Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 664 Extra Story ([-]) Three Kings Come Together
On the 39th day of the first month of the 20th year of Tianqi, the news of the release of the former leader of the Yanshan faction, Cheng De, who had been imprisoned for [-] years, shocked the world.

Subsequently, the inner court and the cabinet appointed Officer Cheng De to resume his post, continue to be in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the news of the Beijing inspection also made many officials feel that something was wrong.

It's just that in this era of technological advancement and imperial power can still be centralized, even if the officials know something, they can't make any resistance.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the Ming Dynasty is about to come...

"Woooo-"

"It's here! It's finally here!"

On the first day of February, when Zhu Cixuan's excited voice sounded on the east coast of Daming Sea, three steamships sailed into the bustling Xijing Bay.

In the waters of Xijing Bay, there are countless sailing ships and ships passing by.

Like stars, they sit brilliantly on the surface of the sea, reflecting in the deep sky, illuminating the whole world.

Many of the boats have a private touch, stained in different shades of colour, whether they are sailing ships or steamers.

On the sea, the wooden sailboat lowered its sails and was drooped by the sea wind, like a huge palm blowing the boat into the distance.

There are crystal water droplets at the stern, like a rainbow, exuding a vast and magical charm.

The steamship was emitting thick smoke, and the hull was close to the sea water, impacting the entire ocean at an extremely fast speed.

The waves crashed against the hull, like a drumbeat after another, but all the ships were fearless, and they still insisted on moving forward, with their heads held high.

On these ships, the deck crew moves around like black butterflies.

Facing the sea breeze, they are filled with various materials, hope for life and hope for the future.

Looking at the countless ships under the sun, even a fool can see the prosperity of Xijing Bay.

"This place is no worse than Daming's Five Great Bay Areas!"

Zhu Cixuan looked around excitedly, and greeted every passing ship, and the crew on the deck of those ships waved vigorously.

Although he couldn't see their expressions, Zhu Cixuan could feel the other party's mood.

"Xijing Bay Area, as the closest bay area facing the country from Qi State, includes many large and small cities, and the most important city is Jingzhao Mansion on the Xijing Plain."

"It's the first time for the three Highnesses to come to Jingzhao Mansion, let the old minister introduce you to the three..."

Xia Yunyi walked up from behind Zhu Cihong and the three of them, looked at the direction of the boat and introduced to the three of them.

Jingzhao Mansion, as the western capital of Qi State, is also one of the first few prefectures to develop. Because of its flat terrain, Jingzhao Mansion has become the most densely populated place in Qi State.

As of the 38th day of the twelfth lunar month in the 120th year of Tianqi, the total population of Jingzhao Mansion reached more than 65 million, and Xijing City alone had a permanent population of [-].

According to the information obtained by Qi State, Xijing City is one of the top ten cities in the world, ranking fifth in the world after Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou of Ming Dynasty.

However, in terms of wages, the wages in Xijing City are not as good as Ming’s Liangjing and Suzhou-Hangzhou, or even Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Yangzhou.

"My country Qi set up wages in the 35th year of Tianqi."

Xia Yunyi watched the steam engine ship sail into Qishui with the wind and waves, and set off towards Xijing City, and continued in high spirits:

"Qi State is different from Daming. Although the three Highnesses understand, they only know superficially."

"In the state of Qi, all the land belongs to the state, not to the king of Qi, the common people, or nobles."

"At the same time, all houses, shops, and cities belong to the country, not to King Qi."

As soon as Xia Yunyi opened his mouth, Zhu Cihong and the others were at a loss for words.

They didn't expect that Xia Yunyi could actually say that everything in the Qi country does not belong to the King of Qi, and such words made Zhu Cihong frowned and said:

"If nothing belongs to the people, what's the point of the people working so hard?"

"Hehe..." Hearing what Zhu Cihong said, Xia Yunyi stroked his beard and said with a smile:

"The specific answer is in the "Qi Law", but the old minister can give a superficial explanation."

"Article [-], Paragraph [-] of the "Law of Qi": All mineral deposits, water flows, forests, mountains, grasslands, wasteland, tidal flats and other natural resources within the territory of Qi State are owned by the state and collectives, that is, owned by the whole people. It is forbidden for any forces or Individuals occupy or destroy collective resources by any means.”

