These years of being the queen mother!

"Perhaps it's because the people are frightened by the floods, droughts, and locust plagues that have occurred in the past few years and every year, so they are desperately hoarding food. Every household is like this, and the price of goods will naturally skyrocket."

What Eunuch Xia Shi said seemed to be the same thing, but Empress Dowager Yang felt that it was not what he said. "Hoarding food, it is true that someone is hoarding food, but it is definitely not the common people, it is very likely..."

Empress Dowager Yang narrowed her eyes suddenly, and said sharply: "Xia Shi, the Ai family ordered you to find out who is hoarding food and driving up prices. If it is a Jin merchant who sold his ancestors by kissing his queen and gold, the Ai family will kill them first and then play!"

"The empress killed a group of chickens and monkeys the year before last, and now there should be no businessman who dares to commit crimes against the wind. The servant girl wondered if it might be a businessman trained by the chieftain of the Houjin Tatar himself."

"You mean that there are also scouts from the Houjin in Daming..."

"Your Majesty, there are endless spies." Xia Shi said pragmatically, "Just as Daming had Houjin spies, Houjin also had Daming spies. Since the slaves took charge of the West Factory, we can only try our best to make the Yanjing generation without Houjin spies." .”

"The Ai family understands what you mean." Empress Dowager Yang glanced at the three children who were listening attentively, and continued: "Nowadays our land is plagued by natural disasters and life is difficult, so don't tell me the life of the Tartars outside the pass is easier. In previous years, when the crops were good, when winter came and the grass withered and the horses were thin, they would go south to rob outside the customs. When the winter was dry last year and the grain fields were not harvested, didn’t the Huangniwa under the Ming Dynasty also be invaded? Soaring, Eunuch Wei used thunderous means to kill a lot of merchants who took the opportunity to drive up prices, and then lowered the prices back to the past. Now there are no disasters and no problems. The prices, especially the food prices, have risen a lot, so there is every reason It is believed that some businessmen used smuggling to provide food and grass for Hou Jin..."

"But now the road is impassable, and the gates leading to the outside of the Great Wall and the customs are heavily guarded. The empress strictly requires that iron ore and grains not be smuggled, and the defenders outside the customs have not searched these two kinds of goods..."

Empress Dowager Yang interrupted Xia Shi's words, and said decisively: "The land route is impassable, so can't we take the sea route? How do you know that the group of profit-seeking guys will not take a boat to the north and transfer it to the Tartars via Korea? Don't forget the current Korea But the vassal state of the Later Gold Tartars..."

Xia Shi was dumb, and after a long while, he said with a serious face: "Your Majesty, I understand what you mean, and I will hurry up to do it..."

"Then say goodbye!"

Xia Shigong announced the resignation, Zhu Shuxi and the others looked at each other, and then the little emperor Zhu Cilin asked, "Mother, why do you suspect that the soaring prices are related to the Houjin Tartars?"

"There is a kind of intuition in this world called a woman's intuition, and your mother and I happen to have it." Yang Lingyue replied with a smile: "The Ai family suspects that the reason for the soaring prices is that the gold tartars are hoarding supplies to prepare for war. .”

In the past, when the strategy of "strengthening the wall and clearing the wilderness" was not implemented, the Tatars, who liked to rob and replenish on the spot while fighting, did not need to hoard supplies.Having been fooled so many times, no matter how stupid he is, he should know how to hoard wartime supplies, let alone Huang Taiji, an ambitious hero who wants to rule the Central Plains.

Empress Dowager Yang sneered and tapped on the small table in front of her, and continued. "Tianlin, don't doubt a woman's intuition, sometimes it's so sharp and terrifying!"

"The queen mother means that the border will not be safe this year, should we inform uncle?"

Empress Dowager Yang Yaoyao nodded and said to Zhu Shuxi with a smile. "No need, the Ai family thinks that according to your uncle's intelligence, even if you can't see the strangeness of the price, you will step up your military training and focus on defense..."

I have to say that sometimes a woman's intuition is really scary. The reason why Huang Taiji hoards food crazily regardless of the price is because this generation of heroes is brewing a crazy plan.He is going to lead the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners to go deep into Mongolia, avoid the Ningjin defense line, and prepare to break into the pass from Longjingguan, Hongshankou, Da'ankou and other passes. After capturing Zunhua, he will go straight to the capital from Zunhua...

Huang Taiji had had enough of the strategy of "strengthening the wall and clearing the wilderness", so in order to ensure enough food and grass, he led his troops into the Mongolian grassland, and then detoured through the three passes of Longjing Pass, Hongshan Pass, and Da'an Pass to successfully break into the pass and attack the capital. So disregarding the price, hoarding food crazily.

In history, Huang Taiji did this, and indeed succeeded in encircling the capital.Although the post-war did not go well, and King Qin's army came from all over one after another, Huang Taiji had no choice but to return to the outside of the customs, but the big families who killed, burned, and robbed all the way, and the rich people still let the invading Houjin Eight Banners make their pockets full, and the back house was filled. There are many charming and docile Han girls with little feet...

And here...

Empress Dowager Yang, who has female intuition, also has a golden finger, which is to be proficient in history. As long as she is willing to recall, even if she has only passed one previous life, she will remember books about history...

After the suspicion that the Houjin regime used smuggling merchants to hoard a large amount of supplies was confirmed by Xia Shi's father-in-law, Empress Dowager Yang began to recall what important events happened in the second year of Chongzhen in history, that is, in 1629 AD, and successfully recalled In October of this year, Huang Taiji led an army claiming to be more than 10, avoided the Ningjin defense line, broke into the pass from Longjing Pass, Hongshan Pass, and Da'an Pass in three groups, captured Zunhua, and then went straight to Zunhua. capital.

