Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 66: The strange fields in the south of the Yangtze River and the clans in the southeast!
The wind of anti-corruption.

It swept across the two capitals.

Countless officials and their families in Southern and Northern Zhili were executed.

But it does not affect the big families in the southeast that have been passed down for many years.

Hence the saying: "A dynasty lasts a hundred years, a family lasts a thousand years."

Some families existed during the Tang Dynasty, enjoyed prominent status during the Song Dynasty, were treated as guests of honor during the Yuan Dynasty, and were still standing strong during the Ming Dynasty.

Even after the Ming Dynasty fell, the major clans and families still had a long history.

Xin'an River.

After the miracle was performed, it became a place that countless big tribes in the southeast flocked to.

At this time, both sides of the Xin'an River became riverside villas of the wealthy and powerful in the south of the Yangtze River.

Under the management of each company, the style of green plants in each place is completely different.

The first one has boxwood mixed with maple trees, with yellow leaves and purple flowers.

The latter family then grew a circle of purple-leaved barberry thorn hedge and surrounded it with camphor trees.

Some families simply don't use woody plants, but only plant pink-flowered spirea, amaranth, and cycas revoluta to create a lawn, and then put a few Taihu stones covered with ivy and trumpet creepers.

There are various names and colors, each with its own strengths, but they are connected together to form a whole.

So when the boat sails on the river, the colors of the green plants and flowers on both sides keep changing, sometimes seductive and charming, sometimes fresh and refined, without any sense of repetition.

At this moment, the setting sun still has some light left, which gives the scenery a translucent blush, adding infinite changes and making it a feast for the eyes.

The river flows slowly.

The dusk scene of Xin'an River is rare in the world. Who could have known that more than a month ago, this place was like the end of the world?
Chun'an County.

Where the Xin'an River cannot be seen.

Hai Rui, Xu Wei and Li Shizhen stood in the mud.

In the abandoned kilns in front of us, every cave is full of people. The small cave is occupied by a family of four, and the big cave is occupied by seven or eight people of all ages. Some families who have lost their relatives live together.

There were more than a dozen dilapidated kilns and makeshift thatched huts, and hundreds of families lived there, making it look like a slum.

Although it is not summer yet, the cave is extremely hot and stuffy. In order to get some fresh air and cool down, people can only squeeze into the shed.

As I walked along, flies and insects were buzzing and flying everywhere, and the stench was overwhelming. Not to mention living there, I would feel nauseous even if I stood there for a while.

Seeing this hellish scene before his eyes, Xu Wei lowered his head and couldn't bear to look at it. Li Shizhen was extremely angry, and Hai Rui walked silently.

It’s not that Hai Rui has no humanity, but Hai Rui has seen a lot, and has seen scenes of people’s suffering worse than this.

Places along the coast are always vulnerable to Japanese invasions, whether it is Nanping, Fujian, where Hai Rui previously worked as a teacher, or Hainan, Hai Rui's hometown.

After suffering the ravages of Japanese pirates, it was just as horrifying as this.

"Have all the officials' hearts become evil?" When Li Shizhen saw a young child picking maggots from rotten food and stuffing them into his mouth, he rushed to stop them, turned his head and looked at Hai Rui and cursed.

He had seen everything Hai Rui did after entering Chun'an. Hai Rui was an absolutely good official. Everything that happened here had nothing to do with Hai Rui, but a furious person could not care less. After all, Hai Rui was the parent official of Chun'an.

Hai Rui did not argue. He looked around and saw that the people under his rule had expressions of awe in their eyes, which made him feel extremely painful.

The imperial court was killing corrupt officials, killing them in large numbers in the two capitals. But after killing the corrupt officials, all the money was confiscated and put into the national treasury. The court enjoyed the praises of the people, but completely forgot about the miserable people who had been plundered of their wealth and had no land to farm and no food to eat.

