Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 846 Mine
After they got married, the woman gave birth to a big fat boy for Lou Laoer the following year, which made Lou Laoer very happy.

After Zhu Shenzhui officially ascended the throne, he rewarded his meritorious officials. Lou Laoer suddenly became a viscount of the Ming Dynasty and a member of the noble family.

But Lou Laoer had different ideas from Lao Jin and Yan Laosi. He was younger than Lao Jin, and although his health was not as good as Yan Laosi's, it was not bad. Moreover, Lou Laoer was a person who missed his hometown very much. He had been away from home for more than ten years. Although he had become a viscount and had a wife and children, the unambitious Lou Laoer had the idea of ​​returning to his hometown to retire. After obtaining Zhu Shenzhu's consent, Lou Laoer resigned from his position in the new army, took the rewards Zhu Shenzhu had given him over the years, the spoils of war, and his wife and children, and set out on the road to his hometown.

As he got closer and closer to his hometown, Lou Laoer became more and more anxious. He didn't know whether his hometown was the same as when he left, or if there were any changes, and how many of those familiar people were still there.

"Master, it's windy outside. You'd better rest in the car. It won't be too late to take a look when we get to the destination." Just as Lou Laoer couldn't help looking out of the car, searching for the familiar scenery in his memory, a voice came from inside the car.

Lou Lao Er turned his head and was about to say something, but when his eyes fell on the two-year-old baby in the arms of the woman in the car, his old face instantly smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Yes, yes, you are right. The wind is strong, but please don't blow on my little ancestor. The child is still young and tender. It would be a serious matter if his skin was broken." As he said this, Lou Laoer let down the curtain, turned around and looked at his son who was sleeping soundly.

He had a son in his old age. The more he looked at this son, the more he liked him. The more he looked at him, the more he couldn't get enough of him. He was afraid that he would melt if he held him in his mouth, and afraid that he would break if he held him in his hands. He, Lou Laoer, never thought that at his old age, he would still have such a descendant. Looking back, it was like a dream.

"How can you be so exaggerated, master? This wind is not good, but it doesn't mean that it will break your skin. You are a man who fights in the battlefield. You are not afraid of even swords and guns. Your son will naturally be like you when he grows up." Lou Laoer's wife, Wang, joked with a smile. Wang was not young. She was 26 when she married Lou Laoer. Moreover, before marrying Lou Laoer, Wang had been married and gave birth to a son for her ex-husband.

Unfortunately, her ex-husband and son died at the hands of the damned Jiannu. If the Ming army had not counterattacked and Wang had not escaped in the chaos, the same result might have happened sooner or later. After escaping, Wang had to endure a hard life in the capital for several years. Fortunately, she was lucky enough to meet Lou Laoer, which led to her current situation.

When Wang gave herself to Lou Laoer, she just wanted to find someone to rely on and try to survive. But after following Lou Laoer, Wang gradually felt that although Lou Laoer was old and disabled, he was a good person. Not only did he have a good temper, he could earn money to support the family, he also had a real job, and more importantly, he was caring. As time went by, Wang naturally developed feelings for Lou Laoer. Their life after marriage became sweeter. When their son was born a year later, Wang almost forgot about the past and followed Lou Laoer wholeheartedly.

But even Wang Shi didn't expect that she was looking for someone to rely on, but she didn't expect that Lou Laoer would have such luck. Not long ago, when the imperial court issued an order that the emperor conferred the title of second-class viscount on Lou Laoer, Wang Shi was shocked when she heard the news. In her opinion, she was just a woman from an ordinary family, and a former widow, but she actually married a nobleman, and the son she and Lou Laoer had directly became the heir to the title. All this was like a dream, and her ancestral grave was smoking!

If Wang had not pinched herself hard and felt the pain in her body, she would have been unable to recover. This is how opportunities in life are, as if God had arranged it long ago. The first half of Wang's life was extremely miserable and she almost lost her life, but in the second half of her life she had a real support. With the title and merits of Lou Lao Er, she and her descendants no longer had to worry about wealth and glory.

