stood up and walked out slowly. "Take my letter of introduction to see Grand Secretary Wang and tell him about this."

"Yes." Yang Xue’en hurried off, while Yun Xi walked slowly toward the city gate.

Yun Xi wanted to see for himself how the gatekeepers were behaving.

"Hurry up! Move it! Ten copper coins each, regardless of age, only counting heads!" A soldier at the gate shouted loudly, his attitude particularly arrogant.

"Sir, it used to be at most three copper coins, and children paid less than one coin," an old woman said as she approached.

"If you want to enter, it’s ten coins per person. This is my territory, and I make the rules here. If you want to do business in my territory, you must follow my rules." The gatekeeper looked arrogant and showed no fear of the old woman.

"When did entering the capital start costing so much? I didn’t know," Yun Xi said, a slight smile playing on his lips as he saw the newcomer. It was Li Gang, who had returned to report on his duties.

"Who are you? What do you know about the capital’s rules?" the gatekeeper shouted.

Li Gang smiled faintly. "I may not know all the capital’s rules, but I know one thing: neither the Emperor nor any minister would agree with you arbitrarily charging tolls like this."

"Do you know what my second aunt’s daughter’s husband’s brother’s father-in-law does?" the gatekeeper sneered.

"Isn’t that relationship a bit too distant? I only know that if you keep going like this, your second aunt’s daughter’s husband’s brother’s father-in-law might get dragged down with you, leading to disaster for his entire family." Li Gang said coldly. "Right now, envoys from other countries are visiting us. Our nation should present its best face to them. By charging random tolls like this, you’re embarrassing Great Ru. If word gets out, not only will you suffer, but even your three clans will face consequences. Exile would be the lightest punishment; one wrong move, and your whole family could be executed."

"You… you’re talking nonsense." The gatekeeper glared at Li Gang. "You’re an outsider, acting arrogant in front of me. Do you know what the consequences will be?"

"Hehe, I’m merely a fifth-rank prefect. I indeed don’t know what consequences I’ll face for offending a gatekeeper like you. But I absolutely know what consequences you will face." Li Gang had grown more cunning over the years.

Yun Xi watched from the side, not intervening since Li Gang had arrived.

"A fifth-rank prefect? Quite a high official! Do you know who my cousin’s brother-in-law’s second uncle is? He’s a third-rank official. Do you think I’m afraid of you?" The gatekeeper seemed to grow even more arrogant.

Yun Xi felt a strange sensation. The web of connections in the capital was complex, and no one knew what kind of relatives they might encounter. People visiting the capital usually avoided offending anyone, but that didn’t mean someone could trample on other officials, especially when that person was just a lowly gatekeeper.

"Really? I’d love to see your cousin’s brother-in-law’s second uncle come looking for trouble with me," Li Gang said, unafraid.

"Well said." Wang Lanxuan arrived after receiving Yun Xi’s message, just in time to hear Li Gang’s words.

Li Gang saw Wang Lanxuan and quickly bowed. "Li Gang, Prefect of Qingshan, pays respects to Grand Secretary Wang."

As soon as Li Gang bowed, everyone nearby knelt upon hearing it was Grand Secretary Wang.

Who didn’t know Grand Secretary Wang’s power? He was not an ordinary person to compare with.

As the head of all officials, Wang Lanxuan controlled them all. Seeing him emerge, the gatekeeper trembled and fell to his knees.

"I didn’t realize entering the capital had started charging fees again," Wang Lanxuan sneered. "It seems I need to have a good discussion with the Capital Prefect about this." Wang Lanxuan didn’t focus on the lowly soldier. To him, such arrogance from a soldier indicated a problem with local officials. And who was the local official of the capital? Naturally, the Capital Prefect.

"Wang An, summon the Capital Prefect here." After speaking, Wang Lanxuan glanced at Yun Xi, who was watching the scene. "Duke Protector, watching the show isn’t your style."

Duke Protector? Everyone present was shocked again. The Duke Protector was the first person in Great Ru to break through to the golden level of scholarly aura. To those below, he was like a god. Who would have thought he’d be here?

Yun Xi smiled gently. "Grand Secretary Wang, I’m just here for a stroll. But it’s rare to see people living such hard lives. Tell me, shouldn’t the Ministry of Revenue also be cleaned up?"

"It seems it needs cleaning," Wang Lanxuan said with a smile, looking at Yun Xi. After all, although Yun Xi was the Duke Protector, he also served as Vice Minister of Revenue. So, this matter naturally fell to him.

"Indeed, it’s the Ministry of Revenue’s fault that people are trying to make money this way. Regardless, I’ll need to find ways to increase revenue and fill the treasury, so no one else tries to rob people at the city gates."

Yun Xi smiled slightly and added, "Grand Secretary Wang, let’s find a place to sit and wait for Lord Wang."

The "Lord Wang" Yun Xi referred to was the Capital Prefect.

Grand Secretary Wang said, "Then let’s go to that teahouse over there." Wang Lanxuan also wanted to hear what the Capital Prefect had to say.