As the Pingjiang officials sat in their seats, they couldn’t help but feel that something was out of place. Just why was the feeling so different? They sat sideways with buttocks gingerly touching the chair, as if thorns had suddenly grown on the chair underneath them. The small officials in Pingjiang were practically all locals. These officials were not taken seriously——it was never their turn when it came to accepting money and neither when it came to important political affairs. But it was these small officials who made up the bones and veins of Pingjiang politics.

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In the past, when Pingjiang was still in the hands of the imperial court, they were barely even able to see the sub-prefect in a year, let alone the senior provincial official.

Now, in front of Lin Yuan, aside from nervousness, they all felt an uncontrollable excitement. Although this was the first time they had seen Lin Yuan face to face, they also knew that Lin Yuan was a person who valued ​​people who carried out practical things.

After all, although Lin Yuan’s person might not be here personally, they were still evaluated every month, and those who got excellent marks were able to be promoted. Although it was only a small promotion, for these officials, promotion was never something that they could get a turn at before. Now that they had changed to a different master, promotion was no longer an unattainable goal. So why wouldn’t they feel extremely excited?

“Lord Zheng, it is your turn?” The official who had just sat down said with a smile at Lord Zheng who was sitting next to him.

Lord Zheng stood up. Although he was lazy, his appearance still presented a good bluff. He was a handsome middle-aged man in his forties with a fine beard. Although there were wrinkles on his face, one could vaguely see that he must have been quite the handsome one when he was young. He stood up, tall and straight with a smile at the corners of his lips, to speak of what he had done recently, how he had done it, and what problems he had encountered.

Speaking was also a skill, and if one had shallow speaking skills, then one could only explain things dryly as if reading off a list.

Those with deep speaking skills, such as Lord Zheng, though he clearly didn’t do much, could cause people to feel that he was busy all day when he spoke of his daily work experiences.

Lin Yuan listened to his eloquent speech, and with some difficulty finally managed to understand what he did.

Lord Zheng was in charge of the household registration. In fact, his duty involved reorganizing Pingjiang’s household registration system and integrating the refugees from other places into the common people of Pingjiang. The newly registered people did not have to pay taxes for the first year. It seemed that this was not too difficult a task, but in fact, there were many trivial details involved.

But the problem was that this Lord Zheng…..just assigned tasks to others while he himself only managed the registration of refugees, a job that he performed mediocrely.

Lin Yuan looked at this Lord Zheng. Just by looking at his appearance, everyone would think Lord Zheng was a gentleman. And since he was a gentleman, he must be a man of outstanding ability, noble temperament, and worthy of respect. He said, “Lord Zheng has worked hard, have seat.”

In the presence of so many people, face must still be given, after all people need to keep up appearances at times.

But he still intended to understand the situation clearly and figure out whether this Lord Zheng was just lazy, or was indeed a useless straw bag.

If he was a straw bag, then he couldn’t use him. Being an official was different from other careers. In some other careers, one could do a good job with a little effort as a straw bag, but that was not the case with being an official. No matter how hard one worked, so long as the person was a straw bag then he wouldn’t be able to do anything well and be easily swayed by others. This person might seem like an honest fellow, but in fact he was just stupid and poisonous.

This meeting lasted all morning, with several trips to the public restrooms in the middle. The officials attached great importance to this first meeting with Lin Yuan. Even if they did not understand what he said, they still had to listen attentively, with a smile on their faces or a serious expression and upright sitting posture. Like this, they  did manage to give the appearance that they possessed a strength of character.

Lin Yuan was hungry, and all that needed to be asked was asked. After midday, the meeting ended, though Lin Yuan invited them to stay for lunch.

“I won’t be having the meal with you all.” Lin Yuan smiled, “so as not to cause discomfort.”

Everyone hurriedly stood up and refuted this.

Lin Yuan: “No need to be polite with me, please, at your convenience.”

The servants came in from outside the door and led the officials out. Naturally, the meal was not to be had here.

The fashionably late Song Shizhao walked around from the yard at this time and ate with Lin Yuan. Lin Yuan was not particular about eating, being able to fill his stomach as soon as possible was enough for him, but the cooks gave a lot of thought to meal preparation.

Since they knew that Lin Yuan did not like fancy dishes, they went to the effort to disguise the rare and precious ingredients as ordinary food.

Lin Yuan did not pay much mind to such things, eating whatever was served. Though he did feel that it tasted better than the food he ate in the modern time. Maybe it was because there were no additives in ancient times.

But logically speaking….additives made food more tasty and fragrant.

“That Zheng Qingfeng is interesting.” Lin Yuan said to Song Shizhao while eating, “Looks like a gentleman.”

Song Shizhao almost broke his teeth from gritting it so hard——he was just a few days late, the result being a group of shameless demons having squeezed into Lin Yuan’s line of sight. And Lin Yuan even remembered them. This truly vexed him deeply.

“This official also knows about him.” Song Shizhao pasted a smile on his face, “I heard that he had a virtuous reputation since young, as a young man he was very handsome. I heard that he was involved in a matter with the opposite sex.”

Lin Yuan was a little curious: “Oh?”

Ancient women were concerned about reputation, but it seemed there were actually such a matter involving the opposite sex?

Song Shizhao said: “That Zheng Qingfeng came from a family of officials. Although they only held minor positions, the family teachings were righteous and upright. The only negative thing was that they had too much sense of propriety.”

This was Song Shizhao subtly disparaging the other, basically saying that the entire family was as timid as a mouse.

He also said: “That Zheng Qingfeng was different from others since he was a child. He had an unyielding temperament and hated injustice, which won him a lot of fame. And add to the fact that he possessed a handsome face, when he reached marriageable age, the matchmakers practically trampled flat the threshold of his family house. And this isn’t an exaggeration, it was indeed trampled flat.”

“He…..but he’s a man…..” Lin Yuan was taken aback.

Song Shizhao smiled: “I heard that when he was young, his face was as flawless as jade, appearance handsome and valiant. Although it was difficult for young men and women to see each other, they were not really locked up at home as if they were in jail. Either visiting temples or attending gatherings, there is always a chance to meet up. At that time, there were several daughters from different families who would cry and make a fuss. Although they only saw him once, they all insisted on only marrying him.”

Song Shizhao also said: “Of course, those who dared to say this must definitely be spoiled at home. If they insisted on being stubborn, naturally it caused headaches for their parents who would eventually succumb in the end. That Zheng Qingfeng was from a modest family but too many wanted to marry him——even as concubines they were willing, but with his lack of wealth he couldn’t support so many people.”

“So those women said that even if they were to become his concubines, they would still bring their dowry and didn’t need a betrothal gift.”

Lin Yuan asked curiously: “What then? How many did he marry in the end?”

Song Shizhao shook his head: “He only married one, his natal cousin. After marriage, he became more steady and eventually became like this. Doing less or nothing if he could help it. Don’t hope for success, and instead hope for no mistakes.”

“If he appeared on the street in the past, even if it was an unmarried young lady still in the boudoir, they would all go out onto the streets to see him, practically blocking up the roads. Some people said that it was a good thing Zheng Qingfeng had strong health. Otherwise, in such circumstances he might become a second Wei Jie.” Song Shizhao sighed. (TN: Wei Jie=an extremely good-looking youth in the Jin Dynasty who attracted many admirers. People were so eager to look at him they gathered together and blocked the streets he passed by. According to legend, people’s craze for Wei Jie led to his tragedy. Since Wei Jie had been weak in health since birth, after being watched for several days, he became sick and died later. People described his death as “Wei Jie was watched to death”).

Lin Yuan smirked: “Mister is envious.”

Being pursued by so many women, don’t mention ancient men, even modern men had not experienced such a thing before. It would be a lie to say that one was not envious.

Song Shizhao smiled and said, “This official is truly envious.”

In the whole of Pingjiang, almost everyone knew of Zheng Qingfeng’s name, and the common people talked about him with great relish.

After all, such handsome men were rare, especially even at this age, he was still handsome.

Lin Yuan: “How was he as an official at that time?”

Song Shizhao: “He was not bad when he was young, working diligently. But after having not been promoted for decades, I imagine he has lost any hope in his career. His mindset is that of one who would rather not do anything than make a mistake.”

Lin Yuan asked strangely: “Never been promoted?”

