What is the reason why the children at home are missing and starving to death?
Xie Miaoxuan choked and coughed when he opened his mouth, "But...cough cough cough..."
After the dry and hard bean cake in the mouth was completely wet with saliva, it became bitter and tasteless in the mouth, and the throat was cut open after swallowing.
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. After working for a whole year, she actually ate such a thing!
Trying to pretend that nothing happened, he continued to ask, "But are you sick?"
"No." He stopped talking.
When she asked again, he changed the topic and said that if the girl thought the scenery in the fields was good, she could go up to the back mountain and have a look. The autumn chrysanthemums were now in full bloom on the mountain, which was suitable for noble people to enjoy chrysanthemums.
Xie Miaoxuan was silent for a while, paused slightly, and looked towards the back mountain, as if he was really interested.
At this time, the peasant woman who had been sitting quietly beside her with burning eyes suddenly fell to her knees, walked a few steps to her feet, and hugged her feet as if grasping a life-saving straw. Tears were shed, and there was a sense of determination on the sallow face of the valley.
He looks about fifty years old.
"Girl, please girl, please save my child."
As she spoke, she kowtowed to the ground. The ground was covered with hard gravel, and her forehead was covered in blood after two blows.
Xie Miaoxuan hurriedly threw the bean cake in his hand to Da Niu behind him, held her body down, "Get up and talk, what's going on, don't be afraid, I will make the decision for you."
The peasant woman was forcibly pulled up by her.
She held the peasant woman's hands with her hands, and felt a rough friction in her tender palms.
Looking into the eyes of the peasant woman, there was only determination and despair, "Please save Yan'er, girl. My Yan'er was cast into the wrong fetus and was born into my belly. Her two brothers before her both died of starvation. How can I survive?" It's easy to get her again. I really protected her until she was sixteen. I had already agreed that my mother-in-law's nephew would be married off at the end of the year, but Yan'er... she was snatched away by Cao Zhuangtou. "
"I said I wanted to be his son's concubine, but..." the woman choked with sobs, "but we all know that Cao Zhuangtou's son is a fool, and we don't want to. Cao Zhuangtou said that if we don't If you agree, my family will pay 90% of the tax this year."
"I didn't want to, so Cao Zhuangtou took people to his house, smashed them up, and tied them up. How could we two old guys be the match for that group of people... I sneaked in to take a look, you beasts. ! They actually locked her in the pig shed at home and had to be tortured every day, and now she has...only one breath left!"
"Please girl, please save my child." He said and knelt down again.
Xie Miaoxuan's brows were already furrowed. He held her hand tightly to stop her movements, took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and furrowed his brows deeply.
There is no difference between a 90% tax and forcing people to die! He also forcibly snatched women to be concubines!
"What's the usual tax rate?"
The commotion here became louder, and some people began to look over here. The farmers who had been paying attention to the surroundings quickly hugged the peasant woman, dragged her away from Xie Miaoxuan's hands, and said, "Girl, leave quickly, I am of no use, there is a famine at home. The children are starving to death, she is sick and confused, and her words are all nonsense and cannot be taken seriously."
The farmer struggled desperately to get away from the farmer who was holding her, and beat him hard, "Yan'er's father, you are afraid of death, but I am not. At worst, I will risk my life. You can't save Yan'er's life. I can't just watch her die." Damn it, she is a piece of flesh that fell from my ten-month pregnancy, how can you bear it, how can you bear it..."
Xie Miao was angry, not with the banker, but with the exploitation in this special era, where a little power can crush the backs of people at the bottom, and the helplessness of struggling to survive in an invisible abyss.
She solemnly said, "As long as what you say is true, I will not protect Cao Zhuangtou. Not only will I not protect him, I will also punish him severely. Dad Yan'er, her mother is right. Children are the lifeblood of parents. Don't you want to Rescue your daughter. What he did has violated the criminal law. No matter how capable he is, no one can save his life from my hands!"
The ringing promise hit the ears of the banker and his wife.
Xie Miaoxuan took a breath and continued, "What else has Cao Zhuangtou done in these years? Tell me everything you know, and I will definitely seek justice for you. I am the owner of this manor. The daughter of Xie Qi, I will tell him to vomit it out no matter how he eats it!"
She said this in an amplified voice, and it also hit the ears of the bankers who were gathered nearby.
Hearing Mr. Xie, someone's eyes in the crowd lit up, but soon darkened again.
There are old farmers who have been in this manor for a long time and know that Cao Zhuangtou has been in charge of the manor for twenty years. The manor has changed several owners before and after, but they have never heard of any nobleman making decisions for them.
Yesterday, someone saw Xie Yuanju bringing a jade to look for Zhuangtou. As soon as he left, Cao Zhuangtou threatened him. This kind of noble lady from aristocratic family only came to the manor for a temporary purpose and could not stay for a few days. If they dared to come to the manor, If anything goes wrong during this period, their whole family will be left with nothing to eat.
Therefore, the old farmers have taken action to grab the younger generation who are a little interested in the family.
They all signed a personal contract, and over the years, Cao Zhuangtou had used countless methods to punish them.
Exploitation of tax revenue went from 20% to 30%, to 50%, and now to 70%.
If they dare to be disobedient, Cao Zhuangtou will fill in their names when the court collects corvees. The corvées will escape death, and they will basically never come back.
I don’t know how many families here have lost their sons, and which families have lost their husbands and fathers.
Even scarier than the seducing bull-headed horse face.
Thinking of these, the drum in my heart was beating loudly.
Their expressions were clearly seen by Xie Miaoxuan. It took less than a day to freeze three feet and conquer the manor. She did not use Xu Tuzhi's strategy from the beginning. Cao Zhuangtou, who lives by relying on his master's family, disrespects his master's family. She doesn't care about being a banker, and only knows how to exploit people. For this kind of person, she is the prince of Yama above him, and she will not be able to keep him until the fifth watch.
She saw people gathering around her, looking at her with pairs of silent eyes, all filled with the silence of stagnant water.
She knew that fear had become a habit in their hearts, and that long-term oppression had bent their backbones. To stand up their backbones again was something she would have to do in the future.
She will not force them to confide in her now. As long as the farmer and the peasant woman make a start, it will be enough for her to deal with Cao Youxin.
She said to everyone, "I have made you suffer. As the head of the family, I am also responsible. It is because I did not discover it early that you suffered so much exploitation. It doesn't matter if you don't say anything today. You will be beaten when I eat Cao Zhuangtou." Come out and come back to me to verify how much tax and grain have been forcibly collected over the years, and I promise to return it to you one by one."
