Zhang Zhaohua decided to inquire about the people's situation in Bianli Village, and waited until the people in the village were dispersed, and then asked Zhao Laohan, who sighed, to spend the night for a night, Zhao Laohan's house was not far away next to Zhao Guangsheng's house, Zhao Laohan saw that Zhang Zhaohua was willing to give a hundred copper coins, so he was naturally very happy, and welcomed them into the house, while asking his daughter-in-law to boil water and cook, and on the other hand, he asked to make beds and fold quilts, and sprinkle and sweep the house for the guests.

"Uncle, don't be busy first," Zhang Zhaohua took a sip of tea and said, "Tell me about the situation in the village, when I came, I saw a cotton field at the head of the village, but it didn't seem to be taken care of." ”

Zhang Zhaohua's identity is the wife of a merchant who came back from the capital to visit relatives, although she is dressed ordinarily, but her appearance is neat and tidy, and the utensils are exquisite, because she is not used to drinking bitter tea in the township, she brewed a pot of fragrant tea by herself - Zhao Laohan took a sip of flattered with a white porcelain cup, and immediately praised it, feeling that this tea must be expensive, but he didn't know that the tea cup in his hand should be more expensive, it was something from the kiln.

When Zhang Zhaohua was a child, Zhang's family divided five acres of land to plant cotton and hemp, she often picked cotton and spun yarn with Wang's to weave cotton cloth, and her memory is still fresh, so she knows the origin when she sees the cotton field, but these cotton fields are almost all barren.

"It's the government that gives us a good job," Zhao Laohan sighed: "But I was circled by the grain chief, saying that if we pick cotton, we will have to pay money." ”

"Your own cotton field," Zhang Zhaohua said incredulously: "What kind of money do you call the grain chief?"

"The land belongs to us, but the cotton seeds are borrowed," Zhao Laohan said: "The cotton seeds in our area are given by the grain chief, and we returned the cotton the next year, but people don't want it, we think he is accumulating virtue and doing good, but then he has to collect cotton seed tax, which is not a few catties of cotton can be sent, as long as you go in to serve the cotton, then you have to pay the money, where can we afford it?"

"It's really tyrannical and lawless," Zhang Zhaohua said angrily: "Are you just going to let it be bullied?"

Before the implementation of the grain chief system, the land tax was directly collected by the state and county officials, and the grain payer had to "go to the state and county to pay it in person". This has led to many problems, such as the "encroachment of fishing" by officials and the "collection" of land endowments. Therefore, Emperor Gao set up a grain chief system in the fourth year of Hongwu, so that the grain chief collected and paid grain, and the grain chief took a place "with more land" as the grain chief to supervise the taxes of his township, and the emperor felt that "the good people govern the good people with this, and there will be no danger of encroaching on fishing", and compared with the embezzlement of the officials, the villagers also feel that although the grain chief also embezzles and embezzles, but everyone is a villager in the township, and will not force people to death, but in fact, the embezzlement of the grain chief to the township has gradually become more than that of the officials.

"How dare we go against the grain chief?" Zhao Laohan's son said while holding the bowl: "The son of the grain chief's family went to the Guozijian with filial piety, and the grain chief himself is the master of Zhizhou in our place. ”

The grain chief is the governor of the state, which Zhang Zhaohua is not surprised at all. Because the grain chief is of great significance to the collection of taxes, and the policy of Emperor Gaozu is to prevent and suppress the huge rich landlords, and to win over the ordinary landlords, that is, the grain chief, who has more land in one place, before the autumn grain is levied every year, the grain chief must "go to Beijing to listen to the proclamation". And "lose in time", that is, it is delivered on time, and the emperor often summons it in person and rewards the road fee. Even during the summons, if he felt that the grain chief had some talent, he would immediately order him to be an official, and there were many cases of the grain chief being promoted to a member of the imperial court. There are those who are specially authorized to serve as senators, there are those who are directly promoted from the Ministry of Rites in white clothes, and there are even more who are the prefects of counties and prefectures.

The identity of the grain chief should bring more benefits than the identity of Zhizhou, which is why the grain chief surnamed Huang became an official like Zhizhou, and he continued to do his great job of collecting grain, but he added a few more deputy grain chiefs and several officials to help him collect grain.

"The grain chief is not for the benefit of the people, but for the people," Zhang Zhaohua said: "The original intention of Emperor Gao to set up the grain chief back then will be in vain." ”

Grain chiefs like Zhang Gengwang are becoming less and less, and they are gradually beginning to accumulate wealth, and the various preferential treatment given by the imperial court has undoubtedly become an excellent political capital for grain chiefs, and the so-called "official gentry class" has appeared.

"Wow, ah-" A female doll's cry interrupted the conversation between Zhang Zhaohua and Zhao Laohan, Zhang Zhaohua raised his eyes and saw that there was a five or six-year-old female doll squatting in the corner of the house, looking jade and cute, this Zhao Laohan's family is a little yellow and thin, but only this female doll seems to be round and fat, and it seems that she has never been hungry.

This is Zhao Guangsheng's daughter, who was hugged back by Zhao Laohan, and as soon as she started crying, Zhao Laohan's mother-in-law hugged her and coaxed her. Seeing this, Zhao Laohan sighed again, and his brows were even more furrowed.

"I should have told Guangsheng earlier," Zhao Laohan said: "Let him bring the child to the Han family, or be ruthless, and simply give it to the Han family, otherwise the lieutenant will definitely not let her go, and he will not be willing to give up if he is ruined." ”

Zhang Zhaohua heard it strangely, what kind of grudge did the chief have with this female doll, could it be that this persecution was not for Zhao Guangsheng, but on this female doll - after asking like this, he listened to Zhao Laohan and said: "The old man said that it was terrifying, the grain chief used to sell gold, silver, and cloth at a discount, fattening his pocket, and now he wants to sell his children at a discount and do things that are unreasonable!"

According to him, the chief of grain now openly declares that if a grain household cannot afford to pay the grain, he can sell his children to him at a discount, and the price of the sale is also marked, and it is said that the son is worth ten stones, and there is also a division of age and age, saying that the younger the better.

"There are already people in the neighboring counties who have sold it," Zhao Laohan said: "The Yellow River bursts its banks every year, if the fields are unfortunately flooded, and the government has not exempted them this year, then there is no way but to sell their sons and daughters, and they are not allowed to go back on signing the deed, and they are not allowed to inquire where they were sold." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a figure hurriedly coming in from outside, and knelt in front of Zhao Laohan regardless of thirty-seven twenty-one: "Uncle, you take care of the family, I really have no choice, I can only go out and avoid it!"

Zhao Laohan's hands trembled: "You, you have thought about it, don't you want a family, you still have an old lady, and a child!"

"I'll come back!" Zhao Guangsheng choked up and said: "I'll come back, but now, if I don't leave, I'll die!" The lieutenant chief has already sued me to the county office, saying that I refuse to hand over grain, that I am a recalcitrant citizen, and that I will be arrested and put in prison!"

The Yellow River is a natural disaster, the grain chief's urging is a man-made disaster, and the people are extremely poor and unbearable. In order to survive, he could only be forced to leave his hometown and flee to the mountains and Daze to find a place to live. Zhao Guangsheng's choice is to be an outcast.

"Your name is Zhao Guangsheng?" Zhao Guangsheng heard a pleasant voice: "Who gave this name?"

"Then who else can afford it," Zhao Laohan said: "It must be his father, I and his father are cousins, and now we are in the old Zhao family, there are only these few people left!"

"Your name is good," Zhang Zhaohua said: "There are two people's names in it, one is called Chen Sheng, and the other is Wu Guang. ”