In November, the cold wind swept and paraquat yellowed, and the bare earth was covered with a layer of crystalline frost, waiting for the sun to shine and quickly disappear. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info But hunger will not disappear like frost, but will only torment most of the victims more violently.

The stomach was so empty that people ate everything they could eat, including tree bark and grass roots, which were tangled in their stomachs and could not be digested, and many people clutched their stomachs and wailed.

On the Kaifeng side, there has been no grain for five days, and three days ago, the last bag of rice in the porridge field was snatched away by the hungry people, and it was not cooked in time, and it was eaten raw, and there was nothing left.

If there is no more food to come, starvation will happen at any time, and maybe tomorrow you will wake up surrounded by corpses.

An old boy in his fifties leaned on the trunk of a tree, weak, he kept chanting, the benevolent His Royal Highness the King of Zhou will send food, the benevolent monarch will not abandon his people, His Royal Highness the King of Zhou is kind, benevolent, and just, as long as he survives, he will go to participate in the imperial examination of His Royal Highness the King of Zhou......

What he hates the most is Xinxue, if it weren't for the fact that Yang Minggong was being talked about everywhere and Tang Xue was being talked about everywhere, how could he not even be able to pass the exam.

After decades of staggering, his sideburns are gray, and his life's energy has been spent on eight articles.

And now, although the Baguwen has not been abolished, the exam questions are becoming more and more flexible, and Zhu Xi's set of standard annotations has been thrown out of the clouds. Moreover, from the fourth year of Longqing, subjects such as Ming Calculation and Ming Law were gradually added, and the official examination was added to the township examination in various places.

The selection of those who are smart and shrewd, can write and calculate, can speak, and enter the officialdom, and the minimum is a six-room sticker.

Although it is only the size of a sesame mung bean, it is good to lead the court's fortune, and if you do a good job, you can still be promoted, and there is an allowance at the end of every year.

Seeing that the younger generations who have been studying for a few years have found decent jobs, and most of those who are still admitted to the science department are from wealthy families, arrogant, and want to fight for a high starting point.

Like Lao Tongsheng, who has been obsessed with eight shares all his life, has a head and granite, can't write official documents, can't calculate accounts, can't be a person, and is full of sour and rotten reading people from the inside out, there is really no use for it.

How good it is that there is no change, when he returned to the Jiajing Dynasty, even if Yan Song was in power, it was much better than now, at least at that time, he could still write letters to make a living.

It's good now, the world is full of students, ordinary letters, their own babies can write, who is looking for themselves!

Go back, go back to the Jiajing Dynasty, the monarch is virtuous, the people are healthy, the people are happy, and they can live a good life......

Ahem, ahem!

Another burst of hunger hit, his stomach cramped, and the pain made the old boy's face change wildly, and he opened his mouth, unable to spit out even a little bitter water. He was huddled together like a shrimp.

After a long time, the old boy was almost dead, and there was half a broken bowl filled with some muddy water.

"Drink!"

He took it tremblingly, looked up and drank it dry, a little more comfortable, and looked up to see that it was a few fellow villagers with mud legs, and the young man who gave him water seemed to be called a pillar.

"Okay, you're good. Waiting for the old man to become an official, he must repay you well! ”

A few people almost vomited when they heard it, with your virtue, you still want to be an official? It's better to think about where to find some soil and bury you.

The pillar is not bad-hearted, he smiled honestly, "A bowl of water is nothing, I just want to tell you, I'm leaving." ”

"Let's go? Where to go? ”

"Where else can you go, cross the river to Weihui, or go to Luoyang, anyway, where can you live, where to go!"

"No way!"

The old boy seemed to have been struck by lightning, struggled to sit up, and even the local dialect came out, "Mother, what are you doing there?" ”

"What else can you do, live!"

"What kind of life to live, if you go, you will die!" Lao Tongsheng said bitterly: "Those are the chassis of rebellious ministers and thieves, their hearts are black, they don't spit out bones when they eat people, do you know?" They will drive all the people into the wilderness, and there will be worms, snakes, and wild beasts everywhere, and you will not even have any bones when you go! They are ruthless, they can do anything, drive you away, and the land will be theirs......" The more the old boy spoke, the more angry he became, and he even howled and cried, "The first emperor died unjustly, the queen mother died miserably, and those rebellious ministers and thieves must not die well?" ”

A young man couldn't take it anymore and said angrily, "Old fellow, how many days have you been talking about this?" The big guy was deceived by you to Kaifeng, what did you say King Zhou gave food, and now there is a fart of food! The big guys are starving to death, whoever gives me a way to live, I can go anywhere! ”

"That's it, it's all you, an old guy, who deliberately harms the big guy!"

The more he talked, the more angry he became, and several young people were about to fight, but the pillar hurriedly stopped everyone.

"He's not bad-hearted." Zhu Zi turned his head and said with a sigh of relief: "We can't take care of anything, life is better than anything, King Zhou can't get food, we can only go, if you are willing, follow us too!" ”

As if he had been electrified, the old boy hurriedly tightened his body and shook his head like a rattle.

"Don't hurt me, don't hurt me!"

He said in a loud voice, scared to death, and the young men didn't bother to pay attention to him.

