Song Yi

Chapter 367
Du Wenhao, who always liked to drink some wine during the dinner, changed his habit and just ate some food, saying that he was a little tired. Naturally, Liao Guibing and Zhang Tianning didn't dare to persuade them. After dinner, Du Wenhao suggested to walk for a while, and then take a bamboo raft on the road.

Zhang Tianning, the county magistrate, thought that Du Wenhao was not satisfied with the simple arrangement at noon, so he decided to go ahead and go to Yangdi to make arrangements.Du Wenhao immediately agreed and let Liao Guibing go with him.

Liao Guibing was a little bit reluctant, but this was the order of Mr. Ti Xing, so he didn't have much to say, so he left a few servants to accompany Du Wenhao to protect them, and then he left with Zhang Tianning and the others.

Du Wenhao and his party followed the two guards to the west without rushing. The weather was cool and the river breeze was very pleasant.

Du Wenhao saw that Lian'er was walking behind alone without saying a word, as if he was worried, so he deliberately walked slowly and waited for her: "Lian'er, what are you thinking while walking behind alone?"

Lian'er seemed to be taken aback, he hesitated and said: "No..., I didn't think about anything, master."

Du Wenhao: "I see that you look depressed, what's the matter?"

In Du Wenhao's view, among the five women, Lian'er is the one who has the most personality and no opinion. She has probably lived in the palace all the time, and everything is decided by the master, which has become a habit. The master and wife have the final say on everything, never said a single word, everything is good, yes, yes, everything is soft-spoken and pleasant, even Ke Yao, who is the most difficult to serve, can't pick her out Come on, this woman is a little abnormal today.

Lian'er forced a smile, seeing Pang Yuqin looking back at her, she said softly: "Thank you for your concern, master, I have nothing to do, really."

Xue Fei'er heard their conversation and said: "Brother, if you want to get something out of her mouth, you have to get her drunk."

Everyone laughed.

Ke Yao chewed the wild fruit that Liao Guibing bought for them before, and muttered: "Since this is the case, we will get Sister Lian'er drunk tonight. I really want to hear what she has to say from the bottom of my heart."

Seeing everyone talking about herself, Lian'er blushed like a cloud of fire, lowered her head and said: "I..., I really didn't think about it..."

Lin Qingdai smiled and said, "Don't embarrass her. She won't say anything, even if she's drunk."

Du Wenhao said with a smile: "That's right, Lian'er always likes to hide things in her heart. Let me guess——are you worried about your mother?"

Lian'er heard that Du Wenhao had guessed her thoughts, a flash of gratitude flashed across her face, and she nodded slightly.

Du Wenhao sighed softly: "Lian'er has been with their mother since childhood, and loves them like sisters. It is right to worry."

Lian'er looked sad: "Yes, my mother used to take me to accompany the emperor on a tour, and when I saw the beautiful scenery, I would think of my mother's laughter, but now she is blind in one eye, and her face is also stained. She is seriously ill, and I don't know that she..."

After talking about it, Lian'er choked up and couldn't continue.

Pang Yuqin said: "It's okay, don't worry, didn't your husband prescribe medicine for your mother before you left, and sent her back to her hometown. She should be fine with her family taking care of her."

Lian'er blinked hurriedly, forced back the tears, tried her best to smile, and changed the subject: "By the way, I heard that Liao Zhifu told Wu Zhixian earlier that he would arrange some special game for us in the front."

Ke Yao immediately said: "That's good, I like eating delicious food the most."

Xue Fei'er said coldly: "The common people here can't even afford porridge, and what kind of game do they bring us to eat? It's true that a full man doesn't know a hungry man is hungry!"

Lian'er said: "They..., they also want to take good care of us, Master."

"Please! Pay more attention to the people, okay? Didn't you notice it along the way? Thousands of fertile fields are barren, and the fields are full of grass! Have you ever seen a rice? There was no harvest this year, and the common people What to eat? No wonder it’s not a year of catastrophe! What can we do if we don’t sell our sons and daughters to sell fertile land?”

Du Wenhao stopped, looked at the barren paddy fields, and sighed: "Yes, I want to visit the Lijiang River not only to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but more importantly, to see how much the disaster has affected. On the way down the river, I saw All of them are barren and good fields, except for weeds, there are no crops! Alas! Great disaster!"

Pang Yuqin forced a smile, and said to Du Wenhao, "Don't worry too much, Mr. Liao. Prefect Liao and the others should have already requested the imperial court to distribute relief funds, so they won't just watch the people starve to death."

Xue Fei'er interjected: "Sister Yuqin, you ordered your wife from the fourth grade. You don't know what the officials in the court do, do you? Wait for them to allocate money and grain, let's not say how long it will be, will it be in the hands of the hungry people?" Not sure yet!"

