Chapter 221 0216 [Today is different from the past]
After not seeing each other for more than a year, Bai Zongwang has aged a bit and is not as energetic anymore.
Not only did this old white man show humility when he saw Zhu Ming again, but he was also more tolerant towards the villagers.
Perhaps because he had done too many bad things when he was young, he actually imitated his late mother's example of eating fast and chanting Buddha's name, and cleaned out the long-abandoned Buddhist hall.
He invited Ju Ming into the living room to serve tea, asked his son to greet Ju Ming's entourage, and asked his daughter-in-law to accompany Zheng Yuanyi to talk.
Ju Ming tasted the tea, chatted for a while, and then asked: "Over there in Daming Village, most of the land is reclaimed land. According to the system, taxes can be reduced or exempted for several years. I guess I don't know much about the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in this county. I asked other people, and they also
I don’t want to tell the truth. Please tell me the truth, how has the life of the farmers in Xixiang County been in the past two years?”
Bai Zongwang looked at Ju Ming carefully and saw that he didn't seem to be faking it, so he sighed and said: "The imperial court ordered the Baojia to be reorganized, and the number of insured households in each group was reduced by half. The government's control over the countryside became more stringent, and taxation and levies were also changed."
Even more ruthless. Not to mention ordinary farmers, even landlords are a little bit overwhelmed."
"Is the magistrate of Xixiang County the same as last year?" Zhu Ming asked.
Bai Zongwang said: "The plank road collapsed, delaying the transportation of money and food, and the county magistrate was demoted to Guangnan. The new county magistrate has not arrived for a long time. It is estimated that he will not arrive until after spring."
"Where is Master Zhang? That's Zhang Su." Zhu Ming asked again.
Bai Zongwang said: "Maybe someone in the court has promoted him to be a county magistrate elsewhere. The new chief registrar is named Ye Qian, who was a new Jinshi last year. He is currently acting as the county magistrate."
Zhang Su is Zhang Shangying's nephew. It is estimated that one of Zhang Shangying's disciples and former officials defected to Zheng Juzhong and became a Zheng Party member, so they promoted Zhang Su through connections.
Bai Zongwang added: "Since last year, in order to raise military rations in the northwest, even the fourth and fifth class households have to pay and buy money, and the first, second and third class households have to pay more. Fortunately, my family's Sanlang became an official, and Erlang worked in the county again.
I work as a bailiff here, and the money I share with you is not excessive. The same cannot be said for other gentry. A large family in Zhuwan Township has been forced to go bankrupt and flee."
Ju Ming sighed: "How difficult things are in the world."
The original intention of He Bian Qian and He Bian Qian was that the government would spend money to buy the people's supplies and obtain grain and cloth nearby for military use.
Initially, the government suppressed prices and forced purchases at low prices.
Then he began to default on his debts, buying supplies on credit from the people, and never paid the money he owed, claiming that it was to be offset by taxes from the previous year.
Then he didn't even bother to pretend, and just asked the people to give him food and cloth without mentioning spending money to buy it.
Then, since it is too difficult to transport all the food and cloth, we should convert it into a portion of the money and hand it over.
It only took a few decades for these four changes to occur, and they were only levied on upper-class households (first, second, and third grades). Even if they were cheated again, it would only be the rich who were cheated.
In the Huizong Dynasty, he actually started to attack the fourth and fifth class households!
Bai Zongwang suddenly smiled and said: "The big family in Zhuwan Township fled to Daming Village to open up wasteland."
Zhu Ming smiled when he heard that Daming Village had become a place of "harboring filth and evil." First there were a bunch of thieves and bandits, then all kinds of fleeing households, and now they are accepting unruly people, and even bankrupt wealthy households have defected to the village with their whole families.
The Bai family temporarily slaughtered chickens and sheep, and the banquet was held only when it was completely dark.
Zheng Yuanyi sat down surrounded by the female members of the Bai family, and the rest of Ju Ming's entourage were also warmly received.
Bai Zongwang read the family letter written by his son and couldn't help asking: "Although Quanzi won the Jinshi, his qualifications are dull and he may have difficulty in promotion. According to the usual practice, how many years will it take before he can be transferred to a new position?"
Ju Ming said: "It's hard to say. It will take two to three years at the earliest and five or six years at the slowest time."
Bai Zongwang asked again: "What is the rules for giving gifts?"
Zhu Ming smiled and said: "There is no fixed price, it depends on the distance. If it is Cai's party, the money will be less. Don't worry, old man, my father will help you talk. Next year, I will ask Sanlang to go to work."
"I'd like to give you a toast!" Bai Zongwang quickly raised his glass to thank him.
When Cai Jing was in power, the phenomenon of selling officials was not serious because this old thief had many ways to make money.
Until Cai Jing fell and was replaced by Wang Fu, it was a mess.
As the saying goes, "Three thousand ropes can lead to the Secret Pavilion; five hundred guan can promote the general judge". It does not mean that bribery of three thousand guans can lead to the Secret Pavilion, but it expresses that the trend of selling officials was getting more and more intense at that time, and even the ministers of the Secret Pavilion could
You can buy it with money. Also, even if you get promoted due to merit, you still have to give money to Wang Fu's gang members, otherwise various accidents will always happen.
Cai Jing's loss of power not only failed to improve the atmosphere, but actually made it worse because his successor was even worse than Cai Jing!
After a long drink, Bai Zongwang personally sent Ju Ming to the guest room to rest.
The servant helped him to the study, and Bai Dalang followed him and said happily: "Zhu Dalang never cheats. The third brother will be promoted next year."
Bai Zongwang was also beaming with joy: "There must be someone in the court, otherwise your third brother will be wasted. During the holidays, you should visit Daming Village more often and show your respect to Grandma Yan and Lady Shen."
