Of course, there was no bulk Jiangsu in the Ming Dynasty. Huainan Province was to the north of the Yangtze River, and Zhejiang Province was to the south of the Yangtze River.
Huainan and Zhejiang provinces, due to their large area, large population and prosperous economy, have been continuously divided over the past two decades.
A prefecture in the northwest corner of Huainan Province was swallowed up by Henan Province. A prefecture in the southwest corner of Huainan Province was swallowed up by Hubei Province.
Zhejiang Province was even worse. Wenzhou and Chuzhou were transferred to Fujian. The establishment of Nanjing directly caused Zhejiang to suffer heavy losses.
Even Changzhou, Jiangyin, Yixing, Wuxi, Guangde... were all placed under the jurisdiction of Nanjing's Jinling Prefecture, and one-third of Taihu Lake became Nanjing's territory.
The fishermen in Taihu Lake row their boats and cast their nets. Once the net is cast down, half of the net may be cast in Zhejiang Province and half of the net may be cast in Jinling Prefecture, Nanjing.
Due to its extremely prosperous economy, Changzhou has never abolished the prefecture-level organizational system. This is ultimately bad. It is a prefecture itself, and its superiors are still prefectures.
The imperial court has decided that if the Changzhou prefect is transferred, Changzhou Prefecture will be downgraded to a state, and Wuxi County under its jurisdiction will also be removed.
Zhu Guoxiang visited the Taihu Lake area for more than a month. He had such a great time that he reluctantly continued his journey south. He went to Jiaxing first, then to Hangzhou, and lived directly in a manor by the West Lake.
Li Wenhui, the governor-general of Zhejiang Province, said: "This house was originally Zhu Meng's manor, and it also included a large area of lakes and farmland. The land was so vast that when the government confiscated it and auctioned it, it was broken into five parts for bidding.
Three of them were bought by the same wealthy businessman at a high price, barely preserving the integrity of Zhu Meng's garden."
"Who owns it now?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.
Li Wenhui said: "Return to the Hangzhou government."
Zhu Guoxiang felt curious: "Where is its original owner?"
Li Wenhui said: "Since Zhu Meng, the garden here has changed three owners. One owner was beheaded, another owner was exiled, and another owner went bankrupt and went to jail."
Zhu Guoxiang: "..."
This garden located by the West Lake has changed several names since it was too evil. It is currently called Changsheng Garden.
When it comes to choosing a name, make up for whatever is missing.
It's a pity that it didn't last forever.
The first owner was Zhu Meng and his son, who were killed by Song Huizong himself.
The second owner was Song Huizong.
The three owners at the back were all wealthy businessmen from Zhejiang, and they were all involved in major corruption cases. Some were beheaded, some were exiled, and some were imprisoned.
Li Wenhui said: "The Hangzhou government office has put this house on the market for several years, and no one has been willing to bid again. It is usually idle and lacks maintenance, but people often come to play. Government or private scholars gather, multiple choices
It will be held in Changsheng Garden."
Zhu Guoxiang took a tour and said: "It seems that it has been repaired recently."
"It hasn't been overhauled, it's just to get rid of the bad luck," Li Wenhui said. "People in Hangzhou say that this garden is full of evil spirits, but His Majesty, His Majesty, has destiny in his body, so he is not afraid of any evil spirits."
"Hahahaha!" Zhu Guoxiang laughed when he heard this.
What he was laughing at was that the Ming Dynasty was so effective in combating corruption that it killed several wealthy businessmen in Hangzhou and even scared no one to the point of buying the garden.
The Li Wenhui in front of him was the first Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty.
His ranking in the imperial examination was not high, but his political achievements were outstanding.
He first served as censor, investigating and punishing 47 officials and 338 official officials. Then he became a civil affairs official. Everywhere he went, he left a reputation as a "cruel official" and "incorruptible".
Historically, Li Wenhui also served as an official in this style.
At that time, the Song Dynasty had just moved south, and many officials, whether they were from the peace faction or the war faction, had no property in the south. After they arrived in Jiangnan, regardless of their political stance, they were busy embezzling money and bending the law to make money.
As the imperial censor, Li Wenhui impeached corrupt officials every now and then, offending both the warring faction and the peace faction. He also went to suppress the pirates as deputy prime minister, and soon used the method of division and co-optation to force the pirates to surrender. And organized them into the navy.
