At the beginning of the civil castle, the Ming God of War was a little panicked

Chapter 209 My Land Is the Master

Zhu Qizhen secretly thought that the management of this Huangzhuang is not bad, but the output is a bit low. If high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn are planted in the future, the output will be considerable.

Thinking of this, he became even more determined to sail to the west. The vast Golden Continent is full of treasures, and we must not let those western pirates get there first!

In the words of Qin Shihuang, forehead drops, forehead drops, are all like forehead drops!

"Hey, the emperor is thirsty, the servants are only focused on answering, and forgot to make tea for the emperor!"

Xiao Jing seemed to have just remembered this, with an apologetic expression on his face, he hurriedly turned around and went out to pour tea.

Wynn followed and said, "I bring all the tea sets used by the emperor here, just arrange for someone to boil the water!"

Xiao Jing came to his senses, and said with a smile on his face: "Eunuch Huai ordered that I was also in a daze, how dare I let the emperor use the tea set outside?"

"Don't rush to drink tea!"

Zhu Qizhen walked out of the house with his hands behind his back, and ordered: "Take me around and have a look."

Xiao Jing led the way, and when he left the courtyard, he saw that the village was quiet, as if there was no one there.

Zhu Qizhen looked around, although there was no one on the street, he could see pairs of curious eyes behind the closed doors of several houses, looking around non-stop.

Of course he knew what was going on, Xiao Jing must have cleared the scene, but, as the emperor himself, if he ran in front of the common people, had a cordial conversation, asked for their health, maybe... it would scare the other party into a sickness...

The people in Zhuangzi cringe when they see Zhuangtou on weekdays, let alone the emperor. Besides, there is no need for them to put on a friendly attitude, because what they have to do now is to try to improve the lives of the people. , rather than meaningless vanity projects.

Across from Zhuangzi, there is a small river at the east end of Zhuangzi, which should be a tributary of Yongding River.

Due to the continuous drought in recent days, the river is almost dry, and most of the riverbed is covered with ice and snow. Only a small stream flows slowly in the middle of the riverbed.

Xiao Jing stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, this river used to have a lot of water, the fields on both sides of the river were easy to irrigate, and the grain production was more than it is now, but the water volume has been getting smaller and smaller in recent years, so the servants had to send someone to beat them. Well, take well water to irrigate, I am afraid that in a few years, this river will dry up completely, and then... oh..."

Seeing Xiao Jing sighing, Zhu Qizhen suddenly asked: "How many years have you managed this Zhuangzi?"

Xiao Jing hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty, the slaves have been in this village since they were 12 years old, and it has been three years now. However, at the very beginning, the slaves were only responsible for daily chores, and it was last year that the slaves took over the management responsibilities. .”

Wynn said from the side: "The emperor didn't know something. Xiao Jing was proficient in arithmetic when he was a child, and he managed Zhuangzi's accounts. Everything was detailed and organized. Eunuch Jin thought he was a man to make, so he promoted him."

Zhu Qizhen nodded and said: "You did a good job, continue to work hard in the future, and I will not treat you badly."

Xiao Jing was immediately moved, he hurriedly knelt down and said: "Your servant should not be praised by the emperor, I just want to serve the emperor and the royal family with all my heart!"

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment, and then said: "I am going to set up a new policy pilot in this Zhuangzi and make some changes, Xiao Jing, the burden on your shoulders will be even heavier in the future, are you sure?"

Just as Xiao Jing stood up, he immediately bowed down again: "This servant will be smashed to pieces, and I will not let down the grace of God!"

"Get up and talk!"

Zhu Qizhen waved his hands and said, "I don't need you to be smashed to pieces, but you have to be able to withstand the pressure."

Xiao Jing was moved and shocked at the same time, and asked cautiously: "I don't know how the emperor plans to change?"

"Let me ask you first, how much is Zhuangzi's rent?"

"Back to the emperor, [-]%!"

"Okay, the first one is rent reduction!"

"Rent reduction?"

"That's right, rent reduction!" Zhu Qizhen said, "The common people's land rent has been reduced from [-]% to [-]%!"

"what……"

This time, not only Xiao Jing, but everyone present was stunned.

Thirty percent?

This kind of rent, even if the prodigal son sees it, he still has to call the expert...

Since ancient times, the rent has never been less than [-]%, and Huangzhuang's harvest is [-]%, which is considered more conscientious. In other places, there are many people who earn [-]%, and there are even [-]%!

A direct reduction to [-]% is simply going to subvert people's cognition!

If you are an ordinary person, it’s fine. If you accumulate virtue and do good deeds, others can’t control it. However, you are the emperor. Once you start this way, what will the other gentry and landlords in the world do?
Huai En laughed and said, "Your Majesty, should you think about it again? Land rent is a big income in the palace. If there is less income, the nobles in the palace will complain and make trouble!"