Song Shizhao coughed lightly: “I heard that the daughter of the senior provincial official used to pursue him too.”

So this was hate born out of love it seemed.

Lin Yuan: “It seems that I must trouble Mister to help me have a look, which of these people are useful and which are not.”

Song Shizhao hurriedly replied: “This official will definitely share in my Lord’s worries.”

It was a lie to say that officials did not want to be promoted. The new official implements vigorous new policies, but what if you remained in the same position for ten or twenty years? Time wasted and your will whittled away. Even the donkey needed a carrot as bait in order to walk fast, let alone a person.

Zheng Qingfeng arrived back at his house, took off his official robes, and put on casual robes. He sat in the hall with a cup of tea in his hand. Zheng’s wife was holding a baby and coaxing gently. The couple had been together for a long time, and had rubbed off on each other. Every gesture was similar, and even their expressions were also similar.

Even if one didn’t know them, one could tell that they were a couple.

It was just that the husband had an outstanding appearance, while the wife had an appearance that was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Why did you stay in the government office for so long today?” Zheng’s wife coaxed the child, and then turned to ask Zheng Qingfeng.

Zheng Qingfeng pulled slightly at his collar: “The South Bodhisattva called all the officials, and the minor officials also went. Even if one person only talk for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it still took some time.”

Zheng’s wife asked curiously: “How does the South Bodhisattva look? Does he really have the appearance of an immortal?”

Zheng Qingfeng smiled and said, “If speaking of appearances, it is incomparable to that of your husband.”

Zheng’s wife covered her mouth as she chuckled: “Husband looks as handsome as Pan An, but I wonder what kind of character is the South Bodhisattva.” (TN: Pan An=another famously handsome man in Chinese history)

Zheng Qingfeng’s eyes deepened, and he said: “Based on his actions, I can say that he treats the common people with the heart of a Buddha, but as for others…..”

“A heart so cruel that I am impressed.” Zheng Qingfeng took over the child from his wife.

The wife asked strangely: “Cruel?”

Zheng Qingfeng: “Of the more than one hundred members of the Jiang family, not a single one was left alive.”

Zheng’s wife inhaled sharply.

“Actually…..so vicious?” Zheng’s wife was taken aback.

Zheng Qingfeng: “A small mind makes not a gentleman, a real man lacks not in venom. If he really was like a bodhisattva in the rumors, then that would truly make people worry.”

Zheng’s wife looked at her husband’s expression: “Does husband admire him?”

Zheng Qingfeng: “Many people in the world are burdened by false reputation, just like me, half of my life was restricted by the word gentleman, if back then I…..”

Zheng’s wife: “It happened so many years ago, it’s meaningless now.”

Zheng Qingfeng sighed.

How many hearts did he provoke when he was young? He thought he was a gentleman, but ended up suffering for the word gentleman.

A gentleman was not something a mere mortal could be. Zheng Qingfeng understood this too late, late enough that he became discouraged.

Now finally seeing the man called the South Bodhisattva, how could one not be curious?

They were both people who carried a false title, but how come the South Bodhisattva could live so freely and easily?

The South Bodhisattva killed more than a hundred people that made up the Jiang family, but no one accused him of being cruel and vicious. This was why Zheng Qingfeng was puzzled.

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Zheng Qingfeng said: “Interesting, such an interesting person, it is rare to see.”

Zheng’s wife looked at her husband. Her husband was a man with an indomitable spirit, but unfortunately he had been discouraged over these many years. She only hoped that the South Bodhisattva was really a man of discerning eyes who could tell greatness from mediocrity, and could see the heart eager for accomplishment under her husband’s skin.

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The population flow was very strong in troubled times. In order to survive, the people would keep migrating until they found a place to stay.

Then continue to live, multiply, and work.

But people were also loyal at the same time. They were loyal to their homes and to the land where they worked hard.

The word “home”, in addition to family members, also represented their house.

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With “loans” available, people could now buy their own house and thus take root in that place.

The people were the foundation of a city and even a country.

Lin Yuan thought of many ways, and even emptied the granaries of big households and the court in the early stages in order to make the people have confidence in him.

It was not easy to balance revenue and expenditure by relying on tax alone. The taxes that Lin Yuan currently collected back totaled only one-third of the previous investment.

But at least there were some gains, and Lin Yuan could finally allow himself to feel a little relieved.

He stayed in Gaoyou for three years. During these three years, Gaoyou had been turned into a city that belonged completely to him. The rules were all set by him. The people’s living habits were changed by him. Lin Yuan experimented while adjusting his direction until the outcome of each move was close to his expectations.

In the spring of the sixteenth year of Yuan Shun, Lin Yuan left Gaoyou and went to Pingjiang. The common people saw them off along the road. Some even brought along their entire families to follow Lin Yuan’s procession and follow Lin Yuan to Pingjiang. With the presence of Lin Yuan’s procession the bandits dared not touch them.

Lin Yuan also knew that in history, Zhang Shicheng went to Pingjiang from Gaoyou and designated Pingjiang as his capital. The following year, a Miao general of the Yuan Army defeated Zhang Shicheng’s brother Zhang Shide. Zhang Shide was escorted to Nanjing and died from a hunger strike.

But going to Pingjiang was Lin Yuan’s best choice now.

The Miao general of the Yuan Army was a tragic figure. His original name was Yang Tongguan. After defeating Zhang Shicheng, he was not only promoted, but also bestowed a name by Emperor Yuan Shun. He was also originally a leader of a peasant uprising and was later recruited as an official. At the beginning he was but a qian hu and his life’s highest official title was marshal of the Yuan army.

He died in the end; no matter how powerful he was on the battlefield, he was forced to hang himself in the end.

The thoughts and actions of people depended on their social status and background and what position they stood, and those standing on the court’s side held high the banner of orthodoxy.

Those standing on the side of the rebels called for the rights of the people.

Most of the truths in this world were not completely black or white, but the big people above could turn the truth to become either black or white.

It was Chen Baisong who escorted Lin Yuan to Pingjiang this time. Chen Baisong rode a horse, and Lin Yuan rode a horse-drawn carriage. He didn’t want to try the feeling of having scraped thighs anymore, so he indulged himself in this once in a while laziness.

But the roads at this time were all dirt roads, and even the official roads were full of mud pits. Sitting in the carriage, Lin Yuan felt dizzy and nauseous, but he was afraid of slowing down the journey so he endured it in the carriage.

Chen Baisong was still talking to him by the carriage and the noise only added to his discomfort.

Lin Yuan: “…..When we arrive…..I’ll talk to you then.”

He really was about to throw up.

Chen Baisong could only shut up, and escorted Lin Yuan quietly all the way.

Lin Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived at the gate of Pingjiang City. Pingjiang had been captured for less than a year, and Chen Baisong was in charge of governing it most of the duration. All the generals under Lin Yuan’s command controlled the army through the tiger tally. The soldiers only recognize the tiger tally but not the person. Chen Baisong didn’t know how to govern people, so he stationed the barracks in Pingjiang.

Lin Yuan felt that this was a good method.

There were not too many twists and turns, and only came down to who had the bigger fist.

Chen Baisong did not bother with governing the people and left it to the original minors officials to take care of the city. Faced with huge fists, these people did not dare to have any other thoughts, and obediently did things well, so despite Pingjiang having changed its master for one year, no trouble had occurred.

Pingjiang was richer than Gaoyou, and this wealth was reflected in the small commoners. Even if there were endless refugees and famines recently, the people of Pingjiang had never been hungry——but their food reserves were almost empty, and their money had also bottomed out. So now, if it delayed any longer, who knew what their future would be like.

Compared with other places, Pingjiang was not too chaotic. People lived and worked in peace and contentment, but life was harder than before.

There were also many scholars in Pingjiang. This was the case where there was money. Only people with money could afford to raise scholars.

For example, in poverty-stricken areas deep in the mountains, it was very difficult to cultivate even a single scholar.

Lin Yuan went directly to the government office. It was cleaned daily and was well maintained. The servants filed in and started furnishing the government office according to Lin Yuan’s habits and tastes. Even Lin Yuan’s favorite paperweight was brought along. The lantern covers were also in the patterns Lin Yuan liked to see. In short, the government office had changed drastically after a day. Looking at this high efficiency, Lin Yuan had to admit that capitalism was a powerful corrupting force, he himself was corrupted almost thoroughly.

