After the Rebirth of the Red Chamber

It wasn't until he actually entered the disaster area that Lin Ruhai intuitively felt what the scenes of "corpses all over the field" and "no chickens crowing for thousands of miles" that he had seen in history books in the past were like.

He also finally understood how tragic the casualties he saw from the local memorials when he was the prime minister in his previous life.

Before entering the border of Hebei, the group of them met many people who had fled.

Most of them are sallow and thin, and some look chubby and tight, but when they press down with a finger, their bodies are a pit that cannot float.

——It was swollen from hunger.

Seeing Lin Ruhai's unbearable expression, He Miao, who was traveling with him, sighed, "Where are we going? The worst is yet to come."

What He Miao said was right, but the worst is indeed yet to come.

The more they went to the disaster area, the more corpses starved to death on the roadside.

But later, there were fewer dead bodies.

Lin Ruhai was puzzled: Could it be that there is someone here to collect the corpse?

He Miao gave him a sympathetic look, and pointed to the few open shops on both sides of the street.

Lin Ruhai's complexion changed.

He had already realized something, but he still took a look for himself.Then, when he came out, he couldn't help holding the door frame and throwing up.

——That's a butcher's shop, which sells nothing but "rice meat".

He had only seen a few words of this kind of thing in the records of history books before.

However, the history books of all dynasties cannot avoid the hurdle of "Spring and Autumn Brushwork", and most of the ones that are handed down for future generations are relatively bright.

Of course, if a new dynasty is established and the history is compiled for the previous dynasty, it will be the other way around.

But in any case, something like "rice meat" can leave a mark in the history books, and it is already a relatively fair historian.

Lin Ruhai finally understood that in a catastrophic year, in a disaster-stricken place, with floating corpses all over the fields, it's not too bad a disaster.It is the most frightening to see such people who are desolate and have no corpses.

"We can't go any further in." Guan Yuan said, "If we go any further, I'm afraid the 500 of us won't be able to protect the food and grass for disaster relief."

The group of them escorted some food and grass first.

It was okay at the beginning. Those who went out to flee were still ambitious and generally unwilling to take risks.

But the further you go in, the more desperate the remaining people become.

And despair often leads to madness.

They think: Anyway, they are doomed to die, so why not be a full-fledged ghost?

They have dispatched no less than five waves of robbers made up of disaster victims.

These people, if you don't fight, you can't let them go, and if you kill them, it's unbearable.They also have to consider the issue of "popular outrage".

It is simply not too light to be too heavy, making people in a dilemma, quite a feeling of being unable to start.

In the end, Guan Yuan made a decision: In the nearest government office, officials from Shanxi and Hebei were called to discuss disaster relief matters.

He Miao asked, "Should we build the porridge shed first?"

Lin Ruhai was silent for a long time, and then he opened his mouth: "I see that although the gates of many big families are closed, there are signs of entry and exit at the corner gates. They must have food in their homes. The officials are willing to go and make a deal to get more food. OK."

Both Guan Yuan and He Miao couldn't help but look at him with admiration in their expressions.

In fact, every time the imperial court provides disaster relief, it is necessary to mobilize a large family of local grain merchants.

But this is a thankless job, and it is not easy to make achievements.Under normal circumstances, they are pushed and pushed until they can no longer be pushed, and then someone will hold their nose and pick it up.

Although Lin Ruhai's initiative is a bit suspicious, but at this time, people who are willing to do practical things are always admirable.

Lin Ruhai didn't say much, just ate a piece of dry food with the freshly boiled ginger soup, washed his face, changed into clean clothes, and set off.

In fact, it is not too difficult for Lin Ruhai to do such a thing.

As a person who has experienced ups and downs in the officialdom for two or three lives, and was the chief assistant in his previous life, Lin Ruhai is well aware of the weaknesses of human nature.

Like these big families with extensive real estate, what they dream of most is fame; while those grain merchants, what they want most is nothing but profit and reputation.

Since the imperial envoy Guan Yuan had a special order to do things cheaply, Lin Ruhai was not polite, and immediately promised these people in the name of the court that he would use his rich experience to get more food at the lowest price.

As the saying goes: if you have the right to use it, it will become invalid after the expiration date.

Guan Yuan is not a pedant, otherwise, he would not be able to become the emperor's confidant under the emperor who is as sage.

Lin Ruhai just made a promise to the country gentry: After this famine, he will tell the saints to reserve a few more places for Shanxi and Hebei provinces in Enkoli next year.

By the way, if someone who performed outstandingly in disaster relief and happened to have a scholar at home, he would ask the sage to bestow a few titles of scholar.

This can fool a large number of people.

And with this beginning, the following things will be much easier to handle.

The number of places given by the imperial court is definitely limited. As for who to give to, you can relax and let you discuss it yourself, but it can also be designated by the imperial court.

In this way, those who are weaker and think that their combat effectiveness is low will automatically hug the thigh of the imperial court.

This is how to break into them smoothly.

