As curses continued to come from the pit.
Erhu's expression changed, and he quickly raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, it was the minister who dug the hole. Li Xiao scolded the minister, not you, Your Majesty."
"snort."
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said nothing more.
It just depends on you being my grandson-in-law. If you don’t know the situation, don’t blame me if you don’t.
"Give him some time."
Hearing that the pit had begun to curse the eighteen generations of his ancestors, Zhu Yuanzhang planned to make this boy suffer.
"Your Majesty, please sit down."
Erhu took a small folding bench and placed it on the ground.
Zhu Yuanzhang leaned against the big tree and sat under the tree to enjoy the shade.
After sitting for a while, the shouts in the pit became "Help", "Is there anyone there?" and "Help me."
After another half an hour, the voice became quieter and quieter.
In short, no one cares.
Li Xiao shouted, but no one could be seen.
Because this path has long been taken care of by Jin Yiwei.
Passers-by can only take a detour.
At this time, Li Xiao, who was in the pothole, felt miserable.
It is said that if you don’t talk on the phone while driving, you will easily get into a car accident, and this is really true.
just now.
Li Xiao was riding a horse while using telepathy to warm the phone with his wife.
Tell her that she will be back soon and there will be a surprise.
We were chatting enthusiastically, but suddenly we fell into a trap and didn't recover at all.
"Ah, the first car accident in traveling to the Ming Dynasty came later than usual."
Li Xiao was about to cry but had no tears. He looked around and saw walls of earth.
The pothole must be about five or six meters long.
I don’t know who was so heartless as to dig such a hole in the road.
Normally, with Li Xiao's skills, he could easily get out of trouble.
But this horse weighs a thousand kilograms. When it fell, the horse flipped over and fell on his body. Plus the acceleration of gravity, it pressed on his legs and broke his legs.
Although Li Xiao has the body of a peerless warrior, a peerless warrior is also a human being and cannot use his internal strength to recover from injuries like the martial arts masters he is following.
Li Xiao pulled his foot out of the horse's body with force, touched the bones of the foot, and felt it with his perfection-level medical skills.
"It's okay, it's okay. It's not serious. It's just that my muscles and bones have been injured for a hundred days. I'm afraid it will take some time to recover."
Li Xiao secretly thought that he was lucky, and at the same time, he also reminded himself in his heart.
Although his attribute points are full, he is not invincible.
Poisons, poisonous smoke, traps, and other messy things may harm your life, and these things are difficult to guard against.
Li Xiao looked at the horse that had fallen to death in front of him and said, "Horse, horse, I'm sorry. I'll give birth to a good child in my next life and be a human being."
The fall just now really knocked Li Xiao to pieces, and he was tired from shouting for help.
"Worshiping Buddha is worse than dancing to the disco, and asking for help from others is better than asking for yourself."
Li Xiao was lying in the pit, planning to take a rest to regain his strength and then find a way out.
After resting for half an hour, Li Xiao suddenly opened his eyes.
He heard the sound of horse hooves and the sound of carriages. Someone must be coming.
On the road outside, Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting in an ordinary carriage, and Erhu was driving the carriage as the driver, heading this way.
"Help! Help!!"
Li Xiao hurriedly shouted loudly.
Although his legs were broken, he still had strength in his hands. Anyone could throw a rope to him and he could climb up.
"It seems that someone, Master, came over to take a look."
Erhu said something outside, then walked over, looked down the pit, and then shouted to the carriage: "Master, there is a big pit here, and a young man fell into it."
Li Xiao saw the person and hurriedly waved: "Brother, help me, a drop of kindness will be repaid by a spring. Throw a rope down, and I, Li, will be deeply grateful!"
Generally, there will be a thick hemp rope on the carriage.
It can be used if the wheels get stuck in the mud or roll over.
"You wait."
Erhu shouted.
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang also got off the carriage, looked down into the pit, and said, "Young man, why are you so careless that you didn't see such a big pit?"
"Old man, if you do a good job and help me, I will be very grateful." Li Xiao showed the shining golden beans in his hand, but it had become a habit.
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned, and then cursed: "You young man doesn't know what's good and what's good. Are we greedy for money? If you don't tell me, we will save you."
And at this time,
Erhu had already tied the rope to the carriage and dropped the other end.
"Thank you, old man."
Li Xiao grabbed the rope and climbed out directly through the rope with his strong arm strength.
Originally, Erhu planned to pull him out, but later found that it was not necessary at all.
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment.
This grandson-in-law can actually climb out on his own.