——Although he was not taking the path of capitalism.

——

“Lord Zhang.” The small official caught up with the person in front of him and followed three steps behind him.

The person called Lord Zhang was originally just a small official. He belonged to the kind who was unsupervised. He had no real power, no right to speak, and no access to Pingjiang’s core political group.

Ironically, now that Pingjiang had fallen into the hands of the rebel thieves, he had a chance to utilize his capabilities.

Lord Zhang smiled at the minor official. He got up early, and at this time he was still holding the buns made by his wife. There were meat fillings in the buns. He ate while walking, only half filling his stomach. He didn’t dare to eat too full today. Otherwise, if the stomach showed any problem when discussing matters, it would be really indecent, and might even be considered committing the crime of contempt.

Smelling the scent of the meat filled buns, the minor official swallowed involuntarily. He ate a plain bun in the morning. He originally thought he was full, but after smelling the scent of meat he felt hungry again.

“Don’t know which gods came.” The minor official swallowed his saliva, and asked with a bit of confusion, “Actually calling all the lords to go together with us.”

How could big officials and small officials be in the same room for discussion? That was simply too unparticular.

Lord Zhang chuckled and said, “The South Bodhisattva of Gaoyou is here now.”

The minor official: “Oh my!”

They had all heard of the name of Gaoyou’s South Bodhisattva, rumors of him were very popular among the people.

Those who were a little ignorant sincerely believed that the South Bodhisattva was a true god.

Those who were a little clearer, naturally knew that this was just a method, but those who were clear would not say it aloud.

So the ignorant were even more ignorant.

A gentleman should not speak of supernatural things. (TN: from the Analecta of Confucius)

Among the ancients, atheists did exist.

But only those who had learned to read and those with high ideological consciousness may become atheists.

It was impossible for ordinary common people.

The minor official said excitedly: “I heard that the South Bodhisattva can bless promotions. I have an idol at home. Now that the real one has come to Pingjiang, I must kowtow a few times.”

Lord Zhang smiled, looking like a nice easy going guy.

Where was the fun in being drunk alone? Might as well get drunk together.

The minor official turned his head and glanced in a certain direction: “Isn’t that Lord Zheng? What wind is blowing today, blowing all the lords here.”

This Lord Zheng was notoriously slippery, not doing any real business, unwilling to offend any people, and basically too sly for his own good. He was also corrupt with the previous superiors, happily acting the perfect toady. Later, the superiors fell so he went to do other things and befriended new colleagues. He pushed all of his own affairs and responsibilities to his colleagues, and every day he would just clock in to work, his days relaxed and comfortable.

Basically, so long as he could avoid doing any work he would. To put it nicely he could be said to be not greedy for fame and fortune. To put it in an ugly way, he was just unwilling to bear the responsibility, his shoulder unable to bear the burden.

Said to be a sycophantic official? The only way he knew to curry favor with the superiors was through flattery.

Said to be a pure minister? He avoided any work he could.

When the name Lord Zheng was mentioned, everyone knew who they meant, even if there was more than one surnamed Zheng among the officials.

Lord Zhang continued to smile pleasantly.

Seeing the minor official’s puzzled expression, Zhang Dahua cleared up his confusion: “Today’s morning meeting, South Bodhisattva will be attending.”

The minor official’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped so wide that he could swallow a fist. His face flushed red: “Coming today? I, I haven’t changed into new clothes! Ai! Will there be enough time to go back?”

Lord Zhang looked at him.

The minor official slapped his mouth lightly: “I am acting muddle-headed again.”

The so-called morning meeting was a new rule after Chen Baisong took over Pingjiang.

Officials had to report on their work from the previous day at the morning meeting, what they had done, what they had summed up, and what needed to be analyzed and what needed assistance.

This method was indeed effective. Officials could no longer make up nonsense, they could only obediently raise questions and obediently solve them.

After all, there were minor officials recording their words next to them.

These records would eventually be summarized and placed on Lin Yuan’s desk.

Although the imperial court had fallen, they still had to eat and dress, serve their parents, and raise their children.

Lord Zhang glanced at Lord Zheng who was walking not far away, and he was not without envy in his heart.

Everyone said Lord Zheng was a strange official, but they also had to admit that Lord Zheng lived better than most people.

He actually turned being lazy into his personal mark and could be considered a talented person indeed.

They walked into the government office through the side door and found that the servants of the government office seemed to have changed. Compared with the original servants, these new servants looked more orderly, with no expression on their faces, showing neither flattery nor amiability. The only feeling they gave was aloofness and indifference, but their manners and behaviors were full of respect, their actions vigorous and decisive, and there was more than one like this. In fact every single one was like this.

Lord Zhang looked away——what he shouldn’t ponder about it was better to not ponder about.

The servants took them to the newly cleaned and organized hall. Lin Yuan was already sitting at the head seat. There were chairs placed horizontally underneath. Just like a meeting, and indeed it was a meeting. Lin Yuan didn’t have much time to get to know these officials, so he could only use such a simple and crude method to understand them.

Lin Yuan saw that the people were all here, so he said: “Starting from this side, talk about what you have done during this period, what troubles you have encountered, how you solved them in the end, and what experience you have gained.”

Everyone in the audience looked at each other: “…..”

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South Bodhisattva! Do you really not intend to give us time to make niceties and government talk? We all made preparations!

Lin Yuan asked strangely: “What? Can’t understand what I’m saying? Go from here to the right and speak in turns?”

Did this group of people have no sense of right and left?

It couldn’t be? How did they become officials? Was the requirement so low?

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As spring went and autumn came, the leaves began to fall and the trees were covered in fruits. The golden autumn was worthy of its name.

The farmers harvested the crops, the fruit growers picked fruits, and the school children were given vacation to go home to help with the harvest. The pale skin from sitting indoors quickly turned back to the color of wheat. Sweat was spilled on the fields. The harvest in the fields was the support of a family’s livelihood for the next year.

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There were peeled pears on Lin Yuan’s table. The local pears had green skin and were about the size of a young man’s fist. The flesh of the fruit was a bit rough, but the juice was plentiful. Because of enough sunshine, it was very sweet.

Almost no one had grown fruit before. This stuff was different from crops. It couldn’t fill one’s stomach and only the rich could afford it. Therefore, the fruit farmers planted only a little bit  and put more energy on planting crops.

The cooperative planting promoted by Lin Yuan last year had finally achieved results. The fruits were sent to the markets, and the common people were all willing to buy some for a taste.

Only if the people’s purchasing power became stronger would the economic market become stronger.

The most significant change was that housing prices have risen.

Especially the housing prices of Gaoyou.

Originally, one could buy a three bedroom house with a few taels of silver, but now it had reached the price of a hundred taels, and even then it was not easy to find any on the market even if one had the money.

Many people were willing to pay, but few people sold their houses.

If it was built outside the city, the price would naturally be much lower, but apart from the refugees, no one wanted to buy a house outside the city.

Lin Yuan still recalled that in his last life, when accompanying his boss in a meeting, he had heard a high-level corporate leader talk about housing prices.

Housing prices were the foundation, the cornerstone and fortress of the economy, and the last barrier.

Once housing prices collapsed, it meant that the economic loss was irreversible, just like the economic bubble in Japan.

So no matter how high or outrageous the housing price was, so long as it was still under control, even if there was a problem with the economy, housing prices should never be lowered.

When it really lowered, the economy would collapse.

The housing price increase in Gaoyou was good news.

The bad news was that many people could not afford to buy a house.

Most of them were refugees. They didn’t have their own houses in Gaoyou, and when they finally saved some money, they could only stare helplessly at the high housing prices.

Lin Yuan found Zhou Fu and discussed the matter with him in detail.

“Loaning” was a new concept, but it was not entirely new, it was just that the common people didn’t know about it.

For merchants, if they temporarily lacked funds, they would write down a contract, agreeing on the deadline to repay, while picking up the goods first.

So when Lin Yuan mentioned it, Zhou Fu easily understood.

Zhou Fu was a little worried: “I am afraid that the people will not be willing.”

For many people, being in debt was a major issue. They would rather live frugally and save money than take on debts.

Lin Yuan: “It all depends on Chairman Zhou.”

Zhou Fu felt a headache but he could only say: “If my lord entrusts this to me, I will not refuse.”

