A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 94 Hidden house, foundation laid

The war over the "rightful throne" had a huge impact, not just limited to the change of throne.

As the scale of the war became larger and larger, many cities and villages were also affected.

You must know that the two sides do not choose the place to fight. If they meet somewhere, they will disperse the people and their bayonets will see red immediately. Sometimes the people even have no time to disperse and are directly mixed in the two armies fighting.

With the end of the battle, the people's homes were reduced to ruins, the farmland was stained with blood, and the wheat seedlings were trampled and withered to death.

Coupled with the surge in corvee labor and plunder by rebel soldiers after the outbreak of the war...

The people had no food to eat, were homeless, and could not bear the heavy taxes that the court continued to increase during the war. Naturally, they had no choice but to flee.

Under such circumstances, do you expect the people to provide guidance?But if there is no road guide, you are not allowed to enter the city. If you are not convicted, the official is showing mercy outside the law.

The first batch of refugees in the Ming Dynasty appeared, especially in the provinces where wars between the two sides had broken out.

Ningbo Mansion, the entrance to a town controlled by the Yan family.

A table was placed beside the road, and a middle-aged man dressed as a master was writing something on the table. Next to it, you could see dozens of ragged refugees, some with their families, looking at them with fearful eyes. Look at everything in front of you.

A dozen strong men with broad shoulders and round waists, holding swords in their hands, stood aside. From their sharp eyes and the sense of strength in their manners, it could be seen that this was a well-trained team.

Under the intimidation of these people, the refugees behaved themselves and did not dare to cross the line in the slightest. The hatchets and hammers held by several people for self-defense were also disarmed by the strong men.

Near the team, there was a man with his arms folded, watching all this.

It was Yan Ling who couldn't help but smile when he saw the refugees obeying the arrangements.

There are still some large households in Ningbo Prefecture. After decades of operation, the Yan family has stood at the top of the entire prefecture, but they also have a deep foundation and are not easily squeezed out.

However, these people did not take any action to gather the refugees. It was like some refugees, even from other provinces, were exiled all the way without anyone willing to take them in.

The remaining power of Hongwu is still there.

It is still the early days of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang has just ended his bloody purges, and the administration is still very clear.But Yan Ling doesn't care. In a family with two kingdoms, who dares to stroke the tiger's beard?

And many people actually don’t care about these refugees very much. So what if they take them in?What difference does it make if my land is given to tenants or to homeless people?
If you take her in, you will be taking risks, which is not worth it.

But Yan Ling knew that these refugees were a great help to the development of a family.

These people are the main source of hidden people.

The so-called "hidden household" refers to people who escaped from their native places and came to other places in order to avoid rents, taxes and corvee. These people no longer need to perform corvee and their names are not included in the household register.

Getting them means more than just getting a tenant.

The Ming Dynasty was not like the Yuan Dynasty. Tenants in the Yuan Dynasty were slaves, but tenants in the Ming Dynasty still had human rights to a certain extent.

But the hidden house is different.

They went into exile, were taken in by landlords, and were given jobs to make a living without having to bear corvees and taxes, but they naturally had to pay the price.

It can be said that these people are no longer the subjects of the Ming Dynasty since they left their homeland. Whoever takes them in will be their new master.

To put it bluntly, after a few generations, if you have done something excessive, and they go to the Yamen to file a complaint, the county magistrate may not accept it because the other party cannot provide the household registration.

These people are like slaves. It can be said that the quality of their lives depends entirely on the goodness and evil of their masters.Anyway, I have a lot of idle land under my command, so I just want to throw some to them, and even if I don’t let them farm, what can’t they do with 360 lines?Who doesn’t like this kind of labor force that is completely their own?

"Next!" Over there, the master wrote three more lists. He handed them to the frightened family of three opposite, and then said with a gentle smile:
"Don't be afraid. With this identity certificate, you can get rented land. If you encounter any injustice, although you can't report it to the government, you can go to the master to distinguish right from wrong. Our master is still very tolerant."

The identity certificate was something created by Yan Ling.Only with proof of identity can one establish a foothold in several towns under the Yan family's rule. Of course, it is limited to these refugees. He is not bold enough to directly register his own household registration.

Listening to the master's words, the eyes of the refugee family of three gradually became slightly brighter.

It seemed that these people had no ill intentions. They were not only willing to take them in, but they also did not treat them as cattle and horses and bully them at will.

Maybe here, they can usher in a new life of their own?
As soon as the refugees' reverie began, someone came over and interrupted them:
"Why are you giggling? Come with me. I will take you to your house and the field I rented to you."

"A house is also being distributed???" The man was pleasantly surprised. He couldn't believe it. They were also tenants before, but they were often annoyed by their master's family. Now that they have lost everything, they are treated so kindly.

He felt everything was like a dream.

"Of course it's not for nothing!" The man glared, and laughed again when he saw the family's visible disappointment: "12 taels of silver, no interest for you, will be paid back within four years. Don't worry, what I'm giving you is not some bad land. As long as you work hard, you can completely take over this house for yourself in a year or two at most.”

After hearing this, the expressions of the three people cheered up again.

12 taels of silver per room is already a very low price.

So far, the few people I have met who seem to be somewhat powerful seem to be surprisingly friendly.

This condition is also very relaxed.

Could it be that he met a kind person?
The family gradually moved away, carrying with them the longing for a new life.

But here, the master did not immediately start recording the next person, but shouted at the top of his voice:

"Are there any craftsmen? Are there any craftsmen, horse owners, or doctors? Those with skills will be given preferential treatment!"

"Master, master! I am a craftsman!" As soon as he finished speaking, someone shouted happily.

The man left the team and ran to the master happily: "Master, I am a craftsman! What kind of preferential treatment can I get?"

"What do you do?" The master's eyes also showed joy. He did not expect that he could find a craftsman just by asking casually, and hurriedly asked the other person's identity in detail.

"I used to be a blacksmith in the village. My neighbors praised me for my skills. When I worked in the official's workshop, the official praised me for my ability." The craftsman's expression was filled with joy.

blacksmith!Yan Ling's eyes also lit up.

There is naturally no shortage of blacksmiths in several towns, but in this era, blacksmiths are equivalent to the arsenals of later generations, and the more, the better.

The master was also very quick and he immediately wrote out a piece of identification and handed it over.

"The house will be given to you for free, and you will be given a salary of one tael of silver every month. You will be rewarded for completing the tasks assigned to you on time and with quality. You can take on private work, and we will only take [-]% of the profit."

The blacksmith couldn't help but show an expression of ecstasy when he heard this. This condition was quite generous. You should know that if you go to work in the government's workshop, you will be working for free!Working for the landlord here, you actually get paid!If I had known this, I might as well have become a refugee earlier!

The blacksmith left happily, and the refugees lining up behind saw hope in their eyes when they saw what was ahead.

After wandering for a long time and being driven away countless times, they saw the dawn of life for the first time.

(End of this chapter)