Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 259 The problem is not small
Morning of September 11
Hangzhou
Three or four months have passed since the end of the Jiangnan War, and Hangzhou, which had been depressed by the war, has gradually regained some of its former prosperity.

However, this prosperity is not even 50% of what it was in the past, but it still makes people worry about the future.

“I don’t know if there will be tax exemption next year.”

Outside the Hangzhou city gate, several people carrying large and small baskets were gathered together waiting for the gate to open. During this time, an older man said this out of the blue.

They are all farmers near Hangzhou. When there is not much farm work, they will chop some firewood and send it to the city, which can at least supplement their family income.

When the Tartars were at the gates of the city, they naturally had nowhere to sell their firewood, and the family’s income was also reduced.

Therefore, as the year draws to a close, the older people are thinking about next year's taxes and salaries.

"Uncle San, you're overthinking it. There hasn't been a natural disaster this year, so why would the government exempt us from taxes?"

In fact, the elderly farmer was just impatient and said this for some reason, but who would have thought that before he finished speaking, a skinny man in his thirties next to him directly sneered at him.

"Why not? I heard from the Zhao family's kitchen that war and natural disasters are the same, and the government will generally exempt some corvée and tax."

The Zhao family that the older farmer mentioned was a wealthy family in Hangzhou City. The charcoal sent this time was for the Zhao family to prepare for the winter.

Don't think that it is only October now. Although the weather in Jiangnan is not as hot and unbearable as before, there is no need to start buying charcoal so early.

You must know that wealthy families like these use only high-quality charcoal for heating. If they really wait until the weather gets cold to prepare it, firstly, the quantity may not be enough, and secondly, the price will be higher.

Therefore, when the weather gradually turns colder every year, these farmers will also carry a few loads of charcoal when delivering firewood to the wealthy families.

"Uncle San, I think you really think too much. Although the Tartars have been causing a lot of trouble this year, they have only been causing trouble in the city. We haven't even seen half a Tartar in our village, so how can it be considered a war?"

"Nonsense! When the Tartars came, didn't the village headman lead someone to the big house to urge for food?"

"Your family paid?"

The older farmer wanted to use the fact that the Tartars had come to prove that his farm had also been affected by the war, but who would have thought that the younger man would leave him speechless with just this one question.

Why?

The Tartars he mentioned had indeed come, but only once.

After all, there were only a total of 1,800 Tartars stationed in their county, and they had just dispersed once when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's troops attacked.

After several battles, the Tartars retreated to the county town and dared not go out, so naturally they did not have to hand over their grain.

"I! Is this how you talk to your elders?!"

"Look, look, he doesn't like to talk to you. Isn't it just because he is older than you? He always uses this to put pressure on others. It's so boring!"

"What are you making a fuss about? Your Third Uncle is right. We didn't suffer any harm, but didn't the Wang family in the city get wiped out by the Tartars? If this matter is brought up, who dares to say that our county didn't suffer any harm from the war?"

Seeing that the two men were about to get into an argument, the bearded man sitting next to the third uncle said a few words, but when he finished speaking, the young man did not respond harshly like before, which showed that the two men were of different weight.

This is no wonder. Although the young man calls his third uncle elder and his third uncle shorter, in terms of roots, the relationship between them is already five generations beyond the fifth degree of mourning. He is not like the bearded man who seems to be the young man's real uncle.

In any case, because of the bearded man's words, the two men who were about to quarrel stopped talking. At this time, a noise came from the front of the team, and then the heavy city gate was pushed open from the inside.

"The gate is open. Do we have to pay for entry into the city or do we have to pay for it ourselves?"

"You take care of it. This is the way you found, and we can't pay for it."

As soon as he got up from the ground, the bearded man asked a question. After hearing everyone's words, he said nothing more. He took out more than ten copper coins from his waist and held them in his hand.

It was not that the bearded man wanted to pay the entrance fee for them. The main reason was that the family they had delivered charcoal to before had their property confiscated because of a crime. Later, the Zhao family was contacted by the bearded man. They were unable to settle the bill at the Zhao family and did not want to pay the entrance fee first, so this happened.

