Wang Xijue, Wang Jiaping and more than a dozen officials, escorted by a group of soldiers, set out from the capital, traveled at dawn and overnight, and traveled through wind and rain. On this day, they finally entered the territory of Runing Mansion.
"I would like to report to you two adults that we have entered Runing Mansion. This is the boundary of Xiping County. In front of us is Xiping Post, then ahead is Shangcai Post, and then is Ruyang Post. Where will we stay tonight? Please tell me.
Your Majesty, please give me instructions." Gan Hong, the young leader of the guards, ran to the official sedans of Wang Xijue and Wang Jiaping, saluted and asked for instructions.
"Oh, have we arrived at Runing Mansion?" Wang Xijue opened the sedan curtain and looked outside. When he saw Wang Jiaping also sticking his head out, he said with a smile: "Uncle Zhong, how about you and I get off the sedan and come for a walk?"
?”
Wang Jiaping nodded and said: "That's what I have in mind, so let's get off the sedan and walk together."
When the sedan bearers on both sides heard this, they quickly put down their sedans. Someone had already stepped forward to help the two officials down. Wu Boxing and others were also sitting on the sedan. Seeing that the academicians had all gotten off the sedan, they followed suit.
One by one they got off the sedan.
"What a scene of spring plowing!"
Wang Xijue walked a few steps along the official road, pointed at some farmers who were plowing the fields not far away, and said to Wang Jiaping with a smile.
Wang Jiaping nodded and said: "Yes, yes, in the past few years in the capital, we have seen less of this kind of farming scene. Fu Yu, when I was a child, I also farmed at home. If I hadn't been an official, I would have
It’s also a good strategy for farming.”
"Yes, if you don't know how to farm, how can you govern the country?" Wang Xijue also said with emotion.
The two bachelors were pointing there, and the petty officials below also followed suit, shaking their heads and talking about farming matters. Wu Boxing looked left and right for a while, and frowned slightly.
"Does Minister Wu think there is something wrong?" Cheng Dong came forward and asked Wu Boxing. He is a newly appointed seventh-grade official. His qualifications are very junior. He is just an errand boy in this imperial investigation team.
However, because he had written about Su Haoxi and was quite famous among the scholars, Wu Boxing regarded him somewhat highly, and the relationship between the two of them had become very good along the way.
"Oh, Bangzhi." Wu Boxing called out Cheng Dong's name and said, "I heard that due to Su Hao's misdeeds, the people of Runing Mansion are already in dire straits, and the farmers are in panic all day long, and they have abandoned farming one after another, but..."
Wu Boxing did not continue with his "but", because everything he saw in front of him proved that the so-called farmers abandoned farming was completely nonsense. Far and near, farmers busy with spring plowing could be seen everywhere, perhaps because of animal power.
Unfortunately, the people pulling the plows in some fields were all young and strong men. They were all sweating profusely from exhaustion, but their faces were filled with joy.
That's not right. Didn't Liu Qichang say that he wanted to organize the landlords to go on strike and put pressure on the imperial envoy? Along the way, the imperial envoy's camp was not insignificant. The spies sent by Liu Qichang should also know when the imperial envoy arrived in Runing. Why are they so full of sight?
Go, there's no sign of stopping farming? Wu Boxing muttered secretly in his heart, but obviously he couldn't say these words for everyone to hear.
"Husband, what are you busy with?"
At this time, an old farmer carrying a spade came up the official road. Wang Xijue stepped forward to greet him and saluted the old farmer.
The old farmer saw this group of people from a distance and knew that officials were crossing the border. He wanted to avoid it, but had no way around it, so he had to lower his head and walk quickly. Unexpectedly, he was stopped by someone.
When the official in front of him was asking what he was saying, the old farmer quickly dropped his spade and was about to kneel down, but Wang Xijue's entourage helped him.
"There is no need to be polite, old man. My master is asking you something." The attendant said to the old farmer.
"Oh, I'm paying homage to you." The old farmer couldn't kneel down and could only stammer.
Wang Xijue said: "Old man, what are you doing?"
The old farmer said: "Go back to me, sir, we are going to plow the fields."
"Is this year's spring plowing any different from previous years?" Wang Xijue wanted to know about the situation in Runing Mansion, but he didn't know how much he could know at the farmer level, so he had to ask a vague question and wait to hear from the old farmer.
answer.
A strange look flashed across the old farmer's face, and he hesitated and replied: "Uh... this year, it's not bad, it's not bad."
"What do you mean, okay? Is it really different from previous years?" Wang Jiaping also came closer. He clearly heard that there was something hesitant and unspoken in the old farmer's words.
The old farmer asked strangely: "Are these gentlemen not from our Runing Mansion?"
Wang Xijue and Wang Jiaping are both first-rank officials, and the largest official in Runing Mansion is also a fourth-rank official. It can be seen from the color of their clothes that they are definitely not from Runing Mansion. But how can an old farmer understand this?