Ke Yao also said: "Yes, when I was eating just now, I saw a few ragged children squatting in the corner in the alley, I took advantage of Master Liao and Master Zhang not paying attention, and asked Yingzi to serve them some. The food went out, and later Yingzi came in and told me that those children rolled their eyes after eating, and Yingzi told them not to worry and eat slowly, but they said that if the government officials saw them, they would definitely beat them to death."

Yingzi said: "Yes, you didn't see the eyes of those children when they saw the rice. They were so staring that their eyeballs were about to fall out! I don't know how many days I haven't eaten. They ran away with their jobs in their hands, and it was too late to thank them." Said. I was afraid that I would be caught."

Ke Yao said: "Isn't there a loan for young crops in the yamen? You can borrow money from the yamen and pay it back when you have a harvest in the next year."

Du Wenhao sighed: "Young Miao Loan is not a relief food, it is for emergency relief, not for the poor, it depends on the harvest, you must ensure that you can repay the loan before lending, and there are five joint guarantees, three to four percent of the interest! But You see, there is no harvest in this field, and the autumn harvest will never be reaped. If the young crops cannot be recovered, the officials will be dismissed and investigated! So who dares to lend money to these disaster victims?"

"You can use the land as collateral, and you can borrow money if you have collateral, I heard."

Du Wenhao smiled wryly: "You can receive food with the mortgage of the field. That's right. If the harvest in the field is zero, you will definitely not be able to repay the loan. At that time, the land will be discounted to the young crop loan. What kind of land will you plant? What will the farmers eat if they have no land? Besides, there is no land. What about the tenant farmers on the land? What kind of mortgage should they use? Moreover, there is a limit on the amount of money that can be borrowed from Qingmiao Loan. A family of five can’t last for three months no matter how much they save on food, but this disaster is one year. Qingmiao What do you eat after you eat up all the loans?"

Ke Yao was dumbfounded: "Then...then the people in this prefecture...are they dead?"

Du Wenhao let out a long sigh, and looked at the fertile fields with his hands behind his back, feeling very heavy.

The fertile land in the entire area of ​​Jingjiang Mansion has been destroyed, and there are a large number of people affected by the disaster. Relying on the government's disaster relief money and valleys alone, not to mention the problem of layer-by-layer deductions, even if they are all in place, is a drop in the bucket, and it is not enough to last long.It is only autumn now, and there is already a food shortage, and the people have to sell their children and daughters to sell their fields to make a living. When there is a harvest in the coming year, there is still a long year, how will the people spend it?

Seeing that winter is coming, the house is sold, where can I shelter from the wind and rain against the severe cold?If this long winter survives?If timely and effective disaster relief measures are not taken, I am afraid that the scene of starving people starving to death and closing down and corpses strewn all over the fields is not far away.

However, my identity is now only a criminal officer and an imperial doctor, only in charge of prison and patrolling doctors, not in disaster relief and food relief, how can I help these poor people?
Seeing Du Wenhao sighing while looking at the fruitless fertile land, all the girls dared not speak.

The scenery on both sides of Yangdi is beautiful, but the tragic scene of empty paddy fields is a kind of poignant beauty.

When they came to Yangdi, Zhang Tianning, the county magistrate, arranged for Du Wenhao and the others to stay in a farmhouse-style bamboo building, surrounded by mountains and rivers, with pleasant scenery, but Du Wenhao was no longer in the mood to look at the scenery.

He called Liao Zhifu and Zhang Zhixian, and asked: "My lords, when I came to Jingjiang Mansion, I saw that the scenery of this paradise on earth is really charming. It's just that the crops in the fields have failed. Will the two lords respond to this matter?" Of the policy?"

"This..." Liao Zhifu and Zhang Zhixian glanced at each other, and fell silent for a moment.

Du Wenhao smiled self-deprecatingly: "I'm sorry, this matter of disaster relief and food distribution is not within the scope of my duties. I just saw it and asked casually. If it is inconvenient, the two adults don't have to answer."

Prefect Liao hastily cupped his hands and said: "My lord is serious. My lord cares about the common people. If you ask about disaster relief, there is no reason why you should not answer me. The natural disasters in my mansion started from last winter to this spring. Last winter was a warm winter with little rain and snow. After the beginning of spring, the sun has been scorching, the fields are cracked, and even the seedling fields are dry and cracked. There is no water, and the seeds can’t grow seedlings after planting. Asking God to pray for rain will not work. There are rumors from time to time that this natural disaster must be due to political reform. Therefore, only reforms are abolished, and the nectar begins to fall. The words of the foolish people are not credible, but a few days ago, the imperial court stopped the implementation of the new law, and it rained heavily for half a month! It is a pity that the season has passed and the farming work has been missed. What a person One spring missed by the land, one year missed by the land!"

