The old emperor's eyes were calm, but Wang Qinruo looked as if he wanted to eat people. He hesitated for a moment, lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, there are only two reasons why the villagers are like this.

First, the mountains and fields are closed to foreigners and lack knowledge. We are always wary of non-native visitors. This is also a necessary measure to maintain rural security. In addition, there are many people on your Majesty's trip. The guards are majestic and capable, well-dressed, and

"carry weapons"

"That shouldn't be such an overreaction!" the old emperor said coldly.

"Yes! Yes!" Wang Qinruo responded twice, then gritted his teeth and said: "Secondly, I guess it may be related to the county government. Previously, the county government had received an instruction from the state government, saying that the emperor would be stationed in Shenzhou

, requiring the government offices at all levels under their jurisdiction to deal with caution and advise the people to avoid chaos. Based on this, the county government issued a notice and notified all townships and villages."

Wang Qinruo's words were a bit cryptic, but the old emperor understood it as soon as he heard it. His gray eyebrows jumped and he turned his head and said to Liu Wenhuan who was following closely. Brother Liu Wenji said: "You have all heard it, right?"

"I heard it!" the two brothers looked at each other and said, cupping their hands.

"Remember, this is how these local officials cope with their fate. This is just the beginning of their many tricks to deceive the court!" the old emperor said in a serious tone.

"yes!"

The old emperor said this coldly, but Wang Qinruo was flustered and confused when he heard it. He also heard the old emperor say: "Compared with the methods used by the county government, I am more curious about the scene just now, but what was the real reaction of the villagers? Who took the lead?

young people..."

Listening to his grandfather's muttering, Liu Wenhuan said, "Is this the reason why unruly people come out of poor mountains and harsh waters?"

Hearing this, the old emperor turned his head sharply and stared straight at Liu Wenhuan. He was so frightened that he couldn't help but swallow his saliva and whispered: "Grandpa, my grandson said the wrong thing!"

Withdrawing his gaze, the old emperor fell into deep thought. After a while, he said: "It's not wrong, but this world is made up of thousands of unruly people!"

On the side, Li Jihe asked at the right time: "Your Majesty, what will happen next?"

"What do you think?"

Almost without thinking, Li Jihe admonished the old emperor: "The countryside is dangerous and unpredictable. For the safety of the holy bow, I beg your majesty to return!"

After hearing this, the old emperor couldn't help but look at Li Jihe. Seeing his serious and rigid look, he couldn't help laughing and scolding: "Li Jihe, you, the leader of the guard, why do you always neglect your duties? Why do you always want to let others go?"

Shall I go back?

Although this village in Langgang is remote, it is also a land of kings, inhabited by people under the rule of the imperial court. How come it turns into a dragon's pond and a tiger's den in your mouth?

Just do your job for me, if you dare to talk too much, go back!"

Li Jihe didn't feel much shame or anger after being reprimanded by the old emperor. He was just worried about the old emperor's safety. Seeing that he was still hesitating, the old emperor said again: "If you are worried about being punished for not being able to protect him well, I can replace him with someone else."

!”

After all the talk, Li Jihe dared not say anything, so he had no choice but to accept the order. Change someone? It would be better to change his head.

"Today's battle was fought with swords and sticks, and people were chased away by shouting and killing. This must be your first time!" After thinking for a while, the old emperor smiled and asked the two brothers Liu Wenhuan: "Isn't it surprising!

"

When asked, Liu Wenji shook his head and sighed: "From my grandson's point of view, this place is not deep in the mountains and forests, but the people's customs are so fierce that it is not easy for the government to manage it well!"

"I am leading you just to let you find out the reason!" Seeing Liu Wenji's expression of thought, the old emperor said softly.

Looking up, the sky was already getting dark. The old emperor knew that in the village, which had become quiet at this time, there were still many eyes staring closely at his group.

Being so strictly guarded, the county government's greeting is one thing, being able to organize it is another thing. The old emperor did not believe that the local government could control the countryside to this extent, and what the old emperor cared about was precisely him

The strange smell I smell here: clan and power.

