Beijing is freezing cold, as the saying goes: , La Qi'er, La Ba'er, freezing to death jackdaw: Laba'er, Lajiu'er, freezing puppies: La Jiu'er, La Shi'er, freezing to death villain. , Except for Nai Dong and Mei Huā, there may be no fresh huā who can withstand this severe cold. However, the peak period of the year when huā is used is the period from the beginning of winter to the New Year, and the sales volume in the rest of the seasons is not large.

&nbā farmer, every family has built, huā dongzi,...... Although it is simpler than the conservatory in the farmhouse on the outskirts of Beijing, the principle is the same. In the harsh winter season, the weather is cold outside, and the huā cave is warm like spring, and the fresh huā is still cultivated. Although it is a cold winter, the varieties of those fresh huā are more colorful than those in spring, summer and autumn.

&nbā dealers, there are also those who pick them out to sell. On such a cold day, the delicate fresh huā can't be frozen for a long time, because the huā they pick are all specially made...... At each end of the flat pole is a cylindrical wattle basket, the inner wall of the basket is pasted with two layers of Korean paper, and there is a small charcoal stove at the bottom of the basket, and the basket mouth is covered with a dome-shaped basket lid...... which is simple but tight and warm, enough to protect the fresh huā in this kind of dripping and icy weather, it can still be delicate.

&nbā is all collected in a basket, and only at noon like today's warm day will it be put out to solicit business. The two of them were not in a hurry to start, so they took a leisurely walk and admired the fresh huā, and at the same time looked for a target for talking. The interview should also choose the right person, if you encounter a gourd that asks ten words and says one sentence, it can make you depressed to death.

In the end, the two of them chose a stall in the corner, and seemed to be a very talkative man, so they lingered in front of his stall.

&nbā There are few people in the market and there are few trades, so as soon as the man saw that there were customers, he immediately greeted him courteously and said: "The two masters are really good eyes, and the peony of our Zhao family building is a must!" At first glance, the two masters are either rich or expensive, and they will move a few pots back to ensure that you are rich and rich all year round. "Sure enough, it's a mouth.

&nbā also has a signboard? Gao Gong asked with a smile.

"Of course." The man said with a smile: "Each village has its own specialty, only the peony of our Zhaojialou can control the opening of the ...... during the Spring Festival" said and pointed to the stall on the left and said: "The Huangyueji of their Fanjia Village, huā has a good early shape and strong fragrance, and the technique is overwhelming," and pointed to the right side: "The magnolia planted in their Panjia Temple, except for Guangzhou at this time, they are the only one." When the magnolia huā opens, a pick and insert huā fifty or sixty catties, each catty costs three taels of silver. ”

"So expensive?" Gao Gong couldn't help but gasp.

&nbā is still on the tree and it's all booked, you have to be one step late, and you don't have a place to buy it. ”

&nbā said: "Then you are not at home for the New Year, so you came out to practice the stall so early?" ”

"What do you earn?" The man surnamed Pan said with a bitter face: "I have to lose money inside......" Gao Gong waited for him to continue, but the man stopped talking, obviously a gourd. The people on the side are not easy to talk about his family's affairs, and they all keep their mouths shut.

&nbā。 ”

The three stall owners all came to the spirit at once, rushed to open it and asked him to come forward to take a closer look, and the silent family walked by, "Whichever basket you go to, which stall owner will lift the lid of the basket." As soon as the lid of the basket was opened, I felt a hot breath of charcoal fire on my face, warm and dry; The heat is blended with the rich huā fragrance, which refreshes the heart and spleen, and penetrates into the sleeves. Looking down at the basket, there are peonies, plums, peaches, ruixiang, begonias, pomegranates...... and other strange and exotic grasses "green branches and green leaves, purple and red" are dazzling and refreshing. Shen Mo is a person who really likes huā, and he couldn't help nodding again and again: "Not bad, not bad." ”

&nbā, we can wrap round. ”

&nbā is expensive and cheap, but on average, a catty can get seven or eight dollars of silver, and if you want to wrap a round, you will get at least one hundred taels.

After finishing silently, looking at the expressions of the three people, he also felt that something was wrong, and said with a dry smile: "What, do you want a lot of money?" ”

The three of them quickly discussed, and then the surnamed Zhao whispered: "Give you Lao Rao, and pick up the ...... for ninety taels of silver."

&nbā is ten, two, eight, two.

It's rare to see him not calm once, Gao Gong snickered on the side, he knew that Shen Mo was a rich man, so he didn't say anything.

&nbā how how good. Silent smiled bitterly in his heart, he really couldn't calculate and suffer from poverty. He is a good-looking person, how can he regret his words? Raising his hand, he said to the three people: "It's no problem to buy it...... the three of them were about to jump, and he gasped again: "But I have one condition." ”

"You tell ......" the three of them knew it wasn't that easy.

"You have to talk to this master......" Shen Mo said with a high arch beside him: This master has a habit, he loves to inquire, and if he doesn't inquire about something for a day, hey, he can't eat or sleep, and he won't be able to live this day."

