Old lady Chu stroked her beard slowly, and asked rhetorically, "How much do you know about Jinshang?" ”

However, he didn't expect Xiao Tian to answer, so he said to himself: "In the past few years, the imperial court has been empty, the border has been in war for many years, and disasters have occurred everywhere, but the imperial court is unable to provide disaster relief, the people's taxes have increased, and the military salaries, grain and grass in various places are in arrears, and the vicious circle has ......."

For the past, the old lady Chu pointed to the end, and then the conversation changed: "Since last year, after being seriously ill, the celebrant and the cabinet were in charge of the government, and Mu Yan personally led the troops to Nanhuai, won Huaizhou for Dasheng, and returned triumphantly. At present, the imperial court has eliminated the official system, reduced taxes, raised military salaries, and gradually enriched the treasury. This summer, there was a drought in southern Jinzhou, and the imperial court had just allocated a disaster relief fund to Jinju. ”

"Now that the northern border has won a big victory, about the end of the year, the war between Dasheng and Beiyan will be over, and at that time, the imperial court will also be able to free up some troops and silver to rectify the chaos in the country."

Xiao Tian's eyes flashed slightly, he didn't speak, and looked at the long queue at the door of Liu's shortbread shop.

The long dragon meandered forward, Mrs. Chu and the maid were still in the back half of the line, and there were at least thirty or so people waiting in front.

Old lady Chu continued: "Last year, the officials in Jizhou were thoroughly investigated because of collusion between the top and bottom, and they were replaced almost from top to bottom, and all those corrupt officials were put in prison, and the imperial court also sent people to re-examine the cases in Jizhou in the last five years, the retrial of the retrial, the reversal of the plan, and the punishment of the crime......

Jizhou is adjacent to Jinzhou in the south, Xiao Tian is also familiar with Jizhou, and when he used to dart, he went to Jizhou several times.

In the past, although Jizhou was not chaotic to the point of Jinzhou, it was also a place of personal cannibalism, and those merchants who did business in Jizhou had to be skinned and sucked by those local officials.

In this regard, Xiao Tian also had some experience, remembering what happened last year in the horse market outside Fangjian Town, Jizhou.

At that time, those officials in Fangfang Town were no different from robbers, and if they weren't really horse dealers, I was afraid that they would also suffer.

Obviously, it has only been a year since the incident, but when Xiao Tian thinks back at this moment, he has a feeling of being like his previous life.

It seems that from that day on, his fate took a wonderful turn......

Xiao Tian settled down, stopped his thoughts from diverging again, and concentrated his thoughts on Jizhou.

Three or two months ago, Xiao Tian happened to meet merchants who went south from Jizhou to Jinzhou, and heard some changes in Jizhou from their mouths.

I heard that the political envoy and the prefect of Jizhou have been replaced.

Now several charity halls have been built in Jizhou to adopt homeless children under the age of 10.

Merchants and merchants also came and went according to the law, and those small officials and city gate guards no longer dared to ask for benefits in private, and the "false drink" out of nothing no longer existed.

Xiao Tian still clearly remembers that the merchant said with emotion at that time: "In the past, we didn't dare to go to the capital from Jizhou, and when there were many goods, we simply took a detour from Qingzhou to take a boat to Jinmen, and then went to the capital." Now it's okay, I don't have to go through this bother. ”

Old lady Chu saw that Xiao Tian was thinking about something, and said, "There is also Jinzhou ......."

Xiao Tian's expression was a little subtle.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "How is Jinju?" The voice was slightly astringent.

Old lady Chu sorted out his thoughts and analyzed in an orderly manner: "The problem of Jinju is that since five years ago, after Jinju changed its new political envoy, the tax has increased......"

"Four years ago, the snowstorm in central Jinju froze to death many people and livestock, and also collapsed many houses, but it was slow to receive disaster relief funds from the imperial court.

"By the following year, the disaster relief funds had not yet arrived, but the taxes had been increased. The people are miserable, Jinju is in chaos, there are more and more people who fall into the grass, and the mountain bandits are troubled. But those officials did nothing, but continued to exploit and oppress the people......"

"Jinju's situation is getting worse, bandits are plagued, and in the end, the officials force the people to rebel...... It's come to this point. ”

Old lady Chu raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the palace, and the sky was blue in the early morning. Jinju will be in chaos to this point, and the emperor is duty-bound.

Xiao Tian listened intently, thoughtfully.

Old lady Chu is talking about the problems of Jinzhou from the perspective of the overall situation, and these are news that Xiao Tian, who is in the people, cannot touch.

Xiao Tian's eyes were deep and he squinted.

