Zhu Yunxi's words were a joke on the one hand, and helplessness on the other.

Because he collected taxes on the gentry, it can be said that he completely offended the bureaucratic class of the Ming Dynasty, and it is difficult to say how the local officials would react when they learned of his identity.

In addition, this place is still far away from Yangzhou City, and it will take a few days for the two of them to walk there, in case they encounter the rebellion of the White Lotus Sect or the robbers who block the road along the way, then the two of them will be in vain.

"So what do we do now?"

"Why don't we row back?"

Xu Miaojin gave a very reliable idea, but Zhu Yunxi didn't buy it.

"You row?"

"How can I row alone, of course it's the two of us!"

Zhu Yunxi rolled her eyes disdainfully.

"You can take a break!"

"How hard did we just waste to row the boat over, don't you have a point in your heart?"

"If you want to row back, why can't you go to the sky!"

Xu Miaojin was also a little tempered, and when she saw Zhu Yunxi say this, she asked with displeasure.

"Then what do you say, you can't go to Yangzhou, you can't row back, you can't stay here and wait for someone to save you!" Zhu Yunxi looked at the awning boat docked at the pier.

"Let's sell the boat first, sell some silver for the fare, and hire a carriage or boat to go back......

Xu Miaojin said puzzled.

"Why do you want to sell it, why don't we just hire a boatman?"

When Zhu Yunxi heard this, he looked up at the sky helplessly.

Fortunately, Xu Miaojin was not stupid and breathable, and soon figured it out by herself.

"Are you worried that there are marks on the ship and that they will be recognized by the people of the White Lotus Sect?"

Zhu Yunxi said angrily.

"Or else?"

Xu Miaojin gave Zhu Yunxi a thumbs up when he heard this.

"You're so smart!"

"I didn't think of that!"

"I can't see that you are quite smart in other aspects besides practicing martial arts!"

"Cut!"

"We were also scholars in the main hall back then!"

Zhu Yunxi and Xu Miaojin blew the bull, and they found someone to sell the boat on the dock.

Because they stopped at a grass market under Yangzhou Mansion, there were not many people in total, so they couldn't sell at a high price.

In addition, the two of them were still children, and the other party did not dare to give a high price, so they only sold it for five taels of silver. Even so, Zhu Yunxi also kindly reminded.

"This uncle, you buy this boat and pick it up, dismantle all the things that should be dismantled on it, and paint it with a new coat of paint......

The man who bought the boat was also very funny, and said while agreeing.

"Yes!"

"You sold the boat so cheaply, it looks like you're coming from the wrong place. If it weren't for your articulate and undeceivable boy, I wouldn't have even paid five taels of silver!"

Zhu Yunxi gave a thumbs up to the man when he heard this.

"Understand!"

"There is indeed a problem with the way this ship came from, but you don't have to worry about my family looking for it."

"To tell you the truth, my parents have died a long time ago, and I am the oldest in my family!"

"That's ......."

When the man heard this, when he gave the money, he counted a few hundred extra coins for Zhu Yunxi, and there were a lot of new copper coins mixed in it.

When Zhu Yunxi saw the copper coins he presided over, he suddenly had an indescribable sense of intimacy. This is the first time he has received copper coins other than the mother coin after the copper coin was issued, and he earned it with his own hands!

"Thank you, uncle!"

After Zhu Yunxi thanked the man who bought the boat, he led Xu Miaojin to the grass market to eat, drink and have fun.

The first thing the two of them had to do was take a bath, and Zhu Yunxi gave a store a few hundred wen to charter the entire store, even with the boss and the proprietress to wrap it up, and bought two sets of old clothes.

One was busy boiling bath water for the two of them, and the other was busy cooking for them in the kitchen.

After a short time, the two took a hot shower and changed into the old clothes prepared by the store and came to the hall to eat.

While eating, Zhu Yunxi chatted with the store.

"Shop, have you been getting better in the past two years?"

As soon as the shopkeeper saw the clothes of the two and the magnanimity of the shot, he knew that the identities of the two were not simple, and now when he heard Zhu Yunxi ask, he was even more convinced that he was an official family member who had fallen into trouble, and no matter how bad he was, he was also a rich kid who did big business.

"It's okay!"

"It's better than before!"

Zhu Yunxi's face showed joy when he heard this. This is much more comfortable than the officials praising him, this is the voice of the people.

However, before the boss could say a few words, he was interrupted by the boss's wife.

"Better than a fart!"

"My mother's family is still like that, although the government does not send forced labor, but I still have to pay rent for farming, and I have to help the landlord's family carry the work!"

Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly gave his mother-in-law a look, but the proprietress was already immersed in the situation of complaining and couldn't extricate herself, so how could she care about him.

Zhu Yunxi frowned slightly when he heard this, and asked tentatively.

"That's not right."

