The market on the shore is very lively. Most of the people nearby get some local specialties such as eggs and grass and set up stalls here for the boatmen to buy. Chang Yu loves to visit these places so that he and Li Muxian can wander around in the crowd and see what they like. I will also buy some toys.
There was a tea shed under a big willow tree near the river. It was filled with many boatmen taking a rest and talking about the news they had heard from all directions. Chang Yu and Li Muchian also found a seat and ordered a pot of tea and listened to them.
Of course, the tea is not good tea. The water is most likely obtained locally from the canal, and the entrance is really... Anyway, Chang Yu, who is used to drinking good tea, feels weird in the end, but the story in the tea shed is very exciting.
These boatmen travel north and south, and anything that happens in one place can be spread thousands of miles away overnight. The bandit army on the other side of the Yangtze River is making a lot of noise. Try to go there as little as possible. Whose cargo ship was robbed by water bandits a few days ago? Even the cargo owner and the boatman were killed and their bodies were thrown into the river... Another courtesan appeared in the Qinhuai River recently... Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers from Jining went south along the river. I don't know why they went there...
"By the way, have any of you come from Yanzhou? Is it true that I heard that there are rioters making trouble in Qufu..."
"The chaos caused by the people is caused by the Confucian government's unkindness and passion for being rich. Hey... have you heard about it? They all say that the descendants of Saint Kong... are not a thing. They say that whoever is in the world will be demoted. They have no backbone. That's it. The wallflower still educates all the people... Bah".
"Hey, that's not true. I heard about it when I came from Nanzhili, and now I'm calling the Kong family shameless."
"Good fellow, it's so fast. It's spread all over Nanzhili. Hey, the Kong family says that those who do evil will be punished by their own death, and they will make people in the world angry..."
"Not only has the news spread throughout Southern Zhili, but Northern Zhili is also about to be shaken..."
Listening to the boatmen talking and talking, Chang Yu and Li Muchian looked at each other and smiled.
Although the boatmen's words are exaggerated, they are also true. For example, Beizhili has really turned upside down.
I don’t know when a sudden spring breeze came overnight, and the public opinion about Confucius in the capital was centered on thousands of pear trees and pear blossoms. It immediately broke the headlines in the capital, and everyone in the streets, alleys, teahouses and restaurants was talking about it, including streetwalkers and literati. this matter.
Of course, some people agree, while others feel that it is deliberately smeared. The two parties often argue with each other with different opinions, but no matter how they argue, the ugly face of the Confucius family has been brought to the table for discussion.
In the past, even if someone couldn't stand the Confucius family, they could only say a few words of regret in private. When it was brought to the table, they would immediately become the target of public criticism.
But now...
Even some court officials were involved.
It is said that when these remarks about Confucianism reached the ears of Wu Zong, the second assistant, he beat his chest and stamped his feet: "Confucius, a saint throughout the ages, has been criticized like this. The world is like this, and the people are dull..."
After hearing what he said, Li Yuzhi said calmly: "They are criticizing Duke Yansheng's Mansion, not Confucius. Is Mr. Cifu really confused or fake..."
It is said that the two of them almost fell apart because of this.
Gao Shiming entered the palace three times a day and reported the public opinions outside the palace to Emperor Chongzhen.
Emperor Chongzhen changed his color three times a day.
The first time I heard it, I chuckled. After all, I had been mentally prepared. The second time I heard it, I frowned. The public opinion was far more fierce than expected, and even caused the courtiers to fight each other. When I heard it again, I was very happy.
Because the news of Confucius's five hundred thousand taels of silver and one hundred and fifty thousand shi of grain has been sent.
Emperor Chongzhen said it three times in a row, "It's very good." Translated into current words, it's "Awesome Klass!"
This is naturally a compliment to the little eunuch.
First create public opinion and then take action, so that the Confucian government knows that it is wrong and can only accept the punishment obediently. Moreover, due to the pressure of public opinion, it does not dare to fight back immediately, at least not for now.
Therefore, let the public opinion be more violent. The longer it lasts, the more the Kong family will keep a low profile and dare not fight back against the little eunuch.
And as Chang Yu expected, Yanzhou Prefecture's three-year land tax in exchange for these grains and wages is simply a great value. At the same time, it not only brings benefits to the people of Yanzhou, but also brings a good reputation to the court. Of course, these grains can also be used to alleviate the food shortage in the capital. , this is what is needed most at the moment, and it is more precious than giving help in times of need.
But it was actually the Confucius family who paid the bill inside and out.