In the years when he was dart around, what he could see was that all parts of Jinju were getting worse day by day, and what he could see was that Jinju officials protected each other, and those local officials were arrogant and domineering, and they did not give the people a way to live.

The people were driven to a dead end step by step, and he was powerless, and all he could do was to hold on to their dart game...... Later, they couldn't even hold the dart game!

Later, he and the surviving brothers of the dart game were forced to kill the dog officer......

Old lady Chu continued: "Jinzhou is seriously troubled, but it is difficult to become a big weapon. ”

Xiao Tian suddenly came back to his senses, looked at the old lady Chu, his eyes became sharp, as if the knife hidden in the sheath was pulled out an inch in an instant, and the blade was shining with cold light.

If this is an ordinary person, under this kind of coercion, I am afraid that he will lose his temper.

But Old Lady Chu is not an ordinary person, he did not shy away from meeting Xiao Tian's eyes, and said unhurriedly: "Most of the mountain bandits in Jinzhou come from the people, since ancient times, the people have not asked for much, nothing more than food and a peaceful residence. Most of those people rebelled because they had nowhere to stay. ”

"Last year, the imperial court sent the general soldiers of Jinmen Guard Wu and Lord Zhang to Jinzhou to preside over the overall situation, which has been quite effective."

"Now most of the towns in Jinnan are under the control of the imperial court, and Lord Zhang has begun to implement a new policy in Jinnan, giving the people of Jinzhou tax exemption for three years, allowing the people to open up wasteland, and lending cattle, grain, and farm tools to the people in the name of the imperial court, free of rent, and allowing the people to return the ...... in the coming year."

For these people, these new policies are tangible benefits, especially the reclamation of wasteland can be their own, and for those displaced people who have been displaced in other lands, it is a practical government that allows them to live in peace again, which is enough to attract displaced people from other places to flock to Jinnan.

In Dasheng, no, it should be said that in the past 1,000 years in the Central Plains, more than ninety percent of the ordinary people have made a living from farming, and arable land is the wealth and reliance on which they depend. Only with arable land can they have food, and they can have the capital to live and live, which is a concept engraved in the blood of the Han people.

Xiao Tian, as the owner of Taichu Village, naturally can't ignore what is happening outside the window, and he also pays attention to the changes in Jinnan. When he was in Jinju, he had heard about these new policies of the imperial court.

At that time, Xu Dajian still complained in front of Xiao Tian: "Senior brother, since the beginning of this year, there have been fewer and fewer new people joining the village, shouldn't we make a move?" ”

"Senior brother, why don't we also learn from Jinjiazhai to forcibly recruit some people into the village? Otherwise, the territory of Jinjiazhai is getting bigger and bigger, and we will be at a disadvantage! ”

"Senior brother, this matter is without further ado, for the sake of the brothers in the village, we must also take action!"

Although Xu Dajian tried to persuade him, Xiao Tian still rejected his proposal.

At that time, Xu Dajian was obviously disappointed, he was afraid that he felt that he couldn't support Taichu Village.

Xiao Tian patiently explained his thoughts to Xu Dajian, since the people's lives are better, why do they have to ask others to be mountain bandits!

After all, who wants to be a bandit if they can be good citizens;

can live a good life, who wants to live the kind of life of licking blood on the knife!

At that time, Xiao Tiantian really thought that Xu Dajian accepted his idea, but he didn't know that the two of them had already stood at a fork in the road at that time, and since then they have gradually embarked on two completely different paths.

Xu Dajian wanted to be a marquis and pay homage to the prime minister, and he became an obstacle that he had to get rid of on his way......

Xiao Tian lowered his eyes and was silent, his fists clenched tightly together.

He has a baby face, and from the front face, he always smiles and groans, which makes people feel very friendly at a glance, just like the boy next door, his side face is angular, and he is a little more calm and resolute than the front face.

Old Lady Chu sighed in his heart, he could imagine what kind of price Xiao Tian, who was only sixteen years old, would have to pay to achieve what he is now!

This kind of Xiao Tian made Old Lady Chu feel distressed and made him feel proud.

It is precisely because of this that at this moment, Old Lady Chu is not admonishing Xiao Tian with the attitude of an elder, but as an equal, he tries to tell Xiao Tian the current situation of Jinzhou as neutrally as possible, and tell him the plans of the imperial court.

"Xiao Tian," Old Lady Chu said with a straight face, "At the latest, when the Northern Army defeats Northern Yan, the imperial court will increase its forces to control the bandits in Jinzhou." ”

"......" Xiao Tian was still silent.

