On New Year's Eve in the 14th year of Wanli, the Forbidden City was decorated with lanterns and colorful lights, and the whole world celebrated the New Year. In the shack of the victims in Mayi County, Tian Wenshan was on his deathbed.
Before he died, his eyes were wide open, staring at his son Tian Baoyong, but he was speechless. The haggard Sister-in-law Tian said with red eyes: "Master, you can go in peace, Baoyong will not sell the place." After hearing this, Tian Wenshan took his last breath.
The destitute Tian family widow was finally able to cry loudly. Previously, Sister Tian had been holding back because she was afraid that her tears would fall on Tian Wenshan and make him feel uneasy underground. At this moment, these tears finally flowed freely like floods bursting from the dam.
Several fellow villagers who fled the famine together and Tian Wenshan's workers came over to help the Tian family prepare for the funeral. Since there was not enough white cloth, several families who came to help pooled their efforts together and made several filial piety hats and filial piety clothes. Tian Wenshan's package was not available, so Sister-in-law Tian could only find a starched one among the piles of patched clothes and put it on for the head of the household.
These can be done quickly, but the cost of coffins exceeds the affordability of the victims. Sister-in-law Tian said that the head of the family has been tired all his life, and when he dies, he doesn't even have a coffin. How can he be wrapped in a straw mat and eaten by insects and rats? There are some boards left in the house in my hometown, but water from afar cannot quench my thirst nearby. For the current plan, Tian Wenshan can only be cremated and taken back in the spring to be buried and sent away.
Tian Baoyong, who is over 12 years old, has grown up a lot during this time, and he listened to Sister Tian's arrangements. He gritted his teeth and said, "Yesterday I made an agreement with Shopkeeper Sun, who sells coal in the east of the city, to borrow his cart. I want to take dad back to deliver it. Dad told me the day before yesterday that he was afraid of being cremated and wanted to be buried in his ancestor's tomb."
Sister-in-law Tian was a little confused at this moment. When she heard this, she looked at the people who came to help with questioning eyes. Fang Erli from the same village nodded and said: "Sister-in-law, the child is right, I will go back with you. I can still make a few pancakes at home, so we two can eat them for three to five days without starving to death. After I go back, I will also Brother, I can nail a coffin for burial."
The few people who came to help saw Tian Baoyong's filial piety and Fang Erli's enthusiasm. After being infected, they all said that they could provide some dry food so that the two of them could go back to the funeral. Sister-in-law Tian was trembling and kowtowed to everyone, and Tian Baoyong also kowtowed and cried in thanks.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year in the 14th year of Wanli, the entire Shanxi Province was wrapped in heavy snow. After two years of severe drought, God finally showed His mercy. However, Tian Wenshan could no longer see all this. His body was lying on the cart that was swaying here and there, being pulled to the final destination of his miserable life.
The snowflakes were like white copper coins, covering his straw mat, his filial son, and his enthusiastic neighbors under the torn cotton-wadding sky.
...
In the spring of the 14th year of Wanli, Shanxi Province organized disaster victims to return to their hometowns. The victims, who had been forced to die on porridge for nearly a year, received grain seeds distributed by the court, subsidized farm tools, and land deeds saved with their lives, and returned to the land where they lived and died to continue farming.
Although the imperial court was relatively effective in providing disaster relief, annexations still inevitably occurred. A report submitted by the Chief Secretary of Shanxi Province shows that nearly 15% of the land ownership of farmers has been transferred because Shanxi was affected by the disaster for so long.
The emperor's will is powerless in the face of this situation - unless, like in later China, the land is owned by the state or collectively. After Zhu Yijun read the memorial, he frowned and thought for a long time.
The mergers and acquisitions caused by the bankruptcy of farmers and their families are the first driving force of the periodic law of dynasty. Can industrialization alone resolve it?
Although China in later generations produced industrial products that supplied the whole world, and its industrial population exceeded the total of all industrial countries in mankind at that time - when he traveled through time, nearly half of the population was still tied to the land. The collective ownership of land and the household registration system ensure that these people have enough food and clothing, and food security is guaranteed at the same time.
The so-called breadbasket of North America, intensive farming, comes at the cost of the extinction of all indigenous peoples. At this time, should the Ming Dynasty use this in exchange for endless land for future generations, or should it take a new path? Zhu Yijun now has no answer.
Capital always pursues high productivity, and the industrialization process has no end. One day, it will be possible to supply the world market with an industrial population of tens of millions. By then, how will billions of people make a living?
