Chapter 447: The Court's Incompetence

Chapter 447: The Incompetence of the Court
The old man said excitedly, “I am seventy years old.”
In the Qin Empire, where the average life expectancy did not exceed fifty-five years, sixty-seven was considered a very high age. In fact, the imperial court also provided preferential treatment to these elderly people.
For instance, those sixty years and above do not have to perform the grand prostration ceremony when meeting officials of rank three or lower.
Those aged seventy and above are visited and given gifts by the local government every year.
And those over eighty years of age, they do not even have to bow when they see the emperor, and when they meet ordinary princes or nobles, they must proactively dismount their horses.
"The empire rules the world with benevolence and filial piety. For an elder to show such great respect to his juniors at such an advanced age is truly humbling."
Li Chen said in a mild voice: "Although the matter of taxation has been clarified, and the extra taxes on ordinary people have also been canceled, this is what the court should do, there is no need to be grateful."
The old man, with tears in his eyes, said, “Sir, you don’t know how hard it is for us common people to live. With this tax reduction, we all have a way to survive. This is a life-saving grace.”
Waving his hand, Li Chen was about to speak when he saw his father-in-law hesitate and ask, "I heard that Zheng the Official has been stripped of his position?"
Li Chen raised an eyebrow slightly and replied, "Yes, he will no longer serve as the magistrate of Weihaiwei."
The elder immediately said: "We do not know your identity, sir, but we are certain that you are a very important person. Zheng's punishment is also due to your decision, but I am foolish and would like to ask you to reconsider."
Li Chen said with interest, “Zheng Baorong arbitrarily created reasons to impose excessive taxes on the people. Now that these illegitimate levies have been abolished, he naturally deserves punishment. Everyone should be happy about this, so why are you all pleading for him instead?”
This old man spoke with righteous indignation, saying: “The sea defenses of Weihaiwei were all built up by Zheng Da Ren. Now that he's gone, who knows how the new magistrate will handle things? Most likely, they’ll just abandon it. But if that happens, we won’t be able to go out to sea and fish!”

Li Chen smiled, but his expression remained unchanged.
After hearing this, Su Jinpa revealed a displeased expression.
It seems these people want the benefits without paying more taxes.
As expected, Li Chen asked, "Even if it's Zheng Bao Rong, the silver he needed to build sea defenses also came from taxes. Now that these levies have been abolished, it won't be enough to maintain the sea defenses even if he stays. Whether he leaves or not, the result will be the same."
"What about the Imperial Court?"
The old man said emphatically, "Shouldn't the court allocate funds?"
"The national treasury was already empty, and everyone knows about the natural disasters these past two years. There's a need to spend money everywhere. If the court were to invest in coastal defenses again, not just Wehaiwei but all other coastal cities would have to follow suit. That would be astronomical sums of money, and the court simply couldn't afford it."
Li Chen's patient explanation, however, only made the elder shake his head. He said, "In the end, it's still the incompetence of the court."
Li Chen was actually speechless after being retorted by this sentence.
"Father-in-law, that's not right."
It was Su Jinpa who spoke first.
“The imperial court’s original policy was maritime prohibition, forbidding fishermen from going out to sea for fishing. However, things have been difficult these years, and fishermen are also commoners who need to survive. Therefore, the court has basically turned a blind eye to fishermen fishing in near waters, and no government officials have truly pursued this matter. With the current situation being so difficult, the court naturally wants to allocate its limited silver to more urgent needs. Where would there be extra money to build coastal defenses?”