On the twentieth day of the first month of the 39th year of the Apocalypse, the news of the release of Cheng De, the former leader of the Yanshan faction who had been imprisoned for 20 years, shocked both at home and abroad.

Subsequently, the Inner Court and the Cabinet appointed Cheng Deguan to be reinstated and continue to be in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the news of the Jingcha also made many officials smell that something was wrong.

It's just that in this era when science and technology are advancing and imperial power can still be centralized, even if the officials know something, they can't make any resistance.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the Ming Dynasty is already about to storm......

"Woo-"

"It's time to arrive! It's finally here! ”

On the first day of February, when Zhu Cixuan's excited voice sounded on the east coast of the Daming Sea, three steam engine ships sailed into the bustling Xijing Bay.

In the sea area of Xijing Bay, there are countless sailing ships and ships passing by.

Like stars, they sit brilliantly on the surface of the sea, reflecting the deep sky and illuminating the whole world.

Many of the boats have a private style, dyed in different shades of colour, whether they are wooden sailing ships or steamboats.

On the sea, the wooden sailboat lowered its sails and was sagged by the sea breeze, like a huge palm blowing the ship into the distance.

There are crystal droplets of water at the stern of the boat, like a rainbow, exuding a vast magical charm.

The steamship was smearing with smoke and hulls against the sea, pounding the ocean at breakneck speed.

The waves crashed against the hull of the ship like a drum beat after a beat, but all the boats were fearless and kept going, keeping their heads held high.

On these ships, the crew on deck walked around like black butterflies.

They face the sea breeze, and their bodies are loaded with all kinds of materials, the hope of life, and the hope of the future.

Looking at these countless ships in the sun, even a fool can see the prosperity of Xijing Bay.

"This place is no worse than the five bay areas of Daming!"

Zhu Cixuan looked around excitedly, greeting every passing ship, and the crew members on the decks of those ships also waved vigorously.

Although he couldn't see their expressions, Zhu Cixuan could feel each other's mood.

"Xijing Bay Area, as the closest bay area to the country of Qi, includes many large and small cities, and the most important city is Jingzhao Mansion on the Xijing Plain."

"The first time the three highnesses came to Jingzhao Mansion, the old minister will introduce them to the three......"

Xia Yunyi stepped forward from behind Zhu Cihong and the three of them, looked at the direction of the boat, and introduced the three of them.

Jingzhao Mansion, as the western capital of Qi State, is also one of the first few prefectures to develop, and its local area has become the most densely populated place in Qi because of its flat terrain.

As of the 30th day of the 38th month of the Apocalypse, the total population of Jingzhao Mansion reached more than 1.2 million, and Xijing City alone had a permanent population of 650,000.

According to the information held by Qi State, Xijing City is one of the top ten cities in the world, ranking fifth in the world after Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou in the Ming Dynasty.

However, if the price is in terms of wages, the wages of Xijing City are not as good as the two capitals and Suzhou and Hangzhou in the Ming Dynasty, and even Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Yangzhou are not as good as the latter.

"My Qi Kingdom once set a wage in the thirty-fifth year of the Apocalypse."

Xia Yunyi watched the steam engine ship sail into Qishui in the wind and waves, heading towards Xijing City, and continued in high spirits:

"Qi Guo and Da Ming are different, although the three highnesses have understanding, they only know the skin."

"In the country of Qi, all the land belongs to the state, not to the king of Qi, the people, and the nobles."

"At the same time, all the houses, shops, and cities belong to the state, not to the king of Qi."

As soon as Xia Yunyi spoke, Zhu Cihong and the three of them were suddenly speechless.

They didn't expect that Xia Yunyi would be able to say that everything in the Qi Kingdom did not belong to the King of Qi, and such words made Zhu Cihong frown and said:

"If nothing belongs to the people, then what's the point of the people working so hard?"

"Hehe......" Hearing Zhu Cihong's words, Xia Yunyi stroked his beard and smiled:

"The specific answer is in "Qi Law", but Lao Chen can explain it superficially."

"Paragraph 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Qi: All natural resources such as mineral deposits, streams, forests, mountains, grasslands, wastelands, and tidal flats within the territory of Qi belong to the state and the collective, that is, owned by the whole people, and it is forbidden for any force or individual to use any means to encroach upon or destroy collective resources."