"Isn't that clear enough?"

Zhu Qizhen suddenly put on a serious face, with an unquestionable tone.

In his opinion, this is exploitation, naked exploitation!
The common people are exposed to the wind and the sun every day, working hard, [-]% of the harvest will be taken away, and the remaining food will at most make people barely starve to death. In this way, everyone thinks it is justified and should be taken for granted.

Wynn didn't dare to speak anymore, Xiao Jing secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said, "Your servant has made a note."

Zhu Qizhen didn't intend to explain to them the concepts of civil rights and equality, because they didn't understand.

Since I have supreme power in my hands, why not use it?
"You can do what I say, and whoever dares to say a word will immediately go to Fengyang to guard the imperial mausoleum!"

Wynn and Xiao Jing shrank their necks and dared not speak again.

Zhu Qizhen continued: "Secondly, you arrange people, choose an open space, and build a textile workshop. The scale should not be too small, and it must be able to accommodate at least a thousand people."

Xiao Jing was a little confused, and asked: "Your Majesty, there are only more than 2000 people in Zhuangzi, and the common people have to work in the fields on weekdays. I'm afraid there are not so many people working..."

"I haven't finished yet!"

Zhu Qizhen rolled his eyes at him, and said: "This textile workshop will only recruit female workers when it is built!"

Xiao Jing really wanted to shut up, but he still couldn't help asking: "Female worker?"

"That's right, only female workers are recruited. Most of the common people are male outside and female inside. What a waste of labor is this? After this rule is changed, women can also go out to work. At that time, textile workshops will not only recruit female workers, Managers should also be selected from Dongchang and women to save others from gossiping!"

In this day and age, a woman's lack of talent is a virtue, and what is important is that she does not leave the door without going out, because the only woman who needs to show her face... is a prostitute.

Therefore, if the daughter of any family, or so-and-so's daughter-in-law, often dresses up beautifully and goes out ostentatiously, she will be said by the neighbors to be disobedient.

On the other hand, it is a breach of morality to touch your clothes and bare sleeves. If you are touched by a man outside, should you marry him, or go home and find a rope to hang yourself up?
If things go on like this, a consensus has been formed in everyone's hearts, and women are not allowed to show their faces in public.

What Zhu Qizhen has to do is to liberate women from their homes. They are an important part of social productivity. If Daming wants to develop, this step must go out!

"About the style of the workshop and how to construct it, I will inform the Ministry of Industry to arrange relevant personnel to come. Your task is to gather the young and strong in the village, and start construction in the spring of next year. Remember, this is not labor, it is work. Take care of the food and pay the wages!"

Xiao Jing nodded again and again and said: "Slave obeys the order!"

At this time, he also figured it out, what others say, we will do, and don't ask anything else!
Zhu Qizhen continued to order: "Thirdly, send people to buy a batch of livestock and distribute them to every household free of charge, mobilize the old and weak, women and children to raise them in captivity, if conditions permit, raise pigs and sheep, and if conditions do not, raise some chickens and ducks. "

While Xiao Jing agreed, he started to murmur in his heart, building workshops and providing livestock, where does the money come from?
Zhu Qizhen seemed to know his worry, so he said: "I am not short of money now, I will allocate 10 taels to you first, and then go get it if it is not enough!"

These words are not exaggerated, what Zhu Qizhen lacks most now is money.

Officials all over the world have been implicated in treason and smuggling cases as many as a thousand, and most of them are located in the coastal areas of the south of the Yangtze River, and countless family properties have been confiscated.

In the past, Wang Zhen's house was copied, with 6000 million taels of silver. I couldn't be more excited.

Looking back now, I was still too young!

Both the treasuries of Nanjing and Beijing were so full that many properties could not be taken away, so they were directly handed over to the local government for disposal.

Although the money in the national treasury belongs to the imperial court, the Ming court belongs to him. Isn't the imperial court's silver his own?

Therefore, a mere 10 taels of silver is just like a joke.

"You write down everything I just said. If there is anything you don't understand, come into the palace at any time, and I will explain it to you face to face. Do you understand?"

"Your servants have memorized everything, what the emperor told you, your servants will be able to do everything well!"

Zhu Qizhen nodded and said: "That's good, I'm waiting for your good news. In addition, if you don't have enough manpower, go to Wynn. He will pick some people from the palace to help you. After all, there are many things to do. I can't be too busy."

Wynn quickly responded: "Slaves will cooperate fully!"

It was getting late at this time, and Zhu Qizhen was about to return to the palace when he suddenly saw the mountains in the distance, and an idea popped into his mind.