In his opinion, there is no difference between the officials here, so he asked this question.
Wang Xijue said: "We are just passers-by. I really don't know what is going on in Runing Mansion. Can I tell you something in detail for us?"
The old farmer waved his hands and said: "I am just a common man. How do I know what's going on? If there is nothing wrong with you, I will have to go to work."
The more he behaved like this, the more the officials felt that something was wrong. Wu Boxing simply stepped forward and pointed it out: "Old man, I heard that a group of soldiers came to Runing Mansion, making it difficult for the people to live.
Is this the case?"
"Well...we ordinary people don't dare to get involved in this fight between gods. Gentlemen, you'd better ask others." The old farmer replied and ran away in a panic.
"Look, there must be something wrong with scaring the people like this." Wu Boxing said to Wang Xijue and Wang Jiaping. He must instill some ideas that are unfavorable to Su Hao before they arrive in Ruyang City.
"There are some farmers over there, let me go and ask." Cheng Dong volunteered. After getting Wang Jiaping's permission, he ran along the field ridge to a middle-aged farmer who was driving cattle to plow the fields, and asked him
.
I don’t know what Cheng Dong said to the farmer. The farmer put down his plow and followed Cheng Dong to the official road. After kowtowing to the officials, the farmer asked: "Are you from the capital?
"
"How did you know?" Wu Boxing asked.
The farmer said: "It has spread here, saying that Mr. Su has captured those evil businessmen and is looking for bad luck from those dog officials. The dog officials were frightened to death. When they heard that the complaint was filed, they went to the capital. Everyone is here
Rumor has it that imperial envoys should be sent down from the capital to investigate the case in the next few days. Aren't you the same imperial envoys who are investigating the case?"
As soon as the farmer said this, Wu Boxing's face turned dark. The other party said he was a profiteer and a dog official. His attitude was already very clear. He was asked to introduce Runing's situation to Wang Xijue and Wang Jiaping, not to Liu Qichang.
Do they use eye drops?
Wang Xijue laughed and asked, "Brother, what do you mean by this, do you think Mr. Su is an upright official, while the other officials are all dog officials?"
The farmer said: "More or less, Mr. Su just wants us to survive. The other officials only care about making money for themselves and don't care about the life and death of our people. Just say that a few days ago, those dog officials colluded with our landlords.
They say they are going to stop farming this year and we will not farm this year. Please comment, if we farmers don’t farm, what will we eat in the coming year?”
"What do you mean by stopping farming?" Wang Xijue and Wang Jiaping were both stunned. This is no small matter. If the whole government stopped farming and there would be no food to harvest in the fall, there would be big trouble.
The farmer said: "Those people don't want to make things difficult for Mr. Su. They say they will embarrass Mr. Su when the imperial envoy comes. The landowners in our county have all colluded to prevent tenants from cultivating the land. Some families still have their own land, and the landlords
The family's thugs also came to cause trouble, saying that whoever plowed the fields just had trouble with the magistrate, and there would be no good fruit to eat later."
"Nonsense!" Wu Boxing was anxious. Of course he knew that what the farmers said was the truth, but how could he tell such a thing face to face? If the plowing strike could be accomplished, it would indeed bring great consequences to Su Hao.
Trouble, even if it is out of the need to stabilize the place, the imperial envoy must make concessions. But now that the matter has not been completed, the news has leaked out and reached the ears of the imperial envoy. Wouldn't it make Liu Qichang and others' crimes even more serious?
"This country farmer, in front of Mr. Ge, you can't say anything without evidence. Do you know that he will be dismissed after false accusations?" Wu Boxing threatened.
The farmer was obviously a fool. When he heard Wu Boxing's words, instead of being intimidated, he became even more enthusiastic: "Master, go to the four villages and eight villages and ask, am I, Niu Laoer, a nonsense person?"
A few days ago, because I insisted on driving the plow, I got into a fight with Mr. Jia’s servants. You see, the bruises on my arms were caused by Mr. Jia’s servants.”
As he said that, he rolled up his sleeves and showed them to everyone. There were indeed a few bruises on his arms. It looked like the fight was quite severe.
"But aren't you plowing the fields now? And I see that the fields around here have already been plowed." Wang Xijue said to Niu Laoer, "Is it possible that after you fought with that Mr. Jia's servant, they
Are you allowed to plow the fields?"
Niu Laoer said: "It's not that easy. Mr. Jia's family has a large number of servants, and the county government servants support them. Who dares to go against them? If we can drive plows, it's all thanks to Mr. Su.
, sent soldiers and generals, and issued a notice saying that whoever disrupts spring plowing is... By the way, whoever is a public enemy will be punished by everyone. Gentlemen, look over there and see the tree.
There is no one hanging, and that is Mr. Jia."
"ah!"
All the officials were shocked. They followed Niu Laoer's finger and saw a man hanging with a rope from a big locust tree in the field. Wherever the breeze picked up, the man was still swaying gently.