"Oh......" The three of them looked at the high arch together, and said in their hearts, there is really something wrong.

Gao Gong knew that this was silent revenge on himself, and he laughed at him a few times just now, so he could only sigh: "Alas......" is considered a tacit acquiescence.

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There is no need to be frozen outside, and there is tea to drink, of course there is no need to persuade this good thing, the three of them cleaned up the stalls, picked up the big basket and followed him to the teahouse on the side.

Shen Mo asked for a private room, "I ordered a pot of tea, and when I heard that the three of them hadn't eaten, I ordered some refreshments for them to satisfy their hunger."

The three of them said that they had met a good person today, and while gobbling up, they said to Gao Gong: "What do you always want to inquire about" Although we are countrymen, we set up stalls in the market all day long. ”

&nbā is so expensive, why don't you make money? ”

"Alas...... "The old Pan suddenly couldn't eat" swallowed the snack in his mouth, took a sip of tea and said: "If you keep asking, let's just say." Don't look at the expensive sale, but the magnolia is a tree, not a grass, you have to build a huā shed more than two zhang high, and it can't be planted densely, and the warm shed in the whole village adds up to "only two thousand plants...... like I have eighty plants at home, and the maximum yield is not more than three thousand catties of fresh huā a year. ”

"That's nearly 10,000 silver." Gao Gong stammered: "It must be a big family." ”

&nbā shed, just burning charcoal costs more than 30,000 catties" and fertilizer, maintenance...... That's more than three thousand taels. Lao Pan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "The whole gold-swallowing beast." ”

"Then there are seven thousand taels." High archway.

&nbā shed, a year is a quota of 500 catties, and there is an increase of 500 catties, and the emperor store has to collect 1,000 catties at a low price. Coupled with the filial piety to the officials and masters, after a year, the full score can be flattened "If you are unlucky, you have to pay for it." ”

&nbā must also be indispensable: "I can't eat it when I eat."

&nbā put it away," half of it was sent to the palace, and most of it was going to be transferred to those imperial stores and private shops, and they sold it to make a lot of money, and they were all very rich. ”

Gao Gong and Shen Mo glanced at each other, but they didn't expect the eunuchs in the palace to be rampant. The so-called imperial store, originally set up in the Zhengde period, the income of the store should go to the inner treasury, but by the internal officials to manage, most of it will be lost. There are many kinds of imperial shops, such as the huā liquor shop mentioned by the three people, that is, the eunuchs used the name of the imperial shop to collect and sell the goods of the merchants...... It doesn't sell many items, but all of them are good things that are in high demand and valuable. In other words, the eunuchs just look at what is worth and receive, and only pay a very small amount of capital, of course, they make a lot of money.

In addition to controlling the imperial store, the eunuchs also relied on their political privileges to establish private shops near Gyeonggi. These private shops are more powerful and harmful to the merchants, and even more so than the imperial shops...... After all, the emperor's store still bears the emperor's name, and he has to pay attention to his appearance. The private shops have no scruples, they directly ask the workers and peasants for their output, and they are forced to give nothing! It's no longer about competing with the people for profit, it's about direct robbery.

The disaster of the imperial store and the private store caused a lot of complaints in the Wuzong Dynasty, and the officials wrote that it had "exhausted the goods in the world, so that the merchants had nothing to profit, so that Wuzong's edict had to order the imperial stores inside and outside the capital city,. When Sejong first ascended the throne, he immediately punished the chief eunuch who was in charge of the emperor's shop, and sent his minions to the army, forcing the eunuchs to restrain themselves a little in this regard. However, where the benefits lie, convergence can only be temporary, and as Sejong became increasingly obsessed with monasticism and spent a huge amount of money, he could only acquiesce to the eunuchs to reopen the imperial shop. As Sejong grew old and sick, the eunuchs gradually became bold and reopened their private shops...... Shen Mo knew, in the former court celebrant prisons. Masson eight stores, there are four thousand gold lessons at the age of the year. Chen Hong City" stores all over the city, the accumulated capital, all people for Baile River,. Even a more upright eunuch like Huang Jin also opened a cloth shop and was known for being good at business. These imperial and private shops of all kinds undermined national taxes, monopolized their operations, and even cut off the livelihood of some merchants, seriously stifling the development of commerce in the vicinity of Gyeonggi.

Now that Emperor Longqing has been replaced, it seems that they have not only not relented, but have become more arrogant.

The topic involved the palace, and the three of them didn't dare to say more, but sighed.