But Zhou Fu still had questions: “My lord, the people can live by farming, and they may not be able to leave their hometown in their entire life, so why bother…..”

When Lin Yuan looked at him, it was as if he saw a small group of people characteristic of this era.

But it was this small group of people who determined the fate of the common people.

Although Zhou Fu was a merchant, not an official, his thoughts were similar to that of this small group of people.

They all felt that the common people were illiterate and their only goal every day was just to fill their stomachs. It was enough for the common people to have clothing and food. If they give them too much, they would become rebellious.

In the eyes of this group of people, the common people were animals and they pose no value to society. So long as they obediently focus on the small plot of land in front of them, marrying when they should marry and having children when they should have children then it was enough. If they understood too much, were capable of too much, it would not be good for society.

Lin Yuan shook his head at Zhou Fu.

Zhou Fu was frightened, and rushed to confess his crime: “My lord has great wisdom, how could it be something this humble one can understand.”

There were some things that were difficult to explain. Even if Lin Yuan went to great efforts to explain, few people would be able to understand. Since he could not give a clear explanation, then he simply wouldn’t explain it. He only needed to give instructions and the people under him would implement them all.

When the educated new generation grew up, they would naturally understand what he meant.

Lin Yuan helped Zhou Fu up and spoke with a smile: “Then it shall be entrusted to Chairman Zhou.”

Cold sweat beaded on Zhou Fu’s forehead and he nodded his head again and again, unable to help but think: Did South Bodhisattva have this kind of intimidating aura before?”

He still remembered the first time he saw the South Bodhisattva, and at that time the South Bodhisattva was just a pure young man in his eyes, manners generous and gentle. When did he start to have this present aura?

Leaving the government office, Zhou Fu took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead as he walked down the road.

The common people on the streets were bustling away, the street vendors were full of smiles, and the children laughed and screeched with joy.

Who would have thought that just a few years ago, the common people here could not fill their stomachs and most of the children were sold away, let alone being able to learn to read and write?

The sign of a king…

Zhou Fu lowered his head, feeling that his life’s luck had manifested in that gamble a few years ago.

Abandoning the family business that he worked so hard for back in his hometown and placing all his hopes in Gaoyou. In order to reassure Lin Yuan, he even brought over his old father and mother, brothers and their family members, and his own children——his wife was unwilling to leave their hometown and requested for a divorce and went back to her natal house. He gave her a generous sum of money and food. If she remarried in the future, this money and food would be her dowry, and it could be considered a good end to their marriage.

Then he married another wife in Gaoyou. She was the daughter of a small family and husband and wife both respected each other. Although there was no love, at least there was respect. Sometimes he went out for business, and the journey could even last a year. She would take care of the young and old and tend to the house. After becoming the chairman, he finally settled down and his wife would even be giving birth in the near future.

As soon as Zhou Fu arrived home, he found his old servant.

The two discussed all night until the sky lightened with dawn.

The old servant’s surname was Wang, and he was called Wang Er. Wang Er was a diligent man with quick hands and feet. He looked honest, but he was actually quite shrewd. He left the Zhou manor with his family the next day and kowtowed at the door of the Zhou manor, attracting the attention of passers-by.

After all, in the eyes of the common people, working as a servant in a big household would definitely have better lives than those outside.

Wang Er stood tearfully on the street. At this time, someone came to ask.

“Wang Er, did you do something wrong?”

Wang Er shook his head: “Boss treats me well. Seeing that I am old, he let me be a free citizen.”

The person asked again: “After leaving the Zhou family, do you have a place to live?”

Wang Er shook his head again: “Gaoyou housing prices are too high.”

The common people all agreed:

“It’s indeed too high! If it weren’t for my family’s ancestral house, my family would definitely not have a house to live in.”

“I wonder when the price will come down.”

“Wang Er came from the Zhou family, he must have savings and is different from us.”

Wang Er sighed and raised his sleeves to wipe away tears: “My boss treats me very sincerely, but my son married a wife, so all the savings I have accumulated over the years have been thrown in.”

“That’s really…..”

“You should go rent a place. In any case, that is also a place to stay.”

The people watched Wang Er disappear down the street with his family.

A few days later, there was a new topic spreading up and down the streets and alleys. The people were talking about the new house Wang Er bought.

“A brick house!” They were envious. “There is also a big courtyard, and there is a garden behind the courtyard.”

“How much money is this?”

“A hundred taels are a definite! That area is very expensive!”

“Didn’t Wang Er say that he has no money?”

“You heard him say that but a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. He works for the Zhou family so maybe to him a hundred taels are not that much.”

“I often hear people say how rich and wealthy Zhou Fu is. This time I have gained a real eye-opening experience.”

A few days later, the atmosphere changed again.

“Have you heard? Wang Er’s big house was bought with a loan.”

“What is a loan?”

“A loan is to borrow money from the court and pay back some money every month.”

“How strange that the court would lend money to the people.”

“It is said that South Bodhisattva came up with this method when he saw that the people could not afford to buy a house.”

“That Wang Er bought the house with money borrowed from the court. He collected twenty taels from his family, and the other 80 taels were borrowed from the court. He would repay four hundred coins each month for twenty years, and the surplus is interest collected by the court.”

“Then what if he fails to pay the loan?”

“If he doesn’t pay for five months, the court will take the house back and sell it again.”

“This is a good method to prevent the rogues and hoodlums from taking advantage.”

Although the people talked about it with enthusiasm and thought it was an interesting thing, none of them applied for a loan.

Fortunately, this was also expected by Lin Yuan. After the establishment of new China, the concept of loans became familiar to the people. Spending tomorrow’s money and enjoying today’s life. Though it was said that, not many people tried it. At most, big entrepreneurs or small companies dared to take out loans, but ordinary people did not dare.

The people saved money to buy a house, saving for half a lifetime.

But the result was housing prices rising and the currency being depreciated. The money that had been saved for half a lifetime could no longer afford the house that they originally wanted to buy.

Slowly, people began to accept loans.

This process took more than ten to twenty years.

Naturally, Lin Yuan didn’t think that the people could quickly accept this concept now.

Fortunately, Zhou Fu had his own way.

The common people found that more and more people around them began to borrow money to buy houses.

Originally, the family of Tietou who lived squeezed together in a small hut got a loan and bought a house. The house included a main hall and room, as well as two side rooms and a storage room. Finally, the family did not need to squeeze on one kang to sleep.

There was also a family of sister-in-laws who moved from Taizhou to Gaoyou and could only rent a house. Now they also borrowed money and bought a house.

It seemed that the number of people buying houses had suddenly increased!

Everyone had a house but you.

Besides, those who had taken out loans didn’t seem to be doing too bad. The whole family could work and if they bought a smaller house in a mediocre location, it only cost 30 to 40 taels. The family could gather 10 taels and the 20 to 30 taels remaining could be borrowed from the court, so they only needed to pay one hundred coins each month.

So long as there were two people working in the family, this amount of money each month was manageable.

Many people began to feel persuaded.

But some didn’t dare to borrow it just by themselves, so they convinced friends and relatives to go with them.

So now there was often a spectacle——

Those who wanted to take out loans would come in swarms, often numbering up to a hundred.

As if with more people, they would feel more at ease.

Zhou Fu breathed a sigh of relief.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

He spent a lot of money to find those ‘models’!

His heart still dripped with blood!

However, he dripped blood happily. If others were to be given this task instead, he would not be able to stand it.

Feeling pain and joy at the same time.

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The Zhao family in Tongzhou was also a century old distinguished family. Although not every generation there was a member of the family who became an official, the family wealth was still there. Even if none of them held an official position, based on the reputation of their family over the generations, the Tongzhou officials would still give them a degree of respect. The head of the Zhao family now was Zhao Shoucheng. His name was very straightforward; his elders’ expectation of him was very simple, just to ‘guard the city’.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

But Zhao Shoucheng himself didn’t think so. He was the eldest son. He learned the Confucian Six Arts from a young age, studied the ways of Confucius and Mencius, and believed himself as having much talent.

The role of the gentleman, he could perform well, the role of the villain, he could also perform well.

Regardless of his family’s opposition, he gave Jiao’er to Lu Hui.

Lu Hui only believed that Jiao’er was his maidservant, but only the Zhao family knew that Jiao’er was his daughter.