Empress Dowager Yang recalled this incident, of course she had to issue a secret decree to order Mingda to set up defenses at Longjing Pass, Hongshan Pass, and Da'an Pass, setting up heavy cannons and countless soldiers with sophisticated firearms.Empress Dowager Yang felt that if this allowed Huang Taiji to successfully rush out of the pass, and the subsequent battle between Jin and Ming Dynasty happened, then she could really be regarded as the worst traverser in history.

After arranging the defenses at Longjingguan, Hongshankou, and Da'ankou, Empress Dowager Yang took advantage of Chen Derun's incident to clean up the palace. It was at this time that she realized from the remaining clues that Zhu Cilin had just ascended the throne. The sudden fire in Chu and Lenggong was not an accident, but man-made...

"In that case, Concubine Wang Liang did not die in the fire in Lenggong." Yang Lingyue raised her eyebrows, and said in disbelief, "Then that fire..."

"Concubine Wang Liang should have let it go..." Dong Guo hurriedly said, "Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense at all."

"That's right..." Empress Dowager Yang nodded, regaining her usual breezy face, looking at the dots of greenery on the branches of weeping willows by the pool, and said lightly: "It's been so long, and there's nothing worth looking into. But the current Concubine Wang Liang is still alive, but her whereabouts are unknown." She didn't want Concubine Wang Liang to be entangled in the memories of the past alone. , just ignore the past, anyway, they should never have the chance to meet again.

"Your Majesty said so!"

"Okay, you don't have to compliment Ai's family like this anymore. Ai's family is tired from shopping, let's go back to Qianqing Palace with Ai's family!"

After walking by the pond near the Imperial Garden for a while, Empress Dowager Yang quickly returned home. Coincidentally, as soon as Empress Dowager Yang came back, Shi Shoufu personally delivered an urgent document from Yan'an Mansion, Shaanxi.

"My lady, Ma Mao, the prefect of Yan'an, sent me a note saying that there was no rain in Yan'an last year. Even though several deep wells were dug, the soil was still cracked and the vegetation was scorched. The water drawn from the deep wells was only enough for humans and animals to drink."

"As long as there is enough water for humans and animals, the rest will be arranged by the imperial court."

Empress Dowager Yang rubbed her temples, and sighed in her heart. Fortunately, there was no such thing as people fighting for food in the original history. When the grass was exhausted, they peeled the bark for food. When the bark was exhausted, they dug rocks from the mountains for food, or burned human bones for salary. , the tragedy of cooking human flesh for food... In this way, she can still comfort herself by saying that she regards the country as her home, and she, the current head of the family, is still doing well!

Empress Dowager Yang paused, and when she was about to arrange to allocate a batch of grain to Yan'an for emergency, Shi Shoufu said with a bitter face: "Madam, the price of goods has soared recently, and it is not enough to simply allocate grain from the national stockpile. The food will not last long!"

Nima's Houjin, Nima's Huang Taiji, we didn't play!

Empress Dowager Yang, who was cursing in her heart, took a deep breath, gritted her teeth just now and ordered Ji Yong, who was playing with Zhu Cilin, to come over.When Ji Yong, who loves money to death, but loves it principledly, ran over, the calm Empress Dowager Yang asked Ji Yong.

"Last year, how much grain was harvested by Huangzhuang and Bengong's private villages?"

Ji Yong glanced vaguely at Shi Shoufu, who stood there like a pillar but was huge, and instantly understood the intention of Queen Mother Yang's question.Probably another disaster in Daming territory!

Ji Yong, who had a clear understanding in his heart, organized his words and said carefully: "Because the empress said in advance that she would plant uninterruptedly and rotate the high-yield grain brought by the red hairy barbarians, so last year all Huangzhuang and empress's private farms Adding up the food amounts to 20 shi,"

In ancient times, one stone was ten buckets, and one bucket was ten liters. One liter of rice weighed about 1.25 catties, one bucket of rice weighed 1 catties, one stone of rice was 12.5 catties, and 125 stones was 20 million catties. It seems a lot, but it is The combined output of all fertile fields and woodland villages still grows high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn.If it is used for disaster relief, it is estimated that it will be enough for two or three months of rations in Yan'an, and this is calculated on the premise of saving food.

Upon hearing this answer, Empress Dowager Yang felt a sudden pain in her forehead. "Fortunately, now that the spring plowing is over, there is no need to keep it. The 20 shi of grain plus the grain in the national inventory can last for several months. It's just that Shi Aiqing, when the tax is collected, if the farmer pays the grain in cash, no matter how thick or fine the grain is, it will be kept. It cannot be exchanged for taels of silver."

"This..." Shi Shoufu looked at Empress Dowager Yang with some pressure, but was shocked by Empress Dowager Yang's half-smiling eyes, and couldn't help but change his words: "I obey!"

Farmers in the Ming Dynasty pay taxes, and they usually pay what they grow in the field.Sometimes there is a price difference. In order to earn some foreign taxes, the officials of the household department will convert all the agricultural products collected except fine grains into cash, and then earn the difference from it...

Empress Dowager Yang has been aware of this since she listened to the government behind a curtain. Knowing that the salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were low, she did not hold on to this issue.But now, whoever the hell dares to exchange food for money, she is in a hurry with whoever.In order to stabilize the court, she is a woman of the generation who dedicates all the products of Huangzhuang and her own private estate every year. It makes no sense that the group of her subordinates who have nothing to do and like to compare can just cover their bags tightly and die. Let's dig flesh and blood money from the common people, to paraphrase the words of the little emperor Zhu Cilin: "Don't you know that the whole world belongs to me, if you dare to steal my money, try to toss you to death."

The author has something to say: One update o(*￣︶￣*)o