Ming Zuo

Chapter 14 Rent Free
In the next five thousand years of green history, there are so many sad songs in troubled times.

Throughout the three thousand pages of historical materials, it is better to experience it in person.

Zuo Menggeng is in such a state now.

The chaos in the late Ming Dynasty has many opinions of later generations.impassioned, pointing the country.

But only with actual knowledge and experience can we understand that no one is qualified to demand too much from the people of this era.

This is still Linqing, where the disaster is not serious.

But the farmers have been unable to sustain themselves and are always facing the threat of death.

Think about the situation in Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan...

Don't rebel, is there any other way out?

Before coming to Zhuangzi, Zuo Menggeng had a disposition attitude.

In any case, Zhuang Hu resisted the rent and injured Zuo Yan.As the owner of the Zuo Mansion, the butt is naturally sitting on the Zuo Mansion's side, and he has to get an explanation.

But after seeing the plight of the peasants, the last trace of his anger dissipated.

"The mansion has disposed of the servants who beat people, each with ten sticks. Since Liang Yue's family lost their lives, this is the end of the matter, and the mansion will no longer pursue it."

Zuo Menggeng made his decision.

"Master..."

Zuo Hua, who just got up, was a little unwilling, but looking at the corpse floating in the cold wind, he finally swallowed the rest of the words.

In the end, he was just irritable, not bad-hearted, and didn't feel that his father's injury needed so many lives to make up for it.

The villagers waited tremblingly for the verdict of fate, but they did not expect this result.

As soon as the cloud cleared, everyone crawls in front of Zuo Menggeng, trying their best to express their gratitude.

"Young master is really alive, the Buddha is so merciful and compassionate!"

"Thank you for your forgiveness, young master, we are kowtowing to you!"

This scene did not make Zuo Menggeng feel better, on the contrary, it was cold.

what did he do?

He just spared the innocent people, but these people regarded him as a bodhisattva.

Why do people's wishes become so humble?
"Get up, let's talk."

Zuo Menggeng let out a sigh of relief and felt that he needed to do something.

The villagers got up one after another and looked over eagerly, not knowing what the eldest young master was going to do.

Zuo Menggeng no longer pursues it, which is certainly gratifying.But the vulnerable farmers really can't stand any toss.

Zuo Menggeng had already seen that the only people who could really talk about this Zhuangzi were the two of them.

One is Lao Qintou and the other is Zhang Yan.

He pulled the two of them to sit down, letting the other farmers surround them.

"How's the harvest this year?"

Speaking of this, many of the villagers burst into tears on the spot.

The gully-like wrinkles on Lao Qin's face became more and more obvious.

"Master, I can't live anymore. It rained in the late spring this year, and the drought was severe throughout the year. The crops planted in the fields died of drought piece by piece. We just stood on the edge of the field and watched. No. When I got to Qiu’er, I cleaned up a lot, and I didn’t even get two buckets of land per mu.”

Zuo Menggeng made some calculations in his heart, and his heart was extremely heavy.

According to the level of agricultural planting in the Ming Dynasty, there should be one stone or two stones per mu of land in a typical year.Now it is less than one-tenth, which shows how serious the disaster is.

He had doubts, pointed to the jade belt not far away, and said, "Since it's dry, why don't you take water for irrigation?"

Yes, there is clearly a small river outside Zhuangzi, about five or six feet wide.It has not been frozen yet, and you can see the gurgling water of the river, and the water volume is still abundant.

Zuo Menggeng couldn't figure it out, obviously leaning against the river, why did the farmers watch the fields die from drought?

Unexpectedly, speaking of this, the faces of the villagers were even more ugly, and even Zuo Gui was furious.

"Young master doesn't know something. If you want to bring water from the river, you have to pass through the fields next door to Feng Yuanwai. But Feng Yuanwai wants to find our land, so we won't be allowed to fetch water."

Zuo Menggeng was furious.

"How unreasonable is this? The disaster is like a fire. If you collect more food, you can save a few more lives. That Feng Yuanwai is so vicious? Let's go and settle the account with him."

However, no one moved, Zuo Rong and Zuo Gui were still left and right, blocking Zuo Menggeng.

"Master, it's absolutely impossible. Then Feng Yuan is too powerful, so we can't afford to offend him."

Zuo Menggeng was not a hot-blooded boy after all, he calmed down all of a sudden.

"What's the origin of Feng Yuanwai?"

Zuo Gui knew very well.

"Then Feng Yuanwai is the nephew of the guarding eunuch Feng Lun. He is a tyrant here, and no one dares to provoke him. If you make trouble with him, our family will have endless troubles."

When he heard that he was the nephew of the eunuch guarding, Zuo Menggeng was helpless.

This is really annoying.

Everyone knows that those who can serve as eunuchs must be the emperor's cronies, or the dutiful sons and grandsons of the big men in the palace.

This kind of man has hands and eyes, and it is easy to kill local officials.

