Several fat men held long iron ladles in their hands and kept beating on the gongs standing aside.
The gong makes a loud sound.
Surrounding the men was a circle of earthen stoves with large pots on them. The huge thatched hut was brightly lit on all sides, and streams of smoke and smoke penetrated from under the hut and emerged from the top of the hut.
.
A shed like this can be vaguely seen standing at intervals along the entire long river.
The movement under the shed is getting louder and denser.
Zhu Yunxi and others, who were standing a long way away from the shed, saw that the people who were still cleaning up silt and debris in the river had slowly put down their work after hearing the sound and gathered towards the location of the shed.
Past.
In the blink of an eye, Zhu Yunxi and others, who originally wanted to take a look under the shed, were already crowded with people. The crowd surrounded the entire shed tightly, making it airtight and unable to get in with water.
The lid of the large iron pot that was placed on the earthen stove was lifted, and clouds of white steam that could block people's sight floated up from the pot.
The aroma of rice permeated the entire river in an instant.
In the rich rice aroma, there is also a unique meat aroma.
The people who gathered around the shed and were the first to receive the rice and meat dishes were already letting out bursts of exclamations and joy.
In this way, the people behind who had not yet received their meals became even more excited and hungry.
Gao Gaoguang looked at this scene with a rare smile on his face.
He bowed sideways to Zhu Yunxi, who was at the front of the team, cupped his hands and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, I think this is the county of Zhongmu County, Kaifeng Prefecture, which is following the imperial decree to provide work in lieu of relief and recruit people to work."
As he spoke, Gao Guang's nose twitched twice, sniffing the aroma of rice floating in the air.
He added: "There's a lot of meat, it's very flavorful, and there's enough salt."
All the accompanying officials also showed satisfied smiles on their faces.
The imperial court established the policy of providing relief through work, and it was they who implemented it in the six prefectures.
In Zhongmu County, there are also several accompanying officials who settled in early in the morning.
Just when everyone was trying to clear a path for the guards in golden clothes who were guarding the surroundings, so that the emperor's grandson could take a closer look.
Pei Benzhi, the magistrate of Chenliu County who was walking on the other side of the emperor's grandson, snorted coldly with an unkind look on his face.
There was no concealment in his voice, and when everyone was elated and happy that the court's policies could appear before their eyes, it was like a basin of cold water being poured out.
Gao Gaoguang's face changed slightly, and he looked doubtfully at Pei Benzhi, who had a gloomy face on the other side.
"What's Magistrate Pei's opinion?"
Gao Guangguang waved his hand and asked Pei Benzhi for advice.
Zhu Gaochi let out a sigh from the side, looked at Zhu Yunxi who turned around with a strange expression, and opened his mouth silently.
With a smile on his face, Zhu Yunxi said softly: "Since you have something to say, let's just say it. There is no ban on speaking here."
[It has been running stably for many years, it is comparable to the old version of the book chasing tool, and is used by all old bookworms
Gao Gaoguang exclaimed: "How is that possible!"
Pei Benzhi snorted: "How is it impossible?"
The atmosphere at the scene suddenly stagnated, and everyone was silent. Only Pei Benzhi and Gao Gaoguang breathed heavily out of dissatisfaction.
Zhu Yunxi looked forward and suddenly waved his hand.
The Jin Yiwei on the left and right of the team immediately stepped forward with swords and stopped several Zhongmu County police officers and civilian leaders who were about to rush over to supervise work on the river here.
Gao Guangguang still believes that even if the imperial court's will is compromised, it will still be used for the common people.
He said solemnly: "Have you forgotten, Magistrate Pei, that when we came with His Highness this time, there were also people from Jinyiwei who were accompanying us. After I entered Xuzhou Mansion, the people from Jinyiwei were divided into two lines, light and dark.
While officials were rushing to various yamen, these royal guards were also secretly going to various places to investigate for details. Even if there was occasional deception, it was not like what County Magistrate Pei said."
Pei Benzhi sneered: "Jinyiwei's spies? Has Master Gao forgotten his previous experience in Kaifeng Mansion?"
As soon as Pei Benzhi said these words, not only Gao Guang, but also some of the officials accompanying him suddenly turned ugly.
