Chaos of Ming 1628

In the backyard, Meng Zhaoxiang and Su Jiuda had been waiting for a long time.

The crowd was so enthusiastic that cheers erupted outside, with everyone praising Sun Qing.

After much effort, the crowd was calmed down and dispersed so that everyone could go about their own business.

Upon reaching the back, one sees Meng Zhaoxiang kneeling on the cold ground in the courtyard, dressed only in white without an overcoat.

The wind carried a chill, making people shiver.

"Mr. Meng, what are you doing?" Sun Qing hurriedly stepped forward and, seeing that he was dressed in thin clothes and carrying a thorny vine on his back, quickly helped him up.

Su Jiuda also looked anxious: "I have been trying to persuade him for a long time, but Mr. Meng just won't get up."

Meng Zhaoxiang's head hung low, kneeling there so that only his full head of white hair could be seen. He refused to get up, only shaking his head, full of shame: "This old man is muddle-headed and blind. Last night I actually scolded you so harshly, young master."

"I didn't sleep a wink all night, nor did I help the young master in court." Mentioning this, Meng Zhaoxiang's eyes showed even more shame: "I hate myself for misjudging people."

"I hate myself even more for questioning the young master's decision!"

Su hesitated, then gently comforted him, "Old Meng, who can live without making mistakes?"

"You're just letting your concern cloud your judgment."

"No!" Meng Zhaoxiang's eyes were firm: "I have already sworn to follow you, young master. But to question you because of differing views is simply unforgivable."

"Please, young master, whip me with a rattan cane so that I may atone for my sins and have the face to continue following you."

"Get up!" Sun Qing said softly, "I care more about orders being obeyed. If you can't do that, don't talk about following me in the future."

These words were spoken gently, yet they left no room for refusal.

Su panicked and hurriedly called out, "Old Meng, what are you standing there for? Get up quickly!"

"Yes, yes." Meng Zhaoxiang didn't dare to delay and hurriedly stood up, his eyes filled with undisguised panic. He stood obediently to the side, waiting for Sun Qing's instructions.

To be honest, Sun Qing was very satisfied with this reaction.

After nodding slightly, he continued, "Time is of the essence, so first tell me how much the fine we just received was? And how's the project going?"

After spending this time together, Su completely caught up with Sun Qing's pace.

Preparations had been made long before his return.

When asked, he replied, "With a large number of laborers, the silver shortage is more than covered. Currently, with so many people, the project can even be completed ahead of schedule."

"Furthermore, the fine, according to the records, amounted to ten thousand taels. That's a considerable sum."

"In our Jiahe County, the fixed main tax revenue is only 8982 taels."

County magistrates throughout the ages have all complained of poverty, with the imperial court refusing to approve funds and individuals unable to afford them, leading to a growing number of people going hungry.

"So, if you want to get more money quickly, you still have to start with the merchants," Sun Qing said matter-of-factly.

"Mr. Su," Sun Qing bowed deeply to Sun Jiu, "I still need to trouble you to exchange this silver for grain, cotton, and cloth as soon as possible."

Su didn't ask for the reason and immediately nodded in agreement.

Meng Zhaoxiang looked at Sun Qing with anticipation.

"Mr. Meng," Sun Qing said without ceremony, "please spread some word as soon as possible tomorrow."

"I will definitely do it," Meng Zhaoxiang agreed without even hearing what it was about.

Sun Qing gave a wry smile before saying, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to tell the people outside that as long as enough money is given, the time for corvée labor can be reduced."

"If there is no silver, firewood, rice, oil, salt, cloth, and cotton can all be exchanged for the same price."

Meng Zhaoxiang's face instantly turned a deep shade of liver. He was a man of integrity; how could he do such a thing?

This was completely contrary to all his thoughts and principles, yet the person before him was Sun Qing! A man who could truly save the people and punish the eunuch faction!

"Yes!" After a moment of internal struggle, Meng Zhaoxiang agreed without hesitation.

