The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Yan Chengjin sat in the sedan chair of Emperor Hongzhi, and it was so hot that he stuck out his tongue. This is what a dog should feel when it is at its hottest...

An hour later, they finally arrived in Liangxiang.

Yan Chengjin and Li Dongyang stood beside the sedan chair, waiting for Emperor Hongzhi to get off.

Xiao Jing called out three times, but there was no response from inside.

Yan Chengjin quickly lifted the curtain of the sedan chair.

I saw Emperor Hongzhi slumped on the seat like mud.

Could he have died on the spot...

Xiao Jing was scared to the point of peeing, and Li Dongyang was also panicked. He pushed Emperor Hongzhi, but there was no response at all.

"You...what kind of sedan chair is this!"

"Call the imperial physician!"

"Where can we get an imperial physician in Liangxiang? Call the doctor." Li Dongyang was calmer.

Yan Chengjin saw an opened box on the side, which contained a drug. I'm afraid Hongzhi sniffed it out of curiosity.

I've told you four times, and you still want to touch it. The people of the Zhu family are really curious babies...

Xiao Jing asked the factory guards to invite all the doctors in Liangxiang.

After the doctor examined him, Emperor Hongzhi woke up slowly.

"I fell asleep?"

Yan Chengjin and others knelt on the ground and said in unison: "I wish you all the best!"

Emperor Hongzhi was energetic: "I don't blame you. I haven't slept so deeply for a long time. Where is this?"

"Liangxiang Yamen." Yan Chengjin said.

Emperor Hongzhi walked outside the Yamen.

The narrow streets, the bustling carriages and shops, and many vendors hawking on the ground, although not as prosperous as the capital, are as lively as the capital.

When he came to Liangxiang again, Yan Chengjin was actually shocked.

The last time he went on a night tour in Beijing, Emperor Hongzhi saw such a scene and was surprised: "Where did the refugees go?"

"In the straw huts in the southwest of Liangxiang."

Yan Chengjin took Emperor Hongzhi to the end of the street, and then walked west for about a mile, leaving the noisy voices behind.

There were many workshops here.

The ragged refugees worked hard, and when they saw Magistrate Zhang, they knelt down to salute.

Emperor Hongzhi looked around: "How many tens of thousands of refugees can these workshops support?"

"The previous emperor valued agriculture over commerce, and believed that farming could support the people. There is nothing wrong with this, but merchants can also support the people. The workshops pay refugees wages. Although refugees have no land, they can use their wages to buy food."

"The workshops pay them seven cents a day, which is enough to support a family of several people."

The workshops in Liangxiang cannot provide jobs for every refugee.

But as long as one person in a household works in the workshop, the wages they receive are enough to support the family.

Yan Chengjin requested to abolish the relief just to ask Emperor Hongzhi to come to Liangxiang.

He guessed that Emperor Hongzhi came this time to see how the refugees in Shuntian Prefecture were resettled.

"To implement the new business system, we must first convince Emperor Hongzhi, and the only way to convince him is to see it with his own eyes."

Today will definitely leave a deep impression in his heart.

Li Dongyang asked: "Liangxiang's new taxes are levied in silver, why are there so many merchants coming to Liangxiang to do business?"

"Let Lord Zhang tell you about this." Yan Chengjin intended to let Zhang Xian show his face.

Zhang Xian bowed: "Although Liangxiang has implemented the new law, the silver collected is not much. Compared with the silver collected, merchants open shops and do business here and earn more, so they are willing to come. Even merchants from Jiangnan will come to Liangxiang to purchase."

Liangxiang's new tax silver ratio is low.

In this way, merchants will not reject it. Although the collection is low, they can actually collect silver.

There are many officials in the court who do business at home.

If the interests of the gentry are affected, the interests of the ministers in the court will be affected.

Change the system, but do not increase the price.

Before Yan Chengjin implemented the new law in Liangxiang, he thought deeply before ordering Zhang Xian to change the tax system.

Emperor Hongzhi just noticed Zhang Xian: "Are you the parent official here?"

Zhang Xian was flattered and said loudly: "I am Zhang Xian, the parent official of Liangxiang County. Your Majesty is here. I want to impeach two people. One is Ningshou Hou Zhang Heling and the other is Changning Bo Zhou Yu. They have obtained nearly 10,000 acres of land from Liangxiang. Please make the decision and return these good fields to Liangxiang!"

Yan Chengjin was shocked.

Zhang Xian is more reckless than expected!

Who approved the land of Zhang Heling and Zhou Yu? It was not Emperor Hongzhi.

Emperor Hongzhi frowned and shouted: "You are so bold!"

Li Dongyang knelt down with a plop.

Yan Chengjin also knelt down.

Zhang Xian's behavior is no different from the people going to Beijing to petition the emperor.

Zhang Xian was different from him. He was the censor of the Censorate and was directly responsible to Emperor Hongzhi. Zhang Xian was just a small county magistrate under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture. The formal operation should be to report to Shuntian Prefecture, which would then send the memorial to the cabinet for approval, and finally be approved by Emperor Hongzhi or the Imperial Household Department.

