Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Anlu, under the rock of Jiewu Mountain.

By September in the golden autumn, the rice is already ripe.

A tall and handsome old man was bending over and harvesting rice against the clock. His method of harvesting rice looked very neat, resolutely like a hard-working old farmer.

It's just that although this old man's hands are full of calluses and he is wearing an ordinary set of gray cloth, his skin is fair and he has a bit of elegance of a scholar.

Even though he has experienced the hardships of a farmer's work, it is rare to see such a performance in harvesting rice, which further reflects the extraordinary nature of this old man.

On the other side, there was also an old man.

This old man's face is more weathered and darker than the yellow earth, and his skin, which has been exposed to wind and rain all year round, has long lost its smoothness. However, the way he cuts rice makes it impossible to capture his complete set of movements.

"It's time, grandpa, you lose!"

Standing on the field stalk, Wang Yu, a young man in gorgeous clothes, saw that the incense in his hand had burned out, and then looked at the results of the two men's battles, and immediately announced the winner to his grandfather.

Wang Yue raised his head and saw that the other party's rice quantity was indeed higher than his own, but he was more competitive and said: "If we come again, I don't believe that I can't beat you!"

"Come on! Nothing else can compare. But when it comes to farm work, I, Hu Daniu, am the number one expert in every village in the country!" Hu Daniu had something of his own to defend, so he readily accepted the challenge from the big shot.

"How about we give him some advice?" Hu Jun turned to look at his new friend and suggested in embarrassment.

"It's okay!" Wang Yu knew that his grandfather was a gambling man, so he immediately lit a stick of incense and announced that the competition would start again.

After all, Wang Yue was a celebrity in this area. Now that he came to Hu Jun to help harvest rice, he also attracted many villagers. Even Zhang Lizheng came after hearing the news.

Not long after the competition started again, Hu Daniu, who had been leading the race all the way, suddenly wanted to straighten up and fell into the mud at his feet.

This accident immediately frightened the people around and screamed again and again.

Old Man Hu woke up in the shade of a tree, looked at the concerned faces around him, and finally said to Zhang Lizheng, who was treating him: "I'm old, and my body is not as good as it used to be!"

"Your neck is so thick and you still work like a cow. You are lucky this time!" Zhang Lizheng warned him angrily when he saw that Old Man Hu was fine.

Wang Yue originally guessed that Hu Daniu was ill, but now he found that this was not the case, so he asked curiously: "Zhang Lizheng, what on earth is going on?"

"Prince, he... they are all short of salt!" Zhang Lizheng originally just wanted to say Old Man Hu, but when he saw the crowd of people watching, he said bitterly.

After being reminded by Zhang Lizheng, Wang Yue found that the faces of the dozens of villagers who gathered around him were really not right. In particular, several of them had developed big neck disease, which was shocking.

Some villagers were observed by Wang Yue in this way, and when they thought of their current family predicament, they couldn't help but lowered their heads in shame and looked at the yellow land under their feet where they grew up.

They are indeed sick - the disease of poverty.

Wang Yue knew that the area he moved to was very poor, but he never had a deep idea. Now that he saw that these villagers finally realized how difficult their life was, he just asked in confusion: "Zhang Lizheng, why are they so short of salt?" Woolen cloth?"

"What we eat in Anlu is Huai salt. It's just that this place is thousands of miles away from Yangzhou, so the price of salt is more expensive than other places, but it's still affordable. It's just that the price of salt in recent years has been changed by a businessman from Shanxi. Monopoly, the daily asking price for a pound of salt is already 400 yuan!" Zhang Lizheng pointed out three fingers, looking full of grievances.

Wang Yu watched Zhang Lizheng pointing his three fingers attentively, and then looked at the candied fruit in his hand, and then said with great confusion: "Zhang Lizheng, four hundred coins per pound of salt is not expensive, right? My candied fruit!"

But before he finished speaking, he received a sharp look from his grandfather, who was so frightened that he swallowed the core in his mouth.

"Prince, how much food can we buy and how many meat buns can we eat with these four hundred coins? Not to mention that we don't have money now. Even if we have money, we are reluctant to part with it. We just buy some cheap salt cloth and use it repeatedly. But how much salt can be put on a piece of salt cloth?" Zhang Lizheng looked at the noble man with complicated eyes and explained bitterly.

Wang Yue knew the sufferings of the people, so he straightened his face and said: "Taizu opened the Central Law to benefit the people. The price of salt is only two guan, and the price of Huaiyan is only two guan and five qian. Now the Huaiyan has arrived." Anlu actually sold it for 400 yuan per catty, he really deserves to be killed!"

"My lord, the sky-high price of 400 cents per catty makes people feel distressed even if it is placed in the capital. I'm afraid only you officials can afford it every day!" Zhang Lizheng couldn't help but think of the unreasonable price of salt. Make assumptions.

