Autumn October!

This autumn cannot be called golden autumn! Because there is not a single golden paddy in the fields, only a large area of red and yellow soil, a large number of people have abandoned their fields and become beggars or vagrants, wandering around the countryside.

More and more people came to Zhu Yuanzhang for relief, and Zhu Yuanzhang used the money to buy grain, made gruel, and distributed it to them in Fenglei Village, so that they could hang their lives. Such a good deed is very precious and rare in a disaster year, so the people who can't survive near and far have flocked to the vicinity of Fenglei Village, living on their backs in the fields in the four fields, going to Fenglei Village to receive a bowl of porridge during the day, and huddled together at night to warm their bodies.

These people gathered more and more, and in the blink of an eye, the number exceeded 1,000, and the number kept increasing. It has become a very troublesome thing to give them porridge every day, because it takes a lot of manpower to cook porridge for thousands of people, and Zhu Yuanzhang simply does not have enough manpower to do this, so he can only give them a handful of brown rice and let them take it to boil porridge and drink it themselves.

Even if there is porridge sent by Zhu Yuanzhang, there are still people who will starve to death every day...... There was no one to collect the dead dead, only the rickets who were around them, fearing that the rotting corpses would spread the disease, carried their bodies to the ravine and threw them away.

The people of ten miles and eight towns are living more and more difficult than the other, and many people's hearts are heavy, and it is October...... The government is about to start collecting autumn levies, and they can't survive anymore, so what else can they pay for? Except for a bad life, there really isn't anything to make friends with.

The long-term workers, short-term workers, and villagers who were sent to the Ma family also began to worry about the Ma family's rent, although they did not have to pay taxes to the government, they needed to pay rent to the Ma family, and if they could not pay the rent, they would also have to suffer.

The heavy pressure was like a dark cloud covering the top, making it difficult for the people of Baishui to breathe and miserable...... Everyone was waiting in fear for the government's order to levy the autumn levy.

Zhu Yuanzhang is very satisfied with this atmosphere, and now the arrow is on the string, just waiting for the government to announce the start of the collection of autumn taxes, it will become the last straw that crushes the camel! He can take advantage of the situation and raise his arms and exhale.

This morning, not long after Zhu Yuanzhang got up, Miss Zhang sent someone to invite him again.

Zhu Yuanzhang came to Miss Zhang's small building, and saw that she was dressed very elegantly today, and she looked more beautiful: "Steward Zhu, I heard that this year's autumn harvest was indeed affected by the drought, and now the people's lives are very difficult, is this true?" ”

"Yes!" Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"Then ......" Miss Zhang said a little hesitantly: "Our family's long-term workers, short-term workers, and those villagers who are treacherously sent to our family, how can they pay the rent this year?" ”

"This ...... It's really a bit difficult, I think they shouldn't be able to pay it this year, and it's not easy to survive, let alone pay the rent. ”

Miss Zhang frowned: "I want to exempt them from rent this year, do you think it's okay?" ”

"Of course that's good, and I think everyone will appreciate you." Zhu Yuanzhang secretly praised this woman's kindness, but ...... Seeing that the villagers have been overwhelmed by various pressures, this tense atmosphere only needs him to light a fire, and it will burn strongly, but Miss Zhang wants to relieve pressure at this time......

Her intentions were good, but ...... Can't let her do that! Her actions will shake Zhu Yuanzhang's imminent rebel army.

"Miss, you are such a kind and good person." Zhu Yuanzhang said seriously: "I think that once the rent-free order goes, the farmers will definitely respect you as Guanyin Bodhisattva, but ...... You also have to consider the attitude of the Ma family, you are the Ma family after all...... Cough...... The second young grandmother, if you don't ask the eldest young master and the second young master, she will decide to waive the rent without authorization...... I'm afraid there will be some problems at home. ”

Miss Zhang was silent for a while, and said depressedly: "Ma Zhibin, that fool, will definitely not agree to rent free." Why would I marry that shit...... I'm really ...... I can't wait to die. Alas...... Write a letter to Uncle Ma Zhixiong and ask him if he can give tenants free rent, I think...... With the uncle's insight, he will make the right judgment. ”

Miss Zhang asked the maid to prepare the four treasures of the study, and quickly wrote a letter, asking if it was possible to waive the rent. Then he handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang and said: "Please ask Steward Zhu to find a fast-paced family and send him to Xi'an Mansion as soon as possible." ”

"Okay, I'll help Miss with this." Zhu Yuanzhang took the letter into his arms.

He walked out of the small building, returned to his small room, took the letter in his hand, looked at it a few times, and couldn't help but be entangled in his heart.

As the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he certainly hoped that the people of the Ming Dynasty would live and work in peace and contentment. Miss Zhang's approach is very appreciative to him, if he is now the emperor, he will definitely issue an order to reward Miss Zhang, and maybe he will also order her to set up a memorial arch.

But...... Her letter is not in line with Zhu Yuanzhang's current interests!

Alas, I can't say it, so I have to do something out of it and forge a family letter. Such a gesture will make Miss Zhang's kindness go to waste, but it is also a helpless move. Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself: This woman is not a bad person, when I expose the uprising, I can spare her and not kill her.