&nbā, a variety of worthless ...... Or simply farm and save yourself all day. ”

&nbā, the three of us aren't necessarily there...... The peasants are bitter, too bitter. This rent and tax, the addition of the commission, and the change of huā to our heads, as a result, work hard all year round, and there is not enough food. After a pause, he said: "I still have to go out to repair the Great Wall and build the fort, and it will be more than half a year to go, and it is normal for the remnants to die." You go out, go to Beijing to see, in addition to our eighteen villages in Huā Township, which village is not a dead cup escape, it would be good if there were two out of ten households. ”

&nbā came to the village, "all day long, there is a government messenger who comes down to collect rent and tax, wants to eat and drink, and if you are a little lazy, you will be restless, and you will not be able to live at all." Lao Fan answered: "I have an aunt and cousin in Houjiazhuang, who is so poor that my three sons can't find a daughter-in-law at all............ He was so poor that he said that it was better if he couldn't find it, "If you have an extra pair of chopsticks, you will starve to death." Said with a little happiness: "At least all four boys in my family have married daughters-in-law, and none of them have starved to death." ”

"Why is that?" Gao Gong asked in a low voice.

"Because we are paying tribute to the palace, the government does not collect taxes or draw tins: besides, if the father-in-law wants to collect us every year, we will not let the old man come to harass us again." Lao Zhao also said with some pride: "Although I don't make money by planting peonies, I can still plant other seeds, such as plum huā, Yingchun, begonia, pomegranate or something, ordinary people like it, and I don't have to worry about selling." At the end of the year, "I can also earn twenty or thirty taels of silver, planing for food and clothing, and I can marry a daughter-in-law for my son, so I will be content." ”

Looking at their contented expressions, Gao Gong's heart was very sour, "It's not easy to be silent, I am still content like this" It can be seen that this world has no way for the people to live.

&nbā is pure earning? Seeing that Gao Gong gasped, he silently took over the conversation and asked.

"Of course not." Lao Zhao said: "There is a tax for entering the city, there is a tax for setting up stalls, and there are some idle uncles who come to fight the autumn breeze, which has to be respected............ But there's still something to be earned. "The Jingshi tax is mainly collected at the nine gates into the city. Each gate has an internal official to supervise the tax, and the tax is levied" and in addition to the tax, the eunuchs still have other requirements. In the fourth year of Jiajing, "Miao Zong, the head of the household department, used to supervise taxes, and saw in person, and the number of internal officials in each of the nine gates increased to more than ten, and they collected money in turn, competed for cutting, and traveled hard." So he asked for a cut, but within a few years, the eunuchs tried their best to change it back.

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The farmer talked for a while, and knowing that they had to hurry home, he paid the money and let them go.

As soon as the farmer left, Gao Gong finally couldn't suppress his anger, slapped his palm on the table, shook the teacups off, and shouted angrily with red eyes: "These castrations are too hateful! If they don't rectify it, the Ming Dynasty will die in their hands! ”

Shen Mo nodded and said, "Eunuch, the tumor is also." The guards had cleared the field, and he wasn't worried about it getting out.

"I will write to the emperor tomorrow and ask him to remove all the imperial villages." Gao Gong gasped and said, "And those tax eunuchs!" ”

Shen Mo didn't answer, took another teacup, poured tea and drank it.

"......" Gao Gong held back for a while and said, "Why don't you persuade me?" ”

"You yourself know it's unrealistic," Shen Mo chuckled, "Do you still need me to persuade you?" ”

"Alas......" Gao Gong sighed, and said a little depressed: "Yes, everything is good today, but it is too much to favor the eunuchs, even if the old man says it, the emperor will not listen, and he has offended those eunuchs in vain." Although he was a little more straightforward, he also knew that villains were difficult to guard against and slander, and those eunuchs could not afford to offend now.

"The time is not right." Shen Mo said softly: "Sit down tightly, it's not too late to do this again." ”

"Well......" Gao Gong snorted, thought for a while, shook his head and said: "No, even if I can't eradicate them now, I have to beat them, I can't let the dead eunuchs be so arrogant." ”

"In this matter, either don't do it or do it absolutely." Shen Mo whispered: "If you don't die, you will suffer from it." ”

"You and I can wait, but the people can't wait." Gao Gong said with a dark face: "Wait for one more year, how many people will be ruined, and if you don't do it, it's a shame to be in power!" ”

Although Gao Gong's words are admirable, but silence can not agree, as Fang Cai said, what he pursues is that either not to do it, or to do it absolutely" In fact, he has a deep understanding of many social evils, and he is even more clear about those places that need to be changed and eliminated. But he will never challenge those interest groups without being completely sure...... At least until he can withstand the backlash, he will never act rashly.

As for saving the people from fire and water, that is Gao Beard's interest: solving the emptiness of the treasury is Zhang Juzheng's ideal, and I will not interfere, because what I want is higher, more difficult and more dangerous. I know how fragile the political life of an official is, and I have to be careful to stick to it, to save, to prepare, to plan, to wait............ Until the opportunity comes, I will gamble everything I have and bet tomorrow for my life's ideals!

As long as I am alive, that hope will always be there, sooner or later, and one day will be realized............ So my lord, you are going to be disappointed, I will only stand behind you, not in front of you, and I will not dedicate myself to your ideals.

But that doesn't stop me from paying high respects to you and doing everything I can to help you and protect you......