Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 983 0978 [Some people serve as officials, some people open up wasteland]

When the Xixia royal family and clan members were escorted to Luoyang, the size of the team had been reduced by more than half.

Most of the people who left were women.

For example, Li Renxiao, the king of the fallen country, did not bring any concubines to the capital except the Queen Wang, and they were dispersed and given to generals who had made meritorious services.

Zhu Ming didn't want any of them for himself. He already had enough women and there was no need to take them into his harem to increase his expenses.

Throughout the dynasties, emperors liked to take concubines from fallen states into the palace. Lust or satisfying the desire for control was only a minor factor. It was mostly to appease the local nobles, because a large number of those queens or concubines were daughters of aristocratic families.

Does Zhu Ming need to appease the aristocratic families of Western Xia?

If the emperors of all dynasties did not marry the concubines of the fallen state, the main method of dealing with them was to make them become nuns. They could become Taoist nuns or Buddhist nuns, and they would be confined in temples for the rest of their lives.

Zhu Ming also didn't like letting women become nuns, so he simply gave them all as rewards to the soldiers.

"Is this Luoyang?" Li Renxiao looked at the towering city walls.

Li Renli said: "My foolish brother has been to Kaifeng on several diplomatic missions to the Ming Dynasty. Today is also the first time he has returned to Luoyang."

They got off the boat outside the city, and before they even reached the city gate, the news spread quickly, and many people came to point and watch the fun.

Li Renxiao has become accustomed to being watched. Coming all the way from Lanzhou, every time he arrives in a city, the local people treat them like monkeys and watch them.

I felt humiliated at first, but gradually I became numb.

They were all arranged in a large mansion in the city, which was a garden that had just been renovated, waiting to be given to the King of Wu, Zhu Chun, who was about to come of age.

On the day they moved in, they were all placed under house arrest and not allowed to leave.

The next day, when they heard someone shouting "The prince has arrived", everyone was so scared that they ran out and knelt to greet him.

Crown Prince Zhu Yang was two months away from turning twenty. He said to the Xixia royal family and clan members kneeling before him, "Stand up, let's talk inside."

Everyone thanked him and respectfully welcomed the prince in.

Zhu Yang sat down at the main seat in the hall, briefly introduced himself to the people present, and said to Li Renxiao: "The emperor will give you two choices. First, become a leisurely county lord, but until your title is reduced to viscount, your descendants will not be allowed to take the imperial examination and become officials. Second, give up the title of the Ming Dynasty, and your descendants will be able to take the imperial examination, including you. No matter which one you choose, you will be granted a house in Kaifeng and some good farmland outside Kaifeng."

When these words came out, everyone was stunned.

I have never seen such an arrangement for a king who lost his country. Under normal circumstances, shouldn't he be directly granted a title, a house, and land? The lucky ones will live a leisurely and wealthy life, while the unlucky ones will "die of illness" in a few years.

Li Renxiao quickly looked at Li Renli.

Li Renzhong, who committed suicide by hitting his head against the pillar, is already dead. The old man was in poor health to begin with, and he would not have lived for many more years even if he hadn't hit his head against the pillar.

By doing that, he became a loyal martyr for his country, a model revered by Confucianism.

Under the strong advice of many ministers, Zhu Ming had to pretend to give extra treatment to Li Renzhong's family.

Li Renzhong's eldest son and his concubine's eldest son came to Luoyang with their families, and were given official positions in the Imperial Academy to help compile the history of Western Xia. The second son stayed in Yinchuan Prefecture, retaining a house, a shop, hundreds of acres of land in the suburbs, and serving as an official in the Ningxia Governor's Office.

The old man's death was worthwhile. Not only did he leave his name in history, but he will also bring blessings to his descendants!
Now, Li Renxiao only trusts Li Renli and asks for advice on everything he encounters.

Li Renli said silently with his lips: "Imperial Examination."

Li Renxiao was very smart. He suddenly realized something and quickly knelt down and said, "The old Xia is gone, and we should not commemorate it. I am willing to be a citizen of the Ming Dynasty and a Ming scholar loyal to the Holy Emperor!"

Zhu Yang smiled and nodded: "Excellent."

Li Renxiao, the last ruler of Western Xia, was tantamount to cutting ties with his own country. He would surely be able to pass the imperial examinations and become an official, and then become a disciple of the emperor, without having to worry about getting sick unexpectedly one day.

Being the emperor's disciple is both a blessing and a restriction for him.

Of course it would be best if you could pass the exam based on your talent. If you have a hard time passing the exam, you can go to the Imperial College to study. Then, as an outstanding graduate of the Imperial College, you can be granted the title of Jinshi, and there won't be any problems.

Zhu Yang looked at a child who was a few years old and asked, "Is this your brother Li Renyou?"

Li Renli said quickly: "It is my younger brother."

Zhu Yang said: "His biological mother is not here, so you should bring him up with you."

Li Renli quickly pulled his brother to his knees and said, "Thank you, Holy Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, for your grace. Thank you, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, for your kindness!"

The biological mother of Li Renyou, King of Yue of Western Xia, was awarded to Li Shifu as a concubine.

Historically, it was Li Renyou who killed Ren Dejing. His son later became the emperor of Western Xia, and his granddaughter was married to Genghis Khan...

