Go back to the Ming Dynasty to be a thousand households

Chapter 268 Redundancy
There are 75 households in Wanping County, and there are 320 and eight villages outside the city. Sangong Huangzhuang is located in Yong'an Township, [-] miles away from the city.Here, many villages are connected together and all are circled as Huangzhuang.

Hulin Village is a part of Huangzhuang land. It is considered a large village with a hundred households. The villagers all make a living by farming Huangzhuang land. The folk customs are simple and rich in nostalgia.Most of the village is surnamed Xu, and there are other surnames such as Wang, Liu, Liang, etc.

The terrain of Hulin Village is flat, the land is fertile, there is a river running through the west of the village, and the irrigation conditions are good. It should be a very wealthy village, but Huang Laifu sees that the village is dilapidated, and even the mud walls in some thatched huts seem to be falling down. Yes, many villagers also had pale faces. Seeing Huang Laifu and other brigades approaching, they quickly moved away as if they were frightened.

Huang Laifu couldn't help but sighed repeatedly, the idyllic scene of the place was so dilapidated, it really shouldn't be.Not to mention that the place is still in Huangzhuang, Gyeonggi, life could have been better.

On the bridge at the entrance of the village, upon hearing that Huang Laifu, Fengyu eunuch Chen Feng and others had arrived, the head of the Hu Lin village led several armor chiefs and some old people to greet them respectfully at the bridge.

According to the Ming system, one hundred households constituted a mile, with one head of the head of the li and ten heads of the armor.In addition, each li also has the post of elders in each li. Anyone over 50 years old who is virtuous, knowledgeable, and respected by the public will elect a few old people in each li to be responsible for supervising the local people to work diligently in farming and mulberry, and abide by the "filial piety". Parents, respect the elders, live in peace with the village, teach the children and grandchildren, keep everyone safe, and do not do wrong." The six moral principles.These old people are very powerful, and local officials often invite these old people to resolve various disputes in the local area.

There are hundreds of households in Hulin Village. Although it belongs to the land of Huangzhuang, it still has Lizhang, Jiazhang, and old people. It's just that they don't need to transport grain to the household department, and the eunuch in charge of the village collects grain from the village.The head of the village is called Xu Zhixing, he is considered to be the most well-to-do family in Hulin Village, he is around fifty years old, judging from his conversation, he seems to be someone who has studied for several years.

A group of welcoming people knelt on the ground respectfully and kowtowed to Huang Laifu and others, especially the powerful servants behind Huang Laifu who were full of murderous intentions, which surprised them secretly. Where did such a sturdy soldier come from?Even Xu Zhixing, the head of Hulin Village, was well-informed, but he had never seen such a murderous sergeant in the capital.

Here, Chen Feng swept his eyes, but he didn't see Wu Zhifei, the eunuch of Guanzhuang, welcoming him in the crowd. He couldn't help being furious, and said sharply, "Where did Wu Zhifei go? He didn't come to greet Huang Junmen and our family when he saw Huang Junmen coming." , What a brave man."

Sangong Huangzhuang is located in Yong'an Township, but Wu Zhifei, the eunuch of Guanzhuang, lives in Hulin Village. Usually Wu Zhifei takes the name of the banner school and rushes to and from the villages, triumphantly, but today there is no one. Chen Feng couldn't help but feel that he was losing face.

Originally, Huang Laifu came to Sangong Huangzhuang today for the purpose of surprise attack and inspecting the original appearance, so he did not notify the eunuch in charge of the village when he came to Wanping, but when they arrived at the entrance of the village, they would naturally send a servant to notify them to come to welcome them, and Hu The head of Lin Village and others all came, but the Guanzhuang eunuch Wu Zhifei and others did not come, which must be said to be contempt for Huang Laifu, Chen Feng and others.

Seeing Chen Feng getting angry, the head of Hu Lin village and others were a little panicked. Even those old people who were highly respected in the local area could only stare blankly and be speechless, because local officials in Huangzhuang are not allowed to interfere with the affairs of Huangzhuang, and the system for the elderly is useless here, which is why At this time, Shen Bang, the magistrate of Wanping County, did not follow.For them, Huang Laifu and Chen Feng, as well as the local Guanzhuang eunuch Wu Zhifei and others are people they can't afford to provoke.Big fish fight and small shrimp suffer, so they can only keep silent.

It was Xu Zhixing, the head of Hulin Village, who boldly said: "So that my father-in-law can know that when I saw all the adults coming, I sent someone to invite Eunuch Wu who is in charge of the village, but I heard that Eunuch Wu is ill. If I can’t come to greet you in person, I hope you will forgive me.”

"sick?"

Chen Feng sneered and was about to speak.Huang Laifu said: "Even if Eunuch Wu of Guanzhuang is ill and cannot meet him, then forget it, Eunuch Chen, let's go into the village."