"How do people keep warm, do they burn charcoal or coal?"

"Back to the emperor, the people mainly burn charcoal."

"I remember that burning coal is cheaper than burning charcoal, why not burn coal?"

In my memory, there are many coal mines in the Xishan area, and they are not buried deep, so they are easy to mine.

"This……"

Xiao Jing was a little hesitant. Seeing this, Huai En couldn't help but said: "Whatever the emperor asks you, just say what you say. What does it look like to be dawdling?"

"Reporting to the emperor, the price of coal is indeed cheaper than carbon, and coal has been burned before. However, since last year, all the coal mines in Xishan have been surrounded by people, and no one else is allowed to dig."

Zhu Qizhen frowned and asked, "Who is it?"

Xiao Jing shook his head and said: "I don't know about this servant either, I just remember that it seems to be an honorable man who said that the coal from Xishan was supplied to the quarry, and ordinary people were not allowed to dig it, which caused constant complaints. It is said that... seems to have killed someone .”

Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but think of Uncle Pingxiang Chen Huai. This old man has been digging stones and making cement in the Western Mountains since he came back from the civil fort. He needs a lot of coal. Could it be him?
If this is the case, it will be difficult...

After all, he was a comrade-in-arms who followed him through life and death, so let's deal with it impartially, if it's not humane, let's not deal with it, how to explain to the people?
He was very disturbed and asked: "The nobleman you are talking about is Uncle Pingxiang?"

"no!"

Wynn shook his head and said, "This person seems to be surnamed Zhang."

"Surname Zhang..."

Only then did Zhu Qizhen feel relieved, if it wasn't Chen Huai, then it would be easy, the one surnamed Zhang...

When mentioning the Xungui surnamed Zhang, the first thing that comes to mind is Zhang Mao, but he is not in the capital.

Suddenly, he thought of a person, and his face suddenly became ugly.

"Wynn, when you go back, you should inform Yuan Bin to find out who did it. He competed with the people for profit and caused death. Who gave him the courage?"

Huai En hurriedly agreed: "After the maidservant returns, I will go to Beizhen Fusi in person, and I will definitely convey the emperor's intention clearly."

Zhu Qizhen looked around, the sun was setting and it was getting late, but suddenly he didn't want to go back to the palace.

"It's rare to come out, stay here tonight, and return to the palace tomorrow morning!"

Wynn was in a hurry, and hurriedly persuaded: "Your Majesty, the gate of the city has not been closed at this time, and it is not too late to return to the palace. If you spend the night here...I'm afraid those Qingliu will find out, it will be very troublesome..."

Zhu Qizhen said disapprovingly; "The people living here are all my people, so there is nothing to worry about. As for those clean streams, they like to talk or not, and I don't bother to care about it!"

Wynn was a little helpless. Why didn't he stay when he agreed to go out of the palace?
You didn't say it in advance, and I didn't prepare for it. If something happens, I can't afford it...

Zhu Qizhen said again: "Besides, the affairs in the palace are handled by the king, so I should go out more often, otherwise, if I don't know anything about the affairs outside the palace and the sufferings of the people, I will become a foolish king. Jun?"

Wynn was frightened, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, you must not dare to say that. You are a wise emperor through the ages, and your martial arts and martial arts are comparable to Taizong Taizong!"

Zhu Qizhen didn't want to talk nonsense with him, so he returned to Zhuangzi.

Xiao Jing didn't dare to be negligent, first ordered someone to make tea, and then hurriedly went to make dinner.

Fortunately, he made some preparations in advance, prepared eight dishes and eight bowls, and stewed an old hen. Although it was not delicious, it was still rich.

"Your Majesty, the food in the countryside is poor, so please bear with me."

Zhu Qizhen didn't pay much attention to food, so he said: "Eat, as long as you can eat enough, how about this, you leave four dishes, it is enough for Zhen, Fan Zhong, and Wynn, and the rest will be given to you." You guys!"

Xiao Jing was immediately flattered, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, don't do this, slaves and servants can just eat some."

Zhu Qizhen didn't want to be polite to him all the time, so he said: "Do as I tell you, and if you talk too much, you will be punished according to the decree of resistance!"

Xiao Jing had no choice but to keep four dishes and take the rest away.

Zhu Qizhen picked up the bowl and started to cook the rice, like a wind and a cloud, the rice was cooked in one bowl.

"You guys eat too, I'll go out for a walk to get rid of the food!"

When Fan Zhong heard this, he immediately gobbled it up, put down his job, and followed out.

Wynn looked at the food in his hand that hadn't moved his chopsticks, shook his head, and had to get up to follow.

(End of this chapter)