Don't think that these farmers are calculating too meticulously. You should know that for an ordinary farmer, if he can just get enough food and clothing in a year, he is already living a very good life. Among this group of people, except for the bearded man, probably no one can afford the three or two cents for entering the city.

After discussing everything, several people lined up quietly in the queue. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the young man quietly moved closer to the bearded man.

"Uncle, can you wait for me after I deliver the charcoal?"

"What are you doing?"

"I want to go around town."

After hearing the young man's answer, the bearded man frowned and glared at him, but the young man immediately lowered his head as if his thoughts were seen through.

"The Su family is plotting a rebellion, how dare you come closer?"

"She is just a servant girl. What does such a big thing have to do with her?"

Seeing that his nephew was still being stubborn, the bearded man immediately became annoyed, but with so many people around him he had to suppress his anger, and then he patiently spoke quietly.

"If it were before, as long as you two were in love, I would have tried to ask the steward to help you, even if it cost me the face. But now that the Su family has committed such a serious crime, where can you go to find her?"

After he finished speaking, the young man remained silent. Seeing this, the bearded man wanted to say a few more words, but at this moment a one-armed soldier walked past them, and his attention was naturally attracted to him.

"The Advisory Council is in town on official business."

Before he got close to the soldiers guarding the city, the one-armed soldier took out a sign from his waist and threw it over. After taking the sign, the soldiers quickly took a look at it and enthusiastically welcomed him in.

Faced with this scene, the bearded man with a wider face didn't react much, but the young man was shocked.

"Uncle, this..."

"Silence!"

There was a garrison not far from their village. In the young man's impression, there were many disabled people in the garrison when they were young, but those people lost their livelihoods and were never seen again for only four or five years.

Comparing the two, how could he not be surprised at the majesty of this one-armed soldier?
"These are all people who risked their lives following His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It is not something we can discuss. Do you understand?"

"Oh."

After listening to his uncle's explanation, the young man seemed to understand it, but he could not hide the envy in his eyes when he looked at the one-armed soldier.

Perhaps someone like this could easily rescue her.

Wu Changrui was unaware of the young people's envy. However, as a military family for generations, how could he not know what the fate of the disabled soldiers in the early years would be?
Under such circumstances, even though few people had expressed their envy of his situation to his face, how could he, who had always been alert, not notice anything?
Of course, when he first lost his arm, he was also very angry with Dr. Zheng who had tried his best to save his life.

But during that period, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would come to the wounded barracks every now and then, and even scolded him harshly for having suicidal thoughts.

In this way, he decided to stay alive for the time being and do other things when he couldn't bear it anymore.

After that, His Highness has been leading troops outside, and his visits to the wounded camp have become much less frequent. Although he has not been as desperate as he was at the beginning, his spirits are visibly getting worse day by day.

By that time, he had already figured it out: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was a high-ranking figure, so how could he have the time to worry about ordinary soldiers like them?
However, he did not feel any resentment. After all, his ancestors had been eating this military ration for generations, and it was only fate that it was his turn to suffer in this chaotic world.

He spent three or two months in the wounded camp, watching soldiers recover and leave, and new soldiers join the camp with various injuries. Although his desire to die faded a little, his fear of the future grew stronger.

Until the edict was sent, the whole camp burst into tears.

They really didn't expect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who was so busy with all kinds of affairs, still remembered these useless people.

His Highness not only gave them generous pensions, but also found a decent way out for them.

How could such an arrangement not make these brave soldiers on the battlefield cry bitterly?

just
Wu Changrui was eventually assigned to a local position and was unable to return to the army like the others.

After all, although on the surface he only lost his right arm and it did not affect his movements, the kick from the Tartar still caused damage to his heart and lungs, leaving him with the same problem as Li Chaodong.

Therefore, he followed the newly appointed county magistrate and the clerk of the Advisory Council to Huating more than a month ago.