"Since we are not welcome here, let's leave the village first and choose a place to camp under the hillock. We will stay overnight at the foot of the hillock today!" the old emperor ordered. Before he had taken two steps, he called Li Jihe to his side and pointed.

Jiucun behind him said: "I don't care what method you use, I want to personally understand the situation in this village!"

This explanation left Li Jihe a little confused for a while, but the emperor's oral order had to be fulfilled. After gathering his subordinates and brainstorming, a solution was found.

At dusk, the trees above and below the hills are secluded. Due to the continuous rain, everything is still wet. Even if you light a fire, there will be thick smoke. The smoke from the cooking stoves on the hills is intertwined with the green mist in the mountains, making it difficult to distinguish.

If there weren't so many rights and wrongs and precautions, it wouldn't be a different scene. However, after all, the old emperor was not here to experience the local charm.

Until late at night, in the small tent under the hill, after being notified, Li Jihe and two guards came in, tied up a person, and stuffed a piece of cloth in his mouth. Seeing this, the method Li Jihe came up with was also

It’s clear at a glance.

Although it seems a bit magical that the majestic emperor needs to use such means to meet people, but at this time, he can't care about so many things. He is just a farmer, not young, and he took off his cloth, thinking that he was being robbed by a strong man.

Call for mercy.

"Don't panic!" I don't know if it was because the old emperor was too powerful or because his words had a special ability to soothe him. A brief sentence really made this man calm down.

Looking at the frightened villagers in front of him, the old emperor said slowly: "My subordinates are ignorant and disturb the villagers. I will punish them. If you use such means to invite people, I hope you will forgive me for being disrespectful."

The old emperor's words made him bewildered for a while. After seeing this, he got to the point: "I'll ask you a few questions. If you answer them honestly, you can be released safely!"

"If anything is unclear, you can explain it!" The old emperor glanced at Wang Qinruo again.

Wang Qinruo immediately responded, and then explained the old emperor's meaning in his local accent, and his tense nerves were slightly relieved. The pronunciation is different for ten miles, and the words are different for hundreds of miles. A simple communication problem was brought to the old emperor again.

I feel quite sad that Mandarin still needs to be vigorously promoted

"Whose last name is it?"

"Zhang Wulin."

"Have you lived in this village for a long time?"

"Three generations have immigrated for nearly fifty years."

“Who is it that gathers people and chases away guests during the day?”

"Son of Li Zheng, Shi Tong."

Then the old emperor asked about the origin of the Shi family. He thought they were rich people who had lived here for generations, but the villagers' words gave the old emperor a resounding slap in the face.

The Shi family moved to Jiucun about thirty years ago, later than all the households with the same surname in the original village. However, Lao Lizheng was once a junior officer with military merit and was assigned to this village after his retirement.

Under his leadership, twenty years later, the Shi family became the "big surname" that completely surpassed the other nine surnames in Jiu Village. Lao Lizheng died, and the new Lizheng who succeeded him was his son. It has been more than ten years now.

. It is conceivable that after this term, Li is working until death, the next person will still be named Shi, and maybe it will be the same Shi who took the lead just now.

After receiving such an answer, you can imagine the excitement on the old emperor's face. Even if the Shi family was a local tycoon as he thought, it would be easier, but it was not the case.

At that time, the old emperor advocated for the return of retired grassroots officers and soldiers to the countryside. The purpose was to "send imperial power to the countryside." Even thirty years ago, the old emperor had already realized that this move was full of disadvantages, and even

Things went against expectations, and a lot of chaos occurred everywhere.

But today, decades later, a story about the birth of a rural tycoon appeared due to his "sent to the countryside policy". Hearing such a story with his own ears, the old emperor also had mixed feelings in his heart. Obviously, it was not that the matter was resolved, but that it was just

Those officers and soldiers have become smarter and more sophisticated during the integration and evolution of the local tycoon clans. They are well versed in the principle of "if the people do not promote, the officials do not investigate".

"Do you usually treat guests like this and treat all outsiders as tigers and wolves?"

"That's not entirely true. In normal times, outsiders are still allowed to be received. When merchants come to the village, the Li Zheng family will specially invite them to their home to entertain them. However, not long ago, Li Zheng issued an order saying that there were strongmen causing trouble, and the villagers were strictly prohibited from entertaining outsiders."