Jiao’er was his youngest daughter whom he had when he was 40 years old. She was an obvious beauty since childhood. He spoiled her with exquisite clothes and food, and he also purposely showed her the difference between the big wealthy families and the poor commoners. Jiao’er also knew that one day she would always become the knife in her father’s hand, to be used to deal a deathly blow against unknown enemies.

No one would have thought that Zhao Shoucheng would give his biological daughter to someone else as a concubine, even if the other person was the Tongzhou senior provincial official Lu Hui.

“Madam!” Jiao’er knelt down on the ground, walking on her knees to the feet of the mistress, crying, “My lord…..my lord!”

The mistress helped her up and sighed heavily.

The matter having become like this, the mistress would not send this concubine away now. Her husband was dead, but the crisis in Tongzhou was still present.

The mistress said to Jiao’er: “Why didn’t you persuade my lord from it?”

Jiao’er’s head knocked on the ground, and she sobbed: “I persuaded, my lord won’t listen.”

How could women win against men?

The mistress sighed again.

Though her husband died, she was not sad, only anxious instead.

She also felt hatred, why did her husband have to leave without leaving a son behind.

Even if the son was that of a concubine?

Whether the son was that of a maid or a concubine, it was better to have a son than not!

He himself has left, and the method of dying was that from overindulgence in women, but now that Tongzhou was in this state, should she be asked to preside over the overall situation?

The mistress took a deep breath, and she said to Jiao’er: “I remember, you were originally from the Zhao family?”

Cold sweat beaded on Jiao’er’s forehead, and she quickly said: “This slave only knows that the rice is given by the mistress and the clothes on my back are given by the mistress. This slave has had no relationship with the Zhao family for a long time!”

The mistress: “Go and ask someone to invite Lord Zhao to come. But don’t reveal anything about our lord husband, go!”

She must conceal the news of her husband’s death. Tongzhou was in upheaval now, and if news of Lu Hui’s death was made known at this juncture, certain people would force them to die as well.

Zhao Shoucheng had been waiting since dawn.

When his confidant brought the news of Lu Hui’s death, Zhao Shoucheng finally couldn’t help standing up, clapping his hands and exclaiming “excellent”.

“As expected of my Jiao’er.” Zhao Shoucheng wiped away the pretentious tears at the corners of his eyes with his fingers, and said to his confidant, “Madam Lu hasn’t sent someone to send a letter?”

Several years ago, he had his wife go and befriend Madam Lu.

After several interactions, they naturally figured out Madam Lu’s temperament.

Madam Lu was a lady from a distinguished family, a lady that was raised too naive and stupid. She regarded her husband as her sky, whatever her husband said was the truth, whatever her husband loved she loved, and whatever her husband hated she hated, so even if Lu Hui didn’t love her, he still respected her. No one could rock her position in the Lu family.

But after a long time like this, she would naturally become a puppet. Once there was no one to make the decisions, she was no better than a headless fly.

The confidant said lowly: “The messenger is on the road, Madam Lu wants to suppress the news of Lord Lu’s death.”

Zhao Shoucheng’s eyes lit up: “The right time has come!”

If he made the right bet now then in the future, his Zhao family would have the only say in Tongzhou!

In this world, it was either the east wind overwhelming the west wind, or the west wind overwhelming the east wind. His Zhao family had been cautious, why couldn’t they take a gamble?

Victory, the entire family would ascend to paradise, but if it was defeat, only Jiao’er would have to die.

——

“The Zhao family killed Lu Hui?” Lin Yuan’s expression became a little more complicated when he received the report from a spy. He turned to look at Song Shizhao, “Is this man so stupid?”

With Tongzhou’s current state, without Lu Hui, there would be no leader. What’s more, Lu Hui was the senior provincial official appointed by the imperial court. He could only rely on the imperial power in order to maintain a hold on the military. If it was changed to another person, how could they have the same control and prestige as Lu Hui? And now that Tongzhou had become an isolated island, it was impossible for the imperial court to appoint another senior provincial official. When the Zhao family killed Lu Hui, did they think they could keep the news of Lu Hui’s death from leaking? Wasn’t this treating all of the Tongzhou officials as fools?

Song Shizhao chuckled and said: “Zhao Shoucheng is the head of the Zhao family. This man is short-sighted and likes to use underhanded means. It is not surprising that he did this. I imagine the news of Lu Hui’s death will definitely be suppressed.”

Lin Yuan: “Then that saves us much trouble.”

Song Shizhao: “Exactly, offending people will naturally be left to him.”

“How did the Zhao family gather Lu Hui’s soldiers?” Lin Yuan asked, his brows furrowed, “I can’t think of the reason for this.”

Song Shizhao also felt a little puzzled: “If the Zhao family killed Lu Hui for fear of Lu Hui’s military strength, but even without Lu Hui, the soldiers still need to eat, unless they plan to demobilize the soldiers?”

Lin Yuan shook his head: “Then the soldiers will rebel.”

Would the Zhao family be willing to pay a sum of money to demobilize the soldiers? This was not a small amount of money after all.

To be precise, this was not a small amount of food.

Zhao Shoucheng of Tongzhou was also having a headache about this.

“There are actually hundreds of thousands of people!” Zhao Shoucheng originally thought that Lu Hui had no more than tens of thousands of soldiers, but he did not expect that there would be 100,000. Although many of these 100,000 consisted of old men and young boys under 15, he did not dare to underestimate them.

One hundred thousand soldiers were soldiers in Lu Hui’s hands, but in his hands they became hot potatoes instead.

Jiao’er walked out of the room. Since Lu Hui’s death, Zhao Shoucheng took her back to the Zhao manor.

She sat opposite Zhao Shoucheng, completely without any of the gentle facade she kept up in front of Lu Hui. Her expression was solemn and her eyes were serious: “Laoye.”

Zhao Shoucheng had not allowed her to call him father since she was a child, but only ‘laoye’.

“Jiao’er…..” Zhao Shoucheng looked at his daughter. She had grown up. Jiao’er as a child was spoiled and willful which was why he named her Jiao’er. He sighed, “Do you blame me? For giving you to Lu Hui?”

Jiao’er shook her head: “No, Jiao’er’s surname is Zhao.”

She was a member of the Zhao family, the honor and disgrace of the family was her honor and disgrace, and the future of the family was her future.

Zhao Shoucheng took Jiao’er’s hand: “Jiao’er, there is one more thing you need to do.”

Jiao’er pursed her lips: “Laoye only needs to give me the orders.”

Zhao Shoucheng: “Gaoyou.”

Jiao’er slowly bowed: “Jiao’er will definitely help Laoye with any worries and difficulties.”

“Good, good!” Zhao Shoucheng embraced Jiao’er, “As expected of my daughter! Jiao’er, after going to Gaoyou, carry out the scheme slowly and gradually.”

Jiao’er nodded: “But now Tongzhou is besieged, how can I get out?”

Zhao Shoucheng paused.

The Tongzhou of now was like a prison.

Even if his daughter was a phoenix, how could she utilize her abilities in the cage?

Tongzhou was already chaotic enough, the soldiers had no food, the doors of the big households were closed tight, and the common people faced crime and danger.

After being hungry for nearly a month, the soldiers finally rioted. They killed their own commander, charged out of the barracks and to the doors of the big households. When Lu Hui was still there, the soldiers only asked for food. Now there was no Lu Hui, the soldiers began to openly and brazenly commit robbery.

The Zhao family was also robbed.

Zhao Shoucheng issued decrees under the guise of Lu Hui. Unfortunately, under the current chaotic environment in Tongzhou, the new decrees simply could not be implemented.

The big households were overwhelmed, and Zhao Shoucheng finally found something to do.

He began to use those soldiers to put pressure on other big households.

The big households fell apart, surrendering their family property in order to survive.

The Zhao family also annexed other big households.

The news of Lu Hui’s death could not be kept secret for too long in the end.

After the officials in Tongzhou found out, they also knew that Zhao Shoucheng was behind this. They and Zhao Shoucheng began to scheme against each other, worsening the turmoil in Tongzhou. Lin Yuan was able to capture Tongzhou almost effortlessly.

——The people of Tongzhou opened the city gate by themselves.

They couldn’t stand living like this any longer. If it was peacetime, the common people of Tongzhou would not have the daring to do such a thing.

