At nightfall, Zhu Yijun, who was supposed to go to bed, was lying on the bed, with his hands clasped on his upper abdomen, staring blankly at the beams with his eyes open.
Although he looked absent-minded, he was recalling what he had seen during the day when he visited Daxing County.
In particular, the sentence "If you don't have a daughter, you can only work in the fields" has been circulating in Zhu Yijun's mind.
Of course he knew what it meant. Not only did he know it, but all the high-ranking officials and dignitaries present also understood it clearly.
Lending is an ancient industry.
Historically, official loans were a little earlier. There is a record in "Zhou Rites" that any loan from the people would be granted by a supervisor, and the interest would be paid by the state.
Private loans followed closely, and the first one recorded was Su Qin's "Lending a person a hundred coins as capital, and when he got rich, he paid it back with a hundred coins."
It doesn't matter who Su Qin borrows from, but the huge profits are self-evident.
Because of this, from ancient times to the present, most of those "knowledgeable" people with certain industries will choose this investment method of stepping on the left foot and the right foot.
The temple view is outstanding.
The Dao Sect is better, taking the upper-level route, and often appears restrained and dignified in front of others.
As for Buddhism, which takes the low-level route, it is not convenient to hide and tuck in cannibalism.
Temples that are more direct simply tell their believers bluntly when they join the religion, "Anyone who comes to join the religion should first pay twenty taels of silver. These twenty taels of silver will be used to generate interest, build bridges and roads, and provide for the elderly and the poor."
.”
To put it more euphemistically, it is borrowing. Most great monks "lend money to others, lend it back to others, make more money, and then use their ability to get it from others."
As for interest.
The interest rate for scholars is lower, doubling in three years. For example, Li Sheng "paid fifty taels of silver to the monk Huikong, which accumulated over three years, and the principal and profit should have been one hundred taels. The monk demanded debts all day long."
Farmers and small merchants are a little higher, doubling their income in two years - "There is a temple on the top of the mountain dedicated to the five gods of good fortune. You must go to the Buddha to borrow the book, take it and hang it, and pay back the interest at 45% every year."
Naturally, not everyone can afford the annual interest rate of up to 45%.
Therefore, the shops and fields used as mortgage fell into the hands of the great monk.
The compassionate Buddha will incidentally solve the employment problems of bankrupt farmers and merchants, hiring them as tenants, temple handymen, etc.
If the Buddha is a little more interested, he will ask for his wife or daughter, and only after consecrating him with Dharma will he give alms to help him survive.
Some people often think that if we don’t borrow money, wouldn’t this tragedy be solved from the root?
This is too much to impose on others. It is impossible for ordinary people to survive with such ease in their ability to withstand risks. A natural disaster, a man-made disaster, or a serious illness will always make things difficult for them.
This is the tip of the iceberg of land annexation, and it is also one of the mainstream methods of cannibalism in the Ming Dynasty today - systematic cannibalism - if Zhang San is not eaten, Li Si will always be eaten.
Of course Zhu Yijun knew it all, and he even knew it so well that he could understand it.
However, all his understanding has always been in the form of a few words in history books or memorials.
This is a completely different feeling than a living person, whose suffering is nakedly and bloodyly presented before his eyes.
It was just like the embarrassment he felt when he saw the red people in the daytime.
The word "red people", no matter when and where, has unparalleled political correctness.
The banner woven by this gathering was held in his hand and waved constantly, no matter in his past or present life, and he ran around shouting.
However, a set is always a set, which is not true.
In this life, the suffering of the people is just a line of words in a memorial; in the previous life, the hardship of the people was just a series of numbers in a report.
I care about it, and worry about it, but I always lack a sense of reality.
Only when he saw these people face to face and witnessed the suffering of these poor people who were bullied and slaughtered by others, did the complex emotions—kindness, distance, estrangement, compassion, guilt, resonance, and determination—instantly flood into his heart.
My heart is churning endlessly, and I am full of energy.
Only at this time can Zhu Yijun truly realize what it means to be the king of the world.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun felt increasingly sleepless.
He glanced at the dim moonlight outside the window, simply lifted the quilt, turned over and sat up, then threw his clothes casually on his body and pushed the door open.
We were supposed to stay at the county government office tonight, but there were too many people in the city. The county government office was really too small to accommodate the two thousand people in this group.