Chen Feng took a breath, that Wu Zhifei is the confidant of Yang Dongfan, the eunuch in charge of the imperial horse supervisor, and Yang Dongfan's status in the imperial horse supervisor is far higher than his own. complexion.At that moment, he held back his breath and followed the head of the village and the others into the village.

Hulin Village has a beautiful scenery, surrounded by flat fields and rivers, but it is a pity that the villagers live in poverty.Watched by the villagers from a distance, they soon came to the residence of Wu Zhifei, the eunuch of Guanzhuang. Their dilapidated houses formed a stark contrast.

In front of the gate of the mansion stood some noble slaves with their chests and belly protruding. They were the family members of Wu Zhifei's house.At this time, the Guanzhuang eunuchs in each Huangzhuang, the banner schools, family members, Zhuangtou, companions, etc. they brought were three or 40 people at every turn. Raising these people was also a huge expenditure for the Guanzhuang eunuchs in normal times.

When everyone came to the door, there were more and more villagers watching around. Everyone whispered and guessed the identities of Huang Laifu and others.Especially the sturdy servants who followed Huang Laifu made everyone cast fearful eyes.Seeing the troops coming from the brigade, the slaves at the gate of the Wu Mansion shouted nervously: "Who are they, why did they trespass on my Wu Mansion?"

This is also the reason why Huang Laifu and others came here in a large group, and the soldiers were strong and strong, so the tone of these tyrants would be lower-key. If it were someone else, with their arrogance, they would have already stepped forward to curse and fight.

Chen Feng was furious, stepped forward and scolded in a sharp voice: "Bold slave, see clearly, our family is the imperial eunuch Chen Fengchen in the palace. The person next to me is Huang Laifu Huang Dazongbing from Shanxi Town , we are ordered by the emperor to come to clean up the land of Huangzhuang everywhere. Where is Wu Zhifei, tell him to come out, neglect the emperor's errand, and pay attention to his head."

"Huang Laifu?"

The slaves were stunned, and all looked at Huang Laifu, obviously they had heard of Huang Laifu's name before.At this moment, a shrill voice suddenly came from the mansion: "Hey, it turned out that Grandpa Chen is here. Our family didn't know it for a while, and we were greeted from afar, and we were greeted from afar."

Then a fat eunuch came out of the door, bowed to Chen Feng with a smile on his face, followed his gaze and looked at Huang Laifu: "This is the Huang Dajun Gate outside Weizhen Great Wall? I have heard the name for a long time, and I can see you today. It's really three lives Fortunately, no respect, no respect."

According to the Ming system, Wu Zhifei and other unqualified Guanzhuang eunuchs should kowtow and salute when they see a senior official like Huang Laifu. Salute to Huang Laifu.

Huang Laifu was too lazy to get to know this kind of person, so he just nodded slightly.However, Chen Feng snorted, and said: "Eunuch Wu is so arrogant. When he saw our family and Huang Junmen coming, he didn't want to come out to greet him. Our family has really seen it today."

Wu Zhifei smiled and said: "It's really that our family is unwell these days, so it's difficult to carry out daily life. It's not intentional neglect. Please don't be offended by the two adults."

That's what he said, but there was no sign of discomfort in his expression.Huang Laifu was not interested in exposing him, Chen Feng snorted, and he was unwilling to force him too openly, after all Wu Zhifei was the confidant of Yang Dongfan, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Supervisor.

At that moment, greeted by Wu Zhifei, Huang Laifu and others entered the house, A Zhi, Gu Dadao and others followed Huang Laifu, and the rest of the family members were stationed beside the mansion.There are also the head of the village and others, who are naturally not qualified to enter the Wu Mansion.All the way in, the mansion is luxurious and there are many male and female servants. Huang Laifu frowned secretly, thinking: "This eunuch Guanzhuang is just a poor eunuch, but he can be so extravagant. It seems that he is a character who can scrape money. No wonder Hulin Village is so poor. .”

Entering the hall, the guests and hosts sat down and offered tea. Wu Zhifei said, "The two adults came to this small place of mine, why do you dare to ask? I also beg the two adults to give you advice."

Chen Feng drank his tea slowly and said: "Huang Junmen guards the frontier with outstanding talents. The Wuzhai Fort and other places under his rule have a bumper harvest of grain and rice every year. Therefore, the emperor invited Huang Junmen to Beijing to let him see Let's see how the Huangzhuang lands in various parts of the capital can be governed. This matter is ordered by the emperor, and I will naturally follow it. They all closely obey the Huang Junmen, so that when the time comes, the Huangzhuang in various places will be effective, and the prison will not only have face, but will also have liking, right?"

"Eunuch Wu, today our family accompanied Huang Junmen to Wanping Huangzhuang. Eunuch Yang means that you should take good care of his old man."