A few days ago, Gao Guang and others dressed up in strong attire and secretly headed to Kaifeng Mansion from Lanyang County. Their original intention was to enter the city quietly and then secretly inquire about the situation in Kaifeng Mansion.
It’s just the result that everyone knows.
Before Gao Guang and the others entered Kaifeng City, their identities were exposed by the then Kaifeng Mansion Judge Fang Guxin and others.
In the end, Gao Guang and others were watched in the Kaifeng Mansion Office. They never had the opportunity to investigate the situation in Kaifeng Mansion City. Until the emperor's grandson entered the city last night, a fire broke out in the high-rise building in Kaifeng Mansion. All officials from the two divisions of Henan Province and the Yamen of Kaifeng Mansion were killed.
Until he is arrested.
Pei Benzhi's words were undoubtedly a slap in the face of Gao Guang and others.
Gao Guangguang snorted twice with a cold face, but for the time being, he stopped speaking to refute.
Pei Benzhi said in a bad tone: "Ever since you entered the territory of Henan Road, your every move has been under the watchful eye of those people. These people have been running Henan Road for decades, how could a few Jin Yiwei spies be able to find out the details?"<
/p>
"When people from the imperial court come, they will be able to know the news in advance and come up with the same disguise as today. The people in Jinyiwei will only see that the local government is carrying out the imperial court's request for work-for-relief and providing rice and porridge to the people.
Rice, don’t let the people go hungry.”
….
"As soon as the people from the imperial court left, all the government warehouses and the grain transported by the imperial court were written off in the account books and went into the pockets of officials and local gentry."
"On weekdays, if you can see rice on this construction site, it means someone has come. If there are kuai in the porridge, it means these people are afraid that the people will collapse from hunger and no one will do anything.
You will be more kind and don’t let the people collapse from hunger."
To write off the account, left hand goes out and right hand comes in.
In Pei Benzhi's words, the government officials up and down the Henan Province were almost completely criticized by him.
Gao Guang sighed for a long time, and finally retorted stubbornly: "The government and local gentry deceived the court and exploited them. Are these people willing to do so?
If I remember correctly, ever since the imperial court issued a decree to provide relief to the six prefectures, there have been many imperial envoys who have revealed their identities and traveled to various places to spread the word of the imperial court's grace and induce the people to report the evil deeds of the government."
The officials under his command quarreled, but Zhu Yunxi turned a deaf ear and looked curiously at the common people who had noticed the presence of people like him.
The people holding the meat rice in their hands, regardless of the mud and water all over their bodies, just held the bowls and kuaizi, squatted in a dry place on the river, took big mouthfuls of the food, raised their heads from time to time while chewing, and opened their mouths curiously.
Look this way.
The government servants and river stewards who were stopped by the imperial guards did not dare to make the slightest move when faced with the knife in the emperor's hand. They could only stand outside calmly and timidly.
Facing Gao Guang's rhetorical questions, Pei Benzhi couldn't help but utter a series of questions
He sneered, as if he had heard a big joke.
"Appeal to the emperor's messenger from the imperial court?"
Pei Benzhi asked self-deprecatingly, and then his face darkened: "Unless they don't want to continue living on this land, unless they can move their families away from Henan Road!"
Gao Guang and others were stunned for a moment, and did not wait for them to ask.
Pei Benzhi said quietly: "Don't you really know that those people are the ones who make the decisions in local affairs? A village is one surname, and hundreds of families are one family. How many people have lived here for generations, and everyone is related to them.
The words of the wise elders are more effective than the emperor's oral instructions!"
Gao Gaoguang no longer has any excuse to refute.
Even just now, he had a dispute with Pei Benzhi because of the sudden dissatisfaction in his heart.
Gao Gaoguang, who was born in a rural family, never understood the existence of clans in the countryside.
Imperial power does not go to the countryside.
It's not something that can be solved with a simple sentence or a simple article.
Gao Guang was a little frustrated, and even more angry, he turned around and wanted to find the emperor's grandson and request a thorough investigation of Zhongmu County, and then the entire disaster-stricken counties in Henan Province.
Gao Gaoguang suddenly discovered that the emperor's grandson was no longer where he was.
Zhu Yunxi and Zhu Gaochi, escorted by Zhu Shangbing and Tian Mai, had already walked up to the people who were carrying rice.
