I Have No Qualifications, The System Asked Me To Marry A Wife To Practice

On the day of the Bai Ri Li ceremony in the Chu Mansion, half of Nanping City was in a frenzy of celebration.

In Heng Garden on Ju Bao Street, there were over a hundred tables set up for a feast. No matter who came, they could eat a good meal for free. Auspicious words filled the streets.

Inside Heng Garden, the prominent figures of Nanping City were laughing and socializing with each other. It was a joyous and harmonious atmosphere.

However, in the flower hall of the Chu family's inner mansion, the atmosphere was solemn.

"In the name of celebration, I have sent people to set up pots and cook rice porridge for the refugees gathering outside the city. At the same time, we are conducting a census of the refugees' origins.

The latest report shows that the number of people counted is close to twenty thousand, with a total of over fifty thousand refugees, and the number is still increasing. They come from six prefectures and dozens of counties, with some even coming from as far as Xiangzhou Prefecture!"

Behind Chu Shen, a huge map of the territory of the Da Yan Xian Dynasty had already been hung up. His finger pointed to a certain place in the north, which was at least two prefectures away from Nanping City. The straight-line distance indicated on the map was nearly five hundred li.

This meant that from Xiangzhou Prefecture all the way here, a journey of several hundred li, none of the officials along the way in the Da Yan Xian Dynasty had effectively resettled the refugees, or... they were no longer able to do so effectively.

"All of you have only heard about the drought and locust plague in Jiangzhou Prefecture, and the city being burned by heavenly fire in the northwest, but you don't know that Xiangzhou is also a hell on earth.

Disasters occur there every year, leading to reduced harvests, yet the officials and gentry in the area show no restraint and exploit the people excessively. They are eager to drive people away so they can seize the land left behind.

The refugees are desperate for survival, and along the way, there are countless corpses. Only one in ten can make it to Nanping City.

Just on this road alone, there are likely tens of thousands of innocent people who have died along the way..."

Speaking of this, he couldn't bear to continue. The refugees who had traveled here were so miserable that they no longer looked like humans, but like wild dogs and livestock.

However, these poor people who were pushed to the extreme are also the most dangerous.

Why did he distribute porridge to save people?

Because if they didn't help, the people who couldn't survive would lose all rationality and trigger a major chaos.

Everyone present was considered a member of the same group led by Chu Shen. Those who were able to enjoy the industrial upgrade dividends of Nanping City before not only had enough wealth, but also enough intelligence. After hearing his words, they knew that the current situation was even more severe than expected.

Zhao Hu and Cao He ran were also present, and Zhao Hu coldly said, "From Xiangzhou all the way to Nanping City, instead of staying in the areas along the way, it seems that the situation is not good wherever they passed."

Master Hu from Yuanxiang Hall sighed, "There used to be many former partners along this route, but they have gradually broken off in recent years. According to the reports from the people I sent out, disasters are happening everywhere: droughts, floods, locusts, epidemics, bandits, and rebel soldiers... It's probably even worse now."

I really don't know what has happened to this world, how did it suddenly become so chaotic?

Could it be...

Seeing that he was about to say something that couldn't be said, Mr. Hong, the former owner of Hengyuan Garden, quickly interrupted, "I heard that there were riots in the direction of Xiangzhou, which is also an important reason why the local people had to flee. These rioters killed officials, rebelled, looted the wealthy, and didn't spare the poor who struggled to find food. I heard that these rioters even used human flesh as military rations!"

He had business in many places, and he was more well-informed about distant news than the people present, and more accurate. Indeed, he caught everyone's attention.

"No wonder some people even fled from Xiangzhou, there really is no way to survive!"

The crowd sighed one after another at the tragedy of the world.

Although everyone present was a "beneficiary," including officials, gentry, merchants, and landlords, who could be considered the upper class responsible for causing many disasters in places like Xiangzhou, compared to those who directly preyed on others, they had a more refined way of benefiting and were brought a new development model by Chu Shen. There was no need to behave as barbarically as those in Xiangzhou and accuse them in return.

It was also a spectacle.

Chu Shen silently observed. Although people's bad habits were hard to change, after cooperating for such a long time, they were more or less influenced by him. He also selectively screened for usable forces among these people, which could be considered a mutually beneficial and harmonious relationship.

"In other words," he tapped on the map and looked at the crowd, "north of Nanping City, there are probably not many places that are not in ruins. Even the surrounding areas are not in a good situation."

Zhao Hu Fencao sighed, "I'm afraid it will get worse. The new year's tax allocation has been imposed, and our Nanping City relied on our son-in-law last year, which had a relatively good year. However, it also attracted envy from those above. This year, the taxes will increase by fifty percent."

"Fifty percent?"

The people in the flower hall whispered to each other, expressing their dissatisfaction. Suddenly having to pay an additional half of their taxes, no one was willing to accept it.

Zhao Hu Fencao sneered, "This fifty percent is already reduced after the county magistrate fought for it with the prefect. It's because Nanping City also had to allocate an additional fifty thousand taels for disaster relief."

The crowd was in an uproar.

As the name suggests, disaster relief donations were additional taxes collected from prosperous areas during times of disaster to provide relief to affected areas.

The problem was, who didn't know that there were many hidden tricks involved?

Just last year, the court allocated one hundred thousand taels of silver for disaster relief in a certain affected area. However, once the silver left the treasury, it began to be embezzled by various individuals, layer by layer. By the time the officials in the disaster-stricken area deducted their share to purchase and distribute food to the victims, only three thousand taels remained.

In the end, the three thousand taels were further reduced due to inflated prices set by rice merchants. When the victims finally received the relief porridge and rice, it was filled with husks and sand.

What was the result?

None of the parties involved in the matter were punished, but the desperate victims rose up in rebellion. They were then mercilessly killed by the military and practitioners sent by the court.

The only person with the authority to conduct independent investigations and demand public deliberation in the court, the independent censor Pei Zhenyuan, angrily rebuked the entire court, including the emperor himself. This angered the emperor greatly, leading to Pei Zhenyuan being stripped of his position and imprisoned, with the intention of executing him.

Interestingly, Pei Zhenyuan was actually saved. It was a heavily guarded prison, with practitioners as guards!

Afterwards, it was heard that the disillusioned censor Pei Zhenyuan had actually joined the rebellion. The newly emerged rebel army, known as the "Dragon-Slaying Army," was said to be led by him.

With such "disaster relief," who would be willing to contribute money? Isn't that just giving it away to others?

"This Great Yan Xian Dynasty, damn it!" someone couldn't hold back and angrily shouted.

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