The Holy Emperor of Ming

Chapter 277: So Powerful That It's Indescribable

No one else was brought along, including the shadow eunuch.

The reason is that the speed will be slow if there are too many people, and there is no need to bring them along.

If Wei Jinzhong wasn't needed for some miscellaneous matters, Zhu Houzhao wouldn't even want to take Wei Jinzhong with him.

Traveling quickly all the way, a distance of more than a thousand miles, for Bai Long, even if he brought three people and even if it was winter, it was only more than two hours.

But the horse Wei Jinzhong rode was not that fast. Even if he used his true energy to help speed up, it still greatly slowed down his speed.

It was not until the evening that they arrived at the Jin area.

"This is Jindi!"

Zhu Houzhao looked at the land covered by heavy snow, and felt a sincere joy, anticipation and yearning.

Because this is the testing ground for all his policies.

In other words, this is his brainchild.

He had been looking forward to coming here for several years.

Today, I finally arrived here.

"Remember, don't reveal my and our identities." Zhu Houzhao reminded him again, then slowed down and began to look for villages casually.

The two girls nodded, both feeling curious.

Not long after, they arrived at an ordinary village. Zhu Houzhao dismounted with the two women and walked into the village. Wei Jinzhong also dismounted and followed behind.

With Bai Long here, there is no need to worry about the two horses being alone outside the village.

As he walked, Zhu Houzhao looked around the village and nodded secretly. The houses were not bad, better than the villages he had seen in Jinzhou, and not much worse than those around the capital.

Because it was winter's first day of the Lunar New Year and it was evening, there were few people on the village streets, and every household had lights on and smoke rising from cooking.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Houzhao felt a little more satisfied.

At this time, the people in this village also discovered Zhu Houzhao and his companions.

After all, Zhu Houzhao was too big and burly, and his temperament was domineering and heroic. You could tell at first glance that he was a big shot.

Hua Zhenzhen and Yang Yaoqin next to them looked like fairies descended to earth.

It would be strange if three people like this came to the village and didn't attract attention.

Adults and children alike looked at Zhu Houzhao and his companions with curiosity and awe, not daring to step forward.

After walking for dozens of feet, Zhu Houzhao looked around and stopped. He looked at an old man who was standing at the door and looking at them.

"Old man, let us ask you a few questions." Zhu Houzhao said loudly.

The old man was startled and subconsciously took a few steps back with a look of fear on his face.

It was just that this young man was too big and strong, like a giant.

He was so loud and arrogant, and looked like a vicious person.

Hua Zhenzhen smiled helplessly, pulled Zhu Houzhao's arm, and said softly: "Husband, be polite."

"Why am I rude? He is just too timid." Zhu Houzhao muttered.

"Father-in-law, my husband may seem a little rude, but he has no ill intentions. He just has some questions that he wants to ask you.

I wonder if you can help us solve this puzzle?" Hua Zhenzhen said gently.

Hua Zhenzhen, wearing a light blue dress, still looked so delicate, like a willow branch that could be blown away by a gust of wind.

The old man was amazed and instinctively felt relieved.

He looked at the burly man with awe, nodded and said, "Okay, you guys, ask."

Zhu Houzhao looked at Hua Zhenzhen with some displeasure. How was I so arrogant?
But the next moment, he put it behind his mind, looked at the old man, and asked with a little expectation: "Old man, can everyone in your family, no, your village, have enough food to eat?"

"Why are you asking this?" the old man asked warily.

But after looking at the two fairy-like girls, he lowered his guard and nodded, "People in our village can eat enough, but there is not much surplus food."

Zhu Houzhao felt that the old man was deceiving him.

A light bulb suddenly lit up in his head, and he said seriously, "Old man, we are from the capital. We are here to investigate the situation of the people in Jin on behalf of the emperor. Don't lie to me."

The old man was startled, his eyes widened, and he looked at the few people in shock, "You are from the capital! Are you representing the Emperor Shengwu?"

Just after asking, without waiting for Zhu Houzhao to answer, he looked at the few people, nodded repeatedly, and said excitedly: "Yes, yes, two such pretty girls and such a burly man, only the old Emperor Shengwu of the capital can send them out."

"Crack~!"

He slapped his thigh, his old face full of smiles, and said excitedly: "Hey, why didn't you say earlier that it was sent by the Emperor Shengwu?

Come on, come on, come in. It's New Year's Day and it's so cold. You haven't had dinner yet, right?
I'll treat you guys to a meal."

He turned around and shouted, "Old woman, son, stew some more meat, we have guests coming to our house."

The sudden enthusiasm stunned Zhu Houzhao.

Hua Zhenzhen and Yang Yaoqin understood, and felt a sense of pride in their hearts.

She looked at her husband tenderly.

