When he arrived near the west city gate, Chu Nanzhi opened the curtain and was suddenly attracted by an interesting scene.
In front of a high-walled courtyard, a group of men, women and children in rags gathered around a pointed, cone-shaped wooden container and poured grain.
Seeing the grain in the container emerging from the top of the tower, a strong man kicked the container violently. The container did not fall over, but the grain that emerged from the top of the tower slipped to the ground. Then the strong man kicked it with his big hand.
He ordered people to carry out the grains in the container and weigh them.
A thin old man bent down to take away the grains scattered around the container, but was immediately stopped by the servants.
Chu Nanzhi stopped the carriage and saw the thin old man kneeling on the ground, begging bitterly: "Mr. Lang, these are the grains in our fields. We can't waste them. It's a famine now. Please
Lang Jun, please let me pick it up."
The strong man directly kicked the old man to the ground: "Fuck you, you unscrupulous people, how dare you take inferior grain and pass it off as good quality. My master, I don't blame you. You still want to take it back."
"
Chu Nanzhi felt frustrated and left Chu Ting alone, leading Sang Qi straight out of the carriage.
Lin Jinxiao dismounted and walked over when he saw this, and asked blankly: "What are you going to do?"
Chu Nanzhi did not answer, but strode to the door of the courtyard, squatted down, took a handful of grains in her hands, and rubbed the rice. It was white and tender, the grains were plump, and the smell was fragrant.
He glared at the big man who was kicking someone, and asked sternly: "They are all high-quality grains. Which of your eyes can tell that they are shoddy?"
"Where did this cunning woman come from?"
As soon as the big man cursed, he saw the sergeant and Lin Jinxiao coming towards him. He immediately changed his face and said with a smile: "It turns out to be His Highness Prince Pingning. What is the purpose of Your Highness's visit?"
Lin Jinxiao glanced at the cowering servants with cold eyes, leaned down to help the old man up, and asked softly: "Old man, what happened?"
The old man glanced at the strong man and the servants, gave a cautious and bitter smile, knelt down respectfully and paid homage: "The common people kowtow to King Pingning."
"No need to be polite."
Lin Jinxiao helped him up again and looked at the grains scattered on the ground, but heard the person who came back from the weighing reported loudly: "The rent delivered by Old Man Wang only has 390 kilograms of grain, which is a full sixty kilograms difference.
"
When the old man heard this, his face suddenly sank in fright, and he frowned tightly: "I obviously weighed it before I went out. I will never lose a pound and a half if I have more. How can I be short of a pound?"
Chu Nanzhi smiled coldly and told Sang Qi: "Pack up the grains on the ground and weigh them."
Just as the strong man was about to stop him, the hilt of the sword in Lin Jinxiao's hand directly touched it.
Seeing Sang Qi getting sacks of grain, the strong man explained with a distressed look on his face: "Your Highness, these grains cannot be counted as rent. The rent has been reduced this year, and the tenants are substituting inferior goods. In this way, the boss
You have to suffer losses, and it’s hard to explain the small ones.”
Lin Jinxiao turned a deaf ear to the strong man's words, stared at the old man and asked: "Will your land rent be reduced this year?"
The old man nodded obediently, pretending to have something to say but not daring to say it openly.
Chu Nanzhi saw the timidity in his heart and said bluntly: "Old man, King Pingning is in charge of this state. If you have any grievances that you dare not express openly in front of His Highness, then you will have to suffer the consequences of being dumb."
The old man glanced at the strong man hesitantly, and then turned his dry eyes back to Chu Nanzhi.
Lin Jinxiao said gently: "This is my wife, and her words are my words."
"I've seen it."
The old man and the tenants around him were about to bow down to pay homage, but Chu Nanzhi immediately stopped everyone: "No need to be polite. If you have anything to say, feel free to say it boldly. My Highness will definitely make the decision for you."
The old man still did not dare to speak. A young and strong man next to him gritted his teeth, knelt down decisively, and mustered up the courage to answer truthfully:
"Reporting to the princess and your highness, we are undoubtedly happy about the land equalization policy issued by the county this year. However, this year is not good. Although the owner has reduced the rent for everyone, but after careful calculation, we have paid
The rent is no less than in previous years, and it is still charged according to the standards in good years."
After listening to the young man's words, the old man dared to answer: "The county collects taxes, and the employer collects land rent. It is understandable that there will be no increase in good years and no decrease in disaster years. However, taxes have been rising sharply in these years, and land rent has also increased.
Then the tax increased year by year, from the initial tax of fifteen to one of sixteen, and this year it is said to be one of thirty, but after we paid the court's capitation tax and the employer's rent, there is no more food left at home."
After hearing this, Chu Nanzhi felt that something was very wrong. The 15-year tax amounted to 55 and the 16-year tax amounted to 64. This means that even if it was a good year last year, the people had to pay 60% of the food.
Leave it to the gentry.
Although this year is a famine year, the method of collecting rent has been changed to 30% tax per 30%, that is, 37% of the grain is paid. The common people only need to pay 30% of the grain to the gentry according to the rental price of the official land, which is equivalent to a direct reduction on the basis of last year.
Half, why is there still no food left after such a huge drop?
Chu Nanzhi raised her head and glanced at Sang Qi, who was walking over.
Sang Qi carried a small bag of grain and came to Chu Nanzhi and said, "Master, there are fifteen kilograms of grain in it."
"Good guy."
Chu Nanzhi smiled and looked at the strong man kicking the dendrobium: "Lang Jun really has a golden right foot. With one kick, you kicked away fifteen kilograms of grain. Just now you said there was still sixty kilograms left. I guess
It’s probably all folded on top of the few handfuls of grain that were weighed before.”
In this era, two dendrobiums are worth one stone, and one dendrobium weighs one hundred kilograms. According to this measurement principle, at least four to five dendrobiums have been weighed. Each dendrobium weighs ten kilograms, which is naturally a difference.
The strong man argued with reason: "The young man is also acting under orders. The boss said that this year is a famine year, so this method is used to distinguish the quality of the grain. The more grain that is kicked down, the better the grain is."
But the owner sympathized with the tenants and reluctantly accepted the grain."
"It's full of nonsense. The dried grains piled up on the top of this dendrobium tree will fall down no matter how hard you kick them. You are kicking rocks."
Chu Nanzhi said angrily: "Your boss is really good at calculating. If my guess is correct, you will have to ask the old man to go back and make up for the missing grain, and then add another ten kilograms. So first
Taking advantage of the tenants when collecting rent."
After a pause, she continued: "I would say that you are not willing to accept money from tenants and only want grain. This really kills two birds with one stone. When there is a shortage of grain, you will drive up the price of grain, so that you can earn back the reduced rent."
When we come back, you insist that such good grain is shoddy, which is obviously because you are dissatisfied with the county's decree."
Lin Jinxiao became solemn and slowly pulled out the cold sword in his hand. The strong man knelt down in fear and fear: "Your Highness, this is none of our business. We are just following orders."
"Call your boss to come out."
Lin Jinxiao shouted loudly, and someone staggered away in response.
Not long after, a middle-aged man with a round waist and a broad body walked out swaggeringly. Seeing the scene in front of the courtyard, and then looking at the cold sword in Lin Jinxiao's hand, he was frightened and hurriedly crawled over and said diligently.
He called out: "I didn't know that His Highness is coming, and the common people are disappointed to welcome you from afar. I hope you will forgive me."
Facing the hot face that pressed against him, Lin Jinxiao just remained silent, his eyes as quiet and terrifying as deathly gray, and his cold and solemn expression showed no anger or authority.