Since the victims outside Kaifeng Prefecture at this moment are not the real victims of the disaster in Henan Province, then those real victims must still be somewhere else.
Where are the real victims of the Henan Province disaster?
This has become a question lingering in everyone's mind.
Pei Benzhi did not answer the question immediately, but looked at the fake victims with twinkling eyes.
"How does His Highness plan to deal with these people?"
Zhu Yunxi smiled slightly: "Pei County Magistrate has been in Henan for a long time, so he knows the situation of these people best. I have heard County Magistrate Pei's advice on everything in Henan."
As soon as Zhu Yunxi finished speaking, there was a burst of soft cheers from the officials around him.
The little fat man standing next to him also looked over in surprise.
There is something in this.
Pei Benzhi raised his head and looked at the emperor's grandson who was staring at him deeply, and whispered: "There was an incident in Kaifeng City last night, and today these people gathered outside Kaifeng City. I think these people are not following around Kaifeng City.
The families of the gentry, as well as the families of merchants who settled around Kaifeng Prefecture. I believe that all people today should be held accountable for their crimes of deceiving their superiors, and the law should be used as a rod."
Zhu Yunxi smiled, waved his hand, and turned to look at Gao Guang and others: "Do you think it is appropriate to convict Pei Benzhi like this?"
Gao Guang and others' minds are already racing rapidly at this moment.
Nowadays, all the officials in the two divisions of Henan, from the chief envoys to the inspectors and down to the three squads of yamen servants, have been arrested and interrogated.
At this moment, Pan Deshan, who was left in Lanyang County, was already on his way to Yingtian City for the Emperor Taisun's memorial requesting him to be appointed as the Minister of Yellow River River Control.
The most critical thing for the entire Henan Province now is to first stabilize the government, and then stabilize the people's livelihood, so that Henan Province can change its past and take on a new look step by step.
As the emperor's grandson said, Pei Benzhi had been an official in Henan Province for many years. Although he had always been the magistrate of a small county, that was because he was not tolerated by the yamen at all levels in Henan Province.
When Pan Deshan becomes the minister of river management, there must be a chief official of the Liangsi Yamen who is familiar with the situation in Henan Province to cooperate with Pan Deshan and promote the future policies of the imperial court in Henan Province.
Gao Gaoguang just used his breath to think through the ins and outs of the problem.
Gao Guangguang immediately said: "As His Highness said, Magistrate Pei has been an official in Henan Province for a long time and is familiar with the government affairs of Henan Province. Nowadays, there is a big turmoil in Henan Province. Magistrate Pei is one of the few clean and capable ministers. His advice, ministers and others
I thought there was nothing wrong with it.”
Above Light is very simple.
I am indeed temporarily taking over the errands of the Chief Envoy Si Yamen in the Henan Province Liangsi Yamen, but that is also because all the Henan Province Liangsi Yamen were arrested and detained for interrogation last night.
Regarding his future career arrangements, in Gao Guang's mind, it is probably impossible to directly serve as a chief official.
Lifting Pei Benzhi's hand at this time can be regarded as leaving a piece of officialdom in advance.
Sure enough.
After Zhu Yunxi heard Gao Guang's response, the smile on his face became stronger. He looked at Pei Benzhi: "Since Chief Gao and others have no objections, it is up to you to decide how these people should be convicted."
Pei Benzhi nodded. The Ming Dynasty has only been established for less than twenty-eight years, and the government and the public have not yet reached the stage of being a carrot and a pit. The sudden rise of feudal officials has also appeared.
The young chief envoy of Jiaozhi Road has become a very popular figure in the court in recent years. Although he has never made a voice in the court of Yingtian City and is still far away in Jiaozhi Road, no one in the court can ignore him.
The existence of that young feudal official.
The annual revenue of the Jiaozhi Road accounted for 20% of the Ming Dynasty, and it was steadily increasing. The Jiaozhi Road controlled the city roads and all the newly conquered areas of the Southern Expedition Army.
Although I have been the county magistrate of Chenliu County for many years, I might as well become a feudal official of Henan Province.
But Pei Benzhi was still calm and never showed signs of joy.