As soon as Li Wenhui returned to the court after wiping out the pirates, he was dismissed as prime minister by Qin Hui. He spent the next ten years living in seclusion writing books.
It was not until Qin Hui was seriously ill that Li Wenhui was appointed. In four years, he served as three magistrates and one magistrate of a state, all with outstanding political achievements. He presented the "Ten Essentials of Zhongxing" to the Southern Song Dynasty court, covering ten aspects including politics, military, diplomacy, and economy. Analysis, hoping that the imperial court can eliminate the ills and revitalize the country.
Soon, he died of illness.
Li Wenhui in this time and space was remembered by Ju Ming. Because he was from the Yushi faction, he offended all other factions, and was impeached many times by officials from various factions. Every time he was investigated, he was honest and selfless, and he was also found His political achievements were deliberately suppressed.
At first, it was Chen Dong who was trying to protect him, but later it was directly promoted by Ju Ming himself.
Li Wenhui was able to serve as the chief envoy to the left in Zhejiang because Ju Ming bypassed the court and appointed him. Many chief officials in Zhejiang Province had been dismissed, and the official atmosphere was always bad, so only people like Li Wenhui could control him.
Li Wenhui is one of Ju Ming's unofficial candidates for assistant prime minister.
He can only be the assistant prime minister, not the prime minister, because his popularity in the officialdom is "too poor" and he cannot effectively integrate the various teams of the court.
There are six or seven other ministers like this.
Only with officials like them around could the Ming Dynasty maintain its vitality.
Looking at Song Bo, the right-hand chief envoy next to him, he knew that although the two were of equal rank, Song Bo was suppressed throughout the whole process and did not even dare to take away Li Wenhui's words.
Li Wenhui didn't regard Song Bo as a human being. In his eyes, this colleague's fate was already decided, and it was nothing more than beheading or exile.
When you come to Zhejiang to do business, you have to pack a few large ones.
He is incorruptible and selfless, and he is protected by the emperor, so he is naturally not afraid of any officials.
Zhu Guoxiang, his wife and children lived in Changsheng Garden and went boating in the West Lake from time to time. He liked this evil garden very much and even wanted to stay for two more years.
After almost completing his tour of the West Lake, Zhu Guoxiang went ashore again to enjoy the fireworks on earth.
The outer port of Hangzhou is very busy, and the pier on the West Lake side is equally busy.
Goods from various prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River flow here through several rivers, and most of them are shipped to outer ports for overseas trade. Goods from overseas and Fujian and Guangdong are also transported here from the outer ports of Hangzhou and dispersed to inland areas through rivers. .
"Hey, why are there still Tibetan people working as coolies at the dock?" Zhu Guoxiang was quite curious.
It was impossible for the officials of the Third Division of Zhejiang to accompany him all the time. Zhu Guoxiang had long since sent him off to handle official duties. The official tour guide beside him was Zhang Yan, the Zhejiang academic envoy.
Zhang Yan didn't know either: "I'm going to call someone here for questioning."
Soon, a ghost coolie was summoned and knelt down in front of Zhu Guoxiang and kowtowed.
Zhu Guoxiang asked him to stand up and speak: "Which country are you from before?"
Gui Lao replied: "Xiao Min's name is Yi Bangchang. I don't know which country he was from before. A few years before the fall of the Song Dynasty, Xiao Min came to Hangzhou with his father to settle down. At that time, Xiao Min was only six or seven years old."
"Are you losing money in business?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.
Gui Lao said: "The imperial court issued a decree that the Tibetan people were not allowed to intermarry with each other. The common people could not find a suitable wife at that time, so they married a woman who was a big eater. I thought that I was an iron chip man, and my wife was a big cannibal, so it was not considered a big deal.
Endogamy. As a result, we were reported and our property was confiscated."
Zhu Guoxiang laughed when he heard this: "In the eyes of officials of the Ming Dynasty, how can one distinguish between iron filings and food? You work hard, and your children should not get married indiscriminately."
"Yes..." Gui Lao looked very disappointed. He thought the Emperor was going to return the family property.
The matter is very clear. A Jew married an Arab, and their families were all ransacked!
