Quick Wear: Random Cheats

Chapter 146 Extra - What I Saw on the Road to Exile
After Ding Shui and Tian Minghui arrived in Luoyang safely, there was controversy over how to deal with Queen Mother Wang and Emperor Yuhe. Some people thought that the hatred towards the late emperor could be directed at the two of them.

Emperor Qixiang treated them like that back then.

Even if he died, everyone still hated him.

But some people also feel that the anger should not be taken out on them, and that according to past practices, a certain degree of forgiveness should be given to the last emperor of the previous dynasty who had not committed any evil deeds.

For example, he could be made a king or a marquis.

He was confined in Luoyang.

But more people believe that they did not want to create a feudal imperial dynasty in the traditional sense.

So there is no need to follow traditional conventions at all.

Treat everyone equally and judge according to the law.

After comprehensive consideration and the pleas of Zhu Yu and Su Mei, Ding Shui and Tian Minghui finally decided to gather the two of them, along with all the other members of the Daqian royal family who were not guilty of the death penalty, and exile them to the desert hills of Longxi, where they would be responsible for planting trees.

After all, the trees over there were basically cut down by their ancestors, and there was no way to dig their ancestors out of their graves and ask them to plant trees.

Only their descendants can do this job.

It can be considered as redemption at least!

In fact, there was a consideration of exiling them to Ryukyu to open up wasteland, but in the end, everyone felt that sending them to the Longxi hills to plant trees and improve the environment was more meaningful. It also sounded a little better to let them return to their hometown, the place where the dragons rose.

Wang Shuting and Li Xing had no power to refuse.

They don't even have the courage to commit suicide for their country.

I can only honestly embark on the road of exile.

They were neither shackled nor chained on the way to exile. They were just told that if they strayed more than a hundred meters away from the exile supervisors, they would be shot on the spot. Then they became quite well-behaved.

After all, he did not die for his country.

Dying later would be a joke.

I could only try to remind myself that it is better to live a miserable life than to die, and I officially started living a miserable life in exile.

At this moment, they had to be grateful for the previous month of imprisonment. After all, if they had not suffered so much and tasted the pain of hunger during imprisonment, how could they eat the dry food on the road of exile now!

As soon as they left Luoyang City, they saw a large number of people building roads outside the city. Not far away, countless people were also building a new Luoyang City. Li Xing was extremely surprised.
“How dare they do this?
The world is not yet at peace, yet she has already imposed so much corvee labor. Isn't she afraid that the whole world will revolt?"

"This is Emperor Yang's move. The world will not last long!"

Wang Shuting also spoke angrily and dissatisfied.

"They're all still smiling. They don't know the hardship of corvee labor, do they? And yet they're still talking about serving the people. It's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!"

"Oh, my son, look, when I wanted to build the Imperial Palace, you were afraid of the hardship it would inflict on the people. Now, they want to rebuild Luoyang City and build a road. To build such a wide road, I'm afraid most of the young men and even women in Luoyang City will be drafted into labor service."

"What guilt have the people committed?"

The two rentier classes who ride on the heads of countless ordinary people are now trapped in a cage and actually feel sorry for the people.

The officer who was listening weighed the whip in his hand several times, took a deep breath for a long time, and finally suppressed the urge to beat them. Then he sneered and said sarcastically:
"It's hilarious, you still have the nerve to say that."

"Is the corvée during your reign the same as the corvée in Yuan Jun's palace? Not only were you not paid a cent for your corvée back then, but we also had to bring our own food to work for you guys. If we didn't do our job well or were slow, we'd be beaten. If we died accidentally, not only would we not get compensation, it would be difficult to even get our bodies back. We even had to pay bribes. Who would want to do this kind of corvée?"

"Aren't you used to this?
Three years ago, when I was conscripting them for labor service, I specially allocated three thousand taels of silver to give them an extra meal of meat!"

Li Xing felt quite aggrieved. He had always held himself to the standards of a benevolent monarch. No matter how difficult the court was during his reign, no matter how hard it was to collect taxes from other places, he never dared to increase taxes or plunder the people, and he seldom imposed corvée labor.

