Yunxiang coughed slightly and said: "My brother has also heard about this. It is said that unscrupulous gentlemen often abuse tenants nowadays, so tenants often escape. After they escape, they have no land to farm, so they can only
Doing odd jobs to make ends meet, if it's just one or two, it's nothing
, or my brother heard that this kind of thing often happens, and those gentlemen, relying on the fact that they do not have to pay taxes, or only pay a small amount, wantonly encircle the land and try their best to devour some fields in the hands of the common people. This evil cycle continues,
It certainly affects food production."
It's not that Yinzhen didn't know about this, but hearing it from Yunxiang's mouth undoubtedly made him more convinced. He put down the tea cup and said: "These gentleman landowners are really hateful and should be severely punished."
After listening to their words, Yunli said: "The emperor can spread the holy message widely and order the local officials to take action immediately if they discover such things. In this way, they can be effectively controlled."
"I also have this idea, but it is not enough. In fact, since the Fuzhou incident, I have discovered that the accumulation of rice grains is far from enough. Like before, I only transported grains to Fuzhou twice and I was stretched. What if we have to go to Fuzhou at this time?
We need to mobilize troops, but without food and fodder, the army cannot fight at all."
"Those wealthy businessmen and gentry only think about how to accumulate money and wealth, without any regard for the interests of the court. On the other hand, if something happens to the court, they will not live as good a life as they do now." Speaking of excitement, Yunxiang couldn't help but cough.
When he got up, Yunli quickly brought the tea and handed it to him. After watching him drink it and breathe smoothly, he said: "Brother Thirteen, don't be excited. The emperor summoned us and wanted us to work together to find a way to stop this."
Things continue to get worse.”
Yunxiang nodded and said a little weakly: "In my opinion, it is useless to just let the local officials participate in those people who abuse the tenants. The emperor should solve this matter from the root."
Yinzhen had been worried about this matter for a long time. Yunxiang's words cheered him up and said, "Just tell me and let me see if it can be done."
Yunli bowed and said, "I believe that the most fundamental reason is the privilege of exempting the wealthy gentry from paying taxes. If it can be abolished, many things will be solved."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yunli frowned, "This privilege has existed since the founding of this dynasty. If it is canceled rashly, I am afraid it will provoke a civil uprising."
"Civil uprising?" Yunxiang shook his head and said: "Old Seventeen, maybe something will happen, but it will definitely not provoke a civil uprising. On the contrary, those ordinary people will be grateful for the emperor's kindness and reduce their heavy taxes; truly
It will only be the wealthy gentry who will cause trouble."
Even so, Yunli still couldn't hide his worry, "I'm afraid that the wealthy households will incite some ignorant villagers. If they conflict with the government, things will become very troublesome."
Yunxiang said with certainty: "But if we don't take this step, the shortcomings in the grain fields will never be eliminated."
Yunli knows this, and Yinzhen also knows that changing the existing model requires great courage and perseverance, which is beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. Even if Yinzhen is an iron-fisted emperor, he still needs to be cautious.
While Yinzhen and the others were discussing this matter, Hongli also returned to his house and called Xiao Zhengzi to ask: "How are you doing, Sir Ma Qi, these days? Are you okay?"
Although he hasn't been to Ma Qi's house much during this period, he has always asked little Zhengzi to pay attention to Ma Qi's situation. Ma Qi woke up a few days ago, but his consciousness is not very clear and his speech is incomplete.
, could only barely utter a few words, and after that, the doctor took a look and said that the situation was worse than originally expected, and that Ma Qi might not be able to speak as fluently as before in the future.
Little Zheng Zi replied as he was told: "As for Fourth Brother, Master Ma Qi is still the same as before, not much better. When I went there today, I saw Mingyu Gege and the others were very worried about Master Ma Qi."
Hongli thought for a while and ordered Xiao Zhengzi to change his clothes and the court clothes, and then walked up to Ma Qi's Mansion. This time, no one stopped the elder brother's footsteps. He came all the way to the back room, and as soon as he stepped in
, a strong medicinal smell hit his face and penetrated into his nose.
Fu Heng and Mingyu were waiting for Ma Qi in the house. They saw Hongli coming in. When they were about to salute, Hongli stopped him and said, "No need to be polite, I'm here to see Master Ma Qi."
Hearing Hongli's voice, Ma Qi, who was lying on the bed, turned his head hard and stared at Hongli, making a "gugu" sound in his throat.
Seeing this, Hongli quickly walked to the bed and said softly: "Master Ma Qi, I'm here to see you. How are you? Can you speak?"
"Four...four...brother!" Ma Qi spent a lot of effort to squeeze out these three words from his throat. His eyes, which were clear not long ago, now became cloudy. Seeing him like this, Hongli
The sadness came from it. If it weren't for him, how could Ma Qi have done this? He was the one who harmed Ma Qi.
"You...you..." Ma Qi didn't know what he wanted to say. He grabbed Hongli's hand and tried hard to speak, but he couldn't spit out the next words, and his gray face turned red with anxiety.
Hongli understood what Ma Qi meant, took his skinny hand and said: "Don't worry, Sir Ma Qi, I have seen that Huang Ama is fine." After that, he leaned into Ma Qi's ear and whispered softly: "Although I am now
I am forced not to tell Huang Ama the truth, but I promise that I will not let Hong Shi, a villain, be proud, and will make him atone for the sins he has committed!"
After hearing what he said, Ma Qi's breath gradually calmed down, his face returned to normal, and he tried his best to say one word, "Okay!"
At this time, a servant brought the medicine. Mingyu was about to step forward, but Hongli already said: "No need, I will just feed Master Ma Qi."
Fu Heng heard this and said quickly: "The fourth elder brother is a noble person. How can he do such a thing? Let my sister-in-law do it."
"Compared to the sins I have committed, these small things are nothing." With that said, Hongli took the medicine bowl from his servant, carefully fed Ma Qi to drink, and then said: "Master Ma Qi
You should rest well, I will come see you another day."
Seeing that Hongli was about to leave, Fu Heng said: "My sister-in-law and I will send Brother Si out."
Hongli nodded, and after leaving the inner room, he suddenly said: "Don't you blame me for holding you hostage like that and harming Master Ma Qi?"
Fu Heng shook his head and said: "The fourth elder brother had no choice but to kidnap me and my sister-in-law. As for what happened to my uncle, I can't blame the fourth elder brother. If I want to blame it, it's the remnants of the Red Flower Society. I have been in the Qing Dynasty for nearly a hundred years, and the foundation has been laid for a long time.
Even now, they are still dreaming about restoring the Ming Dynasty, which is really ridiculous."
It was inconvenient for Hongli to say too much about this matter, so he changed the subject one by one and said: "When do you plan to go back? When the time comes, I will see you off."