The more such transactions, the better.
Emperor Chongzhen was very happy, so happy that he was a little panicked. He was deeply afraid that this was just a dream, because everything was so unrealistic. How could there be such an insidious, shameless person in the inner palace who could cause trouble, fight in peace, and extort money? Where's the little eunuch?
Very old.
Emperor Chongzhen almost hummed that we, the common people, are so happy today...
In the south of Qingyuan County, Baoding Prefecture, a group of people was moving slowly and with difficulty. A young man in the group had a frown and a dark complexion. People around him were extremely respectful to him. Some people advised him to ride in a car on a hot day, but he was reprimanded.
This young man is the current crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Cihong.
Classmate Xiao Zhu was greatly influenced by Chang Yu and wanted to get out of the palace and the capital. The world is huge and I want to see it.
Finally, when Emperor Chongzhen ordered Gong Yonggu and Zhang Guowei to patrol the five northern provinces, he walked out of the capital and his vision suddenly broadened, but he also received a huge shock in his heart.
The suffering of the people is too numerous to describe.
All the way south from the capital, everything I saw and heard was horrific.
Chang Yu once told him that if he went out and took a look, he might know why the people rebelled.
With no way to survive, we can only rebel.
But why has it come to this point? Natural and man-made disasters force us to repeat ourselves in a vicious cycle. If we have nothing to eat, we will rebel, and the court will suppress us. When we go to war, we will lose harvests and have nothing to eat, and we will rebel again...
The local accompanying officials informed that hundreds of thousands of traitor troops were defeated in several fierce battles with the officers and soldiers led by Chang Yu here. The area within dozens of miles was a battlefield. Zhu Cixiang admired Chang Yu the most and heard that his idol once fought here. However, I was very excited and ran wildly for ten miles with my retinue. I wanted to feel the feeling of being invincible among thousands of troops. Even if I accidentally encountered a rotting corpse or discarded weapons, I would fantasize about many scenes. This Was the person killed by Chang Yu...
Seeing the suffering of the people in Baoding Prefecture, he thought it was a hell on earth, but Zhang Guowei told him: "Zhending Prefecture, Shunde Prefecture, Guangping Prefecture in the south...are even worse." Zhu Cixiang's face became increasingly pale.
"Disasters continue, and harvests are lost year after year. Although the war is peaceful, the people are struggling to survive. If this continues, many people will starve to death, right?"
"If we let things continue like this, even if there is no trouble, there will only be ten houses in Beizhili with nine empty houses within three months," Gong Yonggu sighed.
"Then, then, think of a solution quickly!" Zhu Cixiang was anxious.
"There is a way. As long as there is food relief to last until the autumn harvest, the disaster can be postponed. But where can we get food now? The capital is already out of food, let alone here!" Zhang Guowei looked back to the north with a sad look on his face: "The imperial court is also feeling like this right now. The fire is burning but there is nothing I can do to help. I just hope that food from the south can be shipped here as soon as possible."
"Look for Chang Yu, Chang Yu will definitely have a way." Zhu Cixiang has the trust of a crazy fan in Chang Yu. In his eyes, Chang Yu is an omnipotent existence.
Gong Yonggu shook his head and smiled bitterly, speechless.
Zhang Guowei let out a long sigh: "It is hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. Eunuch Chang is brave and good at fighting and is invincible. But he is not a god and how can he get food from there? Now that he has been ordered to go south to suppress bandits, he has no time to do this. Even if he can get some food It is only for military needs, so who will get the common people?"
"Then, are you really going to watch them starve to death?" Zhu Cixiang spread his hands, his face full of pain. He finally understood why his father was so young but more than ten years older, with a sad face every day and rarely smiled.
"Listen to fate and do your best!" Zhang Guowei shook his head gently, looked into the distance and stopped talking.
Destiny, destiny, destiny made the people of the Ming Dynasty suffer so much, Zhu Cixiang was so depressed.
Report... Several cavalry were coming from a distance, but they were from Jin Yiwei.
"I heard that Eunuch Chang had raised 200,000 dan of grain in Shandong and was traveling along the Hebei River to provide disaster relief. All the prefectures he passed had a share..."
Everyone was stunned.
Then Zhu Cixiang shouted: "I know it, only Chang Yu can do it!" As he spoke, he beat his horse and ran wildly, shouting and shouting. Gong Yonggu and Zhang Guowei looked at each other speechlessly, and shook their heads with a wry smile for a long time. Eunuch Chang is really a god!
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