After receiving the order, Pei Benzhi stood aside with his hands solemn and whispered: "Your Highness, do you want to see the real situation of the victims in Kaifeng Mansion?"
Zhu Yunxi cast his determined gaze on Pei Benzhi.
Pei Benzhi nodded clearly.
Immediately, he went straight to Tang Bi, the commander of the Yulin Guards of Shangzhi's personal army outside Kaifeng Prefecture, who led the army from Chenliu County.
"I would like to ask General Tang to take these people under his command and take them into custody first. After the officials return to the city, they will issue official documents to convict them and execute them."
Pei Benzhi looked like he was in charge of Henan Province at this moment, but he didn't say it clearly, but he did so.
Gao Guang and others had no objections, and neither did Zhu Yunxi.
At this time, no one who can take the initiative to shoulder the burden of the dilapidation of Henan Road will be harsh on these red tapes and customs.
Tang Bi naturally had no objections to this.
Since he led his army to Chenliu County, he has spent a lot of time with Pei Benzhi, a tough-necked man from Henan Province, and has the best understanding of his character.
He is a good official.
This is the clearest point among Tang Bi's many impressions of Pei Benzhi.
And as long as we have this impression, other things will not be a problem.
Tang Bi nodded and waved his hand, and the Yulin Guard officers and soldiers under his command began to detain and tie up the people disguised as disaster victims in front of the city gate.
Pei Benzhi here faced Zhu Yunxi and others and made a gesture of asking for instructions.
"Director Gao has arranged for the manpower left in Kaifeng Prefecture to continue taking over the affairs of the two divisions of Henan Province and the yamen of each division of Kaifeng Prefecture. The rest will go with Gu to see the real victims of the disaster in Henan Province."
Zhu Yunxi said a word, and Gao Guang and others immediately made arrangements.
After a while, a large number of teams began to leave Kaifeng Fucheng in groups.
And those who intended to arouse public opinion and coerce the court to forgive officials in Henan Province could only leave behind meaningless cries of grievances.
……
Kaifeng Mansion is a very boring place. When you look up, the sky is like that, and the earth is like that. At a glance, the ground is flat all the way to the horizon and merges with the sky, without any ups and downs.<
/p>
The only ups and downs are the Yellow River embankments that have been built over the years along the Yellow River.
Other than that, Kaifeng Mansion is really a boring place.
It is precisely because of this that families who have lived in Kaifeng Prefecture for many generations, and whose families have lasted for tens or hundreds of years, have built high-rise residences and compounds. Also, because Kaifeng in the former Song Dynasty was the capital of the Central Plains dynasty, the government and the public liked the Jiangnan style.
.Up to now in Kaifeng Prefecture, most of the houses built have a certain Jiangnan style.
The Taihu stone, which seems to be endlessly mined, is the most common thing in Kaifeng Mansion.
In the old days, the royal family of Zhao and Song Dynasties used Taihu stones brought by large ships, while ordinary people used Taihu stones brought by small boats and carts.
All kinds of trees and flowers are also built according to the Jiangnan houses.
In the direction of Zhongmou County from Kaifeng Prefecture, there is a swamp called East Lake.
Places like East Lake, in the entire surrounding area of Kaifeng Prefecture, can be regarded as places with a good Feng Shui environment.
It is precisely because, around the small East Lake swamp, there are four or five luxurious houses.
At this time, outside a house by the East Lake, a group of people came in a hurry from the direction of Kaifeng Fucheng. These people did not stop in front of the house gate. The servant guarding the house gate saw these people from a distance, and
The door has already been opened.
The crowd walked into the door of the mansion, and then the door was closed by the servant.
A few hectares and even the backyard of the mansion are close to the East Lake, and you can overlook the lake in a private garden.
Several old and middle-aged people dressed in elegant clothes have already gathered here, cooking new tea, drinking tea and enjoying the scenery.
"Although Kaifeng Prefecture suffered a disaster this year, each family has successively acquired a lot of land."
"Although the spring plowing of a lot of good land has been delayed, I think the imperial court will exempt it from taxes, so this year is not bad."
"It's probably like this. I heard that the issue of waiving taxes for the imperial court is already in the works. At that time, maybe we can take the opportunity to exchange some with those mud-legged people to go to the fields."
Several people walking in the guest seats chatted softly and laughed, talking to each other about the progress of each company this year.
Sitting on the main seat is a middle-aged man already wearing brocade.
A very common face of a Chinese man.
But he always acted like a scholar. This is because this family has successively produced several scholars and scholars in recent years. Although it is not just the main lineage that is unique, but also other branches, but
That is also a family with the same surname.
Now, as long as there is another Jinshi, he can say a few more words in Kaifeng Mansion.
It is precisely because of this that this place has become the most common gathering place for people around East Lake in recent years.
The middle-aged man said in a deep voice: "Everyone knows what happened in the city last night. The two Yamen and the Kaifeng Mansion Yamen were all taken down by the imperial court. I just want to say this as a reminder.
Count it as centering."
When the master opened his mouth, everyone present stopped talking and looked up sideways.
The middle-aged man continued: "The officialdom of Henan Province has nothing to do with me and others. I have informed you in advance about what happened outside the city today. If you are still involved, don't blame me for not warning you.<
/p>
All we need to remember is that no matter who comes to serve as an official in Henan Province, as long as they are involved in the situation, they must think of us and not forget our benefits."
"This is nature, this is nature."
"You have to have a long-term perspective. If you hadn't warned us in advance, we would have done our best to deal with what happened outside Kaifeng Prefecture today."
"It doesn't matter who he is, as long as he becomes an official in Henan Province, if he is greedy, we will give him free money, if he is lustful, we will give him a lot of young ladies. If there is no shortage, we will give him a great achievement.
!"
"I don't believe these officials can leave Henan Road cleanly!"
The middle-aged man was very satisfied with the answer and nodded: "That's the truth. At present, the emperor's grandson and the accompanying officials of the imperial court will probably have to stay in Henan Road for a long time. I heard that, and others
People are starting to get restless, feeling that all the officials in the yamen have been arrested, and they are next. They seem to be in some tandem and intend to do something that no one wants to see..."
Having said this, the middle-aged man stopped and looked at everyone.
Everyone shook their heads.
"We are all good people, so how could we do such treacherous things?"
"We will definitely not do such a thing."
Just then, a group of people outside the courtyard who had just entered the mansion finally rushed over.
The leader among them came directly to the eyes of everyone.
The middle-aged man looked at the person with twitching brows and said in a deep voice: "What happened?"
"Reporting to the master, Pei Benzhi, the magistrate of Chenliu County, arrived at Kaifeng City today with the Yulin Guard officers and soldiers who had been stationed in Chenliu County for many days. After arriving, Pei Benzhi captured all those who were causing trouble outside the city today.
Now he is leading the emperor's grandson and others to the East Lake."
"Coming to East Lake?"
During the dinner, someone suddenly stood up, his face full of surprise.
The rest of the people also looked at the middle-aged man sitting on the main seat with worried eyes.
"Quick!"
"Let those people step up!"
"Tell the people in Zhongmou County to be careful and not to show off your flaws."
"I'm warning those idiots again. If they dare to say anything in front of the emperor's grandson and the superiors, the laborers will bring all their mothers and daughters into the courtyard!"
The middle-aged man immediately gave an order to the man who had rushed back from Kaifeng Fucheng, and the man quickly turned around and left.
The man looked at the tense faces of everyone present, smiled and said: "It seems that today's tea will be saved for tomorrow. You should go home and arrange it as soon as possible. We will follow what we have discussed in the past. Don't
It's urgent. The imperial court has never discovered it in the past, how can it be discovered now?"
Everyone dared to stay at this time. Without even leaving a word, they all stood up and turned around to leave.
……
"The walls are made of soil from the mud fields mixed with straw. A few horizontal beams and vertical beams are pressed down layer by layer with the straw, and it is considered a good house."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
"Tiles are not something that ordinary people can use."
"If you encounter a heavy rainy day, heavy rain outside the house and light rain at home, this is a normal thing."
On the north side of East Lake, outside a village near the Yellow River embankment, Pei Benzhi was riding on a horse, explaining softly to Zhu Yunxi, Zhu Gaochi and others.
