Hai Rui held back his anger, but could not retort to Xiao Feng and could only swallow his anger.
He was not afraid of Xiao Feng's official position, but as soon as he said "Everyone in the world has a parent", he turned around and Xiao Feng pulled out an old man and beat him in the face until his face was swollen!
Hai Rui could not wait to rush into the prison and perform a minor operation on Lao Bahui himself, making him pay a heavy price for undermining him and slapping him in the face!
But Hai Rui was Hai Rui after all, not Yan Shifan. He would not put personal grudges above rules, so he could only snort heavily, bow his hands, and turn around to leave.
The county magistrate had already said a lot of flattery and compliments, and he strongly invited Xiao Feng to have a light meal at his home in the evening. Xiao Feng patted him on the shoulder, and the magistrate immediately bent down like Xiao Chunzi.
"Your county is probably not an official of the Strict Party. Firstly, I have never heard of you, and secondly, you have been the county magistrate for a long time. Your official reputation is not bad, but you have not been promoted. You cannot be a member of the Strict Party even if you think about it."
The county magistrate smiled and said: "Xiaoguan is timid and does not dare to join any sect. Moreover, he thinks it is good to be the county magistrate. In this small place, he is the one who is superior to others."
If you don't take the initiative to seek refuge, no one is thinking about winning over you. Your official position is too young. The lower official's family is not poor, and my wife's family is also a landowner, so there is no need to scrape the land.
Everyone takes it, this and this, hey, if you take a little bit, you can live a decent life.
This life is good, but the higher you go, the more dangerous it becomes. Maybe even the bones will not be able to return to their hometown. I don't expect to go higher. "
When Xiao Feng heard what he said honestly, he couldn't help but laugh and said: "People say that if you stand for a long time, you will be strong if you don't have desires. Since you don't seek promotion,
, why are you trying to please me so much? You can definitely live as tough as Hai Rui! "
The magistrate shook his head repeatedly: "How can Hai Rui be an ordinary person? A lower official will never be able to imitate him, let alone a lower official. I guess there is no one like him in the court.
That person only comes out every five hundred years. If he is lucky enough to survive, he will definitely become a high official in the future, and he might even leave his name in history!
As for the lower officials, to be honest, no one dares to offend the superior officials. I don’t ask for anything else, I just ask that the adults don’t promote me to an official position, and just allow me to be the county magistrate for the rest of my life. "
Xiao Feng is both angry and funny. It's true that there are no wonders in the world. Others are flattering others just to get promoted, but this guy is flattering just to avoid being promoted.
But thinking about what happened in the court over the years, Xiao Feng suddenly felt that maybe the magistrate was a truly smart man.
Xiao Feng originally wanted to promote him as his assistant, but now that he thought about it, he felt that it was better not to force others to do anything, so as not to harm them.
Is it too much for a person who is considered a good person and a good official to just live his life peacefully in this world?
Xiao Feng felt that it was not excessive, and he respected this idea very much. Although he could not help the world, he could at least take care of himself, and he was considered a gentleman.
Xiao Feng patted the magistrate's shoulder again: "Okay, I promise you, I will let you be the county magistrate for the rest of your life. I won't eat anymore, I have a place to eat."
Judging from today’s conclusion of the case, your wife is as interesting as you, so you two can stay together until old age in peace, hahahahaha! "
Xiao Feng took Zhang Wuxin down to the lobby. There was a soft sound of banging bracelets in the back hall. The county magistrate's wife came to Xiao Fengxing from a distance.
A blessing gift.
Zhang Wuxin is a martial arts practitioner who consumes a lot of money. After following Xiao Feng for a long time, he is really hungry. Seeing Xiao Feng bumping around like a headless fly, he can't help but persuade him.
"Brother Xiao, if you don't eat the food left by others, where is your place to eat? Or go to the bun shop in front."
Xiao Feng shook his head and pointed at the back of Hai Rui who had just found him, walking steadily in the distance, with a smirk on his face.
"I heard that buying meat for his mother's birthday is a big deal. You buy some pork head meat and soy sauce beef, and we go to his house to eat."
Zhang Wuxin grinned, saying to himself that you have a really weird temper. You don't go away when people greet you with smiles, but you insist on sticking to Hai Rui's cold ass.
The key is that if you look at Hai Rui's face, you will know that his butt is definitely colder than the person who just went to the toilet thirty-nine days ago.
Hai Rui's yard was not far from the county government office. He returned home gloomily. He first went to see his mother and told her what happened at the county government office today.
After listening, my mother nodded: "Mr. Xiao, I have heard people say that he does have Taoist skills, and it is not an empty lie.
But from what you say, this person does not follow the etiquette and laws, is arrogant, and is a young man in a high position, which may not be a good thing. "
Hai Rui nodded in agreement: "Actually, from a child's perspective, Xiao Feng is already a rare talent in the court.