When he was in the stockade, he also studied with his brothers how the imperial court would treat them, and many people were very optimistic, they felt that after Wu Yanping and Zhang Wenche arrived in Jinzhou, they only took those small villages and did not dare to touch their Taichu Village, which shows that the imperial court bullied the weak and feared the hard, and was afraid of them Taichu Village and Jinjiazhai, so they did not dare to take action against them.

Xiao Tian couldn't be so optimistic, he actually had some hidden worries in his heart.

He is the master of a village, just like on the battlefield, in the case of equal strength, the decisive factor affecting the outcome of the war is basically the general, a general is like the soul of an army, his quality will determine the outcome of a battle.

And his decision will affect tens of thousands of people in the village, so Xiao Tian has always been very cautious, step by step, for fear that the embankment of thousands of miles will be destroyed in the anthill.

Xiao Tian's fists clenched tighter, and at this time, there was another hot smell from the Liu family's shortbread shop in front of him, and another furnace of shortbread was steaming out, and the long queue that had been stagnant for a long time began to move forward again, including Mrs. Chu.

It seems that Mrs. Chu should be able to buy shortbread from this oven.

Old Lady Chu also looked at Mrs. Chu's back, and continued in a steady tone: "Beiyan and Nanhuai are foreign races, and war is inevitable, but Jinzhou is the people of Dasheng, so why fight each other?" ”

As she spoke, Mrs. Chu in the team in front of her had already obtained the shortbread and the silver coin, and she turned around and walked towards the grandparents and grandchildren with a smile.

"Xiaotian, come, try this shortbread." Mrs. Chu distributed the shortbread in the carton to Mrs. Chu and Xiao Tian, and looked at Xiao Tian expectantly.

When the golden shortbread got closer, it became more fragrant, steaming hot, and still steaming white.

Xiao Tian took a big bite of the shortbread, the entrance was crispy and delicious, crispy but not broken, oily but not greasy, and the pork filling was plum vegetables, which was fresh and delicious, with the unique salty fragrance of plum vegetables.

Xiao Tian squinted his eyes in satisfaction, nodded and said, "It's delicious!" ”

He finished one shortbread in three or two bites, and then took the second shortbread from Mrs. Chu with great satisfaction.

Seeing that he liked it, Mrs. Chu was happy, and said with a smile: "Tomorrow I will ask the cuckoo to come back to buy you ......"

As they spoke, they gradually walked away along Bongying Street.

The streets were full of people, and some vendors began to appear on the roadside one after another, shouting and selling, announcing the beginning of a new day.

In a teahouse near the South City Gate, a pair of smiling eyes looked at the back of the three grandchildren from the second floor of the teahouse and disappeared at the end of Fengying Street.

The corners of Mu Yan's lips curled slightly, picked up the teacup, and took a few sips of tea to remove the aftertaste in his mouth.

Mu Yan was woken up before dawn this morning, and he didn't sleep well at all, but he was still refreshed, and after having breakfast casually in the teahouse, he checked out and left.

He did not enter the palace, but went to the Xu Mansion in Liuye Lane.

Mu Yan arrived early, Xu Mingzhen hadn't gone to the government yet, and he and Mrs. Xu had just had breakfast.

The subordinates knew that the master had something important to say, and immediately withdrew.

"Grandfather, grandmother, I finished my errands yesterday, and it was not too early, so I didn't come." Mu Yan smiled and explained to the second elder of the Xu family.

When he returned to the princess's mansion last night, it was already late, but he still went to ask An Ping for peace, and then he learned that Mrs. Xu had been to the princess's mansion, so he came over early in the morning.

"It's okay." Xu Mingzhen said with a complicated expression, "It's not bad for a while." ”

Mu Yan raised his eyebrows, feeling that his grandfather and grandmother's attitudes were a little contradictory. On the one hand, the words that my grandmother asked my mother to relay were to let me come to Xu's house as soon as possible, which shows that this matter is urgent; But on the other hand, my grandfather was not in a hurry to ask someone to summon him to the camp in Xishan.

Xu Mingzhen was a little speechless and stopped.

As the saying goes, a gentleman does not say a person's strengths and weaknesses.

Xu Mingzhen didn't like to say these gossips, but he had to say it because the matter was somewhat related to his grandson Muyan.

He thought about it for a while, and then said euphemistically: "Ah Yan, not long ago, did you go to the Jinjun Mansion to play polo with Sister Scarlet, Sister Scarlet and her sister, and Lord Cen Duzhu?" ”

"yes." Mu Yan didn't know why his grandfather mentioned it, so he nodded in response.

