My Chinese ancestors

Chapter 334 Uprooted
In Yangzhou, Central Plains, the news that Emperor Xia secretly collected grain spread only among the upper class circles.

Since the Central Plains and Xirong fell into the hands of the emperor, a large number of reforms have been carried out in the direction of unifying several countries. It is almost not difficult for the powerful families in the Central Plains and even the north to guess the emperor's plan.

The elders of every big family are all ghost-like figures. Even if they know a little bit of trouble, after a little thinking, they can probably guess the emperor's movements behind him, boil a pot of warm wine, and sit with their children and grandchildren in the ancestral hall of the clan to chatter. , with a comfortable look on his face, talking about his speculations.

Seeing that the Wang and Li families have been full of food and fat in the past ten days, they have spent a lot of money to buy luxury houses and shops.The various wealthy families who were originally cautious about this situation were unable to sit still.

Naturally, they are not hoarding food to eat, but to sell it at a good price several times or more than ten times in times of disaster.

In the past two years, except for the war in Luyang, which gave them a big meal, the rest of the time was basically peaceful. The family's granary was getting higher and higher day by day, ushering in a rare good year of peace. There were no continuous natural disasters or raging wars. The grains in the fields grew one after another, and then grew moldy even when piled in the barn.

The first person who couldn't sit still was the wealthy family surnamed Zhao in Yangzhou Changshan County. There were two young talents in the family who were serving as officials in Luyang. After several inquiries in letters, Zhao Yankuan couldn't wait to contact the Wang and Li families, sending gifts and asking questions. After trying to please him, he finally established a relationship with a person named Li Ru, and waited until the other person came to talk in detail.

The old grain accumulated in the warehouse is sold first, and the selling price is two to three cents higher than that stored in the rice shop. If the price of new grain keeps rising.

After selling several Zhuangzi's granaries, Zhao Yankuan became more convinced that the emperor was preparing to unify the world in two years. At the same time, he also had an idea in his mind. He roped in a few other wealthy people with whom he had made friends, and then let them get to know each other or become friends. The good wealthy gentry took over the entire Changshan County's food supply, and raised prices with that man named Li Ru.

I thought there would be some haggling, but after several contacts, I found that this scribe named Li Ru was actually a gentle-tempered person, and everything was easy to discuss.

Sometimes my colleagues who came to collect grain couldn't stand it, and couldn't help but say harsh words: "Grain Supervisor... we charge such a high price, it's hard for us to communicate with the superiors."

Unexpectedly, Li Ru replied with a smile: "The whole world has been conquered, your Majesty still doesn't allow the brothers to enjoy themselves?"

The implication is that the purpose of collecting such a high amount of food is to get some bribes from it. Zhao Yankuan and other big families in the county are naturally not surprised by this kind of kickback. After all, there is no official who is not greedy, not to mention it is a rare fat job.

He sent someone overnight to discuss with Li Ru, a good student, and let Yi Wenli treat Li Ru as his filial piety.

With Changshan County taking the initiative, the big families from other prefectures and counties gradually joined in. After all, although everyone had their differences, most of them were in the same spirit and had many relationships by marriage.

Seeing that several wealthy families in Changshan County were full, they were unwilling to fall behind even half a point. After catching up with Li Ru, they began to release large amounts of grain for the government to purchase.

Of course, they are not worried about the government not paying their debts. After all, there is no one in Luyang who is an official, and there are even many court officials.

Moreover, there is news from an official in the clan that His Majesty is currently doing this business with Wu Yue. Yuan Feng, the former Minister of the Ministry of War, has recently sold the armor and weapons of Wei State to Wu State. A large amount of gold and silver has rushed into the national treasury. There is no need to worry about the debt. Something happened.

As a result, the huge grain selling business was in full swing. Several rooms were specially set aside in the house, and dozens of large boxes were prepared. Looking at the piles of copper coins placed in strings, I felt a sense of excitement in my heart. Cool.

Su Chen has been keeping a close eye on this important matter. To be honest, although he is relieved about Jia Xu, Li Ru, and Zhuge Liang, it does not mean that he is completely relieved. Once the matter is not completed, even if it is only half completed, what will happen to the Central Plains in the future? The rich can't afford to be fooled, so it's hard to be fooled again.

During this period, he took in the princess who married from the Yue Kingdom, a petite and petite girl who was less than fifteen years old. For a girl of this age, Su Chen had no interest at all, so he went through a process and then sealed a girl. After receiving the title of concubine, he threw her into the harem to play with, not bothering to pay attention to her.

Focusing his energy on the final layout, when the news about Jia Xu came, he finally started to take action. The new money that had been prepared was revealed. For a time, the entire Central Plains clan was shaken, and the civil and military officials in the court were also horrified. Looking at the emperor in the Jinluan Palace.

