"Let's put it this way! Today's life is indeed better than before. Let's just say that three years ago, my family didn't have such a big house and so many animals. We didn't have as much rice to eat as we do now, and we had to pay it back every three to five days.
There’s lard!”
Mr. Zhang let out a wine belch and continued, "It's not all about farming that makes us so good these days. In recent years, the court has built bridges and roads, and the labor stalls have been more than in previous years, but they still give us real money!"
"
"Take for example last year when I went to Jiujiang Prefecture to help build the dam. Although what fell into the hands of us masters was definitely not as much as that of the officials, it is already good for the common people to see cash all year round.
Got it!"
"Well, tell me how they scratched the emperor!"
Mr. Zhang’s words were a bit messy, so Zhu Yunxi could only guide him.
"Isn't this just shaving? I heard from the scholar-gong that the court gave civilian husbands a salary of fifteen dans a day, but in our hands we only have six."
"More..." As he spoke, Mr. Zhang suddenly became a little angry, "You haven't seen the road construction! Because I know the craftsmanship of a bricklayer and do a pretty job, I see a lot of it!"
"Oh, it makes me feel bad just looking at it! Those wood, bricks, and sand and dust were enough. But those officials, as if they were afraid of not having enough, they pulled them over one by one, and then left them there.
The ground is wet with wind and rain!”
"At that time, I was still thinking, isn't this a waste? If you don't use it, at least cover it up so it doesn't get wet, right?"
"But people told me that if you don't ruin your family and don't harm things, how can they make money from scratch?"
"Let's put it this way..." Mr. Zhang's tongue was a little loud, "I heard people say that the workers need ten bricks, and the officials only buy a hundred! The more they buy, the more they get.
The more filial piety you have!”
"Dear guest, think about it!" Mr. Zhang picked up the wine bowl again, "Isn't this all the emperor's money?"
Li Jinglong, Hu Guan, and He Guangyi all lowered their heads and did not dare to make a sound.
Only Deng Ping and other guards were holding bowls and shoveling rice into their mouths, as if they had eaten some extraordinary delicacies.
Zhu Yunxi had put down his bowl long ago. Every time Mr. Zhang said something more, his eyebrows furrowed deeper.
Building roads and regulating rivers has always been a major task for the court, and it is also a guarantee of people's livelihood. The court is not unaware of the tricks involved, but its eyes are only fixed on the officials in charge above.
And based on what Mr. Zhang said, even a low-level official could have his hands on him.
"That's why I just said that the current little emperor is not as good as the old emperor!" Head Zhang picked up the wine again and took a swig.
The corners of Li Jinglong's mouth twitched even more fiercely, and he couldn't control his legs and wanted to kick them out...
At this time, he regretted giving the peasant man yellow soup and really wanted to kick him until he became paralyzed.
~
Zhu Yunxi glanced at Li Jinglong, who quickly came to his senses and filled the headmaster Zhang's glass with wine.
Then I heard Zhu Yunxi laugh and say, "Master Hongwu is deeply loved by the people, but to say that the young emperor is not as good as the old emperor, isn't it also... not quite right?"
"I don't feel bad if I sell my land!" Mr. Zhang drank happily and said with joy, "In the past, let's talk about the past! Take the matter of road construction as an example, which official would dare to spend money so blatantly!"
"If it were the old emperor's time, just pull it out, chop off the head and let him kick the ball!"
"When the old emperor was here, when did he not kill thousands of corrupt officials? But now look at it, the Ming Dynasty has been better, but the emperor no longer kills corrupt officials!"
With that said, Head Zhang said mysteriously, "When I was building roads for the government, I heard from the officials that the Emperor Tianen gave them money to support their integrity..."
"Bah!" Mr. Zhang cursed, "Oh, they brought in so much money, how can it make sense for the emperor to return the money to them?"
This statement made Zhu Yunxi smile.
Different positions consider different issues, and many things cannot be generalized.
"And wow!" Head Zhang said again, "When the old emperor was here, why were there so few corrupt officials?"
"Well, why?" Zhu Yunxi asked.
"Master Hongwu told us common people, Jinkou, that as long as corrupt officials are found, they will be kidnapped and sent to the Yamen... Not only will they be innocent, but they will also be rewarded!"
Head Zhang's saliva flew everywhere, "But now, who doesn't kneel down obediently when they see Guan'er?"
"It's possible now!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "The imperial edict issued by Emperor Hongwu back then is also the law of the country!"
"Eh!" The Zhang family curled their lips in disgust, "But the current little emperor didn't tell us ordinary people seriously!" As he said, he came over, smelling of wine, "If the emperor doesn't say it, who will?"
dare?"
These words immediately left Zhu Yunxi speechless.
The world is actually like this. The regulations of the law are there. If they are not stated, they are just decorations. If they are not reiterated over and over again, they will be ignored by the officials and gradually forgotten by the people.