The former Chun'an County Magistrate, Chang Boxi, was beheaded by Wang Ming's flag, but it was fair that he both gave back the people of Chun'an and did not give back the people of Chun'an.

Exempting taxes for three years and allowing the entire Chun'an County to convert rice fields into mulberry fields are the emperor's grace and the justice the emperor gives to the people of Chun'an, but what about the people of Chun'an who have long lost their land?
The emperor and the court took care of the people of Chun'an as much as possible, but the emperor is far away and it is impossible to take care of everything.

When Chun'an County Magistrate Tian Youlu heard that the master had gone here, he almost fainted. He quickly gathered the yamen runners and rushed over with water and fire sticks in a threatening manner.

He saw the imperial physician holding a dirty child in his arms, he saw the murderous look of Xu Wei, the aide to Hu Zongxian, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Governor of Zhejiang, and he saw the hall master emitting a chill.

Tian Youlu stood there in a daze.

Hai Rui suddenly turned around and looked at Tian Youlu and the ferocious yamen runners, his eyes flashing like lightning: "What are you going to do?"

Tian Youlu was asked suddenly and answered hastily: "Poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. This place is poor and bad. I am worried about the safety of the hall master, Mr. Xu and Doctor Li, so, so, so..."

"Are you worried that the people under my rule will kill us?"

Seeing that Tian Youlu could not continue speaking, Hai Rui pointed at the people who were cowering in fear at the arrival of the yamen runners and said, "Open your eyes and see if they have any intention of killing me."

Hai Rui, Xu Wei and Li Shizhen arrived in Chun'an almost at the same time. At the beginning of entering the county, Hai Rui followed Li Shizhen's advice and organized people to spread lime throughout the county. He ordered the people of Chun'an not to drink unclean water or eat unclean things, and even before eating and drinking, they had to wash their hands with hot water.

Perhaps it was a miracle, or perhaps Li Shizhen's arrangement was effective, there was no plague throughout the county, and even cases of high fever were rare.

Li Shizhen's reputation as a miracle doctor was thus further enhanced. Coupled with his unique image of carrying a medicine box wherever he went, he would be recognized wherever he went in Chun'an.

After the epidemic problem was solved, Hai Rui, as a noble official, and Xu Wei, as an important aide to the emperor, went to the fields with the people of Chun'an to plant mulberry seedlings. During these days, they looked dark and thin.

He is a good official respected by the people of Chun'an County.

It is impossible to recognize Hai Rui and Xu Wei based on this image alone, but it is not difficult to recognize them when they are together with Li Shizhen.

Therefore, when Hai Rui, Xu Wei and Li Shizhen came, the people here had nothing to do but awe. However, the arrival of Tian Youlu and the yamen runners made the people terrified.

Tian Youlu was originally a mediocre, cowardly and greedy person. He served his predecessor Chang Boxi only by flattering him and offering him advice, and by plundering the county magistrate as much as possible. The county magistrate got the lion's share, while he got a smaller share, and he felt like a fish in water.

Previously, he had been happy cooperating with Hai Rui in eliminating the plague and planting mulberry trees, but when Hai Rui suddenly changed, Tian Youlu was stunned: "No, no."

"Let me ask you, according to the fish scale atlas, every citizen here has farmland, but where are their lands?" Hai Rui asked again.

Of course, Hai Rui did not come here on a whim, but was well prepared.

The people living in the broken kilns do not have no land, but their farmland has been seized by others.

In the fish scale atlas, the size and location of the land were clearly recorded, but the land did not belong to the people to cultivate, and the output from the land naturally did not belong to the people either.

After asking only three questions, Tian Youlu's speech became clumsy: "Sir, I don't know."

"Then go back and prepare the coffin. You will be beheaded tomorrow!"

Thanks to “Fusheng Yanmie” and two readers ending in “498” for their reward of 632 yuan, and to the reader ending in “” for his reward of yuan. I am deeply honored and extremely grateful!

Killing a dragon in the river
2024.8.11
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(End of this chapter)