"The exploitation of all collective resources should be supervised by the collective, and all private exploitation is undermining the interests of the collective."

Xia Yunyi said the relevant provisions in "Qi Law" and explained it in layman's terms:

"In Qi State, whether it is a mine or land, all development requires the approval of the relevant yamen before it can be developed."

"Of course, this kind of development is mainly collective, such as production teams, villages, market towns, county seats, state capitals and other collective methods."

"If the prefect of the 25th Prefecture of Qi last year was sparse, and it is estimated that 24 million mu of cultivated land will be reclaimed this year, then these cultivated land will be processed in the Changshi Mansion in a higher-standard way, and then sent to the Qi Wangfu, which will approve the red."

"In this process, we need to calculate at the beginning which household will be implemented after the reclamation of 24 million mu of cultivated land in 25 prefectures."

"Generally speaking, it is the division of land ......"

Xia Yunyi said the method of developing and distributing land resources, although it sounds a little complicated, but it is very simple to do.

How many tractors there are in each production team, there is a corresponding reclamation index, and if there is an index, it must be allocated first, and then reclaimed.

In other words, which acre of land belongs to which family, it has been said at the beginning.

The production team of Qi State was only responsible for organizing reclamation and farming, as well as distributing tractors.

It is impossible for the production team members to help others reclaim the land that others will cultivate in the future, so it completely eliminates the idea that some people want to be lazy.

"The state of Qi is also the same as the dynasty, is the right of land ownership to the imperial court, and the right of use to be permanently owned by the peasants?"

Zhu Cihong asked Xia Yunyi and got Xia Yunyi's nod in response.

"What about the mines and factories?" Zhu Cihong asked, and Xia Yunyi also smiled after hearing it:

"The mineral deposits absolutely belong to the state, while the factories are subdivided into private and state-owned."

"However, whether it is private or state-run, the rules must be in accordance with the "Qi Law".

"For example, in the thirty-fifth year of the Apocalypse, the "Qi Law" stipulates that the minimum daily wage of factories in Qi is 15 Wen, then the daily wage of factories in the country can only be 15 Wen or higher than 15 Wen."

"As for the people, the minimum daily wage for self-employed workers stipulated in the "Qi Law" is 12 Wen, and the reason is the same as above."

"So low?!" Hearing that the minimum daily wage in the factory was only fifteen yuan, Zhu Cijiong couldn't help but say it.

For him living in the capital, he clearly remembered that the daily wage of the factories around the capital had risen to a minimum of 40 wen in the 30th year of the apocalypse, and some of the laborers and handymen in the capital also had 20 wen.

However, when Xia Yunyi opened his mouth to say the daily salary of Qi State, he suddenly couldn't help it, and even subconsciously suspected that many officials said that the people of Qi State were very happy.

"Hehe......" Xia Yunyi looked at Zhu Cihong and the others, stroked his beard and said with a smile:

"How about the three highnesses get off the dock a little and ride to the Qi Palace? On the way, you will know the situation by visiting the market town market. ”

Xia Yunyi knew that it would be difficult for Zhu Cihong and the three of them to understand the lives of the people of Qi just by his mouth, so he chose to let the three of them see it with their own eyes.

"Good!" Zhu Cihong, who heard the words, responded to the situation, and then stopped saying a word and quietly watched the boats coming and going.

Since Zhu Youzhen went to the Central Capital City in the middle of the month at this moment, they were not in a hurry to go to the Qi Palace.

It was also in this situation that the steamer successfully came to Xijing Port in the east of Xijing City.

The port of Xijing can dock hundreds of ships, and the scale is no less than a county town.

When the ship sailed into the port and entered the ship's position, the bursts of laughter on the pier attracted the attention of Zhu Cihong and others.

Xia Yunyi asked them to get off the boat first, and said that they had arranged for someone to bring them horses, and as for the luggage, they would be sent to the palace of Qi by the convoy.

Since the three of them were eager to know the problem of the low wages of the common people of Qi, they turned around and got off the steamer after bowing and expressing their gratitude.

When I walked down the staircase to the pier with a concrete road, I was greeted by the many ships moored inside the harbor, and the unloaders on the pier.

They look very tired, but their faces are full of smiles, and they can rest for a few seconds from time to time and chat with the people next to them.

"Three, the horses are here."

