I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 50. Paying Taxes (1)
It was all well and good when business went smoothly as a ship catching a favorable wind, but that didn’t mean one could simply squander every coin earned.
Especially not when the tax problem hadn’t even been resolved.
But today, at last, that would change.
So Yeon-hee loaded five sacks of rice she’d purchased with money carefully saved over time onto a cart—a proper cart, not a donkey-pulled wagon—and smiled as she did.
“Mother, Father, Grandmother. I’m going now. Don’t worry about the taxes anymore.”
“Are you truly sure you can manage this alone?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to simply wait until the village collectors come around?”
“Oh, there’s no need to worry. I’ll handle everything properly and be back.”
In truth, transporting five sacks of rice directly to the County Magistrate’s office in Jinseong and paying taxes in person was far from simple.
Normally, the village clerks would make their rounds and collect taxes directly, while the farmers merely transported their grain to the village entrance—that was the established practice.
But was the So Family an ordinary household? Even if they were recorded as having paid taxes at the village entrance, things could change the moment they reached the magistrate’s office in Jinseong. Perhaps it would be wiser to handle it all conclusively in front of Wang Yun—that Wang fellow, the village chief—himself. And besides, wasn’t he someone who already knew of Yeon-hee’s connection to the Wi Family?
She might need to offer a larger bribe, but in the long run, dealing with him would prove far more beneficial.
With that reasoning, she’d reassured her worried parents and brought the cart to the magistrate’s office in Haenghwajin.
The office was already crowded—many people were rushing to meet the tax deadline.
‘Just as I thought. It was the right call to prepare the bribe beforehand.’
With so many people here, it would clearly take several hours just to enter. If she wasted time and failed to pay, it would be disastrous. Yeon-hee pushed through the crowd and eagerly scanned the soldiers, hoping to spot a familiar face.
Before long, a soldier who recognized her stepped forward discreetly.
“Ah? Aren’t you the young woman from the So Family’s snack shop? Come to pay your taxes?”
“Yes, sir. I should have come sooner, but business has kept me occupied.”
Yeon-hee smiled brightly and smoothly slipped a small pouch of silver into the soldier’s sleeve—a tip she’d learned from a conversation with the butcher couple at the market.
She’d hoped to do it discreetly, but looking around now, she could see that everyone was offering bribes anyway. It hardly stood out.
‘Sigh. A world without anti-corruption laws, isn’t it? Well, what can you do……’
Still, she’d learned that greasing palms before entering the office prevented problems when records were being entered. The taxes here were notorious for varying amounts depending on the moods of soldiers, clerks, and officials, regardless of the national standard. Bribery wasn’t optional—it was essential.
The soldier who’d accepted her bribe grinned awkwardly but quickly pocketed the pouch.
“Ahem! I thought you only knew how to make snacks, but you’ve got a good head for how the world works, don’t you? Ha ha, you must be busy—go on in.”
She watched as he waved her through without properly checking her Entry Pass, and she silently rejoiced.
‘Thank goodness. My status hasn’t been exposed.’
The Entry Pass issued to the child of a convict bore a red mark. If a sharp-eyed official noticed it, she’d either be squeezed for a larger bribe or harassed on any pretext.
‘Bribing was definitely the right move.’
It bothered her to participate in such a corrupt system, but what choice did she have? She had immediate needs to survive.
“Thank you, sir!”
Yeon-hee beamed and quickly entered the office.
The moment the cart pulled in, eyes turned from all directions. After all, while many came pulling wagons, few brought actual carts.
‘Tch. That Ju Ha-yun. If he was going to give me something, why a cart instead of a simple wagon?’
Of course, thanks to it, she hadn’t gotten a single drop of rain on the rice, millet, and beans during transport. But drawing this much attention wherever she went was decidedly awkward.
Yeon-hee, however, accepted those gazes with considerable confidence as she approached the junior official at the reception desk.
“Have you come to pay your taxes?”
The man spoke without lifting his eyes from the ledger, his tone curt.
“Yes, sir.”
“Your Entry Pass.”
Yeon-hee handed over the pass while subtly sliding a pouch of silver into the official’s palm. A moment of silence hung between them. His head rose slowly, and one eyebrow arched.
‘Why… why is he reacting like that? Is the pouch too light? But I put half a tael of silver coins in it……’
Cold sweat beaded on her back as she worried something had gone wrong.
Then, just as she began to panic, the official, having carefully pocketed the pouch, spoke.
“There’s a red mark on this pass.”
“Yes. But I was still a minor when the sentence was passed……”
“That’s not my concern.”
The official waved his hand dismissively and lowered his gaze back to the ledger.