The ratio of sixteen to one directly chilled the hearts of the wealthy people holding Wei's copper coins, which meant that more than half of the grain they sold this year was given to the government for free.

After learning about the replacement of old money with new money, Zhao Yankuan sat at home with the copied instructions, blushing and speechless.

He has several large tile-roofed houses in one courtyard, and most of the money produced by the Wei State has shrunk at this time.

He was not the kind of person who couldn't beat a fart with a stick. He immediately took people to look for the grain inspector named Li Ru, but he couldn't find him. However, what happened next was dizzying. The army found that the newly received military rations were mixed with gravel and gravel. A pile of rice grains and half a bag were filled with soil and gravel.

The army generals immediately became angry, and the emperor was furious when he got the news. He sent a large number of men from the Embroidery Department to investigate the matter.

Zhao Yankuan, who wanted to hold Li Ru accountable before, did not need to wait for him to go. The originally gentle and weak scribe came to the door with his hands in his sleeves and still smiling, along with a large number of soldiers.

"You people are so bold. The military rations sold to His Majesty are mixed with gravel and fine stones. This is a matter, and it is a capital crime." Zhao Yankuan was arrested and imprisoned, and his family members and nursing staff were also thrown into prison. The entire Changshan County In an instant, there was a bloody storm, and a large number of government officials and policemen came to arrest people.

The next day, several wealthy people in Changshan County discussed countermeasures. They wanted to rescue the adults at home, so they had to find a way to communicate with the senior officials. However, after sending a lot of money, they only heard back: "Wait."

But later on, more officials in Changshan County began to arrest people. Starting from the Zhao family, almost all the men were arrested, leaving only women and children at home.

Moreover, the announced charges caused an uproar among the people in various counties. After a few days, various states and counties suddenly started arresting people.

A large number of soldiers, led by people from the Embroidery Department, went to pick up people from various wealthy families, and then gathered the family members into a house and put them under security.

Things developed rapidly after that, which was overwhelming.

In just 20 days, the large families involved in selling grain in various states in the Central Plains were in mourning, and the prominent elders and leaders of the families were imprisoned one after another.

Execution platforms were also erected at the entrances of Caishi in various counties. Special officials were on it to tell the people about the crimes of these people. The civil and military officials in the court behind them were also panicked. These big families were the families behind them. If they were to kill people Kill them all, and they will truly become rootless pings.

He asked for mercy from the emperor one after another, and then went to visit Prime Minister Zhuge and other direct descendants of the emperor.

After a few days, the originally furious emperor finally relented, but as a punishment, he let these civil and military officials choose whether to protect people or assets.

Such a choice is not difficult. If there are no more children in the clan, what's the use of having so many properties? As long as people are around, wealth can be accumulated again.

As long as Su Chen relents, everything will be easy to handle. The fields, shops, and villages of the wealthy families in various states will be seized and turned over, and each person will be released at a price of one hundred guan.

On this day, all the industries of the eight major surnames in the entire Central Plains were reduced to almost one-tenth. Most of the fields turned over were sold to the original tenants, and they were repaid with one-third of the grain handed over every year. This is almost It is equivalent to giving away fields to the people for free.

The schools of the eight major clans were also taken over by the government and opened to the children of the common people.

For a time, Su Chen's prestige among the people of the Central Plains, whether he was a scholar or a trafficker, rose to the level of a compassionate Bodhisattva in the temple.

The remaining fields were distributed in an orderly manner to the families of the soldiers and soldiers in accordance with the government's military system. The family members of the soldiers and soldiers in the north were able to influence and drive the customs of the Central Plains.

Dading, Central Plains.

Soon after, Su Chen returned to the north and sat in Ding'an County for a few days. He looked at the baby in Jiang Wan's arms with a smile on his face. After that, he returned to Yanjing to preside over the court.

In the dead of night, with the lights flickering, a gust of wind blew and touched the pages of the book. Fang Xuejun came to her side with her belly full, put her single coat on her husband, and looked at Su Chen's handwriting.

The ink marks that were not yet dry were filled with the fragrance of ink. Su Chen looked at the written policy for governing the people, blew the ink stains on it, and walked to the bed while holding his wife's waist.

As time passed, the altar table in the ancestral temple was changed to a larger one, and there were more and more spiritual tablets on it, making it seem crowded. The two spiritual tablets that had been silent for a long time finally responded.

Su Chen knelt on the futon, held up the incense sticks, and prayed for the blessings of his ancestors as always. Occasionally when he was tired, he would come and sit under the altar table, joke with the emperors, sweep away his fatigue, cheer up, and continue to devote himself to the affairs of the state.

……

In the palace, the green pines gradually wither and turn yellow, summer passes and winter comes, day after day.

It was a two-year cure.

(End of this chapter)