It is best not to get involved in this matter. No one can prove that Chen Biqian is an innocent and upright official. Once Dongchang and Jinyiwei make the confiscated property public, it is easy to deal with the relatively low amount. The second "Huangdou Gong".
The "Da Ming Code" stipulates that officials who are greedy for ink will be stripped of their skins. This is a rule set by Emperor Taizu. Even the most cunning ministers like Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang were not able to escape unscathed...
Chen Biqian dared to go against the prince at the court meeting. If the young prince caught him, wouldn't he be punished to death?
Chen Biqian had no title of nobility, nor was he related to any relatives. Based on his identity as Donglin, these ministers were not optimistic about his ability to make a comeback.
"Where is Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong?"
Let's start today's meeting with what happened yesterday. Yaoji suddenly remembered it yesterday when he was pedaling on Jingshan Mountain.
"I'm here!"
Yan Jizu was named first, and his heart skipped a beat. Logically speaking, he should talk about Chen Biqian. When he was brought out by the prince, he suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart. Could it be that the prince regretted it later? Shouldn't he be imprisoned again so soon? It's a blessing, not a curse. It's a curse that cannot be avoided. Now that we are standing in the main hall, it is too late to shrink back.
Yao Ji slowly told what he felt: "After retreating from the court yesterday afternoon, I went to Meishan to relax. I accidentally remembered that Aiqing mentioned the locust plague at the court meeting. I was very puzzled. Since the locusts are harmful, Crops are everywhere they pass. Crops are gone. Why don’t local officials in Shandong organize people to cull locusts? Furthermore, locusts are also food, at least they are much better than eating grass roots and tree bark, right?”
You losers, apart from asking me for money, what else can you do?
The river bursts its banks and asks for money!
The fields are dry and need money!
Even the locust army came and asked me for money!
It makes you angry when you think about it, so you just stare at the locusts eating up all the crops?
As soon as he heard that this was the matter and that he was not going to be recaptured, Yan Jizu couldn't help but feel reassured. He quickly organized his words and then explained: "Your Highness, I know a little bit about this matter. First, locusts Insect eggs hatch after a severe drought, and there are often trillions of them in an instant. With such a staggering number, it is extremely difficult for the people to kill them. Secondly, locusts are migratory locusts, coming from the sky and leaving from the sky. Even if they are found in advance, Knowing the news from other places, they are often caught off guard when faced with the approaching army of locusts. Thirdly, there are still many people among the people who believe that locusts are divine insects that come with the power of God. If the people intentionally offend, they will They received severe retribution. Fourthly, even if some people dared to eat locusts, there were rumors that they died from eating locusts or suffering from abdominal distension. Fifthly, the word "locust" and "emperor" have the same pronunciation..."
At the end of the sentence, Yan Jizu deliberately left half a sentence, and the meaning was very clear. I think the prince and the ministers should all understand.
"Ai Qing means that eating locusts means eating the emperor?"
Yao Ji made it clear. Anyway, eating bugs is not a big deal. Besides, the person who matters is still lying in the Qianqing Palace.
"Wei Chen is guilty!"
Yan Jizu didn't dare to argue with him anymore. If he made a mistake, he would end up like Chen Biqian, and the best thing would be to be dismissed from his job.
"To take things out of context and chew words is really the most ridiculous thing in the world! May I ask you dear friends, who has never eaten ginseng? According to them, eating ginseng is eating people?"
Every dynasty has certain taboos. For example, the names of common people cannot have the same pronunciation as the emperor's name, let alone the same character. Then there are the dynasty titles and the emperor's preferences. All contents that are classified as restricted areas are not allowed to be used by the common people.
However, when it comes to the issue of locusts, the emperors of the past dynasties have generally been relatively open-minded about the matter. It is said that when Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was still experiencing a locust plague, he tasted a few locusts in person, and while eating, he questioned what was in his mouth, why should he eat it? Competing with Min for food?
When asked by the prince, all the ministers remained silent, waiting for the prince's next words, so as not to help others ask for directions. Everyone was indifferent and had obviously learned the lessons from yesterday. It was not a joke when the prince asked about the dinner menu. For play……
Seeing that no one continued, Yaoji also made a guess in his mind and said calmly: "The next three points Yan Aiqing said are fallacies spread by false rumors. Their purpose is to spread rumors and make the victims lose their confidence in fighting the disaster and saving themselves." , causing them to be used by rebels with ulterior motives. As long as the imperial court orders locusts to be suppressed in various places, the false rumors will be crushed to pieces! As for the first and second items, I also have countermeasures. First, when the neighboring counties learn about After the locust plague, the people must be ordered to harvest the crops in advance. Although there will be losses, it is better than the grains that have been raised with so much hard work are all fed with insects. Secondly, the stalks of the crops after harvesting are ignited to form an insect-proof isolation zone, and the crops are harvested with fire and Thick smoke blocks the locusts' attack route. Third, every household must take action. Anyone who can still walk must go to the fields to catch locusts. I have returned from the fairy world and have obtained the power of this insect. Secret. This insect is rich in nutrients. The nutrients in five locusts are equivalent to one egg. Poor people cannot afford eggs, so how can they afford roasted locusts for free? As for eating locusts and dying of abdominal distension... Hahahaha! He must have eaten too much and was exhausted!"