Xu Mingzhen pondered his words and said: "After the polo match, there are some unpleasant gossips in Beijing, have you ever heard of them?" ”

Xu Mingzhen said vaguely, went around in a circle, and did not directly say the specific content of the gossip.

Mu Yan was confused when he heard this, and asked directly, "Grandfather, what kind of gossip?" If there is anything, please ask my grandfather to make it clear. ”

Looking at Mu Yan's appearance, he obviously didn't know anything about it, the second elder of the Xu family looked at each other, thinking about it, if Mu Yan knew, how could he let those people talk nonsense there.

Xu Mingzhen cleared his throat, and had to put it bluntly: "Ah Yan, there are some rumors in Beijing now, saying that on the day of the polo match, Sister Scarlet and her sister ...... with Lord Cen."

The latter words Xu Mingzhen was really difficult to say to his grandson, and he could only end with the word "hey".

"......" Mu Yan's eyes widened, and he didn't say anything for a while.

This time, he finally understood what Xu Mingzhen meant.

Seeing that Mu Yan was dumbfounded, Xu Mingzhen became more and more sure that those rumors were really false, that day, Mu Yan was also in the Jinjun Palace, and he also played polo with Cen Yin, if there was really something wrong, how could Mu Yan not know it!

Xu Mingzhen and Mrs. Xu beside her exchanged glances again, and Mrs. Xu couldn't help but ask, "What happened that day?" ”

Xu Mingzhen moved his eyebrows, but he didn't feel the need to dwell on these details, so he immediately said: "Ah Yan, I think those gossips must have come from the people who were invited to King Jinjun that day, we have to check it quickly, and we can't let people 'talk nonsense' casually." ”

Mu Yan came back to his senses at this time, and nodded hurriedly: "It's true that people can't just 'talk nonsense'." ”

The sneaky man behind the scenes, he is the one he despises the most.

Xu Mingzhen was relieved when he heard that a boulder in his heart had finally fallen, thinking that his grandson understood what he meant.

Xu Mingzhen took two sips of hot tea, originally wanted to say it so far, but after thinking about it, since this topic has come to this, let's just say a few more words.

Xu Mingzhen hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Ah Yan, Miss Duanmu is your future sister-in-law, this matter has nothing to do with you, I am just afraid that someone will have to pull it on you, and say nonsense that you have to pick up Lord Cen and 'do whatever it takes' to please him." ”

As he spoke, he let out a long sigh, worried about Mu Yan's situation, "The three of them have become tigers, if these rumors continue to spread, I am afraid that it will hinder your reputation." ”

"......" Mu Yan blinked inexplicably, and said in his heart: Why can't he understand what his grandfather is saying, why is it in the way of his reputation?

Xu Mingzhen was immersed in his own thoughts, unaware.

He was still talking to Mu Yan in his heart: "Ah Yan, as the saying goes, you can't have the heart to harm people, and you can't have the heart to prevent people. With your position, you still have to keep a point for people and things. ”

"There are pros and cons to everything, and now with the help of Lord Cen Governor, it can be said that you will get twice the result with half the effort for you to stabilize the court, but you have to remember one sentence, if the king is strong, the minister is weak, and if the minister is weak, the king is strong......"

Mu Yan is the king, Cen Yin is the minister, the monarch and the minister are different, the king and the minister not only help each other, but also destined to oppose each other, this is the eternal truth.

As the future monarch, Mu Yan can't always let Cen Yin be restrained, this is the appearance of a weak monarch and a strong minister.

For Dasheng, it's not a good thing.

Xu Mingzhen frowned tightly, worried. After all, Mu Yan's foundation in the DPRK is still shallow.

Hearing this, Mu Yan also came back to his senses, and finally understood, a pair of phoenix eyes became unfathomable, and his heart tightened.

"Grandfather, don't say any more." Mu Yan interrupted Xu Mingzhen with a loud voice and stared at the other party without blinking.

Mu Yan's heart was very uncomfortable, as uncomfortable as turning over the river and the sea.

The eldest brother is carrying too many things, not only the blood feud of the Zhenbei Palace, but also so many years of forbearance...... And all the notoriety.

If my grandfather knew the identity of my eldest brother, he would not have said that.

Mu Yan pursed the corners of his mouth and swallowed a thousand words on his lips.

He solemnly looked at Xu Mingzhen and his wife, his eyes were clear, and he said slowly: "Grandfather, grandmother, my eldest brother and I are friends of life and death, and we can entrust our lives." ”

Mu Yan's dark eyes stared at Xu Mingzhen for a moment.

Xu Mingzhen and his wife were shocked, and after a while, they realized that the "eldest brother" in Mu Yan's mouth was Cen Yin.

There was silence in the room.