But now there were rebellions blazing across the entire empire.

Therefore, the people’s mentality was easy to understand.

If no one was doing this, they would not dare to step out of bounds, but if someone already did it, and even succeeded, then they dared to follow along.

When Li Congrong entered Tongzhou, he found that the situation in Tongzhou was better than that of Wujiang before.

At least he didn’t see tragic scenes of starving people fighting for corpses on the road.

But the good were limited. The people were practically skeletons and even the soldiers were no better off. They were like savages. They had no uniforms and their weapons were badly rusted. It was difficult to use it to cut through skin, let alone kill people.

The worst off was the Zhao family.

The Zhao family mansion was full of corpses, and Zhao Shoucheng’s corpse was also thrown out onto the streets. His situation was similar to raising Gu, eventually suffering the consequences of backlash. (TN: Gu=legendary venomous insect)

There was not one living person left of the Zhao family.

As for who did this?

No one in Tongzhou would admit to anything.

So Li Congrong took over the Zhao family’s wealth as a matter of course.

This saved a lot of trouble. After all, the Zhao family had searched and seized the wealth of all the big families in Tongzhou, and even if they missed anything, it would not be much.

As a result, Li Congrong no longer needed to fight verbal lawsuits with those big families.

However, Li Congrong also found the only living person in the Zhao family.

She had hidden in the stables, under the haystacks, and was covered with horse dung when she was found.

She was only recognized after she was cleaned up. She was once Lu Hui’s concubine.

Only then did the arrested Tongzhou officials realize that Lu Hui’s death was originally manipulated by the Zhao family.

Jiao’er revealed everything she knew.

But she didn’t know who charged in in the middle of the night and massacred the more than one hundred people in the Zhao family.

“I first heard someone shouting there was fire.” Jiao’er was a little dazed. “The servants were all up in chaos. When I saw shadows of people outside, I jumped out of the window and fled to the stable.”

Li Congrong found that he couldn’t pry anything else out of her mouth, so he shut her in the room and asked people to keep a look on her.

But the result was that in a moment of carelessness, Jiao’er bit her tongue and committed suicide in the middle of the night.

The only meaning of her existence was for the Zhao family.

Now that the Zhao family no longer remained she had also lost her meaning of life and chose to die.

“The Zhao family…..has done evil.” Li Congrong couldn’t help but sigh.

Actually giving away their daughter as a plaything to Lu Hui. And at that time Tongzhou was not as precarious as it had been in the past few years.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Raising his own daughter like this, Zhao Shoucheng was a rare cold-hearted person.

Since then, Tongzhou also come under Lin Yuan’s rule.

Because of Zhao Shoucheng, the remaining forces in Tongzhou were left without much power to resist.

Despite taking such great pains, in the end it all benefitted Lin Yuan.

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“South Bodhisattva said, all those who want to come here are his people, and they must all be treated equally.”

“Those refugees are quite lucky.”

The topic among the common people recently became about the recent influx of refugees from Tongzhou.

For the common people, in a whole year it was rare for something interesting to happen that could be used for chatting, and if such an event occurred, they could talk about it for a long time.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Nowadays, their lives got better and better. The children at home were all sent to the school and didn’t delay the parents from going to work. There was a fixed amount of time for work every day. Unlike before when work lasted a whole day and people could only get off work when the boss said so. But now it was different, someone was there to keep order!

Their days had changed for the better. Seeing the influx of people coming from outside, they felt pride in their hearts and became more tolerant and generous.

Because they were the common people under Lin Yuan’s rule, so as the reputation of South Bodhisattva got bigger and bigger they also felt pride.

The woman’s family now lived in Taizhou, and they didn’t conceal their situation from others. People living in the area knew that they were sister-in-laws. The atmosphere in Taizhou was not as good as that of Gaoyou. It was still rare for women to set up households. Sometimes you couldn’t see such a household on a whole street. Households that recruited son-in-laws were also rare. If not for the family having no sons or relatives they would not choose to recruit son-in-laws.

But jobs were still easy to find. The sister-in-laws were all from landowning families and could read and write, so they all went to do the work of transcription. They could now provide for three meals a day. The house could burn charcoal in winter and use ice in summer. Even when compared to when they were young ladies, the quality of life was almost the same.

The woman didn’t understand, so she asked the female supervisor: “Even if women can read and write, they are still women. How can a woman do the work of a man?”

The female supervisor smiled and looked at her: “Then if you are asked to give up this job to a man, will you do it?”

On the one hand, the woman felt that it was not good for them to take away a man’s work, but on the other hand they were reluctant to give up such a good job. How expensive was paper and ink! When they were not yet married, the paper and ink at home were only allocated for their brothers. When practicing writing they could only use the paper scraps left from their brothers.

Female supervisor: “Since you are asked to do this, you can do it with peace of mind, and you don’t have to use these words to test me. Don’t the lords above know the truth better than us? You just do your work well, and if you do it well, there will naturally be benefits. If you do a bad job, there are so many other people who want to take your place. Instead of thinking about this and that, it’s better to do more things and earn a promotion.”

The woman’s eyes widened: “Promotion?”

Female supervisor: “I was promoted. I used to do the transcription work just like you. After two years of work, the boss said that I was diligent, so I was promoted and became a female supervisor.”

The woman asked cautiously: “Being a female supervisor, how is it different from now?”

The female supervisor smiled somewhat proudly: “You earn six hundred coins in one month, while I earn three qian in one month. You tell me what’s the difference?”

Three qian! (TN: qian=1/10 of a tael)

The woman swallowed.

Three qian might have been nothing to her when their family was still wealthy.

At the end of the year, four or five qian were rewarded to close servants.

But since their family had declined, she had never seen so much money again.

The woman hurriedly said: “Then I will go back to work, I will leave now!”

She bowed to the female supervisor and returned to the workhouse with wind under her feet.

When Lin Yuan found out that among the people who had fled from Tongzhou there consisted of moderately well-off families, he knew that the time had come. At this time, going to attack Tongzhou would incur the least loss. The people of Tongzhou were full of discontent, and those who dared to run had already run away, and those who dared not run away would likely run away soon. If the senior provincial official of Tongzhou was smart, he would not allow the common people to flee.

But forcefully closing the city gates was not enough. The people were not beasts that could be locked up inside fences.

The people had their own wisdom.

Most of them went out of the city on the grounds of leaving to visit relatives, and they would come back the first two times. Only when the guards relaxed their vigilance would they flee with their family wealth.

——Unlike the poor, these people with assets were the important pillars to ensure the economic cycle of Tongzhou.

Losing these people was like having the bones of a person being pulled away one by one. Tongzhou was gradually crumbling bit by bit. It would only take a little bit of effort for it to immediately fall apart.

At this time, Li Congrong had already sent his troops out with Luo Ben as the military strategist. They used the old method again this time, surrounding the city but not fighting. What if someone escaped from Tongzhou? That was fine, we’ll accept you and then send you to Gaoyou or Taizhou. The officials in Tongzhou want to leave the city? Sorry, you are all big shots, how could you run around?

As for the soldiers in Tongzhou…..

Lu Hui did try to send troops to attack outside the city, but the huge trebuchet was there, and countless explosives would explode at the gate of the city when they moved. After several tries, Lu Hui could only remain trapped in Tongzhou.

Even if he wanted to send people to request help from the court they would have to be able to leave Tongzhou in the first place.

Moreover, the imperial court’s forces were now concentrated in the Anfeng area. They want to ask for help, but at most they could only ask for help from nearby cities and counties. But how much military force could these neighboring cities have? It was just delaying the end.

“You! You gave me such a good idea!” Lu Hui pointed angrily at the Sub-prefect’s nose in the governmental office, “Saying something like shooing away the poor and lowly and leaving only the rich behind! Now look! The rich are gone too! Just rely on those big households? Will those big households be willing to give me money to support my soldiers?”

The Sub-prefect also felt wronged. He truly felt that his idea was good, but no matter how good the idea was, there would always be a slip-up. This could not be blamed on him, the South Bodhisattva was just too treacherous!

“My lord, it has already come to this point.” The Sub-prefect lowered his head and said, “There is no food, and the big households won’t come out, saying that their family has too many people to feed. They can give money, but the food they refuse to hand over.”