When you think about it, it won't work, or even be difficult to use.
"The little emperor is not as good as the old emperor!" Zhu Yunxi sighed, and laughed at himself, "If I ask you to say that, you are really not as good as you!"
"There's more!" Mr. Zhang ate the bacon with big mouthfuls, and picked the fattest ones, leaving a mouthful of fat after eating.
He drank enough and his voice became louder, "It turns out that when Lord Hong Wu was here, there was a pharmacy in our town!"
"Oh, they are available now!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "They are available in prefectures, towns and cities all over the world. Lord Hongwu knew that it was not easy for people to see a doctor, so he decreed that people from poor families or those over fifty years old could receive free medical treatment and medicine.
..."
As he spoke, Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "There are not only pharmacies, but also almshouses for raising orphans and widows, and Leaze Gardens for housing people who have nowhere to bury them. After the emperor succeeded to the throne, he also repeatedly issued decrees that local officials must take care of these people."
These three things must not be neglected."
"Moreover, the imperial court has also ordered local and state governments to withhold a portion of tax revenue every year and use it exclusively for this purpose!"
As he spoke, Zhu Yunxi said, "A scholar-bureaucrat once said that our government has set up almshouses to support widowers and widowers who have no complaints. We have set up pharmacy offices to help the poor and sick, and to bury the orphans in the garden."
The dead are also dead. These three types of governance are unprecedented in history..."
"I, a peasant, can't understand your elegant guest, your distinguished guest!" Mr. Zhang said with a smile, "But the pharmacy is just a decoration now!"
"Huh?" Zhu Yunxi glanced sharply.
Hu Guan and He Guangyi didn't know where to put their hands, so they could only sit upright.
“How can the imperial court’s virtues and policies become mere decoration?”
"If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself!" Mr. Zhang put down his chopsticks, smacked his lips, raised his head again, drank the rice wine, and said, "In the early years, when I was young, a man with a headache and fever went to the pharmacy, and he was really helpful.
medicine!"
"But now, the pharmacy is here and the doctor is here too, and they're here to treat you, but... there's no fucking medicine!"
"Where did the medicine come from?" Zhu Yunxi asked.
"I bought it from the drug store!" said Mr. Zhang. "As soon as we, ordinary people, went there, the people from the drug store said that the medicine has been used up. If you are in a hurry, go to the drug store and buy it yourself. When you get sick, you can come back to get it from the imperial court.
The medicine was given for free!”
As he said this, Mr. Zhang raised his eyebrows and said, "The person who said this has not even given a beating to his mother's heart!"
"Oh, who has a disease that is not urgent? How can there be a disease that is not urgent? But when people say they don't want it anymore, we can't destroy the pharmacy, right? We can only buy medicine!"
"It's strange to say that when pharmacies had medicines in the past, even if you bought them in a drug store, you could barely afford them! But now the pharmacies have no medicines, and the medicines sold by pharmacies outside are as good as fucking gold.
Got it!"
He said with a sigh on his face, "I have a little nephew, my fifth brother's nephew, who is only four years old. He got a cold illness last year. Oops... we brothers took turns carrying the pilgrims on their backs.
He went to the town, found no medicine at the town pharmacy, and then ran to the county..."
"When we arrived at the county pharmacy, there was no medicine, so we were told to go to the Wang Family Medical Center for medical treatment! When we got there, we paid the doctor a consultation fee, asked him to treat the child, and then bought medicine..."
"We don't know why we need to take so much medicine! It weighs several kilograms! It's hard to carry it on my hands!"
"After we come back, we brothers will get together to settle accounts. Guess what?"
Zhu Yunxi's face was clouded, "What's wrong?"
"Ha!" Zhang's family breathed out the smell of alcohol, "Just because my nephew got sick, our brothers' work for half a year... was in vain!"
Anger gradually rose in Zhu Yunxi's heart.
He looked at Hu Guan and He Guangyi, and said, "I heard that last year, the imperial court only sold 14,680 kilograms and nine taels of medicinal materials to Jiujiang Prefecture. And the entire population of Jiujiang Prefecture,
There should be one hundred and ninety-nine thousand five hundred and ninety..."
"Hey, your guest is a scholar? Do you know it so clearly?" Head Zhang said in surprise.
Both Hu Guan and He Guangyi understood the meaning of the emperor's words.
"What do you eat? In Jiujiang Prefecture alone, the amount of medicinal materials used per person in a year is equivalent to one kilogram. The court paid the full amount, but now the farmers in Jiujiang Prefecture say that the pharmacy did not pay them at all.
They gave out medicine!”
The two of them had liver tremors and backbone numbness almost at the same time.
"The pharmacy is just a decoration, so don't ask about the other two items!" Zhu Yunxi sighed, took a stoneware bowl, poured rice wine in and took a big sip.
At the same time, he gave Li Jinglong a look, and the latter hurriedly gave Zhang Zhang a full head.