"It's not like I didn't go," Bai Chongwen said with a smile, and then sighed, "In just over three years, their father and son have become high officials. I think three years ago, they didn't even have enough food to eat, and they didn't even have a place to live.
.This world is so unpredictable, who can predict it?”
Bai Zongwang began to brag and put gold on his face: "The first time I saw Mr. Zhu Da, I felt that this man was not simple, he had extraordinary bearing, and he had a lot of potential, so I asked someone to act as a matchmaker for him."
This is not a lie, the main reason is that Zhu Guoxiang calmed him down.
Bai Chongwen flattered him: "Dad still has a sharp eye, and he never makes mistakes when he sees people."
Bai Zongwang educated his son and said: "Your problem is that you support the high and underestimate the low. You must know that the high will fall, and the low will also rise to the sky. When you look at people, you can't look at their status, you have to look at their temperament and talent. If you really
If you don’t understand, you should be kind to others and treat the poor with courtesy.”
"Kid, remember this." Bai Chongwen accepted the teaching with an open mind.
His mood was different now. Encountering thieves and experiencing life and death was only one aspect. Moreover, because the second brother worked as an official in the county government, he had already settled in the county town; the third brother was an official outside and could not come back to fight for the family property.
All the Bai family's property belongs to him, Bai Chongwen.
When your status changes, your mood changes.
When my state of mind changes, my words and deeds will change, and I am no longer as petty as before.
Bai Zongwang sighed with emotion: "Zhu Dalang will only be nineteen years old next year. A court official who is less than twenty years old can become a prime minister with his qualifications. Other people in our family cannot reach higher. Bai Qi is both the son of the Bai family and the Zhu family." The stepson can be married."
Bai Chongwen said: "If I visit Mrs. Yan and Mrs. Shen more often and make them happy, the marriage will be settled."
Bai Zongwang said: "You and Chongwu are both out of reach. It must be your third brother, who also has the title of Jinshi. Select a girl from your third brother's father-in-law's family to betrothed to Bai Qi. If that doesn't work, marry him as a concubine. That's okay. Our Bai family's future wealth will depend on the Zhu family."
Bai Chongwen smiled and said: "Bai Qi is only ten years old this year, so he has plenty of time to get married."
"Confused," Bai Zongwang scolded her, "Mrs. Shen will move to Tokyo sooner or later, will she stay in Daming Village forever? This marriage must be finalized before she moves out."
Bai Chongwen thought about it carefully and found that this was indeed the case. He quickly said: "My father is still considerate."
The next day, Zhu Ming left Shangbai Village, and the villagers came to see him off.
As exploitation by the imperial court intensified, sweet potatoes and corn became increasingly valuable, and the people at the bottom relied on these to fill their stomachs.
And after it was promoted, the price was too cheap.
Corn has a rough texture and makes you hungry quickly due to the lack of calories. Eating too much sweet potatoes will cause acid reflux and bloating.
These two things are only tasted by the rich, or eaten as snacks, and are not regarded as staple foods. In this way, the price is low, and the poor can afford it, and they can even get enough.
Not only the poor in the city love it, but even farmers in the countryside sell the rice and wheat they grow and replace it with cheaper corn and sweet potatoes.
Zhu Guoxiang, who brought sweet potatoes and corn to the people, has an inestimable prestige in the hearts of the poor at the bottom.
The villagers spontaneously sent Ju Ming off. Although there was some motive for being strong, it was mostly out of respect. They were grateful to Ju Ming for killing the bandits, to Zhu Guoxiang for bringing food, and to them for inventing the method of frying tea.
People here in Shangbaicun also learned how to fry tea, and even black tea.
The requirements for raw materials for black tea are far lower than those for tuancha. More tea leaves can be picked, and the villagers have more opportunities to make money by picking tea.
When Zhang Bor saw people sending eggs and vegetables, he couldn't help but sigh: "The villagers respect Zhu so much! Can you see such a situation in Puzhou?"
Li Bao shook his head: "Unheard of. Whether it's Xingren Prefecture or Puzhou, even if the villagers respect the gentry, they only respect those in their own village. The gentry in neighboring villages all regard them as snakes and scorpions. Jingdong Road is full of thieves, and the folk customs here in Yangzhou are not as simple and honest. .”
They haven't arrived at Daming Village yet, which is called Paradise.
While joking, I followed Ju Ming on board the boat and headed downstream to Daming Village.
Ju Ming observed both sides of the Han River and found that Xiabai Village had not changed much. On the other side of the river opposite Xiabai Village, there were more houses and many hillsides had been reclaimed. It was estimated that new immigrants had been resettled here.
Arriving at Daming Village Pier, the place has changed even more, and Ju Ming can hardly recognize it.
The river beach that was originally overgrown with weeds has become a flat surface, and there are even a few old women selling snacks such as dried sweet potatoes there. Although there are not many customers, the old women do not have much labor, and they set up stalls. , I can always earn some pocket money while doing needlework.
When the Zhu family and his son first crossed over, the Tian family house where they stayed was demolished and rebuilt into a two-story building, which became an inn and salt shop.
The salt shop is very hidden, after all, it is an illegal trade.
Private salt dealers wholesale the goods, and the salt shop is responsible for retailing to the villagers. The back door of the inn is where the salt is sold.
In addition, there are schools and several village offices.
As soon as we landed, some villagers shouted: "The husband is back!"
Zhu Ming used to be the village chief, and later Zhu Guoxiang became the village chief. Gradually, Zhu Guoxiang became the husband, and Zhu Ming became the husband.
The people in Daming Village continue to change their attitude towards Zhu Ming. They currently regard him as the "eldest young master" and Zhu Guoxiang as the "master". This is due to a dependence mentality. They rely solely on the Zhu family and his son to resist the government's exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes.