Zhurou

"I don't dare to say anything else. I dare to promise this. I grew up in the field since I was a child. How can I not be used to serving the crops?" Mrs. Zou immediately said, "I am the boss in the family. Little brother and little sister are familiar with everything."

She patted her little daughter's swaddle lightly, looked up at Zhao Mingzhi, and couldn't help but think of the scene where many acquaintances gathered around her last night to give their opinions.

Some of them said that they were really lucky to meet the current princess, and they also said that even if it was for the sake of the royal face, the higher-ups would not let their family of three go hungry.

There are also people who refute that this time the crowd stopped the corpse in the middle of the way, in fact, they lost the face of the royal family. Even if the yamen will be uncomfortable for a while, they will definitely have to retaliate in the future.

They all have different opinions, so it's better to tell her not to trust anyone. She was so upset all night that she didn't even sleep well.

But at the moment she was in the same room with Zhao Mingzhi, and after only chatting for a few words, she felt that the princess was amiable and reliable, she looked like a person who did things, and she was already at ease. He wanted to shut up, but he was afraid of neglecting the nobleman, so he seemed hesitant.

Zhao Mingzhi didn't embarrass her for long, and when he got the answer, he pondered for a while and said: "The government office is counting the unclaimed fields outside the city. If there are no accidents, there will be a result in a while, and a notice will be posted at that time, calling the capital to come and go." Claim the fields."

She said in her mouth, looked at Mrs. Zou and said: "I intend to claim a place, but I don't know how to cultivate it at all, and I am afraid that there will be no harvest in autumn. My own work is second, and it would be a waste to waste the field. "

"The rest of the peasant officials in the imperial court have their own responsibilities, so it's not good to bother them. After thinking about it, I might as well try to find a familiar hand. If you want, you might as well report back to claim the farmland. I will explain to others again, You and I put the fields next to each other, and I pay for it myself, so I ask you to teach me, I don’t know how?”

Regarding the difficult situation in Beijing, Zhao Mingzhi knew that it was of little use, but he was unwilling to let it go.

She had already had the idea of ​​plowing the fields outside the city by herself, and she thought it was advocating the idea. Yesterday, she saw Mrs. Zou stopping her body halfway and learned about her situation. It can only solve one person's temporary difficulties, which is not helpful to the overall situation, but it is harmful to find out the root cause.

But if I can invite Mrs. Zou to teach me how to farm, this person will know how to farm, and because the refugees know about the dead bodies, she can work with me in the field in the west of the city, which will relieve the panic of the refugees. No matter how worried the yamen will rebel against those who gathered yesterday; secondly, Mrs. Zou can be used as a proof to make the refugees around her believe in the sincerity of the imperial court; thirdly, they can find another way out for them.

Another point is that through Mrs. Zou and her daily contact with each other, she can also know the movements of the people in the refugee huts.

Right now, the government of the capital is too busy to take care of itself, and it is really difficult to manage it in a more detailed manner. Moreover, because the court has no credibility, Zhao Mingzhi can only try to fill in for himself.

Mrs. Zou was both surprised and delighted when she heard the words, but after hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help asking again: "Is it true that the Yamen will distribute the land to us?"

Zhao Mingzhi shook his head and said: "It's not about distribution, it's just about plowing. For three or five years, the court will not collect taxes for the time being. As for after plowing, there are two versions. One is that all the income from the field will go to the state government. The silver rice is distributed, and the second is that the silver rice is not distributed every ten days. When the autumn harvest comes, all the income from the field will belong to the farmer. It depends on which one you choose—as for the ownership of the fields, it will be dealt with by the association.”

"If you can come to help me, I will pay you on a daily basis. Although the price is not high, it can barely support a family." She gave an overview of the situation she knew to Mrs. Zou, and said, "Or today, Or tomorrow, someone from the Kyoto government office will come here to talk about the matter of declaring farming, and you may be undecided for a while, so you can wait for a while before making a decision."

Mrs. Zou immediately shook her head, and said anxiously: "We all listen to the arrangements. We are thankful that we can have something to eat at this moment. There is no need to wait."

With the status of a princess, Zhao Mingzhi invited Mrs. Zou almost without any effort.

She sat and talked with the other party for a while, and then she came out of the thatched shed when she saw that it was getting late.

Mrs. Zou lingered behind Zhao Mingzhi. She wanted to speak several times, but then closed her mouth hesitantly. When everyone was about to reach the door, she finally couldn't help calling her, and asked, "Your honor... why don't you come here?" Let's go after noon?"

Mrs. Zou spoke, her tone gradually weakened, she secretly looked at the other attendants around Zhao Mingzhi, wiped her hands on the hem of her clothes, and said in a low voice: "There is nothing good, just a few bowls of porridge..."

When Zhao Mingzhi raised his head, he saw that at some point, the front and back of the hut were already full of people. Judging by their clothes, they were all refugees living here. Although most of them stood far away and did not lean forward, they had different eyes, with hints of hostility. , some were watching the theater, and more were full of doubts.

Because the body was stopped yesterday, many people in the refugee hut knew the name of Mrs. Zou, and they were afraid that she would be arrested by the yamen for a reason. I saw this group of people come to the door today. Although none of them wore official uniforms, their clothes and temperament were in line with that of the common people. They are not the same, and they are more brave. How can they not think too much.

Zhao Mingzhi looked around and saw everyone's reaction, so he didn't point it out. He just stood still, turned around and said to Mrs. Zou, "I have other things to do later, so I won't eat today. If there is soup, why don't you pour a cup?" come out?"

He also said: "There will always be a chance to come to be a guest again in the future, and I will definitely leave a bowl of rice for me to eat."

Although there is no talk in the village about seeing off guests with tea and ordering soup to treat them, but after hearing what Zhao Mingzhi said, Mrs. Zou breathed a sigh of relief and smiled on her face.

She turned around and was about to enter the house. The son in the family was very sensible. He had already seen his words and expressions and slipped into the door quickly. He carried an iron pot and came out with a bowl.

Mrs. Zou hastily poured water into the rough porcelain bowl, and brought it over respectfully.

Zhao Mingzhi took half a step forward before taking off the veil on his face. It was almost just a matter of breathing, and he could hear gasps all around him.

She raised her eyes and saw where they were looking, everyone lowered their heads, and none of them looked directly at them, but each lowered their eyes and turned their faces, and some hid behind others.

Zhao Mingzhi didn't make a sound, handed the veiled cap to Mu Xiang, reached out to take the cold bowl, drank the still slightly turbid yellow water in one gulp, Fu Cai pointed to a fellow palace man beside him, and said with a smile: "I'm leaving first, and if it's early, tomorrow, or late, the day after tomorrow, I will let her come to you to help her."

Mrs. Zou would only answer, but she didn't know what to say. Like a saw-mouthed gourd, she escorted her all the way for a long distance until Zhao Mingzhi got into the carriage. He is still reluctant to leave, and still looks up.

She stood still and didn't speak, but people hurriedly surrounded her.

This one asked: "Is that the princess from yesterday? How did she come to look for you? What's the matter?"

That one asked, "Didn't I come to trouble you?"

Someone else said: "I'm afraid they didn't send money? Most likely they came to buy people's hearts!"

Someone else asked: "Will she come tomorrow? Is there any shortage of manpower in the palace? Why don't you ask for me, my Tweety just turned ten years old, and when she's running fast, she doesn't need money, just give me food." Just do it."

Only then did Lady Zou come back to her senses, without any hesitation, she told about Zhao Mingzhi's invitation to teach her how to farm, and said: "The nobleman said that the yamen will post a notice outside in the next few days, asking people to pick up the barren fields. For a few acres, you should also think about it first, if you plan to go together, are you willing to receive money and rice first, or do you want to wait for the autumn harvest to get your own grain and rice?"

Everyone was stunned for a while, and no one dared to believe it for a long time.

"She is a princess, with such delicate skin and tender flesh, and looks like a fairy, how can she plow the fields with us?"

"That's the princess. As soon as she spoke, a lot of officials and rich people rushed to send people to help with farming. How could it be your turn to 'teach'? Where is the use of teaching? You don't even have to move your fingers. That field will 'grow' grains!" Some people clamped guns and sticks.

Some people put their ears on the matter of recognizing the fields, and quickly changed the subject: "Maybe it's just a show? I don't care about her, it's just that the field is true or not? I'm afraid it's not just planting the original story." Don’t count? At that time, the work will be for nothing, and the fields will be plowed in the end, and the grain will not belong to us..."

"If you are afraid of accidents, you might as well choose the first one. You will get silver rice once every ten days. Even if it is just for show, they have to do it once or twice before it counts. At the beginning, the money and rice will definitely be distributed. A grain of copper can last for a few days!"

"That must be the first one. Whoever has empty pockets right now, wait for the rice to cook!"

In the public yesterday, everyone saw Zhao Mingzhi with their own eyes. No one would forget his appearance like that.

Seeing her come to look for Mrs. Zou again today, she took off the veil again, and it turned out to be the same face. Although the group of people still didn't dare to believe in the matter of plowing the fields, because the person who spoke was of special status, they were inevitably suspicious. There was a lot of chatter, and the details were discussed seriously.

——Nowadays the princess has said something, and she came to find a peasant woman like Mrs. Zou in person.
In this way, there were many rumors in the refugee huts, and in just one night, the news that the imperial court wanted to recognize the land spread all over the place, and everyone waited eagerly for the yamen to speak out.

Besides, Zhao Mingzhi got back in the carriage and originally planned to find some grain shops and stores to visit. He saw the crowds outside the grain shops along the way, shoulder to shoulder. Because he was afraid that he would cause trouble if he stayed this time, he asked the coachman to drive towards the palace gate first.

It was almost noon now, and seeing that the group of people were about to enter Xuande Gate, she sat in the carriage, recalled that the order she had seen along the way had not improved much, and she still couldn't rest assured, so she asked Mu Xiang opposite, "Send someone to see what happened in the city?" Grain shops everywhere, if the patrols can't use it..."

She hesitated for a while, because she remembered what Lu Xianzhang said last night that the capital government government will hand over the public security affairs in the city to Pei Yong, and then added in a low voice: "If you see that the patrols outside have insufficient manpower and it is difficult to use them, then send someone to look for them. Second brother, explain the situation here clearly, and ask him to act according to his discretion."

Mu Xiang answered immediately, poked her head out, and called the guards to explain one by one.

Seeing that two people in the queue were separated and ran away quickly, Zhao Mingzhi felt a little relieved, and went back to the palace to busy with raising money, food and grain.