When the unfamiliar voice sounded, Zhu Cihong and the three of them reacted, and they turned to look.

I saw three young men in regular clothes leading three ordinary horses standing in front of them, such horses were not even as good as pulling dung trucks in Shuncheon University, but Zhu Cihong did not dislike them.

The three men took the reins, calmed the horses, and turned them over.

They walked leisurely towards the far side of the street of the port, aiming for Xijing City, which was more than ten miles away.

The wharf of Xijing Port is very lively, the same as Daming's, but the wharf workers are more energetic and energetic than the workers of Daming.

Three people rode out of the dock and came to the street.

The familiar Jiangnan-style buildings and dense pedestrians, as well as the occasional sound of ruts, make the whole street atmosphere seem vibrant.

Zhu Cihong and the others slowly rode on the horse path, looking at the pedestrians on both sides from time to time.

Some of the pedestrians on both sides are businessmen, some are residents, and some are some of the shop guys that Zhu Cihong cares about.

There are stalls along the street to sell, and all the stalls have the price written on it, and the price is clearly marked, and there is no such thing as forced buying and selling.

"Freshly picked southern apples, three pounds a penny, don't miss it when you pass by!"

"Basket of flowers! Two pennies a piece, with a flower basket! ”

On the streets, there are either fruit sellers or flower sellers, and the smell of fruit and flowers is all around, making it very comfortable to walk in.

Zhu and the others enjoyed this feeling of wandering, but they soon walked out of the streets selling fruits and flowers.

Even though it's a market town, the signs that should be there are still there.

Zhu Cihong, who was waiting at the crossroads, saw that there were many snack stalls on the opposite street, and they couldn't help but look forward to it.

"Bell, bell, bell—"

The pendulum clock at the intersection naturally sounded, and the road signs were also lowered.

Zhu Cihong and the others rode leisurely across the intersection, and then came to a new street.

The prosperous citizen economy and citizen culture of Qi have created a variety of Qi cuisine.

From the porridge soup in the south of the Yangtze River, to the meat in Liaodong, the "sourage" in Shandong, the pastries in Beizhili, and even some snacks of the young people in the southwest and northeast will appear on this street.

Judging from the food on the stalls, in terms of cooking technology, Qi Guo has actually made great progress compared to the Ming Dynasty.

From burning, steaming, boiling, frying, roasting, to marinating, stalling, frying, exploding, and stir-frying, the snacks of various production methods are dazzling.

In fact, seeing this, Zhu Cihong already knew how the lives of the people of Qi were like.

If the life of the people of Qi is poor, it is impossible to develop cooking methods better than Daming in such a short period of time.

"In charge, how much does this bowl of wontons cost?"

"Two texts! Twenty ravioli! It is written on the sign. ”

Zhu Cihong listened to the conversation between the host and the guest in his ears, and couldn't help but look at the signs in front of the stalls around him in surprise.

【Four crispy cakes】

【Twenty wontons in two articles】

【Roasted oysters 10 articles】

【Liaodong lamb tripe three wen bowl】

【Huainan beef noodles two articles and a bowl】

【Mongolian roast mutton 1 catty 15 Wen】

【Qi Wang rice noodles two articles and one bowl】

Zhu Cihong, who was looking at the signs, doubted life, Zhu Cixuan next to him had already started to buy things with copper money, and Zhu Cijiong had already eaten it.

"This price ...... Too cheap, right? ”

Zhu Cihong traveled south and north, and went to many places in Daming, so he naturally knew the prices of Daming.

Not to mention anything else, what Zhu Cihong remembers most clearly is the price of wontons.

Even if the price of meat has dropped in recent years, the price of wontons in Daming is still four yuan per bowl, and there are only fifteen in one bowl.

As for lamb tripe, tripe, meat sausages, etc., which are the favorite foods of the Ming people, the price of a bowl is basically on the Qiwen Dynasty.

Not to mention barbecue, the price of a pound of raw mutton in Daming is more than 20 yuan, not to mention roasted,

"The lower is not without ......"

A familiar voice sounded from behind Zhu Cihong, and he turned around suddenly, and sure enough, he saw a familiar face.

"Brother Xia!"

Zhu Cijiong and Zhu Cixuan next to him shouted out separately, and Zhu Cihong also said happily:

"You're not on an errand in the Changshi Mansion, how do you have time to come here?"