Mu Yan didn't go on, he just wanted to show his attitude to his grandfather and grandmother.

Mu Yan's eyes became deeper, and his expression was resolute, as unshakable as Mount Tai.

Xu Mingzhen also saw that Mu Yan didn't want to say much, and sighed secretly in his heart, and doubts were rolling in his heart, but he didn't say anything more.

The atmosphere in the room froze slightly as the silence spread.

Mu Yan simply changed the topic: "Grandfather, Zhen Zhen came to the house a few days ago, and when she left, she accidentally noticed that there was a merchant lingering at the door of Xu's house......

Xu Mingzhen and his wife didn't know why at first, but they still listened patiently.

Mu Yan roughly explained the results of the secret guard's investigation again, and finally said, "...... The merchant named David Luo has been wandering in front of Xu's house every day in the past few days, and he seems to have a plan. Maternal grandfather, I suspect that the person he traveled with was probably Nanhuai Yu. ”

Nan Huai Yu Sin?!

The air around him sank, as if it were about to freeze.

Xu Mingzhen's expression was serious, and Mrs. Xu also knew that the matter was serious, and she also looked awe-inspired.

The old couple was both shocked and a little stunned, and glanced at each other again, and the two elders couldn't figure out why Nan Huai Yu was eyeing their Xu family.

Mu Yan simply said bluntly: "Grandfather, grandmother, I suspect that someone in the Xu family has colluded with Nan Huai Yu to pass on the news. ”

After Mu Yan's words fell, the room became quieter.

There are a few osmanthus trees planted in the courtyard outside the window, and when the wind blows, the fragrant cinnamon fragrance wafts into the house with the wind, mixed with the incense, lingering on the nose of everyone, so strong that people are a little breathless.

The tip of Xu Mingzhen's nose vaguely oozed fine beads of sweat, motionless like a wood carving.

At his age, he has experienced many ups and downs, the Xu family once fell into power, but also fell to a low point, resigned and went into hiding, and came to the present safely in the stormy waves of the court.

Xu Mingzhen took two deep breaths and quickly calmed down, his eyes sharp.

Since Mu Yan said so, he should be somewhat sure, Xu Mingzhen naturally believes in his grandson.

The Xu family is hiding Nanhuai's spies, if this is the case, it is impossible for that person to be without clues......

Xu Mingzhen frowned slightly, carefully recalling what had happened in the past few months since they returned to Beijing, but he still had no clue and couldn't figure out who this spy would be.

Mrs. Xu was the same, and said with a little uneasiness: "Ah Yan, the people we brought to the capital from our hometown this time are all old people and children in the house for many years......

Xu Mingzhen said to Mrs. Xu: "You should still have a roster of subordinates there, right?" ”

Alien spies lurking in the house are like termites hiding in the shadows, and if they are not found out and killed as soon as possible, the entire building may collapse.

"I'll have someone fetch it." Mrs. Xu nodded in agreement, and immediately called the big maid in and told her to go and get the roster.

Now the middle feed of the Xu family is managed by the second lady Xu, but Mrs. Xu is still very clear about the personnel in the house.

After the eldest maid took the roster, Mrs. Xu sent the people out again.

Then, she counted Mu Yan one by one compared to the roster, such as a number of family treasures, including how many people they brought to Beijing this time, among which there were housekeepers, grandmothers, maids, mothers-in-law, maids, guards, etc......

The information registered on the roster is even more detailed, writing when these subordinates entered the house, and where they have done errands in the house, and those children show the relationship between relatives and relatives, which is clear at a glance.

Mrs. Xu said: "We have not been in the capital for a long time, and there are not many people in the house, so I don't want to be in a hurry to hire people for a while, so I haven't bought people." ”

Part of the reason is that the Xu family has just arrived, and the current situation in the capital is unclear, and Mrs. Xu is also thinking that it is not too late to wait for the Xu family to gain a firm foothold.

Mu Yan flipped through a few pages of the roster and closed it.

This roster is not something that can be read in a while.

"Grandmother, can I borrow this roster for a few days?" Mu Yan picked up the roster and asked without seeing it.

Mrs. Xu liked that he was not outside, and nodded: "You can take it and look at it slowly." If there's anything wrong, you just have people ask me. ”

Mu Yan smiled and said, "Grandfather, grandmother, don't be too nervous, everything is as usual." ”

"I have a guess, maybe the Xu family was too strict and failed to give the 'man' in the mansion a chance to connect with the merchant outside, so this merchant would linger outside the mansion for a few days."

Yesterday's chapter number was wrong again. Can't change it......

Next up is Xu San.

(End of chapter)