Zhang Xian was good, he directly went over the level to make a face-to-face remonstration, saving even the cost of writing.

"The Great Ming Law stipulates that if someone rushes into the ceremonial procession and tells something untrue, he will be hanged!" Xiao Jing said coldly.

In general, the court case is at most caning or imprisonment. If you commit the above, you will be hanged directly.

You can't even cry out for injustice in the Meridian Gate or Chang'an Street. If you really have a grievance, you will have to serve your sentence, and be in shackles for a month. If you don't have a grievance, you will be punished with 100 strokes of the cane and sent to the frontier as a soldier.

Ministers don't like people stopping the sedan chair to complain. Even if the people have a reason and evidence, they will be beaten to the point of paralysis. People who are not willing to risk their lives will not easily choose to petition.

Zhang Xian knelt on the ground, not much panic, obviously knowing the consequences.

At this moment, Yan Chengjin said solemnly: "I beg Your Majesty to go to a certain place."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Your Majesty, isn't it strange that there are no refugees in Liangxiang? I will take your Majesty to have a look."

Although Emperor Hongzhi was confused, he was willing to follow him.

Yan Chengjin took Emperor Hongzhi to the southwest corner of the workshop, which was two miles away from Liangxiang Street and was very secluded.

Dense hay sheds appeared in front of you.

There are many refugees here, none of their clothes are intact, their dirty faces and bright eyes are looking at them, a little timidly.

The child was half-clothed, and there was a vague stench coming over him, which seemed to be the smell of a royal room.

Emperor Hongzhi and Li Dongyang were stunned.

They thought that with the workshop, the refugees would live a decent life like the people in the capital, without worrying about their livelihood. Unexpectedly... they would not eat minced meat?

"As your Majesty can see, although each household has strong men working in the workshops, the wages are only enough to barely make ends meet, and it is your Majesty who caused all this."

Li Dongyang was shocked and Xiao Jing almost fell down.

Emperor Hongzhi said with a cold voice: "Do you know what you are talking about!"

"It is not enough for refugees to have a workshop, they also need fields. Without a place to stand, they are still refugees."

"I am a cautious person, and I don't dare to give advice. The person who allowed Chang Ning Bo and Ning Shou Hou to beg was your majesty yesterday, not your majesty today. I also ask your majesty to correct the mistakes of the past and return the good land to the good land. common people.”

These bastard things were done by Emperor Hongzhi yesterday, not by Emperor Hongzhi today.

After hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi felt much better.

This guy Zhang Xian is too reckless. If he doesn't stand up, Emperor Hongzhi will dismiss him from office. At worst, he will be beaten with a hundred sticks and then dismissed.

However, by saying this, I was afraid of irritating Emperor Hongzhi's young mind.

He was a little worried whether Emperor Hongzhi would change into a gauze robe when he returned and open the door to a new world...

"Your Majesty?" Yan Chengjin called softly and asked tentatively.

Emperor Hongzhi was expressionless.

"I have the fish scale album as proof. I will never deceive you." Zhang Xian said in a shocked voice.

Marquis Ningshou and Uncle Chang Ning are relatives of the state. Zhang Xian knew that it would be detrimental to His Majesty's face, but he still wanted to remonstrate.

There is no chance to go to Beijing to meet the saint on weekdays.

Now that Emperor Hongzhi is right in front of him, he dare not give advice, so how can he bear the title of official official for his parents?

"What Zhang Xian said is true. As your Majesty saw when he came to Liangxiang, there are many fertile fields and Liangxiang is not barren, but the food supply is insufficient year after year. Just because these fertile fields are in the hands of ministers, please ask Your Majesty Return it to the people.”

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, certain taxes can be exempted after obtaining a meritorious service. The exemption more generally refers to exemption from chores, but taxes still have to be paid.

The fields of the rich are connected to each other, but there are few servants. The poor have no standing cones, but there are many corvees.

Chang Ningbo and Ningshou Hou did not pay taxes, so Liangxiang was in debt every year.

Emperor Hongzhi frowned: "I will investigate thoroughly!"

After saying this, Emperor Hongzhi and Li Dongyang returned to the palace.

Zhang Xian was a little ashamed and knelt down: "I really have no other choice, so I came up with this strategy. If the farmland can be returned today, it is all thanks to your Excellency. I would like to express my gratitude to you on behalf of the people of Liangxiang."

He was grateful from the bottom of his heart.

When I first met Yan Chengjin, I felt that he was timid and afraid of getting into trouble, and he also flattered the current prince.

But when Liangxiang implemented new taxes and merchants gathered in Liangxiang, he discovered that Yan Chengjin was not an ordinary censor.

Your Majesty is moved today not because of his advice, but because Yan Chengjin's words hit His Majesty's heart. From strategy to speaking skills, I am far inferior to Yan Chengjin.

"No need to flatter me, I don't like to hear it."

Yan Chengjin didn't blame him, he just needed someone with a strong head.