A small family like the Zuo family is unattainable for ordinary people. In the eyes of the eunuchs guarding them, even sesame and mung beans are not counted.

Unexpectedly, there is such a true Buddha squatting next to his own Zhuangzi.

Zuo Menggeng almost vomited blood when he thought that he was leaning against the river but could not get water, and could only sit and watch the crops die from drought.

Zuo Gui was also afraid that he would be impulsive, and he would not stop.

"Feng Lun, the guard eunuch, is Li Chaoqin's godson, and he is a popular man in the palace. Young master must not dare to get angry with such people, lest disaster strike."

Zuo Menggeng rolled his eyes.

"You mean... Feng Lun is Li Chaoqin's godson?"

Before Zuo Gui could answer, the corners of Zuo Menggeng's mouth slowly curved up.Looking at the fields outside Feng Yuan in the extreme distance, it was like looking at fragrant fat.

But this matter is not urgent, we have to go back and plan slowly.

Whether it succeeds or not depends on chance.

The current situation on Zhuangzi has reached an urgent level.

"The grain harvest is poor, how are you spending this winter?"

The old Qin looked at Zhang Yan, Zhang Yan hesitated several times, but he was frank.

"At this time in previous years, we would all go into the city and go to the wharf to help. The villagers have strength, and they can earn some hard-earned money to subsidize their families. But this year, the refugees have all come to us, and the city is not allowed to enter, so they can only work. lean on."

The refugees who flocked to eat from all directions put a lot of pressure on Linqing, and the government had to send people to stop it outside the city.

For safety, the entrance and exit of the city gates are also strictly controlled.

Officials like Zuo Menggeng can go in and out at will, but ordinary people can't.

The fields failed to harvest, and it was impossible to go to the city to work.

For the farmers in Zhuangzi this winter, I am afraid it will be a life-and-death crisis.

Seeing that Zuo Menggeng was not as domineering as other masters, the old Qin head started to talk more.

"A month ago, before the crops were harvested, the officials came to the government, and the land tax and Liao's salaries were collected for five years. It wasn't enough to fill in the income of the villagers, and a few families simply fled. I'm going to take us to work again. Hey, there's no way out."

Hearing that the tax had been collected from Chongzhen for five years, Zuo Menggeng knew that the problem in the countryside had really reached an urgent level.

This is a powder keg that can explode at any time.

The peasant uprising in northern Shaanxi in the late Ming Dynasty was so powerful that many people thought that only the peasants in northern Shaanxi were rebelling.

In fact, throughout the Chongzhen period, Daming was everywhere.

From south to north, there is chaos everywhere.

It's just that the disturbances in other places are not as big as the peasant uprising in northern Shaanxi.

However, he is a second-generation general with limited ability, and he understands the current situation and can't do anything.

But the farmers in front of me...

Zuo Menggeng thought about it, the house originally planned to collect rent because Zuo Liangyu wanted to use the money.But now Zuo Liangyu has resigned from office and has nowhere to spend his money.

In that case, there is no urgency.

"I have seen the situation of the big guy. That being the case, I will make the decision for this year's rent, so let's avoid it."

Although the words were light, they were like the explosion of a nuclear bomb, shocking everyone.

Old Qin's head trembled, for fear that it was just a dream.

"Master, rent... rent is really... is it really free?"

Zhang Yan stood up abruptly, hard to believe.

"Young master...isn't he trying to tease us?"

Zuo Rong was also anxious.

"Master, this matter has to be discussed in the long run."

Rent-free is a big deal for anyone.Zuo Rong saw that he did not discuss with the mansion, so he made a decision and couldn't help but worry.

Zuo Menggeng ignored him and only looked at Zhang Yan.

"How about lying to you? What about not cheating? Look at your appearance, is there anything else worth cheating?"

Zhang Yan was stunned, looked down at himself, and suddenly laughed.

"That's right, a poor man can't squeeze out two taels of oil in a frying pan. Are you afraid of being cheated?"

He turned his head sharply and yelled at the big guy, "Listen, the young master is so merciful that he has spared us this year's rent."

The voice spread far and wide, and all the villagers, no matter how far or near, heard it.Even many villagers who had no clothes and were nestled in their houses pushed open the door and exposed their heads.

"Young master's kindness of life, we will never forget it, we can only repay it by being a bull and a horse."

Hundreds of villagers knelt on the ground, their grateful voices filled with sky-high surprise.

This scene made Zuo Rong and others all dumbfounded.

Zuo Fu stole a glance and wondered in his heart, is the young master buying people's hearts?

But these muddy legs, who have a cheap life, have bought their hearts, what can they do?
Zhuangzi, shrouded in death, rent-free is like a hurricane, bringing a new atmosphere to the place.Visible to the naked eye, most people's faces became alive.

Although they are still without food and clothing this winter, life is difficult.But without the burden of rent from the main family, the pressure is suddenly reduced by half.

(End of this chapter)