Ma Douhu said calmly: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is the will of the imperial court to change the thirty tax to twenty-five taxes. Moreover, you all know that in the entire Sichuan Province, except for our stone pillars, all the remaining prefectures and departments have changed the field tax to 25 taxes and one seven years ago. This is all because this official begged the court to give you a seven-year grace. The official also wants to collect less taxes from you and leave you more surplus food. But now that seven years have passed, the imperial court has strictly ordered to raise the field tax, and the official has no choice but to do it! ”

The villagers said:

"Master Toast, there was less rain this year, and our rice harvest was less than last year's. If we pay the field tax according to the thirty tax, we can still have some rations left, but now it's good, after paying the field tax, the rice jar in our family has bottomed out, what do we eat, Lord Toast! ”

"Master Toast, we haven't eaten a grain of rice in two days!"

"Save us, Lord Toast!"

Ma Douhu's sharp eyes glanced at the villagers again, and the villagers quickly calmed down again.

Ma Douhu: "People are iron and steel, and if you don't eat a meal, you will be hungry." As the master of a realm, this official is also anxious! The order of the imperial court is categorically not to be disobeyed, but this official will never watch you starve! In the past two days, I have been discussing this matter with Deputy Envoy Qin, and this official has just ordered that starting tomorrow, each of our four counties in Shizhu will set up three porridge factories, but all the villagers who do not have food rations at home can go to the porridge factory to eat! Until the autumn grain comes down! ”

"Thank you, Master Toast......" The villagers knelt down again and kowtowed.

The crowd quickly dispersed. Ma Douhu turned around and went home. Ma Qiancheng was also dragged away by Qiu Fenglin to learn swordsmanship; Qin Liangping also left with the recruits. Only Qin Kui and Qin Xiao's father and daughter were still standing outside the gate. Qin Xiao looked preoccupied.

"Silly Yu'er, go home!" Qin Kui touched her head like she did when she was a child.

Qin Xiao: "Daddy, I don't think it's appropriate to open a porridge factory." ”

Qin Kui: "Giving porridge to the villagers, what's wrong?" ”

Qin Xiao: "Daddy, let me ask you, what are the villagers working so hard for?" ”

Qin Kui: "Of course, it's for survival. ”

Qin Xiao: "If you are a villager, and now the government supports you with three meals a day, then do you still go to farm?" ”

Qin Kuile smiled and said, "Why am I still farming with this good thing!?" ”

Qin Xiao: "You won't, and the villagers will naturally not either." ”

Qin Kui suddenly realized: "Yes, the villagers are waiting to drink porridge and eat steamed buns every day, who is still tired of farming?" Then will the field be wasted? ”

Qin Xiao: "Once the fields are deserted, won't the field tax be even more difficult to pay in the future?!" ”

"My lord! My lord! Qin Kui was busy and turned around and ran towards the house.

Ma Douhu was feeding the caged birds in the East Flower Hall in the front yard at this time, and when he saw Qin Kui running over in a hurry, he reproached: "Shouting and screaming, what kind of system!" ”

Qin Kui repeated what Qin Xiao had just said to Ma Douhu, who thought for a while and nodded frequently: "Hmm...... Well...... It's very reasonable, if you don't say it, Ma would never have imagined that this kind of change would happen. He stared at Qin Xiao who had just walked over in surprise: "Liangyu, how did you come up with this?" ”

Qin Xiao: "Of course I think about it with my head!" ”

Ma Douhu was happy: "At such a young age, you have such a far-sighted plan, Qin Kui, you gave birth to an amazing daughter!" - But there's no other way. If there is no porridge factory, the villagers will not starve to death, and the official does not want the stone pillars to starve everywhere. ”

Qin Xiao said very easily: "Of course there is a way. ”