In front of everyone's eyes, there is a village composed of low houses.
In the village, most of the houses have holes in their earthen walls or sunken roofs.
Outside the village, in the endless fields, there are still river sediments and debris left over from the Liufu flood.
Pei Benzhi waved his hand and pointed to a place: "Over there, it was originally a village. When Xiaguan first came to Kaifeng Mansion, he came here. After the founding of our dynasty, the whole village had tile-roofed houses, but it was not used for a few years.
, the whole village was gone, and the people became tenants of those families. The houses were gone and turned into land, but there was no record of it in the tax books of Zhongmu County."
Turn your house into a field and don’t keep track of it.
This is still the most common method of exploitation.
However, Zhu Yunxi, Zhu Gaochi and others who witnessed it with their own eyes turned pale.
Today, Pei Benzhi seemed to deliberately give them eye drops, waving his finger and pointing in another direction.
"It looks like a tomb land over there, but if you dig up those mounds of soil, you will see that there is nothing underneath. Looking at the new soil, you can tell that it was prepared for the imperial court to rescue the six mansions this time.
”
"And over there, even if a naughty boy jumped in, he wouldn't be able to drown. The bottom is turned into black mud, and the water one foot deep looks bottomless."
As Pei Benzhi spoke, his expression became a little sad: "This is just the most common method. As long as the land is not counted as farmland, it will not be included in the court's tax accounts. But in the end, those people are still
If the tenants are asked to farm, they will still be given food rations."
This is the first time Zhu Gaochi has seen and heard about these things at the lowest level of the Ming Dynasty.
He opened his mouth with a look of disbelief on his face: "How could something like this happen?"
After finishing speaking, Zhu Gaochi looked at Gao Guang and others with an unkind look.
This group of people also entered official positions through the imperial examination, and they also came up from the bottom of the Ming Dynasty.
Embarrassed expressions suddenly appeared on everyone's faces.
Gao Gaoguang whispered: "I would never do anything like this in my hometown."
Zhu Yunxi turned around calmly: "If you come to Henan Road with Gu, you will have been checked by Jin Yiwei. Even you tenants under other people's names can still have a bite of food. Gu can't really
Think that everyone is a sage."
Zhu Yunxi seemed to be laughing at himself for a while.
Gao Guang and others immediately dismounted and knelt on the ground.
"I will repair my books and go home today. I will ask my family to clear out the tenants and return the land to the people."
Zhu Yunxi shook his head: "If you really can't survive, you have to become a tenant. You don't have the lowest price to buy the land, and you even force people to sell their wives and children. You can be regarded as an innocent family. But if they go
I finally wanted to change back to my original form, but you guys couldn’t stop me.”
Gao Guang and others were already sweating on their backs at this time. They didn't dare to say a word, so they all nodded in agreement.
Zhu Yunxi didn't want to play Tai Chi with these people anymore. There were too few people who could be honest officials. As long as they didn't exploit the people and harm the kind and poor people, it would be justified.
He turned his head and looked at Pei Benzhi: "Tell me, where are the real victims?"
Pei Benzhi thought for a while and looked forward: "Right in front, if I remember correctly, there is a river there, connecting Yanming Lake in the north, all the way to the Yellow River. This time it is all blocked up, and the victims
They are all working there to clear the silt."
Zhu Yunxi nodded: "Then go and have a look."
The team once again galloped up and rushed towards the river and Yanming Lake.
After a while, when bursts of shouts reached everyone's ears, Pei Benzhi showed a smile on his face, and then became solemn: "Your Highness, this is where the disaster victims are gathered here.
The place."
After climbing over a high slope that is rare in Kaifeng Prefecture.
A silted-up river running from north to south appeared in front of Zhu Yunxi's eyes. Countless people along the entire river were cleaning up the siltation in the river.
Not many people seem to be paying attention to the arrival of Zhu Yunxi and others.
But when everyone just arrived, there was a burst of noise not far from the downstream side.
"It's time to eat!"
"It's time to eat!"
"Folks, please put down your work and come over to eat."
“Today’s rice with pickles, fat and dried meat, enough oil and water!”