"I heard that the people of Luoshan County have been living in poverty in the past two years. Why? There were natural disasters and bad harvests? Or was it oppression by the government and exploitation?"

In response to this question, villager Zhang Wulin did not dare to answer. As a responsible farmer, when it comes to some issues, he is instinctively vigilant and does not want to talk too much to avoid getting into trouble.

Seeing his concerns, he offered some kind words to comfort him, but it was useless. He kept shaking his head no matter how hard he tried to persuade him. In the end, Li Jihe looked at the old emperor for instructions, pulled out a knife and put it on his neck, and then stopped.

It’s said reluctantly or half-willingly.

"In the past three years, the situation was very good. Every household had a surplus of food every year. While eating enough, they could also buy some new things. But starting two years ago, things suddenly turned bad. The county began to increase taxes," he said.

There is an order in the state to provide a palace for the emperor to practice. All people in Luoshan must be loyal and filial. Each family must pay a consistent amount of money, two stones for new wheat."

The people were angry and resentful and did not dare to express them. However, once they were led out, they were out of control. Zhang Wulin quickly told the story of the past two years one by one, and the more he talked about it, the more energetic he became. The core always revolved around the palace.

It seems that all the difficulties in building this point are caused by this matter.

The villagers in Jiu Village are not rich, but they can still live a comfortable life relying on the mountains. If it is just a donation, even if there are some difficulties, they can still afford it if they squeeze in.

Two stones of wheat was not too much two years ago. There was not enough new wheat, so I could just turn a blind eye and use old grain. If that didn't work, I could use game instead. The difficulty was money, as the government only collected

Gold, silver and copper coins, the first two do not need to be considered, but for ordinary villagers, there are only a handful of people who can always have enough money at home.

What to do if you don't have money? You can only exchange for food, game, furs, medicinal materials and other materials. This is also the usual way for many villagers to pay taxes. Once exchanged, the price will be lowered, and the landlord will first cut it off. This is also

Normality is the unspoken rule of the countryside.

Just like this, it was enough for all the villagers in the nine villages to suffer personal and financial losses. However, just the year before last, from autumn to winter, the Luoshan County government issued three donation orders. Although the amount of money and food requested each time was the same, the amount of money and food requested was the same for the people.

The burden brought by the epidemic became heavier each time. Many farmers' meager savings for many years were wiped out in that year, which also caused nine villages to encounter winter difficulties that were rare in the past ten years.

Last year, especially after the beginning of summer last year, a new round of "filial piety donations" came again, and there were more varieties, such as "stone donations", "beam donations", and "copper paint donations". Not only money was required, but

In addition to food, people are also needed. At the end of April last year, the government ordered the recruitment of labor. More than 30 people were recruited from nine villages alone. More than 30 strong laborers were not a small number for such a mountain village.

Zhang Wulin's eldest son was also drafted to build roads. Fortunately, he came back alive with no arms or legs. As for the food and money for hard labor, don't think about it. According to Li Zheng's explanation, Chu Ding had already asked them to

The family is exempted from paying part of the donation. It will be good if you come back alive, so don’t have extravagant hopes. Farming is the way to live happily. The country still owes a lot of money to the country...

Listening to his story, the old emperor looked indifferent and seemed unmoved, but he had already begun to recall in his mind that the drastic changes in Luoshan's policies and the urgency of exploitation seemed to have started after he urged Liu Gui last year. At that time, he was

What did you say? The people below did it again! At this time, the old emperor felt as uncomfortable as a fly choking on his throat.

Wang Qinruo couldn't help but look at these things. These things were reflected in previous reports, but they were more macro-level things, described from the perspective of county government administration. As for the public reaction, it was very serious, but in the specific details

In terms of description, it is just an understatement and a passing glance. There are many things that are difficult to truly understand the depth and horror of without seeing them with your own eyes and hearing them with your own ears.

Another point worth noting is that according to Wang Qinruo, although the county government's decrees are harsh, they are not as excessive as what this little citizen said. In many places, they are inconsistent with what he said.
To be continued...