Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 183

Unknowingly.

Like all nobles, Kousaka Kyosuke also had the idea of ​​reclaiming wasteland and building a manor.

"Su Chang, what do you think about reclaiming wasteland here?"

"what?"

Su Chang stared wide-eyed at Kousaka Kyosuke, a rare sight for her.

This is extremely rare.

But Su Chang reacted quickly and asked intriguingly:

"Is this okay?"

"As long as you have power and influence, that's enough."

Are you praising yourself?

"Of course." Kosaka Kyousuke smiled.

Since he decided to build the Ministry of Water Resources here.

That means they intend to make this place their own territory.

Even though it's close to Arakawa, and the future invasion of the Sea Kingdom could turn it into a battlefield, so what?

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken!

Even Kyoto is in grave danger, let alone other places.

Kyosuke Kosaka himself owns ten estates, which seems like a lot, but other nobles own even more!

Nobles who owned dozens or even hundreds of manors were not a minority.

While manors certainly vary in size, the problem is that they are never too small.

Of course, not all of these manors are concentrated in Kyoto.

Instead, they are distributed outside of Kyoto.

This was an area that was almost impossible for Kyosuke Kousaka to access.

It would be better to keep the developed estate under one's own control, within the scope of one's authority.

Logically speaking, Kyosuke Kosaka did not think he would offend anyone by developing farmland.

Because all the nobles in the country did that.

In fact, the policies are quite encouraging.

Unfortunately, the estates that were reclaimed from the wasteland were required to pay taxes.

Needless to say, the rest is history.

What will the nobles think?

I thought to myself, "I've worked so hard to clear this land, and you still want to charge me?"

Good heavens! This is a robbery!

This is probably what all nobles would think.

Kousaka Kyosuke is no exception.

Why should he pay taxes on the land he painstakingly reclaimed?

Unless everyone pays taxes.

"In short, after the manor is developed, I will use my connections to turn it into a state-owned free manor and obtain a ban on entry. In this way, it can be gradually developed into our territory."

"National Exemption Certificate? Entry Prohibited?"

Su Chang looked thoughtful.

Kyosuke Kosaka wasn't surprised that she didn't understand.

He immediately began explaining the intricacies of the manor—

At this time, the manor economy was prevalent, and nobles were no longer satisfied with lands such as fiefdoms and official lands.

As the aristocracy of contemporary capitalists.

It's only natural and instinctive for them to subconsciously seek more benefits.

Therefore, just as Kyosuke Kousaka had just thought.

They reclaimed wasteland and transformed it into their own estates.

As the highest authority in the country, the imperial power represented by the Emperor certainly wanted to collect taxes.

Because "all land under heaven belongs to the emperor," it is reasonable to collect taxes.

Try to put yourself in their shoes.

Why would nobles who have gone through so much trouble to clear land be happy about it?

Even nobles with estates in Kyoto are trying every means to evade taxes!

In short, it's just two simple steps.

The first step is to obtain the "Liquanzhuanghao" (立券庄号) certificate from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and obtain compliant tax exemption, thus becoming a national duty-free shop.

After that, there shouldn't be any problems.

The second step, prohibiting entry, involves obtaining the power from the Ministry of Civil Affairs to prevent officials from entering.

Due to constantly changing policies, officials frequently visit estates for inquiries.

This was completely intolerable to the nobles who regarded the manor as their private property!

Once these two steps are completed, it will be a situation that even the Emperor cannot easily deal with.

If the procedures are reasonable and justified, anyone who tries to find fault with them is breaking the rules.

Rules represent the basic rules of this society.

It's something even the Emperor probably wouldn't want to touch.

"Is that so? Lord Kyosuke is truly learned!" Su Chang immediately praised.

Kousaka Kyosuke smiled and didn't say much.

He simply analyzed the information he found in the library combined with his own historical knowledge.

“But clearing wasteland is still very hard work. Even if all the servants in our tribe came to help, it probably wouldn’t be enough.”

"Have you forgotten that there are still quite a few homeless people within Kyoto?"

"Oh, oh, yes! Just take them in and let them cultivate the land every day."

Su Chang was very happy and her heart was filled with joy.

She truly believed from the bottom of her heart that Kyosuke Kosaka was indeed a good man who knew how to manage a household!

Just do as Kousaka Kyosuke says.

This place will soon become their territory~

"Let's take it slow. There are quite a few monsters here. It's really not easy for a nearby village to live in peace and prosperity."

"There must be some kind of protective power, right?"

Upon hearing what Kousaka Kyosuke said, Su Chang shared her own guess.

The silent Demon Blade Princess suddenly spoke.

"Lord Kyosuke, I sense a faint yet powerful demonic energy nearby."

"Perhaps it is this source of demonic power that is protecting the village?"

Kyosuke Kosaka laughed.

Su Chang, already prepared for battle, rubbed her hands together eagerly: "They might be the enemy!"

It could be some kind of monster or demon that sees the villagers as food.

It's always good to be vigilant!

And so, the three of them were completely inside the village.

Upon arriving in the village, the group immediately became the center of attention.

This seemed perfectly normal to Kyosuke Kousaka.

Soon, a man dressed much better than the other villagers came over.

As expected, it was the village chief.

Kyosuke Kosaka asked him about the surroundings, and after getting some basic information, he wandered around.

Along the way, the villagers avoided the group as if they were strangers.

“There doesn’t seem to be any problem here,” Su Chang said.

Kyosuke Kosaka smiled and said, "Then let's assume there's no problem. The main reason I came here this time is for the construction of the Water Department."

"By the way, you're also the head of the Water Department."