After crawling out, Li Xiao wanted to stand up, but found that his feet hurt so much that he grimaced.
Zhu Yuanzhang was startled and wondered if he had broken his foot?
If I had known that Erhu was going to come up with such a bad idea, I might as well have given up.
"Young man, are your legs okay?"
After speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Erhu coldly and said, "Why don't you go and take a look."
Erhu's heart tightened, and he quickly squatted down to check, knowing that he had indeed gone too far this time, and the Holy Emperor was probably a little unhappy.
Alas. Erhu sighed in his heart. Accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger.
In fact, it is difficult for two tigers to do it. After Zhu Yuanzhang made this request, he thought about it all night and couldn't figure it out.
In addition, time is tight, and this matter must be kept confidential and cannot be discussed with others.
So I had to think of a simple and crude method.
"no, I'm fine."
Li Xiao hurriedly waved his hand and said: "To be honest, I am a doctor myself. I just checked it myself. It's not serious. I just need to rest for a few days."
Hearing this,
Erhu breathed a sigh of relief and helped Li Xiao to sit in front of the carriage.
"Old man, and this brother, I don't know what to call him?"
Li Xiao raised his hand.
No matter what, you still have to be grateful to others for saving your life.
After living in the Ming Dynasty for so long, this is the first time I have been favored by others. Before, others were favored by me.
"My name is Zhang Hu, and this is the head of our family. You should call me Mr. Huang."
Erhu introduced himself.
Then he introduced the new identity prepared for Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded: "You can just call me old man, it sounds cordial."
It is said that a person's first impression is very important and comes from the heart.
Li Xiao has a handsome appearance and a kind face, which invisibly shortens the distance between them.
In addition, he is Zhu Yuanzhang's grandson-in-law, so it's okay to call him "old man".
In fact, it was not just because of Li Xiao's kind appearance, but also because he also purchased a Buff in the system mall.
This Buff is called "Approachable". Anyone who comes into contact with Li Xiao will feel like a spring breeze, and right now, Zhu Yuanzhang feels this way.
"Okay, I'll call you old man."
Li Xiao smiled and said: "My surname is Li Xiao, I am from Peking. Thank you very much, old man, for helping me, by the way."
As he spoke, he took out seven or eight golden beans and handed them over: "Old man, please continue."
Erhu started sweating on his forehead on the spot.
Good fellow, I gave you a bounty for the Holy One. It was the first time that a young lady was riding in a sedan chair.
Zhu Yuanzhang became a little displeased at the moment and said: "I said you are a person, and we rescue you because we want your money? If you use money to insult us, go back to where you came from, Zhang Hu , throw him back into the pit.”
Li Xiao: "????"
Li Xiao had black streaks all over his head. This was the first time he had seen such an eccentric old man after coming to Ming Dynasty for so long. Even if he had money, he would not immediately feel depressed.
But now it seems that the other person who saved him did have good intentions, and this person is not short of money. He is still kind-hearted in ancient times, and he is indeed a bit insulting.
"Old man, you wrongly blamed me."
Fortunately, Li Xiao has also learned some skills in observing words and speaking in the palace these days, so he hurriedly changed his words and said: "I just want to ask the old man to do me a small favor. My legs and feet are inconvenient now. I hope you can give me a ride. By the way, Find me an inn to stay in. This money is the inn's fee, so I can't let the old man pay it."
"That's pretty much it."
Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and motioned to Zhang Hu to take the golden beans and said, "One is enough."
Erhu nodded, walked over, and took a golden pea from Li Xiao's hand.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Why do you want to stay in an inn? Don't you have any relatives in Nanjing?"
Li Xiao explained: "To be honest, I just came to Nanjing to visit relatives, and now I want to go back to Peking."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Then why do you want to stay in an inn?"
Li Xiao said with a smile: "As the saying goes, good things should be spread at home, and foreign affairs should be kept in mind. It's just a small matter for me. There is no need to worry and frighten my family when I am away from home."
Li Xiao didn't want his family to worry about him. After all, his father-in-law and his brothers-in-law were still fighting for the throne, so why should they worry about his own affairs?
No matter which one is light or which one is heavy, Li Xiao can still carry it clearly.
Ningyun couldn't say that, if that girl knew that she had sprained her ankle, she would probably run all the way from Peiping to take care of her.
"I can't tell, you're quite a family man."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled slightly and thought that his grandson-in-law was a good man. He only conveyed good news to the family, not bad news. He was a man.
At this time, Erhu suggested: "Master, we are still far away from the city. How about we put him in the yard of our house? We will be there just a few miles ahead."