So, I looked for a Taoist temple to stay - after all, the Taoist temple can be regarded as a palace in the dual sense of ancestral law and asset structure.
"His Majesty."
"His Majesty."
As soon as Zhu Yijun opened the door, he saw Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian guarding the door on the left and right.
He was a little surprised: "Why are they all guarding the door?"
There are also basic laws for duty. Although Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian are close ministers, their status is here. They never have to work night shifts personally. After the emperor goes to bed and before he gets up, they have free rest time.
Zhang Hong hesitated for a moment: "Long live my lord, I have finished asking you about Yao Zhong, the eunuch of the Xixin Department."
Zhu Yijun strolled towards the outside of the courtyard and waved his hand, gesturing for the two of them to follow.
Zhang Hong followed the emperor step by step: "Yao Zhong has been watching over the palace in Daxing County for the past few years, and took the opportunity to exchange many acres of land with his own private land for birds. Now he is so fearful that the emperor of the county will lead to the scandal.
, and even beat up county government officials."
Sometimes anger does not necessarily come from confidence, it may also come from fear.
Zhu Yijun walked in front and asked casually, "Who is involved in this?"
This kind of thing can never be prevented, and he knows it very well.
But when it comes to Huangzhuang, it's not like one or two people can hide the truth for so many years.
Jiang Keqian on the side took over the conversation: "Your Majesty, the commander of Jin Yiwei, Ma Lu, is suspected of colluding to cover up. Duke Ding Guo has personally sent him to the county jail."
In the land of Gyeonggi, there are more than one or two such luxurious households, and all of them are people that the county government cannot afford to offend.
Just giving people to the county government as rafts not only showed the attitude of the upper class, but also facilitated Wei Yunzhen's subsequent establishment of authority.
Zhu Yijun paced and looked up at the moonlight: "Is there anything else?"
After leaving the emperor's bedroom, there are three steps, one guard, and five steps one post outside. It looks solemn and solemn in the moonlight.
The three of them passed by, and when the guards saw the emperor leading the way, and the ministers and relatives on the left and right, they continued to look at each other intently.
Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian looked at each other, and the former cautiously replied: "Your Majesty, although Yao Zhong has been traveling around counties and villages in the name of Li Dajuan in recent years, under cross-examination, he was actually showing it to outsiders by entertaining Uncle Wu Qing.
It’s just pretentious and deceptive.”
When Zhu Yijun heard this, he couldn't help but shook his head.
Zhang Hong was keeping tabs on the honorable person, but the truth was that Yao Zhong bribed his grandfather, and Li Jin had no choice but to let Yao Zhong borrow his name in the face of the patriarch's instructions.
Daxing County, a small county, has brought out a bunch of people again.
Zhu Yijun suddenly sighed: "Speaking of which, I rarely feel powerless when it comes to Uncle Wu Qing."
"Around the first year of Wanli, I beat him for the first time because of Sun Yizheng's affairs; in the fourth year of Wanli, he withheld the sweaters of the border soldiers, and I almost put him in jail. After that, he cried bitterly in front of his mother and wanted to change his past, but he didn't
To think that you are still stumbling upon me now."
This is why he often said that even if a person is evil-minded, he may not be useless, but if a person is stupid, he is really useless.
This stupid grandfather had been deprived of all real power after four years of Wanli.
However, the identity of a maternal relative cannot be stripped away no matter what.
It always pops up at some point and makes people unhappy.
When the emperor complained about his grandfather, neither Zhang Hong nor Jiang Keqian had any room to interrupt, and they only followed the emperor silently.
Seeing the emperor pacing in front of him with a melancholy look on his face, Zhang Hong couldn't help but persuade him softly: "Long live my lord, go back to your room and rest. It's cold at night."
Zhu Yijun turned a deaf ear and asked, "Where is Huairou Bo Shi Guangzu?"
Huairoubo was an earl created in the first year of Tianshun after Yingzong seized the throne.
The merit of the title... well, no merit. The reason given by Yingzong was "the guarding of Liaodong was quite rewarding", which is the so-called no merit, but hard work.
It is not easy for future generations to delve into the specific reasons.
For a long time, this lineage has not been very smart and has not had any important responsibilities - this is the normal state of nobles. Only outstanding nobles like Gu Huan and Zhu Xizhong can be so good as royal guards, even if they don't need money in the Beijing camp
Throw it over your head.
