Xie Ming

On the 26th of September, after the morning court session, at the beginning of the 9-11 AM.

Xiao and Qiu came down from court, both looking preoccupied and in a hurry.

Given the recent slave rebellions in various parts of Jiangnan, he hurriedly rode his horse all the way to the front of the Xiao family's new residence.

As the horse dismounted at the gate, Qiu Zhizhong, remembering something, turned his head and spoke.

"Oh, by the way, Lao Xiao, Ni Yuanlu passed away at home last night."

"It is reasonable and emotional for us to go, even if it's just a formality, to avoid gossip."

This matter came suddenly, and Xiao Yi only heard about it during the morning court session.

Now that he has returned home, Qiu suddenly brought it up again, and he raised an eyebrow, unable to resist grumbling a few words.

"Yeah, everything's a mess, all crammed together."

"Minister Ni, sigh, he has a backbone, but he's incredibly pedantic."

"To offer condolences."

"Let's wait a bit."

Xiao spread his arms, leading Zhi Zhongxing behind him. The two then walked into the mansion, chatting idly along the way.

"However, well, I have indeed heard some gossip."

"It is said that Minister Ni died of starvation while on his sickbed at home."

"Hmph, so that's how it is."

Chiu Chih-chung's words had a hidden meaning, and as he continued the conversation, a bitter smile inevitably appeared between his words.

Upon hearing this, Xiao glanced at him, looking disgruntled; he understood the implication.

"Ha, they're coming for me again."

"Died from starvation?"

"What could be the reason?"

"I have never gotten along with that old stubborn man, and everyone in the court and the country knows this."

"At such a critical juncture, to arrange it like this."

"In my opinion, this was intentional."

"Can we find out who is spreading these rumors?"

Xiao Lang was recently annoyed by the rumors and gossip, and when he heard Qiu mention coming here again, he couldn't help but feel angry.

However, since these were petty people who framed him, making baseless accusations and disappearing without a trace, Xiao and Qiu Ye didn't have the energy to deal with them. Therefore, they could only passively endure it and mostly just let it be.

"Disaster."

"No specific source."

"Oh well, it's just idle gossip, let's just ignore it."

"We've had enough troubles already, so one more won't hurt."

Clearly, Qiu was also quite helpless. The two unfortunate brothers confided their bitter experiences to each other, each enduring their own suffering.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Yes, young friend Qiu has arrived, huh?!"

At that very moment, without stopping, the two walked through the hall to the front courtyard of the main hall.

Not far away, under the eaves, Master Hongren, Yao Zuyin, rose from his bamboo chair, holding his cane.

His hearing was excellent; he had heard countless things from such a distance.

The sudden departure of the footsteps has been a preemptive move, with many rushing to join in.

"Ah, Master Antai."

Seeing that the old monk had spoken first, and that he had shown proper respect, he hurriedly quickened his pace and greeted him with clasped hands.

"Okay, okay."

"This... if you want to reform and take charge, you'll inevitably offend people everywhere."

"As the old saying goes, taking someone's money is like killing their parents."

"If it doesn't break, it won't stand."

"If you do something and reap the benefits, you must also be able to withstand the slander and defamation of others."

"Hehe, this is nothing."

"And what's even more unpleasant to hear is yet to come."

"Do you feel wronged? There are plenty of people who feel wronged. It's just some low-class tricks. Don't bother with them."

As he spoke eloquently, Xiao and Qiu entered the hall, one on the left and one on the right, and helped Yao Zuyin to the table.

"Yes, that's right, Master."

Xiao replied, and at the same time, feeling hungry from the journey, he hurriedly called Changting inside to urge them to prepare some food. "Hey, Changting, Changting, go to the back and ask Hongyu for some snacks. Tell her I have important business to discuss and bring the things to the front."

"Feiyu just finished the morning court session and I dragged him over. He must be starving."

"The best thing to do is to pick up what's readily available and bring it up quickly."

"Oh, right, brew another pot of tea."

"Get on with the arrangements immediately," Xiao Xiang instructed.

Upon hearing this, Changtingye did not delay and rushed towards the back of the house.

At this time of year, in Hangzhou, it had been shortly after the start of winter.

The scenery of Jiangnan is shrouded in mist and the chill of early autumn.

The light frost has not yet withered the willows by the water, and the shallow chill has already urged the plum blossoms of the previous year to bloom.

Half the lake is like ink painting, chilled by the mist; the whole chessboard, covered in starlight and frost, awaits the return of the cranes.
In the main hall, with the doors open, it was already quite cold inside, even without a small stove for kindling.

Before long, Changting swiftly brought tea and snacks, and the warm tea soothed our lungs and stomachs.

Xiao, Qiu, and Yao gathered around the stove to get down to business.

"Hey, Lao Xiao, tell me, how exactly are we going to discuss this?"

Qiu Zhizhong stopped making pastries, clapped his hands, and immediately started talking.

Upon hearing this, Xiao, who had half a piece of apricot cake stuck in his mouth, stopped eating when Zhizhong asked him this question. He quickly drank two mouthfuls of tea and then answered the question.

"Ah, well, actually, I'm not sure either."

“Master.” Yan paused, then turned to Yao Zuyin.

“Master, in the past few days, local prefectures and counties have been submitting memorials from many places, saying that there have been riots by servants in the villages and counties under their jurisdiction.”

"Well, when I first heard about this situation, I didn't take it seriously. I thought that Yuan Ping should lead a team to go and come back quickly, calm the situation down, catch a few masterminds, and that would be the end of it."

"But, unexpectedly, in just the last three to five days, similar incidents have occurred in Changzhou, Jianping, Qingpu, Suzhou, Ningguo, Haining, Jinhua, and Quzhou all at once."

"What if someone maliciously instigates and manipulates things?"

“But it can’t be that all the places in Jiangnan, such a large area, respond at the same time.”

"I don't think it's that bad. No one can do something so mysterious and undetected, creating such a commotion without either Zhizhong or me noticing."

"so."

Xiao Lang first laid out the thorny situation, revealing the crux of the problem.

Upon hearing the sound, the old monk frowned, took a deep breath, and slowly released it.

"Oh, servant... a sudden change?" He then paused to ponder, waiting for what would follow.

Look at this, add a sound to the middle.

"Ah, that's the situation."

"Well, actually, I've also been going through quite a few old files in the past two days."

"We've discovered that a similar incident occurred in Jiangnan during the Wanli era," he said with a sigh.

"Well, it's a long story."

"Natural disasters reduced production, coupled with the excessive exploitation by local governments and the imperial court."

"As early as the Wanli era, many farmers in most parts of Jiangnan were already struggling to make ends meet."

"Often, it's the whole family working hard in the fields all year round, from dawn till dusk."

"But after all that work, the harvested grain wasn't enough for daily meals."

"With no means of livelihood and in utter desperation, these farmers had no choice but to abandon their land and become refugees."

"Those who did not want to go into exile were forced to seek refuge with the gentry, and their entire families became slaves."

To the Chinese side, let's present the facts and reminisce about the past.

Upon hearing this, Yao Zuyin nodded frequently, as if he had also figured out the reason.

"nice."

“I know these slaves.”

"Because they had no means of livelihood, their so-called dependence on the gentry was actually just signing a contract of servitude."

"Also called a servant."

"Not only will you be a slave, but your descendants will also be forever bound to slavery."

"Once this trend starts, it will become increasingly difficult to control."

"Gradually, it became worse and worse, until they were no different from slaves."

Yao sighed with regret. (End of Chapter)