"Master Zhang, what do you say the prince is thinking?" A group of wealthy businessmen gathered in Zhang Delong's mansion, and their faces were suspicious.

They "ate" the prince's feast that day, and each donated a sum of silver, which can support two or three singers, and occasionally they still feel distressed when they think about it.

Unexpectedly, ten days later, the prince actually sent an account sheet to their house.

At first glance, this is simply rubbing salt in their wounds. However, once they calmed down, it made these old men a little frightened.

It not only listed the total amount received that day, and each donor had a name, so that it would never be swallowed up in secret, but also the amount of lime and firewood purchased in those days, and the remaining taels of silver. The accounts are more elaborate than those made in the accounting room at home, and what is even more rare is that it is clear at a glance.

How could these businessmen who are successful in business not know the value, and this account sheet alone is enough to cover the silver they donate.

It's just that what gave them a headache was that the prince never said anything other than asking them to donate money. Although some people made up the donations after the feast, the prince just laughed at them, and one tael was not too little, and a thousand taels was not too little—of course, no one donated that much.

It stands to reason that the emperor would never be so delicate!

"Maybe it's really the prince's own fundraising." Zhang Delong looked at the white jade Ruyi offered in the middle hall, stroked his beard and said: "This prince is young, but he has a lot of ideas. I'm afraid we're thinking too much. ”

After listening to Zhang Delong's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly tightened their hearts again: "If the prince has such an idea, will he think that we are unwilling to contribute?" ”

"He grew up in Ouchi since he was a child, and he knows what civil suffering is?" Zhang Delong said disdainfully: "It's really not good, it's almost enough to donate another hundred taels." By the way, did the chamberlains collect the money? ”

"Accept it." Everyone responded one after another, and it seemed a lot easier.

"Just accept it, wait for the plague to pass, let the prince go back early, everyone is just a good fate, and nothing will happen." Zhang Delong said leisurely.

For a while, the scene eased down, and the wealthy businessmen discussed how to buy land after the epidemic and solicit hired farmers.

Zhang Delong is old, so he asked his son to entertain guests, and he wanted to go to the back hall to rest. Just walked a few steps, and suddenly the front door came to report, saying that the guards of the East Palace were visiting. You have to put a registration plate on the door, and you have to count the population in your home.

"Shouldn't this be done by Shuntianfu?" Zhang Delong frowned.

At that moment, someone stepped forward and explained: "Someone from the Han family went yesterday, followed by the messengers of the Shuntian Mansion, as well as the first commander of the workshop, as well as the soldiers and horses and the people of the Jinyi Guard. ”

"This time it's time to break the bill again." Zhang Delong frowned.

The man smiled: "Master Zhang, don't worry, this time you don't have to break too much." Although the formation is large, in fact, these people have received the prince's decree and are not allowed to disturb the people, and the population of the family is also allowed to be reported by their own families. The upper class households are the door plate of one penny of silver, the middle households are 20% off, and the lower households are free. ”

It is also the national policy of the Ming Dynasty to divide households into three classes, and every few years each county has to re-plan the households, so as to collect taxes and pay grain.

"That's fine." Zhang Delong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Housekeeper, go and give one or two pieces of silver, and the number of people in the family will be reported to be ten." ”

There are more than ten close relatives in the Zhang family, not to mention those slaves. However, in this era, the hidden population is the same as not revealing wealth, and it is never a good thing to be targeted by the imperial court, so I would rather say less. In case the prince is a Ming plank road dark Chen Cang, and he turns around and draws Ding according to the household, won't he lose a lot of money at that time?

Steward Zhang got the master's order, went out to see the guards of the East Palace and others, took out a tael of silver, stuffed it into the hand of the leader, and said, "This is the leg money given by my master, please accept it with a smile." ”

The leading guard of the East Palace weighed the weight, put it in the bamboo basket around his waist, made a sound of silver coins colliding, and said, "Thank you." What is the population of your house? ”

"Back to the sir, there is a great epidemic, and the population is scattered a lot, only ten people." The butler said, one hand ready to make some more money.

The guards of the East Palace held the wooden board with one hand, opened the open book with the other, and glanced at the newly hung door number, which read "No. 208 Tianshui Hutong". He found the house number in the book, and drew a "ten" in charcoal for the "population" column.

Someone next to him handed over a printed note, and the housekeeper took it, which read: "I hereby receive one penny of silver for the house number of No. 208 Tianshui Hutong." Hereby as evidence. ”

"Sir, this is ......"

"Receipts." The East Palace guard replied quickly, turned the wooden board in his hand, and said, "Look at it, there is no problem to sign and draw in the back." ”

The housekeeper approached the book and saw that it was only a census of the population, and the house number of his house was a draft code of "ten". He was afraid that someone would tamper with this book after he took it, so he simply added a "one pick" written in orthographic characters after the word "ten", and then signed his own monogram.

The guards of the East Palace took a look at it, and without saying much, they went to the next house under the leadership of the old man in the market. The housekeeper suddenly saw that there was still an acquaintance in this team, so he hurriedly stepped forward and stuffed a small string of money, and asked, "Brother Wu, what is this doing?" ”

"Epidemic prevention." The man said, "Don't lose your door number." If there is no door number, it will be regarded as the death of the whole family, and when the time comes, the earth and stone will seal the door, even if you don't die, you will have to die. ”

"Yes, yes, you won't lose your number." The butler replied in a loud voice.

Daming has the habit of hanging the door number, and the information on it is more complete than only one number in later generations. The prince renumbered each house and each household, which was only a supplement. In many places where the poor live, there is no need to remake the house number at all, and hang a square name plate or road name plate directly at the entrance of the house, and then write a number on the door of each house with black paint to go up to the house number address.

Naturally, these things were all done by the East Palace Guards.

……

Wu Changchun went as far as Linqing, Shandong, but unfortunately it had been plundered and killed by Jiannu, not only were they taken captive in their prime, but even there were not many women and children left. What is even more outrageous is that Jiannu not only plundered, but also slaughtered the city. Linqing was originally an important town at the junction of the north and south of the canal, merchants gathered, very rich, after being ravaged by Jiannu, ten rooms and nine empty, stumps everywhere, it was like hell on earth.

Wu Changchun picked up some people from the pile of dead people and went back, where do they still need to buy? As long as they have something to eat, they will be satisfied. Then I returned all the way to the north, recruited people along the way, and when I returned to Beijing, I also recruited enough people, and even slightly exceeded.

After handing over these people, Song Hongye really introduced Wu Changchun to the crown prince very righteously. The prince is now the time to employ people, and now let Wu Changchun recruit helpers by himself, report and keep files, and prepare to number the people in the whole of Beijing. The prince also borrowed scribes from the Ministry of War, revised and drew a map of Beijing, marking streets, squares, roads, and roads for epidemic prevention.

Wu Changchun could have rested for a few days, but he couldn't stay idle at home, and he also followed the guards of the East Palace to walk the streets and alleys, watching them do things. These East Palace guards who came out to do business were all the ones summoned by Song Hongye, and after a few days of practice, they really had some appearances, even if they were walking on the road, they were all five people in a column, no one talked to each other, and no one disrupted the order.

In contrast, the people of the Terracotta Division, Shuntianfu, and Jinyiwei walked beside them, like a group of rabble.

――The prince said that he wanted to accept people according to the standard of a good warrior, how did he just let them do this after receiving them?

Wu Changchun was puzzled in his heart.

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