Yaoji had eaten this thing when he was a child. When roasted, it is not unpalatable, but the appearance is very confusing. The only shortcoming of roasted locusts is this. There is no toxin in this thing. If it does, That means the place has been drugged.
For the victims, it is a rare delicacy. At this time, the locusts eat all natural and pollution-free crops. Of course, they taste delicious. If the craftsmanship is good, the aroma of animal protein can be roasted.
This is not Hu Zouhai. Although both locusts and eggs are rich in protein, the taste experience of roasting insects is definitely different from eating eggs. When chewed, this thing has an extremely delicious smell.
Yao Ji once ate a particularly fat locust in the wild. The extremely special aroma was unforgettable when he recalled it a few years later because it was so fragrant that it far surpassed home-cooked ingredients.
Of course, it can’t compare to the man who stands at the top of the food chain - Mr. Pei. Mr. Pei eats raw things, such as plump and juicy caterpillars...
The ministers were all stunned by the prince's remarks. The dignified prince actually called on the common people to go to the fields to catch locusts and roast them for eating. This shocked them inestimably.
There is also the saying that "the nutrition in the body of five locusts is equivalent to one egg". Is this really a secret obtained from the fairy world? No matter how you think about it, it’s unreliable!
That extremely disgusting appearance, with thousands of little things crawling around on the rice leaves, just thinking about it, made everyone feel extremely disgusted, and they also had goosebumps all over their bodies, as if locusts had crawled on their backs superior……
Eating something? How can it be? A real man would rather eat grass roots than eat such ugly insects!
The good news for everyone is that you can save dinner. Once you hear about roasted locusts, you may lose your appetite.
Yan Jizu thought for a long time and was doubtful about what the prince said, but he thought that most of these things would fall on him. If it was like this next year, he would probably find his place in the prison again. He might as well give it a try this year, so he kept an open mind. I asked for advice: "Your Highness, locusts come and go so fast that human beings cannot catch them. I don't know how to catch these locusts?"
Since the prince has obtained the secret about this insect from the fairy world, he must already know how to catch the insect, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't be so calm and composed.
As a governor of Yiyu, Yan Jizu had naturally seen locusts, and even caught them when he was a child. These things are extremely difficult to catch with your hands.
If you were an ordinary person, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of locusts would appear in your own land overnight. Even if your whole family went out, how many could you catch with your hands?
"Enter the court and get my magic weapon!"
Now that this matter has been mentioned, of course Yao Ji must be fully prepared. Besides, for a master insect catcher, a line of words floated in the sky - catching locusts is simply not a problem!
Yang Jinchao understood immediately and thought: So this is what this thing is for!
The dignified eunuch of the East Palace took a super magic weapon, which is the legendary dragonfly net!
The ministers only saw a wooden stick in Yang Jinchao's hand, with a round-mouthed cloth bag tied to the top. Could it be that this was a sharp weapon for catching locusts? Isn't it just plain ugly? Do the gods in the fairy world use this thing to catch locusts? How could it be possible?
Not to mention a group of petrified ministers, even the queen's beautiful mother was confused. Is her brother Xang talking too much?
Yao Ji took his "magic weapon", poked the head of the stick on the ground, stood up confidently, and looked as if he was about to surprise everyone with his skills. Facing a group of stupid courtiers, he asked with a smile: "My dear friends, I bet you You probably caught dragonflies when you were a child, right? I wonder which dragonflies are easier to catch? Or are locusts easier to catch? Xue Aiqing? "
That is to say, my body is not strong enough and I can only carry "light weapons". Otherwise, if I install a big pole two or three meters long, let alone locusts, it is the legendary "big blue sky" that is the most difficult to catch. I will give you one Get the net!
Yaoji asked the little eunuchs around him, and they all said that the method used by friends from all over the world to catch insects is to use slapping, which is to use rags or branches to catch grasshoppers...
There is a net pocket, but the most important part of this weapon is the metal ring of the net port. With this thing, the net port can be fixed. It is much stronger than the one made of wicker. It is really powerful to pick up a dragonfly.
In the Ming Dynasty, iron smelting technology had become very popular, and the output was huge. However, if poor people wanted to make a few iron hoops and net bags for their children, they were undoubtedly luxury toys.
When Yaoji was a child, few of his friends had high-end net bags (gauze nets, iron hoops, long wooden poles). Such things cost three to five yuan each at the morning market. You can imagine how rare they were in the Ming Dynasty.
