"What does that notice say?"

"It should be written in the rules of the government."

"I knew it must be a government rule, and I asked what was written."

The crowd gathered around the notice, which was guarded by the government soldiers, and chattered. The Jin Kingdom was completely destroyed in 1234, and it is now the 320th year of the Great Song Dynasty, that is, 1280, and 46 years have passed. After 46 years without the imperial examination, more than 95% of the people in the Great Yuan could not read.

Uncle Lu finally appeared in everyone's field of vision, and a group of people immediately came over to invite, "Mr. Lu, come over and help see what is written on the notice of the government." ”

For everyone's warm invitation, Uncle Lu was quite proud. Now the family is still studying, and some of the children of the family defected to the Mongolian scholars to study Confucianism, and they are proud of it. The Lu family can be different from ordinary people, that is, the Lu family still has a bit of family learning, and there are some books at home, and they can teach their children the content of books.

In addition to the Lu family, the only people in this area who can understand the notice are the Kong family and the Zheng family. Just like the two government soldiers guarding the notice in front of him, Uncle Lu didn't hear of these two literate. If they were literate, it would not be the people's turn to ask Uncle Lu. The government soldiers must have read the contents of the notice to everyone.

"Tell the blind date father and elder that anyone who is short of food at home can wait for the arrival of people sent by the government to ask the government for ......food," Uncle Lu read the notice. Nowadays, the notices are written in plain language, and if they were written in the words of the literati, they would not be understood.

After listening to the contents, everyone understood a little, and someone asked the government soldiers guarding the notice, "It's difficult for the government to provide disaster relief?" ”

"Isn't disaster relief a porridge shack?"

"If we tell the government, will the government give food?"

At this time, people rushed to read, and everyone was illiterate, and begged Uncle Lu to read the words on the notice.

In the literal sense, people who are short of food at home can inform the government that they have no food at home, and the government will help solve the problem of food shortage. At least that's what it means. Uncle Lu listened to the lively discussion of the people around him, and he didn't believe it at all. With Dayuan's urine, if the government gives the people a penny, it must at least squeeze ten benefits.

There have been disaster relief before, and everyone still has memories. The people who learned the news whispered, "I don't know how much I have to give the servant this time." ”

"Sixty percent last time."

"You only give sixty percent, and when we want to receive alms, the messenger will ask for eighty percent."

However, in such a disaster year, there is nothing we can do. Someone sighed: "You can live for 20%." Confessed. ”

Uncle Lu also had all kinds of thoughts in his heart, and when he saw that there were no new people coming, he took his children home. On the way home, Uncle Lu said to his nephew who was following him, "Don't you have a brother as an errand boy?" ”

"Yes."

"You go to him and ask him how you can give us more food. It's okay to hand him the money below. "In disaster years, food is the most important thing. Even if the family has a lot of money, if there is no food, you still have to starve to death. If you can exchange the full amount of food for the money paid to the servants, and the price is not expensive, it can be regarded as a deal that can be considered.

The nephew was ordered to go, and when the evening came, he ran back. After seeing Uncle Lu, the nephew hurriedly replied: "Uncle, this time they said that they were not giving food. ”

"No food? That's it. Lu Da Boden was not interested in this matter.

The nephew's attitude was quite excited, and he continued: "Over there, this time I asked everyone to work in Dadu. As long as you work, the court will take care of the food. ”

When Uncle Lu heard this, his face changed. He hurriedly asked, "Really?" ”

"Yes. That's what the brother over there said. The young man replied excitedly.

"Tell your family to come over here." Uncle Lu's face was gloomy.

After the clansmen arrived, Uncle Lu said to everyone: "The government wants to rob people, so hide well at home and don't go out." ”

The word robbery is understood by everyone as robbery, and many people have changed their faces. Uncle Lu saw that his meaning was not clear, and hurriedly corrected, "The court wants to arrest Ding." Everyone stay at home and don't go out. Especially don't say anything! ”

"Why don't you say it?" Someone couldn't help but ask.

"Why is there so much nonsense! Just let you hide at home and don't talk about it. Uncle Lu said angrily. After training the guy who didn't know what to do, Uncle Lu continued to order, "Everyone has taken good care of their own families." If the government rushes to the house to arrest people, I can still come out to protect everyone. If someone doesn't obey and runs out and gets caught, I can't do it! ”

The patriarch gave the order, but everyone didn't understand and could only listen. Uncle Lu asked everyone to go back first, and then inspected one by one. Make sure no one runs out.