This stems from the Ming Dynasty's "Intermarriage Law", which stipulated that foreigners who came to settle in the Ming Dynasty could only intermarry with all ethnic groups in China.
Violators will have their homes confiscated!
In practical terms, it doesn't matter what ethnic group you are from, as long as you look obviously different, you are a foreigner.
If they look similar, even if they are of a different race, the government won't bother to care.
The Jew in front of him was just unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfire. His family's business, which he had been running for many years, was turned back to its original shape due to a marriage and could only work as a coolie.
There are many such cases, mainly concentrated in the southern coastal provinces.
Nowadays, no one dares to violate the law. Regardless of whether they come from India, the Middle East, or Arabia, everyone must marry locals.
Han Chinese families of the same class naturally look down upon them.
No matter how rich these foreigners are, they can only marry poor Han people, hoping that after two or three generations of mixed blood, the foreign blood will be washed away from their bodies.
Leave Daming?
Only a fool left. Where can I find a stable country like Ming Dynasty?
Take the Jews, for example. Their core settlements have been occupied by the Crusaders. The Crusaders massacred them wildly and exploited the Jews for decades. It was not until 20 years ago that their policies relaxed slightly.
Most of the Jews who were driven out by the Crusaders now moved to Baghdad, where they were also oppressed by the Seljuk Sultan (the second-ranked Sultan).
There are also Jews in Europe.
Take the UK as an example. The Jews, whose population is less than 1/400, pay 8% of the country’s taxes to the UK. Who makes them greedy and rich? In another hundred years, Britain will launch a vigorous platoon
Just exercise.
It’s so hateful!
"For delaying him in carrying goods, please give him fifty cents as compensation," Zhu Guoxiang said.
The Supreme Emperor was also very stingy, so he only gave 50 Wen as a reward. The ghost thanked him profusely and left.
Zhu Guoxiang called another Han coolie and asked: "What is your name? How many people are there in your family?"
The coolie replied: "The commoner's name is Xu Gongtian, also called Xu San. I have... at home, does it count as a home in the countryside?"
Zhu Guoxiang said with a smile: "So what?"
Xu San opened the conversation: "My father separated the family when he was young. He originally had a few acres of thin farmland, but it was later occupied by the god-damned Zhu Mian. When the foolish emperor came to Hangzhou, another traitorous minister occupied Zhu Mian's land. Fortunately, our Ming Emperor showed mercy and took over Zhu Mian's land.
The fields owned by corrupt officials in the previous dynasty were all divided up. Because my family kept the farm bones, we were divided into twelve acres, and the remaining two acres were paddy fields by the river..."
The guy became more and more verbose as he talked. He also talked about the crops grown at home. Zhu Guoxiang listened with a smile and did not interrupt.
After talking about this for a long time, Xu San finally said: "There are too many brothers in the family, and twelve acres of land is not enough for food. I came to Hangzhou to work when I was fifteen years old. I first killed chickens for others..."
After chatting for a long time, Xu San said: "In the past few years, I asked someone to help me find a matchmaker. I finally got married and rented a room outside Hangzhou. We both have to work, and we have to give birth to a son and send him back to the countryside.
If the old mother feeds her, she will give the family two to three hundred dollars more every month."
After talking for so long, he did not explain clearly how many people live in his hometown. He only said that the couple rented a house outside Hangzhou and sent the children back to the countryside to their old mother.
"How much do you earn in a day?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.
Xu San said: "It depends on whether the dock is busy. If it is busy, you can earn more than 200 cash a day, and you will be too tired to do anything at night. My wife is much more stable. She worked as an apprentice in a textile factory at the beginning and could earn 30 cash a day.
When I started working as a teacher, I could earn 120 cash a day. Now that I am a skilled worker, my salary has risen to 180 cash a day."
Is it much?
not much.
This is Hangzhou!
According to various literati’s poems or notes, we can know——
In Huaixi in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a servant who was very appreciated and could earn 100 Wen per day. Others were very envious. Not only could he support his wife and children, he could even eat meat and drink wine regularly.
In the late Northern Song Dynasty, farmers in the western suburbs of Luoyang could get 100 Wen from selling firewood once in the city. They lived a pretty good life.
But it will take at least one and a half to two days to earn this hundred cents. First, you have to go to the western mountains of Luoyang to cut firewood, and then sell it in Luoyang city.