It turned out that Erhu had settled in the yard, which was okay. Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "That's okay, let's settle in our yard."
As he said that, he looked at Li Xiao and said, "There is a village ahead. We have a courtyard there. Would you like to put you there to rest for a few days?"
"I can live anywhere."
Li Xiao smiled and said, "I'm just afraid of troublesome old man."
"No trouble, I'm destined to be with you. This is the first time we've rescued someone in so many years."
"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then boarded the carriage and ordered Zhang Hu to help Li Xiao up.
Entered the carriage.
Li Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief, but was still worried that no one would save him until night.
"It's really weird. This road is so smooth, but why is there a hole?"
After getting on the carriage, Li Xiao frowned and said after sitting firmly.
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You ask me, who should I ask?"
Li Xiao smiled and said, "Old man, I didn't ask you. I was just wondering. I guess it was corrupt officials who cut corners while building the road. Over time, the road cracked and collapsed without caring."
Unexpectedly, the other party found a reason to explain himself. Zhu Yuanzhang smiled knowingly and said to himself, no one dares to be greedy at the feet of the emperor.
Immediately, Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned.
He suddenly thought of the Enke Hall built in the palace many years ago.
The first time he went in, he broke the floor tiles with one foot and made a big hole.
The person who built the palace was Ma Nanshan recommended by Li Shanchang.
Anyway, neither of them lived long.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "There is a possibility. Corrupt officials are abominable! We hate those corrupt officials the most in our lives. Today's Holy Master has done a good job and killed countless corrupt officials. It's a pity that people's hearts are not as old as snakes swallow elephants. This Corrupt officials are like weeds. Once you kill a group, another group pops up and you can’t finish them off.”
"It's true that we can't kill them all. In the final analysis, we still..."
Li Xiao smiled, but did not continue.
Zhu Yuanzhang was unable to kill all corrupt officials because there were some problems with the system. Officials' salaries were too small and they could not maintain their dignity and could not avoid evil thoughts.
"Young man, you seem to have something to say, but you don't dare to say it?"
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced over, wanting to hear Li Xiao's opinion. After all, this grandson-in-law was very talented in managing various disasters, and he might be able to give his opinions.
"Some words really shouldn't be said carelessly."
Li Xiao smiled awkwardly and stopped talking.
"What are you afraid of? There are no outsiders here. Heaven and earth know that you know and I know. What are you afraid of?" Zhu Yuanzhang induced.
"No, no, I can't say it, I can't say it."
Li Xiao smiled and waved his hand.
"It's not okay to say half of what you said. You have already aroused our desire, just like the storybook in the martial arts section of the Daming Moon Newspaper, which makes people unlucky!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said unhappily.
Li Xiao smiled and said: "The old man has also read the storybook of Tian Long Ba Bu?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "I've seen it, it's unlucky. After seeing the most exciting part, I didn't finish it. I wish I could pull out the person who published the newspaper and beat him up."
Li Xiao: "."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Stop being pretentious, what was the second half of what you just said?"
Seeing the old man's eagerness for talents, Li Xiao used [His Mind Telepathy] to take a look at his inner thoughts.
[I'm so anxious. This guy talks halfway and makes people feel itchy. But tell me, are you still worried that we won't be able to spread the word? ? Hum hum, how can we spread it to outsiders? Who can we spread it to? ? 】
Hearing this voice, Li Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that although the old man who saved him has a weird temper, he is also a man who keeps his promises and will not spread the word.
Since it won't be spread outside, it doesn't hurt to talk about it.
"Okay, old man, you are saving me without asking for anything in return. There is no need for me to hide you."
"Speak quickly and stop being so pretentious."
Li Xiao said: "Actually, the Holy Spirit has good intentions. He wants to remember the Ming Dynasty, plan for the people, and make a living for the world! It's a pity that something went wrong with his approach, which led to the endless killing of all the corrupt officials in the world! The main ones are Two reasons.”
Zhu Yuanzhang was initially pleased with what he heard, but his brows furrowed slightly when he heard it.
Zhu Yuanzhang secretly thought that this boy really had an idea and asked hurriedly: "Which two?"
Li Xiaodao: "The first reason is that the money was not paid in place and I feel aggrieved."
This is not something I made up, but it was put to the end by future generations, Mr. Ma.
During this period, Li Xiao served as county magistrate, and he was considered to be deeply involved in grassroots work.
Corruption is rife even at the grassroots level, let alone at the top.
"The money was not paid in full, so you feel aggrieved??"
