Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 220 Chapter 0215 [Homecoming]

Asking prices all over the sky, and paying back the money when they land.

Zhu Ming wanted the wealthy households to share [-] guan, but after crying about being poor, the rich households only agreed to share [-] guan.Moreover, the scope of apportionment became larger, and the gentry of Xixiang County also had to pledge; the number of apportionment households was larger, and the third-class households also had to make a symbolic contribution.

Before all the apportioned money arrived, Zhu Ming used the one thousand coins left by Huang Qianshan to buy paper clothes and food, and requisitioned small and medium-sized merchant ships to transport them to the mountains.

The cotton planting area in the Song Dynasty was not extensive, so the rich naturally had all kinds of warm clothes, while the poor could only wear paper clothes for the winter.

There are also two types of paper clothes, one is made of parchment paper, and the price is relatively more expensive.One is obtained by beating directly with bark, the texture is very close to paper, in fact it is bark clothing.

Lightweight and windproof, thick and durable, warmth depends on airtightness.

Even the low-level scholars, many rely on paper clothes and paper quilts to survive the winter.

Fatty Zheng followed Zhu Ming into the mountains, accompanied by his brother-in-law Li Zhifang.

The Li family was very active about this, because a large number of rioters fled into the mountains, and some of them took refuge in Gongxiu, the big tiger.

Gong Xiu occupied the abandoned gold mine. According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, 20% of the gold, silver and copper mined by private individuals must be used to pay taxes, and the remaining 80% must be sold to the government.But the purchase price from the government was too low, and Gong Xiu sold it privately to the Li family, which meant that the Li family controlled the waste gold mine in disguise.

Now that the rebels have turned to Gong Xiu, Gong Xiu's strength has greatly increased, which is not conducive to the control of the Li family.

"Gong Xiu's cottage is just ahead." Li Zhifang stretched out his finger.

Zhu Ming ordered the fleet to dock at the foot of the mountain, and brought some paper clothes and food ashore, and then the fleet and guards withdrew five miles away.

This move released goodwill and immediately won Gong Xiu's favor.

Gong Xiu went down the mountain to negotiate in person, and asked Li Zhifang: "Which noble person is this visiting?"

Li Zhifang said: "Yuan Zhanggong's son, Jinketan Hualang, Jinzhou Zhizhou Zhu Yuming Zhu Xianggong!"

Gong Xiu was in awe: "So it's Mr. Zhu, I also grow corn and sweet potatoes in this mountain, so there is no shortage of food this year."

Zhu Ming smiled and asked, "Will you invite me to sit in the village?"

"Please." Gong Xiu cupped his hands.

This place is not as steep as Heifengzhai, and there is little gentle cultivated land under the mountain. It all depends on the barren mountainous land to grow food. Corn and sweet potatoes are of great use here.

There are traces of mining everywhere in the nearby mountains.

Some mine pits, even dating back to the Han and Tang Dynasties, have been covered by vegetation.

Gong Xiu was not tall, but he was extremely muscular, and his weapon was a wrought iron rod.

As he slowly climbed the mountain, Zhu Ming said in a chatty tone, "Master Gong knows that you have to pay [-]% tax for mining gold, and the rest of the gold can only be sold to the government?"

Gong Xiu sneered: "The government's purchase price was set 100 years ago. The first-class gold is 5000 Wen every tael, and the second-class gold is 4500 Wen every tael. I'm a fool to sell it to the government. Although Mr. Zhu is an official, But I respect the benevolence and righteousness of your father and son. Since you are the magistrate of Jinzhou, don't take care of Yangzhou's affairs."

The government's gold purchase price is only one-sixth of the market price.

Zhu Ming also said: "You accepting rioters privately is also an act of beheading."

Gong Xiu stood halfway up the mountain, turned around and said, "Mr. Zhu said it clearly if he has something to do, and there is no need to scare me by saying so much."

"Talk quickly, he is really a good man," Zhu Ming stopped playing around. "I don't bother to take care of the rioters who have defected to you. But you have limited arable land here, so you must not accept too many. Many rioters must have gone into the mountains."

