Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

After not seeing each other for more than a year, Bai Zongwang has aged a bit and is not as energetic anymore.

Not only did this old white man show humility when he saw Zhu Ming again, but he was also more tolerant towards the villagers.

Perhaps because he had done too many bad things when he was young, he actually imitated his late mother's example of eating fast and chanting Buddha's name, and cleaned out the long-abandoned Buddhist hall.

He invited Ju Ming into the living room to serve tea, asked his son to greet Ju Ming's entourage, and asked his daughter-in-law to accompany Zheng Yuanyi to talk.

Ju Ming tasted the tea, chatted for a while, and then asked: "In Daming Village, most of the land is reclaimed land. According to the system, taxes can be reduced or exempted for several years. I guess I don't know much about the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in this county. I asked other people, and they also I don’t want to tell the truth. Please tell me the truth, how has the life of the farmers in Xixiang County been in the past two years?”

Bai Zongwang took a closer look at Ju Ming and saw that he didn't seem to be faking it. He sighed and said, "The imperial court ordered the Baojia to be reorganized. The number of insured households in each group was reduced by half. The government's control over the countryside became more stringent, and taxation and levies were also changed." Even more ruthless. Not to mention ordinary farmers, even landlords are a little bit overwhelmed."

"Is the magistrate of Xixiang County the same as last year?" Ju Ming asked.

Bai Zongwang said: "The plank road collapsed, delaying the transportation of money and food, and the county magistrate was demoted to Guangnan. The new county magistrate has not arrived for a long time. It is estimated that he will not arrive until after spring."

"Where's Master Zhang? That's Zhang Su." Zhu Ming asked again.

Bai Zongwang said: "Maybe someone in the court has promoted him to be a county magistrate elsewhere. The new chief registrar is named Ye Qian. He was a new scholar last year. He is currently acting as the county magistrate."

Zhang Su is Zhang Shangying's nephew. It is estimated that one of Zhang Shangying's disciples and former officials joined Zheng Juzhong and became a member of the Zheng Party, so they promoted Zhang Su through connections.

Bai Zongwang added: "Since last year, in order to raise military rations in the northwest, even the fourth and fifth class households have to pay and buy money, and the first, second and third class households have to pay more. Fortunately, my family's Sanlang became an official, and Erlang worked in the county again. Being a bailiff here, and sharing the purchase money is not too much. The same cannot be said for other gentry. A large family in Zhuwan Township has been forced to go bankrupt and flee."

Ju Ming sighed: "How difficult things are in the world."

The original intention of buying money and buying money is that the government pays for the people's supplies and obtains grain and cloth nearby for military use.

Initially, the government suppressed prices and forced purchases at low prices.

Then he began to default on his debts, buying supplies on credit from the people, and always refused to pay the money he owed, saying that it was to be used to offset the tax from the previous year.

Then he didn't even bother to pretend, and just asked the people to give him food and cloth, without mentioning spending money to buy it.

And then, it is too difficult to transport all the food and cloth, so we should convert it into a part of the money and hand it over.

It only took a few decades for these four changes to occur, and they were only levied on upper households (first, second, and third grades). Even if they are cheated again, it will only be the rich who are cheated.

In the Huizong Dynasty, he actually started to attack the fourth and fifth class households!

Bai Zongwang suddenly smiled and said: "The big family in Zhuwan Township fled to Daming Village to open up wasteland."

Zhu Ming smiled when he heard that Daming Village had become a place of "hoarding filth and evil practices." First there were a bunch of thieves and bandits, then all kinds of runaways, and now they are accepting insurgents, and there are even bankrupt wealthy families who have fled with their whole families.

The Bai family slaughtered chickens and sheep temporarily, and the banquet was held only when it was completely dark.

Zheng Yuanyi sat down surrounded by the female members of the Bai family, and the rest of Ju Ming's entourage were also warmly received.

Bai Zongwang read the letter written by his son and couldn't help but inquire: "Although Quanzi has won the Jinshi, his qualifications are dull and he may have difficulty in promotion. According to the usual practice, how many years will it take before he can be transferred to a new position?"

Ju Ming said: "It's hard to say, it could be two to three years at the earliest and five or six years at the slower time."

Bai Zongwang asked again: "What's the rules for giving gifts?"

Ju Ming smiled and said: "There is no fixed price, it depends on the distance. If it is Cai's party, the price will be less. Don't worry, old man, my father will help you talk. Next year, I will ask Sanlang to go to work."

"I'd like to give you a toast!" Bai Zongwang quickly raised his glass to thank him.

When Cai Jing was in power, the phenomenon of selling officials was actually not serious, because this old thief had many ways to make money.

Until Cai Jing fell and was replaced by Wang Fu, it was a mess.

As the saying goes, "Three thousand strings can lead to the Secret Pavilion; five hundred strings can promote the general judge". It does not mean that bribery of three thousand strings can lead to the Secret Pavilion, but it expresses that the trend of selling officials became more and more intense at that time, and even the ministers of the Secret Pavilion could Pay money to buy it. Also, even if you are promoted due to merit, you still have to give money to Wang Fu's gang members, otherwise there will always be various accidents.

Cai Jing's loss of power not only failed to improve the atmosphere, but actually made it worse because his successor was even worse than Cai Jing!

After a long drink, Bai Zongwang personally sent Ju Ming to the guest room to rest.

The servant helped him to the study, and Bai Dalang followed him and said happily: "Zhu Dalang never cheats. The third brother will be promoted next year."

Bai Zongwang was also beaming with joy: "There must be someone in the court, otherwise your third brother will waste a lot of time. During the holidays, you should visit Daming Village more often and show your respect to Grandma Yan and Lady Shen."