Zhang Zhixian also stroked his beard with a sad face: "At first, some farmers living by the river worked hard day and night to water the fields, barely planted the seedlings in the fields by the river, and they all started to ear, but the half-month torrential rain , caused mountain torrents, and washed away the fertile fields that looked like they had harvested by the river, alas! Not only Bi County, but Jingjiang Prefecture has seven counties under its jurisdiction, and none of them was spared! When discussing how to relieve disasters and save the people, the magistrate often said that when he thought of the suffering of the tens of thousands of people in my mansion under natural disasters, he could not sleep or eat well."

Du Wenhao looked at Prefect Liao approvingly and nodded.

Prefect Liao clasped his hands and said: "This is a matter of the humble post. The humble post has written to the imperial court several times, stating the disaster situation, and asked the imperial court to allocate relief funds. The Ministry of Households has replied that the disaster relief funds approved by the emperor's imperial pen will be available soon. It will be transported to the boundary of the humble mansion. Although it is a year of catastrophe, there is great grace from the emperor, and the cooperation of all colleagues below. I have the confidence to lead the whole government and people to tide over the difficulties together. I have made an oath with all my colleagues, even if we wait Eating tree bark and eating grass roots will not let the people under the rule starve to death and freeze to death!"

Du Wenhao praised the festival: "Well said! The people of Jingjiang have a good official like Liao Zhifu who loves the people like a son. It is really a blessing for the people!"

Prefect Liao repeatedly waved his hands: "I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed, the common people are hot, what a blessing it is! Alas!"

"It's a natural disaster. It's just that God doesn't have eyes and can't see the suffering of the people. As you said, there are good officials like you who think about the people, and you will definitely be able to get through the difficulties."

Magistrate Liao said dejectedly: "This year, there was a severe drought in the spring, four out of ten counties across the country were hit by disasters, there are too many places that need pensions and disaster relief, I am afraid that the money that can be allocated to the poor mansion is far from enough to relieve the victims. ah."

Zhang Zhixian lamented, cupped his hands and said: "That's why the magistrate advocated saving food and clothing to save government expenses, and organized several government officials to collect donations to help the poorest people in the poor mansion. However, it is still too far away."

Du Wenhao pondered for a moment and asked, "What are the plans of those two?"

"Giving donations!" Liao Zhifu sighed: "This is the only way. After winter comes, the relief food is almost used up, and the humble officials will go to Beijing to beg for the people from the princes and ministers. Anyway, the humble officials are not going to ask for this face." For the survival of the common people, I begged my grandpa to sue my grandma. If I ask for more points for the victims, I will get one more point. If I ask for an extra quilt, I will get another quilt. That's the only way to go."

Du Wenhao praised repeatedly, frowned and thought, but he couldn't think of a good way.

In modern times, industries are highly developed, and victims of disasters can also go out to work, earning money and reducing the number of disaster relief people.But in the Northern Song Dynasty, there were almost no large workshops, let alone large factories.I really don't know how to save the tens of thousands of disaster victims. Is it true that they can only wander and beg and die in other places?
Just as he was talking, a yamen servant came in to report that an old gentleman had asked to see the criminal officer, Mr. Ning, and that he was recommended by the imperial palace, Eunuch Ning.

Du Wenhao was overjoyed when he heard that, when he was in Hengzhou, he sent Eunuch Ning with emergency military information and asked him to help find a master who could write memorials.Unexpectedly, this Eunuch Ning is really agile.Hurry up please.

Liao Zhifu and Zhang Zhixian heard that Du Wenhao had a visitor, so they got up and said goodbye.

After a while, the yamen servant brought in an old man with a gray beard.

This old man is very thin, his eyes are narrowed into a slit, mixed with the creases on his face, and if he is far away, he can't even tell which one is the crease and which is the eye.

The old man came in, and after the yamen servant introduced him, he bowed and bowed: "Old man Shen Shengping. I have met Mr. Ti Xing. This is a letter of recommendation from Eunuch Ning." After finishing speaking, he took out a letter from his bosom, took a few steps forward, and bowed slightly, Passed both hands to Du Wenhao.

Du Wenhao took it and saw that it was indeed Eunuch Ning's handwriting. He tore open the envelope, took out the letter paper and unfolded it. After reading Eunuch Ning's letter, Du Wenhao knew that the old man in front of him was extraordinary.

This person was originally a Jinshi in the second year of Tianxi. He was appreciated by Wen Yanbo and worshiped as a guest.Since then, he has been following Wen Yanbo, advising him, and helping Wen Yanbo to become the prime minister.