"I learned that you came back today, so I deliberately took a day off."

Xia Wanchun, who was dressed in a azure round-necked robe, smiled and spoke, he was not as conspicuous as Zhu Cihong and the others, but he was very white, and at the same time, he was angry, and he looked bold between his eyebrows.

"You two have grown a lot taller, so it seems that I should call you two big brothers."

Xia Wanchun looked at Zhu Cixuan, who was five feet four or five inches three years ago, and now he is five feet six or seven inches, and couldn't help but joke.

"Haha......" Zhu Cixuan and the two looked at each other and smiled, Xia Wanchun smiled and then took his horse and took the lead:

"I've been going back and forth to this town for half a year, so if you follow me, I'll take you to what you want to see."

"Okay!" Zhu Cixuan and the others responded happily, turned over and dismounted, and led the horse to other places.

Zhu Cihong looked at the appearance of the three of them, and there was an indescribable joy in his heart.

It seems that he has been affected by the atmosphere of the people around him, and he is much more relaxed here than when he was in the Ming Dynasty.

"Wait for me!"

With a shout, he led his horse and chased after the three men.

The four of them walked through the streets and alleys, and Xia Wanchun took them to Wangdian.

"Just keep the horses tethered to the door."

Xia Wanchun explained at the door of Wangdian, but before Zhu Cihong could speak, Zhu Cijiong said: "What if someone steals it?" ”

......Hearing this, the people passing by around couldn't help laughing, and Xia Wanchun also laughed:

"Where are you? This is the country of Qi! ”

"The horses of the Qi country are marked, and it is easy to find out if they are stolen and sold."

Xia Wanchun showed the tag of the horse's ears to Zhu Cihong and the others, and then shook his head with a smile:

"Qi Guolu is not forgotten, and the house is not closed at night, the price of these four horses is not worth the thief's price of being "deported" and "confiscated of land". ”

After that, Xia Wanchun turned around and walked into Wang's shop, and Zhu Cihong and the others also followed in after tying the reins.

The Wangdian they entered covers an area of more than ten acres, with two floors above and below.

All the goods are placed against the wall, but compared with the imperial store of the Ming Dynasty, the royal store of the Qi Kingdom has the prototype of a department store in the later generations.

In Wang's store, there are not only a variety of retail goods, but also a variety of "small door" style cooked food stalls.

From steamed buns to pastries, barbecues, and even fresh foods like cream cakes.

In addition to soup and barbecue food, there are other more portable cooked foods, and the price is half or even more cheaper than Daming.

A few people walked down and looked at the prices of a large number of commodities needed by the people.

If it weren't for the crowds in Wang's shop, and the endless stream of people shopping and selling goods and being a little crowded, I'm afraid they wouldn't have come out for a while.

"After looking at it, I can understand why our wages are cheaper than those of the national dynasty."

"Prices are more than half cheaper, and wages are naturally not high."

The four of them walked out of the Wang shop one after another, and when they were untying the reins, Zhu Cixuan excitedly said today's opinions.

He has changed from "Qi country" to "us", and obviously the atmosphere, prices, and wages of Qi country make him feel very proud.

"The price here is quite high, if it is in the other twenty-four provinces, then the price can be lower."

Xia Wanchun explained with a smile, and at the same time looked at Zhu Cihong:

"That's why I'm telling you that I'd rather be a dung worker in the Qi State than an official in the Ming Dynasty."

Xia Wanchun did not forget the Qi country because of the more than ten years of life in the Ming Dynasty, but because of the more than ten years of life in the Ming Dynasty, he felt very fortunate that he could have such a place as the Qi country.

"Isn't the dynasty bad? Why do you want to leave? ”

Zhu Cijiong said this sentence out of place, and Xia Wanchun heard it but replied without thinking:

"The dynasty is very good, but it's too old, and the movement is too slow, which makes me feel uncomfortable."

Although he said this, it sounded like an excuse, and after listening to his words, Zhu Cihong looked at the people around him.

He couldn't see the slightest hint of exhaustion on their faces.

Obviously, it is also the imperial court, why do the people of the Ming Dynasty have a sense of exhaustion on their faces, but there is no ......

Zhu Cihong couldn't think clearly, but he knew that when he saw his father, his father would solve his doubts one by one.

(End of chapter)