"Brother Zhuzi, don't waste spitting, let's go!"

A few people got up and walked to the west, and just a few steps away, they suddenly heard the old boy make a sharp voice, and from the other side, there were many carriages and soldiers escorting.

"Grain, grain is coming!"

The old boy danced with his hands, and his whole body came with strength, and he had already said that the king of Zhou was merciful, he would definitely send food, and there was a way to live, and he took refuge in those thieves' fools, you open your eyes and see, white rice, big steamed buns, some have eaten!

He rushed forward like crazy, stumbling and covered in dirt, until he finally reached the front of the convoy. He was like a drowning man, grasping at a life-saving straw.

"Master Jun, do you have anything to eat, eat, the little old man is going to starve to death!" The old boy kept swallowing his saliva.

A few military men with waist knives looked at him, "Old man, are you really going to die?" ”

"Yes, I haven't eaten for a few days, I'm dizzy, and I'm nauseous and feverish, Master Jun, it's okay, help!" The old boy was limp on the ground, begging and begging.

The soldiers and men looked at each other, and they all showed uneasy looks.

"What are you doing in a daze, throw the car up!"

The two of them set up the old boy and threw him into the carriage at once.

At this time, the old boy noticed that it was not a grain cart in front of him at all, but a prisoner cart, which was covered by a reed mat outside, and after it was opened, there were still a few people inside, some foaming at the mouth, some wailing and roaring, stretching out their dry claws, and their faces were swollen, like living ghosts.

The old boy shouted in horror, "Let go of me, I am loyal to the Ming Dynasty, I am loyal to His Royal Highness King Zhou......"

Not daring to scream heartbreakingly, the old boy was thrown into the prison car.

Wherever the convoy passed, as long as it encountered dying victims, they were thrown into the car.

After the great plague, there will be a great plague!

In order to ensure the safety of Kaifeng, Li Youzi has ordered to hunt down and kill the dying victims, dig a pit and bury them deeply, and face the old boy who is full of longing for King Zhou, just like that, with a breath, he was thrown into a deep pit.

He tried to climb out with all his strength, but he was greeted by a heavy shovel......

"Lord Shen, I'm afraid Zhu Zailing won't be able to hold on."

Wu Dui said happily: "According to our secret report, he has no more food, and the hungry people everywhere have run out of food. ”

Shen Shixing was stunned for a moment and put down the brush, "How can it be so fast, according to estimates, his grain can last until December, and there is still a month left!" ”

Wu Dui laughed twice, "I don't know, but I think some people should know!" ”

Soon someone brought in a group of guys in Tsing Yi and small hats, and when they saw Shen Shixing, they snorted and cried, wept bitterly, and scolded Zhu Zailing for being a bastard, I don't know how many days, betraying the court, and there is a way to die!

They also patted their chests and promised that they were willing to act as internal responses and destroy King Zhou and his gang for the imperial court.

After a long time, Shen Shixing finally figured it out.

They are all big grain merchants in Henan, representatives of the gentry, King Zhou has just occupied Kaifeng, many of them have taken out grain, welcome the new master, and are anxious to hold stinky feet.

Later, when the locust plague broke out, King Zhou borrowed grain everywhere and forced them to contribute money to help with disaster relief. These big families are gone, and they are still ready to take advantage of the catastrophe to make a windfall, where are they willing to cut meat.

And after observing for a while, they also knew that King Zhou had no eloquence at all, and he was definitely not an opponent of the imperial court, so they became more and more uncooperative with Zhu Zailing.

Grain prices in Henan have skyrocketed, and they all open grain stores, openly coping with the order to sell grain at a low price, but secretly taking the grain to the black market.

Later, they even hired people to pretend to be victims of the disaster to receive relief food, otherwise how could the opened food be consumed so quickly!

As the number of victims grew, the situation became worse and worse, and their food stocks were either sold on the black market or transported outside the city. Everywhere there are hungry people with green eyes and who knows when, there will be robbery. After pondering, these people couldn't stay in Kaifeng anymore, so they simply burned the grain store, ran to Weihui, and took refuge in Shen Shixing.

Of course, they won't tell the truth to Shen Shixing, but how agile Shen Shixing is, knocking on the side, he knows the seven, seven, eight, eight, and eight in his heart.

"Please rest assured, the court knows that you are loyal, this is not when the Yellow River is frozen, the heavenly soldiers arrive, and the traitors of the king of Zhou are dead or alive. You are all great heroes of the imperial court, I will not treat you badly, I will definitely give you credit! ”

Shen Shixing said good words to appease, and when he sent them away, his face immediately changed.

"A group of shameless villains, compared to Zhu Zailing, they are 10,000 times more hateful!"

Wu Dui kept his face calm and didn't speak, obviously he was also full of anger.

"Brother Junze, you immediately arrange manpower to find out all the gentry and merchants in Henan, how many families they have, copy them all this time, and use their property to relieve the victims!"

Wu Dui's eyes lit up, and he laughed and said, "I thought Lord Shen wouldn't dare to kill him?" ”

"Hahaha, I don't have the guts, but the master gave me the guts!" Shen Shixing took out a letter from Tang Yi, held it in his hand and shook it, there were only four eye-catching big characters on it: Great chaos and great governance! (To be continued.) )