"You send someone to tell them that I, Zhu Ming, will be the guarantee, and the government will not pursue further investigation, but they must go to the lower reaches of Daming Village to open up wasteland and settle down. The gold diggers in Huangjinxia also sold gold to you. You send someone to spread the word to those gold diggers. , Let them go to the mountains and deep valleys of the Golden Gorge, and tell the rioters what they just said."

"As long as they go out of the mountain and pass the plank road of Huangjinxia, ​​there will be boats waiting on the shore every day. If they go to Daming Village, each person will be given a piece of paper clothes and three buckets of grain. Next spring, they will also lend them seeds, rent Give them cattle, and they don’t have to pay taxes for the first three years of land reclamation.”

"I brought some small gifts to the village master Gong today, fifty pieces of paper clothes and thirty stones of grain."

Gong Xiu was silent for a moment after hearing this, and said with emotion: "Mr. Zhu is indeed benevolent and righteous, and he can save countless lives. Fortunately, there is no snow this year, otherwise more than half of the people who fled into the mountains would have frozen to death. Good deeds have been done.”

Li Zhifang was a little anxious. The Li family was afraid that Gong Xiu would become bigger, and the original intention was to let Zhu Ming ask for the rioters who had taken refuge here.

Unexpectedly, Ju Ming didn't mention this at all.

Zhu Ming continued: "If those disorderly people have wives and children in their families, they can also take them to reunite next year."

Gong Xiu jokingly said: "With such a good thing, I want to go to Daming Village. Although my village is poor, there are still a few jars of fine wine. Let's have a good drink with Mr. Zhu today."

"I won't go up the mountain anymore, and I have to go back to the village in a hurry. There will be plenty of opportunities to drink in the future." Ju Ming's purpose of this trip has been achieved.

Gong Xiu called some of his subordinates, brought back the paper clothes and food presented by Zhu Ming, and sent people to spread the word immediately.

Zhu Ming took the remaining paper clothes and food, went out of the mountain by boat, and went south along the Golden Gorge.

Gong Xiu stood on the bank and shouted: "Mr. Zhu is free to come to the village for a drink!"

He has been completely convinced by Zhu Ming, aside from other factors, just that Zhu Ming, as the governor of the state, does not put on airs at all, and is willing to make friends with a gangster, which is enough to flatter Gong Xiu.

For example, you are engaged in an illegal industry in a poor mountain valley, and suddenly a mayor comes and not only makes friends with you, but also offers you gifts.how do you feel
There was still an official ship parked by the Han River, and Zheng Yuanyi and others were on board.

After reuniting, Zhu Ming said goodbye to Fatty Zheng: "I'll leave the matter of Yangzhou to my brother-in-law."

Zheng Hong patted his chest and said, "Leave it on me!"

Zheng Hong's task is to use the money apportioned by the rich to buy paper clothes and food, and transport them to the place where the rioters are received.

Watching the fleet leave, Li Zhifang said dejectedly: "I'm here for nothing. In the future, when Gongxiu becomes bigger, I'm afraid it will drive up the price of gold again."

Zheng Hong said: "Your family has suppressed the price ruthlessly enough, and it is reasonable for him to raise the price. If the price is lowered like that, sooner or later someone will take away the business. How many people are watching the gold business."

Li Zhifang is speechless, gold trading is indeed lucrative, but buying gold illegally is a serious crime, and the government manages a lot of money every year.His Li family's business is really not as profitable as others think.

Zhu Ming crossed the Golden Gap, looking for a place with slow water, and left the fleet and supplies there, while Bai Sheng was left behind to take over the rebels, and the officials sent by the government to assist.

That night, dozens of rioters came to seek refuge.

They are hungry and cold in the mountains, and some people have died of hunger and cold, but they will not miss any hope.

Bai Sheng first made the rioters wear paper clothes, and then distributed them food, and gathered a boat to transport them back to Daming Village.