Huairou Bo could only do errands to help the emperor perform sacrifices.
The last time Zhu Yijun saw Shi Guangzu's name on the desk, he was caught by patrol soldiers because he violated the curfew by visiting prostitutes on the first night.
Those who violate the law at night are caught by the police."
Nowadays, it is really expected that he cannot see the situation clearly and resists to conquer the land.
Zhang Hong carefully replied: "Your Majesty, Huairou Bolu's land should be eight hundred acres. Now according to the steward of the house, it should be several times more. There may be hundreds of slaves."
"Some of these cases of forced buying and selling, as well as bullying of the people, have been found out by the county government and are being investigated."
Although Sejong promised not to cause trouble anymore, there is always another way to break through. It is a fantasy that the dignitaries abide by the law and are impeccable.
When Zhu Yijun heard this, he couldn't help but be silent for a moment.
Eight hundred acres of land is not a small amount, and coupled with the daily rewards from the palace, as well as the business share from the eldest princess's residence over the years, it is more than enough to live a prosperous life.
Now that it has come several times more, it is really... insatiable.
Zhu Yijun casually brushed past the incense-filled stove in the middle of the courtyard, and turned to look at Jiang Keqian: "Cousin, do you have slaves in your Yutian uncle's house?"
As the saying goes, the most difficult thing to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy is.
Take the matter of Dutian Qinghu, for example, just the tip of the iceberg that I saw on the first day, there were eunuchs, royal guards, relatives, nobles, and temples entangled in it. It can be said that we are outnumbered and outnumbered.
Historically, when Zhang Juzheng was in charge of the land transfer, he first wrote a letter home and asked his family to sort out their hidden land.
The first time, more than 570 acres were cleared, and the second time, more than 720 acres were cleared, all of which were donated to the government and confiscated.
No matter how much, it was reported twice. It was obvious that the family members had a lot of hindrances to Zhang Juzheng's orders.
So, what about around you?
Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but feel a little sentimental, so he casually asked this question to the old East Palace kinsman next to him, a relative of Emperor Shizong and a close minister of Jinyiwei.
Jiang Keqian was stunned for a moment, then reacted and replied calmly: "Your Majesty, this is the custom of nobles and nobles. Each room in the mansion has to live, and I can't stop it."
"However, after I become the head of the family, I will try my best to restrain them and never harm the people."
Zhu Yijun asked: "What kind of restraint method?"
Jiang Keqian thought for a moment and replied: "Your Majesty, although there are slaves, they are homeless orphans who are purchased by me in a serious way. Even if they want to leave their citizenship when they are older, they will also be able to come and go freely after the Qing Dynasty."
"As for the acres of land, after I was restored to the title, I was granted 800 acres of land, which was not more than an acre. I just exchanged 470 acres of lower land for the upper land of the people, and the difference was paid according to the market price.
Forced buying and selling.”
Zhu Yijun shook his head.
The voluntariness of the people is never voluntary in the true sense. Most of the time it is just a helpless choice when they are desperate.
But this is not the fault of Jiang Keqian. His cousin's actions are indeed considered to be restrained and modest.
Zhu Yijun looked away, lowered his head and sighed: "My cousin's Buddha nature is deeper than that of some great monks."
Jiang Keqian was about to speak but stopped.
After hesitating for a while, he couldn't help but replied: "Your Majesty, I have no Buddha nature, and I have no empathy for the common people."
"I am just following Your Majesty's wishes. Your Majesty loves the people, so I love the house and the bird, and I dare not take it lightly."
"Like eunuch Yao Zhong, Huairou Bo Shi Guangzu and others, not only do they not love the people, they are also disloyal to the emperor."
"Those who have no kings and no people are still a minority after all, and they have no place. Your Majesty does not need to be angry because of their sorrow."
All I had to do was tell him to go back to sleep.
Zhu Yijun couldn't help laughing when he heard this, but he didn't answer.
The group of people walked outside the Zhenwu main hall, ignoring the guards. Zhu Yijun stepped on the steps and walked slowly into the hall.
As soon as he walked into the hall, Zhu Yijun was startled.
He looked at the figure kneeling on the futon and called softly: "Wang Qing."
Wang Xijue was praying with his eyes closed, but when he heard the voice, he subconsciously trembled.
After a moment, he reacted, stood up from the futon, slowly turned around and saluted: "Your Majesty."