After Wang Anshi became a Jinshi, he entered the officialdom for the first time. He didn't understand anything, and he was a prickly person. He was upright and easily offended others, so he didn't do much.Fortunately, Wen Yanbo, the prime minister at the time, admired his demeanor and recommended him to be the judge of Qun Mu, as the prefect of Changzhou and Jiangdong prison. At the same time, he also recommended his master Shen Shengping to him to deal with the officialdom.

At the beginning, Wang Anshi listened to Shen Shengping very much, so his official career was prosperous, and he was transferred to Duzhi Judge within a few years.Later, the imperial court appreciated his talent and planned to transfer him to Zhijixian Academy, where he lived as a fellow practitioner.He didn't want to take up this idle position, so Shen Shengping planned various activities, and finally changed to Zhizhigao, drafting edicts and proclamations for the emperor, and picketing prisons in Beijing.

This official has real power, but Wang Anshi, a thorn in his side, is not smooth and tactful, and has outstanding talent and self-willedness. At first, he doesn't listen to Shen Shengping's words, which offends many important court officials.At this time, Wang Anshi's mother died of illness, and the imperial court strongly recommended the emperor to be removed from office on the grounds that he was in mourning.Wang Anshi's mourning period expired, but he was not hired.Until Shenzong succeeded to the throne.Shen Shengping made use of his familiarity with the officials of the imperial court to make suggestions, and Wang Anshi also endured humiliation, so he was re-appointed by the imperial court as the prefect of Jiangning.

Under Shen Shengping's mediation and arrangement, Song Shenzong was able to appreciate Wang Anshi's talents and learning, especially his insights on financial management. Song Shenzong promoted him to be a Hanlin scholar and lecturer.Later, he became a political adviser and presided over the reform in an all-round way.Then, he served as the minister of Tongzhong Shumen and became the prime minister of Tongzhong. He implemented the new law nationwide and started a large-scale reform movement.
The implementation of the reform encountered great resistance, and the effect was not satisfactory, but at this time, Wang Anshi had the support of Song Shenzong, and he was in power, so he didn't need Shen Shengping as a master.His self-willed personality made him unable to listen to Shen Shengping's words at all.Shen Shengping was dejected, and told Wang Anshi to return home.Wang Anshi immediately agreed.

Not long after that, Wang Anshi's reform was hit hard, and even Song Shenzong lost confidence in him. At the same time, under the pressure of the royal relatives and ministers who opposed the new law, he dismissed Wang Anshi as a minister and became the prefect of Jiangning again.

At this time, Wang Anshi thought of Shen Shengping again, and came to the door to invite Shen Shengping to come out of the mountain.Shen Shengping mediated again and helped resolve Wang Anshi's hostile forces, allowing Wang Anshi to pay homage to the prime minister again the following year.But because of Wang Anshi's personality, after regaining power, he quickly went his own way and once again made strong enemies.He couldn't listen to any of Shen Shengping's opinions, and Shen Shengping was disheartened, so he resigned and returned home again.Wang Anshi agreed again.

Without Shen Shengping's smooth handling to resolve conflicts, Wang Anshi was like a hedgehog, and everyone who came into contact with him was stabbed, including even Wen Yanbo who had promoted him back then.Such a stabbing head is not easy to be an official, so it didn't take long for Wang Anshi to be dismissed again.I took an idle job.Then, Wang Anshi followed Song Shenzong and Du Wenhao on a private visit, and what he saw made him extremely disheartened, so he resigned from his idle job, and lived a life of shutting his doors in seclusion and not hearing anything from the window.

Shen Shengping once assisted the two prime ministers, Wen Yanbo and Wang Anshi. He was smooth and familiar with the personalities of all officials in the court. Then he thought of Shen Shengping.Visited personally, told Shen Shengping about Du Wenhao, and strongly invited Shen Shengping to come out of the mountain again to assist Du Wenhao.

Although Shen Shengping has retired these years, his network of connections is still there. There are as many relatives and friends in the capital as a cow's hair. He is also a person who can't be idle, and he knows all the movements of the court like the palm of his hand.Of course, he knew about Du Wenhao, a newly-emerged genius doctor, and he was very optimistic about Du Wenhao.For him, in his twilight years, if he could help such a person to succeed again, it would be a joy. With Eunuch Ning personally recommending it, Shen Shengping would naturally be even more difficult to refuse.Immediately agreed.

Taking the letter of recommendation from Eunuch Ning, he went south alone, and finally met Du Wenhao in the pleasant Yangdi of Jingjiang Mansion.

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PS: Argentina played against Germany tonight. I like both teams very much. It is really embarrassing. It is very sad for whichever one loses, and I am very happy for whichever one wins.Tonight is destined to be a night of ice and fire.

(End of this chapter)