"The weather is indeed much colder now!"
Zhu Di tightened his robe and suddenly said.
He has been having fits and starts lately and has stopped running around naked because it is really cold!
Monk Dao Yan and Zhu Gaochi nodded, almost wrapping themselves into rice dumplings.
"you do not say!"
“The weather is getting colder and colder, and the price of charcoal is getting more and more expensive!”
Zhu Gaochi sniffed and vomited: "Charcoal used to cost only thirty cents per load, but now it has skyrocketed to six hundred cents per load!"
As the eldest son of Prince Yan's palace, Zhu Gaochi manages all matters in the palace, so he is also very aware of the skyrocketing price of charcoal.
"What?" Zhu Di was shocked, his face looking very ugly.
"Six hundred coins per load? This is a full twenty times increase! How can ordinary people afford it?"
Monk Dao Yan sighed and said faintly: "We can't afford it at all!"
"In other words, this charcoal was never meant for ordinary people from the beginning, and they don't have the capital to use it!"
Hearing Monk Daoyan's naked words, Zhu Di let out a long sigh.
He is not a treacherous person. On the contrary, Zhu Di is very similar to his father Zhu Yuanzhang, both of whom are eager to benefit the people of Li.
Previously, Zhu Di didn't know, or didn't care at all, and was only thinking about fighting for the throne.
Now that Zhu Di knew it, he felt indescribably uncomfortable and depressed to the extreme.
The three of them were lightly dressed in plain clothes, but they did not attract anyone's attention.
Soon after arriving in front of a charcoal shop, Zhu Di suddenly stopped and walked straight in.
Seeing this situation, although Monk Dao Yan and Zhu Gaochi didn't quite understand it, they followed in honestly.
"Shopkeeper, what kind of charcoal do you have at home, and how do you sell it?"
"My guest, what kind of charcoal do you need?"
When business comes to the door, the shopkeeper naturally smiles and asks politely.
Zhu Di glanced at the charcoal and couldn't figure out the reason. He simply said directly: "I think your charcoal is quite complete. Let's talk about it. What is the specific price?"
"Your Majesty, you really have a good eye. The charcoal in our store is the most complete in the entire city of Beiping, whether it is ordinary offal charcoal, fine silver bone charcoal, or ordinary black charcoal, white charcoal, long-lasting charcoal, etc. , are all sold in our store, and even the top-grade Hongluo charcoal, which is specially used in the inner court, is available.”
Red Luo Tan?
Zhu Di looked at a place where red charcoal was placed.
Well, Prince Yan's Mansion used to use this kind of top-grade charcoal.
The shopkeeper first complimented Zhu Di, and then began to introduce the various charcoals in his shop.
In fact, these charcoals are divided into many varieties because of the different logs and materials they are made from.
"For example, this 'Silver Bone Charcoal' comes from the Xishan Kiln. The charcoal is frosty, smokeless, refractory to flames, not easy to extinguish, and is pure white without black spots, so it is named 'Silver Bone Charcoal'. It is most used by dignitaries, and of course it sells for It’s not cheap either, a load of silver bone charcoal costs nine hundred coins!”
Silver bone charcoal, nine hundred articles!
Hearing this price, Zhu Di's heart felt as if it was tightly clenched by a big hand, making him breathless.
After a long silence, Zhu Di pointed at Hongluo Tan again.
"What about this Hong Luo Tan?"
When the store manager saw someone asking about Hong Luotan, the smile on his face became brighter.
"My guest, you have such good taste!"
"This red charcoal is a royal charcoal, specially used by the palace."
"Hongluo charcoal is jet black and shiny, has long-lasting burning, is resistant to burning, has strong firepower, is smokeless and odorless, gray and does not explode. Not only does it have less smoke, but it also produces a slight aroma when burning. It can be called a real masterpiece of charcoal. The price is naturally the most expensive, costing two taels of silver per load!"
Zhu Di was completely shocked when he heard this terrifying emperor price, and then he covered his little heart with some distress!
Two taels of silver per load?
So how much money did Prince Yan's Mansion spend before?
And with such an expensive price, how can ordinary people afford it?
The store manager was still introducing the charcoal in the store, but Zhu Di became more and more frightened and his face became uglier as he listened.
There are no less than ten kinds of charcoal in the whole store, but the cheapest offal charcoal costs 600 silver per load, and the most expensive red charcoal costs 20 taels per load!
Six hundred coins per load!
How can ordinary people afford it?
Even if they could afford it, they probably wouldn’t buy it!
Zhu Di suppressed the anger in his heart and turned around to leave. He was afraid that if he continued to listen, he would smash this profiteer's shop.
The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. Why did he suddenly run away after seeing this so well?
As soon as Zhu Di walked out of the store, he breathed some fresh air and gradually calmed down.
Monk Dao Yan and Zhu Gaochi were following him, not daring to speak at all.
The three of them continued walking forward, but Zhu Di quickly stopped again.
I saw a large number of refugees gathering in the corners of the streets and alleys.
They were wearing thin clothes and unkempt hair, shivering in the biting cold wind, and their eyes revealed the hope of survival.
Zhu Di looked gloomy and asked in a low voice: "Why are there so many refugees in Peiping?"
"Your Majesty, this has been a phenomenon for many years." Monk Dao Yan said in a deep voice.
"Every winter comes, and the weather is freezing and the ground is extremely cold. Just like in previous years, when winter comes, many people who cannot survive will become refugees, and people who are closer to Peiping will flock to Peiping."
"Beiping is, after all, a giant town in Youyan. It has a large population and is a place where powerful people gather. When refugees come here, it is much easier to beg, find a job, buy coolies, etc. than in other places. I can always find something to eat to survive this winter.
"As long as they survive this cold winter and wait until next spring, when the weather warms up and everything recovers, the most difficult winter will be over, and these refugees will naturally return to where they came from, pick up their hoes again, and work in Work hard in the fields."
"Of course, during this process, countless refugees and civilians froze to death and starved to death, and some even fell directly into the ice and snow, leaving their bodies exposed in the wilderness!"
Zhu Di suddenly turned his head, his eyes turning blood red.
"Why?"
"Why is this happening?"
"Don't the imperial court think of ways to help them?"
Monk Daoyan looked directly into Zhu Di's cold eyes without giving in at all.
"Have you forgotten what Young Master Su Yang said?"
"In the eyes of those dignitaries and emperors, it is completely normal for people to freeze to death in winter. It is like this every winter, it has been like this in all dynasties, and it has been like this throughout the ages!"
"If that's the case, then why are they still messing around? Anyway, the emperor has red charcoal to use, and the dignitaries have silver bone charcoal to burn. They are not afraid of the cold and will not be cold at all!"
"My lord, have you seen those homeless beggars on the street? They were once kind people, but they became homeless because they couldn't survive the cold weather. They were shivering in the biting cold wind, and their hands were frozen. It’s chapped and festering, but even so, they are still trying their best to survive!”
"At this time, what is the Ming Emperor doing? What are the Ming officials doing? They are hiding in the charcoal-burning pavilion, drinking and composing poems, having fun, and they will never look down at these homeless beggars, because it would be dirty. out of their eyes!"
"Your Highness King Yan, have you seen it?"