"The development of all collective resources should be supervised by the collective, and all private development is destroying the interests of the collective."

Xia Yunyi mentioned the relevant regulations in "Qi Law", and explained in a popular way:

"In Qi State, no matter whether it is mines or land, all development requires the approval of relevant government offices before development can proceed."

"Of course, this kind of development is mainly based on collectives, such as production teams, villages, market towns, county towns, and state capitals."

"Last year, if the magistrates of the 25 prefectures of the Qi State Shangshu, it is expected that 400 million mu of cultivated land will be reclaimed this year. Then these cultivated lands will be processed in the Changshi Mansion in a higher-standard way, and then sent to the Qi Wang Mansion for approval by the Qi Wang Mansion. red."

"In this process, it needs to be calculated at the beginning, which households will be assigned to the 25 mu of cultivated land in the 400 prefectures after reclamation."

"In layman's terms, that is to divide the land..."

Xia Yunyi explained the method of development and distribution of land resources. Although it sounds a little complicated, it is very simple to do.

The number of tractors in each production team has a corresponding index for reclamation. With the index, it must be allocated first and then cultivated.

In other words, which mu of land belongs to which family has already been agreed from the beginning.

Qi's production team is only responsible for organizing reclamation and cultivation, and allocating tractors.

It is impossible for the production team members to help others reclaim the land that others will cultivate in the future, so it fundamentally eliminates the idea of ​​some people wanting to be lazy.

"Qi State is also the same as the State Dynasty. Is the ownership of the land owned by the court and the right to use it permanently owned by the peasants?"

Zhu Cilang asked Xia Yunyi, and got Xia Yunyi's nod in response.

"What about mines and factories?" Zhu Cihong asked, and Xia Yunyi also laughed after hearing this:
"Mine deposits absolutely belong to the state, while factories are subdivided into private and state operations."

"However, whether it is private or state-run, the rules must follow the "Qi Law"."

"For example, in the 35th year of Apocalypse, the "Law of Qi" stipulated that the minimum daily wage of factories in Qi State was [-] Wen, so the daily wages of factories across the country could only be [-] Wen or higher."

"As for the folks, the minimum daily salary for self-employed recruiters stipulated in the "Qi Law" is twelve cash, the reason is the same as above."

"So low?!" Hearing that the factory's minimum daily wage was no more than fifteen cash, Zhu Cijiong couldn't help but say it.

For him who lives in the capital, he clearly remembers that the daily salary of the factories around the capital has risen to a minimum of 30 Wen in the [-]th year of Tianqi, and some laborers and handymen in the capital also have [-] Wen.

However, when Xia Yunyi spoke about the daily salary of the Qi State, he couldn't bear it any longer, and even subconsciously suspected that many officials said that the people of the Qi State were living a very happy life.

"Hehe..." Xia Yunyi looked at Zhu Cihong and the three of them, stroked his beard and said with a smile:

"The three Highnesses got off the pier a little bit, how about riding a horse to King Qi's Palace? You will know the situation by visiting the market town market on the way."

Xia Yunyi knew that it would be difficult for Zhu Cihong and the others to understand the lives of the people in Qi State just by what he said, so he chose to let the three of them see it with their own eyes.

"Okay!" After hearing the words, the three of Zhu Cihong agreed, and then stopped talking, quietly watching the boats passing by Qishui.

Since Zhu Youjian went to Zhongdu City in the middle of the month at this moment, they were not in a hurry to go to Qi Palace.

It was also under such unhurried circumstances that the ship successfully arrived at Xijing Port in the east of Xijing City.

Xijing Port can dock hundreds of ships, and its scale is as large as that of a county.

When the ship sailed into the port and entered the ship's position, the bursts of laughter on the pier attracted the attention of Zhu Cihong and others.

Xia Yunyi asked them to disembark first, and said that someone had been arranged to bring them horses, and the luggage would be sent to Qi Palace later by the convoy.

Since the three were eager to know about the low wages of common people in Qi, the three bowed and saluted to express their gratitude before turning around and getting off the steamer.

Walk down the deck along the ship ladder, and when you come to the wharf with paved concrete road, in addition to many ships moored inside the port, what you see is the unloading workers on the wharf.