Lu Hui’s eyes widened: “Are my soldiers dead? If they won’t hand it over, don’t they know to take it?”

The Sub-prefect was taken aback: “Isn’t this robbery?”

Lu Hui spat at him: “Then you think of a way instead of saying this doesn’t work, that doesn’t work? If I kill you, the meat on your bones won’t even be enough for each of my soldiers to eat one bite!”

Thinking of the money and food at home, the Sub-prefect said quickly: “My lord’s idea is the best. It is me with no knowledge. Please do not waste your time with me.”

Lu Hui snorted and ordered his soldiers to take food from the big households that day.

These soldiers couldn’t beat the soldiers besieging their city, but it was not difficult to deal with the big households who only have family servants as fighting power.

At the beginning, the big households did give out food. After all, there were brutal demons outside the city, and no one wanted to give up their life for just some food.

But the soldiers came more and more frequently, and the food asked for became more and more. After several times, their own food supply was about to bottom out.

The large households gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

“We must let him know that we are not this easy to bully.”

“If we let his appetite become greedy, aren’t we the ones to suffer?”

“Without food, we will also starve to death.”

“We must think of a solution.”

“I have a miraculous medicine. After taking it, it can make people feel like they are in paradise.”

“This medicine is good, but jusr don’t know how to make him take it.”

“How is this difficult? His most favored concubine was gifted to him by me.”

“Brother Zhao is wise, Brother Zhao is wise!”

“Brother Zhao, if you have any requests in the future, we don’t dare to refuse!”

Lu Hui was not too indulgent when it came to women. He had only one wife and two concubines. He also didn’t keep any entertainers. His wife was determined by his parents and was a young lady from an affluent family. She was in charge of the inner courtyard and he treated his wife with respect.

Of the concubines, one was taken to fill the spot. She was of a commoner background and served both the mistress and Lu Hui. Although she was not beautiful in appearance, she was gentle and attentive.

The other concubine was given to him by the Zhao family. Lu Hui originally didn’t want to accept——if it was spread that an official of the imperial court accepted a woman by the people below him, it would be enough to earn him reprimand. But the woman charmed him helpless, sometimes gentle and attentive, sometimes proud and willful, and sometimes natural and unrestrained. How was this just a woman, this was practically a dozen women in one.

Not to mention that this woman was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and art. When she was given to him, she was also a virgin. Lu Hui could only take the risk of accepting this concubine.

After she entered his house, he would visit his wife on the first ten days of each month, and then spend the remaining 20 days in this concubine’s room. As for the other concubine, she became just a decoration.

If he was frustrated from outside matters, when he returned to his house he would go straight to the concubine’s room. The concubine wore a red gauze dress and kept her long hair down. She did not appear as strict and proper as the mistress, with a few strands of hair hanging down. Slender fingers plucked at the strings of a qin, her whole person appearing romantic and charming. Seeing Lu Hui entering the door, the concubine smiled: “My lord, what awe-inspiring authority, did this door provoke you?”

Lu Hui glanced at the door he pushed open vigorously, his irritability already dissipating. He sat next to the concubine and took up her hand in his own. He showed a rare weak appearance: “Tongzhou nowadays is not so good, Jiao’er, you have suffered living with me like this.”

The concubine Jiao’er shook her head: “Where my lord is, then that is where this slave will be. What bad days haven’t I experienced? Being by my lord’s side means good days to me.”

Lu Hui hugged Jiao’er’s shoulders and Jiao’er’s head rested on his shoulders, her face smiling and affectionate, as if she really loved this man. Lu Hui’s hand traveled down from her shoulders and Jiao’er’s belt slid open. Her fingertips touched Lu Hui’s shoulder, putting a distance between them.

“My lord, you must also take care of your body.” Jiao’er frowned slightly. “Mistress also reminded this slave that no matter how much this slave is favored, this slave must be considerate of my lord’s body.”

Lu Hui was taken aback for a moment, and also smiled: “I am getting older, and I am indeed a little bit less full of energy.”

Jiao’er said softly: “This slave has come into possession of a certain good thing.”

Lu Hui: “What is it?”

Jiao’er: “Do you know that Chen Half-Immortal?”

The smile on Lu Hui’s face became suggestive. Chen Half-Immortal was a specialist in aphrodisiacs, but none of the people who had taken the pills he made did not say good things about it. His pills did not hurt the body, but Chen Half-Immortal did not live in a fixed place, often traveling everywhere. It was not easy to find him to request for medicine.

Jiao’er took out a small package and unfolded it to show it to Lu Hui.

Lu Hui picked up the white pill and said to the servant outside: “Bring a dog.”

Lu Hui broke off a little bit of the pill and fed it to the dog. Sure enough, he saw the dog’s four claws pawing restlessly, and the thing under was also raising a head.

“It’s truly a good thing!” Lu Hui swallowed the pill in one bite, and with a big wave of his hand, he took Jiao’er into his arms.

Jiao’er’s arms wrapped around him like snakes, exhaling a fragrant breath: “My lord loves this slave?”

Lu Hui was in the middle of working hard: “Be good, wait until this lord has finished then I will talk to you.”

Jiao’er entangled Lu Hui in her embrace. After the clouds had dispersed and the rain stopped, Jiao’er shook the person lying on her body: “My lord?”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

No one answered her.

Jiao’er stretched out her hand to test Lu Hui’s breathing, and after confirming that the person was dead, she sneered and pushed the person away.

She walked to the window without bothering to cover herself, and said in a grim tone: “Tell the lord that the thief, Lu, is dead.”

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“Mother, you eat.” The child that was not even knee-high had a huge head that was not harmonious with the rest of the body. He was holding a melon vine in his hand. He was also very hungry and craved food, his eyes unable to help staring at the melon vine while swallowing saliva.

The woman straightened up, her face weather beaten and so tired she couldn’t even smile: “You eat, mother is not hungry, mother drank a lot of water, mother’s belly is still full.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The child didn’t know that the adult was lying, stuffing the melon vine into his mouth, chewing it twice before swallowing——there was still mud on it, but no one would complain at this time.

The child squatted on the ridge between fields: “Mother, when will little sister come back?”

The woman paused. Tongzhou began recruiting soldiers. Though it was called recruiting, in fact, it was arresting able bodied men. Her father-in-law was arrested, her husband was arrested, her eldest son and second eldest son were also arrested, and even her brother-in-laws were arrested. Their family was originally a small landowning family, but now even after having sold their servants and all valuable things, they still failed to pay all of the taxes.

She could no longer support her daughter. Her daughter was still so small, but she could already call her mother and talk. She also looked very adorable and lovely, a flower-like little girl she was.

But they could no longer feed her!

Towards children who were too young even human traffickers were unwilling to buy.

She took her daughter to the city and abandoned her daughter at the door of a large wealthy family.

These days, she had been telling herself that such a big wealthy family must be kind-hearted, her daughter would definitely survive.

At the beginning, it was just pawning away family valuables. Later, when the family wealth was gone, her mother-in-law and the other old people locked themselves in the house. Except for drinking water they were unwilling to eat anything at all. In the end, the elders died.

The elders died, but their days did not become any easier. The taxes got heavier and heavier, and soon it reached the point where they had no choice but to sell their children.

Several older daughters were sold.

Later, it was older sons.

Later, the children remaining were too young to sell, so they could only be abandoned.

There were some poor families who had given birth to children, but regardless of the newborn’s gender they were all drowned directly in the end.

The child asked the woman: “Mother, I heard that there is a South Bodhisattva in Gaoyou, a place where anyone can find a living and eat their fill. Mother, why don’t we go to Gaoyou?”

The woman gritted her teeth and said nothing.

Nowadays, Tongzhou was closed off, only people were allowed to come in while none were allowed to go out. If you tried to leave the city without paperwork, you would be killed on the spot as a spy.

The common people did not dare to escape.

Besides, she was born and lived in Tongzhou all her life. Her world was composed of only this small spot of land in front of her. She had never been outside, and she didn’t know what it was like outside.

She didn’t know if her husband and father-in-law were still alive or not, and whether they would come back.

In the past, when the days were peaceful, she was also the lady of a small landowning family, and all she had to worry about was scheming among her sister-in-laws.

Nowadays life was difficult, but the sister-in-laws were united like one rope.

The sun had set.