The north wind grows colder day by day, and the frost is biting cold in the mornings and evenings.

Even with the money in hand, Sun Qing couldn't possibly hold court every day.

For similar matters, it's best to leave them all to Meng Zhaoxiang. After all, Meng Zhaoxiang is more familiar with criminal law than I am.

With nothing else to do, Sun Qing changed into casual clothes and walked down the street.

One carriage after another rushed to the county government office, fully loaded with not only various grains, but also cloth and cotton.

Sun Qing's guess was correct. How could those rich people endure the hardship of corvée labor? They were probably urging their families to come up with a solution all the time.

Some people were eager to empty their warehouses and send the money to Sun Qing, while others refused to give a single penny.

Sun Qing walked ahead, completely unaware that someone had been following him.

Before he knew it, he had walked out onto the main street. As he walked towards Botou, the sight of passersby made Sun Qing feel truly heartbroken.

The world was filled with busy figures, working from dawn till dusk every day. From spring planting to autumn harvest, they dared not slack off for a moment, and in the end, they didn't even have a complete set of clothes to wear.

The land is inherently barren, and with years of cold and little rain, the autumn harvest is less than half of what it used to be.

With an annual fixed tax quota of 20,000 taels of silver, plus the burden of military pay from Liaodong, Jiaohe County simply couldn't raise the money, so they resorted to exploiting the people, making it impossible for them to survive.

Sun Qing felt uneasy.

Those who recognized Sun Qing, who was so exhausted he could barely stand, cheered, "Lord Sun! It's Lord Sun!"

Amidst cheers, people spontaneously stopped what they were doing and bowed to Sun Qing in celebration.

Although Sun Qing didn't go so far as to wear a cotton-padded coat, she was still wrapped up tightly in three layers. Even so, the September wind felt like ice water soaking her body, making her shrink back in the cold.

In contrast, the children sitting on the edge of the field were barely clothed and huddled in the hay, crying from the cold.

Traveling on official roads is already a source of hardship for ordinary people. But now, walking on country lanes is like entering a living hell, where every way of life feels like torture.

As they walked, Sun Qing suddenly understood.

Why would a great man propose the "iron rice bowl" system? It was a helpless move forced by circumstances!

The rich are too rich, and the poor are too poor. If we want everyone to have enough to eat, we have to put everything together and start all over again.

Only by becoming a bad person in the eyes of bad people can you save more people.

Sun Qing gave a wry smile and prepared to cross the path towards the Hexi mudflats. He wanted to see the current progress of the Hexi mudflats.

We had just passed through the dense jungle and were about to walk along the path.

The surrounding area became increasingly deserted, and the sound of footsteps behind them grew clearer.

"Who?" Sun Qing realized something was wrong and turned around abruptly.

The people behind them no longer tried to hide their presence; one tall and one short, their faces were fierce, each holding a knife and their eyes were sharp.

Before speaking, he had already drawn his broadsword and gradually surrounded Sun Qing.

Sun Qing sighed inwardly, realizing the situation was bad.

He's just a professor; he can fight back with words, but when it comes to physical combat, he'd have a hard time escaping.

"Who are you?" Sun Qing preemptively asked, "Do you know what crime it is to murder a high-ranking official?"

"You corrupt official, stop talking nonsense!" the tall man roared.

The short man immediately started cursing: "I've seen countless people, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone so greedy. They forced people to empty their granaries twice, and still couldn't save them."

"Taking money from others to act as a righteous man," the tall man roared again.

The short man nodded in agreement: "Someone paid to kill you, so don't blame us for being ruthless. Someone like you, our knives aren't sharp enough, but if we kill you, you'll suffer."

The two exchanged a glance, then without further ado, charged toward Sun Qing.

Sun Qing exclaimed in alarm. Despite their strange appearance, these two were incredibly fast, rushing towards them from the left and right, leaving no time for anyone to react.

They don't even give people a chance to reason with them.

Sun Qing turned and ran, but felt a chill on the back of his neck; the knife was already at his collar...