Xie Ming

Continuing from the previous article
"Yes."

"Moreover, as far as I know, based on current market prices, the price of a hereditary servant, whether bought or sold, does not exceed twenty taels."

"Yes, not only that, there is another category besides that, namely the degenerate people."

Qiu Zhizhong took a sip of tea, followed Yao Zuyin's words, and then added another line.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan, who had spent many years in the military, was clearly not very familiar with the term. So he took a slow breath, frowned, and asked a question.

"hiss--"

"Degenerate people? This..." His precise intentions remained unclear.

Upon inquiry, Zhizhong patiently explained in detail.

"Oh, well, you can also interpret this as a beggar."

"The term 'degenerate people' has a long history."

"It is a general term for people who have been demoted due to war, partisan strife, or crimes."

"According to the law of this dynasty, he has been conferred the status of a lowly person, which means he will never be able to change his status again."

“In Zhejiang today, there is a beggar whose common name is Da Pin. He is not a beggar, nor is he necessarily poor. Some say his original name was Duomin, and he was mistakenly given this name.”

"Men are not allowed to study, women are not allowed to bind their feet, they must marry each other and are not allowed to marry into good families. Even if they amass great wealth, they are not allowed to pay bribes to become officials." Qiu Yan quoted a passage from classical literature.

Upon hearing this, Xiao understood and couldn't help but sigh with regret.

"Ugh"

"Outdated rules and rigid regulations can be deadly."

"Speaking of lowly status, I know a thing or two about it."

"Like actors, fishermen, people who collect scraps in the market, people who sell hair, child prostitutes, people who specialize in taking things from the dead, and so on."

As he spoke, he picked up the teapot, poured another cup, and handed it to the old monk Hongren, continuing to speak from the bottom of his heart.

"Let me say something that's hard to believe."

"If we're talking about it, then a bankrupt farmer, if he hits a really good stroke of luck, might still have a tiny chance to turn things around."

"But the degenerate people you just mentioned are those whom the court has clearly decreed and ordered to be punished severely."

"They are looked down upon and find it difficult to make a living."

"They've become fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others." Xiao Mincan lamented the suffering of the people.

Following this, Qiu added fuel to the fire.

"Yes, and this situation is accompanied by the pacification of the country, the suffering of the people, and the peril of the nation's collapse."

"And it just got worse."

“Old Xiao, let’s take you as an example. Tell me, don’t be fooled by how elegant your new mansion is now.”

"The esteemed position of Duke of the State."

"But, ha, in your mansion, after all the servants are taken care of, how many people are there to serve you?"

"It's really shabby, huh?!"

"Do you know how many servants the gentry in those prefectures, counties, and townships keep?"

Qiu suddenly brought up this sentence.

Upon hearing this, Xiao raised an eyebrow, finding it difficult to answer.

"How much?" he followed up.

Upon hearing this, Chiu Chih-chung smiled wryly and slowly pinched his fingers together.

"Middle-class families number in the six, seven, or eight hundred."

"If they were to become a large clan in a region, they would have at least one or two thousand members."

These words were startling. Upon hearing them, Xiao Jingchuan's face immediately darkened, and he lost face.

He couldn't help but grit his teeth and keep silent, his resentment adding to his frustration.

Hearing the sound, he went to investigate. Yao Zuyin, who was standing nearby, stroked his beard and echoed the sentiment.

"Ho ho ho."

"What Qiu said is true."

“I have seen Wangjia, who had three or four thousand people at his disposal, when I was traveling around a few years ago.”

"Therefore, at this scale, if it were to cause trouble, it would be no less than a small band of bandits."

"I remember back then, it was something like, uh, this."

"The Great Changes of Jia Shen".

"Yes, yes, yes."

"That year, I witnessed a riot in the Haining area of ​​Jiangsu and Zhejiang."

"That year, the court and the public were in turmoil, and the city of Beijing was in imminent danger." "In some wealthy and powerful families in the south, rumors of a change of dynasty began to circulate."

"In that case, those who have been slaves for generations, those who have suffered enslavement, will not be able to sit still."

"Once someone takes the lead, two or three groups will start to join forces and force the master to sell himself into servitude through diplomacy, saying that he has regained his freedom."

"At that time, the local government was in a state of panic because of the chaotic war in the north. Everyone felt that their lives were in danger and they had no time to care about the affairs of the local government."

"If this continues, over time, the accumulated problems will eventually lead to a series of disturbances and disturbances caused by mobs."

"Ugh"

Yao Zuyin vaguely recalled the past, and his heart was filled with sorrow.

"When people have been oppressed for a long time, once they find a glimmer of hope, they'll be willing to go all out."

"Murder, arson, and looting everywhere."

"Once they've tasted the sweetness of success and see no restraint, the evil side of human nature will soon be amplified infinitely."

"Initially, it was nothing more than robbing a family head's property as compensation."

"But later, once they got the hang of it, the mob turned into bandits."

"When things reach this point, the surrounding villages and towns are also unlikely to be safe."

Yao Zuyin's firsthand account clearly shows that the people and the bandits, the perpetrators and the victims, were all intertwined, making it truly difficult to distinguish right from wrong.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lang pondered for a moment, then shook his head in distress.

Yes, that's right.

"That's how it is this time."

"Oh, right, I also brought back some at a discount."

Having said that, he stepped forward, took out the ginseng report from his bosom, and read aloud what he had reported, so that the old monk from Jin could hear it.

"On September 18th, the Qingpu slave rebellion broke out, with hundreds and thousands of people burning houses and looting contracts."

"Oh, there's this too."

"On the 21st, three members of the Zou family in Ningguo were killed by slaves."

“There were about a dozen families in Suzhou, and if anyone refused to sign a contract, their house would be burned down.”

“In Jinhua, Quzhou and other places, they demanded documents from their masters. If anyone displeased them in the slightest, they would burn or kill them. They all said that the emperor had changed and the master should now serve them as servants.”

After piecing together the main points of each document, Xiao Jingchuan frowned, threw the documents onto the table, and continued speaking while rubbing his forehead.

"The situation is dire."

"According to reports from below, there are many slaves who have rebelled and are acting with impunity, and they seem to be conspiring with neighboring countries."

"Tenants and hired hands, who usually live in poverty and hardship, seem to have joined the ranks as well."

"If things continue like this, it will only make it more and more like Li Zicheng's path."

"Down with the local tyrants and distribute the land."

"When the rebel leader comes, we won't have to pay taxes."

"Wherever they went, they looted and slaughtered without end, and in many places, there was a sense of annihilation of entire villages and clans."

"Master, Feiyu, do you think it's okay for me to ignore this?"

"Can"

"Ugh"

"If one only considers one's own desires."

"Hmph, some corrupt officials are domineering and oppressive in the countryside, employing thousands of servants, seizing land, bullying men and women, and selling official positions. I hate them."

“Killing these people is just killing them, it’s actually quite satisfying.”

"There is no need for further pity."

"but"

"Things are developing in a bad way right now."

"If this riot continues at this intensity, and we allow it to escalate further..."

"At that time, Jiangnan will be in complete chaos, with a mess that is impossible to clean up. Wouldn't that give the barbarian troops an opportunity to invade from the south?"

"call--"

Unable to find a solution from either side, Xiao Lang was at a loss and sought advice from his advisor.

"My head hurts, it really hurts."

"Gentlemen, please come up with some ideas. Should we intervene in this matter? And if so, how?"

"Anyway, I'm completely overwhelmed."

"We've run out of tricks to deal with this." (End of Chapter)