The woman glanced at the red clouds on the horizon, took the child’s hand, and said, “Go back home.”

She gave birth to four sons and three daughters. But in the end, only the youngest son was left. None of the sister-in-laws’ sons were saved, so this youngest son was the only root of their family. As long as this youngest son was here, the family would continue. When he grew up, married a wife and had a few children, then the family would be revived again.

The original brick house had also been sold. The woman’s family now lived in a grass shack. She first fetched water, preparing to cook a pot of wild vegetables with some beans. Together with water, it could somewhat fill the stomach.

The sister-in-laws came back one after another. They were originally young ladies from landowning families, and when they married over they were still wives of a landowning family. But now they were all peasant wives and the land must be farmed by themselves.

They dared not sell their land. The land were all ancestral properties. If they really sold it then they would become sinners. No one wanted to be sinners of the family. They would rather starve to death than sell the land.

The sister-in-laws had toiled the whole day, but did not eat much, looking at the woman eagerly.

The woman smiled at them: “It will be done soon.”

No one talked at the dinner table, the atmosphere was very depressing, and the child also didn’t dare to talk. Every day at this time, the family was like this. He was too young to remember what it was like when he was even younger. He only recalled that there were a lot of people. Once he asked his mother, where did the older brothers and sisters around him go?

As a result, his mother hugged him and cried. Since then he dared not ask.

But tonight, the woman’s second eldest sister-in-law whispered after dinner: “I heard that in Gaoyou, women can also set up households…..”

After a moment of silence, the eldest sister-in-law said: “Don’t think about it, we can’t get out.”

The second eldest sister-in-law lowered her head, tears falling into the bowl: “I was thinking, when we go to Gaoyou, we can all go to sew and make clothes. I heard that in Gaoyou if you can work then you can live a good life. There is a baby in my belly, I don’t want to drown him when he is born.”

She only found out that she was pregnant after her husband left, but the pregnant woman was not precious at this time, so she still went to work in the fields. Her sister-in-laws would just take more care of her.

The second eldest sister-in-law whispered: “We can’t just live this way forever, who knows if one day we will be gone just like that.”

Her voice was hoarse: “I don’t want to die yet.”

The choice between life and death was not so easy.

Since the men in the family were gone, the decision maker had become the eldest sister-in-law. When it came for a family to find daughter-in-laws, the eldest daughter-in-law was the most strictly selected because the family business was passed on to the eldest son, so the eldest daughter-in-law had to be able to manage the house and handle the affairs. The old mistress had chosen for several years before she decided on the eldest sister-in-law.

And she didn’t disappoint her elders either. She took over her husband’s family account books after she married over, managing the entire household affairs. Even without any children, her position was unrocked.

The men were gone, so she became the one to act as the pillar of this family.

Eldest sister-in-law drank the last sip of wild vegetable soup. She looked around at the women and found that everyone had their heads bowed. She asked: “You all want to go to Gaoyou?”

The sister-in-laws hesitated for a while, but finally nodded.

The eldest sister-in-law asked again: “Even if you might die on the road, you still want to go?”

The woman hugged the child and said to her eldest sister-in-law, “Eldest sister-in-law, he is already six years old, and after eight years old he will be at the age of conscription…..”

How could an eight-year-old child go to the battlefield? Could he even hold the barrel of the spear securely? Sending him to the battlefield was the same as sending him to death.

In the eyes of the lords above, this child was just disposable fodder. But in her eyes, this was her lifeblood.

She couldn’t save the other children, and she didn’t want to be unable to save this last one.

She thought that she was the only one who wanted to escape to Gaoyou, so she didn’t dare to bring it up this whole time. Now she knew that the other sister-in-laws had also thought about it, and finally got the courage.

Eldest sister-in-law fell silent, and the rest of the sister-in-laws were anxious and did not dare to speak.

Though they said that they had to wait for the men to come back, they knew in their hearts that with no news after so long, the men would definitely not be able to come back.

The dead have died, but they still have to live!

Eldest sister-in-law put down the bowl: “We leave tonight. No luggage or dry food. There is a dog hole at the root of the city wall. Let’s go when there is no one.”

“Eldest sister-in-law…..how do you know there is a dog hole there?”

Eldest sister-in-law coughed slightly: “Is it just you who has thought about escaping to Gaoyou?”

The family of women and one small child left Tongzhou in the middle of the night. They lived on the edge of the city. They only dared to run when the soldiers of the night watch changed shifts. The child did not dare to make a sound. He stubbornly gripped the hem of his mother’s clothes and used the greatest strength in his life to keep running.

Run!

There was a road to survival ahead!

The sister-in-laws gritted their teeth, running forward with crouched bodies.

Who wanted to live like an animal if there was a chance to be a human?

——

“The people of Tongzhou have begun to flee?” Lin Yuan didn’t expect the people of Tongzhou to endure this long. Enduring until now before running. At the end of the thirteenth year of Yuan Shun, Tongzhou drove out the refugees. Now it was already the end of the fifteenth year of Yuan Shun before the common people began to flee.

Some of the people fled to Gaoyou, some fled to Taizhou, and some turned into bandits.

Lin Yuan was not afraid of there being too many people, he was afraid of there being too few people.

Of course, this kind of ‘too many people’ must be within his limits.

Luo Ben said by the side: “Tongzhou’s tax is too high.”

Tongzhou had not implemented the taxes set by the court for a long time. They conscripted for the army aggressively, conscripting away the strong laborers of the family, leaving only the old, weak, sick and disabled. And they also had to feed these soldiers. They did not dare to tax too much from the big households. So of course, they could only take from the common people. Various taxes had been raised to equal commercial taxes.

But how could the common people have the financial resources of merchants?

The people at the very bottom ran away first. Later, the small families were also dragged down by the taxes and began to flee.

In the past three months, the number of people under Lin Yuan’s rule had increased by 50,000 and the number was still increasing.

Lin Yuan borrowed taxation knowledge from his previous life. He set a limit, those whose income was lower than a certain amount were not taxed.

As for how much exactly did people earn, this was the responsibility of the officials. There was a special tax bureau to handle this matter.

There was also some help given to poor households——no subsidy as Lin Yuan was also poor.

Those who earned less did not have to pay taxes.

Those who earned a mediocre income did not pay too much taxes.

Those who earned more would pay more taxes.

Moreover, now the work was generally done by large workhouses, and it was easy to keep track and manage. The income reported to the tax bureau was basically the same as the actual income.

However, tax evasion was common, and Lin Yuan also understood that so different industries had different tax deduction standards.

After the tax bureau had set the rules and presented them to him for review, Lin Yuan himself got a headache, and it took a few more overnights to pick out the irregularities and let them continue to correct them.

The agricultural tax in the Yuan Dynasty was very low. Lin Yuan always felt that Genghis Khan was a really good ruler. From the perspective of a ruler, he conquered an empire and worked hard to support the people. The Yuan Dynasty relied on commercial taxes, not agricultural taxes. According to historical records, some local agricultural taxes were so low it was practically nothing.

The situation was fine when Genghis Khan was still alive, but when he died, the central government orders began to be discounted.

For example, Tongzhou dared to collect taxes on their own standards.

Moreover, the taxing system in Tongzhou was very strange. Tongzhou looked at the land. For example, Tongzhou said that one mu of land could produce 30 shi of rice, so the people in this city must pay 10 shi of the tax this year.

But what if the harvest was not abundant?

What if there was a flood or drought?

In addition to this, there was also a poll tax. The poll tax was not paid by farmers, but by ordinary city people who had no land. How many people in the family, how much tax each person must pay in a year. What? A little baby still drinking the mother’s milk? A baby was also an individual and had to pay taxes.

So the people in Tongzhou dared not have children, drowning them if they did.

Last year, the tax was only paid once a year, but this year, it must be paid twice, once every six months.

That was why so many people fled.

Lin Yuan said softly: “Tongzhou…..it’s time to move.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

After collecting so many taxes and not actually going to war, the granary should be quite full, yes?

Lin Yuan smiled at Luo Ben: “Dare to fight, Sir?”

Luo Ben solemnly bowed: “I look forward to this battle!”

AN: Lin *Domineering CEO* Yuan: “It’s dawn, let Tongzhou go bankrupt.”

Tong *Pitiful* Zhou: [Shivering.jpg]

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