He is talented in literature and martial arts, and he is talented in literature and art, and he can drive away Tatars in martial arts. As a young man, he did not get high positions just by invitation.
What's more, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty all knew that the strict party's dictatorial power harmed the country, but no one dared to act like a horse. When Du Xiaofeng came out, he first defeated Zhao Wenhua and then Yan Shifan, forcing Yan Dang to restrain himself. This can be regarded as a service to the country.
It's a pity that this person is a member of the Taoist sect after all. He won the king's heart by cultivating immortality and practicing Taoism. His tree is not good.
Yes, the more beautiful the fruit, the more powerful the poison. "
At this time, Hai Rui's wife walked to the door of the house, wiped her tears and said, "Mother-in-law, sir, the food is ready. It's time to eat."
The mother-in-law raised her head and glanced at her daughter-in-law, sighed and said nothing, then walked to the stone table in the yard and sat down. Hai Rui stood aside respectfully and waited until his mother sat firmly before sitting down.
His wife also sat down and looked into the room from time to time. Hai Rui had a sullen face and said nothing, just waiting for his mother to pick up chopsticks to eat first.
Someone knocked on the courtyard door, and the servant of the family hurried over to open the door: "You two, who are you looking for?"
Hai Rui's house is just an ordinary courtyard, not a large compound. Xiao Feng looked around and saw Hai Rui's family sitting in the courtyard, and smiled and spoke.
"Brother Hai, it's too late to meet you in court today. I wonder if it's convenient for me to pay him a visit?"
Hai Rui was taken aback. He didn't know why the governor had a seizure and why he came to his home. But he is a person who abides by the rules. Naturally, he cannot turn away the official when he comes to visit him.
Hai Rui glanced at his mother, who nodded, and Hai Rui stepped forward and saluted: "Your Excellency, your visit to this humble abode is a blessing. Unfortunately, the official's family is having a meal, so I would like to invite you to serve tea in the front hall."
Xiao Feng shook his head: "It doesn't matter, I haven't eaten yet, so let's eat together."
Hai Rui was stunned. The governor was too shameless! Even though I asked him to serve tea in the front hall, he still insisted on squeezing his way to someone else’s table to eat!
But you can't say that you are not welcome to eat at my house. In desperation, Hai Rui had no choice but to order his servant to bring over two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
Hai Rui's wife hurriedly stood up and avoided it. Xiao Feng knew that he and Hai Rui were not close friends yet, so he
He didn't stop him, he just divided a portion of the pork head meat and soy sauce beef in his hand and asked the servant to deliver it to Hai Rui's wife.
Hai Rui frowned when he saw that Xiao Feng had brought a lot of meat, but when his mother didn't say anything, he just let Xiao Feng put the meat on the table. But seeing the beef, Hai Rui couldn't help it.
"Sir, the court has issued an order that it is a crime to slaughter farm cattle privately. Although buying and selling beef in the market is not a crime, everyone knows very well that there are so many sick and old cattle to kill? Aren't all cattle slaughtered privately? .
Although we, the officials, cannot completely prohibit illegal things, we should set an example and practice it personally. We should try to eat as little beef as possible. Do you think so? "
Xiao Feng smiled and looked at Hai Rui's mother: "Old madam, do you think so too?"
When Hai Rui's mother faced an official like Xiao Feng, her expression was calm, neither humble nor overbearing: "Sir, I mean the same thing. What do you think?"
Xiao Feng smiled faintly: "I think the old lady's opinion is biased. She only sees one, but not the other."
Hai Rui suddenly changed his expression. It was clearly his opinion and his mother only agreed with it, but Xiao Feng pointed the finger directly at his mother. This was hard for Hai Rui to accept.
But with Xiao Feng's identity, let alone arguing with his mother on an equal footing, even if his father was alive, it was normal. He had to follow this rule, so he had to bow his head and remain silent.
Hai Rui's mother was as normal as ever: "I would like to hear your advice."
Xiao Feng picked up a piece of beef and looked at the clearly visible texture on the beef: "Why can't farm cattle be slaughtered privately?"
Hai Rui's mother said: "The most important thing in the world is grain, and grain production is nothing more than farming. Cattle are the main force in agriculture, and people are greedy.
Desire, private slaughter of farm cattle will lead to famine and disaster. "
Xiao Feng nodded: "Since cattle are the main force in agriculture, farmers will not slaughter them privately for arable land. Why do the government need to regulate them with regulations?"
Hai Rui's mother said: "Of course ordinary farmers don't do that, but there are always a class of stubborn people who are greedy for profit and take desperate risks. They steal or rob, or take advantage of farmers' poverty to buy cattle and slaughter and sell them privately in order to make huge profits."