Zhu Yijun's soul wandered for a long time, and he wrote the word "annexation" on a piece of paper, and asked Wei Chao, who was waiting at the side, to stick it on the Kang screen. The Suzhou embroidery screen was almost covered with small notes - the words "Ten thousand years is too long, seize the day" were almost invisible.
Wei Chao studied the kang screen for a long time before finding a corner to complete the task assigned by the emperor. Since the sixth year of Longqing, fifteen years since the emperor ascended the throne, this Kang screen has been in use. Some of the small notes on it have been changed from "Ten Major Disadvantages" to "Reform", and some have been changed from "Clan" to "Enferment", but a few notes have never changed - such as "Education", "Agriculture" and "Gewu".
In the Dongnuan Pavilion of Yangxin Hall, you can hear the needle dropping, and the only sound is the turning of paper. On the left hand side of the imperial case, there are more than twenty boxes neatly stacked. These are the "Silver Seal Direct Records" of important ministers, which need to be opened by the emperor himself for reading and review. On the right hand side of the imperial case, there are piles of "abbreviations" placed in different categories. These are various documents submitted by the cabinet and attendants' rooms that need to be reviewed by the emperor. On the desk is a memorial that the emperor wants to read in person - unless the emperor is on tour or sick, he must spend eight hours here every day.
Such a diligent emperor can only be compared to the Taizu of this dynasty. When Mr. Zhang was alive, although state affairs were very complicated, the emperor could handle them for one or two hours a day. After Zhang Juzheng's death, the number of cabinet members doubled, but the emperor became even more tired.
Wei Chao lowered his head and stared at Zhu Yijun's every move from the corner of his eye. This action is a compulsory lesson for the emperor's ministers, and the sequelae is that they are used to looking at people like this and have a sly look on them. While looking at the emperor, he was wandering in his mind, secretly criticizing Zhang Siwei's incompetence.
As the most favored eunuch around the emperor, the Wei Dynasty held an extremely important position in the political map of the Ming Dynasty. It was absolutely impossible for Zhang Siwei to ignore the management of the relationship between the two, but these so-called "management" were meaningless.
Although the Wei Dynasty was young, he had experienced many things. For example, he participated in the whole process of the emperor's manipulation of Feng Bao. In the end, Feng Bao committed suicide when Zhang Juzheng was dying, and it was he who single-handedly arranged it.
Because of this, the Wei Dynasty had a thorough understanding of how to be a good servant of the emperor in these years, which is "selflessness". As the conveyor of the emperor's will, he does not need to make his own judgment; as the emperor's most favored servant, he does not need to do anything for his own benefit; his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc., do not belong to him , and belongs to the emperor - then he will forever retain the emperor's trust and his own wealth.
Every minister who was summoned could not get any information from the Wei Dynasty - including the emperor's happiness and anger, the reason for the summons, and even the candidates who were summoned at the same time. When asked these questions, the Wei Dynasty always had a sinking face. : "This slave doesn't know."
Only when facing Zhu Yijun's family members such as the queen mother, empress, prince and princess, Wei Chao would talk more. At this time, he would also use his expressions to convey information: if Zhu Yijun was happy, Wei Chao would look lighter when facing the people in the harem, with a smile on his face; if Zhu Yijun was serious, Wei Chao would also pull his face.
Nowadays, the great officials in the palace, such as Zhang Jing, Zhang Cheng, Chen Ju, etc., and the cabinet ministers outside the palace, including Zhang Siwei, no longer dare to be disrespectful in the face of the Wei Dynasty. It is said that the Wei Dynasty never expressed his opinions in front of the emperor, but this was the only thing that was scary: if the Wei Dynasty wanted to put people to death, Zhu Yijun could not ignore anything he said.
Although Zhu Yijun has developed the habit of serving Wei Chao by his side, he sometimes gives Wei Chao a period of leave to relax and release his psychological pressure. The holidays of the Wei Dynasty were more mysterious than that of any important minister in the court: no one could find him during his holidays, and no one knew what he was doing.
When he ends his vacation and stands next to Zhu Yijun again, he will always look like this: his face is as dark as water and he is silent.
Zhu Yijun reviewed some memorials, unlocked the key to the silver medals from his waist, and opened them one by one to read. When he saw the straight performance of Liang Wenmeng, the governor of Shanxi, Wei Chao saw the emperor's brows frowning again from the corner of his eye. He took a quick breath and tightened the muscles in his back.
Sure enough, he listened to the emperor's instructions: "Go to the Political Affairs Hall and ask Mr. Fengpan to come and see you."
Wei Chao seemed to have been waiting for the emperor's orders, without any hesitation: "Yes, Your Majesty."