They pull trailers, or carry goods, and run back and forth. They look very tired, but their faces are full of smiles, and they can rest for a few seconds from time to time, chatting with the people next to them.

"Three, the horses are here."

When the strange voice sounded, Zhu Cihong and the three reacted, and they turned around to look.

They saw three young men in normal clothes standing in front of them leading three ordinary sluggish horses. Such sluggish horses were not as good as those pulling dung carts in Suncheon University, but Zhu Cihong and the others did not dislike them.

The three took the reins, then appeased the horse, and got on the horse.

They leisurely walked towards the streets of the port, and their goal was Xijing City, which was more than ten miles away.

The wharf of Xijing Port is very lively, just like that of Daming, but the workers at the wharf are more energetic and energetic than those of Daming.

The three rode out of the pier and came to the street.

The familiar Jiangnan-style buildings, dense pedestrians, and the occasional rutting sound make the atmosphere of the whole street look vibrant.

Zhu Cihong and the others rode slowly on the horse path, looking at the pedestrians on both sides from time to time.

Some of the pedestrians on both sides were merchants, some were residents, and some were shop assistants that Zhu Cihong and the others cared about.

There are stalls hawking along the street, and the prices are clearly marked on all the stalls, and there is no such thing as forced buying and selling.

"Freshly picked southern apples cost three catties, don't miss them when you pass by!"

"Hundred flower baskets! Two pennies each, with a flower basket!"

On the street, there are either fruit sellers or flower sellers, and the fragrance of fruits and flowers is all around, making people feel very comfortable walking in it.

Zhu Cihong and the others enjoyed this feeling of gazing at the flowers, but they soon walked out of the street selling fruits and flowers.

Although it is a market town, there are still some roadblocks.

Zhu Cihong and the others who were waiting at the intersection saw many food stalls on the opposite street, and couldn't help but look forward to it.

"Clang clang-"

The pendulum clock at the intersection rang naturally, and the roadblock was put down along the way.

Zhu Cihong and the others rode leisurely across the intersection, and then came to a new street.

Qi's prosperous civic economy and civic culture have created a variety of Qi's cuisines.

From the porridge and soup in the south of the Yangtze River, to the meat in Liaodong, the "xiashui" in Shandong, the cakes in North Zhili, and even some snacks from the Southwest and Northeast people will also appear on this street.

Judging from the food on the stall, compared with Daming, Qi State has made great progress in terms of cooking skills.

From roasting, steaming, boiling, frying, roasting, to marinating, spreading, frying, popping, and stir-frying, the snacks made by various methods are dazzling.

In fact, seeing this, Zhu Cihong already knew how the lives of the people of Qi State were.

If the standard of living of the people of Qi State was poor, it would be impossible to develop better cooking skills than Daming in such a short period of time.

"Sir, how much is this bowl of wontons?"

"Two words! Twenty wontons! It's written on the sign."

Zhu Cihong listened to the conversation between the host and the guest, and couldn't help looking at the signs in front of the booths around him in surprise.

[Four crispy cakes]

【Twenty Wontons】

[Ten pieces of grilled oysters]

【A Bowl of Liaodong Lamb Tripe and Salmon】

[Huainan Beef Noodles, Two Papers, One Bowl]

[Mongolian Roast Lamb Fifteen Wen per Catty]

【Qi Wang Rice Noodles, Two Wen, One Bowl】

Zhu Cihong, who looked at the signs one after another, doubted life, while Zhu Cixuan next to him had already started to buy things with copper coins, and Zhu Cijiong had already eaten.

"The price...is it too cheap?"

Zhu Cihong has traveled far and wide, and has been to many places in Daming, so he naturally knows the price of goods in Daming.

Among other things, what Zhu Cihong remembers most clearly is the price of wontons.

Even though the price of meat has dropped in recent years, the price of wontons in Daming is still four yuan per bowl, and there are only fifteen wontons per bowl.

As for sheep tripe, beef tripe, meat sausage, etc., which are the favorite foods of the Ming people, the price of a bowl is basically seven cents.

Let alone barbecue, the price of a catty of raw mutton in Daming is more than [-] yuan, let alone roast,
"It's not like there's no lower..."

A familiar voice sounded from behind Zhu Cihong, he turned around abruptly, and sure enough, he saw a familiar face.

"Brother Xia!"