Wang Yu realized that he had just said the wrong thing, so he sympathized with public opinion and said: "The official income in the capital is various, so it is natural that we can afford it. But the price of salt is so high, don't your yamen here care about it?"

"They are all in the same boat! The masters in the state government are rich and filial, even if the officials have someone to deliver salt, the only people who suffer from this high price of salt are us powerless people!" Zhang Lizheng thought of the situation in the state government and looked very helpless. .

Wang Yue learned the reason and looked up at the people who were bowing their heads in shame because they could not eat salt, but his heart felt like a knife.

Back then, he and his brothers fought bloody battles in the north to resist the invasion of foreign enemies. As a result, the people in the country were still unable to live a stable life. Instead, they were exploited by officials at every turn.

If he had a choice, he really wanted to arrest all these officials and businessmen, and then push them to the guillotine and chop off their heads one by one.

The full moon hangs high in the sky, and no one seems to know the poverty here.

Although the village has fallen asleep, the whole world is gently caressed by the clean moonlight, and the soothing cries of autumn insects are filled with sadness.

The more Wang thought about the scene during the day, he couldn't fall asleep. Finally, he couldn't help but come to the desk outside the window, and then took out the only blank memorial.

This memorial was originally intended to be used to explain to His Majesty the crime of "writing poems with resentment", but now that the late emperor has passed away, leaving this blank memorial has no use.

He was born in a peasant family. Due to his focus on work and his flexible mind since childhood, he successfully passed the examination and became an official of the Ming Dynasty.

Since he had no official resources, he could not enter the Hanlin Academy as a shujishi. Instead, he was sent out by the Ministry of Personnel to serve as a supervisory censor.

Although he was ostracized by the officialdom and was once impeached by the imperial censor, he eventually became the governor of Datong and then emerged in the war of the Tatar invasion.

Since he adhered to the concept of non-partisanship, he did not join any civil servant group. Instead, he diligently guarded the border for His Majesty, and was eventually named "Weining Bo" for his military exploits.

However, this court is just a bunch of losers.

But he didn't know who had the bad idea. Seeing that the Datong army under his command had made many military exploits, the court suddenly proposed that he be transferred from Datong to Yansui, and Xu Ning, the delayed commander-in-chief, was transferred to Datong for garrison.

The results of it? Xu Ning, who was guarding Datong, was defeated by the Tatars because he underestimated the enemy and rushed in. The gang knew that it was their change of defense that caused the trouble, and Xu Ning was not a leader, so he and Ke Dao concealed the defeat.

I was indeed "composing poems and resenting" at that time, but it was not that I resented His Majesty, but that he was the loser of the court, that group of high-ranking officials who only knew how to give blind orders and protect criminals.

As for the position of Minister of the Ministry of War, I do think that he has more military talents than Yu Zijun, but this disaster is obviously the result of a group of court officials pushing Yu Zijun. How can I let Your Majesty take the responsibility?

After all, there is no way to argue. The high-ranking officials in the court gave themselves this unwarranted label, but they wanted to expel themselves from the court under their control.

"Prepare Chen Anlu Salt Affairs!"

Wang Yue had a resolute expression on his face, rolled up his sleeves, splashed ink and wrote the name on the memorial.

After what happened during the day, he decided to tell the new emperor Hongzhi about the difficulties of life for the people at the bottom, which was also a response to the mention of salt abuse in the "Accession Edict".

I have to admit that the new emperor Hongzhi is not as gentle as the rumors. At least there is a kind of foresight in the "Accession Edict".

"The guilty minister Wang Yue would like to report: The price of salt is as expensive as gold. It is like this in Anlu. You can know it in the big government. It is like this in one place and you can know it in other places... A minister holds a salary and is flattery to others. A junior minister is afraid of sin and is obedient. Your Majesty changes things without knowing it." I hate those who do it. The world is governed or not, and the people are safe or uneasy. Your Majesty, Fu Wei, pays attention to it. The clan is very lucky, and the world is very lucky. I am trembling with fear, and for this I have my own experience. , I would like to report it."

With a few hundred words written eloquently, Wang Yue adhered to his heart's wish to plead for the people, and this memorial can be said to be completed in one go.

The next morning, as soon as Wang Yu opened the door, he saw his grandfather standing in front of the door. When he saw his grandfather solemnly handing over the memorial, he immediately took the memorial and headed to Anlu Prefecture City.

Thanks to the readers who tipped: 2000 coins for resumption of trading, 500 coins for asking how you can be so far away, book friend 20181107124212127 (500 coins), 500 coins for Xiao Meng Xin Bu Meng, 100 coins for Xiao Dawang, reader 1492374237967572992 (100 coins) ).