"Hey, isn't this about to turn into an ambush? Anyway, all the ministries in Jiangnan County are going to Beijing to send Bingjing, so they are all mixed together." Liu Wenzheng was already confident.
"Well, you can just go back and find Bai Qing to make arrangements. By the way, Wen Zheng, I heard that the emperor is going to give more gifts to Jiangnan County. Is this a thing?" Xiao Chen said.
"Yes, the official documents from the Ministry of Household Affairs will come out in a few days... Jiangnan County's good days are coming to an end." Liu Wenzheng sighed.
"Jiangnan County is so rich, wouldn't it be a big deal to add some money and food?" Xiao Chen said.
"Your Majesty, you don't know. After years of war, Jiangnan, no matter how rich it is, has been emptied out. In fact, it is time to reduce taxes and allow them to recuperate and recuperate. The emperor's move will inevitably risk...killing the goose to lay the eggs!" Liu Wenzheng hesitated for a moment. , still said what was in his heart.
Just like what Duanmu Nanfeng said.
As an official of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Liu Wenzheng has a thorough understanding of the economic situation in various parts of the world, and naturally also knows the current predicament facing Jiangnan County.
But others speak softly, and although they are well aware of the pros and cons, they cannot affect such national affairs.
Liu Wenzheng left, and Chen Jisheng strolled over again.
There's nothing wrong with meeting Xiao Chen, it's just a small talk.
Because Chen Jisheng is a prisoner after all, he has always kept things simple and rarely shows up.
Under Wen Shanchang's meticulous treatment, he can now walk freely.
It was just that I felt uncomfortable staying in the house day after day, so I came to chat with Xiao Chen when I had nothing to do.
Although there are still occasional quarrels, they are becoming less and less.
Of course, he still refused to admit that he actually had the same temperament with this little eunuch... he just used him to relieve his boredom.
"Why are you still up so late, old man? Is this because you are shy about being close to home?" Xiao Chen talked to him very casually now.
"You're still sleeping, you've been sleeping all day!" Chen Jisheng was extremely depressed.
"Haha, you old man have to get used to this kind of lifestyle. When you get home, won't the only thing you have to do every day is sleep?" Xiao Chen gloated.
"We still have ten acres of thin farmland at home. The old woman can't work it anymore, and the son is sick in bed all year round and can't do anything. It's hard for my daughter-in-law to take care of the family business alone. How can I be so embarrassed to be idle after I go back? I can't say it. You have to work in the fields." Chen Jisheng said.
"I'm surprised, what kind of life do you, a second-grade official, live!" Xiao Chen became angry when he mentioned this, "It's okay for you to be honest and dedicated to the public, but you have to take care of your family! You can't even take care of your family. What are you telling me to care about the world?"
"I didn't say that you have to be a corrupt official. The ice and charcoal that I give you every year are not for young or old, right? This is something that the emperor knows and tacitly agrees with. Everyone accepts it, but you, an old man, don't want it!"
"What is Tan Jing Bing Jing? After all, it's not all about squeezing the people's hard-earned money! Even if I, Chen Jisheng, die of poverty and starvation, I will not be an official who drinks the blood of the people!" Chen Jisheng banged the table and shouted.
"Okay, okay, please calm down. I don't want to quarrel with you. You are a good official and I am a bad guy, okay?" Xiao Chen was worried to death.
"You're not a bad person, you just shouldn't follow the crowd and live in harmony with others." Chen Jisheng said.
"I'm just a eunuch, a servant of the royal family. What if I don't follow the crowd? Am I going to stroke the emperor's tiger beard as stupidly as you?" Xiao Chen said angrily.
"I'm surprised, how could a person like you become a eunuch?" Chen Jisheng has been wondering since he got acquainted with Xiao Chen. This guy is courageous, knowledgeable, and talented. It is too exaggerated to say that he is the pillar of the country. , but he can definitely be regarded as a scholar. How did he become a eunuch?
"I'm happy!" Xiao Chen said.
"I'll treat you like a worthless and unfilial boy!" Chen Jisheng was furious and wandered around the room looking for something to prepare for Xiao Chen's father to teach him a lesson.
"You old man, please save yourself!" Xiao Chen hugged him and walked out.
"It's unbecoming of you to let me go!" Chen Jisheng lifted his feet off the ground and struggled desperately.
Suddenly there was a soft popping sound, but when the two were entangled, a twenty-tael silver ingot in Xiao Chen's arms fell to the ground.
"Why are you carrying so much money with you?" Chen Jisheng broke away, bent down to pick it up, and carefully blew away the dust on it.
"Big money? This is the smallest one." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"Oh my, I'll be so angry!" Chen Jisheng directly put the money into his arms and rushed out the door muttering.
"Hey, hey, that's my money, give it back to me!" Xiao Chen chased after him, but Chen Jisheng lowered his head and quickened his pace, disappearing in a flash...
This old man!
Xiao Chen couldn't help but feel happy.
After resting for a few days in Jiangnan County, the group continued on the road.
Not long after we left Jiangnan County, the road became increasingly difficult and bumpy, and we gradually encountered some people with their children in tow and ragged clothes, all with disheveled faces and miserable expressions.
"Who are these people? Are they going out on business or visiting relatives and friends?" Xiao Chen looked at the horse curiously.
"These are refugees. Weizhou County was hit by a locust plague last year and there was no harvest. The young crops were just beginning to grow in spring this year, but they were washed away by a flood. The people had nothing to eat and had to come out to find a living." Liu Wenzheng said.
"Actually, it's just an escape. We still came out. Some of the old, weak, sick and disabled people who can't walk will probably starve to death." Ye Baiqing frowned.
"Master, are you here to stutter?" Suddenly, a white-haired old lady knelt down on the roadside and kowtowed to Xiao Chen.
"Do we have any dry food with us? Get some for the old man quickly!" Xiao Chen quickly dismounted and ran over to help her up.
Wei Yuntian hurriedly brought some dried meat pancakes and sent them over. When other refugees on the road saw them, they all swarmed in and knelt down in a large area on the road, stretching out their skinny hands, hoping to beg for some food.
"What are you doing? Get out of here!" Upon seeing this, a local guard from Qianhu was furious. He smacked his horse forward, picked up the whip in his hand and beat him without thinking.
The refugees were unable to dodge, and many of them were hit by his horse. There was a bloody mark on their backs where they were hit by the whip. Amid the cries, they quickly got up and ran away.
Qianhu's soldiers also came forward, shouting, swearing, punching and kicking.
"Stop it!" Xiao Chen's face turned pale with anger. He rushed over and pulled Qianhu off his horse, then kicked him violently.
"Who told you to beat them!" He kicked Qianhu until he was rolling on the ground, crying for his father and calling his mother, but he still couldn't understand his hatred.
Zhuge Xiaosheng and Ye Baiqing hurriedly hugged him and pulled him away, and ordered the soldiers to retreat quickly, and asked people to distribute all the dry food they carried to the refugees.
But they had places to receive and take care of them along the way, so they didn't carry much dry food. For hundreds of refugees, it was just a drop in the bucket.
Seeing the refugees who had not received dry food looking at him helplessly, Xiao Chen couldn't bear it and asked the local officials who followed him why they didn't set up a porridge farm for relief?
Several officials hesitated and said that there were too many refugees. Our local people didn't even have enough to eat. How could we take care of them?
Besides, the imperial court is now tightening its grain collection, and the local grain reserves over the years have been shipped away long ago. The grain depots are basically empty. This year’s crops have not yet been harvested, and it is the time when the harvest is in short supply...