On average, once every three years.

Therefore, he really felt wronged.

“Is it right to be like this?

Haha, then I will tell you why you are all laughing. The Yuanjun Mansion did not levy corvee labor at all, and has completely abolished corvee labor. Whether it is the imperial court or the local government offices, they must spend money to hire the people to work, and are not allowed to let the people work for free.

Nowadays, whether they are building the road on the left or the new Luoyang on the right, they all have three meals a day. Not only are they ensured to be well fed, but they also ensure that there is meat for lunch.

In addition, there is two taels of monthly salary.

Who wouldn’t want to do this and who wouldn’t smile?
Even the aunties and aunties who cook and serve food at the construction site earn one or two taels of silver a month."

The officer on the left spoke with a tone of admiration.

No matter how ignorant the common people and petty officials were, they could still clearly distinguish who was good and who was bad, and what policies were more beneficial to them. They were faced with the Yuanjun Mansion, which had the courage to directly abolish corvee labor and many exorbitant taxes.

It's really hard not to admire him.

"This...how is it possible? How much money will it cost?" Li Xing was really a little bit unbelievable, including his mother, Wang Shuting, who also opened her mouth in surprise.

Since ancient times, for the vast majority of ordinary people, corvee labor has been more terrifying than land taxes. The reason for this is of course that the loss from corvee labor is definitely much more than the normal land taxes to be paid. After all, people tend to seek benefits and avoid harm. If there are benefits, why would they be afraid?
So in fact, corvee labor is a tax.

Every year, the people had to spend about two months working for the local government or the country for free. Sometimes they would be provided with food, sometimes not. Even if they were occasionally provided with food, it would never be very good, basically just enough to keep them from starving to death.

If the person in charge was a little greedy.

It’s normal that the food is not as good as pig food.

If you are lucky, you can build houses and repair local water conservancy projects with no casualties. If you are unlucky, you need to mine or even do something more dangerous, such as dredging the Yellow River or digging a canal.

It’s hard to say how many casualties there were.

When rushing to meet deadlines, it is possible that half of the people will die.

These days, even if a soldier died, there might not be any pension, let alone if he died while doing labor service.

But for the imperial court, the silver collected every year was basically not enough. Many projects could only be completed by employing the people for free. If they had to pay to hire them, the finances would simply not be able to afford it.

I'm used to being ordered around for free.

Who would be willing to spend money on it again?

"That's impossible. How much food would that many people need for three meals a day? And how much meat would they need for lunch? And with only two taels of silver a month, how much food would they need to eat?

"That's impossible, it must be fake, you're talking nonsense." "They must have been lying to you at the beginning. After a while, they can't hold on any longer, without enough food or money. Do you think they can provide three meals a day and pay workers on time?"

"Yes, yes, that must be the case."

"A little kindness is a debt of gratitude, a peck of kindness is a debt of resentment. They are so kind to those untouchables now, but when they can no longer provide such good conditions in the future, will those untouchables be grateful?"

"I'm just waiting for this building to collapse!"

Faced with Wang Shuting and Li Xing's shouting and questioning, the officers escorting them to Longxi were at a loss for words. They shared similar concerns: they worried that the current good policies were merely a flash in the pan, difficult to sustain, and that things would change in the future.

It was a long time before someone firmly refuted it.

"Impossible. The notice board at Yuan Jun Mansion clearly states that this is not a temporary exemption from corvée labor, but a permanent exemption. Even military service is voluntary.

No words are allowed on the face, and the monthly salary is ten taels of silver.

Who wouldn't support such a court? "

"Yuanjun Mansion was founded by an immortal, so how could they possibly go back on their word? Stop your nonsense, or you'll be punished. Don't think we won't beat you. The immortal master of Yuanjun Mansion has given us a lot of medicine. As long as we don't kill you and you still have a breath left, those medicines can save you and ensure that you can reach the exile place alive for reformation!"

"Forget it, why tell them this?"

"Yeah, a beating will make him behave himself!"

