Lu Huiqing, wearing a bamboo hat and raincoat, rode his horse to inspect the people's situation in Yanzhou.
Lu Huiqing was an extremely capable person and had to do everything personally. After local officials reported to him, he did not believe them easily. He often had to conduct on-site inspections and verify what the other party said one by one.
Be able to know things from the bottom of your heart.
During his tenure, no matter was too small or too small, there was absolutely no possibility of delay. It was done as soon as it came to hand.
The officials below were overwhelmed by his resolute tactics and did not dare to show any signs of neglect. Moreover, all the previous methods of fooling the superior officials could not deceive him at all. Once he found out that he had done anything poorly or deceitfully, he would be punished.
There are heavy penalties.
In addition to punishing people, Lu Huiqing was also able to reward and employ people. He made special promotions and recommended officials below him.
Therefore, in the two years since he was deposed and known as Yanzhou, although it cannot be called a great governance in Yanzhou, it has also refreshed politics and the people said it was convenient.
Many officials looked at Lu Huiqing with admiration. Although Lu Huiqing's character was worrisome, he was simply an invincible weakling. He did not feel frustrated or full of complaints after being demoted. Instead, he was more active in doing things than when he was the prime minister.
After Lu Huiqing's political achievements were reported to the court, officials praised him repeatedly. As for his biggest political enemy Zhang Yue, he had to pinch his nose and praise Lu Huiqing as a "capable minister" in front of officials. Zhang Yue also agreed with the officials.
It was proposed that Lu Huiqing should also serve as the commander-in-chief of the military and horse capital of Fuyan Road, so that the strategic envoy of Fuyan Road would be worthy of his name and possess real military and political power.
In this way, Lu Huiqing became more motivated.
Lu Huiqing rode a horse to the edge of the field today and saw a lush kapok field.
The accompanying marching cavalry immediately summoned all the local security chiefs and security guards. When the common people saw officials coming, although they didn't know how old they were, they were so frightened that they were surrounded by armored cavalry.
Just standing in the mud.
Lu Huiqing himself took off his raincoat and bamboo hat, walked to the kapok field and looked at the kapok trees one by one.
After seeing this scene, Lu Huiqing was heartbroken and immediately ordered: "Let the security chief speak!"
Two sergeants took the security guard and threw them in front of Lu Huiqing. The security guard looked at the thin Lu Huiqing in front of him with trembling eyes and a shrewd and capable look.
Although the chief security officer could not have guessed that the man who looked like a giant monkey in front of him was once a dignified gentleman.
The soldier on the side said: "When my husband asks you a question, you answer it!"
"yes."
Lu Huiqing glanced at the chief security officer who had muddy eyes and legs and said, "After spring, will officials go to the countryside?"
The chief security officer said: "I see."
"Huh?" Lu Huiqing frowned. He had repeatedly ordered that no official missions should go to the countryside to disturb the people before spring plowing, but someone dared to violate his prohibition.
"when?"
"Only today!" After the security guard answered cautiously, he was immediately kicked in the butt.
They scolded each other: "Tricky!"
Lu Huiqing smiled. Seeing this, everyone dared to laugh, including the security chief.
Immediately, Lu Huiqing put away her smile and asked, "Baozheng, how are the kapok growing here?"
Baochang said: "The seeds are planted during the Grain Rain in February and March this year, and we have to wait until the summer and the beginning of autumn to harvest the fruits."
"Did you know that kapok is not included in household registration?"
The chief security officer replied: "I know, someone in the county government said before that planting kapok trees does not count as household property, and it will not be counted as household property when re-registering it in the future. Nowadays, cotton cloth is easy to sell, so we happen to have a few pieces in the village.
There was vacant land, so Kapok trees were planted here.”
Lu Huiqing nodded slightly.
Since the implementation of the Service Exemption Law and the Green Crop Law, many people in Shaanxi have cut down their mulberry trees and killed their cattle in order to avoid being promoted to a higher household level. This is because they are afraid that officials will include these in the calculation of the household level.
However, the kapok trees planted on Yanzhou 1st Road on Shaanxi 4th Road are not included in this list and are not counted as household property.
This is what Lu Huiqing promised Zhang Yue, to promote kapok all the way in Yanzhou. Lu Huiqing has always done what he promised with great dedication.
Nowadays, there are merchants in Qinzhou and Chang'an who specialize in purchasing these and dye them into cotton cloth and sell them to Qingtang, Xixia and the mainland through the Xizhou City Yi.
Lu Huiqing had seen this cotton cloth specifically. He wore this cotton dress when he was young. This cotton cloth is called Jibei cloth. In fact, it is Li brocade from Hainan. The Jibei dress made of Li brocade is extremely warm when worn on the body.
After he paid homage to the prime minister, the people below gave him a cotton quilt, which was a quilt filled with cotton. He could cover himself at night without fear of the cold. He asked people and found out that this quilt was made by people who used bamboo as a small bow and played with strings.
Cotton, make it even and fine, and then stuff it into the quilt.
Now that Lu Huiqing has taken office in Yanzhou, she is still using this cotton quilt. Even Mrs. Tang doesn't use it at night. Otherwise, no matter how expensive the quilt is, it won't be able to withstand the cold at midnight.
This is something that is rare among dignitaries and ministers. Now in Shaanxi, I heard that Suzhou and Hangzhou have begun to vigorously promote it.
You must know that silk and brocade clothes are not enough to keep out the cold. Ordinary people do not have these and can only use grass and reed catkins to keep out the cold. After one winter, countless people will starve to death and freeze to death.
Even Du Fu could only chant, "The cloth quilt has been as cold as iron for many years." This great poet could only use cloth as a quilt to endure the days of hunger and cold.
But the promotion of cotton cloth is different. I heard that even the scholars in Qinzhou City can afford it.