Zhu Cijiong and Zhu Cixuan next to each other shouted out, and Zhu Cihuang also said happily:

"You are not working in Changshi Mansion, how come you have time to come here?"

"Knowing that you are coming back today, I specially took a rest for a day."

Xia Wanchun, who was wearing a sky-blue round-neck robe, said with a smile. He was not as conspicuous as Zhu Cihong and the other three, but he was very fair and clean. While he was bookish, his brows looked bold.

"You two have grown a lot taller, so it seems that I should call you two big brothers."

Xia Wanchun looked at Zhu Cixuan who were five feet four five inches three years ago, but now they are five feet six seven inches, and couldn't help joking.

"Haha..." Zhu Cixuan and the two looked at each other and smiled. After Xia Wanchun laughed, he took his horse and took the lead and said:

"I've been traveling to and from this town for half a year. Just follow me, and I'll take you wherever you want to see."

"Okay!" Zhu Cixuan and the two agreed happily, got off the horse and led the horse to other places.

Looking at the three of them, Zhu Cihong felt an indescribable joy in his heart.

It seemed that he was influenced by the atmosphere of the people around him, he was much more relaxed here than he was in Daming.

"Wait for me!"

With a cry, he led the horse and chased the three of them.

The four of them walked the streets, and Xia Wanchun took them to the Wangdian.

"Just tie the horses to the door."

Xia Wanchun explained at the entrance of Wangdian, but before Zhu Cihong could speak, Zhu Cijiong said, "What if someone steals it?"

"Pfft..." Hearing this, the passers-by couldn't help laughing, and Xia Wanchun also laughed and said:

"Where do you think this is? This is Qi State!"

"The horses in Qi State are all marked, and theft and trafficking can be easily detected."

Xia Wanchun showed the horse ear tag to Zhu Cihong and the others, then shook his head with a smile:

"Qi Guo Road does not pick up lost items, and does not close the house at night. The price of these four horses is not worth the price of being "deported" and "land confiscated" by thieves."

After finishing speaking, Xia Wanchun turned around and walked into the king's shop, and Zhu Cihong and the others also tied the reins and walked in.

The Wangdian they entered covers an area of ​​more than ten mu, with two floors.

All the products are placed against the wall, but compared to the imperial store of Ming Dynasty, the royal store of Qi State has the embryonic form of the department store of later generations.

In the Wang store, there are not only various retail products, but also various "small door and small household" cooked food stalls.

From steamed buns to pastries, barbecues, and even fresh food like cream cakes.

Except for soup and barbecue food, there are other relatively portable cooked food, and the price is half or even more than that of Daming.

A few people strolled around in a fancy way, almost looking at the prices of a large number of commodities that the people need in their lives.

If it wasn't for the crowds in Wang's shop and the continuous stream of people shopping and a little crowded, I'm afraid they wouldn't come out for a while.

"After looking at it, I understand why our wages are cheaper than Guochao."

"Prices are more than half cheaper, so the wages will naturally not rise."

The four of them walked out of the king's shop one after another. When untying the reins, Zhu Cixuan excitedly talked about today's insights.

He has changed from "Qi State" to "We" in Qi State. Obviously, Qi State's atmosphere, commodity prices, and wages make him feel very proud.

"The prices here are quite high. If you live in other 24 provinces, the prices can be lower."

Xia Wanchun explained with a smile, and at the same time looked at Zhu Cihong:
"That's why I told you that I would rather be a dung worker in Qi than an official in Daming."

Xia Wanchun did not forget Qi State because of his life in Daming for more than ten years, but because of his life in Daming for more than ten years, he felt very grateful that he could have a place like Qi State.

"Is Guochao not good? Why do you have to leave?"

Zhu Cijiong said this sentence out of time, Xia Wanchun heard it but replied without thinking:
"Guochao is very good, but it is too old, and its movements are too slow, which makes me uncomfortable."

Even though he said that, it sounded like an excuse. After hearing what he said, Zhu Cihong looked at the people around him.

He couldn't see any tiredness on their faces.

Obviously, it is also the imperial court's land, why do the people of Ming Dynasty have a sense of fatigue on their faces, but there is no such thing here...

Zhu Cihong couldn't figure it out clearly, but he knew that after he saw his father, his father would solve his doubts one by one.

(End of this chapter)