Then, the officers, as expected, beat up many of the royal family members. Without a word, the royal family members who had been beaten for nothing because of Wang Shuting and Li Xing and her son, were furious and beat them up too. As a result, they had only just left Luoyang City for less than ten miles, and they were already covered in wounds.

The person in charge had to take out some ointment.

Throw it to them and let them wipe it themselves.

To avoid death from wound infection on the way.

Later on the road of exile, the mother and son, as well as other members of the royal family, all became much more sensible. They basically just watched and didn't say anything. However, the more they watched, the more outrageous, unacceptable, and unimaginable they found it.

Previously, they had always thought that it was only the area around Luoyang City that was recruiting a large number of people to work. After all, providing three meals a day to hundreds of thousands of people at one time and paying them monthly wages should be a heavy burden, and it would be difficult to support the hiring of more people to work for them.

But as they were exiled westward.

They were stunned to discover that all the major cities they passed through were undergoing massive infrastructure construction. Furthermore, while the residents in many places looked pale in the first half of the month, the complexions of the people working there improved as time went on. Clothing, initially barely enough to cover their bodies, gradually became new and warm.

All of these things made it difficult for them to understand where Yuanjun Mansion got so much food, so much silver and so many supplies to supply the whole world.

In the end they became numb.

I even think that the other party has such ability.

It is only natural to seize the world.

Three months later, they successfully arrived at the place of exile, which was the hilly area of Longxi. The person in charge said that as long as they could plant various plants in the entire area and ensure that those plants survived, the transformation would be successful and they could regain their freedom.

At first, everyone was a little overwhelmed, but as time went by, they gradually got used to it. However, the work efficiency was a bit low and the food they ate was also quite poor.

If only a lot of medicine had not been specially prepared for them.

Some people may die directly from the disease.

It was not until the local government distributed a lot of farm tools and livestock to help with the work that their efficiency was finally improved and their income increased slightly, finally catching up with ordinary people in some remote areas.

More than a year passed after that.

The local government specially sent people to inform them to plant as many saplings or sow various vegetation seeds as possible in the area under their responsibility in the shortest possible time, regardless of whether they can survive or not. This is their only chance to escape from their current exile and gain freedom as soon as possible.

There is no doubt that Ding Shui is preparing to leave.

Anyway, there is no need to reserve a special piece of the Loess Hilly Area for development. Besides, they are planting trees in the exile area, and the government has to provide them with food and drink.

Wait until the hilly area where they are located is covered with green plants.

By then they will be able to gain freedom.

But you also have to be self-reliant.

The Yuanjun Mansion would not allocate land to them, nor would it arrange jobs for them. They could only either rent land or find jobs to earn money.

In fact, many people feel that they are getting a bargain.

After all, the lives of ordinary civilians today are much better than those during their rule. They do not have to perform labor service or worry about various taxes. As long as they are willing to work, they will not be unable to survive.

However, they couldn't go back on their word or impose additional penalties, so they could only acquiesce and send people to keep an eye on them.

Prevent them from committing crimes after they are freed.

Or maybe we just hope they can commit crimes.

Afterwards, it was undoubtedly Ding Shui who created the entire Loess Hilly Area by sacrificing his own body, and also allowed Li Xing and his team to successfully complete the task of afforestation.

End exile and regain freedom.

He was driven out and had to fend for himself.

However, after regaining their freedom, their lives became even more difficult. Before, they only had to work, but now they have to make their own living.

At the same time, there is no place to live.

What pained them most was that they discovered that many common people were living happier and better lives than they were, which made them feel a huge gap. When they were exiled before, they at least lived alone and away from society, with no comparison, or if there was any comparison, it was only with the royal family of their previous dynasty.

I don't know the difference, but it's okay to stay away from the crowd.

But after the exile ended, they not only needed to find a job and a place to live on their own, but also had to endure this huge gap.

Soon some people couldn't bear it anymore and turned to crime.

Some people couldn't stand the gap and committed suicide.

In fact, the people in charge of monitoring at Yuanjun Mansion were also a little confused by this result. Later, they specifically recorded, analyzed and studied this situation, and it became the basic data sample for later research on psychological problems.

It can barely be considered a contribution of the royal family of the previous dynasty.