As soon as he woke up, Chongzhen felt refreshed, and when he saw that Wang Chengen was not in the house, he got up by himself to wash and change clothes.

I don't know what time it was, Chongzhen pushed open the wooden window, the dim light came with the smell of earth, the light rain outside the house was dripping, and the water on the ground should have been falling for a long time.

On a rainy day in spring, the grass and trees are full of growth, and this rain may be a good omen for Datong.

After cleaning up, take a walk to the side hall, where the three meals are served in the house on weekdays, Chongzhen rubbed his lower abdomen and wanted to go in to see if there was any food prepared.

In the hall, Wang Chengen sat at the dinner table with a helpless face, and Yang Boxian and his wife Yang were kneeling and kowtowing.

"What's the situation?" Chongzhen didn't know the inside story, and when he saw such a scene, his face was gloomy.

When Wang Chengen heard this, his heart was bad, long live the old slave who woke up and didn't serve by his side, Yang Boxian, Yang Boxian, you can hurt me. didn't dare to look at Chongzhen's face, got up and knelt beside the two, and bumped Yang Boxian with his elbow as if complaining.

"Great. Your Majesty the Emperor, don't blame the princess, this... This, you say! Yang Boxian stammered, nervously forgot all the words Yang explained, and looked at Yang as if asking for help after speaking.

Yang Boxian's cowardice, Chongzhen looked at it and wanted to laugh, but he had to endure it.

Yang was once a young lady from an official family, she read and could read, but unfortunately her family fell into the middle of the road and turned into a flat-headed commoner, so she could vaguely detect Chongzhen's heavenly temperament.

She was unhurried, and said softly: "Husband's Yang Boxian, the little daughter Yang Lianbing has eyes and does not know the real Mount Tai, and there have been many trespassers before, so I beg Your Majesty to forgive me." ”

Chongzhen shook his head after hearing this, walked to the dining table and sat down, and said, "Can you all get up and have a good meal together." ”

Seeing that the three of them didn't move, Chongzhen had no choice but to add: "I'm not asking about you." ”

At the dinner table, Yang and Yang Boxian didn't even dare to put their hands next to each other, only on their knees, let alone move the dishes and chopsticks.

Chongzhen felt tired inside, and his identity really seemed like a curse at the moment.

Taking advantage of the gap between Wang Chengen and giving him soup, he said: "Originally, I planned to pick a time to say it myself, but I let you expose it first. ”

Yang Bo wanted to speak before stopping, and looked at Yang suspiciously, it turned out that under the table, Yang was stomping on him with his foot.

"Even if you are allowed to eat at the same table, don't you know my intentions?"

Yang Boxian was quick to speak, couldn't hold it back, and ignored the strength of his wife's feet, and said: "Let's not fix that empty head, Brother Huang, you can say that you still recognize me as a brother." ”

Chongzhen laughed openly, "Of course I do!" That's what I want, eat quickly, the food is cold. ”

The atmosphere gradually relaxed, Yang Boxian was no longer restrained, picked up the bowl and slashed it, and excitedly reported to Chongzhen about the recruitment.

This time, Yang Boxian recruited a total of 260 people, most of whom were porters and tenants of helpers in townships and counties, with rough skin and thick meat, and could endure hardship.

At first, everyone scoffed at this matter, and everyone said that thieves were like combing soldiers like grates, which shows that soldiers are hated by many people. It wasn't until Yang Bo first took out the silver for nothing, and the salary of two taels a month was amazing, and after repeatedly confirming that it was not a joke, he signed up for the army.

"Big brother, when I was leaving, I heard that Jianyu had entered the customs, and some of the family members said that they wanted to take the family with them, but I couldn't bear to look at it, so I brought it with my own opinion."

"Yes, you're doing the right thing."

"Hey, hey, where, where."

Yang Bo was praised first, but he was embarrassed, and he twisted and pinched a little lady.

Chongzhen glanced at him, put down the dishes and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said solemnly: "Actually, I, like you, am an ordinary person, in the future, we will still be like this in this house, regardless of you and me, okay?" ”

"Okay, okay."

"But outside, the king is a monarch and a minister, you can't come nonsense, be careful of my civil and military ministers to punish you for your crimes."

Yang Boxian and his wife nodded yes.

"Boxian, from today onwards, you will be the head of the Datong regiment training camp, and these 200 or so people will be handed over to you to be responsible for their training and daily life on weekdays."

"Big brother, I really don't understand these ways of being soldiers."

"If you don't understand, you can learn, and today you will put them in the house to rest. If you can't live there, Song Xiancai still has a few empty mansions, let Chengen lead you there. Gather people tomorrow morning, and I will demonstrate it myself, and then I will practice according to my method. ”

"That's okay, if you don't do a good job, don't blame me, big brother."

Chongzhen stood up and replied: "Do a good job, Yang, in the future, the big and small things in the house will be handed over to you to take care of, and if the family members in the regimental training camp are willing, they can invite the family to do some chores, and the salary will be paid." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Yang stood and bowed.

"By the way, in the future, the meals will be simple, no extravagance and waste, Cheng En, let's go."