And with internal support, it is easier to grasp the handles of those big merchants and big families.

As long as there is a handle, the court wants to deal with them, why not just see when it will be easy?

Lin Ruhai's set of overturn-cloud-overturn-rain was very effective. Even half of the food money sent by the imperial court was not used, and the disaster was basically resolved.

As for the rest, Guan Yuan directly wrote to the saint, applying for distribution to the victims as grain seeds.

Of course, these officials, who have worked hard for two or three months, can also breathe a sigh of relief, sit together in a friendly manner, and share part of the benefits for the second time.

As for the part that everyone had shared when the imperial government's food payment was first distributed, it was naturally smoothed out tacitly.

This trip to disaster relief is really a double gain of fame and fortune.

Lin Ruhai also took the opportunity to try to simplify the memorial and official documents.

But because of the pissing nature of today's saints, the flattering ones can't be removed for the time being.

The flood was solved perfectly, and the fleeing people also returned to their hometowns one after another under the arrangement of officials from all over the country.More importantly, there was no public outrage.

The sage Longxin was overjoyed, and immediately issued an order to commend the imperial envoy and officials from all over the country. He also readily agreed to the imperial envoy's application to grant the honor of scholar to the gentry who had contributed a lot in disaster relief.

This incident can be regarded as setting a precedent. Lin Ruhai was quite criticized among the scholars, but the imperial court also regarded this practice as an example for reference.

Regardless of whether this example will be used for personal gain after it becomes a common practice in the future, at least in a short period of time, it will be beneficial to the people.

Lin Ruhai dreamed of Cui Pan that night, and Cui Pan affirmed his behavior.

Lin Ruhai was determined.

——It seems that the so-called merits and virtues are really counted only if they are beneficial to the common people.

The idea that he suppressed before was about to move again, which made him eager to promote it.

——Shorten the efficiency of the court.

But for the time being, he didn't have time to think about it.

Because, after the disaster subsided, the sage just took advantage of the popularity he gained this time to officially attack the court.

As long as they are officials in the court, how many of them really have a breeze in their sleeves?

Especially those who participated in the dispute between the prince's faction, who didn't use their power to make things easier for their master?

It just depends on whether the saint wants to check.

In the past, saints valued the stability of the court more, and turned a blind eye to many things.

But now...

Hehe, a group of sons almost dug the wall and collapsed the tower. If the saint can still be stable, then he can't be stable on the throne for so many years.

After working under the saint for so many years, the officials in the court were finally "fortunate" to see the vigorous and resolute side of the saint.

In a daze, many old officials seemed to have finally seen the shadow of Tai-zu's vigorous and resolute actions from the saint.

It can only be said that as expected of the Tai-ancestor's seed, how can he be truly kind and forgiving in his bones?

This turmoil has affected all six parts.

Among them, Lin Ruhai's immediate boss, the priest doctor of the Ministry of Rites, was also implicated and ended up in exile for three thousand miles.

It was logical that Lin Ruhai, who had just entered the Ministry of Rites not long ago, took advantage of this shareholder style and became a fourth-rank doctor in the Ministry of Rites.

Opposite Lin Ruhai is Jia Zheng who has a lack of heart.

Although the sage cared about his friendship with Jia Daishan and didn't let him go home to eat himself, but he was demoted one level, from the fifth-rank member Wailang to the sixth-rank chief.

Come on, Jia Zhengmeng entered an official position. Instead of being promoted for many years, he lost the official position that his old father had asked for before his death.

Jia Amnesty taunted him for a while, and was reprimanded several times by Jia's mother, but it didn't affect Jia Amnesty's elated mood.

Mrs. Wang stayed in the Buddhist hall longer and longer, but she ate and recited the Buddha. I don't know who she was praying for, or did she have other thoughts?

Jia Zheng was very frustrated, and his whole body was quite depressed.

In order to comfort her youngest son, Jia's mother gave him a maid surnamed Zhou.

That night, that girl opened her face and made room for her.

For this, Wang hated her teeth, but she had to arrange the room with a smile on her face.

In fact, Jia Zheng had a roommate before.

According to the rules of the Jia family, after the men become adults, two people will be placed in the room to teach personnel affairs.

At that time, Mrs. Wang still had a sharp temper, and she couldn't rub the sand in her eyes. Not long after entering the door, she dismissed all the two roommates.

It was also after seeing her methods that her companion, Zhou Rui's family, asked for a marriage and begged her to marry the steward of the mansion.

As for the other dowry girls, they no longer know where they are.

The masters of the Jia family have their own ideas, and the only one who is still sober is the eldest wife, Mrs. Song.

Seeing that Jia Zheng was demoted, Jia She, as her own brother, was not in a hurry, but took pleasure in other's misfortune.

But the estrangement between their brothers was already deep, Song Shi only spoke a few words of persuasion, Jia Amnesty lowered his face and walked away, not even caring that it was the fifteenth day, and went directly into the room of a concubine's room.

Song shi fell on his back in anger, and didn't want to care about their brother's mess anymore.