"Didn't the new policy implemented by the imperial grandson in the past two years only collect 20% of the rent and exempt all forced labor and miscellaneous taxes, why is life still difficult?"

The proprietress said with hatred when she heard this.

"You're talking about people who have their own land, like us who don't have land and can only rent other people's land to plant, it's no different from before."

"On the contrary, because the imperial grandson levied taxes on the squire, our family paid a lot more rent every year!"

"In previous years, we planted the landlord's land, and paid 30% per acre of land, and we could keep 70% of our own land."

"Now the lord's family also has to pay 20% of the tax, and the lord's family has to collect another 30% of the rent, and we can only have 50% of our land left."

"I can see it, no matter how to collect taxes, in the end, it is our ordinary people who are unlucky!"

The proprietress complained while adding vegetables to Zhu Yunxi, and persuaded him to eat more from time to time.

However, Zhu Yunxi was still in the mood to eat at this time.

The tax reform he had always been proud of was changed to this, which is simply the greatest irony of all.

Xu Miaojin wanted to laugh when he heard the boss's complain at first, thinking that Zhu Yunxi was too stinky and fartful, and listened to others praise him around the corner.

But listening to it, Xu Miaojin was also silent.

Although she doesn't know the purpose of Zhu Yunxi's reform, she has heard a lot of rumors in the main hall, at least Zhu Yunxi really wants to reduce the burden of the people.

However, now that he has been tossing around, the burden of the common people has not been reduced, but has become heavier than before, which will definitely hit his self-esteem very much.

Xu Miaojin quietly grabbed Zhu Yunxi's hand and comforted.

"Don't take it too seriously, maybe it's just like this place, and it's not like it in other places......

Zhu Yunxi looked at Xu Miaojin gratefully when she heard this, and just wanted to say thank you, when she heard the proprietress turn on the spit mode again.

"This little girl is right, it's true that only we are like this here, and other places are not as good as us......" "I heard that in other counties in Yangzhou, some owners collect 40% of the rent, and only leave 40% for the tenants!"

"At the end of the year, there are only forty or fifty pounds left, what is enough to do?"

"After serving an acre of land, it will be more than 100 catties of grain, which will go to the taxes to the imperial court and the rent to the lord's family."

"It's really in response to the words of the king butcher in the village, the pig's hair is out of the pig's body, it's just a change of place to pick the hair!" When Zhu Yunxi heard this, he shook off Xu Miaojin's hand and threw down the chopsticks stupidly.

"I'm done!"

"Thank you for your hospitality, we'll be on the road in a while, so we won't bother much!"

The proprietress kept chattering, but her heart was good, and she hurriedly persuaded her.

"It's past noon now, and I'm afraid you'll miss the nightstay when you're on your way at this time, so why don't you stay in our store and sleep overnight, and get up tomorrow morning and hurry again!"

Zhu Yunxi shook his head and said.

"No!"

"You can prepare some dry food for the two of us, just enough for us to eat on the road!"

Xu Miaojin knew that Zhu Yunxi's self-esteem was frustrated, so she hurriedly put down her chopsticks and said that she could go on the road at any time.

Seeing the attitude of the two, the shopkeeper had no choice but to prepare dry food for the two, and then watched the two go on the road.

When the two got back on the road, Zhu Yunxi was not in a hurry, but chatted with someone from time to time and asked how he felt about the changes in the past two years.

When you meet a farmer and ask about the harvest, when you meet a businessman, you will ask about the business environment, and when you meet a scholar, you will ask about your understanding of the major policies of the imperial court, that is, when you meet an entertainment practitioner, you will also ask whether the current customer rate is high, and what is your vision for the future.

Zhu Yunxi ate and drank all the way, but he was miserable for Xu Miaojin, who accompanied him all the way.

She saw that this product was not in a hurry to go back at all, but regarded this kidnapping as a private visit to observe the people's feelings.

Zhu Yunxi was not in a hurry here, but the corners of Lao Zhu's mouth were blistering on the fire.

Lao Zhu is now facing an important choice, that is, when to announce the news of Zhu Yunxi's "illness and death", and when to appoint a new crown prince, or crown prince.

But Lao Zhu always had a kind of unwillingness in his heart, he didn't want to believe that the eldest grandson was dead if he didn't see the body of his eldest grandson for a day.

These officials above the court said that although they secretly suspected that the emperor's grandson was missing, they did not dare to ask openly.

Comparatively speaking, the officers of the Jing Navy were much bolder, and they kept clamoring to see the emperor's grandson, as if the emperor's grandson was under house arrest by the old emperor and was not allowed to come out to govern the country.

Lao Zhu was angry in his heart, and wanted to kill a few to help him, but he was afraid of hurting his eldest grandson's face. I could only order someone to arrest a few officers who took the lead in making trouble, and they were locked up in the brocade guard and beaten up.