Zhu Yunxi squatted down while holding his robe. An old man squatting in front of him with a rice bowl in his hands carefully lowered his head and took two steps back.
….
He and Xiaopang glanced at the bowl held in the old man's hand. The white rice and pickled vegetables and fat meat were steamed together. The fat on the fat meat soaked the entire bowl of rice thoroughly.
The fragrance is very strong, and the appetite is also very good.
Zhu Yunxi's eyes flickered and he asked in a low voice: "My father-in-law, how long have you been working here?"
The old man lowered his head, with rice still stuffed in his mouth. After hesitating for a moment, he said dullly: "Since the disaster, we have been working here."
Zhu Gaochi took the conversation and asked: "Is this the same meal every day?"
The old man nodded immediately and said: "Yes! The gentlemen from the county government have been here several times. As long as the food here is almost exhausted, new food will be delivered, and we will not be hungry."
The servants and stewards over there who had been blocked by the Jin Yiwei finally squeezed over.
"Young man, please see His Royal Highness the Emperor."
"Your Highness, may you be blessed and safe."
Zhu Yunxi glanced at the old man who had already begun to pick up the remaining food in the bowl, frowned slightly, put his arms on his knees, turned sideways, and looked up at the few servants and stewards who crowded in front of him.
"How do you know Gu's identity?"
Several people were obviously stunned for a moment, and then they spoke in a low voice: "You guys dare to guess His Highness's identity only when you look at the swords of the officials."
Zhu Yunxi snorted: "You are very sharp-eyed."
Several people bent over and laughed, nodding their heads.
Zhu Yunxi stood up slowly, noticing that wherever he looked, the people would lower their heads.
His expression was a little ambiguous, and he led the people under the shed regardless of the servants and stewards squeezing over.
A man who looked to be a Zhongmu County government official was blocked by Zhu Shangbing, but he said with a smile on his face: "Your Highness, our construction site is mainly responsible for dredging, re-establishing these rivers and the Yanming Lake in front.
Dredge it and reconnect it to the Yellow River. This will also prevent the fields from running out of water when they need it."
"These sheds provide breakfast and lunch every day. They don't open the fire in the evening, but they also distribute some rice to the villagers so they can take them home and cook a pot of porridge."
Zhu Yunxi hummed twice and walked into the shed.
Several cooks holding ladles in their hands, who were still holding their heads high, were now huddled aside timidly.
Zhu Yunxi lowered his head and looked
This circle of earthen stoves.
Then he asked the few servants and stewards: "How much is the daily ration for each person? How long will the work last? Have the houses been damaged this time, and are they also within the scope of repair?"
When the emperor's grandson asked, the servants and stewards tensed up and responded in low voices.
After Zhu Gaochi saw Zhu Yunxi attracting the attention of several people.
He lowered his eyelids, silently moved to the earthen stove, stretched out his hand and wiped it on the earthen stove.
Then he turned his hand and showed it in front of his eyes.
The fingers are made of soil powder smeared from the earthen stove. They are very dry and not even greasy at all.
The answer is completely obvious.
These stoves will only prevent oil stains from appearing on them when they are not commonly used. And today, these people must have known the itinerary of themselves and others in advance, so they came up with the countermeasures.
….
Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but frown. He raised his head and silently looked at Zhu Yunxi, who was surrounded by servants and stewards, but was already looking at him.
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He shook his head silently.
Zhu Yunxi shrank slightly, and it turned out to be just as he expected. And Pei Benzhi also didn't say anything wrong. The nature of these people is like that, how could they ever change it?
He coughed lightly and looked calmly at the guards and stewards in front of him: "Have you ever oppressed and treated the people harshly?"
Several people shook their heads.
"Your Highness, you young ones must not dare to treat the villagers harshly."
"They are all the folks at the door of our house. If the kids really do something outrageous, their door will be smashed by the folks in the middle of the night."
"This is something you absolutely don't dare to do."
"Your Highness, please give me some advice."
Zhu Yunxi hummed, and turned his head to look at the people outside the shed who had their heads lowered, but their ears were obviously upright.
He walked out of the shed, stood on a high ground, and shouted to the people: "Gu Nai is the grandson of the Ming Dynasty Emperor. Gu's imperial grandfather is the current majesty, and Gu's father is the current prince. This time Gu came to Henan Province.
