spring cloud warm

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At this time, Zheng Wuji and Mr. Che were also chatting enthusiastically.

Their family has no other land except the one-acre Susukida.

The grain produced by this mu of land is not enough to feed the whole family for three months.

The father and son worked long-term jobs for the landlord, struggling to make ends meet.

Granny Che feeds some chickens and ducks at home, and uses the saved eggs and duck eggs for food.

"People in this village are like you, they don't have any land! Can they only work for the landlord?" Zheng Wuji asked.

"Eight out of ten households are like us, and there are only one or two households with two or three acres of land, which they cultivate by themselves. Although they can't make a fortune, they don't have to go hungry." Mr. Che shook his head and said, "I think my father There are also two and a half acres left for me, but unfortunately, I couldn't keep it."

Mr. Che and his wife are capable and hard-working, so it stands to reason that they should be able to keep these few acres of land.

But the crops vary from year to year, and when there is a bad harvest, there is almost nothing left after paying the court.

What's more, this place is the fiefdom of King Huaiyang. In addition to paying tribute to the court every year, he has to give him another tribute.

"These officials don't have any good things," Mr. Che said in a low voice, "the food is obviously full, and if they insist on kicking it, the rice they spill out is their own.

The rice handed in is not enough, and the common people have to add more. "

The Che family had to sell their property in order to marry their son a wife. There are countless families like them.

"Old man, besides doing work for the landlord, do you have any corvees in the government?" Xu Chunjun came over and asked.

"Why not?" Old Master Che couldn't help sighing, "We ordinary people can't tell whether it's the corvee of the imperial court or the corvee of the Huaiyang royal family.

People from these counties have been there to build the tomb for Princess Dachang 20 years ago, and it took seven or eight years to build it.

Four or five years ago, my son was conscripted to dig canals, saying that everyone would benefit from the digging.

In fact, if ordinary people sail on it, they don't know how much they will have to pay for the road.

Only those high-ranking officials and their family members took a flower boat to play on it, and when the water was going against the water, the common people had to stretch their fibers on the shore.

This is a big one, let alone a small one, we can't remember.

Anyway, after the spring plowing is over every year, the apportionment of work starts, and there are always about three months in a year. "

Xu Chunjun and the others had lunch at Mr. Che's house and chatted with them for a long time. They saw that the sun was setting in the west and the weather was not so hot, so they got up to leave.

Before leaving, he finally left two slings of money for their family to express his gratitude. These two slings of money were really nothing to Xu Chunjun and the others, but to this family it was almost a year's expenses.

After leaving this village, they walked another sixty or seventy miles and came to a town.

The town is naturally more lively and prosperous than the village, so let alone Zheng Wuji don't need to be in a hurry, let's just stay here.

There are two inns in this town, and there is a small restaurant not far away.

After resting in this town for one night, at dawn, they set off in a car and headed to Tongqiu County while it was cool.

"The county magistrate of Tongqiu County has been here for three years." Zheng Wuji had already memorized the resumes of officials from all counties in Chenzhou before he came here again, "Let's ask the common people along the way, and they said that the magistrate of any county is the same.

I have also heard that the officials serving in Chenzhou never seek meritorious deeds from the imperial court.

When I came, my uncle told me specifically.It is said that officials who have come to Chenzhou to serve have to pay a visit to the King of Huaiyang before entering the government office.

If anyone doesn't understand the rules, he won't stay here for long. "

"The king of Huaiyang is so powerful that he has become the local emperor here. Any officials who come here to serve in order to be safe must work with him.

Don't talk about turning the tide, if you want to keep yourself clean, you may not be able to. "Xu Chunjun deeply agrees.

"Looking all the way, the local people hate and fear King Huaiyang.

This is just a Chen state, looking at the whole world, I don't know how many Huaiyang kings there are. "Zheng Wuji hated it deeply, "These people are domineering, and they prey on the common people.

I thought I was fooling around all day long, but I just relied on my birth from a lord's family.

Now that I think about it, what the hell! "

"It has always been like this. When the country was first conquered, the people's livelihood was withered, and everything was left to be done.

Those in power know how to be sympathetic to the feelings of the people and cherish the people's power.

After a long time, the nobles became more metaphysical, greedy for pleasure, and respecting themselves.

To oppress and exploit the people, and to be insatiable for greed, over time, the people's livelihood is bound to decline. "

"Actually, Emperor Xuanqing's political reforms have achieved results, but unfortunately..." Zheng Wuji didn't finish his sentence, but Xu Chunjun understood what he meant.

It was his grandfather Xu Youguang who presided over the reform back then.

Mrs. Xu knows where the country's ills are. If the law is not followed, there will be serious troubles in the future.

Regardless of the obstruction of the royal family and nobles, Emperor Xuanqing insisted on reforms, but it was a pity that there were no holidays.

The new law was abolished ten years after its implementation, and the ills of the past have slowly recovered, and now they have become a trend.

"If you don't break it, you can't stand it, if you break it, you can stand it." Xu Chunjun looked into the distance, "All these years, the government has been controlled by certain people.

From top to bottom, it is rigid and rigid, and it needs to be strengthened and rectified severely before it can have a new look. "

"Do you think that is the gate of Tongqiu County?" Zheng Wuji said, "The city wall is built high enough."

"This city wall was left from the Tang Dynasty," Xu Chunjun said. "Chenzhou has always been a battleground for military strategists, so the city wall is extraordinarily strong."

"There are quite a lot of guards at the gate of this city." Zheng Wuji said with a smile, "Look at these sergeants, all of them are vicious, and you will know the virtue of the county magistrate here."

The upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked. These sergeants guarding the city gate are tough and philistine. It is conceivable that their chiefs must also be fellow-men.

But Zheng Wuji and the others didn't deliberately go to meet the county magistrate this time, they just wanted to see the customs and customs along the way.

It's good to know what's in your heart.

After staying in Tongqiu County for a day, Xu Chunjun and Zheng Wuji walked around the main streets here.

"Did you find out? There are quite a few rich merchants in such a small county." Zheng Wuji said interestingly, "It seems that there are no local emperors here, but there are also rich local households."

"A small place that makes a fortune must be the collusion between the government and the businessman." Xu Chunjun knew it well, "otherwise it would be absolutely impossible to make it big."

"It's the same as I thought." Zheng Wuji nodded, "No wonder people say that the magistrate has [-] snowflakes in three years.

There has long been a saying in the official circles in the capital that if you want peace of mind, don't be an official, and if you are not greedy, you will not be an official.

This is even more so in Chenzhou. Although it is too early to say this, in my opinion, none of the county magistrates in these seven counties is innocent. "

This Chenzhou is like a big dye vat, whether you are white or blue, you will all be dragged in and dyed black.