"You don't farm every year?"

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but ask again.

The old woman replied loudly: "Plant, my family has planted fifteen acres of land!" ”

At this time, Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but be a little puzzled, "What about the grain you planted?" ”

The old woman looked at Zhu Gaochi with some surprise, and then replied slowly: "The recovered grain has to pay tenant rent, and you have to pay taxes to the yamen...... In addition, if you go to return some food to the lord in the village, the men and sons of the family will have to go to labor, and they must bring enough food, otherwise they will starve to death......"

"This ......"

Zhu Gaochi was already a little frightened when he heard this, and continued to ask: "Now that there are still seven or eight months before next year's autumn harvest, if you run out of rice, what will you eat?" ”

The old woman said expressionlessly: "I can only go to the house of the old man Wang in the village to borrow some money!" ”

"Borrowing?"

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but have a bad feeling in his heart, and hurriedly asked, "How to borrow?" ”

The old woman said: "Borrow one liter, and after the autumn harvest next year, pay back two liters, they will borrow it!" ”

Zhu Gaochi only felt that his scalp was numb, and he felt cold in his body, "Then what should you do when you get to the cold winter next year?" ”

The old woman's eyes subconsciously appeared a little overwhelmed, "I can only continue to borrow......"

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help muttering: "However, the loan can be renewed next year, but what about the year after next, or the year after next?" ”

The old woman gradually froze, she didn't think that far away, maybe she wouldn't wait for the next year, she would die, or......

After being stunned for a while, the old woman hurriedly said: "The year after tomorrow, my grandson will grow up, and he can help Master Wang's family herd cattle and cut grass."

After a few years like this, when my grandchildren grow up, I can rent more fields to plant......"

Zhu Gaochi asked again: "What about the field before your family?" ”

"Previous ......"

Speaking of this, the old woman's eyes regained some brightness.

"I didn't have food to eat, I couldn't repay the loans, and I sold some ...... A few years ago, in order to marry a daughter-in-law for my family's big cow, I sold the remaining three acres of land! ”

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help muttering to himself: "But, but without the field, how will you live in the future?" ”

"There's always a way to live...... There will definitely be...... If it really doesn't work, you can still sell yourself and sell it to Master Wang, or Master Li......"

Zhu Gaochi breathed tightly, he was in charge of the cabinet this year, and looked at the concerts sent from all over Daming, thinking that although the lives of the people in the states and counties of Daming were hard, food and clothing should be about the same.

However, he never thought that the people around Jingshi would be so hard, and before the end of the year, they had already reached the point of borrowing grain, and if they borrowed for another two years, they would need to sell themselves as slaves......

On the side, the old woman held the bowl of rice bran in her hand, and looked at Guo An in a daze, not knowing whether to put these rice bran in the pot.

However, if she didn't get out of the pot, she would have to return the four taels of silver she had just gotten.

Thinking about it, the old woman seemed to have made up her mind, and begged Guo An: "Or, the slut will borrow a liter of white rice from Master Wang......"

"No need to toss like this!"

Zhu Di waved his hand a little irritably, "If you old woman go to borrow white rice again, I'm afraid you will have to sell yourself next year."

Let's go to a restaurant in front of us to eat, you might as well give these rice bran to your grandchildren......"

"That ......"

A trace of disappointment flashed in the old woman's eyes, and then she was still ruthless, took out the four taels of treasure money in her arms, and reluctantly returned it to Jiang Hu.

"These four taels of treasure money will be returned to the nobles!"

"There is no need to do this, seeing each other is fate, let's help you more!"

Zhu Di sighed heavily and said to Jiang Hu: "Give her another ten taels of treasure money!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

Jiang Hu hurriedly took out another ten taels of treasure money from his arms and stuffed them into the old woman's hand.

The old woman immediately knelt on the ground and thanked again and again, "Thank you, you are really a good person with a bodhisattva's heart......"

"Alright, get up quickly!"

Zhu Di said in a deep voice.