"It's not like I didn't go," Bai Chongwen said with a smile, and then sighed, "In just over three years, their father and son have become high officials. I think that three years ago, they didn't even have enough food to eat, and they didn't have a place to live. .This world is so unpredictable, who can predict it?"

Bai Zongwang began to brag and put gold on his face: "The first time I met Mr. Zhu Da, I felt that this man was not simple, he had extraordinary bearing, and he had a lot of potential, so I asked someone to be his matchmaker."

This is not a lie, mainly because Zhu Guoxiang calmed him down.

Bai Chongwen said flatteringly: "Dad still has a sharp eye, and he never makes mistakes when he sees people."

Bai Zongwang educated his son and said: "Your problem is that you flatter the high and underestimate the low. You must know that the high will fall, and the low will also rise to the top. When looking at people, you should not look at their status, but their bearing and talent. If you are really If you don’t understand, you should be kind to others and treat the poor with courtesy.”

"Kid, remember this." Bai Chongwen accepted the instruction with an open mind.

His state of mind is different now. Encountering thieves and experiencing life and death is just one aspect. What's more, because the second brother works as an official in the county government, he has already settled in the county town; the third brother is an official outside and cannot come back to fight for the family property.

The Bai family's property belongs to him, Bai Chongwen.

When the status changes, the state of mind changes.

When my mood changes, my words and deeds will change, and I am no longer as petty as before.

Bai Zongwang said with emotion: "Zhu Dalang will only be nineteen years old next year. A court official who is less than twenty years old can become a minister even if he is less than twenty years old. With his qualifications, he can become a prime minister. Others in our family cannot reach higher. Bai Qi is not only the son of the Bai family, but also the son of the Zhu family." His stepson can be married."

Bai Chongwen said: "If I visit Mrs. Yan and Mrs. Shen more often and make them happy, the marriage will be settled."

Bai Zongwang said: "Both you and Chongwu are too high to reach. It must be your third brother, who also has the title of Jinshi. Select a girl from your third brother's father-in-law's family to betrothed to Bai Qi. If it doesn't work, marry him as a concubine. That's okay. Our Bai family's future wealth will depend on the Zhu family."

Bai Chongwen smiled and said: "Bai Qi is only ten years old this year, so he has plenty of time to get married."

"Confused," Bai Zongwang lectured, "Mrs. Shen will move to Tokyo sooner or later, will she stay in Daming Village forever? This marriage must be finalized before she moves out."

Bai Chongwen thought about it carefully and found that this was indeed the case, and hurriedly said: "My father is still considerate."

The next day, Zhu Ming left Shangbai Village, and the villagers came to see him off.

As exploitation by the imperial court intensified, sweet potatoes and corn became increasingly valuable, and the people at the bottom relied on these to fill their stomachs.

And after it was promoted, the price was too cheap.

The corn tastes rough, and because of the lack of calories, it makes you hungry very quickly. Eating too much sweet potatoes will cause acid reflux and bloating.

These two things are only tasted by the rich or eaten as snacks, and are not regarded as staple foods. In this way, the price is low, and even poor people can afford it, and they can even make a living.

Not only the poor in the city like to eat it, but even the farmers in the countryside sell the rice and wheat they grow and replace it with cheaper corn and sweet potatoes.

Zhu Guoxiang, who brought sweet potatoes and corn to the people, has an inestimable prestige in the hearts of the poor.

The villagers spontaneously sent Ju Ming off. Although there was a hint of admiration for him, it was mostly out of respect. I am grateful to Zhu Ming for killing the thieves, to Zhu Guoxiang for bringing food, and to them for inventing the method of frying tea.

In Shangbaicun, people also learned how to fry tea, and even black tea.

The raw material requirements for black tea are far lower than those of Tuancha. More tea leaves can be picked, and the villagers have more opportunities to make money by picking tea.

When Zhang Bor saw people sending eggs and vegetables, he couldn't help but sigh: "The villagers respect Zhu so much! Can you see such a situation in Puzhou?"

Li Bao shook his head: "Unheard of. Whether it's Xingren Prefecture or Puzhou, even if the villagers respect the gentry, they only respect those from their own village. The gentry in neighboring villages all regard them as snakes and scorpions. There are thieves everywhere on Jingdong Road, and the folk customs here in Yangzhou are not as simple and honest. .”

They haven't arrived at Daming Village yet, which is called Paradise.

While joking, we boarded the boat with Ju Ming and headed downstream to Daming Village.

Ju Ming observed both sides of the Han River and found that Xiabai Village had not changed much. On the riverside opposite Xiabai Village, there are more houses and many hillsides have been reclaimed. It is estimated that new immigrants have been resettled here.

Arriving at Daming Village Pier, the place has changed even more, and Ju Ming can hardly recognize it.

The river beach that was once overgrown with weeds has become flat ground, and there are even a few old women selling snacks such as dried sweet potatoes there. Although there weren't many customers coming and going, the old woman didn't have much labor. She could always earn some pocket money while setting up a stall and doing needlework.

When the Zhu family and his son first crossed over, the Tian family house where they stayed was demolished and rebuilt into a two-story building, which became an inn and salt shop.

The salt shop is very hidden, after all, it is an illegal business.

Private salt dealers wholesale the goods, and the salt shop is responsible for retailing to the villagers. The back door of the inn is where the salt is sold.

In addition, there are schools and several village offices.

As soon as we landed, some villagers shouted: "The husband is back!"

Zhu Ming used to be the village chief, and later Zhu Guoxiang became the village chief. Gradually, Zhu Guoxiang became the husband, and Zhu Ming became the husband.

The people of Daming Village continue to change their attitude towards Zhu Ming. They currently regard him as the "young master" and Zhu Guoxiang as the "master". This comes from a kind of dependence mentality. They rely solely on the Zhu family and his sons to resist the government's exorbitant taxes.