Master Kong Zhongni

Chapter 130 Huoshushushuo, I have no food!
Inside the Yafu, Zai Yu sat in the hall, with bamboo slips as high as a hill piled up beside him.

Ran Qiu, Gao Chai, Zi Gong and others are flicking through these official documents that were originally sealed in the government office.

Shen Shuo stood beside Zai Yu with his sword in hand, while Shi He and his disciples stood guard outside the door.

There are more than a dozen tables in the hall, and the people sitting in front of the tables are old and young. Among them are the small officials of Tuqiu and the patriarchs of the local big clans.

Zai Yu looked at the tense expressions of this group of people, and suddenly grinned.

"I heard that all of you are well-known people in Tuqiu and have contributed a lot to the local development. As Doctor Tuqiu, I am new to the fief, so I should entertain you all as a show of mercy."

As soon as Zaiyu finished speaking, he saw an old man with white beard standing up from below leaning on a cane. He put down his cane slowly and tried to salute Zaiyu with great effort.

When Zaiyu saw it, he immediately said: "It is often said in the Book of Rites: The elders follow the power. Since it is inconvenient for you to give the courtesy, then you can avoid it. If there is anything, just say it."

After hearing this, the old man replied: "The doctor is indeed a student taught by Confucius. You are as good as the sages in ancient times!"

Zai Yu narrowed his eyes.

Is this starting to tip my hat?
I also deliberately picked an old man to rely on the old and sell the old. Is it sure that I won't take the elderly into surgery?
Sure enough, the old man said immediately: "As Doctor Tuqiu, if you want to hold a banquet for the people of Tuqiu, we are naturally full of joy.

However, your lord is about to take office, so start working immediately, I'm afraid you will get sick from exhaustion! "

When Zaiyu heard this, he just laughed and said: "With the help of all the talents, the assistance of all the villagers, and the support of various big families, how could I become sick from overwork?"

After finishing speaking, Zai Yu waved his hand and shouted: "Present the food!"

Several apprentices carried wooden trays and placed bowls of rice porridge in front of everyone.

They looked down and saw that the boiled rice used in the millet porridge had turned black and yellow with mold, and some of them were covered with a layer of plaster.

For those of them who are used to fine grains, such meals are obviously difficult to swallow.

Just as the old man was about to speak, he heard Jai Yu speak first.

"It is said in "Rituals": People over the age of 60 will not be able to eat without meat, so they should always have meat.

I think the elder who spoke just now should be over [-] years old, come here, and present him with meat sauce to accompany his meal! "

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, looking at the porridge in front of them, they didn't want to eat it, they didn't want to eat it, and for a while, they didn't know what to do.

Zai Yu picked up the bowl of boiled rice porridge in front of him, took a sip without changing his face, then looked at the people in the hall, and asked a question neither salty nor light.

"Drink it? Why don't you drink it? Isn't this new food from the granary delicious?"

As soon as the word "granary warehouse" was uttered, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed, and they hurriedly picked up their bowls and drank it down.

The musty, rotten smell mixed with the charred smell left after burning, reverberated in their mouths and could not dissipate for a long time.

Some people wanted to vomit, but just halfway through the vomit, they found that Jae Yu's eyes drifted over, so they could only purse their lips and forcefully swallowed the porridge that had reached their throats again.

Seeing this, Jai Yu finally nodded in satisfaction, and a smile appeared on his face again.

"What do you guys think of the taste of this rice porridge?"

"it is good!"

"tasty!"

"Is there any reason why the meal given by the doctor is unpalatable?"

When Zai Yu heard it, his smile became even brighter: "Since it's so delicious, why don't you each have another bowl! Anyway, there are plenty of this kind of glutinous rice in the warehouse, and I'll pay for all you eat today."

When they heard that they had to order another bowl, the local bigwigs in Tuqiu were frightened.

One after another, they got up to thank each other, talking in succession.

"Actually, I already ate before I came to the banquet today, and I really can't eat any more!"

"I heard that good things can be tasted lightly, but you can't be greedy for its taste. Human greed is endless, how can you not pay attention to self-cultivation?"

When Jai Yu heard this, he nodded slightly.

"That's a good point. However, Tuqiu's warehouse is full of such 'luxury' food. If I eat such things for a long time, how can I stop my greed?"