Zhu Yijun stretched out his hand to signal him to get up, and couldn't help but smile: "It turns out Wang Qing is not sleeping either."
Wang Xijue sighed and said in a complicated tone: "I was suddenly entrusted with an important task by His Majesty, and today I saw with my own eyes the difficulty of the New Deal and the hardship of the people. I had so many thoughts at the moment that it was difficult to sleep."
His inability to sleep was not the same as the emperor's inability to sleep.
It’s not that he tossed and turned because he was worried about the people.
Instead, he is thinking about what he should do in his position in the official department, and even when he joins the cabinet next year, in order to solve the current problems.
Zhu Yijun took a breath and also sighed: "I'm sorry for how difficult the people's lives are. I take a long breath to cover my tears."
As he spoke, he casually took a stick of incense and inserted it into the incense burner.
Emperor Zhenwu is now not only the official sacrifice, but also regarded as the true form of Emperor Taizu, and anyone can afford to worship him.
Seeing that the emperor was not in a good mood, Wang Xijue thought that he had stayed up all night and came to offer incense, and he couldn't help but have some suspicions in his mind.
He stood behind the emperor and casually consoled him: "Your Majesty, people's livelihood is indeed very difficult, and we cannot afford to slack off."
"When the political reform in Xining in the former Song Dynasty failed, Wang Anshi, who presided over the New Deal, wrote a poem in Jiangning."
"One of the lines says, I wish I was a frivolous son of Wuling, born in the Kaiyuan period of Zhenguan. I spend my life fighting cocks and running dogs, and I don't know the safety of heaven and earth."
After finishing the retelling, Wang Xijue couldn't help but click his tongue three times and kept smacking his lips.
After a moment, he continued: "Your Majesty, people at that time often interpreted this sentence as Wang Anshi's longing for or even escaping. However, when I read this sentence briefly, I felt that the desperate thoughts and resentment towards Song Shenzong were almost overwhelming.
, drowning everything.”
"Since Wang Anshi knew that the world was in danger, but he saw the new law being destroyed, how could he blame Song Shenzong?"
"I have some humble opinions and dare to tell your Majesty. I hope your Majesty will always learn from it."
The people are unable to name gods.
It means that ordinary people can't find better words to praise.
But after the predecessors had the temple name, they often added new meanings to the temple name because of the actions of the predecessors.
Nowadays, if the new law is abandoned halfway, the emperor has no choice but to follow Song Shenzong and ask for the title of "god".
He was admonishing the emperor not to waste his money midway because of the great dangers he saw.
Wang Xijue's words were not tactful enough and were even a bit presumptuous, but Zhu Yijun knew this guy's temper and didn't care about him.
Zhu Yijun shook his head: "I can forgive you for your hard work, but I am only worried about the matter of raising the fields. It's just that when I was on the bed just now, I couldn't help but think about what I saw during the day."
"In a trance, the sound of gnawing rats can't stop ringing my ears, and the sound of civilians wailing echoes in my mind. The anger in my heart is getting stronger and stronger."
"But I have nowhere to vent, so I have to come out and relax."
Structural oppression has nowhere to vent.
This is not because one person did something wrong, but because the world is wrong.
Shi Guangzu set up a card to collect fees. According to the law, what should be the punishment? He is not guilty because he is not a bandit, he is an honorable person.
Not to mention nobles, if you find a "father of students" outside the capital, you can set up a card to intercept and collect tolls from farmers and tenants. If you accidentally receive it from a passing official, both parties will have to agree.
He looked at him with a smile, cupped his hands and said that a flood had washed over the Dragon King Temple.
The burden on the people? Not worth mentioning.
What about county officials asking for bribes to collect entry fees? This law is quite harsh, but if you really arrest someone based on this pretext, ninety-nine percent of the world's petty officials will be free.
Even in a place like the capital, where officials in scarlet robes often come and go, when Li Zhi entered the capital, he would still be asked for bribes by the city guards.
During this period, those who suffered injustice from the government often just sighed about bad luck. Even the people themselves felt this way - this mentality can be seen in "Water Margin" and "Jin Ping Mei".
What about temple lending? There is nothing to say.
Not only is it legal, it's even reasonable.
If an edict is issued not to allow temples to lend money, it will be the common people who are the first to cause trouble - without loans, what will happen in the lean years? What about the government? It doesn't matter, just wait in line until next year.