In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, the daily income of fishermen in Sichuan (for a couple) was no more than 100 iron coins at most. At that time, the excessive issuance of iron coins had led to devaluation, and food prices had risen due to resistance to gold, so it was just enough for a couple.
They were both full.
By the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty, the daily income of fishermen (a family of three) in the Three Gorges area was less than 100 copper coins. However, the prices of excessively issued currency soared, and these 100 copper coins were no longer enough.
The above four examples are all in suburban or rural areas.
Let’s talk about the city.
In Cangzhou City in the Northern Song Dynasty, a young man could earn dozens of pennies a day by selling fruits, but it was barely enough to support him and his mother.
It was even worse in the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty. Due to the soaring prices, a family of three set up a stall in Raozhou City, selling pig blood soup and sheep blood soup, earning 200 Wen a day and still being very poor.
Because everything in the city costs money, and rent is enough to make people worry.
But Xu San was full of hope for life. He settled the accounts with the Emperor on his fingers: "Sometimes I earn more and sometimes less. Even six guans a month is less. My wife can also earn more than 5 guan a month. Add up with me."
That’s eleven times a month.”
"The monthly rent is four and a half yuan..."
Zhu Guoxiang finally interrupted: "How much did you say the rent was?"
Xu San said: "Four and a half per month."
Zhu Guoxiang asked: "The house you rent is very good?"
Xu San said: "A broken house in the countryside outside the city."
"This also costs four and a half dollars in rent?" Zhu Guoxiang asked in surprise.
Xu San's tone was a bit proud, and he said with a smile: "This is Hangzhou!"
Except during the war years, real estate in big cities is always in demand.
This is true both in ancient and modern times.
Take Kaifeng as an example. In the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, a shabby house in Kaifeng city could be rented for a sky-high price of 5 guan per month (official intermediary prices, private rentals can be less). For newly awarded Jinshi who stayed in Beijing, their salaries were still high.
Not enough to rent a better house!
As maritime trade becomes more prosperous, real estate prices in Hangzhou have also risen, and even rents in nearby suburbs have increased.
Xu San is still continuing to settle accounts: "I give my old parents 1 guan each month, and the couple spends about 3 guan. A month can leave two and a half guan, and a year can have 30 guan left. After taking into account the New Year and holidays, I give it to her parents' family.
Order some rice and noodles. You also need to buy clothes and bedding. If you have a headache or fever, take some medicine. If you are sick and don’t work, you won’t get paid... You can save at least eight strings of money in a year!"
Xu San was mysterious and said in a low voice: "Last year alone, I saved more than nine thousand dollars and three hundred dollars."
Zhu Guoxiang was silent.
This is a dual-career job. The couple is a dock coolie and the other is a textile worker. Both of them have high incomes among the working group.
They worked so hard in Hangzhou that they could only save eight or nine guans a year.
If it were other families, they would probably have a slight surplus throughout the year after having enough food and clothing.
Of course, both the coolies and the weavers were very tired. It is estimated that these two people had a good meal and could even eat meat every once in a while.
Xu San said happily: "My wife and I have discussed it, and now we have been renting that shabby house. We have saved the money for 20 or 30 years, and when we are in our fifties or sixties, we can buy a few thatched houses in the suburbs. By then, my son
I can also make money, and use the money my son earns to renovate the thatched house into a tile-roofed house."
Zhu Guoxiang sighed: "There is ambition."
Xu San smiled and said: "Maybe it won't take twenty or thirty years. Although the rent has increased significantly in the past few years, wages have also been rising. When my wife and I's wages increase, I'm afraid it will take more than ten years to buy a house in the suburbs!"
"
Zhu Guoxiang did not ask again, but said to the attendant: "Give him five guan of money, it will take up a lot of his time."
When Xu San received the reward, he smiled even more happily and immediately knelt down and kowtowed in thanks.
After the man left, Zhang Yan, the academic envoy, praised: "The peasant couple who work in the city can actually save nearly ten guan of money a year. According to the daily expenses he said, they must eat meat from time to time."
The people are so prosperous, it is truly a prosperous age!"
Zhu Guoxiang muttered: "Perhaps this can be considered a prosperous age."