On the second day, there was a day of food, and early in the morning of the third day, there were messengers beating gongs and drums in the village. What was said was the same as it was written. When the errand servant left, Uncle Lu went out for a walk again. After making sure that the Lu family didn't go out, Uncle Lu was still not at ease, and on the way to the village, he saw that many people in the village had already arrived at the entrance of the village. Listening from afar, the messenger asked the people to write their names first, and then draw them. Make sure they don't have enough food in their homes.

The people felt that it was just a name, and they didn't care. Some people were already close to the errand suit, but the errand didn't say much. Uncle Lu looked at those people, there were no people from the Zheng family, and there were no people from the Kong family. Except for the government soldiers who had to come out to participate in maintaining order, I couldn't see the people from the government soldiers coming out to ask for food.

Uncle Lu was afraid of being looked at, so he secretly rushed back to his home. There was nothing to say for a day, and early the next morning, Uncle Lu was sleeping at home, and the gong sounded again in the village, and someone shouted, 'The court has released grain!' The court has released grain! ’

After hearing this, Uncle Lu immediately ordered, "Don't go out, everyone." ”

"Dad, isn't the court going to release grain!" Uncle Lu's second son asked puzzled.

Uncle Lu said angrily: "You are confused! Whenever the imperial court really released grain, we didn't have to beg our grandfather to tell our grandmother to find the yamen. Have you ever seen the imperial court come to our mouths to release food? ”

It didn't take long for me to hear the bustle outside, and I thought that many people had run out. Uncle Lu looked nervous until the sound of the lively crowd gradually moved away with the sound of the gong. He secretly looked through the crack in the door to see that there was no one outside, so he ran out and looked door to door, making sure that the Lu family was obedient, and none of them went out to join in the fun. Then I hurried home.

The village was so quiet that there was no barking of dogs. In such a famine year, the dogs who take care of the home often have to go outside to find food for themselves. There is not enough food for people at home, where is there food for dogs. It's good to let the dogs out, and many dogs have become the mouths of the owners, providing some rare oil and water for the owners.

It didn't take long to hear a commotion outside. From far and near, cries, begs for mercy, and the fierce shouts and scolding that are characteristic of the servants. Uncle Lu's heart first fell to the ground, and then mentioned near his throat and eyes. The reason for his peace of mind is naturally that his judgment of the imperial court is not wrong, and this imperial court is really arresting people. The nervous willingness is that he doesn't dare to believe his judgment of the bottom line of the imperial court. The orders these servants received were to arrest only those fools who dared to apply for food from the imperial court, or whether to arrest anyone they saw. If it was the latter, Uncle Lu would have completely miscalculated.

Secretly peeking out through the crack in the door, I saw the errand officer coming with the villagers tied up with ropes, and those villagers who saw their families tied up couldn't help but run out and beg the errand to release them. Listening to their pleas, it was obvious that they thought that their family members had been caught wrong, or that they had made some mistake.

There were many servants coming, and there were enough men, so they couldn't help but rush into the family's house and arrest anyone they saw. Arrest men, women, and children. The men were tied up, strung with long ropes, and carried by the servants to the entrance of the village. For a while, the village was really boiling.

Uncle Lu's heart has already jumped into one. He was genuinely grateful to his nephew for telling him the truth. If you don't know the solution of the imperial court, Uncle Lu actually wants to see if he can get some food. After knowing the thoughts of the imperial court, Uncle Lu knew the plans of the imperial court. All the people who wanted to take a grain of grain from the court would be taken away by the whole family of the court.

While watching, Uncle Lu saw an errand officer coming straight to Uncle Lu's house, so frightened that he hurriedly and quietly shrank from behind the door to the earthen wall behind the door. Then I heard someone outside ask in a loud voice, "Is there anyone at home?" Anyone? Are you there! ”

Uncle Lu was so frightened that he didn't dare to come out, the door was plugged in from the inside, and he didn't need to ask when he saw this situation. How did you get the latch out of it if there was no one?

