Bao Zhao was scolded.
The dignified Chief Secretary of the Criminal Department was scolded by an old man!
But he didn't dare to talk back, so he endured the scolding for a long time.
The old man hadn't scolded someone so heartily for a long time, so he had no intention of stopping for a while.
"Hmph, looking at your attitude, you must be from a wealthy family, right?"
The old man glanced at the two guards beside Bao Zhao, and his expression became even more ugly.
"You dignitaries are not afraid of the cold. You have money to buy charcoal anyway!"
"But what about us ordinary people? A load of charcoal costs six hundred coins, and it won't last a few days. Can we afford it?"
Bao Zhao's expression froze when he heard this.
"After winter, not only the price of charcoal has skyrocketed, but also the price of firewood has continued to rise. We ordinary people are really unable to bear it!"
The white-haired old man sighed.
"Why do you think this anthracite coal is so popular and so many people are lining up to buy it?"
"Why?" Bao Zhao asked subconsciously.
"Because this anthracite is cheap and resistant to burning!"
The old man explained very honestly: "For ordinary people like us, cheap and durable is the best."
"If this anthracite is as resistant to burning as they say, we won't have to suffer from hunger and cold this winter. I don't know how many people will be saved!"
"Prince Yan's Mansion is righteous!"
Upon hearing this, Baozhao's face turned blue and white.
Now it is no longer a question of whether the anthracite is good or not, but the hearts of the entire Peking people have completely fallen in favor of King Yan Zhu Di!
This is not a good thing!
"I dare to ask my husband, have people really frozen to death in the past?"
"Haha!" The old man sneered, "No? Why not? How can anyone not freeze to death in this freezing cold weather?"
"Last year there was no anthracite, we couldn't afford charcoal, and we couldn't buy firewood. Several people froze to death in Lao Wang's house next door to me. It was really miserable. There was also a half-year-old child who froze to death at home. I don’t know whether he froze to death or starved to death!”
As soon as these words came out, Bao Zhao was stunned.
Frozen to death and starved to death!
And there are children in here!
how so?
Wasn’t the Ming Dynasty a time of peace and prosperity?
Why do such human tragedies occur?
And those local officials have never reported it?
"Old man, why don't you ask the government for help?"
Bao Zhao asked what he was most concerned about. Since the people couldn't survive the cold winter, why didn't they ask the government for help?
However, something he didn't expect happened.
When the white-haired old man heard his question, it seemed as if he had heard a big joke. He laughed so much that he even burst into tears.
"Hahaha……"
"Ask the government for help?"
"You really dare to think and speak!"
"Who do you think you are, and why do those gentlemen ignore you?"
"Every cold winter is the most difficult for us ordinary people. We only have so little money in total. If we buy firewood and charcoal fires to keep warm, we have no money to buy food. If we buy food to fill our stomachs, we have no money to buy firewood and charcoal fires. We just Who cares whether we live or die if we can starve and freeze?"
"If Prince Yan hadn't been so righteous this year and sold us this anthracite coal at a fair price, I don't know how many people would have died of freezing and starvation!"
The white-haired old man walked away with a sigh, leaving Bao Zhao alone in a daze.
Baozhao's expression was extremely ugly, and he was even a little unsteady on his feet.
Every word the white-haired old man said just now was like a sharp blade piercing his heart!
He is Kou Baozhao, the chief minister of the Ministry of Punishment!
That loyal and pure minister who wholeheartedly serves the country and the people!
But in the eyes of the common people, what have these dignitaries done?
Nothing was done, and the people were allowed to starve and freeze in the cold winter, and they were allowed to struggle to survive in the ice and snow!
But no one knows!
From the new emperor Zhu Yunwen to the clerks in the court, everyone is immersed in that false peaceful and prosperous age, and they are still complacent and complacent about it!
How ridiculous!
Wasn't he one of these people once upon a time?
But this white-haired old man directly tore open the fig leaf of this so-called prosperous age, allowing him to see with his own eyes the difficult life of ordinary people!
Some people froze to death because they had no clothes to keep out the cold, no charcoal or firewood for heating, and no food to eat.
There are old people, women, and even children here!
But what is the new emperor Zhu Yunwen doing?
What is his scholarly court doing now?
I'm afraid that His Majesty the Emperor, who seems to love the people like a son, is currently hiding in the warm Nuan Pavilion with Qi Huangfang and other close ministers, giving advice and plotting to cut down the vassal!
Bao Zhao knows the new emperor Zhu Yunwen too well!
So much so that he is a little desperate now!
The King of Yan, Zhu Di, was a man of great talent and strategy, and he regarded the people as his own children!
But the new emperor Zhu Yunwen was indecisive, still immersed in the false prosperous age weaved for him by the Jiangnan gentry, and he still didn't realize it!
Oh my God!
Was Emperor Taizu Gao's choice really wrong?
Bao Zhao was in a daze and kept mumbling to himself.
“What the people want!”
“What the people want!”
"No, we must stop the emperor!"
"He really can't make any more mistakes!"
Bao Zhao woke up suddenly and rushed back to the inn, finding paper and pen to write down the matter.
He did not use any fancy words, but wrote down everything he saw and heard today, as well as his conversation with the white-haired old man.
He hoped that His Majesty the Emperor would repent and reflect in time after seeing the difficult life of the people at the bottom, and help the people of the world get through this cold winter!
He hoped that the new emperor Zhu Yunwen could truly love the people like a son!
Suddenly, Bao Zhao thought of Su Yang again.
Among Zhu Di and Zhu Yunzhen, Su Yang is obviously more inclined to Zhu Di.
Even if he doesn't know that Zhu Di is his father-in-law, Su Yang is confident that Zhu Di will be more suitable for that position than Zhu Yunwen!
why is that?
Is this anthracite related to Su Yang?
Is it possible that this kid Su Yang really made up his mind to support King Zhu Di of Yan to rebel?
When he thought of this, Bao Zhao suddenly became confused.
He knows Su Yang's abilities very well. It's not an exaggeration to call him a "peerless genius"!
If Su Yang really chooses to assist King Zhu Di of Yan, how should he deal with his sudden exposure?
Bao Zhao recalled the second bet that Su Yang made with him, and his expression suddenly became serious.
With the help of this anthracite, the Prince of Yan's Mansion won the hearts of the people in Beiping.
Then they are afraid that they may really open a warehouse to release grain, and completely raise the reputation of King Yan Zhu Di to a whole new level!
The court doesn't care, but the Yan Palace has always been kind to the people. Comparing these two things, what will the people think and what will the people think?
I'm afraid that by that time, the whole of Peiping will only recognize King Yan Zhu Di!
And he suddenly lost not only again, but also completely!
Because the new emperor Zhu Yunwen to whom he is loyal will completely lose the hearts of the people of Beiping!
It wasn't just him who was defeated!
And the new emperor Zhu Yunwen who is dominating the world!