The most difficult thing about cotton is to remove cotton seeds, which requires a lot of manpower. But I heard that Zhang Yue invented a first-class machine specifically to remove cotton. Now there are hundreds of thousands of weaving households in Qinzhou and Chang'an cities. Now
Cotton cloth is already produced in large quantities in Shaanxi.
Lu Huiqing told the security chief: "This cotton is used for spinning and weaving. It requires less work than picking mulberry, but it has the effect of harvesting it. Compared with ramie, it does not require the work of collecting and weaving, and it has the benefit of keeping out the cold. It can be said that
Not linen but cloth, not cocoon but wadding. Do you understand?"
The security guard nodded repeatedly in half-understanding.
Seeing that her well-intentioned words were not understood by the security chief, Lu Huiqing didn't take it seriously.
Lu Huiqing continued to ask: "Don't be afraid. If you have anything to say, just say it. Are there any people in this town who are extravagant?"
When he said the last sentence, others felt a chill in their hearts.
Lu Huiqing had a habit of running the place. Every time he went to a place, he would look for trouble with the "She Zhe" person. If the person knew the situation, he would cooperate obediently. If he didn't know the situation, he would be jailed in the least, or die in the worst case.
There were people around him who knew Lu Huiqing's character well. His ordinary words might indicate that he was a powerful person who was ruining his family.
Baozhang said: "I am poor in my hometown and don't have much luxury to cover up people. Even those who are, they go to the county."
Lu Huiqing said: "If there is any, please tell me and I will help you get rid of the harm."
After asking Lu Huiqing, he asked someone to lead the horse over.
After Lu Huiqing got on the horse, he said to the security chief: "Do you have anything else to say? Don't worry."
Baozhang said: "The harvest in the countryside was not good last year. The two taxes plus the money for young crops and the money for labor made life difficult. I wonder if we can wait a little longer?"
"I don't know what to do!" Lu Huiqing was about to scold him, but Lu Huiqing stopped and said: "If I allow you to pay late in one village, then other villages will also pay late. How will I deal with myself? The court will be even more embarrassed."
"But this year, the fifth-class households will be exempted from the service fee."
"That's great!" The security guard was overjoyed. After speaking, he kowtowed to Lu Huiqing and said, "The common people can thank you very much."
Lu Huiqing found it unpleasant: "I don't allow officials to disturb your spring plowing. I allow you to plant kapok without counting it as household property. If you have extravagant people, I will get rid of them for you. You don't come to thank me for these things. Instead, you thank me for the exemption money."
Why?"
The chief security officer said with joy on his face: "My lord, I don't know. Our township is very poor. Nine out of ten households are in the fifth class. Removing the service from the fifth class households is like exempting all of us from the service fee in the entire township!"
"From now on, the elderly and children in every household can have an extra bite of food in every meal!"
Lu Huiqing was silent for a while and said, "You don't need to thank me, you have to thank Zhang."
After Lu Huiqing sat on his horse and rode away, he still looked back, but after seeing the chief security officer talking to the villagers in dialect for a while, he saw that all the villagers were happy.
Many villagers squatted beside the field stalks and pinched the soil in the field. The restrained and heartfelt joy rippled from the faces of one after another.
Lu Huiqing looked at the bare mountains in the distance, and the vast and barren fields stretched before his eyes. The villages not far away were full of rickety houses.
With the strong wind, yellow dust was everywhere.
This is Yanzhou under the rule of Lu Huiqing. The people are hungry and have no clothes to cover their bodies.
Shaanxi Fourth Road is full of poorer places than this.
Riding on horseback are Lu Wenqing and Lu Huiqing's two younger brothers, Lu Yuqing and Lu Kangqing.
There are many Jinshis in the Lu family. Eight of the ten brothers of Lu Huiqing's generation won the Jinshi.
Now that Lu Huiqing is serving as the envoy in Yanzhou, he invites several brothers into the palace, not only as brothers in battle, but also as a means of cultivation.
But when he saw Lu Huiqing immediately said: "Zhang Duzhi asked Mencius to serve as a priest, and he also practiced Mencius' justice, but it was just for the sake of the words "people-oriented"."
"I have heard the phrase [putting people first] but have never seen it before. Except for the three generations, the common people have been the common people in all dynasties. The common people are nothing. It is really ridiculous."
Lu Kangqing, the youngest, said angrily to his elder brother: "The poor people only know small favors, they don't know where my brother's achievements are."
Lu Huiqing said: "This is not a small favor."
After speaking, Lu Huiqing dismounted and sat down on the road.
"Zeng Zixuan and I had the most intentions in recruiting the Prime Minister, but now he has changed it. It's funny that the Prime Minister would rather believe Zhang Yue's lies than me who has followed him for many years. Now this is his most proud method of exemption from military service...
…Having been changed by Zhang San, he must be so regretful. It’s ridiculous, it’s really ridiculous.”
Lu Huiqing cursed angrily, first at Zhang Yue, then at Wang Anshi, and finally said dejectedly: "Now that Chapter 3 has become the order of the day, the first step is the exemption law, and the next step is the green crop law and the market change law."
Lu Wenqing said: "Our brother does not need to embolden others' ambitions and destroy his own prestige. Although Zhang San was exempted from the fifth-class household service fee, I heard that the official family was not very happy. Sooner or later, the official family will still have to appoint my brother."
Lu Kangqing said: "Yes, Pingxia is the most important thing. To capture Hengshan, everything is easy. When the time comes that my brother will return to Beijing to pay homage to the prime minister, Zhang San will look at his face. At that time...
"
Lu Huiqing nodded and said: "You are right, a man can bend and stretch. Now that Zhang San has achieved his goal, let's just see his face first."
"Sooner or later I will return to Beijing and take back all of this!"