"Excuse me, how do I get to Clothes Lane?"

After entering the city gate, Wu Changrui went straight into the city, but after he took a few steps, he suddenly remembered that he didn't know where the contact point was.

In this situation, even though he was now a person of some status, he still had to turn around and politely ask the soldier guarding the city.

"Shangguan, go straight to the third archway, turn right, then turn left at the second intersection, and wait until you see two stone lions..."

The soldier spoke a few words in a scattered manner, but Wu Changrui just frowned, as if he was still troubled by something in his mind.

"Oh, Shangguan, we can't leave here, otherwise I would take you there."

"My Lord! I know! I can take you there."

In this situation, the soldier naturally guessed the lone infantry commander's thoughts, but when he tried to silence him with words in advance, he heard a shout from the team behind him.

"Okay, you come."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young farmer who was queuing outside turned around and said a few words, then, ignoring the bearded man's anxious gaze, he trotted over.

"He is on official business as he is leading me, so the entrance fee should be waived."

"Shangguan, why do you need to arrange this little thing yourself?"

After hearing what the soldier said, Wu Changrui smiled and nodded, obviously very satisfied with their attitude.

This is not surprising. Although the Advisory Council was still unknown among ordinary people at that time, its personnel had been deployed to various counties in the south of the Yangtze River. How could these soldiers who were paid for official duties not know that these people had followed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince through life and death? Even if the Advisory Council could not control them, it was not strange for them to show some respect.

After a while, the young man took Wu Changrui to the door of a house as he had instructed.

When he knocked on the door, the young man only said, "Wait outside first," and then he saw the man go in, and the door closed.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with this. After all, people like him who made a living on the fields could only stop at the back door when delivering charcoal and firewood to the homes of ordinary wealthy families.

If there was no one to lead him today, how could he have the qualifications to wait for someone at the door of this house?
not to mention.
About three or four quarters of an hour later, the door of the house opened again, and when he saw the figure of the one-armed soldier, he immediately ran over.

"My Lord, where are you going next?"

"Let's just find a place to eat."

After hearing the young man's earnest inquiry, Wu Changrui only replied absentmindedly and then followed him through the alleys of Hangzhou City.

Huating is not very close to Hangzhou. Even if he rode a fast horse, it would take several days to go back and forth. He would rather drop his job and come to Hangzhou, just to pass on what he saw and heard in Huating to Li Chaodong through trustworthy channels.

Honestly speaking, after going through so many ups and downs, his temperament is no longer as erratic as before. After arriving in Huating, he just planned to do his job steadily and not bring shame to His Highness. As for other things, he really never thought about it.

But who would have thought that although the things happening in the local area were not as unscrupulous as those in their garrison, if you break them down and look at them, they would still be shocking.

Therefore, after thinking about it for several days, he finally went to Hangzhou under the pretext of visiting relatives and friends, intending to use that channel to inform his immediate superior of the matter.

"You sit down too."

"How dare I take a seat in front of you? I'll just wait on the side."

With his thoughts constantly turning, Wu Changrui put together what he heard in the house and what he saw in Huating. By the time he reacted, others had already sat down in the private room by the window of the restaurant, and the young man was waiting respectfully on the side.

"No need to be like this. I was just an ordinary soldier at the beginning. If it weren't for your kindness, how could a useless person like me be in this situation today?"

After he finished speaking, the young man said yes but did not dare to sit down.

Seeing this, Wu Changrui used his only remaining arm to force him to sit down, and then started chatting with him casually.

"what's your name?"

"My name is Lu Dashan."

"Where are you from?"

I don't know whether Wu Changrui had something on his mind, or whether there was nothing else to talk about between them due to the difference in status. In any case, during the meal, he asked the same few questions over and over again, and Lu Dashan answered them again and again without being patient.

After a few moments, Wu Changrui came back to his senses again. Seeing that the meal on the table had been eaten, he was about to give Lu Dashan a few coins as a reward. But at this moment, he saw a familiar figure through the window.

Is this His Highness?

(End of this chapter)