, I came to Kaifeng Mansion just to take a good look at how the villagers are doing and what they are like during the disaster for Your Majesty and the Crown Prince."
"Folks, whenever you feel unhappy and someone bullies you, just tell Guzi and Guzi will make the decision for you."
Zhu Yunxi's voice was very loud, echoing up and down the river.
However, among the people who had their heads lowered, no one raised their heads and spoke.
The few guards and stewards kept looking back and forth among the crowd. When they saw that no one raised their heads and spoke, the smiles on their faces became even brighter.
Zhu Yunxi's heart gradually became heavy.
He looked at the people in front of him at this moment, and couldn't help but think of the people he saw on the river embankment at the breach of the Yellow River in Lanyang County with his people that day.
Numb.
No.
The people here are not only numb, they are also afraid.
Afraid of the ubiquitous clan power outside the court and in the countryside.
Zhu Yunxi and Zhu Gaochi looked at each other, a trace of disappointment flashed in their eyes.
"I'm so lonely, I'll see you here today."
Zhu Yunxi couldn't help but speak quietly.
The officers and stewards immediately stepped forward and said with a pleasant expression: "Your Highness, I think your Highness and all the superior officials have not had a meal today. In the East Lake not far away, there are many kind-hearted people from Kaifeng Mansion.
The young ones are waiting for His Highness and are going to find a family over there to have a meal and stay there to rest."
Zhu Yunxi looked at these people blankly and said nothing.
Zhu Gaochi said coldly from the side: "Your Highness is not used to disturbing the people. Now everything he does is in accordance with military laws. Everything he does, including food and clothing, is in the same army."
As soon as Xiaopang finished speaking, Zhu Shangbing behind him had already spoken loudly, calling the officers and soldiers to find a place to set up camp.
When the officers and stewards saw that the emperor's grandson seemed to have the idea of staying here, they did not dare to say anything, but they just showed their hospitality
It wasn't until Zhu Shangbing drove him away with a knife and an indifferent expression that the matter was settled.
The officers and soldiers quickly built a temporary campsite in an open space not far from the river.
….
There are officers and soldiers guarding the area around the camp, so no one dares to approach it.
There were no outsiders around, Gao Guangguang let out a long sigh and looked sad.
He looked at the silent people present, then turned to look at Pei Benzhi. After thinking about it, Gao Guangguang bowed towards Pei Benzhi.
Pei Benzhi couldn't avoid it, and Gao Guangguang had already opened his mouth.
"County Magistrate Pei, I made a mistake in my words before, lost my manners, and let loose nonsense without verification."
Pei Benzhi's face was tense, and he returned the favor: "Master Gao has good intentions, and I understand clearly."
Zhu Gaochi forgot how one glance could resolve the two of them, and he looked at Zhu Yunxi, who was sitting aside with a gloomy expression.
"I'm afraid it will be difficult for these people to speak. Since the local government has made such preparations today, it means that they have been prepared for a long time. If we want to find out by ourselves, we may not be able to do it. Unless we don't follow the rules and directly give
Those people were all convicted..."
As soon as Zhu Gaochi finished speaking, Gao Guang immediately opened his eyes and walked up to Zhu Yunxi.
"Your Highness, what Prince Yan said is correct. It is difficult to find out the evidence now. But when dealing with local clan gentry, we can no longer do what Your Highness did in Kaifeng City. After all, the officialdom and the people are still different."<
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Zhu Yunxi looks very ugly.
He understands what Shang Shangguang said.
People in the officialdom are bound by the laws of the court, and life and death are all determined by the will of God. Even if there is no evidence, it can still be taken down.
Otherwise, these people and the old man would not be able to clean up the court again and again.
As long as you are in the officialdom, you have to admit that the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty is unprecedentedly powerful at this moment.
But things are different in the local area. These people are clans and gentry, but they are also common people of the Ming Dynasty.
If we don't understand clearly, then we will convict and execute these people, which will cause panic among the people all over the world.
Zhu Gaochi's expression was equally ugly. He turned to look at Gao Guang: "Master Gao, what can you do about the current situation?"
Gao Gaoguang opened his mouth, but in the end he could only bow his hands.
Zhu Yunxi frowned, and his face became fierce: "Incite! Arouse the anger in the hearts of the people! Let the people vent their anger!"