He first instructed a henchman to send Miss Zhang's letter, of course, it was just a fake letter, this henchman would take Miss Zhang's letter to Xi'an, and when he was about to arrive in Xi'an, he deliberately stayed for a day, and then turned back.

Then it was to prepare a fake reply, he walked into his secret room, prepared the four treasures of writing, and then turned out an old letter from the cabinet, this letter was the last time the young master wrote to Miss Zhang's family, Miss asked him to burn it after reading it, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not burn it, but stored it in his secret room. At this time, I took it out and carefully watched the calligraphy of the eldest young master, and the trend of the strokes......

Zhu Yuanzhang is not a master of copying, it can be said that he has no ability to copy other people's handwriting at all, but ...... It is not difficult to fool Miss Zhang, because Miss Zhang has not read many letters from the eldest young master, and it is impossible for her to remember the handwriting of the eldest young master very clearly, as long as she writes roughly with that taste.

He picked up his pen and carefully wrote a letter, in which he imitated the tone of the eldest young master and said that he could not be rent-free, because the ancestral family law could not be destroyed, and if he was rent-free at will, it would not be conducive to the management of the subordinates, but he could reduce the rent a little, and only half of it would be charged. In addition, do not give porridge, because it may affect the price of grain......

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang knows that not to mention collecting half, even if he only collects 30% of the rent, or only 10% of the rent, it is enough to make the people crazy, and only rent-free is the only way to resolve the conflict.

After waiting for a few days, the nursing home that sent the fake letter came back, and according to Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions, the nursing home did not come back in broad daylight, but came back in the middle of the night when there was no one on the third watch, first came to Zhu Yuanzhang's small house to report, took the fake letter made by Zhu Yuanzhang, and then sneaked out of the mansion quietly, and after making a big circle in the field, he came in from the gate of the mansion openly......

On this morning, Miss Zhang was looking at the account book made by Zhu Yuanzhang with her maids, which recorded the grain that the Ma family had accumulated and the money spent in the past few months. Miss Zhang looked at the account books and sighed lightly: "The people can't survive anymore, our Ma family is still stockpiling grain and raising prices, I am really sad in my heart, I want to extract some of this grain and give it to the poor people nearby, what do you think?" ”

A few maids said nonchalantly: "Miss is really kind. ”

"I'm afraid the young master won't agree!"

Autumn leaves were also there, and said in a low voice: "After all, this is the Ma family's money, so let's not move around...... Miss, you are not the young lady of the Ma family, but the daughter-in-law of the Ma family, who used the family's money and food without authorization, and if it is passed out, it will be said that you do not abide by women's morals. ”

"Alas...... If only my sister-in-law were here...... She is the third lady of the Ma family, and if she does this, she will not be said to be unruly, but will be said to be a Gu family. ”

At this moment, the messenger came back, he took the fake letter made by Zhu Yuanzhang, ran into the inner courtyard in the dust, panted, and shouted: "The reply from the eldest young master is here......

Miss Zhang was overjoyed: "Uncle's reply? Great, with him in mind, I don't have to worry about being talked about when I do anything......"

Miss Zhang's family gently tore the seal of the envelope in the support of a group of maids, and after only reading three lines, her face changed greatly: "Uncle does not agree to be rent-free!" Still don't agree to soup kitchens! ”

When the maids beside her heard this, they immediately came over to read the letter, and several maids exclaimed: "Half rent? How can this work, several families I know can't open the pot at home, where can they still pay half rent? ”

"No soup kitchen? Also raise the price of rice? Oh my God......"

"The eldest young master has always been shrewd and knowledgeable, why did he make a mistake in this matter?"

"Miss...... What to do? ”

Miss Zhang sighed: "What can I do?" I am just a daughter-in-law of the Zhang family, and I am also the daughter-in-law of Ma Zhibin's waste, and I can't call the shots about the affairs of the Zhang family. Just do as Uncle says, alas! Autumn leaves, you go to Steward Zhu and tell him...... We can't be rent-free this year, and we will charge half rent...... Let him take charge of the rent collection. ”

Qiu Ye was named by Miss Zhang's family, and suddenly said "hey", and said in a panic: "Yes...... The maid went to inform Zhu Bugge. ”

"Autumn leaves? What happened to you? In a trance, are you alright? Miss Zhang asked casually.

Akiba smiled bitterly and said, "The maid is fine, but I'm a little distracted." ”

It turned out that she had just finished reading the letter, and she was a little distracted, and unlike other maidservants, when she read the letter, she always felt that the handwriting on the letter was very familiar. In fact, the reason is very simple, whenever Zhu Yuanzhang keeps accounts for the Ma family in the study, Qiu Ye is always on the side to help polish the ink and bring tea and water. It is no exaggeration to say that today, the person who is most familiar with Zhu Yuanzhang's handwriting is her!

The moment she saw this fake letter, she immediately recognized that the letter came from Zhu Bugs' handwriting, although the handwriting imitated the eldest young master as much as possible, but the few sketches that Zhu Baba was used to couldn't escape her eyes at all.

Her mind flew out of the sky: Why did Zhu Bugling make such a false letter? What exactly is Bugs Zhu doing? Oh, my God! I'll have to ask him in person why he lied to Miss......