Zhu Houzhao reacted and was happy to see that the other party was so enthusiastic because of Emperor Shengwu. He waved his hand and said, "No need to eat. We have a big appetite. It would be bad if we eat up all your food." "This noble man is right. Although my family is not rich, it is definitely no problem to treat you to a meal." The old man said stubbornly.

As he spoke, he sighed and said, "To be honest, it's all thanks to the Holy Martial Emperor.

Life has been getting better and better over the past few years, something I never dared to imagine before.

You were sent by the Holy Emperor, and it’s New Year’s Day, so I will definitely treat you to a meal.”

"We've eaten too much, so please don't be reluctant to eat it." Zhu Houzhao laughed.

“Eat as much as you want,” the old man said confidently.

Not long after, in the ordinary adobe house, the old man and his son looked at Zhu Houzhao in amazement as he wolfed down the food, eating one fist-sized steamed bun and one face-sized pancake in a few bites.

The meat and vegetables were gone in the blink of an eye.

Now is the Chinese New Year, and this is the time when every household prepares the most food.

It was enough for a dozen big men to have a meal, but in front of Zhu Houzhao, it was gone in a moment.

The old man's face froze for a moment, but he quickly said to his son, "Ask your mother and wife to do some more."

"Father-in-law, no need. My husband is full." Hua Zhenzhen stepped forward to stop him.

After saying this, he glared at Zhu Houzhao with amusement and continued to play around.

"Hahaha." Zhu Houzhao swallowed the last steamed bun in one gulp and laughed loudly: "Old man, what do you think? Do I have a big appetite? There is no one in the world who has a bigger appetite than me."

"Yes." The old man nodded, and then asked with concern: "Let's make some more. The two ladies and this brother haven't eaten anything.

There is still a lot of surplus food in my home."

"Okay, okay, no need to do it. The three of them often skip dinner, and when they do, they eat very little." Zhu Houzhao spoke up to stop the old man.

The old man looked at them suspiciously, but nodded and said with a happy smile, "I didn't expect that you would like to eat our rural food. Just eat it if you like it."

"This is nothing. Think about the time when we were at war, the military rations were so bad to eat, yet we still finished them in just a few bites." Zhu Houzhao said proudly.

"Fighting! You are so young, and you have ever fought in a war?" the old man said in surprise.

"Of course, we were the ones who destroyed the Jiannu and defeated the Mongols." Zhu Houzhao said proudly.

"Destroy the Jiannu and defeat the Mongols! Didn't that noble man follow the Shengwu Emperor to fight? What was the Shengwu Emperor like?" The old man's son couldn't help but ask, his expression excited, curious and respectful.

"Hahaha, of course Emperor Shengwu is the most wise and powerful. There is no one in the whole world who can compare to him. His power is beyond description." Zhu Houzhao laughed happily.

Hua Zhenzhen and Yang Yaoqin couldn't help laughing either.

Miaomu looked at Zhu Houzhao with amusement and laughter.

I've never seen anyone brag about himself like this.

Only Wei Jinzhong nodded in agreement.

Then, the old man and his son nodded in agreement, their faces beaming.

"Yes, yes, that's right. The Holy Emperor is so powerful. Otherwise, how could he allow us to live such a good life?"

The old man said with emotion: "I am now over 60 years old. I have experienced the life of five emperors. I never thought that I would have such a good life now.

These old men know that they were all brought by the Holy Emperor.”

"Hahaha." Zhu Houzhao laughed happily again and asked impatiently, "By the way, I haven't asked you any questions yet?

"First, tell me, what is good about the good life now?"

"My dear, do you know that you will report it to Emperor Shengwu?" asked the old man.

"Of course." Zhu Houzhao nodded affirmatively.

"Okay, I'll tell you in detail." The old man began to speak with great interest: "First of all, the land cultivated by the people in my family, this village and the surrounding villages has increased several times, even dozens of times.

Although these fields belong to the court and not to individuals, the right to cultivate them will not be taken away unless the person dies.

Except that it cannot be bought or sold, it is no different from owning your own.

With so many more fields, every family will no longer have to worry about food.”

“The most important thing is to collect taxes. There is no population tax, only land tax, which is one twentieth of the grain produced.

Apart from this, those officials dared not collect any other taxes.

Compared to before, it’s much better.

After paying taxes, the remaining amount is more than enough to feed and clothe the whole family, with some money left over.”

“By the way, we can sell our grain directly to the government.

The price is always constant: one dan of rice costs one liang, nine qian and ninety wen of silver.

You have to know that the rice sold at the imperial rice shop was only two taels of silver, and it was guaranteed that the price would never go up or down. The difference was only ten cents.

In other words, the imperial court does not actually make any money; it just protects the interests of us people.

This is really great. From now on, we don’t have to worry about the price of rice rising or falling.

We can’t even eat all the food we grow, so we sell most of it to get money to buy daily necessities.”

(Chapter 1.)
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(End of this chapter)