On the official road from the capital to Tianjin, Xie Qian, Li Dongyang, and Zhang Mao were riding their tall horses towards Tianjin while discussing something with each other.
"Do you think there is really a penny per pound of meat in Tianjin?"
Zhou Jing has been thinking about this issue since Emperor Hongzhi said that meat here in Tianjin only costs one penny per pound. At that time, he even thought that Emperor Hongzhi was crazy.
Not to mention in times of famine, even in good harvest years, a pound of meat costs more than ten cents. Even if it is the cheapest fish, it costs seven or eight cents a pound. It is impossible to appear at all.
A pound of meat for a penny.
Not only Zhou Jing, but also the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty did not believe that there was meat available for a penny per pound in Tianjin. Meat was very rare in this era. What kind of meat could it be for a penny per pound?
With such doubts, the three of them were sent to Tianjin by Emperor Hongzhi, preparing to purchase meat worth a pound.
"I don't know either, but His Majesty has already said that he will look for Liu Jin after arriving in Tianjin. This Liu Jin is a descendant of an elite. He is always unexpected and perhaps hard to tell."
Li Dongyang shook his head slightly. He didn't like riding horses, but there was no other way. Now that the disaster was serious, there was no time to delay. Naturally, it was impossible to take a slow carriage to Tianjin.
As for Zhang Mao, who was on the side and kept silent all the way, because he took the blame for Emperor Hongzhi, he was now a popular figure in front of Emperor Hongzhi. He was indispensable whether Emperor Hongzhi convened ministers for discussions or purchased food for disaster relief.
figure.
But Zhang Mao is an old fox, and he is smart. He knows that he should keep a low profile at this time and not jump around mindlessly, otherwise he will really become a thorn in the flesh of these civil servants.
Regarding these matters, he maintained his consistent attitude, not caring, asking questions, or expressing opinions. As for whether something would go wrong, he was not worried. Zhou Jing and Li Dongyang were relatively reliable, so there was no need to worry.
If things don't get done well, I can't go back and make errands.
"Well, I hope so. This disaster has become more and more serious. Even the capital has begun to suffer from famine. Food has become too expensive."
Zhou Jing sighed and said with compassion. At the same time, he galloped while observing the situation on both sides of the official road. Because of the famine, there were many people fleeing the famine on the official road.
“Mr.
Along the way, Zhou Jing also discovered a strange phenomenon. On the official road between the capital and Tianjin, all the people fleeing famine were heading towards Tianjin. It was rare to see anyone fleeing towards the capital.
It stands to reason that the capital is the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and Tianjin is just an ordinary city in the north. The only way to escape famine is to go to the capital, but now it is completely the other way around, which is puzzling.
"I think this may be the reason why His Majesty asked us to come to Tianjin. Maybe there is really a penny a pound of meat here in Tianjin."
After hearing Zhou Jing's words, Li Dongyang carefully looked at the people fleeing on the official road, then thought about it and said.
"This...is it really worth a penny and a pound of meat?"
Zhou Jing shook his head slightly, he really couldn't figure it out, how could it be possible to pay a pound of meat for just one penny?
The distance between Beijing and Tianjin is not far, just over a hundred kilometers. If you travel by horseback, it does not take too long. As they get closer to Tianjin, they also find that people are gathering in Tianjin to escape famine.
There were so many, especially when we were approaching Tianjin, the official roads were full of victims fleeing famine.
All the victims I saw along the way were skinny and skinny, and some even fainted from hunger beside the official road. The bark of the trees they saw had been eaten away, and the tender grass that had just sprouted had all disappeared. The victims were like
Like locusts, they eat everything they can eat.
This makes Li Dongyang, Zhou Jing, and Zhang Mao feel extremely heavy. Sometimes standing in the court hall, it is impossible to understand what kind of suffering the victims are going through. Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you know.
What does this famine look like?
"We are less than ten miles away from Tianjin. Let's work harder and get to Tianjin in one go. We will try to purchase food back as soon as possible to help the victims."
Seeing the miserable scene of the victims, Li Dongyang, who originally planned to take a rest, also said to Zhou Jing and Zhang Mao beside him.
"That's what I wanted to see. I want to see what happened in Tianjin and why it attracted so many victims."
Zhou Jing nodded, he was even more curious now, more curious than when he left the capital, and his mind was full of doubts.
The team of three people rode horses and turned around a hilltop. Suddenly, their eyes opened up. They could clearly see Tianjin City in the distance. At the same time, they could see that the official road leading to Tianjin was very busy. Thousands of people were busy.
Tens of thousands of people are busy, seemingly building roads.
"They seem to be building roads, right?"
Looking at the bustling scene on the official road ahead, Zhou Jing thought for a while and said.
"They are building roads, but it has not rained recently. It seems that the official road does not need to be repaired."
Li Dongyang nodded, thought for a while and said.
"The official road ahead seems to be different. It is wider and smoother. What is going on?"
Zhou Jing frowned and looked forward hard, trying to see clearly what was happening ahead.
"We'll find out soon, let's go."
Li Dongyang slapped the horse's butt hard with the riding crop in his hand. The horse felt pain and moved forward quickly with its hooves.
But soon, the three of them had to slow down their progress, because the official road ahead was crowded with people, and there were people shouting constantly.
"We're recruiting, we're recruiting, we're recruiting for the construction of the Beijing-Tianjin Highway. You can earn ten cents a day, and one penny can buy you a pound of meat. If you're working, you can get ten pounds of meat a day. If you want to work, hurry up and line up to sign up."
There were people wearing uniforms holding tin trumpets and shouting continuously on the official road. The sound was so loud that it could be heard clearly even from a long distance away.
As soon as the victims on the official road heard this voice, they were originally listless, but as if they had been given a shot of blood, they immediately quickened their pace and ran over in a hurry.
"Does it really cost a penny a pound of meat?"
Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, and Zhang Mao could all hear it clearly from a distance of several hundred meters, and they immediately became energetic.