Zhu Yang took out a blank imperial edict with a seal on it and wrote down the arrangements for Li Renxiao on the spot: he would be registered in Kaifeng, granted a house and good farmland, and the court would help arrange servants and tenants. The servants and tenants would sign a contract in accordance with the Ming Dynasty Law. If Li Renxiao violated the employment contract, everything would be handled according to the law. In addition, Li Renxiao was granted the status of a student in Kaifeng Prefecture, and he could study for the imperial examinations in Kaifeng Prefecture in the future. After Li Renxiao was settled, Zhu Yang said to Li Renli: "Your house has been arranged, and you will be a sixth-rank Hanlin official. You will study historical materials in the Hanlin Academy's Literature and History Museum in the future."

When this arrangement was announced, other members of the royal family looked at him with envy - if their daughter married the Ming Emperor as a concubine, there would indeed be extra privileges, and they could live a luxurious life for the rest of their lives!

"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace!"

Li Renli was also very happy.

He was not very corrupt when he was an official in Xixia, and he also liked the scenery of the Central Plains. He could spend his old age in Luoyang and still hold a noble position in the Hanlin Academy, which was perfect for Li Renli.

It’s even more comfortable than when Western Xia had not yet perished!

Zhu Yang then said to the rest of the clan, "You all have your own plans. Have fun in Luoyang for a few days, and then disperse and move to different provinces. Some will go to Hubei, some to Hunan, and some to Hebei, all of which are places with plenty of land. I will give you some good farmland, and you can farm it to make a living. No taxes will be levied for five years. I will also give you some money and food, enough for you to have food and clothing for five years. Learn how to farm as soon as possible, or you will starve to death in five years."

The royal family members were stunned.

Damn, you have to farm the land yourself. If you don’t, you will starve.

And when they say they are going to places where there is no shortage of land, they actually just mean to open up wasteland in sparsely populated states and counties!

All the royal family members had sad faces and were terrified about their future farming life.

Zhu Yang angrily scolded: "You are all royal family members of a fallen country. You sit back and enjoy a comfortable life. I don't know how much money you have wasted. The former Song princes had to farm to make a living. Are you more noble than the former Song royal family?"

“We dare not…” The royal family members were so frightened that they knelt down immediately, fearing that they would offend the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty and suffer disaster.

Zhu Yang added: "You have come from afar, and the emperor is kind enough to give you some wine and food. Rice wine has been very valuable in the past two years, so enjoy it."

After saying this, Zhu Yang stood up and left, and everyone hurriedly saw him off.

Due to years of disasters and reduced production, Zhu Ming issued a liquor restriction order last year.

The production quotas for rice wine and beer were reduced. Once violated, it would be the same crime as private property and smuggling of salt (it was not a crime to brew it at home and drink it yourself, or to give it as gifts to relatives and friends in the countryside or to entertain guests. The main thing was that it could not be sold elsewhere, or transported to the city or suburbs for sale).

In addition, the quotas and licenses for liquors such as corn liquor, sorghum liquor, and sweet potato liquor have all been increased to fill the market gap left by rice wine and beer.

Such a policy is very effective and can save a lot of rice and wheat.

But it also caused three phenomena:

First, the prices of rice wine and beer have skyrocketed, and ordinary people simply cannot afford them. Even well-off families can only try them during major festivals.

Second, workshops producing liquor sprang up like mushrooms after a rain, and liquor was widely accepted by the middle and lower classes of society.

Third, many farmers brewed rice wine privately, and city dwellers traveled together and went to farmers' homes to pay for drinking, which inexplicably led to the phenomenon of "farmhouse fun". In particular, rural landlords, as long as they did not sell the wine, were not guilty, and often brewed rice wine privately to invite guests from the city. Officials also liked to travel around and have a few drinks at the homes of rural gentry.

Watching the Ming Crown Prince leave, these Xixia nobles were distraught.

Li Renxiao and Li Renli wanted to help but couldn't, because those guys were scattered and thrown into sparsely populated counties, and it was unknown whether they would meet again in the future.

A member of the royal family said with resentment: "We shouldn't have surrendered in the first place. Not only were our property and land confiscated, but we were not even allowed to hold an official position and were forced to reclaim wasteland in a remote area! We are members of the royal family, do we really have to till the land like farmers? The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is deliberately humiliating us..."

"Be careful!"

Li Renli rushed over and covered the guy's mouth.

Another member of the royal family sneered, "You are noble, but you told us to be careful with our words. Your daughter married the emperor as a concubine, and you got a position as a Hanlin official. You can stay in Luoyang and enjoy a comfortable life in the future. But we have to open up wasteland. None of us have ever touched a hoe, so how can we grow food? I am afraid that in five years, once the government's money and food supply stops, we will all starve to death!"

Li Renli was a man who cared about his reputation. He immediately said angrily, "Even if I don't want to be an official, I will go to a remote county to open up wasteland. The princes of Song can make a living by farming, so why can't we? Farming and studying at the same time, how wonderful it is! This is what we call passing on the family tradition of farming and studying!"

After these words were spoken, no one spoke anymore.

Although he still felt unbalanced, this was arranged by the emperor after all and had nothing to do with Li Renli.

Li Renxiao tried to smooth things over, saying, "We are all relatives. The emperor has given us wine and food. Let's sit down and have a farewell banquet. After today's banquet, we don't know when we will be able to meet again. Why bother to argue and hurt feelings?"

In the afternoon, officials brought wine and food, and everyone sat at several tables to eat and drink.

While eating, some people started crying.

Pioneering, what a terrible word.

They didn't even know how to hold a hoe, and the thought of having to farm for a living for the rest of their lives felt like they were being tortured to death.

It would be more straightforward to just chop it off with one knife!

(End of this chapter)