But when Fatty Zheng returned home, his grandfather Zheng Lan asked him, "Did success come?"

Zheng Hong said, "Go back to Daming Village."

"Why don't you keep him for a few more days? You have to treat him well." Zheng Lan blamed.

Fatty Zheng smiled and said: "He is a busy man, I will go there again during the Chinese New Year."

Zheng Lan stroked his beard and said: "The imperial court officials are so busy, you should bring more etiquette."

Zheng Lan made a lot of money by giving her granddaughter to Zhu Ming as a concubine.

Officials at the state and county levels all looked at him differently.The gentry and merchants in and out of the city are also more enthusiastic than before, and even the common people's perception of the Zheng family has changed.

Even Huang Qianshan's random collection of taxes this time did not persecute the Zheng family too much.

In the evening, Ju Ming landed in Shangbai Village.

He took his entourage straight to the old white member's house, and met someone holding a bowl to eat in the yard. Zhu Ming smiled and said hello: "It's cold, isn't Fifth Uncle Bai eating inside?"

The man was stunned for a moment, and then happily said: "Zhu Xiu... Zhu Xianggong is here!"

People in the room ran out one after another, clustered around Zhu Ming, as if they wanted to get some official air, but they were afraid of the official authority and dared not get too close.

"Zhu Xianggong has returned to his hometown!" The villagers next door also came out, and soon someone shouted at the top of their voices.

Wealth and nobility do not return home, it is like walking in brocade clothes at night.

Although this is not Ju Ming's hometown, he also feels this feeling.

More and more villagers rushed to hear the news, and even children jumped up and down to clear the way for Zhu Ming.

Zhu's father and son have become legends in the village, and the more they spread, the more evil they become.Whenever a woman returned to her natal home, she was asked about the father and son, and those strange stories spread to other villages, and gradually to the county and state towns.

Some villagers even said that the first time they saw Zhu's father and son, they noticed that they had a red light on their bodies.

Some villagers also said that they witnessed Zhu Guoxiang using magic to turn a barren mountain into a field, and the crops in the field can be harvested without fertilization.

This is more or less related to Song Huizong's conquest, but it will always become bizarre when it comes to the emperor.If Zhu Guoxiang doesn't know the magic of immortality, how can he get the respect of the emperor?

Combined with the promotion of corn and sweet potatoes, the dissemination of agricultural books written by Zhu Guoxiang, and the fact that Zhu Ming passed the exam in one fell swoop, many people believe in this kind of messy story.

Grandma Yan has moved to live by the river, and it is very convenient to go back to Shangbai Village by boat.When she went to Baishitou to go to the market, she often went back to the village to chat with the old sisters she knew before.

Every time I come back, it is full of stars.

Even the older girl and the younger daughter-in-law sat around with a needle and thread, asking about gossip around Mrs. Yan, and they flattered the whole process, making Mrs. Yan grin from ear to ear.

"Greetings, Mr. Zhu!" Bai Dalang rushed to greet him with his servants.

Zhu Ming handed over the family letter: "This is what Saburo asked me to bring back."

Bai Chongwen held both hands: "How is my third brother in the capital?"

Zhu Ming said with a smile: "It's still the same, humble and condescending, intriguing, and being an official is not very enjoyable. My father is often in front of the official's house. Next year, I will find an opportunity to recommend Sanlang to be an official."

Bai Chongwen immediately became more respectful, bowed forward and said, "We all have to rely on Mr. Zhu's kind words. Last time the third brother wrote to me, he said that he hadn't passed the test, and he was sent because of Mr. Zhu's recommendation."

"Brothers in my family should help each other, and Da Lang should not be too pessimistic." Zhu Ming said.

Bai Chongwen said: "It's still Zhu Xianggong who misses the old days. I'm very happy in my heart."

Walking halfway, the old white member also came, and he was carried by the servants, trembling on the ground and bowing: "Cao Min pays homage to Zhu Xianggong!"

When you become a senior official, everything is different.

(End of this chapter)