This time when he returned home, Lou Lao Er had no intention of returning to the capital. No matter how good the capital was, it was not his hometown, and he was already old. When people get old, they hope to return to their roots, especially now that he was different from when he left his hometown. As the saying goes, if you don't return to your hometown when you are rich and powerful, it's like walking in the night in splendid clothes. As a newly-appointed viscount, his return to his hometown in splendid clothes was a perfect life. Moreover, after returning home, he had to worship his ancestors and write the names of his wife and son into the family tree, so that this branch of the Lou family would have a significant place in the family tree in the future.

Although they were eager to return home, it was still a hundred miles from Wuzhi Mountain to Yiwu. No matter how fast their carriage went, it was impossible to get there in one day, not to mention that they had family members and young children on board.

After passing Wuzhi Mountain, Lou Laoer and his party continued walking for another twenty miles and rested at an inn on the official road.

The post stations that were originally cancelled by Emperor Chongzhen were restored after Zhu Shenzhui became regent. Compared with the north, the post stations in Jiangnan were restored more completely, and all systems remained the same as before.

When he moved into the post station, Lou Lao Er did not reveal his status as a viscount, he just moved into the post station as a centurion in the army. Seeing that Lou Lao Er was old and disabled, the post station chief specially vacated the upper room for him to live in, and also helped him all the time.

Although Lou Lao Er is already a lord, he is still of ordinary family after all. In addition, he has been in the army for many years. He has not been a lord for long and does not have the habits of those big masters in his bones.

What's more, this place is not far from his hometown. Lou Laoer missed his hometown very much. Seeing that the postmaster was almost done with his work, Lou Laoer specially asked someone to find him to talk, boiled a pot of tea for him to chat, and asked about the current situation in Yiwu.

During the chat, I found out that the postmaster was also a local. After learning that Lou Laoer was also from Yiwu, I felt closer to him. After all, they were fellow villagers from Jinhua Prefecture. After a deeper conversation, I found that they were actually quite close. Of course, this relationship was a bit distant, with several layers of separation. Their hometowns were also dozens of miles apart, but relatives are relatives, there is no doubt about that. With such a relationship, they were even closer. As the saying goes, when fellow villagers meet, they will shed tears. Listening to the familiar accent, the two of them soon became brothers and became happier the more they talked.

"The north has not been doing well these years, how is Yiwu doing these years?"

"Since the beginning of the Tianqi Year, the weather has been making trouble from time to time. The north is not so clear, but we in the south have also suffered some disasters in recent years. In addition, winter came very early in the past two years and it was very cold. Life was really hard. The weather has only improved slightly since last year."

"And what about the crops in the fields?"

"It can only be considered barely enough." The postmaster sighed, "Brother, you are one of us, so you naturally know that our place in Zhejiang has many mountains and little land, and there is not much land suitable for growing crops. The weather is bad, so how can the harvest be good? But compared with the north, it is considered good, and we can still barely make ends meet. It is said that the north, especially the northwest, suffered severe drought in recent years, with thousands of miles of barren land and no harvest? You have come back from the north, is this true?" Lou Lao Er nodded slightly when he heard him ask this. It was no secret that Shaanxi and part of Shanxi suffered severe disasters in those years, otherwise there would not have been so many bandits emerging. They gathered together to rebel because they could not survive.

However, in the past two years, the imperial court has reduced taxes in several northwestern provinces, and the people have settled down after the bandits were wiped out. In addition, as the post station chief said, the weather has improved slightly since last year, and the disaster has been alleviated. Everything is changing for the better.

"Since the local harvest is poor, does the government have any measures?" Lou Lao Er asked casually.