Xiao Feng smiled and said: "Since the old lady said that those who slaughtered and sold cattle privately were stubborn and lawless people, and the government arrested these people, why should we call on everyone to eat less beef because of these people? Isn't this a waste of food due to choking? "
Hai Rui's mother glanced at Xiao Feng, wondering whether he was really confused or pretending to be confused, but this was also a good opportunity to persuade Xiao Feng.
In her opinion, Xiao Feng is a good person with faults. It would be a good thing if he could get rid of his faults.
"My lord is a Taoist, and I read several books when I was young.
It is said in the "Tao Te Ching", "If you don't respect the virtuous, the people will not fight; if you don't value the rare goods, the people will not steal; if you don't see the desirable, the people will not be confused." '
It can be seen that Taoism also admits that if you want to eliminate chaos, you must first start with people in high positions and play the role of leading the trend, isn't it? "
Xiao Feng smiled and nodded: "The old lady is knowledgeable, but her understanding of this sentence is not comprehensive. 'Inexpensive and rare goods can prevent people from stealing'. There have been many interpretations in the past. I also have an explanation. Please give me an explanation. The old lady corrected me.
Goods are valuable because they are rare, and the superiors take advantage of the situation to achieve the purpose of checks and balances. For example, gold is valued by those in high positions because it can be exchanged for all things, so it is also valued by the people.
If the Ming Dynasty declares that gold is useless and cannot be exchanged for anything from today on, then gold will become useless scrap metal. Although this will prevent the people from stealing, the Ming Dynasty will also be in chaos.
What's more, there must always be goods circulating in the world, and people must always trade money. Even if gold is not expensive, silver must be expensive, and if silver is not expensive, copper and iron must be expensive.
Therefore, the value of gold has nothing to do with whether it is expensive or not. It is because it is rare and suitable for trading, so it is valuable. I wonder if the old lady thinks so? "
Hai Rui's mother thought for a moment, nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. However, gold is a special case and it is indeed difficult to replace it with anything else.
But beef is just a type of meat that people eat. If they don't eat beef, they can still eat mutton, chicken, and pork. And beef is not rare, and it is by no means comparable to gold. "
I would like to add that my friends have always corrected me that I should not talk about pigs tomorrow, and I am deeply grateful. It's just that this book is published on multiple platforms, and there is no way to correct many of the previous ones. I can only make mistakes and continue to make mistakes.
Xiao Feng smiled and said: "According to the wishes of the old lady, first of all, the example I gave must be food, and secondly, this thing cannot be a rare thing, right?"
Hai Rui's mother smiled and nodded. Xiao Feng put the piece of beef in his mouth, chewed it carefully under Hai Rui's dissatisfied eyes, and then spoke slowly.
"Old madam, what do you think of Ming Dynasty's salt policy?"
Hai Rui suddenly raised his head and looked at his mother. The smile on Hai Rui's mother's face also froze. They never expected that Xiao Feng would make a sharp turn and lead the topic directly to this fatal trap!
Salt was a strange thing not only in the Ming Dynasty, but also in all dynasties. This thing is not rare
, and it’s not hard to find. If it were liberalized, it would definitely be cheaper than cabbage.
But it just so happens that such a thing, which is neither rare nor rare, has been firmly grasped by the rulers of all dynasties. It is a treasure!
Doesn’t it mean that people in high positions should not lead the trend? Well, please tell me, old lady, in front of your son, why do people in high positions regard salt as a rare commodity and let the common people spend a lot of money to buy it?
It's not that Hai Rui and his son didn't dare to tell the truth. Both mother and son were not afraid of death. But the problem is that they both feel from the bottom of their hearts that there is no problem with the salt administration in previous dynasties. This is necessary for the great cause of the government to govern the country!
After being silent for a long time, Hai Rui said: "Sir, my mother is old, so the examples are biased. The theory of the Tao Te Ching is naturally not as authentic as the Taoist sect, and the thoughts are as profound as yours."
Just talking about the matter, if the people in power do not regard beef as a delicacy, then the people will naturally reduce their consumption of beef and save more cattle. Isn't it a good thing? "
Seeing that Hai Rui's mother had stopped speaking, Xiao Feng did not ask any further questions. He turned to Hai Rui and said, "Brother Hai, which one is more or less between today's population and the population when Taizu ascended the throne?"
Hai Rui was stunned. Is there any need to ask? "Sir, the current population is twice what it was when Taizu ascended the throne."
"What about today's famine disaster and when Taizu ascended the throne? Which one is more and which one is less?"
Hai Rui calculated in his mind: "It's roughly the same. There will be famine in places with natural disasters, and famine will happen in places without natural disasters."
Xiao Feng nodded: "It stands to reason that the population has doubled, but the land has not increased. There should be famine everywhere."
Hai Rui shook his head and said: "But it's not such a simple algorithm. If the population doubles, there will naturally be more wasteland cultivated.