These people in the hall are not stupid, they know that Zai Yu probably already knows about their smuggling of grain.

Inviting them to eat is false, but it is true to ask them to store food.

They turned their heads to look at the shining bronze daggers in the hands of the apprentices outside the house, and then at Zaiyu who was full of smiles, knowing that they could only choose one between food and life today.

"My lord is very considerate. Eating such extravagant food for a long time will indeed arouse the desire in my heart. In this case, I am willing to exchange two hundred shi of ordinary grain for your [-] shi of 'superior' grain."

With the leader, the others began to loosen their voices.

Soon, the two thousand shi stored in the warehouse were snapped up by these people at the price of four thousand shi.

Just when they thought the stubble would be over, they suddenly saw a short scholar coming to Zaiyu holding a bamboo slip.

"My lord, Tuqiu's plowing fields have been counted."

Zai Yu nodded and said, "Read."

Gao Chai unfolded the bamboo slips and read aloud: "The whole territory of Tuqiu has [-] mu of public land and [-] mu of private land, of which the Sang family has [-] mu, the Yu family has [-] mu, and the Yang family has [-] mu. mu……"

The three big families who were named in the hall were all trembling.

Zaiyu tapped on the table with his fingers and interrupted Gao Chai: "Zigao, did you make a mistake?"

Gao Chai shook his head and said, "Probably not, Zigong and I have checked it three times."

Zai Yu nodded and said again.

"Then how does this number of acres differ from the spring plowing plan I saw from Ziyuan? I remember that Tuqiu's spring plowing plan says [-] mu of public land and [-] mu of private land!"

Gao Chai glanced at the flattering smiling faces of the people in the hall, and just snorted.

"After all, it has been two months since the spring plowing today. Perhaps the extra [-] mu of private land was newly reclaimed in the past two months!"

Zaiyu stood up and looked around the hall, nodded with satisfaction and said: "You are worthy of being the pillars of the country, and you can reclaim [-] mu of fertile land within two months!
I have all of you, why worry about not being able to manage Tuqiu well!That being the case, after two months, I hope to see another [-] mu of new fields being reclaimed!
For all of you, it shouldn't be difficult to reclaim another [-] mu of cultivated land within this year, right? "

"Doctor...we..."

"Ninety thousand acres..."

"The numbers in the government office, sometimes..."

Before they could distinguish, Ran Qiu came again holding a bamboo slip.

"My lord, Tuqiu's population has also been counted."

"How's it going?"

Ran Qiu replied in a serious voice: "Compared to the previous year, the number of households in Tuqiu has not changed, but the population has increased by 950 four people, of which the Sang family has increased by 180 people, the Yu family has increased by 130 three people, and the Yang family has increased by [-] people. One hundred and seven."

Zai Yu swept his eyes and asked, "Is the patriarch of the Sang family here?"

The old man on crutches hurriedly stood up: "The old man is here."

Zai Yu looked him up and down, and suddenly cupped his hands in congratulations: "In one year, 180 people, you are really growing strong!
Since your Sang's can import 180 people a year, next year, I don't think it will be difficult to see 180 people again, right? "

Sang Zhong hurriedly said: "My lord, these 180 people are not mine alone. There are also my children, grandchildren, and nephews. Moreover, these people are not born just because they are born!"

Zaiyu flicked his sleeves and said angrily: "Then I don't care so much! I was able to give birth last year, but why can't you give birth when the doctor comes? Are you questioning the doctor's ability to govern?"

Hearing this, Sang Zhong could be said to be a dumb man who couldn't tell if he was suffering from Coptis chinensis.

"Doctor, my lord, this is definitely not your problem... But when you have a child, you have to pay attention to one..."

Jae Yu interrupted: "Since it's not my problem, it's your problem! Since you can't give birth, why don't I send someone to your Sang family to help you have children!"

After finishing speaking, Zai Yu shouted towards the door: "Shi He!"

"The villain is here!" Shi He ran in in a panic.

Seeing this, Sang Zhong quickly threw away his crutches, his old waist no longer hurt, and his legs and feet became sharper.

He lay down on the ground and hurriedly begged: "My lord, you can't do it!"

　The whole world doesn't believe you, but my readers believe you!

　　——Excerpt from "Zaiyu's Diary"

　　
　
(End of this chapter)