After Chongzhen and Wang Chengen left, Yang held Yang Boxian's hand and said excitedly: "Boss, quickly pinch me, I'm afraid it's a dream!" ”

Yang Boxian smiled and pulled her nose, full of pride: "What do you mean?" Big brother won't hurt us, look at you, your hair is long and your knowledge is short. ”

Yang's heart was sweet, and he didn't bother to refute him, Yang Boxian asked again: "You said, we used to scold the emperor for being mediocre, where is the eldest brother mediocre?" It's clearly a virtuous gentleman! Then why are we still living so hard, strange. ”

"It's not Your Majesty who is faint, it's those corrupt officials and corrupt officials, my family was framed by traitors back then, and you have to do what Your Majesty ordered you to do."

"What else do you need to say?"

…

Wang Chengen had never ridden a horse, and he was afraid of delaying His Majesty, so he had to prepare to get on the horse, but the horse suddenly neighed, and Wang Chengen was scared and fell to the ground.

Chongzhen saw that Wang Chengen was fine, so he relieved himself and called: "Old man, hurry up and help the prince get on the horse and lead him to the town office." ”

After finishing speaking, he put on a raincoat and hat, and led his guards to turn their horses and go straight to the palace.

When Chongzhen hurried to the main hall of the mansion, Sun Xuanhuai led a group of people who were already inside and were talking.

"You have been waiting for a long time, the spring rain is still causing people to dream, I slept until noon, I am really negligent, and I should be punished."

Some of the gentry present were the gentry who met yesterday, and in addition to that, there were many more faces, and everyone looked at the middle-aged man who came in the rain in surprise, is this Emperor Chongzhen.

Immediately, many people wearing scarves but wearing linen clothes knelt down and saluted, and the hall could not move for a while, and the gentry could not stand or kneel.

"You don't have to be formal, just stand and talk."

Chongzhen sat in the hall, took off his raincoat and hat, wiped the rain on his face, and looked at Sun Xuanhuai suspiciously.

Sun Xuanhuai walked to Chongzhen's side with his hands on his sleeves, bowed down and explained: "Your Majesty, the people who gave the big salute were all scholars and literati from nearby townships and counties, all of whom came from a cold family and had never entered the ranks. Considering that the government was now understaffed, the minister greeted the chief soldier and went out of the city to gather them here. ”

"Well, what's the ability? I'm talking about errands. ”

"Before Your Majesty came, the ministers talked about it one by one, and some of the corrupt people who were indiscriminate have been sent away, and the rest should be able to do some practical things."

Chongzhen touched the short beard on his chin, Sun Xuanhuai's ability to take on the role is amazing, and he is a businessman, and he looks at people and does things with practical benefits, which is very in line with Chongzhen's current employment strategy.

"You assign them to fill the gap in the official office of the government office, and first restore the civil affairs in the city, the current situation is unstable, all the officials are temporary, and they will be issued as appropriate."

"Yes."

"You didn't rest last night, did you?" Chongzhen looked at the hall and asked.

Everyone hurriedly thanked His Majesty for his care, not hard, rested, and shared his worries for His Majesty.

"Today, I want to discuss the issue of food and salary with you in detail, one for the army and the other for the people, and we must talk about it separately."

"At present, there are more than 13,000 soldiers stationed in the city, and according to the amount of three catties of rice per person a day, the food consumption of the whole army is 325 stone a day, and 9,750 stone is needed a month, and all kinds of non-staple food, such as wheat, beans, hemp, millet, and coal fried, are also about 10,000 stone per month. Also, salt and the essence of the warhorse's straw bundles, etc., these are written in this booklet in my hand, and Lord Sun will give them to you to circulate later. ”

Sun Xuanhuai took the booklet of the army's food consumption from Chongzhen's hand and looked at the reaction of the hall.

Chongzhen patted the shocked wood, and the people who exchanged their heads stopped talking.

"These are just a month's expenses, and I need to raise at least half a year's amount, this is a top priority, can you disagree?"

Seeing that no one spoke, Sun Xuanhuai spoke: "Your Majesty, we will do our best to raise money." ”

"The valley is expensive in the famine year, can Lord Sun know what the price of rice in the city is?"

"Brown rice is worth two taels of silver per stone, and corn is about three taels per stone."

Chongzhen shook his head again and again after hearing this, he had taken the time to visit and inquire about the income and taxes, apportionment, hard labor, etc. of the common people under the rule of the Ming Dynasty in the past, and then after careful calculation, the price of rice per stone is already the limit that ordinary people can bear, and now it has increased by two or three times, who will sell it to?

If he could, he really wanted to devote his time to eating, but Jianyu wouldn't give him this opportunity, so Chongzhen could only release the blood of the rich family, which was the only way.

"It's wartime, and it's forbidden to hoard goods in the city, and those who violate it will be severely punished. The three-year exemption policy promulgated before the thieves remains the same, and will not be changed for the time being. ”

Chongzhen motioned for Sun Xuanhuai to approach, and whispered: "The price of rice must be reduced by half, I have no skills, so I can only entrust it to you." I don't want to push everyone too hard, so you discuss with them the number, add two to five, and I will make up for half of the loss, how about it? ”

"Your Majesty arranges it this way, and the minister will be much easier to handle."

"Also, there are tens of thousands of refugees who have been put into the city, and they are placed in the palace of the acting king, and I will solve their food problems by myself, and you have to let everyone know my hard work."

"I understand."

Chongzhen handed over all the political affairs of the government to Sun Xuanhuai for the time being, and he hurriedly personally led people to escort the evil leaders of the Shun army imprisoned in the prison away and rushed to other places.

came and went in a hurry, and he didn't talk to those poor scholars, but what he said in the hall had been deeply imprinted in the hearts of every scholar.