Food production will naturally increase. "
Xiao Feng smiled and said: "So we are not afraid of eating food, we are only afraid of natural disasters, but are we afraid of eating cows?"
Hai Rui was stunned: "This, this is different. The Central Plains area is suitable for farming, but not for grazing. It is possible to produce more grain, but it is difficult to increase the production of cattle and sheep."
Xiao Feng picked up another piece of beef and ate it deliciously. Although Hai Rui was used to a simple diet, it was difficult to control human physiological reactions. Seeing Xiao Feng eating deliciously, he couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. .
Hai Rui's mother was very dissatisfied and glared at her son. Hai Rui lowered his head in shame. Then he saw a movement in his mother's throat, and he probably swallowed his saliva.
"Brother Hai, what do you think of the imperial court's trade with the Mongols and Jurchens?"
These words scratched the itch of Hai Rui. In this regard, Hai Rui was rather conflicted. Hai Rui not only advocated a severe attack on the aggressors but also opposed militarism, so he took a neutral attitude towards mutual trade.
"Beyond the Great Wall, there are many tyrannical and ambitious people, so we must guard against them for a day. However, our Ming Dynasty is suffering from internal and external troubles, and the people are in urgent need of recuperation, so mutual trade is an expedient measure.
Your Excellency put aside personal grudges and advocated mutual trade, so that the north could gain peace, and the imperial court was able to fight against Japanese pirates with all its strength. This move was highly admired by the lower official. "
Xiao Feng nodded: "But if you want to trade with each other, you have to do business. If you want to do business, you have to be mutually beneficial. Business that makes one-sided profits will not last long.
The Mongols and Jurchens are willing to accept silk, tea, porcelain, ironware, and pottery from the Ming Dynasty. What can they sell to us? "
Hai Rui thought for a while: "War horses, what the Ming Dynasty lacks most are war horses! Just ask them to sell more war horses!"
Xiao Feng Diandian
Head: "But to them, war horses are their legs. Even if they want to trade with the Ming Dynasty again, they will not cut off their own legs."
Like the people in the Central Plains, they also have to eat. To eat, they have to graze cattle and sheep. They cannot use all the pasture to raise horses.
Therefore, selling war horses alone is far from enough to support trade. They still need to sell cattle and sheep to really start the business.
If the Ming Dynasty only wanted their horses and not their cattle and sheep, then they would think that the Ming Dynasty was taking the opportunity to weaken them and finally eliminate them.
This kind of mutual market cannot continue, so we have to buy cattle and sheep. These cattle and sheep came to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty was not suitable for grazing. What else could they do if they didn't eat them? "
Hai Rui didn't expect it to be so profound. He looked at his mother, and Hai Rui's mother also looked at Xiao Feng with admiration.
Unexpectedly, this person at such a young age would be so far-sighted. Regardless of whether what he said was entirely true, at least it sounded reasonable.
Xiao Feng picked up another piece of beef and said leisurely: "Brother Hai, do you know why we are all human beings? For a long time, people in the Central Plains have been unwilling to go on expeditions to the grasslands and deserts or go to the sea unless someone comes to visit them?"
Hai Rui couldn't keep up with Xiao Feng's rhythm, so he could only guess: "The Central Plains is the place where Confucianism flourished. It knows etiquette and justice, understands integrity and shame, and does not raise unjust soldiers."
Xiao Feng smiled softly, which made Hai Rui feel offended: "Maybe, but the deeper reason is that the Central Plains is too rich and has everything, so it is difficult for others to covet it.
If there is a land rich in beautiful women, the lustful king will never forget to take it into his territory; if there is a land rich in fine wine, the wine-loving king will never forget to take it back.
Under the rule.
Therefore, in order to make the Central Plains people like to eat beef and mutton and eat more beef and mutton, they will never forget it. That area should also belong to the Ming Dynasty. "
These words were too harsh. Hai Rui and his mother looked at the plate of beef with soy sauce in front of them suspiciously. How come, you, Xiao Feng, eating a plate of beef here, are you showing your great feelings for the country and the people?
I have to say that if the Ming Dynasty City Wall was half as thick-skinned as yours, the nomads would not be able to get in. But what he said was so reasonable that it was hard to refute!
Xiao Feng gave the old lady a piece of beef: "So, old lady, eat a piece. The Ming Dynasty will not cause chaos in the world just because you ate a piece of beef with soy sauce."
The old lady smiled helplessly and offered her meat as Xiao Feng. It was quite respectful and she had to give her this face. He immediately put it in his mouth and started eating.
Well, it does smell good. When Hai Rui saw his mother eating, he put down his arrogance and started eating a piece of it.
At this time, a woman's sobs came from the room, and a very small sound that was obviously worried about being heard by people outside.
"Good boy, please, please take a bite."