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, and then sneered: "I thought you had any high opinions, you are superficial! You also said that the Holy One did not give enough money, but we heard that the Holy One also increased the salary for the officials in the world some time ago. The salary of those officials is comparable to that of the common people. There are too many. Talking about grievances is even more nonsense. You have the power in your hands, why are you aggrieved? What is there to be aggrieved about? From what you say, it seems that the Holy One has treated them too badly?"
"Yes, it's a bit bad."
Li Xiao nodded.
This made Zhu Yuanzhang very angry.
He set salaries for officials, but studied them carefully.
Don't let officials get too rich to avoid corruption.
He shouldn't be too poor, he should be much better than the common people.
But to say the least, this is simply ridiculous.
Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed the anger in his heart and asked the question calmly: "Tell me, what's wrong? I think you just put in good words for those corrupt officials."
"What kind of things can I say to corrupt officials?"
Li Xiao was also a little unconvinced.
Since you don't know clearly, let me explain it to you.
Li Xiao explained: "First of all, there is salary. The salary of officials in the Ming Dynasty was too low. Think about it, who among the officials did not study hard for decades and went through many tests before they got an official position. The time cost is so high , and as a result, they earn more money than ordinary people. I heard that some honest officials even wear patched clothes. Look, it’s hard to be an honest official."
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang himself had thought about this issue. This was why he and Zhu Biao had discussed it not long ago and increased the salaries of officials.
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Didn't Your Majesty increase your salary not long ago?"
Li Xiao smiled and said: "Speaking of this increase in salary, I have something to say. The increase is not money, but Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Isn't Ming Dynasty treasure money just money? What's the difference?"
Li Xiao said: "The old man must have not bought anything for a long time. Is the Ming Dynasty banknote still called money? Isn't it just straw paper?"
Zhu Yuanzhang's heart moved, and he almost became violent, but he still suppressed the impulse and asked: "Why do you say this? The Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes are worthless again?"
That's right, Zhu Yuanzhang said the word "again".
Because in the fifth year of Hongwu and the eighteenth year of Hongwu, the Ming Dynasty Baobao was promoted both times.
The back is all turned into waste paper, and the people don’t recognize it.
"It's falling like straw paper, one price a day."
Li Xiaodao: "Isn't this nonsense? The treasure banknotes are not linked to gold. They just rely on the imperial court to take it for granted and print as many copies as they want. It is inevitable that they will become papyrus later. My father-in-law suffered a big loss. The money was exchanged. The price of Baobao has dropped by half since then, and the house has almost stopped running, and it’s a shame that I helped him out.”
this.
Zhu Yuanzhang did not hear the news, and the imperial court issued the treasure banknotes as expected.
But no one mentioned this. These idiots really reported good news but not bad news. I haven't been out and about for a long time, and I really don't know the sufferings of the people.
I asked officials and vassal princes to take the lead this time, so couldn't I promote treasure banknotes?
Even Zhu Di suffered a loss, and the mansion almost couldn't operate?
Zhu Yuanzhang was thoughtful and asked after a moment: "What do you mean when you say that treasure banknotes are linked to gold?"
Li Xiao waved his hand: "This involves the principle of non-depreciation of treasure money. It's too complicated. Even if you tell me, you won't understand. We can't make the decision, so it's okay if you don't tell us."
After talking,
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyelids obviously twitched.
It seems that the implementation of Baobao has failed again.
But the grandson-in-law said that there is a way to prevent the treasure currency from depreciating! ! !
If it can really happen
You must get this method yourself! !
Li Xiao spoke at this time and said: "Back to the topic, in short, the value of treasure money has depreciated, and the salaries of those officials have not been increased, so the money is still not paid in place. Officials have little money, and corruption is prone to occur if they have little money."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. Zhu Biao also analyzed this with him at that time.
He shook his head again and said: "In the final analysis, it is still greed. Even if it is less, it is much better than the common people."
Why is this old man’s brain so messed up? Li Xiao explained:
"But the people don't have to study hard for decades in a cold window. They have to walk across a single-plank bridge to take the imperial examination. There are even more students who have spent more than ten years of hard work and endured a lifetime. In the end, they have nothing and starve to death in a shabby thatched hut. With this kind of difficulty, the official position obtained is better than that of ordinary people. Can they balance it mentally??? Besides, being an official is not as good as ordinary people, and you also need to communicate and maintain dignity, which all require money."
"Is being an official just for money?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked rhetorically.