"Earlier, these things were all punishable by beheading..." Mr. Zhang's mouth was vague, "But now, hehe... it has become a way to make money!"
Zhu Yunxi didn't say anything and took a swig of wine.
"Yes, there are official schools!" Mr. Zhang started talking and shouted, "In the past, the Ming Dynasty's official schools paid more for children from poorer families! Rich people all went to private schools. Official schools were prepared for poor families, right?
"
"But what about now? You don't know..." Mr. Zhang sighed again, "Last year, I was thinking about sending my boy to study. I didn't ask him to be a scholar like you. I feel that now
When life gets better, right? We can't all be rough in the family. At least in the future, if I die and his uncle dies, we won't have to ask anyone to write the words on the grave, right?"
"Hi..." Mr. Zhang was drinking again, "When Mr. Hongwu was here, I wanted to go to the official school. The liangzhang wrote a note, and then the inspection stamped it, and then I went to the Yamen to pay 20 coins."
"If you really don't have the money, you don't have to give it! There are even children from poor families who have been blessed by their ancestors to study well, and the government will give them money!"
"How are you now? Have you ever gone to the official school? There are no children from poor families..."
Li Jinglong's legs began to tremble under the table.
The emperor's expression did not change much, but the murderous aura in his eyes came out like a cool breeze.
"Take our county as an example. Those who study in official schools are mostly children from respectable families!" Head Zhang's family added, "Even if you come from a poor family, the teachers will not look down upon you. Why, you have no money.
Give me a gift!"
"I saw it with my own eyes. In our village, it's the landlord Zhang's house with a green tile roof at the east end! Speaking of which, he is my cousin who didn't have any blessings..." Head Zhang's family continued, "Their family
The boy studied in the official school for two years, but he failed to pass the exam and was kicked back! He wanted to beg the masters and bring wine and meat to the door, but... wine and meat... what we country people think is great, others can't see it
dont see!"
"Then what do they want?" Zhu Yunxi said angrily.
"Money! Real gold and silver!" the head of Zhang's family said loudly, "official schools don't give money to study, but children from poor families can't afford to give gifts to their masters!"
Having said this, Mr. Zhang took another sip of wine and his face was rosy and bright.
"Things were not as good as they are now in the past few years, but when the old emperor was here, they were not so... so damn unfair!"
Li Jinglong almost staggered.
"The little emperor is indeed not as good as the old emperor!" Zhu Yunxi nodded and sighed, "The little emperor thinks he is far-sighted and far-sighted, but he ignores the smallest but most important things related to people's livelihood!"
"The little emperor wants a lot of money!" Head Zhang suddenly lowered his voice.
Li Jinglong's teeth began to chatter.
"Huh?" Zhu Yunxi frowned, "I...does the little emperor want a lot of money?"
"Why isn't there a lot?" Zhang Zhang's boss said loudly, "In the past, we farmers carried our own vegetables and meat to the city to sell, and no one asked us for money! Now... the city gate tax
Haven't you heard? The government said that even if a fly enters the city, it has to pay taxes!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Mr. Zhang curled his lips and said bitterly, "Vegetables in the spring and autumn, firewood in the winter, don't come to the city if you don't have money to pay! There is a jingle among the people!"
boom!
Suddenly, he was startled.
Zhu Yunxi slapped his hand on the table and stood up.
There is indeed a city gate tax in the tax reform, but he never decreed that even selling vegetables into the city would be taxed.
No wonder the old man would rather keep the treasury empty than reform!
It’s because he knows very well what kind of virtues the people below have!
"You don't want to eat?"
"Don't eat!" Zhu Yunxi turned around and walked away, diving into the house without coming out.
Hu Guan and He Guangyi looked at each other and quickly followed.
"I've only had a few bites! So many good dishes..." Mr. Zhang looked at the table full of leftovers and said, "Prodigal!"
Li Jinglong's teeth were almost broken. He no longer wanted to kick the paralyzed leader, but wanted to kick him to death.
"You don't want to eat either?" Mr. Zhang looked at Li Jinglong.
The latter stood up and said, "I won't eat any more!" After saying that, Li Jinglong asked, "Where are the eggs I want!"
"Look at me!" Mr. Zhang slapped his forehead, "Old lady, where are the eggs?"
The hostess of the Zhang family reluctantly walked out of the kitchen carrying a basket with a dozen eggs.
"Fresh eggs with chicken powder on them?" Mr. Zhang said with a smile.
Li Jinglong didn't even look at him, and walked towards Ma Peng holding the eggs.
Then he cracked the eggs twice and stirred them into the fodder of his mount.
"Eat!" He touched the forehead of the war horse, "It's better to take a bite than at home!"
Not far away, the Zhang family were stunned.
Mr. Zhang's eyes almost popped out of his head, "What a fool. He feeds eggs to animals. Even people can't eat them. He feeds them to animals?"