The people outside patted for a while, and then they heard other messengers greeting, and with the sound of footsteps, the messengers left the door of Uncle Lu's house.

The time after that was in Uncle Lu's feeling was like a year, and he didn't know how many errand servants came, as long as he went to apply for food, he was arrested by the whole family. When they left, Uncle Lu's family still didn't dare to go out. After a while, I saw people coming back in bits and pieces, escorted by the servants. They wept and wept and pleaded. Under the scolding, punching and kicking of the servants, he took the bedding and baggage out of the house.

When it was completely dark, Uncle Lu listened to the silence around him. Only then did he take advantage of the darkness to slowly pull the latch open and sneak out. One family asked. When the Lu family heard Uncle Lu's voice, they dared to open the door secretly. Everyone was obedient, they all hid at home and didn't go out, and finally they didn't suffer.

After Uncle Lu confirmed, he wanted to go back. Feeling uneasy, he called two strong guys to follow him and went to Sun's house at night. The door of the Sun family was also closed, and the people who answered the door heard Uncle Lu's voice, but they still didn't want to let him in. The answer to the door said: "If someone in your family is arrested, let's talk about it tomorrow." ”

"My family hasn't been arrested." Uncle Lu whispered angrily, "I just want to ask when the people from the government will leave and whether they will come back." ”

"I'll ask." After hearing this question, the people from the Kong family also felt that it was best to give an answer.

Wait, wait, Uncle Lu finally heard footsteps. After a while, the door opened a crack, and the man inside said, "Come in." ”

The three of them flashed through the door, and the door immediately closed tightly. Uncle Lu entered the main house, there was no light in the main house, and under the moonlight, you could probably see a few shadowy figures. Then Uncle Lu heard Father Kong say: "It's like this outside, everyone should endure the dark." Dalang, I heard that this time a Mongolian prince came down to supervise the matter, and that prince gathered a number of people to arrest people together with the messengers. I can only hide at home, just waiting to avoid it. Can your house hold it? ”

Hearing such a real question, Uncle Lu was speechless for a while. The Kong family is the marquis of the Han army, and their side was originally Shandong, and the family of the marquis of the Han army in Shandong has its own large courtyards, which are built to prevent armed raids. It should be called a fortress. When the Kong family built their big yard, everyone in the local area had to send people to help. The Lu family also made a lot of efforts to this sturdy building and shed a lot of Han water.

Compared with the Kong family, the Lu family does not have such financial resources, their wooden door can block the people who knock on the door, if they use something to resist the door inside, they may be able to block the flying kick. Although I wanted to ask the Kong family to let the Lu family hide in the courtyard, but hearing that the Kong family didn't mean this at all, Uncle Lu also swallowed this back into his stomach. He replied, "We must not go out." ”

"You can't go out at all. I heard that the government is going to meet with the people who stayed in the village this time. Father Kong replied.

"Why?" Uncle Lu felt that the complexity of the matter was beyond his imagination.

"It is said that it is necessary to have a joint name. I'm sure our people won't go south of the Yellow River. Father Kong gave an explanation.

Thinking of his own situation, Uncle Lu panicked in his heart, if it weren't for Father Kong's special messenger to inform him, the Lu family would probably still be fleeing south of the Yellow River. It seems that Father Kong knew some things before, but he didn't make it clear to the Lu family......

"I see. At that time, I don't know if Uncle Kong can come out to preside over this matter. ”

"Of course I want to, but I don't know what the government thinks."

Listening to the old fox's answer from Father Kong, Uncle Lu couldn't say anything more than saying goodbye.

On the way home, all I heard was the footsteps of the three people. Since the locusts crossed, the once-thriving fields have become much quieter. Now the quiet night was extraordinarily quiet, as if there were only three people left in heaven and earth.

When he got home, Uncle Lu tossed and turned, and it was dawn the next day. So he secretly found two other nephews and gave them an order, "You two go to the south and tell our family in the south not to come back in the near future." ”

"Then do you want to tell the second brother in the south?" The nephew asked.

Uncle Lu gritted his teeth and replied decisively: "Tell him that it should be." Originally, Uncle Lu felt that he was the people of Dayuan after all, and it was best not to get into trouble. Now he found that the three caves of the cunning rabbit were the only truth, and the Kong family was not as reliable as he imagined.