Chaos of Ming 1628

Sun Chengzong will eventually be put to use, but that day will be a tragedy for him.

That's a story for another time.

What Sun Qing needs to do now is to get the "iron rice bowl" plan implemented as soon as possible.

Emperor Chongzhen reigned for seventeen years, after which the Ming Dynasty collapsed. Seventeen years sounds like a long time, but Sun Qing used that time to go from having nothing to a position that no one could violate.

Emperor Chongzhen could not, nor could Emperor Taizong.

The communal cooking technique was implemented on its first day.

After working day and night to complete the construction, the resettlement houses and public granary have been successfully built in Hexitan.

Sun Qing sat in the yamen, looking at Shen Junru across from him, and sighed softly.

She handed a visiting card to Sun Qing: "Why is Miss Yang back again? Mr. Song said she's someone we can't afford to offend, and also someone despicable. Why does she insist on seeing you?"

Sun Qing's expression was somewhat complicated as she looked at the person in front of her.

At this moment, besides Sun Qing, Wang Da and Wang Er were also following behind her.

These two men have been by Shen Junru's side ever since she returned, remaining loyal to her.

"I heard that Miss Yang personally escorted Young Master Sun back," Wang Er muttered under his breath. "Who knows, maybe on the way, the two of them..."

Wang Er's expression was ambiguous, and Sun Qing instantly understood the meaning behind his words, only wanting to refute them.

But when he thought of Shen Junru's simple-minded thinking, he gave a self-deprecating laugh and gave up immediately.

As expected, Shen Junru reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, finally managing to stammer, "So, you really have been corrupted by her. You've become a villain just like her?"

Helpless, Sun Qing opened the visiting card and smiled bitterly: "In short, I had no choice."

The sign read, "Invitation to Sun Qing to gather at Zuixianlou tonight."

Just as he was about to examine it carefully, someone from the yamen rushed in, his face serious: "Sir, something terrible has happened! There's been an accident on the mudflats west of the river."

The mudflats west of the river.

At noon, the gates of the newly built public warehouse were packed with people.

Dozens of well-dressed gentry, village elders, and landlords, accompanied by a large number of servants, stood there menacingly.

Upon seeing Sun Qing arrive, they left the servants guarding the entrance to the public granary and rushed over, surrounding Sun Qing directly.

"Lord Sun, what you're doing is tantamount to political chaos!"

"Land has always been privately owned, and tenancy has always belonged to the gentry. Those who cultivate the land themselves are rewarded, while those who are lazy starve—this is the way of nature, a rule that has lasted for millennia, and no one can break it!"

"Even the Emperor Gaozu never wavered in this rule."

"You are now forcibly consolidating public property and talking about fairness and equality. You want to distribute food, clothing, housing and transportation equally. It's ridiculous."

"This is clearly a way to seize the property of the gentry and use it to support a bunch of useless lazybones and a bunch of ignorant people who only know how to eat and not how to work."

They were arrogant and their tone was agitated. If the person in front of them hadn't now been officially appointed county magistrate and had the protection of yamen runners behind him, they probably would have already attacked Sun Qing.

Sun Qing remained indifferent; this scene was entirely within his expectations.

The core conflict lies in the desire for a communal meal, and this group will inevitably become the irreconcilable adversaries in this plan.

The most fatal flaw of the communal dining system, and what angered the gentry the most, wasn't the distribution of grain, but rather the complete shattering of the gentry's control over the lower classes.

In the past, ordinary people relied on the gentry for farming, survival, borrowing grain, and litigation. The lower classes were their appendages for generations.

Once Sun Qing's plan is implemented and public granaries are established, the people will have a way to make a living. They will no longer need the gentry, nor will they be at the mercy of them.

In the eyes of the gentry, Sun Qing was not practicing benevolent governance at all. Instead, he directly cut off their livelihoods, stripped them of their social standing, and overthrew the rule of local officials.

Meng Zhaoxiang, who was in charge of the matter, had rushed over. Upon seeing the situation, he frowned again and immediately stepped forward.

He roared, "Have you rebelled? This is the magistrate of Jiahe County! How dare you surround him?"

"Aren't you afraid of getting imprisoned!"

Just as Meng Zhaoxiang was about to use the laws of the Ming Dynasty to intimidate them, the group glared at him with even more hatred.

I am furious:

"Mr. Meng, we are in the same position. Now that you have attached yourself to him, you have escaped danger, but you are driving us into a corner."

Meng Zhaoxiang paused, then softened his tone, saying, "This is for the good of the Ming Dynasty, young master."

"Don't worry, I will not seek special treatment. I will be the same as you."

To everyone's surprise, these words didn't bring any relief; instead, they fueled the anger: "Old Meng, what are you doing?!"

"We enjoy our current life thanks to generations of hard work, thrift, education, and managing our households. Why should we be divided among those lowly and ignorant people?"

"Yes! And those old, weak, sick, and disabled—they're just burdens abandoned by God; they should fend for themselves. Why should they waste our money and resources?"

"Young master did this so that every person in Jiaohe would have clothes to wear and food to eat!" Meng Zhaoxiang continued to argue.

The other party became even more agitated: "Nonsense! This is utterly corrupting social order and morals, violating the rules of hierarchy and etiquette. This is a scourge on local officials, tantamount to rebellion!"

The other party was quite agitated.

Sun Qing's tone remained calm, but every word he uttered was quite certain: "My mind is made up, and there is absolutely no room for negotiation."

"My friends, I leave you with only one choice: obey!"

Sun Qing's attitude was firm.

This attitude only fuels people's anger.

An elderly man, supported by others, walked to the front.

Upon seeing this person, even Meng Zhaoxiang's expression changed, and he greeted him politely, "Old Qin, how did we manage to disturb you?"

The man was over seventy years old, with white hair and eyebrows, and walked with a trembling gait. His eyes, however, were exceptionally sharp, and he glared at Meng Zhaoxiang.

"If I don't intervene, I'm afraid I won't even be able to keep my small plot of land."

Meng Zhaoxiang didn't dare to utter a sound, only keeping his head down.

Upon seeing this, Sun Qing asked, "Who is this?"

Meng Zhaoxiang tugged at Sun Qing's arm and whispered, "Young master, don't provoke him. He's a true member of the imperial family, someone who can influence everything that happens in Jiahe County and get close to the Emperor."

In other words, he was the backbone of this group of gentry.

Sun Qing looked at the man in front of her and smiled, "Sir, the weather is getting colder. You should go back first and not stay outside."

"You don't need to worry about things in Jiahe County."

Although the fear of helping the elderly cross the road is deeply ingrained in the minds of Sun Qing's generation, he still won't back down an inch when faced with conflict.

Old Qin was taken aback at first, then, leaning on his cane, his beard trembled with anger: "You arrogant brat, no one has ever dared to speak to me like that before!"

"Oh," Sun Qing responded casually, "We have it now."

"Please leave!"

Sun Qing showed no mercy and directly ordered them to leave.

Old Qin pounded his cane on the ground in a fit of rage, shouting, "Well, well, you!"

"I don't want to talk to you. In short, if you don't abandon this chaotic law today, we will unite all the gentry in the county and report this matter to the Emperor!"