The old woman was shocked, and the whole person involuntarily stood up slowly.

Zhu Di asked again: "In your village, how many families are like your family?" ”

"My ......"

The old woman was stunned for a moment, and then hurriedly replied: "My family is quite good, the neighbor in the south, the son of the family served in the conscription last year, he didn't bring enough food to repair the river, and he was hungry, so he fell in the river and couldn't come back, and the old man of his family shouldn't be able to come back this year......

In the south of the house, because the son of the family provoked the king, the man was sent by the king to kill in order to protect his son, leaving only the orphans and widows......

In the house to the north, the old man in the family has a crippled leg, the old woman is worse than the slut, and the son is already twenty years old and has not yet married a wife......

And ......"

Zhu Di took a deep breath, "Why are you living so hard here?" ”

"Hard work...... Everyone is so hard! ”

The old woman said slowly.

Zhu Di's heart was crushed, and he asked again: "A few days ago, the government didn't give you some money, food and clothing, so how can I help you?" ”

"Zhou Ji? Thanksgiving ......"

The old woman thought hard for a while, and said, "It's just that we are just pariahs, and those money, food and clothes can't be helped by us!" ”

Zhu Di asked in a deep voice, "Where did you go?" ”

The old woman said in a low voice: "Naturally, it is Master Wang, these masters, they all have fame, and they have a good relationship with the officials of the Yamen, isn't Zhou Ji just Zhou Ji to them?" ”

"These bastards!"

Zhu Gao scolded hatefully, and asked the old woman: "Those people dare to bully you like this, so you didn't think to sue them?" ”

"How do you sue?"

The old woman's face was calm, and her emotions did not fluctuate, "We pariahs, if you want to sue them, you have to be beaten with twenty boards first."

Before we could sue us, we were killed!

Even if we were lucky enough not to be killed, we would have starved to death when we came back to bed for a month to recuperate......

And those old men want to clean up these untouchables, some of them have a way, our cheap lives are worthless, but there are children and grandchildren in the family to live......"

"Hateful!"

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but scold angrily, but he didn't know who to scold?

More than 90 million people in the Ming Dynasty have all been oppressed and exploited like this, and they don't dare to resist, he, the prince of the Ming Dynasty, can't think of any way!

A sense of powerlessness suddenly rose from my heart.

"Let's go to the next village!"

Zhu Di said in a deep voice, and walked straight out.

"Yes...... Father! ”

Zhu Gaochi slowly responded and hurriedly followed.

It's just that a few people just walked out of the old woman's yard, and before they had gone far, a group of people caught up behind them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stay, stay!"

A group of sturdy men wearing silk cloth directly stopped Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi and others.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Hu hurriedly took a few chamberlains to separate these men from Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi.

"Don't misunderstand, my lord heard that a noble person came to the village, so he came out on purpose, and wanted to invite you to go to the house to rest and make friends......

Before the man who took the lead finished speaking, a white fat middle-aged man wearing silk and satin walked up and saluted Zhu Di.

"Xiaosheng Wang Dequan has seen this virtuous brother!"

Immediately, he looked at Guo An and his party with a curious expression.

Guo An, Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi and others are all wearing silk and satin, either they are famous, or they are some kind of officials and magnates.

And Wang Dequan likes to make friends with Guo An and Zhu Di the most!

"You're wearing silk and satin, you should be the old man?"

Zhu Di squinted his eyes and asked lightly.

Wang Dequan smiled a little reservedly, "This noble man is polite, because Xiaosheng has lived here for generations, he is fortunate to have a show of talent and fame, plus he often helps the surrounding neighbors, and the neighbors love Xiaosheng like this!" ”

"Oh?"

Looking at Wang Dequan's look of a great benevolent person, a nameless fire inexplicably rose in Zhu Di's heart, and he asked coldly: "Do you often help the surrounding townships?" ”

"Exactly!"

Wang Dequan was still modest, looking at Zhu Di with a smile on his face.

…… (End of chapter)