amaotonovel Chapter 1203 Damn Hu Yuan, he wasn't even living like a human being back then.
Chapter 1203 Damn Hu Yuan, he wasn't even living like a human being back then.
Liu Zhong chuckled twice and said, "In the entire Xiaoliuzhuang village, my family is the only one left with the surname Liu. The rest are gone."
Emperor Zhu was stunned for a moment, then asked, "That's it?"
Liu Zhong raised his voice and said, "That's all."
"As early as the fifteenth year of the Zhizheng era, Master Liu of Xiaoliuzhuang fled with his entire family. Now, the people in Xiaoliuzhuang are mostly surnamed Yu, Wu, Zhang, Li, and Han. My family is the only one with the surname Liu, and that's because we changed our surname later."
"As for what you asked about vigilante justice, brother..."
Liu Zhong curled his lip again and said, "When that Master Liu was still alive, private punishment was quite common. Moreover, his private punishment was not just Liu family's private punishment, but was aimed at all the people in Xiaoliu Village. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Master Liu was a local tyrant."
"After Master Liu left, there were no wealthy families among the remaining surnames. Although those with the surname Yu banded together and those with the surname Li formed their own groups, there were no clan leaders or elders, so the practice of private punishments naturally ceased."
"Furthermore, although I, Liu Zhong, am lame and have retired from the army, the higher authorities and the court do not allow any private punishments based on clan rules or patriarchal laws. As a member of the Imperial Guard, I, Liu Zhong, naturally have to keep an eye on them for the higher authorities. Anyone who dares to mention clan rules or patriarchal laws in front of me, Liu Zhong, I will slap them twice across the face!"
"Damn it, why not just enjoy a good life instead of bringing up clan rules and traditions? They're just asking for a beating!"
Seeing Liu Zhong's arrogant expression, Emperor Zhu was momentarily at a loss for words.
Just as Emperor Zhu was in a daze, Liu Zhong glanced at the hourglass on the table, then walked to the door of the room, grabbed a rope and shook it, and a series of clanging bells rang out at the door.
Seeing the Emperor Zhu's curious expression, Liu Zhong explained, "It's time for get out of class to end."
“Each class in the community school lasts for 45 minutes, with a 15-minute break between classes for the teachers and students.”
"The bell is a reminder to teachers and children whether it's time for class or time to leave."
"Of course, not all teachers leave on time."
"The main problem is that some of the kids are really naughty and don't behave in class, so the teacher usually scolds them a few times after class."
At this point, Liu Zhong couldn't help but click his tongue and say, "Life is so much better now. Adults can eat their fill and stay warm, and children can go to school."
“Look at Hu Yuan back then, damn it, he didn’t even live like a human being.”
"Otherwise, people now offer portraits of high-ranking officials, but no one used to offer iron pots..."
Liu Zhong's body stiffened inexplicably, then he slowly turned around to look at Emperor Zhu, unconsciously licking his lips, swallowing, and stammering, "Old...old brother...you...you...you look just like the Emperor!"
Emperor Zhu curled his lip and said, "Alright, alright, since you recognize it, then you recognize it."
Liu Zhong suddenly knelt down with a thud, looking at Emperor Zhu with teary eyes, and cried out, "This humble servant Liu Zhong pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhu stood up, walked to Liu Zhong, grabbed him, and said, "Why are you kneeling? We've said it before, we don't need to perform such a grand ceremony when we're not offering sacrifices to Heaven or our ancestors."
Liu Zhong's lips moved, but he unconsciously reached up to wipe the corner of his eye and said, "This subordinate is, is, is..."
Seeing that Liu Zhong had been arguing for a long time without getting anything out of it, Emperor Zhu simply pointed to the stool next to him and said, "Sit down first, and we'll talk about it slowly later."
"Now that we've come to Xiaoliuzhuang, we should stay for a couple of days and have a good chat with the villagers."
"These next two days, you'll have to guide us and also help us conceal our identities."
……
Emperor Zhu was a man of great initiative.
After spending only two or three days in Xiaoliuzhuang, Emperor Zhu wrote an "Investigation Report" based on his own understanding and had it sent back to the capital by fast horse.
According to Emperor Zhu, he would visit more villages and write more "investigation reports." When he had visited enough villages and seen enough places, he would organize all his observations and write a complete "investigation report."
Yang Shaofeng looked at the letter in his hand, clicked his tongue, and said, "Has Your Highness figured anything out?"
Black Sesame Dumpling nodded and said, "Whether it's Mongolians or Han Chinese, officials and gentry always stick together, while the common people at the bottom can only struggle to make ends meet. It has nothing to do with Han or Mongolians, but with class differences."
"This proves that my brother-in-law's previous statement that 'the interests of the emperor and the people are aligned, as are the interests of officials, gentry, and merchants' is very reasonable."
At this point, Heizhi Tangyuan pointed to the letter in Yang Shaofeng's hand and said, "The problem now is that my father said in the letter that working pays more than farming. If this continues, it will be easy for new landlords to emerge."
"Perhaps they don't own as much land as the landlords of the past."
"But they have more money, which means they can store more food, buy more books, enjoy better food and clothing, and have a stronger ability to resist natural disasters such as droughts and floods."
"In other words, they had more opportunities than ordinary people who only engaged in farming, and their descendants were more likely to enter officialdom."
"Moreover, this problem is unavoidable and there is no way to solve it."
Yang Shaofeng smiled and shook his head, saying, "This problem was never meant to be solved."
"As I said before, the interests of the emperor and the people are aligned, but the farmers want to work and earn money, the people who earn money want to become officials, and the officials want to become dukes and marquises."
"As the saying goes, people strive to rise higher and water flows downhill. The desire to earn more and enjoy more is inevitable."
"What Your Highness needs to do is to establish a mechanism that can guarantee social mobility and provide a minimum safety net."
"Social mobility means giving people at the bottom of society the opportunity to rise up, just like the imperial examination system and many schools today."
"In this way, powerful clans will not easily emerge."
Black Sesame Dumpling nodded and said, "It's unlikely that a Huang Chao would easily emerge, with his 'Imperial Treasury burned to ashes and the bones of officials trampled on the streets.'"
Yang Shaofeng nodded and continued, "The minimum safety net mechanism is the Huimin Pharmacy, the Almshouse, the Louzeyuan, the Ever-Normal Granary, the Reserve Granary, the Charity Granary, and the Agricultural Granary that my father-in-law has been promoting. These are all part of the safety net mechanism."
Black sesame glutinous rice ball nodded again, and a rare look of serious thought appeared on its face.