Even so, the turmoil on the side of Jing Navy and Xingwuwei was not suppressed, and every day young officers knelt at the gate of the palace and wrote a letter, asking to meet the emperor's grandson and report the so-called military situation.

I hope that the school will not stop, and hundreds of students will collectively write a letter, asking the imperial grandson to continue to listen to the government. There are also many new colleges under the Hope Academy, and from time to time they also come up with a little thing to ask Lao Zhu to decide.

For example, there is a thing called the Radio Research Institute, which says that it has made a major breakthrough in the field of radio communication, and he writes every day urging the mass production of wireless transmitters......

There is also the dean of the Textile Institute, who wrote that a new spinning machine had been developed and asked for approval to build a factory......

If the other party only needs 35,000, Lao Zhu gritted his teeth and approved it.

However, as soon as the other party opened his mouth, he asked for one million taels, and said that it was only the first phase of the project, and the follow-up would continue to allocate funds, so Lao Zhu could only scold him back and let him wait for his eldest grandson to come back when he was sick.

As for when his eldest grandson will be cured, Lao Zhu has no bottom in his heart.

Lao Zhu was helpless, so he could only turn to ghosts and gods.

Zhang Sloppy saw the haggard Zhu Yuanzhang, and he didn't have to wait for Zhu Yuanzhang to speak, he knew that he was in trouble again.

Although Zhang Sloppy does not care about the world now, he studies medical skills in the Huimin Medical Center, and he can often hear patients talk about things outside.

Some time ago, he felt that something was wrong when the capital was in turmoil, and now when he saw the old emperor with two black eyes, he knew that something big had happened in the imperial court, and it was very likely to be related to the emperor's grandson.

Sure enough, as soon as the old emperor opened his mouth, he was scared half to death.

"Immortal Master Zhang, our eldest grandson has been kidnapped by the White Lotus Sect!"

"Huh?"

Even if Zhang Sloppy has always paid attention to his personal fairy wind bone character, he was scared to death when he heard the news at first glance. "How so!"

"The Imperial Grandson is in the Ninefold Palace, how could he be tied up by the White Lotus Sect?"

Lao Zhu's face was full of resentment when he mentioned this.

"It's not all because the rebel grandson is disobedient!"

"We told him a long time ago, let him be careful when he goes out, bring as many guards as possible, and don't be careless......

"And yet, he did

On the day of the New Year, he dared to leave the palace with only a dozen people, and he fell in love with other people's ways!"

"Of course, he can't be blamed for this, who would have thought that his second uncle would ......

"Forget it, let's not mention the rebel son first, we just want to ask the immortal master, can you use the great magic power to find it for us, see where our eldest grandson is, whether he is dead or alive, even if he gives us a general direction!"

"That's ......."

Zhang sloppy listened to Lao Zhu's words, and expressed sympathy for Lao Zhu in his heart, and sympathy for himself at the same time.

Emperor Zhu really regarded himself as an immortal, but he didn't open his eyes to heaven, where did he go to find someone for him? "Your Majesty, wait a minute, wait for the poor road to count!"

Zhang sloppy sat up in front of Lao Zhu, and soon entered a semi-settled state.

After a long while, a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in Zhang Sloppy's mind, and he stretched out his finger and pointed to the northeast.

"Your Majesty, you can send someone to look in this direction, maybe there will be a turnaround!"

"Tohoku?"

"Yes!"

"Is our grandson still alive?"

"The emperor's grandson is protected by the emperor, so he is naturally safe and sound!"

When Lao Zhu heard the last sentence, he finally felt a little bottom in his heart.

"Thank you Immortal Master Zhang for your advice!"

"If our eldest grandson can escape this catastrophe this time, we will definitely give you Wudang Mountain to rebuild the Taoist temple and reshape the Dharma body for the Sanqing!"

Zhang sloppy listened to Lao Zhu's empty promise, cooperated and made a bow, and said a sentence of immeasurable Tianzun.

Lao Zhu returned to the palace from the Huimin Medical Center, and before his buttocks were hot, he heard the news of Jinyiwei outside the door.

"Emperor, the imperial grandson has been found!"

Lao Zhu was shocked when he heard this, and slipped down directly from the dragon chair, and asked with a nervous face.

"Life or death?"

"Raw!"

"The imperial grandson is still alive!"

When Lao Zhu heard that the eldest grandson was still alive, the whole person immediately became energetic and hurriedly got up from the ground.

"Where is that rebel grandson now?"

"Back to Your Majesty, the imperial grandson has already passed the Guanyin Gate and is rushing to the palace under the escort of the Jinyi guard!"

Lao Zhu rubbed his hands in surprise when he heard this.

"Great!"

"What Immortal Zhang said is really right, our eldest grandson is really blessed by the emperor!"