“Let’s see… So Family of Manggok Village, five persons, five sacks. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
At the official’s gesture, a soldier approached the cart. While he carefully inspected whether the sacks contained only rice and verified the weight, Yeon-hee naturally slipped another pouch into the soldier’s hand as if assisting with the inspection.
“Everything checks out perfectly!”
The soldier reported with a subtle smirk. The official reached for the Tax Payment Confirmation Seal.
It was at that moment.
“Wait.”
A fan flew through the air and lightly tapped the official’s wrist.
“The So Family of Manggok Village has only three adults. Why five sacks?”
Wi Jeong looked down at the junior official with an air of bewilderment.
“Doesn’t national law stipulate three sacks? Surely you’re not… squeezing commoners this way to line your own pockets?”
The official jumped to his feet and bowed respectfully. But his voice quickly became deferential.
“Young Master Wi, there seems to be a misunderstanding. This woman is the daughter of a convict. For the households of those convicted of crimes, it is customary to collect the Household Tax without distinction between adults and minors.”
“Custom?”
Wi Jeong fanned himself, clearly displeased.
“Does custom stand above national law?”
“T-that is not what I meant, sir! Those who have committed crimes against the realm must atone to the realm, mustn’t they? This is therefore collected as an Atonement Tax—that is to say, something of that nature, yes.”
The official groveled anxiously, fearing he’d be held accountable.
Yeon-hee watched the scene unfold in stunned silence. Wi Jeong’s sudden intervention was shocking enough, but hearing that by national law only three sacks should be paid kept echoing in her mind.
‘Wait… the village chief clearly said five sacks……?’
Yeon-hee carefully spoke up.
“Young Master Wi, if I may ask something?”
Wi Jeong turned his gaze toward her.
“Please, go ahead.”
“By national law, our household cannot reside within the village proper, isn’t that so? That’s why we live in a small cottage on the hillside.”
“That’s correct.”
“Yet ever since the elders arrived in exile this year, they’ve been working continuously on the Public Field, and because of that, the land that our household actually owns has fallen behind in cultivation—we’ve lost an entire year’s harvest, you see?”
Wi Jeong’s expression subtly contorted.
From that single look, Yeon-hee understood that there was something amiss about the So Family’s tax situation.
She continued calmly.
“Does it fall on those living outside the village to pay the Public Field Tax? And should the Household Tax be levied on land that hasn’t even been cleared for farming yet?”
Wi Jeong let out a short sigh. His sharp eyes fixed on the junior official as he opened his mouth.
“Bring me the household register and tax payment records for Manggok Village.”
The official’s face went rigid.
“I beg your pardon? But those are not documents I can show to just anyone. Of course, Young Master Wi is hardly ‘just anyone,’ but… these are official government records after all……”
“It seems you haven’t heard the news.”
Wi Jeong’s mouth twisted into a thin smile as he drew a small seal from his sleeve and slowly presented it before the official’s eyes.
“As of today, I have formally assumed the position of County Magistrate.”
His voice turned stern at once.
“All documents of Cheongyang County fall under my jurisdiction. Bring them at once.”
The official’s complexion drained of color.
“Y-yes! At once, sir!”
“You’ve become the County Magistrate?”
Yeon-hee couldn’t hide her surprise as she asked.
“Then has His Highness assumed the position of County Governor?”
Wi Jeong blinked his eyes wide.
“Hmm? You already knew of this?”
“Yes. You’d mentioned it to me before.”
“That was classified information. When exactly did I tell you?”
Wi Jeong’s eyes narrowed. As Yeon-hee merely offered an awkward smile, a short laugh escaped his lips—one that suggested exasperation.
“Goodness! What did I even say?”
“Oh, just something about… wanting to gain trust? Asking for advice from me, that sort of thing……”
Yeon-hee’s words trailed off.
Not only was Wi Jeong’s expression growing increasingly ominous, but the memory of her own misunderstanding of his words came rushing back unbidden. Regardless, Wi Jeong now exhaled a long, obvious sigh and spoke.
“I should have known. You laid the groundwork long beforehand.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
Wi Jeong made a deliberate effort to suppress his irritation as he fanned himself. Then, straightening his posture, he abruptly changed his demeanor.
“Well then, Miss So. It seems you find yourself in quite a predicament. Might I propose a trade?”
“A trade…… you say?”
“Nothing grand, I assure you.”
Wi Jeong smiled softly, his eyes crinkling into crescents. His gaze held a faint tenderness as he leaned in slightly.
“I resolve your complicated tax troubles for you, and in return, would you grant me one small favor?”
It was shameless flirtation. Yeon-hee suppressed her exasperation inwardly, her eyes narrowing slightly.
She worried this might spiral into something grand, like the cooking competition had.
“……What sort of favor?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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