"These are all old people born in the Wanli period, after the life of the four dynasties, you can ask them, what days they lived during the Wanli years, what days did they live during the Apocalypse, what days did they live during the Chongzhen years, and what days are they living now...... As officials, we must be with the people, don't always boast of being superior to others, put on a lofty posture, don't forget, many of you are really the children of peasant families, this is not a shame, but a blessing, because you have experienced the hardships and hardships of life, and you can better understand what is called sweet. A few old people, you can all talk about it, how have the days changed over the years......"

Hearing Cao Bianjiao's inquiry, an old man standing at the front immediately knelt down, and Cao Bianjiao also hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, and instructed the surrounding soldiers to say, "Go, bring a cushion for all the old people." ”

"Yes!" The soldiers also hurriedly went to do it, and they didn't even ask the emperor for instructions.

The cushion was quickly brought, and the old man continued: "During the Wanli period, when I was young, it was okay, and I could eat white rice every day, but in the late Wanli period, it was not good, and the taxes were heavy, saying that it was Liaodong to levy and suppress salaries, but I could also eat enough, and then in the year of the Apocalypse, it was basically the same, but many officials were levied and paid taxes twice a year, saying that it was the meaning of the imperial court, and we didn't know when the common people were the emperor, and when it came to the first emperor, the days were sad, and the taxes paid were more and more, and they were getting heavier and heavier. I know that in the past few years, the imperial court has exempted a lot of harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and life has gradually improved......"

"We are similar, every year when the farm is slack, we go to the big families to do some casual labor, the whole amount of silver to supplement the family, and then the field of their own directly deposited in their name, you can pay less taxes, but you need some rent, after the new policy of the imperial court, the field is back in the hands of their own families, and the taxes are low, and there is no need to do that anymore......"

One by one, the old men stood up and spoke about themselves.

"Everyone, have heard it, the new deal is to bring benefits to the people, the imperial court's taxes have been stipulated, the number is determined, there are not so many harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, of course, in this way, the people are benefited, but some people can't sit still, because the expenses of the imperial court need money, spread to their heads, who are these people, the rich gentry in Jiangnan, they didn't need to pay taxes before, now not only the fields have to pay taxes, even the workshops have to pay taxes, they feel that the court is exploiting them, I just want to ask everyone present, Why don't you need to pay taxes on your family's fields, just because you serve in the imperial court, do you have privileges, who gave you your privileges, is it the Confucian sage, Mencius, Lao Tzu or who are you talking about, as far as I know, in order to benefit the people, Confucius also punished the powerful Sanhuan and deprived them of their privileges, is it Mencius who taught you, didn't Mencius say that the people are important, why, you have forgotten it? ”

"Today, the emperor and I are here to meet you, just to swear to everyone, change the law to be strong, never give up, if anyone can't be an official of my Ming Dynasty, you can sue the old man and return to his hometown, as long as you don't go to be a lackey of the Qing court, don't violate the laws of my Ming Dynasty, you can do whatever you want, you don't want to do it, if you want to share your worries for the emperor, for the court, and for the people, then do it well, don't disobey the yang, otherwise the emperor will not forgive, and the laws of the Ming Dynasty will not forgive, especially those who embezzle and accept bribes, If you don't want to taste it, take care of your own hands, don't collect a penny, don't take a cabbage indiscriminately, but you don't know that small greed becomes huge greed, it's all like this, step by step......"

"What the general said, is also what I said, as a minister of the Ming Dynasty, you must fulfill your duties, the court has increased your income, enough for you to support your family, if you want to be corrupt, you must be prepared to kill your head and steal your family, if you don't want your wife and children to become cheap slaves, then don't do things that violate the law and discipline!" Zhu Cijiong also followed Cao Bianjiao's words.

"The ministers should remember the general's teachings and obey the emperor's edict!"

"Good! From now on, after you go back, correct your heart, do practical things, do good things, don't be evil, as long as you remember the lessons of the past, you will not become a moth in my Ming Dynasty. ”

"General, let's leave it like this for the time being, let everyone go back to work, it's not too early, it's better to go back for the holidays after finishing things, I also have something to discuss with the general."

"Obey the order!" Cao Bianjiao also gave up, and then announced the dismissal of the meeting, and everyone slowly retreated, all of them were under great pressure, and Cao Bianjiao also clearly warned that if anyone commits a crime in the future, he will kill himself and will not get anyone's sympathy.

Back in the Wuying Palace, several members of the cabinet were also present.

"I have something to ask the general to worry about, this is also what the two concubines mean, that is, the marriage of my imperial sister, the imperial sister is now eighteen years old, and when she is at the age of marriage, she really can't delay it any longer, the concubine asks me to start handling this matter as soon as possible, and I don't know what to do, so I still need the general and the secretary to discuss it together."

"Your Majesty, in fact, at the end of last year, the minister discussed this matter with the rest of you, and also left a silver dollar for the princess to prepare a dowry, a total of 3,000 yuan, as well as 600 pieces of brocade, 100 pieces of pearl coral, the ministers and others have also discussed before, but they have not yet decided, and today it is just decided."

"Then the general said, who are you going to choose as the concubine for the imperial sister?"

Cao Bianjiao also gave Zhang Shenyan a color, and Zhang Shenyan also stepped forward and replied: "After the ministers discussed, they felt that the princess was a royal noble, although she had a broken arm, but she still couldn't surrender her identity if she chose a horse, and she should choose someone with both talent and morality!" The ministers have drawn up several candidates, one is Huang Yuanyao, the younger brother of Huang Chunyao, the Shaoqing of the Nanyang Economic and Trade Department, who is employed by his brother Huang Chunyao, and has all the gist of what his brother said. The second is the Hanlin Academy editor Wang Xiyan, at the age of seventeen, when the Qing army went south, Nanjing fell, he committed suicide by throwing himself into the river to show his loyalty to the dynasty, after being rescued, he went on a hunger strike for seven days, and then although his parents were strong and returned to eating, he entered the Hanlin Academy in the annual examination, and his talents and virtues were all good; The third is Wu Jiang's Pan Tazhang, who is 20 years old, that is, he runs through a hundred schools, from astronomy to geography, all of which are well understood. He especially loves historiography, pays attention to the collection and sorting of township documents and township sages, and now compiles the book "Songling Literature", which is a ...... of Junjie at that time"

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that it is better to recruit them into the palace first, thinking that the emperor will preach the scriptures, and let the princess choose by herself when the time comes, I don't know what the emperor wants?" Cao Bianjiao also proposed at the moment.

Zhu Cijiong also bowed slightly, and praised: "The general is very good at this law, so let's act like this, Zhang Gelao, this matter is presided over by you, and the general wants to take care of military and political affairs, so you will have to worry about these things." ”

"Your Ministers obey!" At present, Cao Bianjiao and others have no objections.