"If you ask someone else, they definitely won't tell you this, but since you asked me today, we are all relatives, so I can't help but hide it from you. To be honest, where do the local government measures come from? You don't even know what those officials are? The court increases taxes every year, and it's hard to collect the cost of the land, and everyone can barely make ends meet. But the taxes are increased again and again, and the people's lives are getting harder and harder. Who can care about the lives of the people just to make more money?"

"That's not right. Didn't the court reduce taxes? I remember that the court cancelled the additional levies more than two years ago. Why are there still additional taxes?" Lou Lao Er was stunned and asked in confusion.

"Brother, are you talking about the Liao salary?" the postmaster asked with a smile.

"Yes! Isn't it the Liao salary? The former regent, now the emperor, issued an order to cancel the Liao salary increase two years ago."

The postmaster shook his head and smiled, "It's true that the court has abolished the Liao tax, but there are many other taxes besides the Liao tax. You are also a local, how can you not know the severity of various taxes and levies? The Liao tax is gone, but the people still have to pay all the other taxes, and without the Liao tax, the other taxes are more than before. With this in and out, there is no benefit at all."

"Is there such a thing?" Lou Lao Er was very surprised.

The postmaster patted his chest and told Lou Laoer that he had not told a single lie, and that the post station was not far from his hometown in Yiwu. When Lou Laoer returned home tomorrow, he would find out that they were all relatives, so why should he lie about this?
"How are the villagers going to live? Can they continue to live like this?" Lou Lao Er asked worriedly.

The postmaster sighed, "How else can we survive? We just have to find a way to survive. There are rules and countermeasures. Those who have connections can find them, and those who don't can only pay for peace. If you really can't stand it, you can go to work in the mines. Although it's hard work, you can also earn some income. As long as the common people have something to eat and can survive, they can only endure like this."

"To work in the mine?" Lou Lao Er raised his eyebrows and couldn't help asking, "Why? Are they still operating the mine? I remember that this mine has been closed for many years, right?"

"Yes! How could there not be? Without these mines, how could the local people survive? In fact, it is thanks to these mines that they can barely make ends meet."

"Are you talking about the mine in Niutou Mountain?" Lou Laoer became more and more confused and continued to ask.

"Of course it's the mine in Niutou Mountain. What other mines can we have in Jinhua Prefecture?"

"Why is the Niutou Mountain mine open again? When was it opened? Who opened it?" Lou Laoer asked.

The postmaster was about to answer, but when the words came to his lips he suddenly froze. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether he should say it or not.

"You, tell me now. We have come to this point today. Is there anything else you cannot say? Don't worry, even if you tell me, I will never say that you told me. And don't you think that when I go home and ask about it tomorrow, even if you don't tell me, do you think I don't know about it?"

"Hehe, that's true." The postmaster nodded, and then told Lou Laoer that the current mine was indeed the Niutou Mountain mine he mentioned. This mine had existed as early as the Jiajing period. In order to open the mine, the local people of Yiwu fought countless times for the minerals, and the fight was very fierce. It was because of this that Qi Jiguang took a fancy to it and recruited Yiwu people as soldiers, thus forming the later Qi Family Army.

However, the mine was taken over by the imperial court soon after it was opened. During the Wanli period, the mine was taken over by the mine supervisor sent by Emperor Wanli. Later, when Emperor Tianqi ascended the throne, the mine supervisor sent by Emperor Wanli stopped working and the mine was no longer mined.

After Emperor Tianqi passed away, Emperor Chongzhen succeeded to the throne. Due to the request of the Donglin Party, the mining was cancelled and all the stationed mine supervisors and tax supervisors were recalled. As a result, the mining here was completely stopped and the mining became a thing of the past.

But no one expected that around the third year of Chongzhen, the mine in Niutou Mountain was quietly opened again for some unknown reason. The government found an unknown big shot with a background to reopen the mine. The mine was opened for several years and is still being mined today. It has been reopened for almost ten years.

(End of this chapter)