Faced with structural oppression for which there is no culprit, even the emperor can only sulk.
Wang Xijue suddenly woke up after hearing this.
He glanced at the royal guards and eunuchs beside the emperor, hesitated for a moment, and said: "Your Majesty, Wei Yunzhen has already invited Huairou Bo to the county government office in the evening."
Zhu Yijun nodded: "I know."
I went on a tour of Shuntian Prefecture just for research and inspection. After seeing it, I should leave. I will go to Wanping tomorrow morning.
As for the problems discovered, and even the final solution, they must be left to the local officials.
If Daxing County can't deal with it, it will go to Shuntian Prefecture. Shuntian Prefecture can't do it either, and there is also the Shuntian Governor.
The time of the emperor and his officials was precious, and they did not have time to deal with such trivial political affairs.
Wang Xijue spoke again: "Your Majesty, Yao Zhong, Ma Lu, and all the presiding officers and temple masters of the temple are all in the county government."
Zhu Yijun was stunned.
Suddenly he realized that Wang Xijue was not trying to persuade him to go back to sleep: "Wang Qing means..."
Wang Xijue met the emperor's gaze confidently and said: "Your Majesty, the sound of rats gnawing at your Majesty's words can't be heard in my ears, and the sound of the people's lamentations echoes in my mind. I deeply agree."
"Since you are so angry, how can you ignore it?"
The implication is that even if you express your anger in a smooth way, it is still worth it.
"In my opinion, Yao Zhong and Ma Lu invaded and occupied the imperial land and committed a major crime of deceiving the emperor. The crime is unpardonable! They should be punished according to the official law! Huairou Bo Shi Guangzu set up a card to collect taxes, which is the same as establishing a government! They should be killed with a stick in court!"
"Anyone who has an adulterous wife or daughter in a temple is a heinous crime! If you have to hang your head in the school grounds of Daxing County, it will not be enough for the people to get angry!"
"Your Majesty, you might as well summon Xu Guo, the right minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and let's ride to the county office now. Go back quickly, so we can rush to Wanping tomorrow morning."
Zhu Yijun took a breath of cold air.
No wonder Shi Chuan said that this guy forced Zhang Juzheng to take a knife and kill himself. It turns out he had such a temper!
Wang Xijue, you are a little too extreme!
Zhu Yijun couldn't help but rolled his eyes randomly, and refused sternly: "Um, Wang Qing, I'm just a noble minister. I watch the wives and daughters of prostitutes in temples. Most of the people are willing to mortgage them. Isn't it inconvenient to be punished..."
Although mortgaging a living person is not in line with his values, this is how the development of the times is.
At most, it is just a violation of the precepts. From a legal point of view, it is indeed guiltless.
When Wang Xijue saw the emperor's move, he seemed to have thought of it a long time ago and blurted out: "Your Majesty, in May of the 10th year of Yongle, Emperor Chengzu has made a rule."
"Buddhism and Taoism are originally about purity and benefiting all sentient beings. Today, many monks and Taoists do not abide by the precepts. They are always comparing profit and loss, and are not sincere. They even drink alcohol, eat meat, wander and indulge in debauchery, without any scruples, and corrupt the moral style."
"Yes, if the monks and Taoists do not abide by the ancestral customs and rebel against the strict prohibitions, they will be killed without mercy."
Wang Xijue paused for a moment: "Your Majesty, adulterous wives and daughters are breaking the precepts. The ancestors have established the law, and they should be killed without mercy!"
Wang Shangshu's teeth are very white, and his tone is even more chilly.
The voice fell behind.
Zhu Yijun took a deep breath, turned his head suddenly, and ordered to Jiang Keqian: "Jiang Qing, go, prepare your horse, and follow me to the county government office!"
Jiang Keqian responded and left.
Then he looked at Zhang Hong: "I'm going to kill some people and be back before dawn."
Zhang Hong was about to speak but stopped.
Zhu Yijun grabbed Wang Xijue's hand and walked out of the palace: "I don't know if Minister Xu is asleep."
Wang Xijue replied seriously: "Shilang Xu must not have gone to bed either."
The two people's voices became quieter and quieter, and they went to the side hall to look for Xu Guo.
A quarter of an hour later, the three of them left the scene on horseback, followed by a few others, and roared away.
Chapter completed!