Speaking of which, Chen Feng took out a handwritten letter from his sleeve. There was no other way. The management of the various Huangzhuang was managed by the confidantes of the eunuchs of the Royal Horse Supervisor. Without their handwritten letters, whose account are these people? Don't buy it either.Although Huang Laifu has the will and support of Emperor Wanli, he can use force to forcibly take over the management power, but one is that he does not have so many people in the capital, and the other is that he will definitely fall out with the Imperial Horse Supervisor. is unwilling to do so.He hoped to cooperate well with the Guanzhuang eunuchs everywhere, after all, they have been in charge for many years and are familiar with many situations.

Wu Zhifei took the handwriting and looked at it for a while, then hesitated and said: "The emperor has a decree, and we slaves must follow it. Not to mention the handwriting of a few grand dukes. It's just that I have been waiting in the village for many years. After Shi Huang Junmen takes over, what will happen to my surname Wu? What about the people in our village?"

No wonder Wu Zhifei is worried and unwilling. He has been in Hulin Village and other places for many years. Wu Zhifei embezzled a large amount of property.If Huang Laifu took over the Sangong Huangzhuang, the fate of these people would become the biggest problem, and the source of income would also be lost.

Gu Dadao behind Huang Laifu couldn't help but said: "When our lord was in Beijing, he once told several eunuchs in your prison that our lord was entrusted by the emperor to manage the affairs of the various Huangzhuangs in order to make money for the emperor. It’s not to fight for power with the Imperial Horse Supervisor, nor is it because of your benefits. To be honest, our adults never pay attention to the small amount of silver in Huangzhuang, Gyeonggi every year. Our adults have said that the management of Huangzhuang , is to cooperate with the Yumajian, the original manpower of the various Huangzhuang will remain the same, when the Huangzhuang will benefit, the emperor will be satisfied, and everyone will also benefit. After all, our family's ability to govern in Wuzhaibao and other places is obvious to all. of."

Hearing what Gu Dadao said, Wu Zhifei's expression changed, and he sneered, "What a big tone..."

Looking at Huang Laifu, he realized that his servant was rude. He had something to say, but seeing Huang Laifu's face was calm, and he wanted to say something, Chen Feng interrupted his words: "Okay, the matter has been clarified, Mr. Wu, You hand over the records of Sangong Huangzhuang to Huang Junmen, and talk about the matter properly."

Of course, the Imperial Horse Supervisor has heard about Huang Laifu's ability for a long time. Whether it is the eunuchs among the imperial eunuchs, or Wu Zhifei and Chen Feng, they all know it well. What Gu Dadao said is not pleasant, but it is the truth.Having a fortune is the greatest good thing. Chen Feng didn't want to make more troubles. After Wu Zhifei realized that he would not be kicked out of Hulin Village, he also felt relieved, and immediately took out the file according to his words, and reported the situation of Sangong Huangzhuang one by one. Say it to Huang Laifu.

Wanping Sangonghuangzhuang refers to Ciqing Palace, Cining Palace, and Qingguan Huangzhuang, all of which are in Yong'an Township.Sangonghuangzhuang started from the last years of Zhengde and reached the last years of Jiajing. There were more than 200 hectares of land in Yong'an Township, that is, more than 760 mu of land.According to the documents, there are hundreds of tenant farmers in Sangonghuangzhuang, which are scattered in several villages. The largest tenant village is Hulin Village. Together, Sangonghuangzhuang can levy more than [-] taels of silver every year.

In Huang Laifu's view, this kind of income is really incredible.Looking at it from a distance, Huang Laifu often doesn't understand that the Huangzhuang of the Ming Dynasty is located in the capital of the capital. The terrain is flat, the land is fertile, and irrigation is convenient. It is impossible for the land of 300 million mu to earn less than 10 taels of silver every year.Moreover, the rent of Huangzhuang land is quite heavy, several times heavier than that of civilian land. The rent of many Huangzhuang lands is as high as three dou per mu, so that the tenant farmers complain.

After arriving in Hulin Village, Huang Laifu understood a little bit after reading the current documents and combining some historical materials.It is because of the rampant lawlessness and greed of the eunuchs in Guanzhuang.Just looking at Wu Zhifei, you will know that a mere eunuch with no rank has so many family members and such a luxurious mansion. Where does the money come from? It entered the private pockets of the Guanzhuang eunuchs, and the emperor's income only accounted for a small part.According to historical data, there were no less than one or two people who lost the imperial palaces in various places, and there were more than ten or nine people who got into the pockets privately. It seems to be true.

Moreover, it is said in history that the eunuchs in charge of the village in various places in Huangzhuang acted arbitrarily, arbitrarily, and occupied the farmland near Huangzhuang. They were randomly excavated, the houses were demolished, and they were whipped and beaten after arguing with the officials of the village, not to mention, even the eunuchs of the official school of the village, and those who polluted women and killed people.

This is what Huang Laifu should pay attention to when the time comes, and don't let the results of his own management of Huangzhuang be invaded by various people.

(End of this chapter)