Li Xiao spread his hands: "Isn't that right? Most of them are for money. In fact, people are very vulgar. It is too difficult to make them noble. Confucius couldn't do it. If he could do it, how could he do it? How can there be so many corrupt officials? What kind of food, rice, oil and salt is not worrying? It is too difficult to restrain people with morality. We need to use a system, a reasonable system."
After hearing this.
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but fell into deep thought.
If an ordinary person dared to say this in front of him, I'm afraid he would have taken off the person's head, which was questioning his decision-making.
But these words came from Li Xiao's mouth.
He studied Li Xiao's policy papers for a long time and felt that Li Xiao was a great talent.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it more and felt that what he just said did make sense.
Confucius, a saint, couldn't make everyone noble, so how could he do it?
Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a long time, not knowing whether it was right or wrong.
Although he is an emperor, he is also a mortal, and he does not have the vision of future generations like Li Xiao who can understand the rise and fall of history.
"You said you felt aggrieved. What's going on?"
Zhu Yuanzhang asked.
"This is even simpler."
Li Xiao said with a smile: "Being an official in the Ming Dynasty means a lot of work and little rest. Let's not talk about anything else. Let's talk about the official position of county magistrate. It is a small official with sesame seeds and mung beans, and there is a group of people pressing down on it.
The official level is overwhelming, and everyone has to be coaxed and supported when they come.
The number of rest days throughout the year can be counted on one hand.
Not only do you have to deal with your superiors, but you also have to deal with your subordinates.
Thousands of threads on top, one needle on the bottom.
If you keep cutting, it will become messy.
After all government orders are issued, don’t they have to be implemented at the county level in the end?
But what’s below the county level?
Nothing!
If the imperial power does not go to the countryside, there will be no court institutions further down the line.
If the county magistrate wants to do good things, he must have good relations with the local squires and gentry, otherwise the things will not be implemented.
When we have a good relationship, corruption problems will inevitably arise. It is inevitable!
If it is done well, the people will say that the county magistrate is colluding with the squire to fight against it.
If it is not done well, all the officials will be gone and their heads will not be saved.
Just say that this is an official position, it’s not difficult to get the job, and it doesn’t feel aggrieved.
You have to please your superiors, you also have to please your subordinates, and you have to make friends with the local gentry.
There is no day off all year round, and the salary is still small.
In such a high-pressure environment, people's hearts are prone to perversion. After giving so much, why not be greedy? "
Li Xiao has been the county magistrate for so long, this is his own experience.
But fortunately, he is the son-in-law of King Yan, and he can do everything according to his own wishes.
This is the case for most ordinary county magistrates.
"It seems reasonable."
After listening, Zhu Yuanzhang fell into deep thought again.
He knew that Li Xiao had served as a county magistrate, and the other party didn't know his identity, so he was probably telling the truth.
Normally, those officials would not dare to tell the truth when they see him.
But Li Xiao's words were different from what he usually heard.
It's really different, I've said it very thoroughly.
The money was not given, and I felt aggrieved.
Is this really the case that leads to rampant corruption that cannot be eradicated?
This has always been a problem in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart and has not been solved for more than ten years.
Conversation room.
A group of people entered a village.
Outside the village are criss-crossing farmlands.
At this time, the carriage had already arrived outside a courtyard.
The yard is quite large, probably covering half an acre of land.
This courtyard was prepared in advance by Erhu. Not only did he prepare the courtyard for Zhu Yuanzhang, he also prepared his identity. In short, Li Xiao was not allowed to know his majesty's identity.
"Master, we're here."
Erhu shouted.
"Zhang Hu, help this young man to the room."
Zhu Yuanzhang ordered.
Afterwards, Li Xiao entered the yard. The yard was quite big. There were some vegetables, fruits, a well, and a few rocking chairs. It was clean and tidy.
"Old man, your environment is not bad. The air is clear and much better than an inn. My golden bean is really a bargain."
Li Xiao said with a smile.
"I told you, I didn't save you for the money. No wonder you just talked about money. It's tacky!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said unhappily.
Li Xiao said with a smile: "People in the world are panicking, just to break a few taels of silver. But these few taels of silver can solve all kinds of panic in the world, ensure the health of the elderly for thousands of years, and provide children with education, firewood, rice, oil, salt and grain. Old man, Don’t you understand? People who treat money like dirt are either extremely powerful or very rich. I think you, old man, are either a high official or a big businessman."
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became interested.
This guy talks in a series of ways, like that.
"oh?"
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Then what kind of person do you think we are?"
The words fell.
Erhu on the side took a breath,
Can't help but get nervous
(End of chapter)
